Calabasas Ca Suits

The Calabasas City Council will hold a public hearing Wednesday on a proposal to annex Mountain View Estates to the city. Residents of the gated community off Mureau Road north of the Ventura Freeway have pushed for annexation for almost three years. But Ahmanson Land Co., which hopes to build a mini-city just north of Mountain View Estates, sued to block the annexation, reportedly fearing that the move would endanger its plans to build an access road near Mountain View Estates.

Faced with a legal claim against the city, the Calabasas City Council tentatively agreed Wednesday to buy pumps to siphon water away from a luxury home that was badly damaged by a February landslide. The decision comes in the midst of a complicated round of finger-pointing and negotiations over who is responsible for the damage and how to keep it from worsening with more rain.

The city of Calabasas has gone to court to block Ventura County's decision giving the Ahmanson Land Co. an extra three years to turn 10,000 acres into public parkland. The lawsuit, filed in Ventura County Superior Court, says the Board of Supervisors should have conducted another environmental study before granting the three-year extension in October.

The last two of 15 lawsuits filed in the debate over the controversial Ahmanson Ranch development have been settled, with Ahmanson Corp. agreeing to drop its suits against the city of Calabasas, officials said Tuesday. The decision is expected to be announced at a City Council meeting tonight, but an attorney for Calabasas confirmed that the suits brought by Ahmanson against the city are being dropped. "This is good," said Katherine Stone, special counsel for Calabasas.

The last two of 15 lawsuits filed in the debate over the controversial Ahmanson Ranch development have been settled, with Ahmanson Corp. agreeing to drop its suits against the city of Calabasas, officials said Tuesday. The decision is expected to be announced at a City Council meeting tonight, but an attorney for Calabasas confirmed that the suits brought by Ahmanson against the city are being dropped. "This is good," said Katherine Stone, special counsel for Calabasas.

The city of Calabasas has won a minor skirmish in its legal war with Ahmanson Land Co. to prevent the developer from building a controversial mini-city in the Simi Hills. A judge has ruled that the city does not have to pay Ahmanson's legal fees in a suit that challenged the city's decision to deny the developer's application to revamp Thousand Oaks Boulevard to make way for the project.

Homeowners of Calabasas and nearby communities on Saturday lambasted an environmental review of the proposed 3,050-house Ahmanson Ranch project, providing the city ammunition to challenge the project and Ventura County's Board of Supervisors in court, if necessary. "Right now, we're playing 'chicken'--like two trains speeding toward each other on the same track," City Councilwoman Lesley Devine said after a 3 1/2-hour public hearing at City Hall to address environmental concerns on the project.

An environmental group has sued the city of Calabasas, claiming that the City Council did not follow proper procedures when it gave preliminary approval to Micor Ventures' proposal to build a gated community of 250 luxury homes. The suit, filed Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court by Save Open Space, claims that the council had no authority to more than triple the number of homes allowed under present zoning on 939 acres east of Las Virgenes Road.

Faced with a legal claim against the city, the Calabasas City Council tentatively agreed Wednesday to buy pumps to siphon water away from a luxury home that was badly damaged by a February landslide. The decision comes in the midst of a complicated round of finger-pointing and negotiations over who is responsible for the damage and how to keep it from worsening with more rain.

The Calabasas City Council will hold a public hearing Wednesday on a proposal to annex Mountain View Estates to the city. Residents of the gated community off Mureau Road north of the Ventura Freeway have pushed for annexation for almost three years. But Ahmanson Land Co., which hopes to build a mini-city just north of Mountain View Estates, sued to block the annexation, reportedly fearing that the move would endanger its plans to build an access road near Mountain View Estates.

The city of Calabasas has won a minor skirmish in its legal war with Ahmanson Land Co. to prevent the developer from building a controversial mini-city in the Simi Hills. A judge has ruled that the city does not have to pay Ahmanson's legal fees in a suit that challenged the city's decision to deny the developer's application to revamp Thousand Oaks Boulevard to make way for the project.

The city of Calabasas has gone to court to block Ventura County's decision giving the Ahmanson Land Co. an extra three years to turn 10,000 acres into public parkland. The lawsuit, filed in Ventura County Superior Court, says the Board of Supervisors should have conducted another environmental study before granting the three-year extension in October.

Homeowners of Calabasas and nearby communities on Saturday lambasted an environmental review of the proposed 3,050-house Ahmanson Ranch project, providing the city ammunition to challenge the project and Ventura County's Board of Supervisors in court, if necessary. "Right now, we're playing 'chicken'--like two trains speeding toward each other on the same track," City Councilwoman Lesley Devine said after a 3 1/2-hour public hearing at City Hall to address environmental concerns on the project.

An environmental group has sued the city of Calabasas, claiming that the City Council did not follow proper procedures when it gave preliminary approval to Micor Ventures' proposal to build a gated community of 250 luxury homes. The suit, filed Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court by Save Open Space, claims that the council had no authority to more than triple the number of homes allowed under present zoning on 939 acres east of Las Virgenes Road.