VENTURA : Dispute Over Path Could Go to Court
A dispute between state and Ventura officials over work done to a crumbling seaside bike path appears headed for court because the parties cannot reach an agreement, a state official said Thursday.
State Coastal Commission staff asked Ventura city officials to apply for a permit that would retroactively approve a temporary rock barrier installed by the city last year to halt erosion to the popular bike path, said Nancy Cave, who heads up the commission’s statewide enforcement program.
The city has refused to do so, and further negotiations in the dispute have reached an impasse, Cave said.
Coastal Commission staff have not decided what specific action they will ask the court to take, Cave said. The options include obtaining an order requiring the city to apply for a permit, seeking permission to tear down the rock barrier, or imposing fines of up to $15,000 a day on the city and the 31st District Agricultural Assn., she said.
The association, which runs the Ventura County Fair, paid for the $35,000 repair project on the bike path because the work affects an adjacent parking lot it owns.
Any lawsuit would need the approval of the Coastal Commission before it could be filed. A filing could happen within a month, Cave said.
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