Category Archives: News

Is Calabasas Part of the Valley?

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Planning Laws Affect Property Values and Define the City and Neighborhood You Live In

Re-zoning, giving variances and amendments to developers so they can usurp a city’s land-use laws negatively impacts residents’ quality of life and property values, but it’s also about money and power…“In this County, the power to rezone property involves the power to create great wealth, and the effect of corrupt action by a public official in these matters, in my opinion, is just as reprehensible as taking money from the public treasury…the expectation of buying property for X dollars and then applying for [variances] to make the value of that property 10 times X shows it’s a free-for-all.” Screen Shot 2015-10-22 at 4.19.26 PM(Excerpted from LA Times, Oct. 14,2015 (Patt Morrison article)http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-morrison-silverstein-20151014-column.html 

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Monte Nido Wins the Day! BOS Upholds the LCP! Calabasas Councilmember Fred Gaines Threatens Lawsuit….

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Kudos to the Monte Nido community for their outstanding lead effort! 

On Tuesday, Oct. 20, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted to uphold the Santa Monica Mountains Local Coastal Program (LCP) in a 4-0-1 vote. Supervisors Kuehl, Solis, Ridley-Thomas and Antonovitch voted to deny the developer’s appeal, with Supervisor Knabe abstaining. The threat was from Vintage Pacific at Monte Nido – a developer pushing to circumvent the LCP and build a 16 home subdivision on the wild and winding Piuma, in the heart of our pristine coastal resources and in our LCP protected rural village of Monte Nido. The developer was/is represented by two attorneys – one of whom is Fred Gaines – also a Calabasas Councilmember. Mr. Gaines threatened the BOS with an apparent breech of contract lawsuit – but, he was solidly rebuked – not garnering a single vote to support his client’s bypass and desired non-compliance with the LCP.

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Kudos to Thousand Oaks & Calabasas – Newest Cities to Join the Rim for “D”!

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This week, both the city of Thousand Oaks and Calabasas voted to support Rim of the Valley Corridor – and both endorsed the National Park Service’s  Alternative D.

Thousand Oaks voted unanimously 5-0 to support Alternative D. Calabasas voted 4-1 – with Councilmember David Shapiro saying he didn’t support any Alternative – he just abstained. Particularly eloquent testimony in support of D came from Calabasas Councilmember Mary Sue Maurer. Appreciation to Mayor Lucy Martin also for her support and agendizing the discussion.