Aug 2009  Clint Matkovich takes over as Chair of SOROG.

2008.  The decision by Judge Reiser was appealed to the Superior Court, which ruled to uphold the lower court's decision. Construction on the building started.

Aug 2007.  The hearing to  determine whether the City of Thousand Oaks would be ordered to set aside its approval decision and/or decertify the EIR on HPD 2002-80, LD 249 was heard by Judge Reiser.   Judge Reiser ruled in favor of the City and the developer.

Jan 2007  On behalf of SOROG, Frank P. Angel files a suit against Michael Dubin of SD Development and the City of Thousand Oaks to overturn the approval to build a 7700 sq. ft. house in the Mount Clef Ridge Wildlife Corridor.

Nov 2006 The City Council rejects SOROG's appeal and approved a development that will build in the City's Ring Of Open Space and violates city building codes for Hillside Planned Development.  The vote is 4-1 with Claudia Bill-de la Peña dissenting.

Oct 2006  The Thousand Oaks Planning Commission votes to approve an application to build a 7700 sq. ft. house in the Mount Clef Ridge Wildlife Corridor.  The vote is 4-1 with Commission Chair Janet Wall dissenting.  SOROG files an appeal of the Planning Commission decision to the Thousand Oaks City Council.

Aug 2006  Save Our Ring Of Green partners with the Mountains Restoration Trust, mountainstrust.org, to help preserve the Mount Clef Ridge Wildlife Corridor. 
Save Open Space  will also join SOROG in the effort to find funding  to purchase the remaining lot in the wildflife corridor and preserve it as open space

July 2006  A major new study, South Coast Missing Linkages, was published by South Coast Wildlands in partnership with the National Park Service, the US Forest Service, California State Parks and a large number of conservation groups.   Mount Clef Ridge is part of an extended habitat linkage that runs from Point Mugu State Park to the Los Padres Forest.  The recommended width for this wildlife corridor is a minimum of 2 kilometers or about 1.2 miles.  Mount Clef is the choke point on this extensive habitat linkage.  It has already been reduced to only a few hundred feet even without any more building.  This report is not included in the EIR.

May 2006 A revised EIR is circulated for the continuing application to build in the Mount Clef Ridge Wildlife Corridor.  The EIR fails to analyze the increased pad size and increased grading into natural terrain now requested for this fourth lot.

May 2006.  The City of Thousand Oaks comes to an agreeement to purchase three of the four lots in imminent danger of development.  The developer continues to apply for permission to build on the fourth lot.

April 2006  The City starts negotiations with the developer to purchase three of the four lots in the Mount Clef Ridge Wildlife Corridor with no contingencies.  The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy agrees to put $500,000 towards this purchase and the Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency will donate $100,000.

March 2006  The City of Thousand Oaks again considers purchasing some or all of the four lots in the Mount Clef Ridge Wildlife Corridor.  SOROG meets with the Thousand Oaks City Attorney and refuses to endorse any deal to purchase any of the four lots that is conditional on the approval of building on the remaining lot(s).

Nov 2005  SOROG retains the Law Offices of Frank P. Angel, environmental lawyers, to represent them.  Mr. Angel has worked on a number of high profile environmental issues.

Oct  2005  LD 249 is pulled from the Planning Commission calendar following the vote by the City Council in Sept 2005.  On 10/24, SOROG presents the facts of the case to the Plannng Commission during public comment.

Sept 27 2005  The Thousand Oaks City Council unanimously votes against the proposal to allow houses to be built on two of the LD 249 lots while allowing waivers to city building codes and paying the developer $1,660,000 to buy the other two lots.

Sept 2005.  City Attorney Amy Albano brings a proposed agreement to the City Council to allow the developer to be granted waivers to city building codes to build on two of the lots of LD 249, while the city purchases the other two lots for over $1.6 million.  This proposal is never approved by or presented to the Council Advisory Group on Mount Clef Ridge.  SOROG opposes this agreement, which would further reduce the Mountclef Ridge Wildlife corridor

2005  Amy Albano takes over as City Attorney from interimg City Attorney Alyse Lazar.  Ms Albano takes over negotiations with SD Development and their representatives.

Dec 2004  Following the defeat of Measure A, the City of Thousand Oaks is seeking new ways to help finance the purchase of the Mountclef Ridge Properties. 

Sept  2004  The first meeting of the Council Advisory Group on Mount Clef Ridge.  City Attorney Alyse Lazar has received an appraisal for LD 249 and will begin negotiations with SD Develpment.

August 2004  SOROG endorses Measure A, the Ventura County Open Space District, which would provide funding to acquire properties such as the Mount Clef Ridge. 

July 2004  The City of Thousand Oaks forms the Council Advisory Group on Mount Clef Ridge.  The group will advise the City Council on the acquisition of  LD 249.  The committee consists of Council Members Dennis Gillette and Ed Masry.  The are also four citizen members appointed: Mark Burley and Shari Czerwinski, co-chairs of SOROG, Debbie Gregory, chair of Save The Conejo and Paul Nicholson of Save Open Space.  The city contracts for its own appraisal for the properties. 

June 2004 SOROG makes a presentation to the Conejo Recreation and Park District in hopes of alerting them to the impact on Wildwood Park if in fact the homes do get built and the wildlife corridor gets choked off by urban sprawl.

May 12, 2004, Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency Meeting.  Agenda Item: Prioritization of Potential Open Space Purchases. We presented our case to remain the #1 rank in category #1 of their potential purchases.  We presented our results from the SMMC, City Council and developer meeting.  COSCA will be voting of the rankings at their next meeting.  They recognize the significant importance of the wildlife corridor on the Mount Clef ridge.  We encourage the pooling of funds to purchase these parcels in the wildlife corridor on the Mount Clef Ridge in order to preserve it as open space.

May 11, 2004, City Council Meeting. Council discussed in closed session the Mount Clef Ridge parcels and our new progress with a willing seller.  We presented and encouraged the case to be negotiated with the developer.

May 3, 2004-Mark Burley, Co-Chair of SOROG, met with Michael Dubin of SD Development, the developer of LD 249.  Mr. Dubin expressed an interest in selling the four lots to the City as open space for an appraised value that he has forwarded to us through his attorney.  Mr Dubin is the legal owner of only one of the four lots but the proposed developer of all four.  Although all property owners must be consulted, he indicated he represented their interest.  

April 26, 2004, we presented our case to the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy Board and Advisory Committee.  The results were fantastic.  The Mount Clef Ridge parcels were voted into their acquisition program and they have begun the process of contacting the City to work with them on pursuing the purchase of the Mount Clef Ridge parcels.