Supervisors appove Local Coastal Program
By Stephanie Bertholdo bertholdo@theacorn.com

Resource protection and public safety now trump development in the mountaincoastal region following the passage of the Santa Monica Mountains Local Coastal Program by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors last month.

According to Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, the LCP expands the environmental protections outlined in the Santa Monica Mountains North Area Plan. While the NAP reined in overdevelopment in the mountains, the LCP will codify a set of environmental protection measures in the coastal region.

The program will "dramatically reduce" zoning densities, ban new residential and commercial development in environmentally sensitive areas and prohibit new development within 50 feet of significant ridgelines, Yaroslavsky said.

Under the plan, new development will be limited in the coastal zone. Even the length of driveways and access roads will be curtailed, Yaroslavsky said. Strict landscape plans will be required before a permit is issued, and invasive plant species will be forbidden. Scenic views will be protected as well.

The program also provides for the "free movement of wildlife" throughout the mountainscoastal zone.

The plan would expand visitor services in the Santa Monica Mountain Recreation Area, including the public trail system. It allows for new public parks and new public campgrounds and will preserve the area's equine heritage.

Ruth Gerson, president of the Recreation and Equestrian Coalition, said she was concerned that horses were going to be classified in a separate category from agriculture, which would not be protected under the new program. An amendment was added to include horses within the agriculture clause, she said.

"It's those little things of semantics and phrasing that make loopholes and problems later on," Gerson said.

But critics aren't happy that the program allows for large facilities to board horses and for the development of bedandbreakfast-type businesses in the region.

"(This is a) disguise to get development into the mountains," said Jackie deHaviland, president of Citizens for a Better Coastal Plan. "The only people who profit from this are people who have large enough places to do it, and that is not your normal, everyday equestrian that keeps one or two or maybe three horses."

The potential for bedandbreakfast facilities also bothers deHaviland. "The B&B and 40room inn concept- they all smack to me of moving into development."

The program will allow eight horses per acre, deHaviland said. "Eight horses per acre in boarding facilities is way out of line. . . . It's out of kilter with basic natural resource management."

When the LCP comes before the California Coastal Commission deHaviland said she will testify against the proposed high density horseboarding provisions and the establishments of mountain inns.

Other people who spoke against the LCP said horse waste contributes to higher pollution levels in the Santa Monica Bay.

Retired L.A. Fire Capt. Don Wallace said there is no scientific evidence that identifies horse waste as a "major contributor" to the increased pollution in local streams or the bay.

Mary Benson, executive director of the Los Angeles Trails Project, also testified at the hearing.

"The LCP furthers and supports a balanced, active use while protecting the most sensitive areas from development," Benson said.

Stephanie Abronson of Equestrian Trails Inc, Corral 36 offered her support as well.

"We must have sustainable horse keeping for future generations," she told the supervisors.