Officials Blame Legislature for County’s Budget Problems

Local officials meeting in Oxnard united Wednesday in blaming state legislators for passing their budget problems on to Ventura County and its cities.

The nine city and county representatives who met at the Financial Plaza Hilton were scheduled to discuss growth, but the only topic of agreement was their financial woes and who is to blame for them.

City officials had criticized the Ventura County Board of Supervisors for passing on the $5.8 million in cuts that state lawmakers made in the county’s $686-million budget.

But on Tuesday, city and county officials aimed their criticism at state legislators.

Dorill B. Wright, mayor of Port Hueneme, was the most vociferous of the group when he blasted the state for “passing the buck to our county, which has no place to go but to the cities.”

“Something’s got to be done,” Camarillo Councilman Michael Morgan said.

The County Board of Supervisors has said it has no choice but to pass on the cuts to the county’s 10 cities, 22 school districts and numerous special districts.

The supervisors have agreed to charge each city $120 for every prisoner booked at the Ventura County Jail. The supervisors are also considering charging cities, schools and tax districts for property tax collection.

Simi Valley Mayor Gregory Stratton said city and county representatives need to unite in voicing their displeasure with state lawmakers.

“Our citizens are mad and are not going to take it any more,” he said.

The officials offered no easy alternatives.

“We’re just going to have to be a lot more creative in addressing the problem,” Thousand Oaks Councilman Frank Schillo said.

But several speakers, including Supervisor Madge Schaefer and Oxnard Mayor Nao Takasugi, said planned growth can help provide financial stability.

Schaefer said recent growth in the county has provided residents with a higher standard of living by bringing with it better streets, schools, hospitals and malls. “All of us, in one way or another, benefit from a growth-oriented economy,” she said.

She said tax revenue from new commercial development can help improve the county’s financial future. “The county is heading for disaster, financially,” she said.

Takasugi said tax revenues are increasing in Oxnard, which he said is “just now seeing the fruits of long-term growth planning.”

He rebutted accusations that Oxnard has rampant, uncontrolled growth, saying the pace in his city was recently ranked sixth among the county’s 10 cities.

“We have managed, responsible and balanced growth in Oxnard,” he said.

Representatives of cities that have growth-limiting ordinances, such as Ventura and Camarillo, defended their stand.

The panel discussion was sponsored by Ventura County National Bank and attracted about 300 business and civic leaders.

The panel members agreed that there is enough leadership and communication among city and county representatives to overcome countywide problems such as tight budgets, traffic and pollution.

However, Schaefer said, “Often politics gets in the way of good government.”