AHMANSON FIGHT TO CONTINUE TODAY.

Byline: Grace Lee Staff Writer

VENTURA - Officials from the Los Angeles area weighed in Thursday at a hearing that will determine whether the controversial 3,050-home Ahmanson Ranch development will move forward.

Members of the Ventura County Planning Commission heard a first day of public debate as they consider whether to recommend approval for a plan outlining the first phase of development just inside the Ventura-Los Angeles county line, as well as a supplemental environmental impact report.

No decision was made, and the hearing will resume this morning.

If the five-member commission recommends approval for the tract map for the 2,800-acre development and finds the supplemental environmental report adequate, both documents will be reviewed by the Ventura County Board of Supervisors in December.

Supporters and opponents of the development, as well as those who wanted more time to review the project, spoke out in the board room that was filled to capacity.

Maribel Delatorre, a councilwoman from the city of San Fernando, said the development would help ease Los Angeles County's housing crunch. She read a letter on behalf of 25 elected officials, including the mayors of Baldwin Park, Irwindale, Lynwood, Monterey Park and Norwalk.

Among those who wanted more studies done before the project went forward were the executive director of the California Regional Water Quality Control Board - who voiced concern about a contaminant found near the site - as well as county counsel for Los Angeles County.

Councilwoman Delatorre said the project is needed to address the housing needs in both counties.

``We believe it's time to express support for housing for the Los Angeles region. ... Every unit counts,'' she read from the letter.

Jeffrey Farber, the chief executive officer of L.A. Family Housing, which provides shelter and low-income housing assistance throughout Los Angeles County, also supported the development.

Lesley Devine, the mayor of Calabasas, said the argument that Ahmanson Ranch would provide affordable housing ``was almost a joke.'' She said it is misleading to include additional units behind homes as low-cost housing.

Opponents of the project said the original traffic study for the project, based on 1992 figures, is outdated and called for updated research. They also said more studies are needed to assess the origin and impact of the chemical perchlorate, which was found in a well to be used for the development's irrigation.

Dennis Dickerson, executive director of the California Regional Water Quality Control Board, asked the five-member commission for more time to review the finding of perchlorate.

In a letter to the county's senior planner, he wrote that the regional water board had ``serious reservations about the environmental impacts associated with the project.''

Ahmanson developer Washington Mutual has agreed to continue monitoring the well, and have agreed to shut it down if drawing water from the well causes the contaminant to spread.

Representatives for Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa Monica; Assemblywoman Fran Pavley, D-Woodland Hills; L.A. City Councilman Dennis Zine, who represents part of the west San Fernando Valley; and L.A. County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky all spoke out against the project.

Lloyd Pellman, county counsel for Los Angeles County, also submitted a letter to the Ventura County Planning Department, charging that sufficient public notice of 10 days had not been given for the hearing.

As a result, he said, L.A. County had not been given enough time to prepare for the meeting.

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Photo:

Guy Gniadek, president of Ahmanson Land Co., speaks before the Ventura County Planning Commission on Thursday.

Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer