Referendum Sought on Busy Junction

Area residents frustrated by heavy traffic at the intersection of California 118 and Somis Road are pushing for a county referendum that will help determine the junction’s future.

Several residents have sent petitions to County Supervisor Judy Mikels requesting that the issue be put on the November ballot.

“The ballot measure is to simply identify and quantify the county’s opinion at large,” former Moorpark Mayor Eloise Brown said. “There will be more use of that road if the port facilities expand over the next few years, and the measure will show how many people drive it and are concerned about it.”

The petition follows a running debate about whether the California 118 corridor should be widened to four lanes from Moorpark to Saticoy.

City leaders sent a letter to the state Department of Transportation requesting such improvements as additional turn lanes and wider shoulders, as well as realignment of Donlon Road with Somis Road, while state officials study the overall corridor.

Some residents and drivers who signed petitions said they hoped that a vote will give the county a clear message.