Ventura County Perspective : SECOND OPINION : SOAR Is What Happens When Politicians Fail Us : Hyperbole aside, things haven’t changed. The initiatives merely codify long-held beliefs that land-use changes are a community issue, not a system of spoils.

Ventura County as America’s most democratic community?

Sure, consider this: With the passage of Save Open Space and Agricultural Resources (SOAR) initiatives, residents of the county, excluding Santa Paula and Fillmore, have chosen to vote on any new development outside current city boundaries for the next 20 years.

This responsibility was formerly delegated to our elected representatives. Dissatisfied with the results, the county’s citizens overwhelmingly voted to return to themselves this authority for approval of new and previously unanticipated land-use changes.

In part, SOAR is a classic example of a democratic overreaction to a political process that failed to respond to the will of the people. Wholesale approval of leapfrog development that has strained the communities’ infrastructure and patience marked the period before SOAR was approved and literally paved the way for its passage. SOAR merely codifies what people have always believed: Land-use changes are a community issue and not a system of political spoils.

Let’s break down what SOAR initiatives have done so far and what their long-term impacts may be. SOAR has caused developers to rethink new development proposals in unincorporated parts of the county. This is a deliberate consequence. The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), county and city policies have for decades explicitly directed development to within existing urban boundaries and have additionally mandated orderly growth within those borders.

Even the more subtle forms of runaway urbanization are affected by SOAR. The city of Ventura had wanted to trade development “rights” on existing open space for land that may be used for a new park. Guess what: Now it can’t be done without voter approval. This kind of development deal used to be a slam dunk for a project applicant. Without SOAR, there would be no opportunity for residents to even vote on it.

Already there has been an example: The Messenger development in Moorpark was approved by a majority of the City Council. The council members smugly proclaimed that it was in the city’s best interests and that the residents wanted it. The subsequent vote showed just how different the people actually felt. Just look at what’s going on with the First Assembly of God church in Ventura. A religious issue? Only if you consider sports fields and a running track a form of prayer. Church officials are ready to take their chances with a vote and hope to get the public go-ahead to change the land-use designation so they can build. This is as it should be. Any attempt to circumvent a public vote should rightly be viewed as an attempt to avoid the legal process that applies to everyone except government agencies.

Despite the hyperbole of SOAR naysayers, things haven’t changed. I own property in unincorporated Ventura County. Only if I wish to exceed the existing zoning would I need special permission. Before SOAR, I would have sought that from the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors. Now my neighbors have this responsibility.

No doubt, a bureaucratic quagmire is the norm in the planning and approval process. This has nothing to do with SOAR. If anything, SOAR has relieved the burden for project review, and we can expect better service as a result. By adopting SOAR in Ventura County, all we have done is make it clear that the interests of the residents are not always aligned with our those of our elected representatives.

Yes, property values will escalate because of SOAR. A stable community in which people have direct control of the development process is worth a great deal to many. We have prevented our cities from engaging in rezoning for dollars and the destructive competition this entails. New businesses relocating here know there will be no radical changes and that the quality of life for their employees will remain a strong employment incentive.

A lot of my friends and neighbors--in fact, most of them--voted for SOAR. But democracy isn’t perfect. Indeed, as Winston Churchill pointed out, it is the worst possible form of governance, except for all the others. If SOAR had been in place 20 years ago, Ventura County would indeed have become a different place. On the other hand, 20 years from now it would be too late. I am satisfied with the middle-ground, moderate response SOAR represents.

So what happens next? I like think about how the next downturn in the economy will be different. With less new development straining city coffers with massive infrastructure investments and no large unsold inventory to drive down housing prices, it won’t be as bad as last time. Short of a well-funded, special-interest campaign to dismantle SOAR, I think the next 20 years will vindicate this democratic revolt as a first step in preserving a hard-fought quality of life that is the envy of our neighbors and indeed, the nation. It ain’t perfect but then it is better than all the other possibilities.