Moorpark Race Hinges on Growth

Three candidates running for an unexpired term on the Moorpark City Council cite growth, economic development and reduction of traffic as primary issues in their campaigns.

The candidates in Tuesday’s special election are former Councilwoman Eloise Brown, Roy Talley Jr., chairman of the city’s Planning Commission, and John Roberts, a former parks and recreation commissioner.

The seat on the five-member council was left vacant when Councilman Paul Lawrason was elected mayor Nov. 6. The council term expires in two years.

As in the November election, growth has emerged as the main issue in the campaign because it is firmly tied to the economic development of the city, the candidates agree.

Moorpark was the fastest-growing city in the county during the 1980s--increasing its population from 7,798 at the beginning of the decade to 25,494 by 1990--and, as a result, has been unable to keep up with city services, its officials admit.

Increased traffic--made worse by a major highway that runs through the center of the city--overcrowded schools, an overtaxed sewer system and lack of recreational facilities are only some of the problems that the city faces, officials say.

Another problem is that few of its residents work in Moorpark, which is a fast-growing bedroom community for Los Angeles.

For these reasons, all three candidates are taking a moderate stance on growth, saying some development is necessary to help pay for city services, create jobs and boost the economy.

For example, all three said they do not support a proposed comprehensive planning ordinance that would give residents the opportunity to vote on major developments that would require Moorpark to amend its General Plan. The city’s staff is studying the feasibility of such an ordinance.

Brown, 64, said she opposes the ordinance because it would open up the city to lawsuits from developers. Talley, 42, maintains that such a law would force the city to spend $15,000 for an election every time a development requires voter approval. Roberts, 36, said the public has adequate influence over development during public hearings.

But Brown and Talley agree that some controls are needed on residential growth and would support extending Measure F, the city’s slow-growth ordinance that expires in 1994. The ordinance, approved by voters in 1986, limits the number of building permits that can be issued for single-family residences to 270 a year.

Because there are more than 500 building permits still available for such single-family housing, Roberts questions whether the ordinance is needed.

“I don’t know if I would extend Measure F,” said Roberts, who works as a project manager for a Los Angeles construction firm. “I would deal with the issue when it came up. There may not be any reason to extend it.”

Meanwhile, Talley said one way to help boost economic development would be for Moorpark to quickly settle a lawsuit with the county over redevelopment funds.

In 1989, the city formed a Redevelopment Agency to help pay for new streets and sidewalks and to provide low-interest loans to merchants to improve downtown businesses. The agency is supposed to receive revenue from property taxes.

However, the county has sued the city over how much money it should receive, so the agency cannot spend the estimated $30,000 to $40,000 it has accumulated.

“My top priority is to help settle the lawsuit,” Talley said.

The electronics engineer said the city can also do more to attract businesses that are needed to increase the city’s sales tax revenues and do more to reduce traffic. He said one way the city can do this is to relax its sign and parking ordinances to make it easier for businesses to operate.

“The city has got to look at its ordinances to see if they are too restrictive,” he said. “If you don’t make it attractive for businesses to come here, they are not going to come in.”

Brown said she pushed for the city to loosen both its sign and parking ordinances during her council tenure and would continue to press for such changes. She said she supports eliminating parking requirements in the city’s downtown area.

Brown said the city should also consider adjusting its permit fees to attract more businesses. “Other cities do that on a regular basis,” she said.

Roberts said the first thing that he would do as a council member is call a meeting with business leaders in the community to get their views on what Moorpark can do to help improve the business climate.

“Somebody needs to stir the pot and get things going a bit,” he said.

The candidates agree that traffic congestion must be reduced.

They say it is not enough that work is scheduled to begin soon on the long-awaited connector between the Simi Valley and Moorpark freeways.

Only large trucks that have scheduled deliveries or pickups along California 118, which goes through the center of Moorpark, should be allowed.

Talley and Roberts said the city needs to push harder to get a permanent weigh station along the highway. They said many trucks use the highway, which runs from Moorpark to Saticoy, to avoid the Conejo weigh station on the Ventura Freeway.

They said the city also needs to continue to press the state Department of Transportation to build a highway bypass north of the city.

Brown, defeated in her reelection bid in November by then-Planning Commission Chairman John Wozniak, said her four years on the council best qualifies her to fill the unexpired term. “I know the problems out there,” she said.

But Talley said Brown was ineffective during her council tenure.

“When Eloise was on the council, nothing happened,” Talley said. “I think the voters showed in November that they did not prefer the representation she provided the city.”

Talley said his experience on the Planning Commission and his involvement in various community organizations, such as the Moorpark Junior Chamber of Commerce, make him a strong candidate for the job.

Roberts said his job as project manager for a construction firm has taught him how to provide the leadership necessary to deal with the complex issues the city faces.

Roberts said he moved to Moorpark from Thousand Oaks 13 years ago because of the city’s rural character and because he could afford to own a house.

“Moorpark has given a lot to me. Now I want to give something back,” he said.

Q&A;: The candidates have their say. B6