County in Line for State Aid for Range of Projects

As state lawmakers prepared to pass California’s annual budget, millions of coveted dollars are on their way to Ventura County for everything from park and environmental enhancements to traffic signals and library improvements.

The Assembly is expected to review the budget on Monday after a last-minute holdup over taxes Friday delayed passage. The governor will sign the budget sometime after that, though he could ax individual items before approval.

As expected, the planned Cal State Channel Islands, one of the largest recipients, is set to receive $10 million for books, computers and salaries for administrators.

About $6 million of that will be used for 75 dean and faculty positions, said George Dutra, the university’s associate vice president for facilities, development and operations.

“I think this is great,” Dutra said. “It’s what we asked for. Without this money we wouldn’t be able to meet our schedule to open our doors in 2002.”

Other apparent big-ticket winners are the San Buenaventura State Beach, slated to receive $2 million to improve its parking lot and restrooms. The Casitas Municipal Water District is scheduled to receive $750,000 for work on a fish ladder at Robles Diversion Dam north of Ojai.

And $10 million is set aside for an attempt to buy sensitive habitat and watershed areas on the Ahmanson Ranch property near the Los Angeles County line, where a developer has proposed building 3,050 homes.

The city of Ventura would receive $250,000 toward construction of a park in the eastern part of the city. Jim Walker, community services director, said $30 million is needed to build the park, with the city having amassed $10.5 million to date.

“The money will go straight into the bank,” Walker said.

In Oxnard, there will be fewer maintenance personnel on ladders in the coming year. The city is due to receive $90,000 for lightbulbs designed to last five years instead of only two, the life span of the current bulbs. Also, the new bulb uses only 15 volts instead of 150 volts.

“We’re elated, because not only will our electricity bills go down by $19,000 a year, but it reduces maintenance labor,” said Joe Genovese, Oxnard’s traffic engineer.

The Ventura Air Pollution Control District is in line to get $300,000, which would be awarded to a school district that intends to replace diesel buses with vehicles using compressed natural gas. The school district would use the money to build a fueling station, air pollution control officer Richard Baldwin said.

In Ventura, Police Lt. Gary McCaskill is looking forward to a $100,000 mobile command post.

“It should be a traveling storefront or a command center that can be used for emergencies,” McCaskill said. “This is the first one of its type for us, and it’s a wonderful addition to our community.”

The department’s Police Activities League should also receive $51,000 for a van and trailer to haul youths and their equipment to activities such as baseball games and archery practice. About $12,000 of that would be available for sporting equipment, including golf clubs, baseball bats and bows and arrows.

Santa Paula Police Chief Bob Gonzalez said his department will be safer once the city receives 49 new $400 bulletproof vests and a new patrol car.

“This will be a godsend,” Gonzalez said of the $50,000 earmarked for his department. “We will be able to respond to calls safely and we will be protected when we get there,” he said. The vests will go to 29 regular and 20 reserve officers.

Starrett Kreissman, library director for the Ventura County Library, was also thrilled about the share of the state kitty scheduled to come to her organization. Ventura’s Foster Library would receive $69,000 for books, computers and furniture for a preteen homework center.

“I’m going to refrain from handsprings until the budget has been signed, but we are sure excited about the prospect,” she said. “I’ve been through too many years of state budgets to be thrilled just yet.”

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* MAIN COVERAGE

California’s $100-billion budget deal unraveled early Friday, hung up on tax cuts. A1