OXNARD HARBOR : District Borders May Be Restudied

An ongoing dispute over the Oxnard Harbor District’s boundaries was given new life this week after a Camarillo resident requested that the boundaries be reconsidered.

In March, the county Local Agency Formation Commission voted to reduce the 163,000-acre district by 119,000 acres. The action was taken at the request of the cities of Oxnard and Port Hueneme and limited the district to the residents of the two cities.

If the commission agrees to reconsider the case, it could trigger another cycle of public hearings and possibly an election to determine boundary changes.

William Buenger, a Port of Hueneme employee, asked for the reconsideration last week, but as a private citizen not as an employee, according to Robert Braitman, the executive director of LAFCO.

On Nov. 21, the commission will consider Buenger’s request and either approve or deny it. Buenger’s letter urges LAFCO to hold a public hearing to address whether an election should be held to decide the issue.

LAFCO decided not to hold an election after a May public hearing because only a small group of residents spoke against the issue.

After the public hearing, two harbor commissioners sued LAFCO, challenging the commission’s action not to hold an election. A Superior Court judge ruled in the commissioners’ favor, saying that LAFCO exceeded the power of government bodies by attempting to reduce the district boundaries.

On Oct. 17, LAFCO passed a resolution saying that it had considered an election but decided against it because of the low turnout of residents opposing it.

Any LAFCO decision may be reconsidered in 30 days, according to Shannon Trower, assistant county counsel and LAFCO’s legal adviser. Buenger was out of town and not available for comment Thursday. Tony Taormina, the district’s executive director, also was unavailable for comment.