Action by Yaroslavsky called into question

My wife gave me a report on her experience of the L.A. County Board of Supervisors meeting she personally attended on the Heschel project reported on in The Acorn, and I am mad as hell.

Zev Yaroslavsky has blatantly disrespected the concerns of the city of Agoura Hills and Old Agoura and has obviously decided that he is going to just shove this project down our throats. He put Mayor Dan Kuperberg on the spot about an "interim" plan that should or could be implemented. What plan is that? Where did it come from? Has anybody but Zev seen it? Is it as pathetic as the halfbaked ones from the past, or is this "plan" something new?

Like an aggressive salesman with his foot in the door, Yaroslavsky obviously wants Heschel to start construction as soon as possible so it will be impossible to stop, manage or control the project. I still can't believe how the county, and Yaroslavsky in particular, have marginalized the city's position and ignored all valid concerns of its citizens for traffic, noise, safety, access and everything else we have been bringing up.

This project, with its constantly changing "plan," is just plain bad news for the city of Agoura Hills, and Old Agoura in particular. And yet, to our amazement, it keeps moving forward with all of its major flaws and problems unresolved.

Since the city has no control over the project but does control access, the city of Agoura Hills must tell the county supervisors that if they prematurely approve this half-baked project in any form the county will need to also find and build Heschel access at their expense through county-controlled property. The city of Agoura Hills is not required to accommodate nor does it need the myriad of problems, costs or liabilities of an unwanted private commercial project on which they have no say, input or control.

Yaroslavsky's behavior at the supervisor's meeting regarding Heschel reeks of political cronyism, outright favoritism and backroom dealings. I am hoping Mayor Kuperberg and the Agoura Hills City Council members understand that he is blatantly disrespecting this city's autonomous right to control development within its own borders.
Steve Casey
Agoura Hills