Oxnard, California, Extension of SOAR through 2030, Measure K (November 2016)
| Measure K: Oxnard Extension of SOAR through 2030 |
|---|
|
| The basics |
| Election date: |
| November 8, 2016 |
| Status: |
 Approved
|
| Topic: |
| Local zoning, land use and development |
| Related articles |
| Local zoning, land use and development on the ballot November 8, 2016 ballot measures in California Ventura County, California ballot measures |
| See also |
| Oxnard, California |
A Save Open Space and Agricultural Resources extension measure was on the ballot for Oxnard voters in Ventura County, California, on November 8, 2016. It was approved.
| A yes vote was a vote in favor of extending the Save Open Space and Agricultural Resources Ordinance (SOAR) until December 31, 2030, thereby competing with Measure L. |
| A no vote was a vote against extending the Save Open Space and Agricultural Resources Ordinance (SOAR) until December 31, 2030, thereby allowing it to expire in 2020. |
A competing measure, Measure L, which extended SOAR through the year 2050, was also on the ballot. Measure L received more "yes" votes than Measure K, so although they both passed, Measure K was rendered ineffective by Measure L.
Election results
| Measure K | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
| Yes | 36,841 | 70.93% | ||
| No | 15,099 | 29.07% | ||
- Election results from Ventura County Registrar of Voters
Text of measure
Ballot question
The following question appeared on the ballot:[1]
| “ |
Shall the Save Open Space and Agricultural Resources (SOAR) Ordinance be extended, maintaining a City Urban Restriction Boundary (CURB); prohibiting urban development outside of the CURB until December 31, 2030, unless approved by the voters; maintaining a City Buffer Boundary (CBB); and prohibiting changing the designation of land within the CBB that is designated ‘Agriculture’ in the Oxnard 2030 General Plan, unless approved by the voters?[2] |
” |
Impartial analysis
The following impartial analysis of the measure was prepared by the office of the Oxnard City Attorney:
| “ |
Measure K was placed on the ballot by the City Council. Measure K requires a majority of “Yes” votes in this election to become effective. Measure K is one of two competing measures with different extension dates on the ballot. If the competing measures, Measure K and Measure L, both receive a majority of affirmative votes, the measure receiving the greatest number of affirmative votes takes effect. A “Yes” vote would extend the Save Open Space and Agricultural Resources (SOAR) Ordinance (the Ordinance) expiration date from December 31, 2020 to December 31, 2030. A “No” vote would maintain the Ordinance expiration date of December 31, 2020. In 1998 the Oxnard voters adopted the Ordinance, which established a City Urban Restriction Boundary (CURB) and a City Buffer Boundary (CBB). The CURB defines the urban development boundary for the City of Oxnard (City) until December 31, 2020. Urban development is any development which would require the establishment of new City sewer systems or the significant expansion of existing City sewer infrastructure; the creation of residential lots less than 10 acres in area per primary residence; and the establishment of commercial or industrial uses that are not exclusively related to agriculture or the production of minerals. The CBB is established outside the CURB and within the Oxnard Planning Area. The CURB may be amended to include land within the CBB as provided in the Ordinance. Unless extended, until December 31, 2020, the City cannot change the designation of land within the CBB that is designated “Agriculture” without voter approval. The CURB remains generally in the same place as the City’s Sphere of Influence line established by the Local Agency Formation Commission, as such line existed on January 1, 1998, except where otherwise specified. The CURB can only be amended by the voters, except that the City Council could amend the CURB without seeking voter approval in order to include land for certain exempt uses, including the construction of roads, water facilities, schools, parks and other government facilities, and for development projects that have obtained a vested right as of the effective date of the Ordinance. Also, after making certain findings, the City Council could amend the CURB without seeking voter approval to include land for the construction of low and very low income housing; land that cannot be used for agriculture; and land that must be included in order to avoid an unconstitutional taking of the landowner’s property.[2] |
” |
| —Oxnard City Attorney[3] | ||
Full text
The full text of the measure is available here.
Support
Supporters
The following individuals signed the official argument in favor of the measure:[3]
- Nancy Lindholm, president and CEO, Oxnard Chamber of Commerce
Arguments in favor
Official argument
The following official argument was submitted in favor of the measure:[3]
| “ |
Vote YES on Measure K Voters passed the Oxnard Save Our Agricultural Resources ordinance in 1998. The original SOAR measure protected agricultural land from development and set boundaries for growth. Voters should note that the existing Oxnard ordinance will sunset in 2020 unless the voters approve extending it for ten years through the passage of Measure K. It is important that we renew protections for open space in our City. In order to renew these protections we recommend a YES on Measure K. A YES Vote on Measure K keeps Save Our Agricultural Resources a part of Oxnard and prevents development on agricultural land. YES on Measure K supports what the residents of Oxnard have already chosen as a plan for their community in the coming 14 years. YES on Measure K is consistent with the City’s existing General Plan, adopted by the City Council in 2011, that is dedicated to preserving our quality of life. The General Plan prohibits changing the land use designation for agricultural properties. YES on Measure K takes into consideration our General Plan where residents had the opportunity to participate in numerous workshops and public hearings conducted over nearly two years before it was finalized. Input from residents was directly incorporated into the final version of the General Plan. YES on Measure K is a 14-year plan for the City, and we can renew it in 2030 at the same time the General Plan expires. Together at that time, Oxnard voters can decide the right direction for our community. It is important that we vote YES on Measure K and NO on Measure L to both protect our open space and be aligned with the only plan that has had considerable community input in shaping our future. [2] |
” |
Opposition
Opponents
The following individuals signed the official argument against the measure:[3]
- Tim Flynn, teacher
- John Zaragoza, Ventura County Supervisor
- Elaine Crandall, Oxnard citizen
- Elvira Tarango, soccer mom
- Juan Gonzalez, executive administrator
Arguments against
Official argument
The following official argument was submitted in opposition to the measure:[3]
| “ |
Measure K brings an early end to your right to vote on urban sprawl projects outside of Oxnard. Measure K ends your right to vote in 2030. After that you will no longer have a vote on whether to approve or deny development proposals outside of Oxnard’s urban growth boundary. SOAR 2050, Measure L, extends your right to vote until 2050 which is the same as all the other SOAR Measures for the cities in the rest of Ventura County. This effort to end your right to vote early was promoted by pro-development interests. Why are they afraid to let you keep the right to vote? In Ventura County, voters approve good projects that benefit the community and stop bad ones. Since SOAR passed in 1998 there have been 11 SOAR votes in Ventura County and 6 of them were approved by the voters. Your having the right to vote is a good thing for two reasons. One, knowing citizens will have to approve the project, developers present better projects that have more public benefits. Two, developers make fewer campaign contributions to City Council members because it is citizens, not politicians, who have the final say on approval of their project. Many developers and politicians do not like citizens having the right to vote on their urban sprawl proposals. Knowing they cannot defeat SOAR in a straight yes or no vote, pro-development forces have pushed for competing measures on the ballot that confuse voters and weaken your right to vote. If SOAR protection ends in Oxnard in 2030 while citizens in other cities keep the right to vote until 2050, tremendous development pressure will be directed towards Oxnard. Please join us and vote NO on MEASURE K and YES on MEASURE L.[2] |
” |
Path to the ballot
This measure was put on the ballot through a vote of the governing officials of Oxnard, California.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Oxnard Local zoning, land use and development. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Ventura County Clerk and Recorder, "Local Measures November 8, 2016 Presidential General Election," accessed October 17, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Ventura County Clerk and Recorder, "Sample Ballot and Voter Information Pamphlet," accessed October 18, 2016
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