City Wins Fight Over Ojai Ballot

Ojai voters can’t be told that “worthwhile projects” in the city could still be built if a growth-control measure on the November ballot is approved, a judge has ruled.

Measure C would require the City Council to reject any future development that would increase traffic in the rural city of 7,800. In ballot arguments, initiative supporters wanted to include a sentence that a yes vote would still allow Ojai voters “to approve worthwhile projects that generate traffic that cannot be mitigated.”

The council, which opposes the measure, challenged the statement as misleading and asked a judge to delete it. Superior Court Judge Steven Hintz agreed with the city in a ruling issued Friday.

“There is no voter approval for any project. All projects would have to be denied,” said Katherine Stone, an attorney representing the city. “We felt really good that at least that language was taken out.”

But the measure’s supporters say desired projects could still be built--as long as voters give the council permission to alter existing traffic standards.

“We included that provision, but the judge was not familiar with it so he went along with their argument that the initiative does not directly say that,” said Stan Greene of Citizens to Preserve the Ojai, the measure’s sponsor.