Another city of Calabasas lawsuit against Ahmanson loses in court

By Michael Picarella Acorn Staff Writer

The city of Calabasas and other litigants last week unsuccessfully sued Ventura County for what was thought to be a violation of the Brown Act. The lawsuit, possibly an attempt to delay the 3,050-home Ahmanson Ranch development (that would exist north of Calabasas), failed.

Five Ventura County planning commissioners had visited Washington Mutual’s Ahmanson Ranch site with developer representatives and without public invitation. According to the Brown Act, all California government agencies and entities must meet and make all decisions in public, based on a published agenda. Calabasas officials said the visit violated the Brown Act.

One reason the lawsuit was denied, according to Calabasas City Councilman Michael Harrison, "was that the judge found that there was no violation of the Brown Act," he said. "All five planning commissioners, even those who voted against the SEIR (supplemental environmental impact report) submitted declarations under penalty of perjury that they had only received information and had not shared any information.

"In other words," Harrison said, "they did not have a serial meeting, according to the court."

Harrison said he thinks the court was correct in its decision because not one person came forward to claim that information was shared.

"I have no independent means of analyzing whether there was a violation of the Brown Act," Harrison said, adding that he must trust the final decision. Harrison is an attorney.

Calabasas can still appeal the allegations, assuming the Ventura County Board of Supervisors approves the SEIR, according to Harrison. But the appeal would have to be made within 30 days of that approval, he said.

"At that time we can bring up the same issues again," Harrison said. But he doesn’t know if the city will follow through.

Washington Mutual spokesman Tim McGarry had previously said the lawsuit was completely baseless.