COUNCIL DRAWS FULL HOUSE CITY EYES NEW AHMANSON EIR.

Byline: Rick Orlov Staff Writer

CANOGA PARK - Facing an overflow crowd, the Los Angeles City Council explored options Wednesday night for further environmental studies on the massive Ahmanson Ranch project in Ventura County.

During a lengthy hearing in a rare meeting in the San Fernando Valley, the council heard from a number of officials who called for more detailed studies on the Ahmanson project.

``I hope this will bring more attention to this and a rational look at this development,'' said Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, who opposes the project.

``The last traffic study that was done here was in 1992,'' Yaroslavsky said. ``If you went to a doctor and showed him X-rays from 1992, he'd laugh at you.''

Yaroslavsky said the problem with the development is that all of its negative impacts will be felt in Los Angeles.

Councilman Dennis Zine, who represents the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles adjacent to Ventura County, has been a strong opponent of the 2,800-acre development that would include 3,000 homes, 400,000 square feet of commercial development, a resort hotel and golf course.

Officials from a number of neighboring cities, including Thousand Oaks and Calabasas, also spoke against the project.

At the same time, supporters of the project said it is needed to provide more housing and bring income into the area. Some officials said current environmental studies are adequate.

The hearing capped a meeting at the renovated Madrid Theatre as part of an effort by the Los Angeles City Council to bring local government to the communities.

The appearance by the City Council in Canoga Park was the first to be held in the San Fernando Valley, seen as a hotbed of secession activity.

Zine pointed to the overflow crowd of people - many of whom had to leave on orders of the fire marshal - as an example of local interest in city government.

``People here do care,'' Zine said. ``They want to see how their local government works. That's why sessions like this, out away from City Hall, are so important.

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1) Salvador Ramirez of Canoga Park, second from left, and others hold signs demanding justice as they gather in front of the Madrid Theatre, where the City Council met Wednesday night, an unusual session conducted in the Valley.

(2) Inside the Madrid Theatre, Council President Alex Padilla, left, speaks as council members Dennis Zine, right, and Cindy Miscikowski, front, listen.

Charlotte Schmid-Maybach/Staff Photographer