WOODLAND HILLS : Homeowners Group President to Resign

Robert Gross, president of the Woodland Hills Homeowners Organization for five often stormy years, said Monday he will resign after his current term expires at the end of this year.

“I’ve been involved in the organization for eight years, and I’ve been president for the past five, so I guess it’s time to bring in some fresh blood,” he said.

“I’ll still be on the board, probably as one of its two vice presidents. The nominating committee is working on that.”

Gross, who has a background in purchasing and procurement management, said he also wants to devote more time to finding work. He lost his job about a year ago, he said, when the company he worked for, Kahr Bearing, moved to Tucson.

During his five years as president of the organization, Gross led several fights against development, including the controversial Warner Ridge project, a large-scale office site near Pierce College. The project ultimately fell through.

The Woodland Hills Homeowners Organization also has been active in an effort to prevent former officials of Pierce College from making cuts in the school’s agriculture program.

Gordon Murley, chairman of the nominating committee, said that as far as he knows, no one has expressed an interest in replacing Gross.

“People who are thinking about being president are not quite sure if they want to put up with the type of crap we get from newspapers, the Chamber of Commerce, the developers and all the other people who might not agree with us at times,” he said.

Murley said that, to date, there are about five slots to be filled on the organization’s board.

The organization’s next activity will be a forum Oct. 27 for candidates in the 24th Congressional and the 41st state Assembly districts. Rep. Anthony Beilenson (D-Woodland Hills) and his opponent Rich Sybert, a Republican, are scheduled to appear.

The candidates for the 41st Assembly District are Sheila Kuehl, a Democrat, and Michael Meehan, a Republican.

The forum will be held at 7:30 p.m. at Kaiser-Permanente Medical Center in Woodland Hills.