Take Me To Post Comment Form Fact: Women with an extra male chromosome can compete in the Olympics, provided that they can demonstrate a female lifestyle.

Fact: Pigs have DNA similar to humans, which makes some of their body parts useful for transplant surgery.

Fact: George Orwell wrote Animal Farm, a story about despotic pigs who took control when the farmer was not paying attention to business.

Theory: Pigs disguised as humans have taken over the government in Los Angeles County.

I am the owner of 26 acres and 8 lots in North LA County, just north of Santa Clarita on Sierra Highway near Sand Canyon Road. Adjacent properties are mobile home parks, high density subdivisions and non-conforming commercial and junk storage along Sierra Highway. LA County does not want me to build high-value, low-density custom homes on my property.

Regional Planning.
My zoning is 1-acre per lot. All 8 lots were created in 1971 and are properly recorded. My average lot exceeds 3 acres. Despite that, LA Regional Planning is trying to force me into a Conditional Use Permit (C.U.P.) to build just one house.

My friend and civil engineer has been practicing for 45 years in this valley and served on citizen advisory committees for local zoning and hillside management ordinances. He shakes his head in confused disgust at the way I am being treated, and he is convinced that I am entitled to build houses without a C.U.P.

Between 2004 and 2006, I completed 43,000 cy of grading under a properly obtained permit from Public Works. I have had a 2700 sf house plan-checked and ready for permit since December. Regional Planning has refused twice to review my Architect’s submittal for zoning conformance.

The idiot Planner wants me to provide a drawing that shows the height of the house as measured from 30 feet below the existing ground level, a ravine fill that was permitted by Public Works, but Regional Planning wants to measure the house height from a previous finish grade, since they never reviewed the grading plan.

My certified mail complaint to the Director of Regional Planning and the 5th District County Supervisor remain unanswered after 3 months.

Environmental Health.
I applied for a septic system permit 8 months ago. I received a correction list that was ambiguous and confusing, so I sent a certified letter requesting clarifications. That letter remains unanswered after 5 months.

After being told that I could not draw water for a new house from an existing well on one of my other contiguous lots, I drilled a new well. I have been somewhat aware of the Arsenic controversy, so I tested the new well, and it has trace contaminants that slightly exceed EPA limits. I sought clarification from the LA County Environmental Health Dept. on their unpublished new regulations, but letters sent by certified mail went unanswered for 5 months.

I asked for copies of the new draft regulations, but I never received them. I then informed Environmental Health that I was going to install an arsenic mitigation system, since they did not have any regulations, but they never replied. When Environmental Health presented the new draft regulations to the Acton Town Council, a friend sent me a copy. Following the draft regulations as best I could, I purchased and installed Arsenic mitigation equipment, and I made a complete submittal package to Environmental Health via certified mail. Three months went by, and my submittal was never acknowledged.

Frustrated, I asked the Deputy Supervisor to set up a meeting to discuss these and other issues. The Deputy Supervisor told me that approval of private wells with Arsenic was not a problem. “All you have to do is install equipment that treats the whole house."

When the meeting finally occurred with Environmental Health, it was run by a true Owellian Pig of the first order. The Pig could speak but would not listen. He had his own agenda, which excluded my issues. Two Deputy Supervisors sat stunned and silent while the Pig took control of the meeting and droned on and on. The Pig informed them that “we are not approving any Arsenic mitigation equipment, since the local communities have expressed opposition to our draft regulations. And that’s too bad, “because we only want to help people."

I could not get my issues discussed, and I walked out.

Summary
County Supervisors where are you? The Pigs have taken over the farm!