Land Use and Politicians

* In light of news of the allegedly flawed petition signatures and placement of Save Open Space and Agricultural Resources (SOAR) proposals on the ballot by various public bodies, it is interesting to compare how different politicians and government bodies view “the will of the people.”

The cities of Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks, Oxnard and even Santa Paula and Moorpark put some form of SOAR on the ballot, some of them unanimously. Camarillo will decide in a couple of weeks. Ventura already has SOAR.

Compare these actions all across the county with Supervisor Judy Mikels’ pronouncements at the June 16 board meeting where SOAR was placed on the county ballot by a narrow 3-2 vote.

She gave reasons justifying why she voted no. One of those reasons, in essence, was that the 46,000 voters who signed the initiative probably hadn’t read it and [that] they (the public) were just endorsing a “concept” of maintaining the Ventura County quality of life and were not really signing the initiatives as such!

She expanded on that arrogant “observation” by presumptuously, contemptuously and unilaterally thinking, deciding and speaking for every one of the 46,000 voters by implying strongly that the Agriculture Policy Working Group proposal placed on the ballot earlier that day was what the public really wanted.

It may come as a surprise to her but a good many people signed the SOAR initiative for its simple and logical “concept” of removing land-use decision power from politicians, such as her, as a way to preserve what we hold dear.

JOHN F. KERKHOFF

Somis