Resolve for a New Era

Amid the millennial uproar of “out with the old, in with the new,” let us celebrate a few areas in which Ventura County does not need to change course so much as it needs to follow through on good trends already begun.

The local economy is thriving in Ventura County and most of its 10 cities. That makes this an opportune moment to make sure we are building the sort of strong, solvent, stable county that will fare well when the next economic downturn comes.

Here are some areas in which we will be looking for progress in the new year:

* Cal State Channel Islands: After 35 years of working and waiting, local residents and state officials are moving swiftly to bring Ventura County its first four-year public university. Already 1,700 students of the Cal State Northridge satellite campus in Ventura have moved to the Camarillo campus and are attending classes in the buildings that will soon house the independent Cal State Channel Islands. A world-renowned architect has agreed to design a library and media center. Plans for a K-8 public school on campus are in the works. Curriculum and faculty decisions are being made with the intention of completing the transition to CSUCI in 2002. Yet this remarkable momentum is imperiled by Gov. Gray Davis’s linkage of money needed for the next step in Camarillo to lagging efforts to create a CSU campus in Stockton. Although the Cal State leadership has effectively supported local efforts to open the Channel Islands campus ahead of schedule, these efforts should not be penalized because another location isn’t keeping up. We urge Gov. Davis to support the remarkable effort to launch CSUCI within the next two years, not handicap it with irrelevant comparisons to upstate.

* County government: The brutally candid analysis left behind by David L. Baker when he fled after just four days as the county’s chief administrative officer got the Board of Supervisors’ attention. Interim CAO Harry L. Hufford is a good choice to do the hard work of correcting the inefficiencies and bad habits that have hampered Ventura County government for years. We encourage all five supervisors and all 21 of the county’s elected and appointed department heads to work with him as he seeks to create a budget process that more closely reflects reality and a way of doing business that pays more heed to the mandated chain of command. We particularly welcome his dedication to openness and candor in government.

* Juvenile justice complex: No one disputes the urgency of Ventura County’s need for a larger, modern, efficient detention and courtroom facility for young offenders. Yet whenever the county budget takes a hit, this project is among the first to be targeted for delay or downsizing. We believe building the juvenile justice complex and using it to catch troubled youths early and steer them onto a productive path is the most important step Ventura County can take to ensure that it remains one of the safest areas in the country. We support this project’s many advocates at the local and state level. Building it soon, staffing it fully and running it efficiently and with compassion would be the best legacy Ventura County leadership and residents of today could leave for those of tomorrow.

* Politics: Ventura County is heading into one of the liveliest political years in a long time, with three seats on the Board of Supervisors at stake in March elections, along with spirited November contests for seats in the state Assembly and Senate and U.S. Congress. Among the most interesting: Oxnard Elementary School District trustee Francisco Dominguez is seeking to unseat six-term Supervisor John Flynn to become the first Latino member of the county board in recent history. This campaign plays out as the city of Santa Paula fends off a challenge from the U.S. Department of Justice, which wants the city to switch to a district voting system to give Latinos greater access to elected positions. We believe the key to greater representation of Latinos in city and county elected offices is improving the abysmal voter-registration and turnout rates in Latino communities. We would prefer that ethnicity not be a factor at all in political campaigns, but if it must be then equality should be sought first by fully making use of the available opportunities to register, vote and run for office.

* Land use: In the first year following voter approval of Save Open Space and Agricultural Resources (SOAR) measures, developers saw record sales as the number of newly built houses sold rose 12.6% from 1998. Builders sold 2,654 homes through Dec. 15, up from 2,358 in 1998, with most sales occurring in the eastern end of the county, Oxnard and Camarillo. The first project presented to voters in a SOAR election was approved. As we move into a new year, will limits on urban expansion into rural areas keep the growing population bottled up within city limits, as intended? If so, how will that reshape our cities and affect quality of life within them? We embrace efforts to make Ventura County a model of efficient, sustainable communities that can be emulated elsewhere.

* Housing: The soaring cost of buying or renting a home is great news for property owners but a serious threat to residents and businesses not already invested. As demand for housing continues to grow and growth control measures such as SOAR limit new construction, new ways must be found to provide decent homes for all income levels. Of particular concern is the countywide shortage of affordable homes for the workers Ventura County needs to sustain its agriculture and service industries, among others. Each city must provide for its own low-income residents. Common sense and good conscience require it--and so does the law.

* Health care: We challenge the county’s mental health bureaucracy to put the political and financial chaos of the past year behind it and focus on what matters most: the people who desperately need its services. Conflict over the county’s delivery of mental health care has been so spirited that it sometimes has seemed to be Ventura County’s only medical concern. In fact, locally as well as nationally, issues such as regulation of health maintenance organizations and the effect of corporate ownership on hospital services are influencing the care people can obtain, or are denied.

* Transportation: As our streets and highways become more crowded, the obvious thing to do is build more and wider ones. But in many cases the smart thing to do is to improve public transportation systems so people who would just as soon not drive have another option. In addition, efficient and reliable transit systems give independence to the young, the old, the disabled and others who cannot drive. As Ventura County’s population grows--and grows older--the value of all our public transportation efforts will grow. At the same time, Ventura County must take a closer look at the controversial issue of when and where it will allow a commercial airport.

* Education: Why is it that so many California high school graduates need remedial help in reading and math before they are able to continue their education at a community college or state university? A statewide push for class-size reduction has helped to provide better learning conditions for many Ventura County students. Those efforts should continue, as should campaigns to provide more and better teachers and to hold school officials accountable for the results their students achieve. Voters in many Ventura County school districts have passed bond measures to provide the money school officials say they need to provide the facilities to let teachers do their job. We call upon each district to examine how effectively it is preparing its students for the 21st century.

* Thinking regional: We hope the county and its 10 cities can work together to find regional strategies for helping the homeless, providing affordable housing and minimizing the sales-tax wars that sabotage both municipal budgets and efforts at good urban planning. It will be much easier to craft mutually beneficial cooperative agreements during these times of prosperity than during leaner times. We also hope Ventura County and Los Angeles County can similarly take a regional approach to avoid the stick-it-to-your-neighbor attitudes that have tainted debate over the proposed Ahmanson Ranch and Newhall Ranch developments.

The 1900s already sound like history. As we enter a new era, may the people of Ventura County join in protecting what is best about this extraordinary area and in meeting the challenges ahead. Elected officials play an important role in this stewardship and progress but the ultimate responsibility lies with the residents who live, work, play, study and vote here.

May the people of Ventura County protect what is best about this area and meet the challenges ahead. Elected officials play an important role in this but the ultimate responsibility lies with the residents who live, work, play, study and vote here.