Second thoughts about Ahmanson




The orgy of self-congratulation over the demise of the Ahmanson Ranch project compels me to make a few observations.

Most of the opposition was from Calabasas in L.A. County. Ventura County would have gained the tax benefits, L.A. County the traffic.

So this was as much about green money as green virtue. A quick look at the scarred and ruined ridge lines in Lost Hills discredits L.A.’s claim to environmental stewardship.

When the Ahmanson Ranch project became a political hot potato, I was working for the PR firm for Ahmanson. In that capacity, I got to see how beautiful the land was and how thoroughly planned the project was.

You could not ask for a betterthought out project that would have been as self-contained as possible. Schools, shopping, small offices etc. were mixed in with the residential to reduce the need for residents to leave, thus mitigating traffic. Much of the property was set aside as open space. In short, it was as green as you could get.

My neighbor Maria Vander­kolk won election to the Ventura County Board of Supervisors at age 23. She turned out to be one of the mature voices and helped negotiate the Bob Hope land swap that would allow Ahmanson Ranch to proceed. You can hike to China Flat because of that compromise.

But afterward, the NIMBYs got the deal killed. They enlisted the voices of such, ahem, landuse experts as Rob Reiner and Al Gore. Yep, the veep himself felt expert enough to chime in with the naysayers’ chorus.

So, 20 years hence, the Ahmanson Ranch property remains undeveloped. I have mixed feelings.

On the one hand, I selfishly appreciate the traffic that isn’t there at the bottom of the hill. At the same time, I recognize that everyone reading this letter lives in a house and a town that was once beautiful, “unspoiled” open space.

Thankfully, the Mary Weisbrocks and other NIMBYs were not around to scuttle Thousand Oaks. We’d never know what we missed.

As for Ahmanson Ranch, I hope the coyotes and the rare San Fernando Valley spineflowers enjoy the view.

Jim Bass

Thousand Oaks



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