Adams Canyon vote leads to Santa Paula suit
by Kelly Feser Eells

It is beginning to look a lot like Ojai in Santa Paula; litigation-wise, that is.
The Pinnacle Group, an Arizona-based developer looking to build some 2,000 homes and an as-yet-to-be determined number of commercial properties in Adams Canyon, is threatening the city with a lawsuit.
County elections officials called Santa Paula City Council's refusal to place an initiative asking voters to overturn their city's S.O.A.R. boundaries on the upcoming November ballot illegal. Despite certifying that the petition, the Santa Paula Revitalization Initiative, qualified for the November ballot, the council voted 2-2 (one member declared a conflict of interest) last Monday night to keep the measure councilwoman Laura Espinosa said "did not meet minimum standards" out of voters' hands.
"They (the council) could've adopted the petition as an ordinance, placed it on the ballot for voters to decide, or voted to send it out for a 30-day study," said Ventura County Assistant Registrar of Voters Bruce Bradley. Mayor Ray Luna felt so strongly about voting to approve the measure he left his sick bed, where he's been recovering from an operation, to attend the meeting rather than vote by phone. Still, the council's two-two vote translates to a "no."
Pinnacle Group spokesperson Greg Boyd's response to the deadlock was, "We're going to have to ask a judge to make a decision."
Although Supervisor Kathy Long, whose district includes Santa Paula, opposed developing Adams Canyon two years ago in a LAFCO (Local Agency Formation Commission) vote, the question of development has since become a matter for the city itself to decide. At present, residents are almost evenly divided as to whether increasing their city's "sphere of influence" by more than 5,400 developed acres will lead to a more vibrant, economically sound community or destroy the existing small-town flavor.
Supervisor Steve Bennett has recently gone on record as opposing the development, noting that Ojai is just as, if not more so, affected by the proposal as any other of the county's 10 cities. "We (the countywide S.O.A.R. committee) are just now sending a fundraising letter out, which Ojai citizens should be receiving by next week," said Bennett. "We hope people will identify their willingness to contribute and volunteer; then, from that (response), we'll figure out what our resources are and what kind of campaign strategy to run in the fall."
While Ojai residents like Alice Matzkin are "horrified" about the potential ramifications development of what amounts to portions of the upper Ojai Valley would have locally, a lately litigious civic climate is keeping many community leaders mum on the subject.
Ojai Valley Chamber of Commerce President Todd Beguelin notes that, while "the Chamber hasn't come out with an official position yet," Adams Canyon will be one of the agenda items "at our Board meeting on the ninth (of July)."
Bennett urges residents to look for more information in the mail. "Again, the two key things we have to accomplish this summer, are identifying volunteers and resources."

© 2002 The Ojai Valley News

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