Some of the Key Players in Canyon Oaks Estates Dispute

The nearly 16-year battle over what was ultimately called the Canyon Oaks Estates drew dozens, perhaps hundreds, into the political fray: from ex-hippie homeowners to union construction workers; from wildlife activists to Walt Disney’s daughter. Here are a few of the players who shaped the discourse and helped fashion the surprise deal that may preserve as open space the 257-acre property and more than 400 surrounding acres.

Ed Edelman, county supervisor: After taking a tour of the property Tuesday afternoon, Edelman asked the property owners to negotiate the possible sale of the land to the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy. Edelman had been to Summit Valley before, but said he was especially moved by his latest visit. “I was so struck by the beauty of the place, I decided we had to try one last thing to save it,” he said of the last-minute talks. “It’s a win-win situation.” During his two decades in office, Edelman has been an unflagging supporter of conservation causes, including opposing the development of Canyon Oaks in all its incarnations. Although his stands on land issues have earned him some vocal detractors, Edelman was reelected by 75% of voters four years ago. He is retiring at the end of this term next December and says he is considering a university teaching job or a return to practicing law.

Joseph T. Edmiston, executive director, Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy: As the 14-year head of the conservancy, the baritone Edmiston was the state agency’s main negotiator. He has called the Summit Valley area of Topanga Canyon one of the most significant wildlife niches in the Santa Monica Mountains, and he has tried to acquire part of the land for the conservancy before. The Canyon Oaks deal would be the latest in a string of successes for Edmiston, who recently masterminded the acquisition of Jordan Ranch in Ventura County from entertainer Bob Hope and the donation of Barbra Streisand’s 24-acre Malibu Estate. Despite tight budgets for public land purchases, he has been able to cobble together deals that brought 20,000 acres into the fold of protected land in the Santa Monicas. The Canyon Oaks deal, though, was in a way the most thrilling, Edmiston said. “With the project minutes away from possibly being approved, this is certainly the most dramatic announcement we’ve ever made,” he said. “It’s one of the better examples that, even in curmudgeonly middle age, don’t let cynicism get you down because people in adverse circumstances can come together and have victory for all sides.”

Robert L. Wilson, president, Topanga Oaks Inc.: Though rarely seen at hearings or public relations events involving the Canyon Oaks Estates proposal, in the back rooms Wilson was the project’s leader and the one who made the decision to negotiate with the conservancy. He said he made the choice to forgo potential profits from the development based on a desire to settle the rancorous issue. “Let’s work together to make this happen,” he told opponents of the project after the deal was made. Wilson took over control of the project from Sharon Lund, Walt Disney’s daughter, who died last year. The 50-year-old Glendale resident also is vice president of administration of the company set up on behalf of Disney’s heirs, called Retlaw Enterprises Inc. (Retlaw is Walter spelled backward). He has worked for the company for 25 years. Despite the decision to offer the land to the conservancy, Wilson said he still believes Canyon Oaks Estates would have benefited the area. “We still feel it’s an excellent project and one that is environmentally sensitive,” he said. “And if the conservancy is not able to conclude the transaction, we will ask the Board of Supervisors to approve it as proposed.”

Susan Petrulas Nissman, chairwoman, Topanga Assn. for a Scenic Community (TASC): Unaware of the late-night deal, Nissman led dozens of placard-bearing opponents of Canyon Oaks to the Los Angeles Civic Center Thursday morning to try to sway the supervisors against the development. “I keep crying,” she said after learning about the conservancy deal. “They’re the happiest tears since my children were born.” As she has done in the past, Nissman on Thursday took her children, now 10 and 13 years old, out of school so they could accompany her to the protest. “My husband and I looked at this as a lesson in civic responsibility and government,” she said. In 1977, Nissman moved to a Topanga Canyon home just over a mile from the proposed development site. Soon afterward, she joined the community group TASC, which had been founded by architect and longtime Topanga resident Bob Bates in 1963 to preserve the canyon’s woodsy feel. Nissman became the group’s chairwoman three years ago. The two agree that the skirmishes over Canyon Oaks have been some the toughest in three decades of battling development. “It’s been one continuous war for 30 years, and this is the culmination of our efforts,” Bates said. “And what a beautiful ending.”