Ahmanson Lobbyists Woo State

As opponents of Ahmanson Ranch seek to rally the public to their side, the developer behind the $2-billion housing project that would be built at Ventura County’s eastern edge is working to enlist support from state officials who could help decide its fate.

Since 1999, when a rare plant and frog were discovered on the property, the Ahmanson Land Co. and corporate parent Washington Mutual Bank based in Seattle have spent more than $284,000 on some of the best-connected lobbyists in California.

The developer has courted regulatory agencies, the state treasurer and the governor’s office to block efforts that would snag the 3,050-home project, located in the rugged Simi Hills near the Los Angeles County line.

State Sen. Sheila Kuehl (D-Santa Monica), who has campaigned against the development, says she has been impressed with Ahmanson’s response at every turn.

“They shift gears depending on where they see the problems. That’s good lobbying,” Kuehl said. “Whether it’s going to be successful in the long run, I’m not sure. We’re seriously in for the long haul in opposition.”

The developer’s lobbying force includes Platinum Advisors, whose chief, Darius Anderson, is a top fund-raiser for Gov. Gray Davis. The firm has counted Microsoft, Walt Disney Co. and Pacific Gas and Electric among its clients.

State records show that earlier this month, Washington Mutual also hired another powerful lobbying firm, Nielsen, Merksamer, Parrinello, Mueller and Naylor. Steven Merksamer was chief of staff to former Gov. George Deukmejian.

Ahmanson spokesman Tim McGarry, however, said Merksamer’s firm was retained for banking issues “totally unrelated” to the housing development.

Records indicate that the developer’s lobbyists have adapted to keep up with obstacles thrown in the project’s path by a growing opposition force, which now includes everyone from state legislators to Hollywood celebrities.

In 1999 and 2000, the focus of lobbyists was to convince the Department of Fish and Game that the Ahmanson Ranch developer had sufficient plans to protect the San Fernando Valley spineflower, once believed extinct, and the California red-legged frog.

“We actively sought their input on the kinds of conservation plans that would do the job,” McGarry said. “We certainly sought to understand the expectations of Fish and Game as to what would be effective in protecting these species.”

Lobbyists also spent time with California Department of Transportation officials, who were pushing for an updated traffic study. The development is expected to dump 45,000 cars a day onto local streets and the Ventura Freeway, with most of that traffic pouring into neighboring Los Angeles.

More than a dozen lawsuits have since stalled the project, and detractors have argued that gridlock would be even worse than projected.

But Ventura County planners agreed with the developers that a new study was not needed, and Caltrans withdrew its request last year.

By 2001, Los Angeles County politicians were standing strong in their opposition to the project, frustrated that Ventura County would reap the tax benefits while Los Angeles would suffer increased traffic and smog. A delegation lobbied Davis’ office against the project.

Meanwhile, the environmental group Heal the Bay and the conservation group Save Open Space solicited help from Hollywood. Director Rob Reiner and HBO executive Chris Albrecht launched Rally to Save Ahmanson Ranch and solicited the help of actor Martin Sheen and others.

Kuehl, Assemblywoman Fran Pavley (D-Agoura Hills) and the city of Calabasas continued applying pressure at Caltrans and the Department of Fish and Game to deflect arguments put forth by the developer, Kuehl said.

State records show that Ahmanson lobbyists have spoken with officials in the governor’s office to discourage the administration from becoming involved in what they maintain is a local land-use issue. And lobbying firm Robinson and Associates was asked to track every environmental bill moving through the state Legislature for any language that might threaten the Ahmanson Ranch development.

“You have to be where your opponents are,” said McGarry, spokesman for the developer. “And our opponents have been very active in Sacramento. We’ve been in the position of responding to questions raised by the opposition.”

Finally, Guy Gniadek, project manager and vice president of Ahmanson Land Co., has met with state Treasurer Phil Angelides.

McGarry said Gniadek told Angelides that the Ahmanson Ranch project is a good example of so-called “smart growth,” with its mix of affordable and luxury homes, its plans for commuter van pools and its large dedications of open space.

Since the discovery of the spineflower and frog, project opponents have sought state bond money to buy the Ahmanson Ranch land and protect it against development. California voters approved a $2.6-billion bond measure this month that could help buy the ranch property.

The developer maintains that the land is not for sale and is moving forward with plans to break ground next year, provided that Ventura County supervisors approve a supplemental environmental impact report this fall.

As treasurer, Angelides has discretion over tax credit programs as well as general bond money that can be used to buy park land. But McGarry says that’s not why Gniadek went to see him.

“To my knowledge, we have not discussed with Angelides parks bonds or tax credits related to Ahmanson Ranch,” he said.

But a recent conversation with Ahmanson lobbyist Darius Anderson made Kuehl wonder whether the developer is warming to the idea.

“Recently, I saw Darius and in passing he said, ‘Well, I wonder if the state is prepared to buy this property,’” Kuehl said.

“I said, ‘Of course the state is prepared to buy the property. We don’t have the money in hand yet. But we’d need a willing seller.’ He said, ‘Well, it would be very expensive.’ He smiled, and I smiled, and that was it.

“That doesn’t, in my opinion, constitute a real offer, or even a trial balloon,” Kuehl said. “But it’s one of those informal exchanges that tests the other person’s attitudes.”