Simi Valley Freeway

Borne on the season's first hot Santa Ana winds, a swift, intense arson fire blazed across 119 acres of brushy hillsides Wednesday before fire crews crushed it out. * Thick, ocher smoke drifted across the Simi Valley Freeway for nearly three hours, forcing police at one point to shut down the highway. That backed up traffic in either direction--for almost five miles to the west near Moorpark and several miles to the east into Los Angeles County.

Borne on the season's first hot Santa Ana winds, a swift, intense arson fire blazed across 119 acres of brushy hillsides Wednesday before fire crews crushed it out. Thick, ocher smoke drifted across the Simi Valley Freeway for nearly three hours, forcing police at one point to shut down the highway. That backed up traffic in both directions--for almost five miles to the west near Moorpark and several miles to the east into Los Angeles County.

Simi Valley Freeway no longer exists. The 26-mile thoroughfare between the San Fernando Valley and Moorpark has been renamed the Ronald Reagan Freeway, and signs bearing the new name appeared along its route for the first time this week. Legislators authorized the name change in honor of the 40th President last year. They cited years of public service by Reagan, 84, and his recent decision to disclose that he is suffering from Alzheimer's disease. State Sen.

When the concrete curve connecting two key freeways tore right through ecologically sensitive wetlands along the Arroyo Simi, Caltrans engineers told conservationists not to worry. A new, larger patch of wetlands would be created out of nearby pastureland to make up for the six acres of damp grasses and cottonwood trees lost at the spot where the Simi Valley Freeway meets the Moorpark Freeway.

Trying to keep up with the ever-changing real estate market in Southern California, the Simi Valley City Council on Monday night approved a plan that eventually may permit business and office buildings to mix with light-manufacturing plants on the west side of town. Although the area west of 1st Street along the Simi Valley Freeway is zoned for light manufacturing, there has been an ever-increasing interest in locating offices and warehouse-type retail stores there, city officials said.

The Simi Valley City Council on Monday night gave approval to a preliminary agreement to build a long-awaited regional mall on an undeveloped hillside just north of the Simi Valley Freeway. The council approved a development agreement with Cleveland-based Forest City Developers, giving the firm the option to develop a 1 million-square-foot mall on the 85-acre site.

With the hope of attracting an upscale retailer such as Bloomingdale's or Nordstrom, the Simi Valley City Council on Monday snapped up the option on an $11-million slice of property set aside for a regional mall. Under the plan approved 4 to 1, the city will pay $2,000 for a six-month option on 80 acres of hillside property just north of the Simi Valley Freeway near 1st Street.

Dear Street Smart: The southbound ramp onto the Ventura Freeway at Harbor Boulevard in Ventura is very dangerous. A second on-ramp coming from Thompson Boulevard merges with Harbor. But the Thompson ramp is elevated, so cars on Harbor can't see traffic coming from Thompson. The visibility problem is worsened by hedges between the ramps just before they join. These bushes make it difficult to see other cars and should be removed immediately.

Despite opposition from dozens of angry homeowners, the Simi Valley City Council voted 3 to 1 Monday night to allow the construction of a $10-million, 24-hour supermarket in a neighborhood north of the Simi Valley Freeway. Councilman Paul Miller voted against the project. Mayor Greg Stratton abstained from the vote, citing a possible conflict of interest.