CAMARILLO : Group Urges Buffer Zones Along Canals

A Camarillo environmental group, which set out last month to preserve the remaining 1,600 acres of agricultural land in the city, now wants to create buffer zones along the streams and canals.

“We have a problem in Southern California because the creeks are usually the first to go,” said Mike Mishler, chairman of the Camarillo Farmland and Creek Preservation Committee. “We want to make sure that area is preserved.”

Mishler said the group is calling the drive to create buffer areas along the waterways “Measure C.” The move to preserve the agricultural land is “Measure B,” he said, even though neither has been placed on the ballot.

At the end of this month, Mishler said, the group will ask the city to place the two issues before the voters in the spring. If the city denies the request, Mishler said, the group will gather signatures of registered voters to call for a special election on the two matters.

According to “Measure C,” a 200-foot buffer zone would be created along major streams or wetlands and a 100-foot buffer zone would be developed along canals. Also, the measure calls for the protection of all the land located between the Calleguas Creek and the base of the ridgeline to the east, the area south of Upland Road and the area north of the Rancho Adolpho mobile home park.

“Measure B” seeks to protect the remaining agricultural land in Camarillo by making it necessary to hold a citywide election before the farmland can be rezoned and developed. The measure has been attacked by local farmers, who say it’s unfair.