AHMANSON OPPOSED IN WORD AND DANCE CHUMASH DANCERS, CRITICS RALLY AGAINST AHMANSON.

Byline: Erik N. Nelson Staff Writer

Dressed in deerskin and hawk feathers, Chumash tribe members danced and sang a blessing for the earth Saturday, to help defeat the 3,050-home Ahmanson Ranch development.

Then, the Calabasas City Council brought out its own implement to stop the development: A court reporter to take down the comments of those who turned out for a public hearing to oppose the planned community of homes, shops and offices for what is now open space.

``It's all being recorded and it will be submitted and they will have to answer every written line,'' said Calabasas Mayor Lesley Devine.

The city and others are fighting the proposed development on 2,800 acres in southeastern Ventura County and already approved by neighboring Ventura County officials.

Ventura County planners, who are revising a draft supplemental environmental impact study, must address claims that the original study approved in 1992 did not adequately address questions on traffic, sewage, runoff and the need for housing, the mayor said.

The developer, Washington Mutual, has maintained the development - bordering the West Valley in Los Angeles County - would bring much needed new housing to the area. They say the draft study was thoroughly researched and met regulatory requirements.

The hearing drew about 90 people - including film star Beau Bridges - and came on the heels of a morning protest at a branch of Washington Mutual.

The morning demonstration attracted about 100 people and featured film director Rob Reiner, who is leading an effort to inform Washington Mutual bank customers about the development in hopes of making it an economic liability.

The protest, also attended by Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky and Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Woodland Hills, was held to kick off efforts to target 25 of the bank's branches in the San Fernando Valley and on the Westside.

After completing his dance and donning a shirt, Chumash tribe member Mati Waiya testified before the City Council about the inability of his tribe to obtain enough access to the Ahmanson property to account for tribal artifacts, villages and holy places.

He was supported by Bridges, who serves as president of the Wishtoyo Foundation, which uses Chumash cultural values to promote environmental causes.

``They're going to wreak havoc on our environment, not only inland, but on the coast,'' by creating excess sewage and storm water runoff, Bridges said.

``They're also acting with disrespect to a people,'' Bridges said. ``We don't want to be desecrating an entire culture of people.''

Many who testified expressed concerns about increased traffic and questioned the study used to gain approvals for the development 10 years ago.

``The traffic study on which this is based is fraudulent,'' said Calabasas Planning Commission member Dave Brown, citing numbers that were missing from traffic estimates.

But a Washington Mutual spokesman said the traffic study had already been upheld by state courts, and both Ventura County and Caltrans officials decided that a new study was unnecessary.

Spokesman Tim McGarry also said that Chumash artifacts would be respected and that a member of the tribe would be allowed to observe grading, in case any artifacts were unearthed.

Gerry Langer, a school psychologist who sometimes works at Lupin Hill Elementary School near the Ahmanson property, predicted that grading for the development would create health problems for children and employees of the school.

``We'll be eating dirt,'' he said. ``We'll be hearing the noise, no doubt.''

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1) Chumash tribe member and dancer Mati Waiya greets actor Beau Bridges after Saturday's ceremonial dance to oppose the Ahmanson Ranch development. The dance and blessing preceded a public hearing on the project.

(2) Chumash tribe member Mati Waiya of Newbury Park speaks during a hearing opposing the Ahmanson project. The Calabasas hearing drew about 90.

Joe Binoya/Special to the Daily News