Bill to Get 2 Open Areas Gains

In a 43-24 vote, the state Assembly last week approved a bill that would allow the city of Hawthorne to purchase for $200,000 two properties that Caltrans has appraised at $3.3 million.

Provisions for the sale also are contained in the proposed $49.4-billion state budget for 1989-90 that was approved by the state Senate and submitted to Gov. George Deukmejian on Thursday.

The value of the two properties has been a matter of dispute for several years, with Caltrans appraising the properties for residential development and arguing that they may not be sold for less than market value. To sell the property at a lesser price would amount to a diversion of public funds, according to Caltrans officials.

The city of Hawthorne, meanwhile, has rezoned the properties for use as urban open space, which results in a much lower appraisal value, according to City Manager R. Kenneth Jue.

One of the parcels, a narrow, mile-long strip along the west side of the San Diego Freeway, has been vacant for several years. The 4.7-acre property, known locally as the Glasgow Strip, has been used as a dumping ground, creating a safety hazard and an eyesore, according to the Holly Glen Taxpayers’ Assn.

The other property is a 1.1-acre parcel, also just west of the San Diego Freeway, and south of Rosecrans Avenue.

Holly Glen residents have urged the city of Hawthorne to acquire the properties, clean them up and use them as a park or greenbelt next to the freeway. The city has been unable to reach an agreement with Caltrans on a purchase price.

At the urging of the Holly Glen homeowners, Assemblyman Richard E. Floyd (D-Hawthorne) sponsored the bill, which would require Caltrans to sell the properties for $200,000. The bill will be submitted to the state Senate for a vote, perhaps by mid-July, according to a spokesman for Floyd.