Ventura Delays Vote on ‘Right-to-Farm’ Law

The City Council has again delayed approval of an ordinance that would protect local farmers from nuisance lawsuits by suburban neighbors.

Instead the Ventura council voted 7 to 0 Monday night to reexamine the ordinance in several weeks, after farmers have had a chance to examine the final wording of the ordinance more carefully.

The delay came after several farmers and a representative of the Farm Bureau turned up at the council meeting, saying they had received the draft language of the ordinance only on Friday or later and needed more time.

“I want to thank Ventura for being the first city in the county to take this up--for trying to increase understanding between farmers and urban people,” said farmer Don Breeder, who lives in Ventura. “But we did not get this until today.”

Introduced by outgoing Councilman Steve Bennett, the “right-to-farm” ordinance would give farmers protection against nuisance lawsuits over the smells, dust, pesticides and noise that are part of normal agricultural operations.

Bennett introduced the ordinance at the end of October, saying he was following through on promises made during the successful campaign in 1995 for the Save Our Agricultural Resources city initiative, which was designed to protect agricultural land.

After passage of the 1995 initiative, farmers asked Bennett to wait on a “right-to-farm” law until a similar ordinance was adopted by the Ventura County Board of Supervisors.

That happened in late September, when supervisors approved a law that applies to farming operations on all unincorporated land.

The language of the city ordinance is modeled on the county ordinance.