After hearing testimony from 14 residents, all of whom opposed allowing Calabasas to annex the property adjacent to Liberty Canyon, the Agoura Hills City Council agreed and gave instructions to the city staff to draw up a letter of opposition.
The council members seem to agree that their decision was not a matter of mistrust of the Calabasas Council's intentions. On the contrary, they appeared to agree that their Calabasas counterparts were sincere in their representations and would be good stewards of the open space and wildlife corridor that dominate the area. The decision hinged on the fact that the property was all but surrounded by Agoura Hills and Liberty Canyon residents with no Calabasas residents closer than a half mile away. Any land use decisions made here will have no consequences for any residents of Calabasas. Illece Buckley-Weber pointed out that there was no legal means to bind future councils of our neighboring city from making decisions that would negatively impact the residents of Liberty Canyon who would have no effective recourse.
Basically, the Agoura Hills Council decided it must assume responsibility for the interests of its own citizens which, after all, was what Calabasas was doing by pursuing annexation. They also expressed a desire that the two cities could continue to work together toward common objectives as they have always done in the past.
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