CAMARILLO : Countywide Harbor District Supported

The Camarillo City Council has reaffirmed its support for a proposal that would expand the Oxnard Harbor District boundaries to include the entire county.

Council members said they wanted the city’s position to go on record before the Local Agency Formation Commission meets today.

LAFCO will consider rival proposals to change the boundaries of the 400-square-mile district, which now includes Oxnard, Port Hueneme, Camarillo and some unincorporated county areas.

Oxnard and Port Hueneme have proposed that district boundaries shrink to include only those two cities. The Ventura City Council this week passed a resolution calling for that city’s inclusion in a smaller district, arguing that Ventura is directly affected by port operations.

But a proposal to enlarge the district, favored by harbor commissioners and first supported by the Camarillo council in January, would expand boundaries to include the entire county. Port officials have argued that the port has an effect on the entire county and that expansion would advance the district’s pleas for federal support and increase business and revenue.