CALABASAS : Legislation to Limit Price of Soka Parkland Rejected
An Assembly committee overwhelmingly rejected legislation Wednesday intended to limit the amount of money that taxpayers would have to spend to acquire valuable Soka University land in the Calabasas area of the Santa Monica Mountains.
The Assembly Judiciary Committee squashed a measure introduced by Assemblyman Terry B. Friedman (D-Brentwood) on behalf of the Las Virgenes Homeowners Federation.
Friedman, who represents the Calabasas area, cast the only vote in favor of the proposal, while all eight other committee members voted against it. He blamed the setback on an intense lobbying campaign by Soka.
Representatives of the homeowners group said the proposal was designed to cut $10 million to $12 million from the cost of the land, which the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, a state agency that acquires parkland, is trying to seize by condemnation.
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