VCHP Archives
2010 Cañada Larga Campaign
Ventura Citizens for Hillside Preservation Hire Environmental Defense Center for Canada larga Campaign
City Council to Discuss Cañada Larga Annexation
The Ventura Citizens for Hillside Preservation (VCHP) has hired the Environmental Defense Center to submit comments for a pending environmental study as part of a campaign to protect the Canada Larga Valley. The City of Ventura is considering a plan to annex 800 acres of the remote valley for the construction of executive homes. The City Council voted in October to include the Valley as part of the Westside Community Plan -- against the objection of the overwhelming majority of public speakers who expressed a range of concerns about the environment, fiscal issues, and the hazards of developing the narrow valley.
The Environmental Defense Center will assist VCHP in identifying key issues that should be addressed in the environmental impact report, but we also need your help. VCHP is seeking donations and volunteers to support the campaign, and is thankful for a recent contribution from Patagonia.
To Donate: Make donations out to VCHP and mail to: P.O. Box 1575, Ventura, CA 93002
To Volunteer: We are seeking volunteers to assist with Power Point, outreach, fundraising, environmental analysis, and event planning. Please contact Norene Charnofsky at ncharnofsky@gmail.com
Organizations opposed to annexation of Canada larga Valley:
Environmental Defense Center, The Sierra Club, SOAR, Surfrider Foundation, Wishtoyo Foundation, VCCool, Ventura Audubon Society & Ventura Citizens for Hillside Preservation
Why is Canada Larga Worth Protecting?
1. The meadows, canyons, and creek in Canada Larga are valuable habitat for a diverse array of wildlife.
2. At a time when the City has closed a fire station and a library, and slashed funding for parks, the City proposes to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on consultants to unnecessarily expand the City of Ventura. This is fiscally problematic and will facilitate sprawl, contrary to the infill first strategy of the 2005 General Plan, which cost the City more than $1 million to prepare.
3. Canada Larga Valley’s remoteness from services, schools, and shopping would increase traffic trips along Highway 33 and Ventura Avenue. Potential wildfire, flooding, and mudslide hazards exist in the valley. Transferring Canada Larga from the County to the City will require the City to take responsibility for firefighting, police protection, and other service costs.
4. By annexing the undeveloped Canada Larga Valley into the City, the landowner can sidestep a SOAR vote by citizens.
5. Rather than revitalizing the existing Westside, Downtown or Midtown the City wants to bring downtown way beyond the city's current boundary. Vacant business sites exist throughout the Arundel Industrial park, along Thompson Blvd, in the Auto Center, and even in the Westside proper. There is no reason to leap out into the former oil fields to find land.
6. This is a bad plan for the hillsides and open spaces, this is a violation of Ventura's Infill First promise, and it is a bad deal for the citizens of the city. |
Ventura Citizens for Hillside Preservation is a non-profit organization that led the successful campaign to stop the development of 1,300 houses on Ventura’s hills in 2002. The citizens of Ventura voted down the massive development project by a margin of 70 percent. More information at www.vchp.org.
The Environmental Defense Center, a non-profit law firm, protects and enhances the local environment through education, advocacy, and legal action and works primarily within Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo counties. Learn more about EDC at www.EnvironmentalDefenseCenter.org.
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