County Board Declares Drought Emergency : Water: The action will allow supervisors to seek financial aid from state. Meanwhile, efforts stall to tighten water-rationing.

Supervisors on Tuesday declared a drought emergency in Ventura County, giving themselves the power to request financial aid from the state--on the same day the county’s two largest cities, Oxnard and Thousand Oaks, backed away from tougher water-rationing plans.

The county’s emergency declaration allows the board to apply for funds from a $100-million account that Gov. Pete Wilson has asked to set aside for drought-fighting projects.

Supervisor John K. Flynn said the money from the fund could be used for water-reclamation projects and loans to farmers hit by the drought.

“The main thing the declaration does is it tells the people of Ventura County that we still have a water problem, even though it has rained,” said Flynn, who has formed a drought task force made up of representatives of cities and water districts in the county.

The declaration also gives the board the power to develop a drought emergency plan for the county.

While county officials talked of water emergencies, officials in Oxnard and Thousand Oaks balked at adopting their own tougher plans in hopes of sparing residents hardships that they believe may be unnecessary.

In Oxnard, the City Council on Tuesday tabled action on a rationing plan for the third time in three weeks, despite warnings by Oxnard’s water director that unless a program is adopted immediately, the city will face stiff fines.

The city is under a 20% reduction mandate from the Calleguas Municipal Water District, which supplies two-thirds of Oxnard’s water. Starting April 1, the cutbacks will be increased to 30%.

Michelle Izay, Oxnard’s water coordinator, said city residents have been asked to use less water and are voluntarily cutting back use at a rate of 6% to 7%--far less than the 20% required by Calleguas for the month of March.

“Right now we are facing penalties come April 1, unless we adopt a water conservation program immediately,” Izay said.

But council members said that before adopting a tough rationing plan, they will insist that Calleguas give up percentage cutbacks and instead adopt a per capita allocation system.

That system would favor low water users such as Oxnard, the biggest and most densely populated city in the county.

In 1989, Oxnard residents averaged about 140 gallons a day per person, compared to about 275 gallons in Thousand Oaks, 215 in Camarillo and about 200 in Simi Valley and Moorpark. Those cities receive all or most of their water from Calleguas.

Council members said they will consider adopting a water rationing program after an April 2 meeting with Calleguas officials.

The 20% reduction plan would limit Oxnard residents to 80 gallons a day per person, plus additional allocations for landscaping, commercial, medical and safety uses.

The council turned down City Manager Vern Hazen’s proposal on a 4-1 vote.

Meanwhile Thousand Oaks, one of the most affluent cities in the county, postponed action Tuesday on a plan to impose mandatory 30% cutbacks citywide.

Most city residents are now under a mandatory 20% reduction plan, although some areas served by private water agencies, including Westlake and Newbury Park, are subject to 30% cutbacks.

The council delayed further cutbacks until after an April 9 Metropolitan Water District board meeting. The MWD supplies most of Thousand Oaks’ water through Calleguas.

City officials said they were no longer in a hurry to step up their rationing program because water use after the recent storms fell by more than 50% compared to last year.

“I would hate to pass a 30% cutback tonight and have to reduce it to another number later on,” Mayor Frank Schillo said before the meeting. “It’s just too confusing for people.”

Councilwoman Elois Zeanah agreed. “It’s unfair to have us cut back to 30% when the community has had a limited time to understand what they’re supposed to do,” she said. “We do have increased water sources.”

In Simi Valley, the City Council has decided to modify its water rates to penalize excessive users.

The council voted 5 to 0 Monday to approve the new rate schedule, which will take effect April 1.

Under the new rate structure, residential customers will be allowed 474 gallons a day per household, down from 623 allowed under the previous water rate schedule.

Residents will pay 65 cents for each 748 gallons, or 100 cubic feet, within their allocations. Customers will pay $1.40 for every 748 gallons above their allocations.

The new rate structure also requires commercial and industrial customers to use 30% less water than in 1990 and agricultural customers to use 90% less or face similar rate increases.

“The bottom line is, water is a commodity,” Mayor Greg Stratton said. “It’s like gasoline or electricity. If you want to use more water, you’re going to have to pay for it.”

But some residents complained that the new rates would not reduce water consumption because those who can afford to use more will do so.

“This is not an equitable setup,” said resident Marvin Banks. “The people who have already cut back are being punished by a rate increase. The little guy is always getting kicked in the shins.”

Meanwhile, Southern California Water Co., which provides water to more than 10,000 Simi Valley residents, is also considering implementing its own water conservation plan, which would include fines for excessive use, said spokeswoman Kyle Devine.

Times staff writers Hugo Martin and Carlos V. Lozano contributed to this story.