Wilson Urges $48 Million to Buy Parkland : Environment: The money would come from a proposed $628-million initiative and go to the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy.

SACRAMENTO —  Declaring that the Santa Monica Mountains have helped shape “the California character,” Gov. Pete Wilson on Monday proposed earmarking $48 million for the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy to buy parkland in Los Angeles and Ventura counties.

The money would be included in a $628-million bond measure, which Wilson described during an Earth Day address as the centerpiece of a sweeping environmental initiative. To take effect, the bond proposal must be placed on the ballot by the Legislature and approved by the state’s voters.

State officials familiar with the plan said the $48 million would probably be used to buy land in the 8,000-acre Santa Clarita Woodlands; the 4,369-acre Runkle Ranch owned by entertainer Bob Hope, and in the 4,000 acres encompassing Rustic, Sullivan and Upper Mission canyons.

Joseph T. Edmiston, the conservancy’s executive director, said the three projects are “just some of the high priorities” for his agency.

Edmiston, who was present for Wilson’s speech, described the governor’s program as a “breath of fresh air.” Edmiston said: “The only way, at least in Southern California, to preserve the environment is to buy it.”

Wilson’s commitment to the Santa Monica Mountains appears to signal a departure from his predecessor, former Gov. George Deukmejian, who in 1985 vetoed $6 million in the budget for the conservancy to buy additional land. Deukmejian later signed legislation extending the life of the agency but was never considered a friend of the conservancy.

For his part, Wilson compared the Santa Monicas to some of the state’s better-known natural wonders, saying: “Our natural treasures--the majestic Sierra, the austere canyons of the Santa Monica Mountains, the ancient forests of the North Coast--have shaped the California character.

“If we lose them, we lose not only part of our heritage and our history but part of ourselves,” Wilson said.

Wilson’s interest in the Santa Monica Mountains was underscored last month when the governor said he supports the concept of swapping federal parkland in Agoura Hills as a means for state and federal park agencies to acquire large parcels owned by Hope in the Santa Monica and Santa Susana mountains.

Wilson said he supports a land exchange but does not necessarily favor the deal proposed by Hope and developers who want to build on the entertainer’s Jordan Ranch property in eastern Ventura County.

Monday, Douglas Wheeler, Wilson’s resources secretary, said the governor’s bond proposal “has nothing to do with the Hope transaction.” He said it provides the conservancy another way to protect land within its boundaries. “This is yet another tool in his (Edmiston’s) arsenal.”

Without passage of the bond measure, Wheeler said the conservancy and other state-run, land-acquisition agencies might run out of money next year.

Edmiston said $10 million already has been earmarked for Runkle Ranch. Edmiston suggested, however, that if the Jordan Ranch project is not approved or substantially scaled down, the state might wind up having to pay entertainer Hope more for the property.

The state isn’t the only party interested in Runkle Ranch. Over the months, Hope has gained bargaining strength because Los Angeles County has offered about $35 million for an 800-acre portion of Runkle Ranch, called Blind Canyon. The county, desperately short of landfill space, wants to build a garbage dump on the site.

Hope has not responded to the offer, waiting instead to see how Jordan Ranch fares before the Ventura County Board of Supervisors.

Jordan opponents say no landfill can be built in Blind Canyon without Ventura County approval because a third of the landfill would be in the county, as is the road that garbage trucks would use to reach the dump.

Edmiston said Wilson’s proposal to help the conservancy evolved from a request from Harold F. Waraas, an assistant deputy resources secretary, sounding him out about the minimum amount of money that the conservancy would need to purchase additional open space. Edmiston put the price tag for two years at about $48 million.

Besides Runkle Ranch, another high priority project expected to receive bond funds is a proposal to buy 8,000 acres of Santa Clarita Woodlands, home to mountain lions and an unusual mix of forest land. A proposed state park on the land would be a key segment in a wildlife corridor. The conservancy purchased 145 acres in Towsley Canyon and has continued to acquire other parcels.

A third high priority project listed by Edmiston is the acquisition of Rustic, Sullivan and Upper Mission canyons. In a letter to state officials, Edmiston described the canyons as “the last pristine area of its size left in the City of Los Angeles” and the eastern gateway to the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.

Assemblyman Terry B. Friedman (D-Los Angeles), whose district includes much of the Santa Monica Mountains, said he might want to pursue “even more protective policies” for the mountains but nonetheless supports the governor’s conservancy proposal.

Friedman voiced pleasure that the policies of former Gov. George Deukmejian, whom he described as “anti-environment,” have given way to a new agenda under Wilson, whom he called “an activist on the environment.”