COUNTYWIDE : Officials to Discuss Regional Governing
The issue of regional government, debated extensively by the Legislature last year, will be discussed Wednesday by Ventura County officials and leaders of Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside counties.
On the agenda for the meeting in Los Angeles will be whether Ventura County should remain part of the Southern California Assn. of Governments. The association is an advisory board that studies air quality, land development and other issues from a regional perspective. The group has no enforcement power, and membership is voluntary.
However, a proposed law would give more power to large, regional governments. Assembly Speaker Willie Brown is sponsoring a bill that would place Ventura County within the jurisdiction of a stronger Southern California Assn. of Government, where membership would be mandatory.
Camarillo, which has withdrawn from the association, in October sent a letter to each city in Ventura County urging each to follow suit.
The county is discussing a possible alliance with Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties as an alternative to the government association.
Camarillo City Manager Bill Little said Ventura County shares an air basin with the two counties to its north. It is similar to them because it is agricultural and has adopted slow-growth ordinances.
No decision as to the participation of Ventura County in the association will be reached at Wednesday’s meeting.
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