City Pulls Funds for Low-Income Project

The Ventura City Council agreed Tuesday to set aside $200,000 in federal money to help rehabilitate a blighted brick building on the city’s west end, and decided in a separate vote to yank $970,000 from a builder that planned to develop a low-income housing project on the city’s east end.

Each year the city receives federal housing money through a county consortium. The funds, which this year are expected to total $300,000, are intended to develop housing projects to aid low- and moderate-income residents.

For the past four years, the city has earmarked these funds for the Cabrillo Economic Development Corp., a nonprofit builder that has constructed such projects countywide.

During the four years, the amount of funding has totaled about $970,000. The money is not tied to any specific project, though Cabrillo has been developing a housing proposal for the city’s east end.

That proposal has been sharply criticized by residents in the area who oppose any new development that would increase traffic and crowd schools.

Meanwhile, a proposal to rehabilitate the deteriorating Casa De Anza Apartments on Ventura Avenue was brought before city leaders.

During the meeting, neighbors, police and some council members stressed the importance of putting federal money into the area with the most need.

“The entire neighborhood has been traumatized,” Officer Jim Cubitt told the council. “They need your help, they need your funds. . . . Please turn this building from a tower of shame into a beacon of hope.”

West side residents also appealed for the funding, while east end residents urged the council not to set aside another dollar for Cabrillo.

“It sounds like my friends over there on the east don’t want this, so why don’t you give it to us on the west?” asked resident Sharon Troll after listening to more than a dozen speakers.

The council eventually took her suggestion, voting unanimously to give $200,000 to the Casa De Anza project. Councilman Jim Monahan abstained because he owns a business near the site.

In a separate action, the council voted 4 to 3 to pull funding earlier earmarked for Cabrillo. Council members Ray Di Guilio, Steve Bennett and Rosa Lee Measures voted against the plan.

Di Guilio, who said the builder had worked with the city for nearly three years developing a proposal, criticized the council’s action. “I just don’t think this is the way you treat a partner,” he said.