It's a deal! Agencies combine forces to buy Soka land

As of press time, the 588-acre property across from Malibu Creek State Park in the heart of the Santa Monica Mountains known as the Soka property or Gillette Ranch will have been purchased by a consortium of state and federal park agencies.

Instead of a housing development or a university, the property will forever remain a home for thousands of oaks and abundant fauna.

This victory was accomplished against tall odds: The property owner, Soka Gakkai International, is well-funded and carries international political clout. But a combination of determined citizens and dedicated public officials were able to translate their vision into action.

Both State Parks and the National Park Service tried to buy the land in the 1970s and 1980s, but the owners were not willing to sell. Even if they had been, there were insufficient funds to buy. In 1990 Soka announced plans to build a university large enough to accommodate 3,500 students.

At this point the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, a state agency, filed proceedings to acquire the property by eminent domain. Soka responded by hiring lobbyists in Sacramento, Washington, and Los Angeles County.

By the mid-90's the Conservancy had diverted funds elsewhere and Soka had moved its campus to Orange County. A compromise was negotiated that would allow Soka to gain county and Coastal Commission approval for a scaled-back development. Some people accepted that, but the Angeles Chapter and others continued to oppose any development.

Eventually, the Club and local residents retained attorney Frank Angel, and took the county and the Coastal Commission to court to overturn the environmental impact report for the project. They lost in the trial court, but appealed to the California Court of Appeal. Two years ago the Court of Appeal unexpectedly ruled in favor of the Club and overturned all of Soka's approvals.

During these years, the people of California approved Propositions 40 and 50. Assemblymember Fran Pavley and State Senator Sheila Kuehl saw to it that there were water and watershed funds included in case Soka, Ahmanson Ranch, and Ballona Wetlands became available to the state for acquisition.

Then last summer L.A. County supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, who represents the Santa Monica Mountains, asked Soka's leadership in Japan if they were willing to sell. This time they said yes. The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy took out an option, which had to be exercised by March 15. Now the problem was finding the money.

No one agency or level of government could afford the $35 million purchase price, so there arose an unprecedented collaborative effort by several agencies at all levels of government. Each had to go through their own processes and allocate the amount they had agreed to contribute as their share. If any one agency failed to contribute its share, the purchase would probably collapse because the margin was so close.

Most of the funds were scheduled to come from five state agencies-the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, State Parks, the state Coastal Conservancy, the Wildlife Conservation Board, and the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission. Hearings had to be covered in places as far afield as Sacramento. One by one, over a period of several weeks, the agencies came on board, along with Los Angeles County and the cities of Calabasas and Agoura Hills. A citizens committee that included several Club members raised an additional $130,000 in two months.

Even though Soka has always been a top acquisition priority for the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, neither Congress nor the Bush administration allocated any new funds for the Soka purchase. $2.5 million appropriated by Congress through the efforts of Congressman Brad Sherman in the mid-90s was redirected to Soka as the federal government's share.

The final hearing was before the State Public Works Board on March 11. The board, comprised of three Schwarzenegger administration officials representing agencies like Finance, Caltrans, and Public Works that were not known for their environmental sympathies, had to sign off on the $7.15 million State Parks hoped to contribute. Some members of the citizens' committee, including members of the Santa Monica Mountains Task Force, went up to cover the hearing.

After hearing from the activists and State Parks, the Public Works Board, without any discussion, voted to approve the $7.15 million.

The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy exercised the option the next day and was scheduled to write the check and take title by the middle of last month. Soka, as per agreement, will retain possession of the main part of the property for two more years; National Parks will end up owning 114 acres; State Parks will own 102 acres; the rest will be owned and managed by the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy.