2-Person Panels Dissolved

Continuing administrative reforms that began two years ago, Ventura County supervisors agreed Tuesday to limit the ability of just one or two board members to steer favored projects through the approval process.

Advisors to the Board of Supervisors have long advocated getting rid of the board’s two-member subcommittees, saying the supervisors on them wield too much power and sometimes cut the chief executive’s office out of the loop.

Former county administrator Harry Hufford pushed for an end to the subcommittees as a way to improve long-term planning and keep a tighter rein on the county’s $1.1-billion budget.

One problem is the drain on county staff members’ time as they try to figure out which board member’s instructions to follow, said Supervisor Steve Bennett of Ventura.

“If you have a two-member committee, it is implied that they have the full authorization of the board,” Bennett said. “And staff feels paralyzed when they get conflicting instructions.”

The unanimous vote dissolves several standing committees, including one planning a social services and mental health complex on Lewis Road near Camarillo.

Other disbanded committees were exploring ways to dismantle Matilija Dam and create an open-space conservation district to reimburse farmers for development rights. Work by individual board members on those committees must now be filtered through Chief Executive Officer Johnny Johnston’s office before going to the full board for a vote.

Although Supervisor John Flynn agreed to the change, it was not without a fight.

Many of the “great things” that have happened in Ventura County were initiated by the work of individual supervisors, said Flynn, a 25-year board veteran.

He cited a massive water diversion project, a children’s shelter and current work to build a juvenile justice complex. The Oxnard supervisor suggested that Bennett instigated the change to undercut the political power of Flynn and Supervisor Frank Schillo.

In recent weeks, Flynn and Schillo have publicly feuded with Bennett over several issues. But Bennett said good policy--not politics--motivated his vote, noting that Supervisor Kathy Long brought the issue to the board’s attention.

“If it was just me, then why is it that clearly other board members supported it?” Bennett said.

Flynn said two-member subcommittees have been part of the county’s government culture for at least two decades. In the past, he said, supervisors have agreed to divide the workload by taking on projects that interest them.

The committees operate efficiently because matters do not have to be publicly debated before approval. Elected officials often form relationships that help them move projects along, Flynn said.

But that strategy no longer works, the supervisor said.

“There are big egos on the board, including myself,” he said. “There is lots of conflict and jealousy.”