News
Energy Future Depends on Local Oil Reserves
A recent Letter to the Editor by Kimberly Rivers (executive director of CFROG) in the VC Star claimed that drilling new wells in existing local oil fields equates to Ventura County being “Locked in an Energy Past.” However, statistics from the California Energy Commission (CEC) on oil and gas consumption versus production tell a different story. In…
Read MoreWildlife Corridors Are Already Wild
The County Board of Supervisors is considering the adoption of a Habitat Connectivity Overlay Zone, which would impose new regulations on agricultural and open space landowners immediately after the renewal of the SOAR ordinance until the year 2050. While SOAR promised to “save open space and agricultural resources,” additional new regulations could be another blow…
Read MoreVC CoLAB Supports the CA Water Fix
On July 5th, Randy Record, Chairman of the Board of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, sent a letter to County CEO, Mike Powers, alerting the County that the California WaterFix project will be ready for consideration soon by the MWD Board of Directors. The letter invites him to learn more about this upgrade…
Read MoreWater for Oxnard, Camarillo and Moorpark Farms Subject to Allocations
New pumping allocations are being considered for groundwater basins underlying Oxnard, Camarillo, Moorpark and surrounding agricultural areas that could restrict water for farms and forever change the local landscape. Pumping Allocation Systems adopted by the Fox Canyon Groundwater Management Agency will be a determining factor in whether our agricultural industry will continue to thrive in…
Read MorePuente Power Project brings benefits, protests to Oxnard
The Puente Power Project to replace the aging Mandalay and Ormond Beach power plants in Oxnard promises to deliver significant benefits to the region, according to a presentation given to CoLAB members at the monthly WHEEL Committee meeting by Dawn Gleiter, Senior Director of Development for NRG. According to NRG, which currently owns and operates…
Read MoreVentura LAFCO Persists with “Analysis Paralysis”
The Ventura Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) was true to form with a 4-3 split vote on February 15th, continuing the delay for the City of Ventura’s Northbank project. Developer Vince Daly provided a historical perspective from 2004 when the property was identified as being in the City Sphere of Influence, not subject to SOAR…
Read MoreEconomic Vitality Strategies Considered by County CEOs Office
Ventura County CoLAB was invited to participate in the County of Ventura’s Economic Vitality Summit, allowing input into an Economic Strategic Plan to be prepared by the CEO’s Office in 2017. The purpose of the Summit was to evaluate the impact of the County government’s operations on the local economy as well as improve the…
Read MoreDespite Drought Relief, Water Infrastructure Challenges Remain
The recent heavy rains have relieved drought conditions across the State, but they have also highlighted how much work needs to be done to update California’s aging water infrastructure, according to Eric Bergh, Manager of Resources for Calleguas Municipal Water District. Bergh gave a presentation on the State’s water situation to a packed room at…
Read MoreCoLAB Push to Improve Surveyor’s Office Gets Results
The Ventura County Surveyor’s Office has made improvements in speeding up approval of important survey map documents, leading to a faster experience for businesses, surveyors and landowners. The improvement efforts came as the result of a regular meeting between key CoLAB board members and the County CEO. In our most recent meeting, Public Works Director Jeff Pratt…
Read MoreWhen is Enough, Enough?: Wildlife Corridor Proposal Would Add More Regulations on Agriculture
At a packed Board meeting on January 24th filled with CoLAB members and other representatives from the agricultural and business community, the Ventura County Board of Supervisors gave preliminary backing to an effort to adopt mapped Wildlife Movement Corridors across 147,000 acres of private County lands. This effort has the potential to enact more wide-ranging…
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