OUT-OF-TOWN NEIGHBORS CITY BOUNDARIES DIVIDE RESIDENTS AT CONDO COMPLEX.

Byline: Cecilia Chan Staff Writer

Although Clifford Levine and Joe Borden live just across the street from each other in the gated Creekside condominium complex, they call separate cities home.

The Calabasas-Los Angeles boundary line runs right through the 95-unit complex, leaving residents served by different school districts, cable franchises, utility companies and even police departments.

``It's kind of a crazy set-up,'' said Levine, whose house sits on the Los Angeles side of Park Arroyo. ``It's just incredibly incongruous we should be separated like this.''

Residents say they are shuffled between police and sheriff's departments or told they need a nonresident card to use their neighborhood library. Children who live on the west side of Park Arroyo attend classes in the Las Virgenes Unified School District, while those right across the street go to Los Angeles schools.

``It's not the worst thing in the world, but it makes it confusing,'' said Creekside resident Bonnie Sima, who lives on the Los Angeles side. ``It makes it difficult for us to have a sense of community.''

Calabasas is now trying to unite the neighborhood with a plan to annex the 55 Creekside condominiums that are in Los Angeles. Calabasas officials, who submitted an application to the Los Angeles County Local Agency Formation Commission in February 1999, must first get the OK from the city of Los Angeles to detach the land.

``We believe that just for consistency within the complex, all of those residents should be Calabasas residents,'' said Mark Persico, Calabasas' planning and building services director. ``We believe, and the residents believe, it all should be under the control of one agency.

``The concept of a smaller unit of government means a greater voice in local issues,'' he said. ``They will have a greater ability to effect change if they were coming to Calabasas City Council vs. Los Angeles City Council.''

Creekside was built back in the early 1980s, on a lot that straddled the boundary between the city of Los Angeles and unincorporated Los Angeles County. To complete the project, the developer had to get permits from both the city and county planning departments.

When Calabasas became a city in 1991, its boundary took in the unincorporated portion of the complex.

Shortly after incorporating, Calabasas tried to annex a 60-acre parcel on the western edge of Woodland Hills that encompassed Creekside, a commercial strip and the historic landmarks of Leonis Adobe and the Plummer House.

But the city of Los Angeles refused to part with the land because of the sales tax revenue it would lose.

Although Los Angeles officials generally support the annexation of Creekside, they are concerned about the inclusion of the intersection of Valmar Road and Park Ora, just east of the condo complex.

``The traffic department from Los Angeles had questions about giving up that intersection because they've got residents on the east side of the intersection and we've got residents on the west side,'' Persico said. ``They've got a question of relinquishing control of the entire intersection.''

Persico said Calabasas officials plan to meet with Los Angeles City Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski, whose district includes part of the complex, to discuss concerns of control over the right-of-way.

Miscikowski was out of town last week, and could not be reached for comment. But her spokesman, Glenn Barr, said she is open to the plan.

``Do we support this thing? It's self-evident,'' Barr said. ``She was the one who introduced the motion to do the detachment.''

Los Angeles officials said no date has been set for the City Council to vote on Miscikowski's request to detach the 10.7 acres.

But for residents of Creekside, the action can't come too soon.

Terri Pagni, who has lived at Creekside for 12 years, said parents on the Los Angeles side of the complex are anxious to have their children attend Las Virgenes schools, which are not only closer but have a better reputation.

``That has really been the motivating factor to get annexed,'' Pagni said.

Being united also would do away with confusion in trying to deal with various government entities, she said.

``Once I got a threatening phone call and I called the (Los Angeles) Police Department but nobody would claim me,'' Pagni said. ``Calabasas said they didn't take L.A. calls and Los Angeles didn't know what division I was in. It took me an hour to get the right station.''

The difference between the two entities was underscored after the Northridge Earthquake in 1994, when Levine was without water for days while Borden, his Calabasas neighbor, had plenty to spare.

``When we had the earthquake the water was turned off for about four to five days,'' said Levine, president of the Creekside Homeowners Association. ``Las Virgenes (Municipal Water District) was the first to turn on its water. We had to walk across the street to our neighbors and get pails of water from there.''

Borden also would like to see the annexation come to fruition.

``I would like Cliff to be more than just a neighbor,'' Borden said. ``I would like him to live in the same city.''

CAPTION(S):

photo, 2 maps

Photo:

(color in Conejo edition only) Joe Borden, left, and Clifford Levine live across Park Arroyo from each other in the same condominium complex, but Borden lives in Calabasas while Levine lives in Los Angeles.

Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer

Map: (1) COMMUNITY DIVIDED

Calabasas is trying to annex homes in the Creekside condominium complex, where some residents live in Calabasas and others are part of Los Angeles.

(2) Area considered for annexation to Calabasas.

Reuben J. Stern/Staff Artist