Candidate wants to keep small town feeling in Agoura Hills

By Stephanie Bertholdo Acorn Staff Writer

Stephen Rishoff

In his bid for one of the two Agoura Hills City Council seats, Stephen Rishoff is getting the word out to voters that if he’s elected, he’ll help maintain the small town, semi-rural feeling that Agoura Hills has enjoyed for decades.

An attorney for 29 years and Old Agoura resident, Rishoff has been hitting the streets and talking with residents about his multi-tiered plan for the city.

Rishoff is the brother of Louise Rishoff, a city councilwoman for more than 23 years. She decided not to seek reelection in November.

A firm believer and activist in the area’s slow growth movement, Rishoff said that L.A. County’s North Area Plan approved several years ago is his barometer on how land should be developed.

"The land should dictate the type and intensity of use," he said. The North Area Plan, Rishoff said, disallowed some proposed development along the freeway corridor and in the Santa Monica Mountains.

He’d like to see the Agoura Village concept completed. With formal guidelines for the project recently approved, the Agoura overlay was originally approved in 1997. It’s a detailed plan for the area west of Kanan Road, south of the 101 Freeway, extending to the city limits. It envisions a Westwood Village type center, with wide sidewalks with some residential units above storefronts.

"Nothing would be built that would later be regretted," Rishoff said. The plans would include a roundabout at Agoura and Kanan roads.

Other high priorities for Rishoff are the Kanan Road/101 Freeway interchange project and "traffic in general." Regarding the Oak Creek project, he said that although he preferred less density, it will look "much nicer when it’s done."

Having personally witnessed his sister, Louise, spend countless hours working on city business, Rishoff said he understands that being a city council member isn’t easy.

"I’m not going into this with any false illusions," Rishoff said. Attending city council meetings twice a month is only a small part of the job, he said.

As an attorney, Rishoff specializes in land use and has served as in-house counsel to major corporations. He’s worked as a mediator at Los Angeles Superior Court, an arbitrator and he served as a judge pro tem.

Rishoff is a board member of the Old Agoura Homeowners’ Association. He’s known for his staunch support of open space, including his opposition to the Ahmanson Ranch development.

More than 100 individuals have donated money to support Rishoff’s candidacy. Rishoff said he won’t accept campaign contributions from developers, but prefers to raise funds from individual residents, 95 percent of whom live in Agoura Hills. If he’s elected, there won’t be any questions regarding his motives, Rishoff said.

Rishoff hosted a fundraiser at his home on Saturday, raising money for the final phases of his campaign. He said he’s trying to knock on the door of everyone who votes in Agoura Hills.

Rishoff has a long list of supporters. He’s backed by four-time mayor and councilwoman in Agoura Hills, state Assemblywoman Fran Pavley (D-Woodland Hills), as well as Mayor Jeff Reinhardt, three other council members and four of the city’s planning commissioners.

Three Las Virgenes Unified School District board members support Rishoff’s candidacy, as does Mary Wiesbrock, director of Save Open Space, a group that fought Ahmanson Ranch. Several members of the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District board of directors also support Rishoff for city council.