$5.8 Million Proposed for Projects : Budget: Clinton suggests spending for harbor and flood projects but not for purchases in Channel Islands park.

The Clinton Administration’s 1994 budget proposes spending $5.8 million for a variety of harbor and flood control projects in Ventura County, but does not include money for completing land purchases in the Channel Islands National Park.

Under the President’s plan, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recommends spending $4.8 million for dredging Ventura Harbor and expanding its breakwater, $645,000 for planning and engineering of flood control measures on Santa Paula Creek, and $350,000 to study widening the entrance of the Port of Hueneme.

The corps budget proposal did not include money sought to continue a study of flood control improvements at Calleguas Creek. The President’s budget also suggested that Congress spend $41 million less on the purchase of new federal parkland in 1994 than the agency will this year, and eliminate all funding for the National Park Service to buy parkland in California.

C. Mack Shaver, superintendent of Channel Islands National Park, said Thursday he was disappointed by the absence of Administration funds to buy the last privately used parcel on Santa Cruz Island.

“We’ve been working on it for almost 15 years,” Shaver said about past park service attempts to negotiate a sale with Francis Gherini, the last remaining owner of the Gherini family property on the island.

The park has acquired a three-fourths interest in the property, paying $4 million each to the three other heirs of former owner Justinian Caire. Shaver said Gherini has asked for fair market value for his land, and has indicated his readiness to sell if an appraisal scheduled for July produces an adequate price.

If Congress approves Clinton’s budget as proposed, plans for the purchase would be put on hold once again, unless sufficient money exists in an emergency land acquisition fund that the park service maintains, he said.

Congress often makes dramatic departures from a President’s requested budget.

Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-Simi Valley) said he was disappointed by the news about new parkland funds, but not surprised. “I have long been a champion for our parklands,” he said, “but I cannot in true conscience go out and fight for increased parkland in Ventura County when we can’t even pay our bills.”

Gallegly said though he was generally pleased with the proposed allocations, he would continue to fight the Clinton Administration’s overall budget proposal.

“If we do not have major cuts in social programs,” he said, “you are not going to see my support, whether I have projects I want in there or not.”

Times correspondent Patrick McCartney contributed to this story.