AHMANSON RANCH DOCUMENTS
June 24, 2003: “RESOURCES SECRETARY ISSUES STATEMENT ON POSSIBLE SALE OF AHMANSON RANCH TO STATE OF CALIFORNIA”
California Resources press release
April 23, 2003: SRWQCB’s Sampling Plan for M-1 – This controversial Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board plan to retest the Ahmanson Ranch well contaminated with perchlorate was exposed as being apparently rigged in our cover story “Two Mile Island.” This report was completed for Washington Mutual attorneys who also represented Boeing at the time. Observers speculated that WaMu was hoping to “test” the troubling perchlorate away.
The following paragraph in the report shows the apparent bias in the LARWQCB’s methodology where the board doesn’t even mention the most likely source of Ahmanson Ranch perchlorate pollution — neighboring Rocketdyne:
“The site use and chemical use information you provided indicate that there is no record of perchlorate use on the property, or of activities that can reasonably be inferred to have used significant quantities of perchlorate. Because there is no reason to believe that Ahmanson Ranch is a source of perchlorate, no assessment of source areas will be required at this time. Should new information be found, indicating perchlorate has been used on the property, the need for additional assessment will be reevaluated.”
January 17, 2003: “Washington Mutual Responds to Ahmanson Ranch Lawsuit Announcements” WaMu press release
January 17, 2003: “Environmental groups sue over WaMu’s California Ahmanson Ranch development” Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle):
California Native Plant Society – Their perspective & December 20, 2002 Los Angeles Times article about Ventura County Board of Supervisors passing Ahmanson Ranch development project
December 20, 2002: “California Housing Development Crosses Hurdle” New York Times
December 19, 2002: “Ventura County Board of Supervisors Meeting – Ahmanson Ranch” – This was the final day of testimony and decision time.
December 18, 2002 “Delay Sought in Development Vote” New York Times article on effect of perchlorate on issue.
November 21, 2002: “Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Report (FSEIR) for the Ahmanson Ranch Project Phase “A” Master Tract Map”
South Coast Air Quality Management District
November 7, 2002: “Ahmanson Ranch project inches closer to approval” Thousand Oaks Acorn
October 10, 2002: “Los Angeles mayor weighs in on 3,050-unit Ahmanson Ranch project” Thousand Oaks Acorn
June 17, 2002: ADVISORY/Los Angeles Mayor Jim Hahn to Make Major Announcement Regarding Washington Mutual’s Ahmanson Ranch
Development
June 2, 2002: “Hollywood Group Takes a Battle Over Land to Seattle” New York Times
May 23, 2002: “Calabasas to spend more in Ahmanson fight” Simi Valley Acorn
April 25, 2002: “Classic urban sprawl” by Rob Reiner and Robert Pregulman, Seattle Times
April 25, 2002: “A model development” by former Clinton Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt
April 10 – 16, 2002: “Rally to Save Ahmanson Ranch Cranks Up Its Campaign” Santa Monica Mirror
April 10, 2002 “STOP! Washington Mutual Bank Coalition Launches Campaign Targeting Bank’s Local Customers, According to Rally to Save Ahmanson Ranch” E-wire.com
March 21, 2002: “Planned community creates affordable housing” Pepperdine University The Graphic
February 19, 2002 photo of, left to right, former HBO chief Chris Albrecht, Rep. Henry Waxman, actor/director Rob Reiner, Rep. Brad Sherman, Heal the Bay’s Shelly Luce. “Congressman Brad Sherman joins his colleague Henry Waxman and Producer Rob Reiner to express outrage over Washington Mutual’s Ahmanson Ranch Supplemental Environmental Impact Report,” reads Sherman press release.
January 15, 2002: “Radio Campaign Launched Featuring Martin Sheen Targets Washington Mutual’s Planned “Environmental Disaster” in the Santa Monica Mountains” Business Wire
November 21, 2001: “No Room at the Ranch – Ahmanson won’t have truly affordable units” LA Weekly
November 2001: “Ahmanson Ranch: Housing California’s Growth Won’t Be Accomplished Easy In This Region” Metro Investment Report
July 25, 2001 “Eat the State” website with “Nature and Politics” article by Jeffrey St. Clair and Alexander Cockburn attacking Bruce Babbitt.
August 23, 2000: “Ahmanson Ranch developer seeks Web site arbitration” Ventura County Star
December 4, 2000: “Ahmanson Land Company v. Save Open Space and Electronic Imaging Systems” WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center
August 11, 1995: “Ahmanson H F & Co/DE” Security and Exchange Commission
June 5, 1993: “Ahmanson Project’s Fate May Remain Clouded for Months” Los Angeles Times
