City seeking site for second cemetery
By Darleen Principe darleen@theacorn.com

City officials are in search of the right location for a second nondenominational cemetery in Simi Valley.

Currently, the only local option for residents not of the Catholic or Jewish faith is the El Rancho Simi Pioneer Cemetery on Thompson Lane, a site established "when Simi was still a small farming community," according to City Manager Mike Sedell.

Sedell said the Pioneer Cemetery is now nearing its capacity and nonreligious residents would have to seek burial options outside the city.

"Right now, it's a vision of the council that we're trying to bring to a reality," Sedell said.

The concept of a second nondenominational cemetery was brought to the City Council by Mayor Paul Miller. He said he took a personal interest in the idea, having raised children and grandchildren in Simi Valley since 1993.

"For a city of this size we need to have another cemetery," Miller told the Acorn. "If you're not of (Catholic or Jewish) faiths, there really is no place for someone to be buried here."

The city has a few locations in mind, but no land has yet been purchased or decided upon, Sedell said.

"There are a lot of complexities here," Miller said. "We're not going to get things done in a hurry."

Sedell said that all information will be announced at a City Council meeting when the land for the new cemetery is purchased.