Settlement Likely Coming in La Vina Trail Lawsuit

A lawsuit filed over trail and open space access in the land surrounding the La Vina housing development appears likely to end in a settlement, according to Marietta Kruells, the plaintiff in the case.

The case revolves around land surrounding the La Vina development, which is located at the top of Lincoln Avenue.  In 2005, after 'no trespassing' signs were put up along a trail around the development, the county sued to restore public access.  The county prevailed in that case in 2010.

Kruells, a local resident, filed a separate lawsuit seeking to have the land managed by the La Vina development put under the care of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy (SMMC), an organization created by the State Legislature in 1980 to help preserve open space in Southern California.  A similar case was filed by a group represented by local trails advocate and attorney Paul Ayers.

The settlement has not been finalized, Kruells said, but the parameters of the deal will be that the SMMC will be responsible for preserving the land around La Vina, and a will be restored and likely maintained by the county.

John A. Saurenman, of the Attorney General's office, who acted as counsel for the conservancy in the case, confirmed a settlement is being negotiated, but said he would not be able to comment until the case is complete.  Kruells described the status of the case as "pretty complete" and said she did not see changes to the deal being likely.

Ayers, who spends much of his time outdoors doing trail work in Altadena, described the settlement as a "tremendous, tremendous result."

Combined with the , the La Vina settlement would mean there is the potential for trail access from the foothills down across the settlements into the area above JPL.  

The purchased 13 acres are immediately adjacent to the area that would be controlled by SMMC, which could be a major benefit to local wildlife, according to a biologist who surveyed the area that Arroyos & Foothills is purchasing.

"The recent decision to transfer the designated open space adjacent to the site from the management of the La Vina Development Homeowners Association to the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy will preserve the entire canyon bottom necessary for the continued persistence of sensitive amphibian populations," reads the report.