OXNARD : District Chooses New Site for School

In response to protests, trustees of the Oxnard Union High School District said Tuesday they would build a new high school 80 acres farther from a new residential neighborhood.

The new site is one the district first considered months ago.

But some residents of the Summerfield and River Ridge neighborhoods say the 80-acre agricultural parcel on Patterson Road near Victoria Avenue being considered is still too close.

About 30 opponents of the relocation plan attended a school board meeting Wednesday, where trustees accepted a proposal to try and purchase the original site. Opponents have argued that a high school would attract crime and traffic and decrease property values.

“We felt that relocating it . . . would mitigate their concerns,” district Business Manager Robert Brown said.

But Christopher and Patty Kingsley, who have led the opposition, said after the board’s decision that a high school at the new site would still result in increased traffic and could lead to development of surrounding agricultural land.

In a separate interview, however, a group of black and Latino residents contended that the opposition is racially motivated and that opponents do not want minorities in their neighborhood.

“It’s a racist issue, period,” said Summerfield resident Irene Pinkard, whose husband is board Trustee Bedford Pinkard.

Last spring, state officials declared the existing school, on 5th and H streets, a safety hazard because of its proximity to Oxnard Airport. The school was moved to the top of a state list to receive money from an $800-million bond passed in June.

A public hearing on the proposed new site is scheduled for Wednesday.