Soka not willing to say it’s ready to sell

Soka not willing to say it’s ready to sell By Michael Picarella pic@theacorn.com

Despite rumors, representatives of Soka University of America in Calabasas still claim they’re not willing to sell their campus.

The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy hopes to buy and preserve Soka. Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky has described the preservation of the Soka property as imperative. It’s the most important unprotected property in the Santa Monica Mountains, he said.

Soka University is a private liberal arts college based on a system of learning developed by a Japanese educator. The technique began in the early 20th Century. The campus is at Las Virgenes Road and Mulholland Highway.

In September, the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy allocated a total of $10 million from Proposition 50 and Proposition 40 funds toward the purchase of the 600-acre Soka campus. The Conservancy also received financial commitments from California’s Coastal Conservancy, the Wildlife Conservation Board and the state parks for assistance, according to Paul Edelman, the Conservancy’s Deputy Director of Natural Resources and Planning. Edelman said each amount was a seven-digit number. He said he couldn’t be more specific.

The Conservancy is still looking for more cash, Edelman said.

Some residents in the Las Virgenes area strongly support the purchase and preservation of the Soka property. According to a December Las Virgenes Homeowners Federation newsletter, a group of concerned citizens discussed a campaign to raise money from local residents for the school acquisition.

The newsletter stated that Yaroslavsky "reportedly offered to match any funds" that the area’s residents raise. Yaroslavsky said he’d love to do that but wouldn’t be able to match a sum too large.

"The county Proposition A funds, which are park bond monies that the voters approved for precisely this kind of a purchase, are funds that I’m prepared to spend and will spend as part of the total acquisition," Yaroslavsky said. "It’s relatively accurate what (LVHF) is writing (in their newsletter), but if someone writes a check for $5 million, we’re not going to match it. . . . It’s going to have to be reasonable."

LVHF representatives weren’t available to respond for this story.