Ojai Group Forms to Challenge Recreation Initiative

Ojai City Council members are no longer alone in their fight against a recreation initiative that they fear could bankrupt their small town.

This week, a citizens group calling itself Ojai Citizens for Responsible Government was formed to challenge the initiative, which would require the city to spend $125,000 on recreation every year.

“We don’t want one special interest group telling the city to spend money on their special project or else,” said Philip I. Monsharsh, the group’s attorney.

The initiative effort was launched earlier this year after some residents grew frustrated when the city refused to fund a skateboard park. Proponents collected more than enough signatures to place the measure on the ballot in November for a special election.

Pat Weinberger, a founding member of Ojai Citizens for Responsible Government, said the group will fight the initiative in the courts to keep it from going to the ballot.

“It costs taxpayers $15,000 to hold a special election,” Weinberger said. “That’s money we could put towards keeping our libraries open.”

The group asked a Superior Court judge Tuesday to keep the initiative off the ballot until the courts can rule on its legality.

Earlier this month, the City Council filed suit in Superior Court, maintaining that the initiative is illegal because it strips the council of its ability to set budgetary priorities.

But because a decision on that suit is not expected before early August, when the council must legally place the initiative on the ballot, Ojai Citizens for Responsible Government is seeking an injunction. As of Wednesday evening, Judge Joe Hadden said he had not made up his mind on the issue but expected to reach a decision soon.

If the judge grants the stay, the initiative probably would not see the light of day before the end of the year because of election scheduling laws, Ojai City Clerk Cyndi Reynolds said.

Craig Walker, who wrote the initiative, said it would be unfortunate if his proposal became tied up in the courts indefinitely.

“The voters would be the big losers if that were the case,” Walker said.

But members of the new group say they resent Walker’s close involvement in the recreation issue because he is not a resident of the city and would not have to shoulder the financial burden of the initiative he wrote.

“Craig is playing fast and loose with the city’s money,” said John Fay, another founding member of the group.

Although Ojai Citizens for Responsible Government opposes the initiative, the group does favor beefing up the area’s recreation facilities.

“Nobody disputes the need to carefully consider expanded recreational facilities,” Weinberger said. “But you don’t rob Peter to pay Paul to do it. . . . With mandatory funding, the city would be forced to cut back on other essential services.”

The group hopes to form a valley-wide committee to list recreation priorities and then find alternative ways to fund them, such as through the formation of an Ojai Valley recreation district. That way, everyone who uses the facilities would shoulder the burden, members said.

Ojai now spends $165,000 of its $3.4-million budget on several dozen recreation programs for young people. The recreation programs also take in another $350,000 in user fees.