OJAI : City Wants Board to Reject EIR for Dump
The Ojai City Council voted Tuesday to ask the Ventura County Board of Supervisors to reject an environmental report for the proposed Weldon Canyon landfill.
The county’s Environmental Report Review Committee ruled last week that the report adequately addressed the major impacts that the project would have.
Ojai officials disagree, however, and plan to appeal the committee’s decision. A successful appeal would stop the proposal from moving on to the County Planning Commission.
Both citizens and elected officials in the Ojai Valley have consistently opposed the controversial landfill, which is to be located on 105 acres between Ojai and Ventura.
The council’s decision to appeal was swayed by a presentation by consultant Ben Kaufman.
Kaufman told the council that choosing not to appeal the committee’s decision could hinder future legal action aimed at stopping the dump.
City Councilwoman Nina Shelley, a longstanding opponent of the proposed landfill, led the call for an appeal.
There is a $660 fee for filing the appeal, Kaufman said. Mayor James D. Loebl directed City Manager Andrew Belknap to work with three local environmental groups that also are planning appeals.
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