Supervisors OK Major Redistricting Moves

Ventura County supervisors agreed Tuesday to major changes in their political boundaries, uniting the agricultural Las Posas Valley in Supervisor Kathy Long’s district and bringing Newbury Park and the rest of Thousand Oaks into a single district represented by board Chairman Frank Schillo.

Supervisors also agreed to move the city of Ojai out of Long’s district so it can be united with the rest of the Ojai Valley, in Steve Bennett’s district.

The changes unify areas of common interest that were split under earlier boundary changes, and appear to appease Somis residents in the Las Posas Valley who wanted out of Supervisor Judy Mikels’ district.

Mikels said she agreed to that change because farmers have told her they want the valley united.

The Simi Valley supervisor also acknowledged criticism about her support for a highway-widening project that is opposed by many Somis residents.

“I have clearly heard from some of the people of Somis that they don’t feel they are being represented well . . . and it does make sense to straighten out these lines,” Mikels said.

Supervisor John Flynn’s Oxnard-based district remains largely intact, though the board may yet alter the northern and southern boundaries slightly and will review Flynn’s request to add the Port of Hueneme, now in Schillo’s district.

Under the proposed changes, Schillo’s district will lose the city of Port Hueneme, including the port, though it will probably shift to Long’s district.

The board’s decisions bring the redistricting process closer to completion after weeks of intense debate.

Supervisors are legally required to redraw their boundaries every 10 years to ensure that each district is roughly the same size in population.

Shifts approved Tuesday are preliminary and subject to public hearings before supervisors take a final vote next month.

But major reversals are unlikely, given a July 24 deadline to complete the process.

Schillo steadfastly fought against giving up representation of Port Hueneme. He argued that representing both working-class Port Hueneme and generally white-collar Thousand Oaks gives him a broad view of issues facing residents on both sides of the Conejo Grade.

“This defeats the whole purpose of what we are about--representing the whole county,” the Thousand Oaks-based supervisor said.

But several Port Hueneme residents said they felt politically overshadowed by larger and richer Thousand Oaks and urged supervisors to move them out of Schillo’s east county district.

“My concerns are going to be very different than someone making $79,000 a year,” said Eric Erickson, who described himself as a “working-class” Port Hueneme resident. “We will have a stronger voice in another district.”

Although major decisions on boundary changes are completed, supervisors are expected to continue haggling over smaller shifts. Supervisors have not decided conclusively, for instance, which supervisor will represent Port Hueneme.

Other minor changes may come in south Oxnard to ensure the population in Schillo’s district is balanced with the other four districts at about 150,000 residents each.

And a dispute must be settled over the southwestern boundary of Mikels’ redrawn district.

Mikels wants the line drawn at Sand Canyon Road, but two Somis residents told supervisors it should be two miles east at Balcom Canyon Road.

The agricultural land in question is part of the Las Posas Valley and should be included in Long’s district, said Barbara Kerkhoff, a Somis resident.

“I am frankly horrified that you would consider drawing a line at Sand Canyon,” Kerkhoff said. “It makes no sense to put it there.”

Mikels agreed to put off discussion of that revision for the next scheduled discussion of boundary lines on July 10.

Meanwhile, Santa Paula Councilwoman Laura Flores Espinosa introduced a new wrinkle in the redistricting debate by urging board members to consider minority voting patterns when drawing lines.

Santa Paula now is part of Long’s district, a sprawling, diverse swath of agricultural and urban interests that tends to dilute the voice of minority voters, Flores Espinosa said.

A pending federal voting rights lawsuit alleges that Santa Paula’s at-large voting system has perpetuated racial discrimination that has prevented Latino candidates from getting elected.

“Citizens will participate when and if their vote has impact,” the councilwoman said.

Federal law prohibits drawing political boundaries that infringe on a minority group’s voting rights.

Supervisors did not immediately respond to Flores Espinosa’s comments.