Stop wasting money on the Ahmanson fight

Some people say a boat is a hole in the water that you pour money into; I say a lawsuit against Ahmanson Ranch is the same thing.

Over 10 years’ time, money has been poured into 14 failing lawsuits; Calabasas alone has dumped about $1.5 million into failing attempts. Having witnessed their efforts before the Ventura supervisors, I don’t think they’re getting their money’s worth.

I wonder how their attorneys were selected and what kind of track record they have.

The cities joining in these lawsuits are like the pot calling the kettle black. Those cities have approved three times as much development as Ahmanson during the last 10 years. The fight against Ahmanson is truly making a mountain out of a molehill; the Ranch will be about half the size of Oak Park, and before the Ranch came up, most people didn’t even know Oak Park existed.

The project opponents are concerned about contamination in the water and ground. I wonder if the residents of Bell Canyon and neighboring areas are equally concerned; and if they are required to disclose these "hazards" when listing their property for sale. Perhaps the environmentalists will be on the receiving end of legal action if they diminish property values without sufficient justification.

The Ranch opponents have two different motivations; some want to stop it on philosophical grounds, while others want to delay it until sufficient mitigation money has been extorted from the developer.

Ahmanson has committed to whatever mitigation is fairly applied to all developers in the region. Asking more of Washington Mutual, just because they’re bigger, is not a justifiable approach.

Glen O. Wilcox

Oak Park