Supervisors Delay Voting on District for Saving Land

Ventura County supervisors Tuesday delayed taking steps necessary to create a land-preservation district, saying residents need more time to study the issue before they make a decision.

Supervisors agreed unanimously to wait until their Dec. 11 meeting to vote on whether they will urge Assemblywoman Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) to move forward with legislation that will enable the county to create the district.

Jackson was prepared to move the bill forward earlier this year, but wrangling by the supervisors over its wording stalled its progress. On Tuesday, supervisors Judy Mikels and Kathy Long said they wanted more time to digest the results of a recent poll that indicated wide public support for a conservation district.

They also suggested that farmers, developers and business groups deserve more time to comment before the supervisors take a vote. And Mikels said she wants an analysis of how much it would cost to create the district, because the county may face funding shortfalls next year.

District Would Buy Land for Open Space

“We have to prioritize,” she said. “Are we going to fund vital services or an open-space district?”

If created, the district would buy up parks, farmland and open space for permanent preservation, using a yet-undetermined tax measure to pay for it.

A poll conducted in September found that 75% of likely voters would support the district’s creation, but respondents were divided on what type of tax should be used to pay for it.

Three consultants who specialize in special districts told the Board of Supervisors that a per-parcel property assessment would have the best chance of success.

If the county assessed an additional $20 per parcel, it would raise about $5.4 million in new property tax a year, said consultant Gerard van Steyn.

Mikels questioned the poll’s validity, suggesting that questions were slanted to elicit a certain response. The Simi Valley supervisor said she would use the next four weeks to analyze the survey results.

A majority of supervisors, however, said the poll results confirm that Ventura County residents strongly support the district. In a 1998 advisory measure, 68% of voters supported the same issue.

Board Must Give Unanimous Support

But there is wide agreement that the support of the entire board will be crucial. Jackson has suggested she won’t reintroduce the enabling state legislation unless the board gives it unanimous support.

Reached after the board’s meeting, Jackson said she is impressed by the high number of poll respondents who said they favor establishing the district.

“It’s my hope [supervisors] will reach consensus on how this should move forward,” she said. “Given these large poll numbers, three out of four people in favor of creating a district, that’s really a large mandate to do it, as far as I can see.”