Officials Seek to Halt Cutting of 40 Oak Trees

Two City Council members will ask colleagues Tuesday to support their effort to halt the cutting of 40 oak trees scheduled to make way for the Lang Ranch dam.

Mayor Ed Masry and Councilwoman Linda Parks want to direct the Ventura County Flood Control District to delay the cutting--slated for late January or early February--until the county receives all the permits it needs to begin building the dam.

The county expects to break ground this spring, but a permit from the state Division of Safety of Dams hasn’t been received. Flood control officials planned to cut the trees a few months before bird nesting season. Masry and Parks, both critics of the dam project, argue that the oaks could die in vain if the final dam permit is not granted. Flood officials say the dam is needed to protect homeowners and habitat downstream in the event of a 100-year storm.