                                   Press Release
                                          Valley VOTE
           Valley Voters Organized Toward Empowerment
        14622 Ventura Blvd. #424, Sherman Oaks, CA. 91403
         March 18, 2008                  Contact:Joe Vitti -President
          javittisr@cs.com                     (818) 366-1668

The Valley VOTE Board of Directors has overwhelmingly approved the following motion:

Valley VOTE supports California Assembly Bill 1842 introduced by Assembly Member Cameron Smyth. The bill provides for the establishment of a Joint Powers Authority to form the Santa Susana State Park. The park will preserve thousands of acres of open space on the western edge of the San Fernando Valley, formally the site of extensive government supported research and development programs. The territory known as the Santa Susana Field Laboratory is in Ventura County and is owned by the Boeing Corporation.

Please find below a summary of AB1842 as prepared by Assembly Member Smyth.

WHAT THE BILL DOES

Establishes the Santa Susana State Park Joint Powers Authority (SSSPJPA), which will include:

• The Department of Parks and Recreation
• The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy
• The City of Los Angeles
• The County of Los Angeles
• The City of Simi Valley
• The County of Ventura
• The Rancho Simi Recreation District
The primary purpose of the SSSPJPA will be to form the Santa Susana State Park and will assume the following tasks in order to fulfill that goal:

Create a master plan for the incorporation of the Field Lab property as well as parcels that surround that property, both in Ventura and Los Angeles counties, into a new state park.
• Include in the master plan the construction of hiking, biking, and horse trails, picnic areas, educational exhibits, interpretative structures, and restroom facilities.
• Develop a strategy to preserve viable historical artifacts located on the property that highlights the significance of this site to CA history. Specifically, this includes any cave paintings by indigenous people found at the site as well as facilities used to support the U.S. space program, etc.
• Develop a strategy to phase in different parcels of the park for public use until the entire park is open.

Given that the cleanup of the Field Lab will take some time, this strategy will allow parcels surrounding the Field Lab to be immediately accessible to the public.

THE BENEFITS
• A new state park that incorporates the field lab property will preserve thousands of acres of open space while forever putting to rest the question of whether the property will be developed into a residential community.
• A state park is the only way to help ensure that the historical artifacts, most significantly the cave paintings, are preserved for future generations.
• Open space in the Ventura and Los Angeles area is at a premium - a new state park will give the region a much needed outlet for recreational opportunities.
• A state park will be a great asset to the region, creating a natural jewel for the surrounding communities and positively impacting area property values.
• The JPA will give local communities equal say in the development of this park.
• A new state park in the region will be our legacy for future generations

Valley VOTE Mission Statement
Valley VOTE, a diverse coalition of San Fernando Valley residents, business people, educators, community activists, and organizations, is committed to exploring and fostering the implementation of programs that empower the people of the San Fernando Valley and the City of Los Angeles, to improve local governance, education and public participation on policy matters.
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