Barbra Streisand says she understands that California has to sell her donated 22.5-acre Malibu ranch to help balance the budget but she hopes the buyer will preserve its "special habitat."
Ramirez Canyon Park, which the singer donated in 1993, is on the list of state-owned properties that Gov. Jerry Brown wants to put up for sale despite fierce opposition.
The property contains meadows, gardens, a creek and three homes that Streisand customized with a wealth of architectural detail ranging from Art Deco metal panels to Douglas fir framing on a Craftsman-style house. It was valued at $15 million when Streisand gave it to the state and the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, a state agency that Brown established in 1980 during his first stint as governor. But the property "does not serve any essential state function," Brown's spokeswoman, Elizabeth Ashford, told the Los Angeles Times. "The state should not be the landlord for a place that hosts mountain retreats."
"I understand Governor Brown's tough decision given the severe budget shortfalls that California is facing," Streisand said. "I only hope that there is little disruption to the residents ... and that whatever entity does purchase the land and the homes on it will preserve its special habitat."
The conservancy opened its headquarters on the property and moved to set up what it promised would be an academic think-tank called the Barbra Streisand Center for Conservancy Studies. But when interest in conferences lagged, the conservancy began renting out the estate for weddings and garden tours to pay for maintaining its five houses and grounds. Neighboring homeowners, some of them living in secluded, multimillion-dollar mansions, sued over the noise and the traffic, eventually reaching a settlement. Currently, the ranch is only open to the public by special appointment.
HONORED: Baseball Hall of Famer Hank Aaron can add an honorary degree from Princeton University to his trophy case. He was awarded an honorary doctorate of humanities this week for making the United States a better place with his "imperishable example of grace under pressure."
SIDE-LINED: A back injury has forced actor Michael J. Fox to withdraw from the Principal Charity Classic pro-am golf event in West Des Moines this week. Fox, who competed in the tourney in 2009, had been expected to tee off at the Glen Oaks Country Club on Wednesday. But tournament spokeswoman Joelle Kirchhoff says Fox has decided against making the trip after hurting his back.
SUED: A Texas man is suing comedian Andy Dick over his December performance in Dallas. Robert Tucker claims he suffered emotional distress after Dick allegedly exposed his genitals while walking through the audience.
