BOARD TO GROW BY THREE; PUBLIC CONTROL SOUGHT FOR 6,000-ACRE SITE.

Byline: Teresa Jimenez Daily News Staff Writer

The Santa Clarita Watershed Recreation and Conservation Authority voted Wednesday to add up to three new members to its joint powers authority, opening the door to Los Angeles County participation and public ownership of 6,000 acres in Newhall Ranch.

Representatives of the conservation authority - which unites the city and the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy - met in closed session to discuss the 6,000 acres, which are being dedicated as open space as part of the massive development proposed by The Newhall Land and Farming Company.

The members' vote represented the first step toward encouraging public ownership of the land and cooperation with the county, said city Parks Director Rick Putnam, who serves as chairman of the conservation authority.

``If the county requires ownership and management by the JPA, (the county's membership) is a possibility,'' Putnam said. ``We needed to get something formal to them, and this is a step in that direction.''

The City Council will likely vote to amend the joint powers agreement at its Sept. 8 meeting. The conservancy board also must take a similar vote, which could take place at its Sept. 14 meeting.

Rorie Skei with the conservancy said the group had discussed expanding the JPA for several months. Following the July county Board of Supervisors meeting, in which Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich suggested such an agreement, the conservation authority decided to take action.

``This has formalized the wishes and intent of the Santa Clarita board of expanding membership to allow for county membership,'' Skei said. ``I think it's a big step. This is a way to move forward and address the the concerns of Newhall Land and the Board of Supervisors.''

The 6,000 acres has been a sticking point in the negotiations surrounding Newhall Ranch, an expansive project that could bring more than 21,000 new homes and at least 60,000 new residents to the Santa Clarita Valley.

In recent months, Newhall Land has resolved several issues surrounding the project, including compensation to the local school districts and the county library system.

But debate over the open space has continued.

Newhall Land has proposed providing Los Angeles County with a public easement to the property and giving ownership and management duties to the private, nonprofit Center for Natural Lands Management.

But city and conservancy officials, as well as environmentalists, have argued that if the land is being offered as compensation for the dense development, it should be a gift to the public.

In addition, some have worried that Newhall Land's selection of the Center for Natural Lands Management, based in Sacramento, will allow the company to retain control, or at least oversight.

Instead, officials have said that local residents and representatives should be able to make decisions about programs offered and access given on the acreage - 4,000 acres of high country and 2,000 acres of river habitat.

In July, the county Board of Supervisors agreed that Newhall Land and area leaders should come up with an arrangement that allows for public oversight and input. The board is scheduled to consider the Newhall Ranch project again in October.

But the recommendation did not specify how that goal should be accomplished.

Still, Dave Vannatta, an aide to Antonovich, indicated in July that a joint powers authority could allow for more public entities to have control over the land. And, he pointed out, a Santa Clarita conservation authority already exists.

Putnam said the conservation authority's decision does not finalize the process - it only expresses the group's willingness to collaborate.

``Newhall Land knows this is a consideration. We're still in the process of reaching an agreement,'' Putnam said. ``That's what the county would like to see. And all sides are very optimistic.''