L.A. County acts to protect Santa Monica Mountains' coastal areas from builders
By Stephanie Bertholdo  bertholdo@theacorn.com

Resource protection and public safety now trump development in the mountain-coastal region with the passage of the Santa Monica Mountains Local Coastal Program by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Oct. 30.

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

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. Yaroslavsky wants cities to enact a "dark skies" provision to reduce light pollution.

The program also provides for the free movement of wildlife throughout the mountains' coastal zone.

The plan would expand visitor services in the Santa Monica Mountain Recreation Area, and expand upon the public trail system. It allows for new public parks and new public campgrounds, and will preserve the area's history of "horse keeping," Yaroslavsky said.

Ruth Gerson, president of the Recreation & Equestrian Coalition, said she was concerned that horses were going to be classified in a separate category from agriculture, which wouldn't be protected under the new plan. 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 bed-and-breakfast-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 bed and breakfast facilities also bothers deHaviland. "The B&B and 40-room 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," she said. "It's out of kilter with basic natural resource management."

The LCP must pass muster with the California Coastal Commission, she said. When the program is reviewed by the 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, a former deputy to County Supervisor Ed Edelman, a Las Virgenes Homeowners Federation delegate and the "Equestrian Issues" committee chair, said the anti-LCP testimony was "alarmist and misinformed and in most cases flat wrong."

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.

"In my opinion, Zev and his staff did a masterful job and produced a document with the most environmentally protective language I have ever seen in my 35 years of park, recreation and HOA experience with similar but inferior policies," Wallace said.

He said the program will protect existing horse facilities whose owners use "best management practices," and also allows for "backyard boarding."

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

"Recreation and tourism are intrinsic in the Santa Monica Mountains and the area offers some of the most protected areas in the entire Rim of the Valley Corridor," Benson said. "The . . . LCP furthers and supports a balanced, active use while protecting the most sensitive areas from development."

Stephanie Abronson of Equestrian Trails Inc, Corral 36, also testified in favor of the program.

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

"I want my great-grandchildren to be able to enjoy living in these mountains and exploring them on horseback," Abronson said. "Your zoning regulations will keep commercial businesses out of the Santa Monica Mountains. Listening to scare tactics by uneducated and unscrupulous people telling everyone that there could be 40-room hotels and 24 horses on a 3-acre parcel in the mountains is ludicrous."

Yaroslavsky's motion passed 4-0. Supervisor Gloria Molina was absent.