"Newhall Ranch has been meticulously planned," Harter said. He argued that far from strapping county funds, it would add to its coffers through sales and property taxes, development fees and construction jobs.
He testified that the project would generate $304 million in taxes and other revenue for L.A. County while it is being built and $21 million annually once it is complete.
For the Record
Los Angeles Times Friday March 27, 1998 Valley Edition Metro Part B Page 3 Zones Desk 2 inches; 50 words Type of Material: Correction
Newhall Ranch--A story in Wednesday's editions included an incorrect date for a Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors hearing on staff recommendations for the Newhall Ranch development, at which public comment on those recommendations also will be heard. The hearing is set for May 26. Also, the plan was not approved as was suggested in the headline.
Two busloads of opponents, one from Ventura County and the other from Santa Clarita, attended the hearing. They staged a demonstration on the steps outside the hearing room, hoisting signs that criticized the development's effect on schools, traffic and the environment.
One demonstrator brandished a sign that depicted the San Fernando Valley and Orange County as pieces of toilet paper floating in a commode.
"They're flushing us down the toilet!" they shouted. A figure representing a politician ripped off another piece of tissue, emblazoned with "Ventura County."
"The word that keeps coming to mind is arrogance," said Jeri Andrews of Thousand Oaks, a member of the Conejo Valley chapter of the Sierra Club. "The Los Angeles County politicians act like we don't matter, like the impact of the development stops at the county line."
