3rd Supervisorial District

* Election time is almost upon us. I am writing to strongly endorse incumbent Kathy Long for county supervisor, 3rd District.

I have had occasion to work with Long in numerous capacities, including a term as public member of the Ventura County Local Agency Formation Commission and as a member of the Agriculture Policy Working Group, which she co-chaired with Supervisors [John] Flynn and [Judy] Mikels. Although Kathy opposed the Save Open Space and Agricultural Resources initiatives, she strongly supported the recommendations of the APWG, which in some respects are more stringent than SOAR and included the establishment of five new greenbelts.

She has devoted considerable attention to the Santa Clara River Valley, and has led the effort to obtain national recognition for the Santa Clara--the last large river in Southern California still in a mostly natural condition. She has been a staunch opponent of Newhall Ranch and has worked to establish a much-needed greenbelt between Fillmore and the county line.

As a current member of LAFCO, she recently voted to oppose the controversial inclusion of Adams Canyon in Santa Paula’s sphere of influence, thereby showing she has the courage of her convictions.

My association with Kathy in many of these endeavors has convinced me that she is a person with exceptional leadership skills and the required capabilities for leading Ventura County. She has worked diligently to represent the people in her district, understands regional issues and approaches problems from a regional perspective. She does her homework and has demonstrated the ability to work with diverse groups in crafting consensus solutions to thorny issues.

On March 7, we should reelect Kathy Long as county supervisor.

RON BOTTORFF

Newbury Park

* Ventura County is perpetually threatened by the sprawling mass of growth-bent Los Angeles. The parts of our county that haven’t been paved over in that freeway-and-subdivision-and-shopping mall way are portions of the Oxnard Plain, large chunks of the Santa Clara River Valley, the Ojai Valley and the northern half of the county.

Out at the eastern end of the Santa Clara River Valley sits the behemoth developer Newhall Land & Farming Co., developers of Santa Clarita, preparing to commit suburban sprawl again. Newhall Land, as everyone who reads newspapers knows, is hoping to construct a new “city” of 70,000 people on the Los Angeles side of the county line; it cheerfully has Ventura County in its sights for later on.

From the day she took office, Supervisor Kathy Long has been a staunch defender of the Santa Clara River Valley, its agricultural resources, its water and its rural character against the Newhall Ranch development. The Santa Clara River Valley is not in perfect shape; not all of its lovely farms are producing top quality citrus, not all of its cities are prosperous. Nonetheless what it does not need is to be sacrificed to suburban sprawl; “we had to destroy the village in order to save it” is just as bad an idea now as it ever was.

What the Santa Clara River Valley does need is leadership committed to finding solutions to its various problems without sacrificing its agricultural base and rural character. Kathy Long has demonstrated her commitment to providing that leadership. She should be returned to office so that she has the opportunity to make good on that commitment.

JIM CHURCHILL

Ojai