A Boost for Regional Cooperation

The quest for countywide solutions to countywide problems took one step forward and one step backward last week.

We are encouraged by Supervisor Frank Schillo’s proposal to reconfigure the Ventura County Transportation Commission in a way that would give all 10 cities an equal voice in that crucial body’s decisions--and spending.

But we remain concerned that East County cities seem content to let West County cities do most of the work in addressing the needs of the homeless. Cooperation between officials of the county and of not-always-congenial neighbors Ventura and Oxnard is welcome, yet the cold shoulder from cities such as Simi Valley and Moorpark is handicapping this effort.

The Transportation Commission oversees the distribution of federal and state transportation funds (this year totaling $55 million) and sets priorities for countywide transportation projects. Currently, the seven-member panel consists of three city representatives, two county supervisors and two private citizens with voting power. Under Schillo’s plan, the commission would instead include all five county supervisors, one representative from each of the county’s 10 cities and once nonvoting representative of Caltrans. Fiscal matters would require a two-thirds vote.

Because this lineup is virtually identical to that of the Ventura Council of Governments (VCOG), Schillo suggests that the two organizations be combined. We believe this is an idea worth exploring.

VCOG could be an ideal forum to work out the sort of regional cooperation that will become increasingly important as Ventura County adjusts to life within the strictures of the Save Open Space and Agricultural Resources (SOAR) initiatives. A coordinated approach to prioritizing and funding transportation improvements is a key to making the most of our shared future. It is the sort of responsibility that could push VCOG to grow into its potential, something the decade-old organization has yet to do.

The Board of Supervisors endorsed the change 4-1; Chairwoman Susan Lacey opposed it, saying that she objected to removing the two citizen representatives. Although that is a valid concern, the citizen members are selected by a panel of the 10 mayors anyway and having a representative of each city on the Transportation Commission would arguably improve city residents’ chances of having their concerns heard.

The state Legislature would have to approve changing the composition of the panel. We urge Ventura County’s representatives to follow through on this effort to strengthen the county’s internal connections--be they political, rail or asphalt.