Carrot, not pitchfork
December 26, 2006
Daily News - Letter to the Editor

Re "Key city reform failing" (Dec. 16):

Neighborhood councils can be successful if board members engage elected officials with honesty and respect. Unfortunately, past experience has proved that a few politicos are for themselves, not the people they serve. The media reinforces that belief daily.

In my effort to preserve horse-keeping in Los Angeles, I have won support from Mayor Villaraigosa, Councilman Smith and Supervisor Antonovich, but I have also earned total disdain from some neighborhood council members who believe the job of the council is to bash elected officials. Some folks need to learn if the barn door is open and the horses are running away, the best tool to catch them is a carrot, not a pitchfork.

- Jerry England
Chatsworth

Beloved equestrian
May 5, 2006
Daily News - Letter to the Editor

Re "Pony business owner killed by heart attack" (May 2):

I am outraged by Josh Kleinbaum's insensitive story about Linda Menary. Linda was one of the most beloved equestrians in Chatsworth, and would always be there for anyone who needed help. Linda's pony ride business had so many supporters that she was able to stay in business in spite of people like Kleinbaum who don't understand animals and are quick to rush to judgment.

Linda Menary's passing is another piece of the Old West lost forever. I know she'll be greeted with warm nickers when she reaches the other side of the Great Divide.

- Jerry England
Chatsworth

Horse country going the way of horse, buggy
April 16, 2006
BY CORTNEY FIELDING, Special to the Daily News

CHATSWORTH - Jerry England remembers when a sturdy horse and a dirt road was all a boy needed to get around the San Fernando Valley. That was in the 1950s. "I used to ride for hours pretending I was Roy Rogers," England said.

But with dirt roads and horses long replaced by freeways and SUVs, there are few places left in the Valley for a gray-haired 63-year-old cowboy to ride off into the sunset.
Except for Chatsworth - among the last of the Valley's "horse country."

England, chairman of the Chatsworth Neighborhood Council Equestrian Committee, was among 150 area residents to take part in the third annual Day of the Horse at the family-owned Pepper Tree Ranch [sic]. The aim was to showcase the community's equestrian presence and to raise awareness about the threat of home construction and other development encroaching on places to ride.

Hosted by the Chatsworth Neighborhood Council, the daylong event included period riding demonstrations, miniature horses, an appearance by City Councilman Greig Smith and a poster contest for elementary school students.

In the last decade, hundreds of new homes have been built among nearby hills. Across the Ronald Reagan Freeway at Dearlake [sic] Ranch, construction has begun on 375 new homes, residents say.

"This little niche is unique and it keeps getting smaller and smaller," said Karen Herle, who moved to the neighborhood with her husband and two daughters from nearby Canoga Park in 1998. After a 40-mile commute to and from her job as a computer systems programmer in Monterey Park, she relishes getting on her horse and riding the trails near her home. "It's my attitude-adjustment time," she said. "It's sad to see it go."

Daughter Morgan, 19, agrees. She grew up with horses and can't image [sic] Chatsworth without them. "We can really use any help we can get," she said.

Neighborhoods, Unite - City's 88 locals councils give residents voice
March 27, 2006
Daily News Staff

See article and photo by Joel P. Lugavere / Special to the Daily News at www.dailynews.com/goodlife/ci_3644596

Photo caption: Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, left, rides down Canoga Avenue with Jerry England and 50 other members of the Chatsworth Neighborhood Council.

Welcome to Valley politics
January 12, 2006
Daily News - Letter to the Editor

Re: "City of neighborhoods" (Our Opinions, Jan. 10):

While Gail Goldberg is getting the lay of the Los Angeles Planning Department and learning about L.A.'s unique neighborhoods, I'd like to offer my services to show off the San Fernando Valley's equestrian communities.

She'll also need to get a lay of the politics and learn why politically connected developers have been able to rezone 17,500-square-foot horse-keeping lots to 11,000-square-foot nonequestrian properties when nearby Burbank allows horses on as little as 6,800 square feet.

It's time to analyze horse-keeping from head to tail to avoid disenfranchising Valley equestrians and prompting nightmare lawsuits for the city.

Jerry England
Chatsworth

Villaraigosa saddles up to ride the open trail
September 18. 2005
LA Daily News
By Lisa M. Sodders, Staff Writer

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa sat tall in the saddle Saturday as he rode the horse trail at Stoney Point on horseback, alongside more than 50 riders.

The Chatsworth Neighborhood Council's equestrian committee and representatives from numerous horse-riding groups invited the mayor on the two-mile ride to share their concerns about a way of life they fear is being eroded by developers building high-density housing.

"I love this," Villaraigosa said as he rode up the dusty trail on a Los Angeles Police Department Mounted Patrol horse named Tom. "Los Angeles is big enough that we should be able to preserve these kinds of open spaces."

Jerry England, chairman of the equestrian committee, agreed: "There really need to be some unique little pieces of the city that are allowed to be different.

"There's not a lot of rural left any more as these big fields get chopped up for houses."

Deb Baumann, managing director of the Vaquero Heritage Foundation, said preserving equine areas benefits more people than just local residents who own horses,

Groups like Ride-On Therapeutic Horsemanship, which works with adults and children with mental and physical disabilities, also depend on open space and riding trails.

Baumann, who wore an 1830s vaquero costume and sat on a hand-tooled leather saddle and traditional hand-carved oak stirrups, said it's also important to preserve a part of Los Angeles' history. She noted that many places in Los Angeles started out as huge ranches, including Los Encinos Rancho, Rancho La Brea and Rancho San Pedro.

Villaraigosa said he had ridden a horse about 20 times in his life but seemed very at ease in the saddle. He took time at the end of the ride to say thank you and stroke Tom, a 17-year-old quarter horse who won the 2004 American Quarter Horse Association's Equine Public Service Award.

Pat Kouri, LAPD trainer for the mounted patrol, said Villaraigosa was a good rider. "He's doing really well," Kouri said. "He's very relaxed. He's not worried, so the horse isn't worried."

Members of the Davalos Family, of Silver King Silversmiths in Chatsworth, presented the mayor with a handcrafted silver belt buckle and leather hand-tooled belt at the start of the ride. The company also has presented one to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Polite political success
July 10, 2005
Daily News - Letter to the Editor

Re: "Prescription for change" (July 6):
Neighborhood councils have empowered Chatsworth equestrians who have spent years fighting the changes displacing our rural community with higher density housing.

Yet, it has only been recently that I've been able to win even the smallest of victories. I've learned that neighborhood councils will only be successful if they engage politicians in a polite, open and respectful manner.

We are fortunate to have Councilman Greig Smith, who is willing to meet with us and listen to our concerns. We are still not getting everything we want, but we are being heard when we are willing to offer our advice, then move forward respectfully - win or lose.

Jerry England
Chatsworth

Hats off
June 9, 2005
Daily News - Letter to the Editor

For the past four years James Hahn ducked the Chatsworth horse-keeping issues and supported his wealthy pals.

Mayor-elect Antonio Villaraigosa has already made a promise to come see Chatsworth's threatened horse properties. Villaraigosa doesn't plan to race through our unique community looking at issues from the back seat of a limo; instead he wants to see things from the hurricane deck of a cow pony.

That's what I've been talking about. It's actions not words that count. We've got a new mayor who can proudly wear a white hat.

Jerry England
Chatsworth

Marionette puppets
April 7, 2005
Daily News - Letter to the Editor

Re "Next planner key to how L.A. grows" (April 5):

City department managers, especially the planning director, are a lot like marionette puppets. It doesn't make any difference if the puppet is a horse, a cow or a jackass; it's going to move in the direction its strings are pulled. Puppeteers in Los Angeles are the attorneys, developers and city unions that provide the most campaign funds. Politically appointed planning commissioners will always be beholden to special-interest groups.

L.A.'s politicians would be wise to spend more time protecting the general plan rather than worrying about who they can hire to tweak it. The plan can only take so much more degradation before we start resembling Tijuana, Mexico.

Jerry England
Chatsworth

No surprise
March 17, 2005
Daily News - Letter to the Editor

Re "Serious questions," March 14

So the integrity of city workers is under the microscope with the possibility of vote tampering. It's no surprise that Hahn wants to know why ballots were re-inked.

Isn't this a bit of deja vu? Wasn't it Mayor Hahn who said city commissioners shouldn't be involved in campaign fundraising?

Did we ever find out if a DWP commissioner was raising campaign funds or just happened to be having breakfast at the same time and place as Hahn and his supporters?

You don't seriously think the City Council will find anything wrong when the majority know they'll need union money in the next election.

You can count on city workers to do whatever it takes to protect their investment.

Jerry England
Chatsworth

Detail man
February 16, 2005
Daily News - Letter to the Editor

Re "Hertzberg for mayor" (Editorial, Feb. 13):

Chatsworth citizens asked Bob Hertzberg if he would help protect horse-keeping from high-density housing being developed by political insiders -- in particular one former city commissioner who was instrumental in getting the city to weaken our community plan.

Hertzberg met us and rambled on about how he was a big-picture guy, but also armed himself with all the details. Then he said he didn't know enough about the horse-keeping situation to have formed an opinion. Big picture? Details? Will he help protect our rural horse-keeping area or support the special-interest campaign contributors that he needs to get elected? We're still waiting for him to check the details.

Jerry England
Chatsworth

If memory serves
February 2, 2005
Daily News - Letter to the Editor

Re "No credit due" (Editorial, Jan. 28):

Mayor Hahn should be given credit for the things he did to us: Increased fees for sewer, water, trash collection. Fewer cops with longer response times. Increased housing density with no new traffic solutions. No new parks. Deteriorating bridle paths. Less preservation of horse-keeping. No protection for unique neighborhoods. Older citizens that fear fines if they use their burglar alarms. Schools, hospitals and freeways that are failing because of increased population. Neighborhood councils made useless by a quagmire of bureaucratic red tape.

Wealthy developers, attorneys and contractors rewarded for stripping Valley residents of their bid for democracy and self government. A whole new definition of corruption. Thanks for the memories, Jimmy. That's why we'll vote for someone else.

Jerry England
Chatsworth

Government failed
January 13, 2005
Daily News - Letter to the Editor

Re: "La Conchita Again" (Editorial Jan. 12):

Most people aren't experts in geology, so they trust government experts to know what they are doing. But, once again, government has failed the people. After the 1995 landslide, Ventura County authorities put slide indicators in the ground. They may have given folks a false sense of security. The slide started way above the indicators, so there was zero warning.

I lost a good friend, Tony Alvis, in the 2005 slide. Tony's death could have been avoided if government officials had stayed on top of the problem. Why weren't county officials watching the area when the rains hit? Surely they had to know the risk.

Jerry England
Chatsworth

Public library
December 17, 2004
Daily News - Letter to the Editor

Our new library just opened in Chatsworth, but it doesn't have a community bulletin board. The librarian tells me none of the new libraries have one because they attract clutter. The Neighborhood Council is advised to post meeting agendas at the "public" library to comply with the Brown Act. What better place to communicate with the public than a neighborhood library?

Maybe the reality is that the city doesn't really want neighborhood councils to communicate with the public. What other reason would justify not having a community bulletin board in our new library?

Jerry England
Chatsworth

Campaign donors game
December 2, 2004
Daily News - Letter to the Editor

Re "Eyes wide open" (Your Opinions, Dec. 6):

Lonnie Tiano accuses me of being ignorant of the facts about LAPD. I don't see where the Hahn and Bratton act have done anything to improve crime fighting--especially in the Valley. Hahn lied, manipulated facts, and scared LA residents into voting against Valley Secession. Then he used the pay-to-play system to reward those who financed his effort to destroy our democracy. As a result we have the fewest and slowest cops in the city.

Bratton comes from a place where he could only get the the job done with 40,000 cops, not 9,000. Hahn ought to listen to Richard Alarcon who says fund the police first before another single budget item is addressed. Is this too simple or doesn't it leave enough wampum to play the reward campaign donors game?

Jerry England
Chatsworth

Give everyone a gun
December 2, 2004
Daily News - Letter to the Editor

Re "Cops hit streets; training delayed" (Dec. 1): Mayor James Hahn wants to make himself look good for the coming election, so he's putting untrained cops with loaded guns on the streets of L.A.

What a concept _ let's go a step further: Let's skip the background check for police applicants and just give them all a six-shooter.

In fact, let's give every man, woman and child over the age of 12 a handgun and eliminate the cops altogether.

Wow! With thinking like this, I should run for mayor.

Jerry England
Chatsworth

Government efficiency?
November 3, 2004
Daily News - Letter to the Editor

Re "Job fund for LAPD proposed" (Oct. 22): Isn't "governmental efficiency" an oxymoron _ especially in the city's neighborhood-prosecutor program, where lip service and a whisk broom are tools of the trade? Chatsworth's Neighborhood Council repeatedly warned the city about a property that invites a brush-fire disaster, so the neighborhood prosecutor and Los Angeles Police Department agreed to enforce a cleanup last June.

A month later the cleanup was delayed until October.

When the October date came, the cleanup was shifted to another location. It seems the city attorney and LAPD decided to sweep the entire situation under a bureaucratic carpet and ignore the concerns of the Chatsworth Neighborhood Council.

So much for adding more cops in the San Fernando Valley. Neighborhood prosecutors don't need them. They have plenty of lip balm and a good whisk broom.

Jerry England
Chatsworth

Field of nags
September 27, 2004
Daily News - Letter to the Editor

They're headed for the home stretch, but the horse race for mayor is a field of nags that aren't much different from one another. There's not a thoroughbred among them. The only difference is that Hahn already has his pile of carrots and the rest of the field is still begging for a few morsels of straw from the attorneys, contractors and labor unions that actually run this city.

As much as I despise Mayor Hahn, I may vote for him because we already know he is a one-trick pony and a champion of deceit. From my vantage point, it isn't this race of nags that matters, but rather: When can we get secession back on the ballot?

Jerry England
Chatsworth

Which dummy?
August 30, 2004
Daily News - Letter to the Editor

You've seen them on the news -- a helicopter with a horse suspended from a sling. It's a Los Angeles Department of Animal Services DART team in action. DART has assisted rescue operations from San Diego to Santa Barbara. They have saved the lives of horses and riders. The Chatsworth Neighborhood Council's Equestrian Committee wants to spend money to buy a life-size, fully articulated, model horse (dummy) for DART and all of Southern California's fire departments to use for training.

But, we are done in by DONE, the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment: It won't release the funds until we get letters from Animal Services and fire departments explaining the value of the dummy. So much for neighborhood power.

Jerry England
Chatsworth

Adios, President Reagan
June 10, 2004
Daily News - Letter to the Editor

We'll miss President Reagan. He made us smile. He made us feel good to be Americans. He changed the world and made it a safer place. He was a Westerner, a cowboy, who sat a horse ramrod straight.

Now that he's crossed over the Great Divide and is in the hands of the Old Man Upstairs, I hope the first words he hears in heaven are: "Which horse would you like to ride today, Ron?"

Jerry England
Chatsworth

Mayor Hahn and Horses
March 8, 2004
Daily News - Letter to the Editor

Comparing Mayor Hahn to a horse is a serious mistake. Horses are majestic, graceful, playful, and above all gregarious creatures. None of these describe the character of James Hahn.

The single common trait they share is optimism. Horses generally believe people will feed them treats whether they are good or bad.

Horses also have an incredible memory, something Hahn apparently doesn't have. However memory is something folks in the Valley share with horses. That's why Hahn will not be reelected.

Jerry England
Chatsworth

Fair share of police
October 08, 2003
Daily News - Letter to the Editor

Re "Devonshire tops city murder list for September" (Oct. 7): Those of us who fought for Valley independence against Mayor James Hahn's overwhelming financial support from special interest groups told you so. We asked that the Valley get its fair share of police and predicted an increase in violent crime because of the lack of police per capita.

Chief William Bratton's "broken windows" concept is just more downtown horse manure blowing in the wind. LAPD won't even try to resolve a conflict between equestrians and illegal paintball activity in a local canyon because police don't have the manpower to resolve it. For Hahn and his cronies, it will take somebody getting killed before something is done about it.

Jerry England
Chatsworth

Wink and a nod
December 2, 2002
Daily News - Letter to the Editor

Wednesday, with a wink and a nod, the mayor's hand-picked Planning Commission sent a message to their pal Ted Stein. They told Chatsworth, and three leading council District 12 candidates, we have the power and we don't care about your quality of life. We owe Ted Stein and we are going to make sure he prevails in his appeal to the court. Ted needs to put dollars in his pocket, a reward for defeating secession. You can take your horses and get out of town or live by our rules.

But, in this horseman's opinion this is still America and it ain't over yet. Just watch what happens when you punish the people for the benefit of a City Hall insider.

Jerry England
Chatsworth

October 2002
Valley Horse Owners Association
Hoof Beats newsletter
Letter to the editor:

In the Old West horse thieves worked their trade with a long rope and a hot iron. In today's Los Angeles they corral the entire herd with the help of a corrupt City Councilman.

Just ask Ted Stein who wants to appeal a recent court decision that protects Chatsworth's horse-keeping rights.

Stein figures it's no problem to win the appleal. He simply asked his pal, Councilman Hal Bernson, to change the General Plan language that protects the horses.

Yesterday, Bernson tried to direct the planning department to remove the very language that a superior court judge said protects Chatsworth's equestrian lifestyle.

But, Councilwoman Wendy Greuel forced Bernson's proposal to go back to the planning commission for a proper public hearing. Yippy Yi Yo Wendy.

Jerry England, Chatsworth

Declaring the causes
June 3, 2002
Daily News - Letter to the Editor

When in the Course of human events...... a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

I believe the Chatsworth equestrian community is being forced to seek separation from the city of Los Angeles because its politicians have and continue to try to eliminate our equestrian life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

We've asked city government for help to enforce planning laws that protect our culture, for help policing our trails to stop trash dumping, for help to get illegal campers out of a fire district, for help to get safer railroad crossings, for help to get the city communicating with the county regarding proposed development that will cause a huge impact on our community.

We have been ignored, lied to, disrespected and disenfranchised. We must secede.

Jerry England
Chatsworth

Day of the Horse
April 15, 2002
Daily News - Letters to the Editor

The California state Legislature is studying a proposal to proclaim Dec. 14 to be the Day of the Horse in California. If approved, ACR 175 will call upon all citizens to be mindful of the welfare of the horse and to recognize and appreciate the role of the horse in our history, heritage and economy.

Perhaps we need a similar resolution in Southern California where our misguided Los Angeles City Council is trying to eliminate horses through spot zoning. They support wealthy developers who are trying to pack in high-density housing under the guise of solving a housing shortage. Surely a few more $500,000 houses that eliminate horse keeping doesn't do much for the masses.

A few good knickers would do a lot more for stressed-out city folks.

Jerry England
Chatsworth

Horses, Houses, and the Evil Dragon
July 23, 2001
Daily News - Letter to the Editor

Once upon a time there were two wise men named Cardinal Roger Mahoney, and Ted Stein. These wise men could see that Chatsworth's real estate had no value because is being protected by an evil, two-headed, fire breathing dragon named General Plan.

So, they called for the black knight, Hal Bernson, who slew the dragon. The wise men then built tacky houses, pocketed the profits, and everyone, except a few dozen horses, lived happily ever after.

Do we really believe in fairy tales or do we want a honest government.
In a real world the good people of Chatsworth would start a recall petition and get rid of Hal Bernson.

Jerry England
Chatsworth

Re "Horse Owners Snort at Home Plan," Feb. 23.
March 11, 2001
Los Angeles Times - Letter to the Editor

Years ago, after horse owners had been pushed into the last small corner of the San Fernando Valley, they were promised by city government that this final refuge would remain horse country forever. Just to prove it, the city created a document called the Chatsworth/Porter Ranch General Plan.

If the general plan is adhered to, then Chatsworth remains horse country and all of the existing horse ranches are protected under its guidelines.

On the other hand, if the city allows a wealthy association of good old boys--Los Angeles City Councilman Hal Bernson; Mayor Richard Riordan; real estate developer and former airport commissioner and harbor commissioner Ted Stein; and Cardinal Roger Mahony--to have their way with the general plan, then several existing horse ranches will become illegal the instant the first shovel of dirt is lifted on Stein's proposed project.

During the last few days, I've had the opportunity to attend two neighborhood meetings to hear proposals for fighting the church and Stein. At one, held at Chatsworth train depot, several hundred people showed up and many opened their checkbooks to the Chatsworth Land Preservation Assn., one of the groups leading the charge against this general plan change. Other local groups that have rallied behind CLPA are the Chatsworth Equine Cultural Heritage Assn. and Equestrian Trails International.

It will be interesting to see if good can still triumph over evil in the shadow of the Santa Susana Mountains, where Roy Rogers and the Lone Ranger once showed us the way.

Jerry England
Chatsworth

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