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Altadena Trails
Information about Hiking, Mountain Bike and Equestrian Trails in the Altadena Foothills.
Altadena, CA is at the foot of the San Gabriel range, 15 miles north of Los Angeles.
NEWS
Wednesday, January 19, 2005
La Vina trails may go to vote
By Kimm Groshong, Staff Writer, Pasadena Star News
ALTADENA - The power to allow public access to hiking trails surrounding the gated La Vina development could soon be put in the hands of its homeowners.
The La Vina Homeowners Association's board of directors has proposed amending bylaws to require a vote by two-thirds of the 271 homeowners to let the public access trails through open land in the development.
At present, only a majority vote of the five-member board is needed to approve such a move.
With multiple lawsuits pending, this is the latest development in a long battle over public access to 108 acres of open space surrounding La Vina and again pits local trail users against the homeowners association.
Development of the hilltop site was allowed only when the original developer promised to build a multiuse trail and retain public access through La Vina's open space.
While the board's letter says "this change will preserve the right of homeowners to decide how to dispose of common area property," some trail advocates say the change is not prompted by a wish to preserve the democratic process.
Members of the Homeowners Association's board of directors declined to comment on the advice of their lawyer; attorney Mindy Sheps did not return calls.
"Unfortunately, our experience with this project leads us to believe that it's not about democracy," said Michele Zack, town councilwoman, local historian and trail advocate. "It's all like some kind of chess game to position (the board) to get what they can out of a situation in which mistakes were made."
Town Councilman Steve Lamb, also a trail-access advocate, said the proposal was a cop-out by the board.
"Basically, those proposed changes would make it impossible to transfer the trails by the board decision, so they can say, 'Well, gee, we don't have the power to do that,' " Lamb said.
However, attorney and trails activist Paul Ayers says the proposed change won't have any effect on the cases now being prepared against the association.
Ayers said the board's proposal is "obviously driven by a desire on the part of the current board to make it harder to dedicate land" but would have no effect in La Vina "in terms of the land."
In November, County Supervisor Michael Antonovich directed county counsel to file a lawsuit against the association to secure a trail easement and construction of the trails.
Ayers and a group of attorneys being led by the Center for Law in the Public Interest and the law firm Reed Smith have also sent letters to Sheps, the association's attorney. They stated that "If the HOA continues to ignore its obligations with respect to the public's access rights, we are prepared to file suit on behalf of our clients to enforce them."
Ayers said they expect to file suit by the end of this month.
Local writer and La Vina resident Jervey Tervalon said he is alarmed at the division between the HOA and the rest of the Altadena community.
"It just seems that nothing is to be gained by taking stances that are inflexible and where we try to live behind these gates and walls, ignoring the outside community," he said.
But Tervalon, who has lived in La Vina for six years, added, "My suspicion is the majority of us (the homeowners) have no idea what's going on. ... It just seems that the county is suing us and these trails groups are suing us and, my God, isn't there a way of negotiating this?"