OJAI : City Districts Urged for Annexed Areas
A citizens committee studying whether Ojai should expand its boundaries has recommended that the city allow annexed areas to elect representatives to the Ojai City Council.
The Ojai Valley Unified Local Government Options Study Committee--30 residents from the city and surrounding Ojai Valley--approved a resolution Thursday night calling for a city charter that would allow representatives to be elected from districts instead of at large.
Committee Chairman Mannie Sprague said if city boundaries were expanded, a charter would assure that annexed areas are represented on the council.
Under the current system, the city is limited to five council members regardless of the size or population of the city.
Sprague, a retired lawyer living in the unincorporated east end of the Ojai Valley, said most committee members favor expanding Ojai boundaries from Casitas Springs on the west to the summit of the upper Ojai Valley on the east. Expansion, which would boost Ojai’s population from 7,613 to about 26,800, would require voter approval in the areas proposed for annexation.
Ojai Mayor James Loebl said the city would consider district elections only if city boundaries are greatly expanded.
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