The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors will meet Tuesday, June 30th at 9:30 am. On its agenda, under Item 37, the Board considers allowing the sale/transfer of approximately 10 county owned properties to the City of La Habra Heights for affordable housing. These parcels are contiguous to the very first wildlife crossing built in L.A. County along Harbor Blvd.
The Issue
Changing the intensity of use from natural land to housing will damage and even possibly sever the Puente-Chino Hills Wildlife Corridor here. Wildlife already struggle to use crossings if there is too much light, noise, activity, people, etc. The Puente Hills Habitat Authority just celebrated its 20th anniversary of the Harbor Blvd. wildlife tunnel, which connects the Authority’s protected lands to the Aera Energy lands. The transfer of these properties to the City of La Habra Heights for housing will directly impact this wildlife movement corridor and the sizable investment made to protect lands to the west.
Hills For Everyone opposes the transfer of these Harbor Blvd. parcels. If it can be transferred to the City of La Habra Heights for housing, it can also be transferred to the Habitat Authority for permanent conservation. The latter of which aligns more closely with natural resources, wildfire hazards, and adjacent land uses. In fact, this site has been on the wish list for conservation acquisition for decades.
How to Take Action
If you oppose this action by the County to force housing next to this wildlife movement chokepoint, please e-mail the L.A. County Board of Supervisors. The Board of Supervisors, up until now, have supported the Puente-Chino Hills Wildlife Corridor on many occasions.
Their emails are:
Janice Hahn: fourthdistrict@bos.lacounty.gov
Hilda Solis: firstdistrict@bos.lacounty.gov
Holly Mitchell: HollyJMitchell@bos.lacounty.gov
Lindsey P. Horvath: ThirdDistrict@bos.lacounty.gov
Kathryn Barger: kathryn@bos.lacounty.gov
Tell them you:
- Oppose Item 37, the transfer of County land along Harbor Blvd. in La Habra Heights, because it is a known pathway for mountain lions, bobcats, and deer;
- Support the County transferring it instead to another local agency (the Habitat Authority) for permanent protection; and,
- Support preservation of the Puente-Chino Hills Wildlife Corridor and the investment made by L.A. County in its protection, which this decision would sabotage.
Thank you for taking seriously the threat to the Wildlife Corridor, which would unravel decades of conservation work in one decision.