The Environment

1998 was a year of legal successes for the Environmental Defense Center, with court victories that have halted, if only temporarily, a deep-pit gravel mining project in El Rio and a proposed golf course and 16,000-seat amphitheater at Camarillo Regional Park.

Without question, however, the most significant Ventura County environmental milestone was the voters’ approval of the countywide SOAR initiative, together with urban growth boundary measures in the cities of Oxnard, Camarillo, Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley. Few human accomplishments achieve any measure of permanence, and environmental victories can seem particularly ephemeral, but SOAR promises to slow the onslaught of sprawling development for at least a generation.

We are mindful that SOAR is not a panacea and that there will be continuing development battles to be waged in 1999. For example, Oxnard is considering several projects that would be included within its new urban limit. We do not presume that these projects are environmentally benign or prudently planned merely because they are accommodated by Oxnard’s SOAR measure.

In addition, the countywide SOAR measure does not alter the fact that open space may be converted to a golf course, a giant entertainment complex or a host of other inimical uses without amendment of Ventura County’s general plan or a vote of the people.

Finally, SOAR will have no direct effect on transportation “improvement” projects that threaten agricultural lands, open space and air quality, such as Caltrans’ proposal to widen California 118 in Somis. Citizens must remain vigilant to preserve the qualities that make Ventura County an enjoyable place to live, work and recreate.

Because other regions will be monitoring Ventura County’s progress in implementing SOAR, a further challenge for 1999 involves fulfilling the county’s role as a land-use planning vanguard for the state and the nation. To do so, we cannot simply rely on the mechanical effects of the SOAR measures. It is imperative that local governments also sincerely embrace the concepts of sustainable development and cooperate in a regional planning effort that protects natural systems, preserves the quality of life for existing residents and accommodates the need for new affordable housing.

Many of our expectations for 1999 are influenced by SOAR, but one of the most daunting issues that we will face is determined by SOAR’s nonexistence in Los Angeles County. The proposed Newhall Ranch project would fill the Santa Clara River Valley immediately east of the Ventura County line with a 21,600-unit mega-development that is premised on an antiquated “build-it-and-the-water-will-come” philosophy. The Ventura County environmental community has responded effectively to this threat, but with final approval of Newhall Ranch expected in early 1999, a fully mobilized effort by environmental lawyers and activists alike appears necessary.