EDITORIAL LAND MISUSE GOV. DAVIS IS PLAYING A HIGH STAKES GAME WITH OUR OPEN SPACE.GOV. Gray Davis scrambled last week to close the deal on three different open space purchases worth about $300 million total, all involving parties who have donated generously to his political campaigns. He forced a pushed-up meeting of the agency that buys parkland and refused to make the land appraisals public. Those land purchases - the almost 3,000 acres of Ahmanson Ranch bordering the west end of the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. , 483 acres of Ballona Wetlands The Ballona Wetlands is located in Southern California, USA adjacent to Marina del Rey and Playa Vista. It is the last significant wetlands area in the Los Angeles basin, and is named for Ballona Creek which runs through the area. near Marina Del Rey Del Rey may refer to:
But Davis obviously wanted to rush through those deals as a political tactic in the few days before voters decide his fate in the recall election. And that's not right. There's certainly a case to be made that the state should secure badly needed, quality open space for California before it all gets developed away. Of course it should, but not as political ploys designed to get maximum points for a beleaguered be·lea·guer tr.v. be·lea·guered, be·lea·guer·ing, be·lea·guers 1. To harass; beset: We are beleaguered by problems. 2. To surround with troops; besiege. governor - and not without vetting critical issues of whether the state is getting the best deals possible. One of the most important issues facing California is how best to use its acreage. It's something that affects everyone. As such, the issue deserves to be dealt with as a whole, not in piecemeal land acquisitions that are based more on politics than on a coherent vision for the state's future. As individually worthy as these open space projects may be, they ought to be part of a rational, long-term land-use plan that includes housing, transportation and other development, as well as open space uses. Locally, the proposed development of Ahmanson Ranch got a lot of press, and ultimately a buyout from the state because it had big names, such as actor-director Rob Reiner Robert "Rob" Reiner (born March 6, 1945) is an American actor, director, producer, writer, children's advocate and political activist. As an actor, Reiner first came to national prominence as Archie Bunker's and Edith Baines-Bunker's son-in-law, Michael "Meathead" Stivic, on , attached to it. But what about all those millions of acres that don't have Hollywood stars The Hollywood Star was an idiosyncratic gossip tabloid published on an erratic schedule in Hollywood, California by William Kern, who wrote much of the magazine under the pseudonym "Bill Dakota. as spokespeople? And if Ahmanson won't get developed, where do local leaders plan to build the much-needed housing for California's booming population? There are far too many places that are carved up with little thought for overall planning. This situation underscores Davis' M.O. of pandering and politicking, rather than leading. It's how he's governed for five years, and most egregiously e·gre·gious adj. Conspicuously bad or offensive. See Synonyms at flagrant. [From Latin so during the last few months - ramming things through before the recall vote. If this is how he thinks he can avoid being recalled, he may be sorely mistaken. |
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