Environmental Attorney joins effort to preserve Summerland hilltop

SUMMERLAND, Calif. - A staunch environmentalist who successfully fought to keep approved development out of the San Marcos Foothills preserve is taking on another challenge.

Environmental Attorney Marc Chytillo is setting his sights on a nearly 7-acre, pristine hilltop parcel above Summerland.

The open space is owned by the Carpinteria Unified School District and is expected to be sold soon.

The money will go towards rebuilding Summerland Elementary.

One woman has leased the site for more than a year, turning it into a dry farm.

Leslie Person-Ryan is fighting to keep the area farmland. She talked to NewsChannel 3-12 back in May and argued that Summerland is a "food desert" -- especially in times of disaster.

The district says it is limited on what it can do with the land, must follow state law and eventually, sell the "surplus property" to the highest bidder.