Backgrounder Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority and the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy With the interest of further preserving and maintaining Southern California open space, creating parkland and providing services such as rangers and fire protection to local property owners, in 1985 the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy formed a joint powers entity partnership with the Conejo Recreation and Park District and two years later with the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District, creating the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA). MRCA is a public agency of the State of California established pursuant to the Joint Powers Act. The partnership between the state and local park agencies has created an agency poised to be responsive to local needs and provide regional services and advocacy accordingly. Like the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, the MRCA is dedicated to the preservation of open space and parkland, watersheds, trails and wildlife habitat. In addition, the MRCA manages and provides ranger services, fire protection, planning and natural resources expertise and educational programs for almost 50,000 acres of public lands and parks under its or the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy’s ownership in the Santa Monica Mountains, the mountains surrounding the San Fernando, La Crescenta, Simi and Conejo Valleys, and in the region of the Los Angeles River and its tributaries. This land includes some of the most popular destinations in the local mountains, including Franklin Canyon Park, Wilacre and Fryman Canyon Parks, San Vicente Mountain Park, Temescal Gateway Park, Mulholland Gateway Park and the scenic overlooks along the Mulholland Scenic Parkway. The MRCA’s constituent partner, the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, was established by the California State Legislature in 1980. Since that time, it has helped to preserve over 55,000 acres of parkland in both wilderness and urban settings, and has improved more than 114 public recreational facilities throughout Southern California. The Conservancy utilizes a combination of funding sources to acquire land and create parkland easily accessible to the general public. These include State bond funds, such as those provided under Proposition 12 and Proposition 40; local parks funding, such as that provided by Los Angeles County Proposition A; grant funding; and from the partnership of numerous local, state and federal entities. Private donations have also played a key role in fulfilling the Conservancy’s mission to buy back, preserve, restore and enhance Southern California open space and parkland. These partnerships are the hallmark of the Conservancy’s unparalleled success in protecting parkland and making it accessible to millions of Southern California residents, as well as in preserving numerous critical animal and vegetation habitats. The Conservancy’s partner in the MRCA, the Conejo Recreation and Park District, is an independent special district formed in January 1963. Approved by 80 percent of the voters, the District provides services and facilities to fulfill the leisure and recreational needs of the local residents in the Conejo Valley at the Ventura/Los Angeles County line. The District oversees 42 parks and offers a variety of classes and programs to local residents of all ages and abilities. In addition to its joint powers entity partnership with the Conservancy, the Conejo Recreation and Park District also formed a joint powers agency with the City of Thousand Oaks to acquire and manage open space, the Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency. The additional partner in the MRCA, the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District, was formed by a vote of residents in 1961. The District serves 113 square miles, which is bound by the Ventura County line on the east and south, west to the edge of the city limits of the City of Moorpark, and north to the Oak Ridge area of the Santa Susana Mountains. The District oversees the operations of six community parks, six themed community parks, 24 neighborhood parks, two golf courses, numerous paths and trails and historical sites. It also provides a variety of recreational and educational activities. In response to local property owners’ interest in protecting the last remaining open space properties in their areas, in August 2002 the MRCA established two preservation assessment districts to acquire land. The districts were established by a majority vote of the property owners in the Santa Monica Mountains portion of the City of Los Angeles. The districts will provide local funding to acquire, preserve and protect many of the last remaining neighborhood open spaces, wildlife corridors and natural land in the assessment areas, in order to permanently protect undeveloped properties, prevent excess traffic, infill and congestion and provide for regular brush clearance and fire protection maintenance. Without the assessment districts, very little state funding would be available to purchase these properties and fulfill the objective of the assessment districts. The open space preservation districts were formed based on a vote of local property owners, who were provided with the opportunity to vote via mail-in ballot on whether local areas should be preserved through a property-tax assessment. In June 2002, each property owner in the two assessment districts was mailed a ballot and a follow-up brochure with information explaining the measure, which included a notice of several informational meetings held in each district. The property owners then had 45 days from the time that they received the ballot to vote. They also had the chance to phone MRCA staff with questions, issues or concerns. The MRCA also provided information to local media and met with dozens of homeowner organizations throughout the area, to speak directly with them and provide information about the vote to include in their newsletters. As a result, most of these homeowner associations voted to endorse the measure as well as every elected official representing the area also endorsed the measure. The measures were approved by 77.3 percent in District One (East of the 405 Freeway to Griffith Park) and 68.1 percent in District Two (west of the 405 Freeway to the Calabasas border). Very specific criteria govern the use of funds from the assessment districts to ensure that all funds are expended locally. An engineer’s report for each district details all aspects of the assessment districts, including acquisition areas, potential properties to be acquired and fiscal accountability and enforcement safeguards, including a Citizens’ Oversight Committee. The work of both the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority and the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy has provided for the protection of tens of thousands of acres of parkland and important habitats in the region, and ensures that all Southern California residents will have the opportunity to enjoy this preserved property well into the future.