**Exhibit 31 (a)**

 

 

**Certification ofQuarterly Report By Principal Executive Officer Pursuant toExchange Act Rules 13a-14(a) or 15d-14(a)**

 

I, Gary M. Cusumano, Presidentand Chief Executive Officer of Newhall Management Corporation (PrincipalExecutive Officer),certify that:

 

1.               I have reviewed this quarterly reporton Form 10-Q of The Newhall Land and Farming Company;

 

2.               Based on my knowledge, this reportdoes not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state amaterial fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of thecircumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading withrespect to the period covered by this report;

 

3.               Based on my knowledge, the financialstatements, and other financial information included in this report, fairlypresent in all material respects the financial condition, results of operationsand cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in thisreport;

 

4.               The registrant’s other certifyingofficer(s) and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosurecontrols and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and15d-15(e)) for the registrant and have:

 

(a)          Designed such disclosure controls andprocedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designedunder our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to theregistrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us byothers within those entities, particularly during the period in which this reportis being prepared;

 

(b)         [Omitted per SEC Release 33-8238]

 

(c)          Evaluated the effectiveness of theregistrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this reportour conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures,as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation;and

 

(d)         Disclosed in this report any change inthe registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred duringthe registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscalquarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or isreasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control overfinancial reporting; and

 

5.               The registrant’s other certifyingofficer(s) and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation ofinternal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and theaudit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performingthe equivalent functions):

 

(a)          All significant deficiencies andmaterial weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control overfinancial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect theregistrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information;and

 

(b)         Any fraud, whether or not material,that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in theregistrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

 

 

Date: November 10, 2003

 
|   |   | /s/ Gary M. Cusumano                            |   |
|--------|--------|-------------------------------------------------|--------|
|   |   | Gary M. Cusumano, President and Chief Executive |
|   |   | Officer of Newhall Management Corporation       |
|   |   | (Principal Executive Officer)                   |

 

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