Council candidate wants to combine environmentalism with ‘smart growth’

Acorn Staff Writer


Michael Harrison

Michael Harrison

An ardent environmentalist, planning commissioner Michael Harrison would continue to preserve Calabasas’ natural resources while allowing for some of what he calls "smart-growth" development, if he’s elected to the city council in March.


He also wants to forge a community that will continue to provide and increase the amenities that brought people to Calabasas in the first place.


"There are three major reasons people move here—schools, safety and streets," said Harrison, adding that he wants to improve all three.


"As the only candidate with children in public schools. I’m motivated to improve communications (between the council and school board)," he said.


Harrison said he’d like to see more cooperative ventures between Las Virgenes Unified School District and the city, such as after-school playground use and more coverage of school events on the Calabasas cable TV channel. He’d also support the formation of a school commission to oversee those endeavors and serve as a liaison between the two entities.


Regarding public safety, Harrison expressed concern with a 10 percent crime increase reported over the previous year. He wants the council to continue to work closely with and support the sheriff’s department.


Harrison proposes to increase street safety with regular community reviews and the addition of "class-one" bike lanes, which provide a separate path and not just a "painted line" and thin passage for bikers, which he labels "suicycle lanes."


Harrison began his environmental activities soon after Calabasas became a city. He was the first chairman of the environmental commission and the first secretary of the tree board. He also led the drive to establish green waste recycling.


An environmental issue important to Harrison is sustainable land use. The candidate said he’d enforce the existing rules and support only developments that are sensitive to community need (what he calls "smart growth"). He also supports the acquisition of open space.


"Open space is valuable (if it) preserves the character of the community, view shed, species or to link trails or habitats, or if it is used to prevent unacceptable impact to the environment, watershed or would create traffic problems—those (properties) must be preserved. Otherwise, land can be developed in accordance with the General Plan," he said.


But all development must be appropriate, he said.


"As a member of the planning commission, I have spearheaded the drives against over development on Las Virgenes Road (Canyon Hills), and the Aronoff’s misplaced ridgeline fantasy. I have worked tirelessly for the enforcement of existing rules and specific plans," he said.


Another hot button issue for Harrison is the Ahmanson Ranch development, which he opposed from the beginning when he first went before the Ventura County Board of Supervisors to protest it in 1991, he said.


"Besides filing lawsuits, I think we have to form end-game strategies. I think we need to form a consortium of agencies to purchase the land rights," he said.


Another environmental issue that concerns Harrison is the landscape district system, to which Calabasas residents pay into each year to maintain landscaping of their neighborhoods. His landscape district went from having surplus funds to a deficit of more than $700,000 over the past few years, he said.


"We must open the books to public scrutiny," he said "The problem is that the city council serves as the board of directors of the landscape district. Something went very wrong," he concluded, adding that the council should possibly establish an outside board of directors to oversee the funds.


On a more positive note, Harrison feels very strongly about forging a strong community, with family activities and something for everyone.


"Without a cohesive social fabric, even empires have splintered," he said.


"We have begun to forge a vibrant community. We can have the best of both worlds—a small town next to a major metropolis."


Harrison would like to see more family-oriented activities, such as a return of the Pumpkin Parade as well as the "Run for the Hills" event that benefits recreation programs. He’d like to have more skate parks as wall as "skate nights" in which streets are closed off so that families can skate, and the continuation of what began this year as an annual New Year’s Eve family activity.


"We have to expand our community services, which form the bonds of our civic enterprise," he said.


Since graduating from UCLA Law School in 1976, Harrison has practiced business law and estate planning. For eight years, he served as a city prosecutor for environmental and other code violations. He also has adjudicated more than 200 cases for the American Arbitration Association and NASD.


Harrison has served on the planning commission for the past two years. He also belongs to the Las Virgenes Homeowners’ Association and the California Weather Association, and is a national weather service spotter. He’s a panel member of the Los Angeles Superior Court Probate Volunteer Program and the San Fernando Valley Bar Association.


He and his wife, Melissa, have two children: Lily, 15, and Charlie, 13.




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