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Los Angeles County, CA November 4, 2003 Election
Smart Voter

Position on Open Space Acquisition

By John C. McTaggart

Candidate for Councilmember; City of Rancho Palos Verdes

This information is provided by the candidate
NCCP (Natural Community Conservation Planning) is the program name and Rancho Palos Verdes is the lead agency in Los Angeles County
I support the acquisition of open space for the following reasons:

1. As a founder of Rancho Palos Verdes, I have always supported the goal of preservation of open space in our city.

2. Because I value property rights, I support the acquisition because it is voluntary on the part of the property owners.

3. The acquisition will be funded by grants.

4. Because the General Fund of the city may not be able to maintain the property after the transfer of ownership, I support having the city set up a foundation for endowments to pay for this maintenance. It should designate that the money be used within our preserve.

5. When RPV was informed of the process, I could see that it would accomplish preservation, allow some development, and improve the environmental protection by avoiding piecemeal preserve areas. Actually, I would be pleased if RPV could own all of the land with a willing seller.

6. My support was strengthened when I went to Washington DC as the representative of the city council with the Nature Conservancy, development representatives, and county officials from Orange, San Diego, and Riverside. We went there to acquire funding and were successful. I was impressed with the enthusiasm that the US Fish and Wildlife Service officials had for the program.

7. The program is a win/win global approach differing from the process of development interests acquiring 10-A permits and sets ground rules understood by all of the stakeholders.

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