Horses May Be Headed for the Last Roundup

For horse owners such as Jorge Mansilla, Pico Rivera’s plans to close dozens of stables at a city park along the San Gabriel River would spell the end of a once-thriving equestrian culture.

“It’ll have a huge effect,” said Mansilla, a local real estate agent who has boarded five horses at the stables for nearly a decade. “We don’t have anywhere to go.”

But City Councilman Gregory Salcido said the park that houses the roughly 200 horse stables could be better utilized to serve the recreation needs of the city’s 65,000 residents while boosting municipal revenue.

Salcido said he would like to see an 18-hole golf course or amphitheater developed on the land near the junction of the Pomona and San Gabriel River freeways.

“The closing of the stables is kind of our first step in doing something significant” with the park, he said. “We have to try and hit a home run on it.”

The stables are on a 60-acre parcel known as Bicentennial Park, a regional facility built in the mid-1970s. The park also includes a nine-hole golf course, a now-abandoned campground and the Pico Rivera Sports Arena, built primarily for Mexican rodeos.

Salcido said he favors redeveloping the entire site into something with broader appeal than rodeos. Though Pico Rivera is predominantly Latino and some neighborhoods are zoned for horses, few residents attend the cowboy events, he said.

Earlier this year, the City Council sent eviction notices to horse owners and set a July 1 deadline. City Manager Chuck Fuentes said officials planned to enforce the order.

But several boarders said they would not comply and planned to camp at the park Friday night to protest.

“I’m not leaving,” Mansilla said.

About two dozen horse owners, armed with bullhorns and banners, demonstrated Sunday in front of a local restaurant owned by City Councilman Ron Beilke, who favors shutting down the stables. Beilke and other council members did not return phone calls seeking comment.

The showdown highlights the tensions between a passionate but fading horse culture and increasing urban pressures. Several area stables have closed in the last 20 years, and the Pico Rivera facility is among the last along the San Gabriel River. Meanwhile, boarding space is at a premium across the county, with some stables charging up to about $500 a month.

The low-lying park has become a gathering spot for a diverse group of horse owners from various races and cultures. The smell of manure and the clop of horseshoes contrasts sharply with the constant swoosh of traffic on the San Gabriel River Freeway.

City officials for years have wanted to find another use for the property, in part to increase revenue in the face of shrinking budgets. They said the stables need costly renovations to their wastewater system, and that the city loses money on their operation.

In March, the council voted to close the stables when the contract expired with the operator, Ventura Productions. Elaine Hauser, president of the firm, could not be reached for comment.

The city’s options concerning what to do with the park property are limited, however.

The land is owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which leases the property to the city to provide “recreation facilities for public use,” said Greg Fuderer, a spokesman for the corps. Residential, commercial or industrial development is prohibited under the terms of the lease agreement, he said.

But “as long as the lessee meets the federal guidelines, we don’t have any say in what facilities are there,” Fuderer said. A new 18-hole golf course, for example, would be acceptable, he said.

Several boarders said the council’s decision to close the stables caught them off guard, saying they first learned about the eviction notice from newspaper reports. More surprising, they said, is that the city has no specific development plans.

The horse owners complain that the city years ago signed a low-ball rental contract with Ventura Productions that was never updated. The contract requires the firm to pay the city $1,000 a month, according to city officials.

“We’ve told them, ‘It’s your problem you’re losing money. You’re not charging enough,’ ” said boarder Susan Maclean.

Horse owners estimate that Ventura Productions makes more than $300,000 a year from fees it charges boarders, who pay $185 to $300 a month for food and lodging. They said equipment at the stables has not been maintained and urged the city to find new managers.

“Where’s that money going?” said Raul Murga, a resident who favors keeping the stables open. “One place it’s not going is to the city.”