Protesters Petition Antonovich to Stop Removal of Old Oak

Chanting “Uproot Antonovich, not the tree,” a group of supporters joined by actress Rene Russo gathered Friday at the Los Angeles County Hall of Administration to protest Supervisor Mike Antonovich’s proposal to move a 400-year-old oak tree for a road-widening project.

The more than two dozen protesters delivered a petition to the supervisor’s office signed by 4,000 people who favor keeping the tree at its present location on Pico Canyon Road in the Santa Clarita Valley.

“That tree represents California and it’s beauty,” said Russo, a Los Angeles native. “I think it’s time we wake up and fight to bring the beauty of California back to this city.”

Antonovich, who represents the unincorporated area of Stevenson Ranch, where the oak is located, did not meet with the demonstrators. But a spokesman said the supervisor believes that the best solution is to move the tree.

During the rally, Russo said that Valley Crest Tree Co., a large tree supplier that had agreed to move the towering oak, is no longer willing to risk damaging the tree. The company had said the tree could be moved but could not guarantee how long it would live.

“I want to thank Valley Crest for the good news,” Russo said. “They do not want to put the tree in danger.”

Stuart Sperber, chief executive of Valley Crest, confirmed that the company had pulled out of the project “because of the circus atmosphere and bad publicity.”

The campaign to save the tree began Nov. 1, when activist John Quigley climbed up the towering oak in protest over its planned removal for the road project. John Laing Homes, the developer of a nearby subdivision, is required to widen the road as part of its county building permit.

Quigley has vowed to remain in the tree until an alternative to moving the oak is found.

Earlier, this week, a Valencia-based engineer offered a design plan that would split the roadway in two, leaving a narrow wedge in between for the tree. Quigley said Friday he was encouraged by the proposal and by the support he has received from the community.

“I think we are now down to the right conversation, which is the fine points of going around the tree,” he said. “I don’t think at this stage they would move it.”

But Tony Bell, an Antonovich spokesman, said the supervisor is not swayed by the new roadway plan supported by environmentalists.

“The issue is about public safety,” Bell said. “Since Day 1, we’ve said, if there were a way to safely leave the tree in place, the Department of Public Works would have found it.”

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Times staff writer Wendy Thermos contributed to this report.