Oxnard, California, Extension of SOAR through 2050, Measure L (November 2016)
| Measure L: Extension of SOAR through 2050 |
|---|
|
| 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 until December 31, 2050, thereby competing with Measure K. |
| A no vote was a vote against extending the Save Open Space and Agricultural Resources Ordinance until December 31, 2050. |
A competing measure, Measure K, which extended SOAR through the year 2030, 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 L | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
| Yes | 38,584 | 75.11% | ||
| No | 12,788 | 24.89% | ||
- 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, 2050, 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 L was placed on the ballot by the City Council. Measure L requires a majority of “Yes” votes in this election to become effective. Measure L 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, 2050. 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]
- Tim Flynn, teacher
- John Zaragoza, Ventura County Supervisor
- Elaine Crandall, Oxnard citizen
- Elvira Tarango, soccer mom
- Juan Gonzalez, executive administrator
Arguments in favor
Official argument
The following official argument was submitted in favor of the measure:[3]
| “ |
Oxnard’s SOAR, which is Measure L on your ballot, has a proven track record of keeping the cities of Oxnard, Camarillo and Ventura from growing together into one large urban sprawl. SOAR works because it gives you the right to vote before the Oxnard City Council can rezone agricultural land for development beyond the city’s urban limit line. Southern California urban sprawl resulted from developers buying influence with campaign contributions to city council members. The result: cities grew together, agriculture disappeared and traffic congestion became rampant. Only in Ventura County have citizens approved measures to give themselves the right to vote yes or no on these urban sprawl projects. Measure L extends your right to vote on urban sprawl projects until 2050. That is much better than Measure K which only extends your right to vote until 2030. SOAR 2050 does not lock in Oxnard’s growth until 2050. Instead it locks in your right to vote on development proposals outside Oxnard’s urban growth boundary until 2050. That is a good thing. Locking in your right to vote on urban sprawl projects until 2050 ensures developers will propose better projects, with more public benefits. It also decreases incentives for developers to funnel campaign money to City Council candidates since politicians will not have the final approval on their sprawl projects. Measure L is coordinated with the countywide SOAR, Measure C, with similar policies and expiration dates. That coordination improves protection of our agricultural land. To get coordinated and effective protection of the agricultural land around Oxnard you need to vote YES on Measure L and MEASURE C, and vote NO on MEASURE K and MEASURE F. We need to renew our SOAR laws Measures L and C to the year 2050 and ensure the next generation has the right to vote on urban sprawl projects proposed for Oxnard.[2] |
” |
Opposition
Opponents
The following individuals signed the official argument against the measure:[3]
- Nancy Lindholm, president and CEO, Oxnard Chamber of Commerce
Arguments against
Official argument
The following official argument was submitted in opposition to the measure:[3]
| “ |
Vote NO on Measure L Oxnard voters passed the Oxnard Save Our Agricultural Resources (SOAR) ordinance in 1998. The original SOAR measure protected agricultural land from development and set boundaries for growth. The City adopted its current General Plan in 2011. The Plan gives direction on land use and development. It is set to expire in 2030. Together, SOAR and the City’s General Plan provide protections for agricultural land and direction for development that preserve our quality of life. Voters should consider extending open space protections only until the General Plan expires, but not through Measure L. We recommend voting NO on Measure L. Our City planners got it right when issuing a plan that would expire in 2030. Voting YES on Measure K and NO on Measure L extends the city’s protections on agricultural land to 2030 so the entire community can give input on the future direction of the City, instead of reauthorizing the rules piecemeal. We value our agricultural land and open space, but tying the hands of the next two or three generations is not fair. Agricultural crops and farming technology have changed dramatically over the past decade, and extending the rules beyond the City’s own plan doesn’t make sense. Also, if Measure L passes, the same rigorous community input that occurred to develop our 2030 plan would be in jeopardy. While the public could comment, they would have to operate within the rules set by Measure L for the next 34 years. Why would we not have both SOAR and the General Plan open for comment at the same time to ensure the strongest participation from the public? 34 years is too far to see into the future. Vote NO on Measure L and YES on Measure K to ensure our city is consistent in its planning process.[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
|
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
 |
State of California Sacramento (capital) |
|---|---|
| Elections |
What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2026 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures |
| Government |
Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy |
