Misplaced Pages

#321678

51-615: The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy was established by the California State Legislature in 1980. Since that time, it has helped to preserve over 72,000 acres of parkland in both wilderness and urban settings, and improved more than 114 public recreational facilities throughout Southern California. Additionally, it has given grants to nonprofit organizations for educational and interpretation programs that have served hundreds of thousands of children and other park visitors. The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy territory originally

102-471: A 4,800-square-foot (450 m ) main home and 720-square-foot (67 m ) guest house. The homes, sitting on 1-acre (4,000 m ) of land, are what remain of the original estate. The company continues in the present day as the Gillette brand of Procter & Gamble . Gillette is widely credited with creating the " razor-razor blade business model ". Some peers in the marketing industry quote him as one of

153-607: A field razor set, paid for by the government. Gillette vetoed a plan to sell the patent rights in Europe, believing correctly that Europe would eventually provide a very large market. Gillette and John Joyce, a fellow director, battled for control of the company. Gillette eventually sold out to Joyce, but his name remained on the brand. In the 1920s, as the patent expired, the Gillette Safety Razor Company emphasized research to design ever-improved models, realizing that even

204-536: A large ranch in the Santa Monica Mountains near Calabasas in Southern California in 1926. The master plan and new buildings on the ranch were designed and built for Gillette in the late 1920s by renowned architect Wallace Neff . The architectural style was Spanish Colonial Revival . After his death, his wife sold the home to Clarence Brown , an MGM film director who held A-List Hollywood parties at

255-514: A razor whose blade could be thrown away when it dulled would meet a real need and likely be profitable. Safety razors had been developed in the mid-19th century, but still used a forged blade. In the 1870s, the Kampfe Brothers introduced a type of razor along these lines. Gillette improved these earlier safety-razor designs and introduced the high-profit-margin stamped razor blade made from carbon steel sheet. Gillette's razor retailed for

306-470: A separate company, Townsend and Hunt, which was absorbed by the parent company for US$ 300,000 in 1906. By 1908, the corporation had established manufacturing facilities in the United States, Canada, Britain, France, and Germany. Razor sales reached 450,000 units and blade sales exceeded 70 million units in 1915. In 1917, when the U.S. entered World War I , the company provided all American soldiers with

357-745: A slight improvement would induce men to adopt it. He was almost bankrupt due to spending large amounts of money on property, and to his having lost much of the value of his corporate shares as a result of the Great Depression . Gillette died on July 9, 1932, in Los Angeles, California . He was interred in the lower levels of the Begonia Corridor in the Great Mausoleum located at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California . Gillette

408-420: A substantial $ 5 (equivalent to $ 170.00 in 2023) – half the average working man's weekly pay – yet sold by the millions. The most difficult part of development was engineering the blades, as thin, cheap steel was difficult to work and sharpen. This accounts for the delay between the initial idea and the product's introduction. Steven Porter, a machinist working with Gillette, used Gillette's drawings to create

459-527: Is at the mountains' eastern end, and several canyons in the northwest corner of the range have been proposed for more landfills . The Santa Susana Mountains are paralleled by State Route 118 to the south and State Route 126 to the north. The mountains have a mild climate, with warm, dry summers and cool, wet winters (Mediterranean climate type). Snow falls in winter in some higher areas, such as Oat Mountain , but melts quickly. Annual precipitation totals vary between 18 and 25 inches, depending on exposure to

510-458: Is not uncommon to see red-shouldered hawks flying from limb to limb. Through the cover of dense, trailside chaparral you might glimpse the California towhee or the colorful spotted towhee , birds who often make their presence known by rustling up leaf litter on the ground. California quail , greater roadrunner , and common raven are also residents of the range. The eerie and enchanting call of

561-643: Is to the west of the Santa Susana Mountains. The Newhall Pass separates the Santa Susana Mountains from the San Gabriel Mountains to the east. Newhall Pass is the major north-south connection between the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys, and Interstate 5 and a railroad line share Newhall Pass. The Santa Susana Pass (containing SR 118 ) connects the Simi and San Fernando valleys, and separates

SECTION 10

#1732852822322

612-753: The Los Angeles Times , controversy ensued when the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy voted in April 2014 to drop its opposition to the large Dave Evans subdivision development proposal for Malibu, in exchange for $ 1 million in donations and consulting work. The singer Dave Evans, a.k.a. " The Edge ", with the Irish rock band U2 , has proposed a compound of five mansions on a coast−facing Santa Monica Mountains ridge, above Serra Canyon on Sweetwater Mesa Road. Malibu residents and environmentalists have opposed

663-616: The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy , environmentalists, and government representatives. Opponents sought to protect the Chumash ancestral site, the natural habitats and ecology, and the expansive open space viewshed within the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area , and to prevent a development of unprecedented urban density adjacent to Malibu Creek State Park . In 1992,

714-561: The common poorwill can often be heard after dark while quick eyes might observe the silent flight of great horned owls and phantom-like barn owls . A handful of fascinating amphibians live in the area. Streams and creeks support populations of Pacific tree frog , the small amphibian whose signature chorus adds an aura of mystery and inexplicable beauty to the surrounding land. Western toads often make their appearance at nightfall, emerging from burrows in search of water and insects, while California slender salamanders are often found under

765-676: The 155,000-acre (63,000 ha) Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area , created by the United States Congress in 1978, as well as 40,000 acres (16,000 ha) of state parks, including Topanga State Park , and parks within Los Angeles' city limits including the Marvin Braude Mulholland Gateway Park above Tarzana . The Conservancy was responsible for the 1990s acquisition of the Jordan Ranch lands in

816-402: The 1890s, Gillette saw bottle caps, with the cork seal he sold, thrown away after the bottle was opened. This made him recognize the value in basing a business on a product that was used a few times, then discarded. Men shaved with straight razors that needed sharpening every day using a leather strop . As existing, relatively expensive razor blades dulled quickly and needed continuous sharpening,

867-617: The 1920s. The completed redesign project is the first visitor center in a zero-energy building in the National Park Service, and is LEED certified . It is named for Anthony C. Beilenson , the former congressman who authored legislation in 1978 to establish the SMMNRA. The center is operated by the four partner agencies in the park: the National Park Service, California State Parks, Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, and Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA). As reported in

918-577: The Conservancy has acquired over 155,000 acres (63,000 ha) and identified another 15,000 acres (6,100 ha) within its zone as crucial for preservation. In addition to buying land outright, the Conservancy operates through public-private partnerships to promote low-density use among private land-owners. The conservancy also acquires rights to land through "time-leasing", receives land through donations and acquisition of foreclosures, and as mitigation for development projects. The Conservancy zone includes

969-462: The Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA), a joint-powers authority associated with the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, resorted to its powers of eminent domain to condemn the core parcel comprising the university and thereby halted SUA's plans for expansion. SUA appealed the eminent domain action. The legal debate continued for the remainder of the decade. Soka University

1020-470: The Santa Clarita Woodlands Park and other large open space preserves. The mountains are part of the California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion . The oaks , ( Quercus spp. ), include the evergreen coast live oak ( Quercus agrifolia ), the deciduous valley oak ( Quercus lobata ), and the coastal scrub oak ( Quercus dumosa ) all can be found in the area. Spring wildflowers include

1071-504: The Santa Susana Mountains are part of the City of Los Angeles , and housing subdivisions, including Porter Ranch , have been built on the lower slopes of the range. The city of Simi Valley lies to the southwest. North of the range is the fast-growing city of Santa Clarita , and several large subdivisions in unincorporated Los Angeles County, including Lyons Ranch and Newhall Ranch , have been approved for development. The Sunshine Canyon Landfill

SECTION 20

#1732852822322

1122-847: The Santa Susana Mountains from the Simi Hills to the south. Santa Susana Pass State Historic Park is located in the Simi Hills, just south of the Santa Susana Pass, at the northwestern edge of the San Fernando Valley. The Santa Susana Mountains are not as steep or high as the San Gabriel Mountains. The western half of the range lies in Ventura County , and the eastern half lies in Los Angeles County . The southeastern slopes of

1173-753: The Santa Susana Mountains through the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority. The City of Los Angeles maintains O'Melveny Park at the eastern end of the mountains. Note: the Santa Susana Field Laboratory , once operated by and still owned by Rocketdyne until toxics are cleaned up, is actually in the Simi Hills , which are adjacent to the south of the Santa Susana Mountains. The south-facing slopes are mostly covered in Chaparral shrubland , grasslands , and oak savanna. The north-facing slopes are home to magnificent oak woodlands and conifer (fir) woodlands, some of which have been protected in

1224-672: The Southern California coastal wildlife corridor the connects Los Padres National Forest with the Santa Monica Mountains. The Rim of the Valley Trail is a plan in progress for connecting the parkland and recreational areas of the San Fernando, Simi, and La Crescenta Valleys via the Santa Susana Mountains. Rocky Peak Park and O'Melveny Park have trail sections already. King C. Gillette#King Gillette Ranch King Camp Gillette (January 5, 1855 – July 9, 1932)

1275-544: The conservancy can acquire land is bounded on the south by the Pacific Coast Highway from Santa Monica to Point Mugu . The zone extends inland roughly 50 miles (80 km) from Malibu north to Newhall Pass and 65 miles (105 km) from Thousand Oaks east to Pasadena . Several major freeways in Los Angeles cross the zone, including the Hollywood , Ventura , San Diego and Interstate 5 . Since its founding,

1326-527: The cool leaf litter and canopy of oak woodlands. Many reptiles thrive in the Santa Susana range. Lizards that are likely to be observed on any given day include the common western fence lizard and the equally abundant side-blotched lizard . Somewhat less frequently observed but still present are the southern alligator lizard , western skink , whiptail , and the seemingly rare coast horned lizard . Southern Pacific rattlesnakes and gopher snakes are perhaps

1377-548: The east. Late in 2003, the Conservancy secured state funds to purchase Ahmanson Ranch as well, creating the Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve , a huge green belt on the western edge of West Hills and Woodland Hills . The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy also acquired the Peter Strauss Ranch from the entertainer Peter Strauss in the central Santa Monica Mountains, which

1428-434: The first disposable razor blade that worked. William Emery Nickerson , an expert machinist and partner of Gillette, changed the original model, improving the handle and frame so that it could better support the thin steel blade. Nickerson designed the machinery to mass-produce the blades, and he received patents for hardening and sharpening the blades. (Nickerson was later elected to Gillette's board of directors.) To sell

1479-507: The innovators who revolutionized the freebie marketing ideas. The Gillette Company continued to thrive and sell products under a variety of brand names including Gillette, Braun , Oral-B , and Duracell . In 2005, the Gillette company was sold to Procter & Gamble for US$ 57 billion. It is now known as Global Blades & Razors, with the Gillette brand , a business unit of Procter & Gamble. King Gillette purchased property for

1530-738: The larger operators including Vintage Production , Freeport McMoRan , and the Southern California Gas Company . The largest of SoCalGas's four underground storage natural gas facilities is within the Aliso Canyon Oil Field north of Porter Ranch . The mountains are within the acquisition area for the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy , which operates several parks, including Santa Clarita Woodlands Park , Rocky Peak Park , Joughin Open Space Preserve , Happy Camp Canyon Regional Park , and other Santa Susana parks in

1581-669: The late 16th century. One or two generations later, in 1630, Nathan Gillette sailed from England to the newly founded Massachusetts Bay Colony in North America. King Camp Gillette was born on January 5, 1855, in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin , and raised in Chicago, Illinois . His family survived the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. While working as a salesman for the Crown Cork and Seal Company in

Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy - Misplaced Pages Continue

1632-534: The line separating Ventura and Los Angeles counties and is indicated by a battered marker embedded into the sandstone boulder summit. The first discovery of oil in California was in Pico Canyon, on the north side of the mountains, The California Star Oil Works, later Chevron , succeeded with Pico Well No. 4 . It became famous not only as the first well in California, but also as the longest-producing well in

1683-436: The most commonly observed snakes, but a lucky hiker might also encounter other species including the striped racer, California kingsnake , and ring-necked snake . Mammals that may be regularly observed in the mountains include smaller animals such as the California ground squirrel and brush rabbit . Small mammals that are less often seen include the dusky-footed woodrat and the agile kangaroo rat . As for larger mammals,

1734-568: The presidency of the company, with a fee of one million dollars. (Roosevelt declined the offer.) Gillette's last book, The People's Corporation (1924), was written with Upton Sinclair and later inspired Glen H. Taylor . Gillette was initiated to the York Rite of Freemasonry, till his elevation to the highest degree of Grand Master. Gillette married Alanta "Lantie" Ella Gaines (1868–1951) in 1890. They had one child, King Gaines Gillette (1891–1955). In his later life he traveled extensively and

1785-664: The product, Gillette founded the American Safety Razor Company on September 28, 1901 (changing the company's name to Gillette Safety Razor Company in July 1902). Gillette obtained a trademark registration (0056921) for his portrait and signature on the packaging. Production began in 1903, when he sold a total of 51 razors and 168 blades. The second year, he sold 90,884 razors and 123,648 blades, thanks in part to Gillette's low prices, automated manufacturing techniques, and good advertising. Sales and distribution were handled by

1836-432: The project as excessive development and viewshed destruction, and have called into question the ethics of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy regarding the proposal. The California Coastal Commission postponed its October 2014 vote on the project until 2015. Joe Edmiston, the conservancy's executive director, said his group had been wrong to agree to those terms to drop its opposition. The California Supreme Court rejected

1887-527: The property. On June 30, 2007, the 588-acre (2.38 km ) King Gillette Ranch opened to the public as a park. The ranch is situated adjacent to Malibu Creek State Park in the Santa Monica Mountains , at 26800 West Mulholland Highway in Calabasas, California . Since 2008, the ranch has been used for the NBC reality show The Biggest Loser . The ranch was also featured in the 2019 Ratched Netflix series and in

1938-508: The rain-bearing winds. Most of the rain falls between November and March. Because of the summer drought, wildfires sometimes occur in summer and fall before the rains start, especially during hot, dry "Santa Ana" wind events (mostly between late September to mid November). The highest peaks in the range are Oat Mountain (1,142 m; 3,747 feet), Mission Point (845 m; 2,771 feet), Rocky Peak (827 m; 2,714 feet), and Sand Rock Peak (765 m; 2,511 feet). The summit of Rocky Peak lies directly atop

1989-620: The ranch. In 1952, Bob Hope bought the property, immediately giving it to the Claretian Order of the Catholic Church, which operated a seminary on the grounds for 25 years. In 1970 Thomas Aquinas College rented the property from the Claretian Order before later moving their campus to Santa Paula in 1977. Elizabeth Clare Prophet , founder of the Church Universal and Triumphant, purchased the property in 1978, and ran her New Age church at

2040-444: The redbush monkey flower, Mariposa lily , and canyon sunflower. Poison oak is also an important member of the native plant habitat community. Various ferns are found in moister and tree-shaded areas. Many bird species thrive in the Santa Susana Mountains. Perhaps the most common raptors observed soaring over the brushy, boulder-strewn landscape are turkey vultures , red-tailed hawks , and American kestrels . In oak woodlands it

2091-648: The scheme in 2018. Santa Susana Mountains The Santa Susana Mountains are a transverse range of mountains in Southern California , north of the city of Los Angeles , in the United States . The range runs east-west, separating the San Fernando and Simi valleys on its south from the Santa Clara River Valley to the north and the Santa Clarita Valley to the northeast. The Oxnard Plain

Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy - Misplaced Pages Continue

2142-446: The site until 1986 when Soka University of America (SUA) bought the land. In 1990, SUA announced plans to build a future liberal arts college on campus and plans to expand the facility over the next 25 years to an enrollment of as many as 5,000 students. SUA began making plans to expand the campus infrastructure to accommodate living quarters and classrooms for the proposed expansion, but ran into opposition from some local residents,

2193-428: The well-trained eye might spot California mule deer or a coyote . Larger mammals that are considerably more secretive and therefore less often encountered include the gray fox , bobcat , ring-tailed cat , American badger , and the mountain lion . A population of American black bears occupy various niches in the backcountry; showing up in communities below the mountains every few years. The mountains are part of

2244-604: The western Simi Hills near Thousand Oaks from entertainer Bob Hope , creating the Cheeseboro and Palo Commado Canyons Park section of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (SMMNRA). The ranch was purchased by a developer and turned over the National Park Service as part of a land development deal, which then allowed their development of new housing and golf courses on the Ahmanson Ranch land adjacent to

2295-636: The world, having been capped in September, 1990 after 114 years. Well No. 4 has the distinction of being the first site in Los Angeles County to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places , in 1966. The surrounding town, Mentryville , is maintained as the oil "ghost town" Mentryville Historical Park, within Pico Canyon Park . Many active oil and gas fields remain in the area, with some of

2346-468: Was also a Utopian Socialist . He published a book titled The Human Drift (1894) which advocated that all industry should be taken over by a single corporation owned by the public, and that everyone in the US should live in a giant city called Metropolis powered by Niagara Falls . A later book, World Corporation (1910) was a prospectus for a company set up to create this vision. He offered Theodore Roosevelt

2397-553: Was also turned over to the National Park Service and opened to the public in the SMMNRA. The Conservancy is one of the four agencies sharing operation of the Santa Monica Mountains Anthony C. Beilenson Interagency Visitor Center, located at the former King Gillette Ranch stables. It is located at 26876 Mulholland Highway , at the junction with Las Virgenes/Malibu Canyon Road near Calabasas . The stables and Gillette mansion were originally designed by Wallace Neff in

2448-556: Was an American businessman who invented a bestselling safety razor . Gillette's innovation was the thin, inexpensive, disposable blade of stamped steel. Gillette is often erroneously credited with inventing the so-called razor and blades business model in which razors are sold cheaply to increase the market for blades. However, Gillette Safety Razor Company adopted the business model from its competitors. The Gillette paternal ancestors were French Huguenots who sought refuge in England in

2499-635: Was prevented from developing any expansion plans at the Calabasas property and began looking for alternative sites to build a larger campus. After the university moved to a purpose-built campus, the King Gillette ranch was collaboratively purchased for $ 35 million by the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority, National Park Service, Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy and California State Parks, who then made it available for public use. Those agencies are also funding an $ 8.4 million visitor's center on

2550-472: Was universally recognized from his picture on the packets of razor blades. People were surprised that he was a real person rather than just a marketing image. A Gillette company history stated that in non-English speaking countries people would often ask for blades of "the kind with the Man's Face". Around 1922 or 1923, he built a residence at 324 West Overlook Road, in "The Mesa" district of Palm Springs, consisting of

2601-483: Was within the Santa Susana Mountains and Santa Monica Mountains , and the Simi Hills ; areas located north and west of metropolitan Los Angeles in Ventura County and Los Angeles County . Since then its territory has been extended to the east to include parks in the San Gabriel Mountains , Verdugo Mountains , San Rafael Hills , and Puente Hills . The 450,000- acre (180,000  ha ) "zone" in which

SECTION 50

#1732852822322
#321678