Major Issues Coming Up for Voters

Ventura County voters in 1998 will face one of the largest and possibly one of the most important ballots in county history, as the battle to preserve farmland and open space is expected to go to the polls.

County voters also will elect a new sheriff, cast ballots in two county supervisorial races and choose a district attorney and a county superintendent of schools.

And at least two new county representatives will be going to the state Legislature this year, as Assemblyman Nao Takasugi (R-Oxnard) is forced to step down because of term limits and colleague Brooks Firestone (R-Los Olivos) runs for a Santa Barbara County-based congressional seat.

Two congressional seats will also be up for election in Ventura County, as well as city council races in nine of the county’s 10 cities, and school board contests in 22 districts.

And that’s not all.

There will be at least one special election, when two school districts take their quests for bonds to voters in April.

The Conejo Valley Unified School District is going for a $97-million initiative, which if approved would be the largest school bond in county history. The Moorpark Unified School District is seeking voters’ approval for $16.2 million in bond financing.

Countywide, the Save Open Space and Agricultural Resources initiative (SOAR), which even opponents concede is a shoo-in for the Nov. 3 ballot, could have a major influence on development issues throughout the state if successful, according to backers. It seeks to preserve farmland by forcing public votes on any development.

The initiative is modeled after a measure approved by Ventura voters in 1995 and is championed by former Ventura Councilman Steve Bennett and former Mayor Richard Francis.

“If it catches on in Ventura County, it’ll spread like wildfire through Southern California, so this is really a major regional and state issue,” said Bennett, who predicted that opponents, including the building industry, will spend more than $1 million to fight the measure.

“Piecemeal development is how you lose a county,” he said. “There’s never any one project that you can say, ‘This is the one.’ It’s just one after another, and pretty soon it’s all gone.”

Supporters must gather at least 22,000 valid signatures of registered voters to place the measure on the ballot. To be sure of collecting that many, they are shooting for about 40,000, which must be turned in by July 1.

Rex Laird, executive director of the Ventura County Farm Bureau, said his agency is concentrating on a series of forums in coming weeks designed to encourage public discussion of preservation issues. The results of those forums would be compiled and turned over to the Board of Supervisors, the group that should decide what action to take on preservation, he said.

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Laird said it’s clear that county residents rank preservation as one of their top concerns. A Los Angeles Times Poll earlier this year found half of Ventura County residents favor protecting farmland from development.

Although he downplayed his organization’s opposition to SOAR, Laird said property-rights issues should not be decided at the ballot box.

“I think more important is the use of initiatives in general,” he said. “We just don’t think that’s the appropriate process.”

The expected departures of two county assemblymen--one trying to move up to higher office, the other stepping down due to term limits--create a vacuum that a number of candidates will be working to fill in 1998.

In the 37th Assembly District, which stretches from Oxnard and Port Hueneme to Thousand Oaks and Moorpark, Takasugi is being forced out by the state’s term limit law. His hopes for a fourth term were dashed just nine days ago when a federal appeals court upheld the voter-approved law.

Takasugi has a number of goals for 1998, including securing $6.5 million needed to establish a California State University campus in Camarillo, and the passage of two tax-credit bills. As for his plans beyond the next election, he isn’t sure.

“I haven’t had much time to think about that,” he said.

Takasugi has not endorsed anyone yet, but there is already a crowded field for his job.

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The challengers in the heavily Republican district include Tony Strickland, an aide to Assemblyman Tom McClintock (R-Simi Valley); Rich Sybert, an attorney and a former top aide to Gov. Pete Wilson; H. Jere Robings, a former Edison Co. official and aide to Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-Simi Valley), and Jon Williams, a Camarillo podiatrist.

Assemblyman Firestone is expected to leave after two terms in the 35th District, which includes Ojai, Santa Paula and Ventura.

Firestone, with some reported prodding from House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) and former President Gerald Ford, dropped plans to run for lieutenant governor and recently announced he will seek the seat left vacant by the death of Congressman Walter Capps (D-Santa Barbara). A special election is scheduled for Jan. 13. If no one wins a simple majority, a runoff would be held in February or March.

A few potential candidates have been mentioned for Firestone’s Assembly seat. Their campaigns, however, remain in low gear for the moment, as they await official notice that Firestone will not run again.

Santa Paula rancher Dan Pinkerton is the only one to officially announce his candidacy for the 35th Assembly District seat and Ventura Councilwoman Rosa Lee Measures has also drawn some support.

“There’s still some question whether Rosa Lee will or won’t [announce her candidacy],” said Karen Kurta, county Republican chairwoman and a Pinkerton backer. “We’re trying to avoid a runoff if we can.”

The two local Assembly races will be part of a thick June 2 ballot that includes the state posts held by Assemblyman McClintock and state Sen. Jack O’Connell (D-San Luis Obispo) as well as statewide races for governor, attorney general, insurance commissioner and superintendent of public instruction. On the federal front, voters will see reelection campaigns from Reps. Brad Sherman (D-Woodland Hills) and Gallegly, as well as U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, a Democrat.

Gallegly’s race has yet to heat up, but Republicans have made no secret of their intent to challenge Sherman. In fact, Sherman made a “Top 10” list of vulnerable Democrats targeted by the opposition. The leading Republican candidate is Thousand Oaks resident Randy Hoffman, owner of a high-tech manufacturing firm.

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Locally, Supervisors Frank Schillo and Judy Mikels will seek reelection as well as county Superintendent of Schools Charles Weis. Dist. Atty. Michael D. Bradbury has not announced if he will seek a sixth term.

Sheriff Larry Carpenter is retiring and has endorsed longtime assistant Bob Brooks as his successor.

Few candidates have stepped forward in the other races, but Schillo already has an opponent in Vince Curtis, a longtime Oak Park resident. Curtis has the backing of opponents of the giant Ahmanson Ranch housing project, including members of the preservationist group Save Open Space.

Weis faces a challenger in Oxnard Union High School District administrator Wayne Edmonds.

The April 14 special election, which will cost about $100,000, will give Thousand Oaks and Moorpark trustees another shot at passing school bonds for rebuilding and new construction. Both districts narrowly lost bids for construction bonds in last November’s election, and trustees decided this time to avoid consolidating with another ballot, even though a special election is more costly.

“I think [both] will pass this time,” said Weis, who said the issues tend to get lost on a larger ballot. “I think when they can stand on their own, and voters can find out more about them, they’ll pass. I believe there’s strong support in the county right now for public schools.”

The Nov. 3 ballot will include all the runoffs from the June races, as well as all city council elections (with the exception of Ventura), school boards and 21 special districts, such as the Castaic Lake Water Agency and the Oxnard Harbor District.

Voters will also have a number of statewide propositions to choose from, including three school-related issues--one would establish a single statewide system for teaching non-English-speaking students, and another would require that only 5% of school funds could pay for administrative costs. The governor is pushing his own education initiative, including a permanent reduction in class size, more authority for principals and parents, and a greater emphasis on teacher competency.

“It’s going to be a very busy year,” county elections chief Bruce Bradley said.

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The political agenda will also focus on the long-running battle for the $6.5 million required to establish the county’s first four-year university on the grounds of the old state hospital in Camarillo.

Takasugi said he expects Gov. Wilson to include the money when he unveils his proposed budget in January.

“I’m optimistic,” Takasugi said, noting that a task force put together by Wilson endorsed the plan. “I doubt that he’s going to change his mind now.”

A positive announcement would only mark the start of work for Takasugi and other county representatives. They would then have to ensure that the money isn’t cut from the final budget document, which is supposed to be approved in July.

State Sen. Cathie Wright (R-Simi Valley) is the only official who hasn’t thrown her full support behind the university. But Wright, who has expressed concerns about funding for the university as well as roads and other improvements it would require, said she will not stand in its way.

State Sen. O’Connell is among the biggest boosters of the school, which would be called CSU Channel Islands. He will also be pushing legislation to provide tax credits to lure high-tech companies to the campus and surrounding area.

O’Connell also hopes to resurrect his push for a statewide bond for schools, as well as a change in the law to require only a simple majority to pass them. He called the lack of such action from the Legislature his “greatest disappointment” in 1997.

Other issues on his radar screen include reforms for health-maintenance organizations and a bill to provide tax credits to encourage preservation of open space and wildlife areas.