6 County Projects Slated for Funding in Clinton Budget

President Clinton included six Ventura County projects in the year 2000 budget he proposed Monday.

Local funding includes:

* $14.8 million for the completion of the Santa Paula Creek flood control project, which would remove a flood hazard for the city and most of its schools.

* $5 million to acquire land in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreational Area.

* $2.9 million to maintain dredging of the Ventura Harbor entrance.

* $170,000 to maintain and dredge Oxnard’s Channel Islands Harbor.

* $100,000 to conduct a study about whether to move sand from Ventura Harbor to promote shipping safety.

* $100,000 to study the environmental impacts of sediment in Mugu Lagoon and alternatives for restoring the estuary.

Millions of dollars have already been spent on the Santa Paula flood control project, which is intended to protect most of the city. But this budget, if approved, would probably allow the city to finish the project.

“I was heartened to see that Col. John P. Carroll, commander and district engineer of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Los Angeles District, took to heart my request to fund the completion of the Santa Paula Creek flood control project, which is crucial for Santa Paula residents,” Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-Simi Valley) said in a prepared statement. “We’re still a little bit short of the funding needed, but I’m sure we can make it up quickly.”

Gallegly pushed for the six projects to be included in the president’s fiscal year 2000 budget, according to a news release from his office.

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Funding to study whether the Matilija Dam should be removed was not included in the president’s proposed budget, but Gallegly will continue to seek its inclusion, his office said.

In addition to these items, the bill also includes $6.6 million for construction and maintenance at Santa Barbara Harbor and $75 million for continuing the California Bay-Delta Ecosystem Restoration Project, which is essential to Ventura County’s water supply.