Resident wants access to Ahmanson Ranch, worries about Soka purchase

I am not opposed to the public purchase of the Gillette Ranch (Soka University), but I am opposed to what happened to Ahmanson Ranch. When Ahmanson was private, you could drive on a paved road into the center of the ranch and visit the ranch house and survey the surrounding terrain just as the original owners would have.

Now, that access is closed and there is only a tiny pedestrian entrance at an extreme corner of the property—the land is now public but it is more inaccessible than when it was private.

I was a member of the first Japanese language class that Soka offered, so I know firsthand the educational opportunities they have provided. In addition, many other socially beneficial programs have been offered there. We will lose all that and no one will demand a social impact report.

When park supporters seek land like Ahmanson and Gillette, they are saying Los Angeles has a huge population that deserves access to beautiful unspoiled countryside. But what happens after the purchase is made? The answer I’ll bet is, "Oh, we just had enough money to buy it, but we don’t have enough to make it accessible."

So much for public parkland. In case I am wrong, I’d love for someone with authority in the park realm to describe what is going to be done to make Ahmanson a park for the public, with access sufficient to accommodate the "largest urban population in California." Or is one pedestrian gate sufficient?

Glen Wilcox

Oak Park