VENTURA CITIZENS FOR HILLSIDE PRESERVATION

1990s Over the course of this decade, Ventura’s population grew to over 100,000. Concerned citizens observed increased traffic, the advance of sprawl, and open space threatened by proposed development.

1995 SOAR: The Save Our Agricultural Resources Initiative was passed by Ventura City voters. This initiative requires that the City Council obtain voter approval before changing the land use designation within from agriculture to any other land use.

1998  SOAR: The Save Our Agricultural Resources Initiative was passed by Ventura County voters. This initiative requires that the County Board of Supervisors obtain voter approval before redesignating farmland and open space in unincorporated areas of the county.

Late 1999 The Lloyd Corporation proposed a major hillside development through an article that appeared in the Ventura County Star.

2000  Martha Zeiher, Lori Steinhauer & Fritz Liess were the initial driving force who started VCHP with an initial meeting at the Garden Village Café on Day Road. Diane Underhill and Kathy Heiberg participated early and helped give the group structure as an HOA. Martha continued as President, Pat Perkins as VP, Helen Gunderson as Secretary and Hugh Oliver as Treasurer. Ventura Citizens for Hillside Preservation continued to attract supporters with the mission of preserving Ventura’s open space, Ventura River watershed and quality of life by actively participating in and influencing the public planning process through public education, supporting like-minded organizations, public officials, local candidates and ballot measures.

2001 VCHP incorporated as a 501(c)(4) public benefit corporation. Measure P, passed with a 77% vote, requires any residential development proposal for the 9,000-acre Hillside Voter Participation Area be approved by city voters before the extension of city services can occur. This measure does not require a vote for extension of city services if the parcel served is 40 acres or more with a single primary residential unit.

2002  Passage of Measure P led the hillside landowners to place Measure A on the November ballot to seek voter approval of a development agreement authorizing the construction of 1390 houses on the hillsides prior to preparation of an environment impact report and public hearings. VCHP, along with SOAR, led a grassroots effort to defeat Measure A with an over 70% vote of Ventura citizens, despite the $1.3 million spend by the landowners in an attempt to pass it.

2003  Ventura Hillsides Conservancy, which founded by early members of VCHP, incorporated as a 501(c)(3) to work with landowners, conservation organizations, public agencies to preserve and restore the hillsides and open space resources in and around the City of Ventura. Founding members were Martha Zeiher, Patrick Perkins, Steve Svete, Brooke Ashworth & Ken Merideth, as Treasurer. Barbara Harison was the first Executive Director.

2003, 2005, 2007, & 2008 Endorsed winning candidates including: Steve Bennett for Ventura County Supervisor; Bill Fulton, Brian Brennan, Neal Andrews and Carl Morehouse for Ventura City Council; and Mary Haffner for VUSD Board of Education.

2004 – 2005 Worked to prevent the annexation of Canada Larga Valley during the 2005 General Plan update and advocated for aligning the city’s planning area with city limits.

2006 VCHP joined a statewide coalition to defeat Proposition 90 that would require government to reimburse property owners whose property value is decreased as a result of any government regulation or action.

2007 Endorsed Bill Fulton and Carl Morehouse in their re-election to Ventura City Council.

2008 Joined statewide coalition efforts to defeat Proposition 98, and pass Prop 99 re: land use planning. Prop 99 prohibits government from using eminent domain to take a single-family home (including a condominium) for the purpose of transferring it to another private party (such as a person, business, or association).

2009 Endorsed winner, Brian Brennan, in his re-election to City Council in November.

2010   VCHP organized a coalition of nine different community organizations to successfully oppose the potential annexation of the remote Canada Larga Valley by the City of Ventura for construction of executive homes. 

2011 VCHP joined Friends of the Ventura River, an umbrella coalition comprised of local non-profits, businesses, government agencies and individuals concerned about the health of the Ventura River Watershed. Friends’ focus is to promote the Ventura River Parkway, a network of parks & trails along the river from the ocean to Ojai (combined Ventura River Trail & Ojai Valley Trail). For map go to: https://www.friendsofventurariver.org. Endorsed Carl Morehouse and Cheryl Heitmann’s successful bids for Ventura City Council.

2012 Endorsed Steve Bennett in his successful bid for re-election to the Ventura County Board of Supervisors.

2012 - 2014 Aided Friends of the Ventura River in acquiring a grant from the National Park Service to promote the Ventura River Parkway (combined Ventura River Trail & Ojai Valley Trail) and achieve recognition as a National Recreation Trail.

2013 Endorsed Erik Nasarenko’s successful bid for City Council.

2014  VCHP helped organize & participate in the June 7, 2014 National Recreation Trail (NRT) designation of the Ventura River Parkway Trail (VRPT). This new NRT incorporates the Ventura River Trail and the Ojai Valley Trail segments.

2015 Worked with a coalition of concerned residents to defeat a cut & fill tract development above Ventura High School, that would have required new hillside roads and the relocation of existing hillside water tanks. With this project defeated the Ventura Land Trust was able to later  (see 2020 below) purchase the land for public recreational access. The Mariano Preserve is scheduled to open in 2026.

2016 VCHP spearheaded the Ventura effort to renew SOAR to 2050 and endorsed Steve Bennett for District 1 Supervisor, Cheryl Heitmann, Christy Weir and Matt LaVere for Ventura City Council.

2017 VCHP was excited to see our vision for the hillsides move forward with the expansion of the mission of our land trust. In September 2017, 14 years after forming, the Ventura Hillsides Conservancy expanded its mission and changed its name to Ventura Land Trust (VLT).

2018  VCHP helped defeat a proposed county zoning change that would have facilitated addition of almost 700 residential units in the Ventura River floodplain.

2020 VLT purchased the 1645-acre Mariano Rancho from Mariano Rancho LLC.

2022 VCHP Advocated for the acquisition of Mariano Rancho by VLT and participated in the celebration of the state grant funding that provided the $7.2 million necessary to pay off a loan used to complete the purchase and establish an endowment for ongoing maintenance of the preserve.

2023 Supported Ventura Land Trust’s work in Harmon Canyon to recover from heavy rains during the winter of 2022 – 2023.

2023 VCHP worked with Pacific Coast Land Design on new signage for the planned improvements along 1.8 miles of the Ventura River Trail segment of the parkway trail, from Fix/Dubbers to city limits. The project was completed in late summer 2024.

2024  The Trust for Public Land entered into a purchase contract with Buz Bonsall, owner of Cañada Larga Ranch with the goal to close on the property in 2025. The 6,475-acre ranch lies on the border of the spheres of interest of our two local land trusts, the Ventura Land Trust and the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy and would provide incredible trails and outdoor experiences for locals and tourists alike.

2025  VLT renamed Mariano Rancho Preserve, the Ventura Hills Nature Preserve, which it plans to open to the public in 2026.

2025 The Trust for Public Land has won grant funding sufficient to complete the purchase of Cañada Larga Ranch before the end of July 2025. The ranch will be owned and managed by Ojai Valley Land Conservancy.

2025 The Trust for Public Land won grant funding to purchase the former Petrochem industrial property on Crooked Palm Road. The property will be preserved as part of the Ventura River Parkway for recreational access and will be owned and managed by the Ventura Land Trust.