California IN BRIEF : VENTURA : Planners Approve Reagan Grave Sites

In a 3-2 vote, the county Planning Commission approved a request by former President Ronald Reagan and his wife, Nancy, for burial sites at his presidential library near Simi Valley. Several planners and an environmentalist expressed concern that the graves would attract too many visitors and increase traffic in the area. “We work hard to keep the air clean in our county, and this will be another addition to the air’s degradation,” said Pat Baggerly, a member of the Environmental Coalition of Ventura County. The burial plots are to be a few yards from a rose garden patio and overlook the city of Moorpark and wooded hills beyond. The California Cemetery Board also must approve the request.