Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority Wins Major Victory Protecting Wildlife Corridor in the Hollywood Hills
September 16, 2026
Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority Wins Major Victory Protecting Wildlife Corridor in Hollywood Hills
LOS ANGELES, CA (September 16, 2026) — The Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA) announced today that it had won an important Court of Appeal decision upholding its right to enforce a conservation easement protecting a wildlife corridor in Laurel Canyon.
The case, Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority v. Bakalinskaya, originated in 2015, when the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy waived its right of first refusal to a City of Los Angeles-owned parcel that was being sold as “exempt surplus land” to an adjacent private property owner. In exchange for the waiver, the private party agreed to dedicate a conservation easement covering an eight-foot strip along the border of the property and to donate a separate parcel to MRCA in fee title for the purpose of establishing a “habitat linkage,” a corridor that allows wildlife to move freely between larger areas.
After signing the settlement and executing the easement, the property owner proceeded to develop within the conservation easement. MRCA subsequently determined that improvements, including an elevated parking deck, artificial lighting and numerous retaining walls, blocked the conservation easement. MRCA staff attempted to have the owner address the violations, but those efforts were unsuccessful.
In August 2022, MRCA filed suit seeking to enforce the conservation easement. Represented by Richards, Watson & Gershon, MRCA prevailed at a jury trial in November 2024. The jury found that the defendants had breached the easement, and the trial court subsequently ordered specific corrective work to bring the property into compliance with the easement. The defendants appealed.
The Court of Appeal heard oral arguments on September 10, 2026, and issued its decision on September 15, affirming the trial court’s judgment in favor of MRCA. The Court also affirmed the trial court’s determination that MRCA was the prevailing party and entitled to recover its costs on appeal.
“The bottom line is that the MRCA will enforce its conservation easements to the fullest extent of the law,” said Chief Staff Counsel Jeff Maloney.
The decision leaves in place the judgment requiring corrective work to bring the property into compliance with the conservation easement, which was established to protect the wildlife corridor.
The Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA) is a local government public entity exercising joint powers of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, the Conejo Recreation and Park District and the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District. The MRCA is dedicated to the preservation and management of local open space and parkland, wildlife habitat, coastal access, watershed lands, and trails in both wilderness and urban settings, and to ensuring access to public parkland and coastal resources. The MRCA works in cooperation with the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy and other local government partners to acquire parkland, participate in vital planning processes, work towards wildfire resilience, and connect wildlife habitat. The MRCA manages more than 80,000 acres of parkland that it owns and that are owned by the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy. It is one of the lead agencies revitalizing the Los Angeles River.
Contact:
Dash Stolarz
Director of Public Affairs
(323) 221-9944 x198