QUESTIONS & ANSWERS : County Supervisors: 4th District

Questionnaires were distributed to candidates and returned this month. Answers longer than the space allotted were edited to fit the available space.

Jordan Ranch Project

Q. Do you favor building 750 houses and a tournament golf course on Bob Hope’s Jordan Ranch, which is a condition of Hope’s agreement to turn over 5,700 acres of mountain land to park agencies? Davis: Yes. The land exchange will forever preserve 5,700 acres of open space and parklands for recreational use. It will stop a landfill at the eastern entrance to Simi Valley.

Howard: Yes. My objectives are to eliminate any possibility of a dump in Blind Canyon and to preserve 5,700 acres of open space for public recreational use. In order to achieve these objectives, some development in Jordan Ranch may be necessary. As county supervisor, I will fight to ensure environmental and traffic impacts would be minimized.

Development Limits

Q. Do you agree with the county’s policy to limit new development to within city boundaries or to areas immediately adjacent to them? Davis: Yes. For example, the Jordan Ranch is adjacent to Simi Valley and is within the Rancho Simi Park District’s sphere of influence.

Howard: Yes. One of Ventura County’s greatest features is the open space or “greenbelt” areas between cities. We must continue to protect these areas. The Board of Supervisors must abide by the Guidelines for Orderly Development, which specifies what can and cannot be built outside city boundaries.

Campaign Contributions

Q. As a supervisor, would you refuse campaign contributions from developers and other interests whose proposals probably will come before the Board of Supervisors? Davis: I would accept them because Proposition 73 gave candidates the ability to accept all contributions and certainly $1,000 would not sway a vote.

Howard: No. I have received support from all segments of the community. We all have a stake in effective leadership. I have refused all questionable contributions.

Low-Cost Housing

Q. As a supervisor, would you favor more low-cost housing projects, such as the newly completed Rancho Sespe development for farm workers near Fillmore? Davis: Yes. I would favor more low-cost housing projects. I believe all people should have a quality of life and housing is one very important factor.

Howard: Yes. However, all housing projects, including low-cost housing, should be confined to incorporated areas. And I prefer projects that give residents a chance to own their own homes. The Villa Campesina project in Moorpark, where residents earned “sweat equity” by undertaking much of the construction work, is a concept that should be repeated wherever possible.

Campaign Funding

Q. Do you support full or partial public funding of political campaigns? Davis: No. All recent proposals for public funding have been tied to contribution limitations. Those limitations have been struck down by the courts as unconstitutional. However, my campaign has abided by Proposition 73 as mandated by the people.

Howard: No. Political campaigns are the last thing we need to spend scarce taxpayer resources on. We do need more complete disclosure by candidates and stronger rules against deceptive campaign practices.

County Fees

Q. Do you agree with the county’s new policy to impose fees on cities to book crime suspects at the County Jail and on schools to reimburse the county for collecting taxes? Davis: No. I believe that a person, if found guilty of a crime, should pay the fee for his incarceration. Maybe the schools and other districts should collect the fees and charge the county for the service.

Howard: No. What we are beginning to see is the disintegration and denial of responsibility by state, county and city governments. They have become adversaries, fighting for a bigger share of scarce tax dollars. They should be working to reduce waste and streamline their own operations rather than passing the lack of bucks on to other agencies.

Ride-Sharing

Q. In an effort to meet federal air-pollution standards, do you think the county government should force businesses to impose ride-sharing on employees? Davis: No. Government intrusion into the private sector has proven to jeopardize a free marketplace. The federal government must use their resources to enforce the standards they set; the EPA must regulate those industries and the products they produce which pollute.

Howard: Yes. We must do our share to reduce air pollution and traffic congestion. Ride-sharing achieves both objectives. The county of Ventura should set the example for large employers. Incentives should be offered to employees who car-pool, take a bus, ride a bike or walk to work. Neighboring firms can combine van-pool programs so that more employees can participate.

Utility Merger

Q. Do you support the proposed merger of Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric, which would increase air pollution over the next four years but could lead to significant smog reductions in the long run? Davis: No. The merger will increase the pollution in the county, raise prices of electricity in Ventura County and lower prices in San Diego County. The mitigation is on a voluntary basis and will not work.

Howard: No. The merger is a good deal for San Diego, but a bad deal for the residents of Ventura County. San Diego gets lower electric bills, while we get more air pollution from the increased combustion of local power generating stations. If this merger goes through we must be assured of decreased pollution from the outset.

Big Green

Q. Proposition 128, the so-called “Big Green” initiative on the November ballot, would eliminate ozone-depleting chemicals by the year 2000, phase out pesticides known to cause cancer and require that trees be planted in all new developments. Do you support this initiative? Davis: No. There have been no known cancer-producing pesticides used on food for human consumption in California and we don’t need a billion-dollar bureaucracy and put it in the hands of one person.

Howard: No. Proposition 135, the Pesticide Regulation, Initiative Statute, is a better alternative. While the Big Green initiative identifies important objectives, its method of achieving these objectives creates more bureaucracy at the expense of the consumer.

Sales Tax Increase

Q. Measure A on the November ballot would add half a cent to the local sales tax to pay the county’s share of new road projects, as required to get state highway funds. Do you support this measure? Davis: Yes. This sales tax, if passed, would offset traffic mitigation fees that would impose fees on affordable housing.

Howard: Yes. Although I generally oppose tax increases, it is clear that Ventura County will lose some of its share of Proposition 111 funds if we do not have matching funds from the one-half-cent sales tax available. We must make this investment in our infrastructure.

Moorpark’s Measure C

Q. Measure C on the November ballot in Moorpark would create a special tax district to finance an ambulance and paramedic service based in Moorpark. Do you support this measure? Davis: No. I believe it is imperative that the Fire Department personnel be trained as paramedics. This could be done at a lower cost to the taxpayers than service provided by a private ambulance service.

Howard: No. Ambulance response times in Moorpark are not satisfactory. However, a separate ambulance service confined exclusively to Moorpark could result in worse service at a greater cost if more than one ambulance is needed at a time. A more efficient solution is to upgrade the quality of service provided by the county’s ambulance contractor.

Paramedic Training

Q. Do you favor establishing programs to train county firefighters as paramedics to supplement existing ambulance services? Davis: Yes. It would save tax dollars and save lives.

Howard: Yes. Firefighters are often the first to arrive at the site of an accident or emergency. Saving lives is their first call to duty, followed by the protection of property. Better-trained firefighters mean that more victims will receive the care they need faster. The concern is finding the money to fund the training.

Drug Users’ Tent City

Q. Do you support the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department proposal to incarcerate “recreational” drug users in a tent city on an area Navy base and require them to attend extensive counseling, drug-education sessions and monthly drug testing? Davis: Yes. Drug use and dealing are against the law. All law breakers should be given penalties provided by the law. Counseling, education and testing must be part of parole.

Howard: Yes. Drug abuse is a crime and a national tragedy. Recreational drug users must bear the burden their behavior places on themselves, their families, their employers and the community. This innovative approach, although not perfect, is a reasonable step toward reducing the cost of housing drug abusers and making scarce funds available for drug rehabilitation.

Water Pipeline

Q. Do you support a new pipeline linking Ventura County to the state water system that brings water from Northern California? Davis: I would support a pipeline, but at the same time we must provide our own water storage facilities as well.

Howard: Yes. Ventura County needs to work cooperatively to bring water to our area. At the same time we must work actively to conserve and reclaim our water resources.

Release Tax Returns

Q. Are you willing to publicly release your income tax returns and those of your spouse prior to the November election? Davis: Yes.

Howard: Yes. I am willing to release my tax returns if my opponent will release his. I have nothing to hide. For the past 12 years, I have made all disclosures required by election laws.

CONTENDERSBill Davis, 62, a Democrat, has been a Simi Valley city councilman since 1986. The former Culver City police officer previously served on the Simi Valley Planning Commission for one year.

Vicky Howard, 55, a Republican, has been a Simi Valley city councilwoman since 1982. For the past four years, she has also served on the Local Agency Formation Commission and spent two years on the Ventura County Transportation Commission.