Political Action Groups Preparing for Ventura Race

The Ventura City Council race is five months away, but political action groups already are huddling to plot campaign strategy.

The 1989 council campaign pitted pro-growth advocates against slow-growth candidates Cathy Bean, Gary Tuttle and Todd Collart, who rode into office on a wave of support partially generated by Patagonia Inc.

But this time around, Patagonia spokesman Kevin Sweeney says, the environmentally minded clothing company--which has been active in politics countywide--is lying low and not planning to back any candidates.

Instead, a few Ventura political action groups, ranging from veteran to neophyte, are weighing the issues and combing the community for candidates to challenge incumbent councilmen Richard Francis, John McWherter and Donald Villeneuve.

This campaign season, the issues will be more complex, officials predict.

Ventura’s growth is not as simple an issue as it was two years ago, now that it is strongly tied to the water crisis, they say.

And additional issues have surfaced, such as the flight of some businesses from downtown Ventura, the controversy over the site of a California State University campus and the City Council’s proposal to require that brick buildings be strengthened against earthquakes.

It seems that there is a group devoted to each issue:

* The Alliance for Ventura’s Future, which claims 155 members, is supporting state water for Ventura only if it does not allow runaway development. Its president, Steve Bennett, an Ojai educator who lives in Ventura, said, “Our position is that the water should be used to build up reserves for future drought. If new water supplies justify eliminating rationing, that’s fine. I think the greater concern of the average citizen in Ventura is that new water supplies not be used to justify excessive growth.”

* The Assn. for Quality Water Alternatives is seeking to unseat Francis, appointed mayor by fellow council members, and Donald Villeneuve, the deputy mayor, because of what its members see as their inaction in solving the water crisis. Association Chairman Robert L. McCord Jr., a Ventura attorney, said the city should promote controlled growth. “If you can replace two people in the election, you can move the council towards the resolution of selecting state water,” McCord said. “All they’re doing is talking.”

* The Committee to Preserve Historic Ventura, which claims 100 members, is made up of downtown merchants and landlords who oppose the proposed earthquake-proofing ordinance, calling it excessive and unnecessary in a town that has not had a major earthquake in modern times. The last major earthquake was in 1812. Instead of expensive renovations, the group supports an ordinance requiring merchants to install shatterproof windows, keep emergency supplies and educate employees on earthquake preparedness, said spokesman John Hibbs. Despite a 30% probability that a major quake will shake Ventura by 2018, according to seismologists, Hibbs said the council has provided no hard proof that the city is at risk of experiencing a major temblor that could claim lives and property.

* The Ventura Chamber of Commerce, with 1,550 members, is planning to endorse candidates for the first time in its history, to combat what some members see as the council’s “anti-business” attitude. Chamber President Gene Daffern, owner of Capp’s TV Electronics, cited the council’s decision to stall housing construction during a moratorium on new water hookups, and the proposed earthquake-proofing ordinance. And he said the council should be doing more to entice businesses to fill vacant office space in Ventura.

* The Ventura Coalition of Voters shares the same views on water issues as the Alliance for Ventura’s Future, said spokesman Dennis Lang, a Channel Islands High School science teacher. The coalition, which claims a membership of 400, also supports slow growth for Ventura and a quarter-cent county sales tax to buy and preserve open land, Lang said.

But none of the groups has announced its support for any candidate, incumbent or challenger.

Ventura labor attorney Tom Buford, defeated in the 1989 election, is the only challenger to announce his candidacy in the Nov. 5 election. Buford is running on a pro-business platform, saying Ventura should work to bring more companies into the city and to encourage existing businesses to stay here.

So far, McWherter, a retired businessman, is the only incumbent who has said he will definitely seek reelection.

“There’s a lot of things going on that I’d like to see through,” said McWherter, a 17-year veteran. “I’d like to get our water problem solved, our affordable housing, our traffic, there’s just an awful lot of things that are in the balance of being solved, and I want to see them through.”

McWherter said he advocates construction of a state water pipeline to Ventura and calls himself a staunch supporter of managed growth. He said his philosophy takes into consideration the effect that more residents and businesses would have on the city’s schools, water, sewage-treatment facilities and traffic.

Francis, an attorney serving his first term on the council, said he is trying to decide whether to sacrifice free time with his wife and twins, now 6 months old, to finish city work he started on water, the Cal State site and recycling.

Francis said his main concern is seeing that Ventura improve its water sources, and he is advocating a state water pipeline to augment the city’s strained water supplies. “You use it in fat times but save up your ground water for leaner times,” he said.

Francis predicted that the water crisis and the Cal State site selection will be the major issues of the campaign season, as environmental impact reports on options for both will be available by October.

Francis said he advocates a state university for Ventura County but stopped short of supporting construction of a campus off Foothill Road in Ventura, saying it would produce “a major donnybrook” in local politics.

Villeneuve, a Ventura College science teacher, said he is lining up a campaign staff but has not formally decided on whether to run.

He said the Cal State issue will force the incumbents to state their positions soon, allowing challengers to sit back and gauge the political atmosphere before taking their own stands.

“A lot of business owners think that what’s needed is the upgrading of downtown,” which could be provided by the earthquake-proofing ordinance, Villeneuve said. Most important, the city needs a comprehensive water plan, he said.

“This is a critical juncture for the city,” Villeneuve said. “For the future of the city, that’s probably going to be the most critical . . . decision that’s been made since the city’s been founded.”