Open 80 Turns In Petitions

After weeks of staking out grocery stores and canvassing neighborhoods, proponents of a November ballot initiative that would allow more hillside development turned over the results of their petition drive to the Ventura city clerk’s office.

The group collected 15,662 signatures of local residents, according to representatives of the Open 80 campaign. A minimum of 8,906 valid voter signatures are need to qualify the initiative for the ballot.

“Considering that only about 15,000 people in Ventura vote in any given election, for us to get close to 16,000 signatures is quite a feat,” said Rod Houck, the group’s campaign manager. About 30 supporters, including a Little League team, turned out to help deliver the stacks of signed petitions to City Hall.

The city clerk’s office will turn the signatures over to the county clerk’s office, which will have 30 days to verify them. Each person who signed must be a Ventura resident and registered voter.

If approved by the electorate Nov. 5, the measure would clear the way for construction of 1,390 homes on the hills north of downtown and dedicate about 3,000 acres to permanent open space.

“We were elated that within five weeks we were able to gather close to 16,000 signatures,” said Margaret Merryman, spokeswoman for the Open 80 campaign. “We expected it because we believe in it.”

Opponents of the proposed measure said they weren’t surprised at the number of signatures collected by the Open 80 campaign.

“When you use paid signature gatherers you can always get your signatures,” said Steve Bennett, co-founder of Save Open Space and Agricultural Resources, a slow-growth advocacy group. “It’s more a test of how good the signature gatherers are than it is a test of the voters.”

But Bennett acknowledged it will be a challenge for opponents if the initiative qualifies for the ballot. Their main objections are that the development skirts the usual environmental review process and does not provide for affordable housing.

“They’ve dedicated perhaps maybe $1 million to their effort compared to a grass-roots campaign with only a few thousand dollars to spend,” Bennett said. “We’re going to need a lot of people to step forward to even have a chance.”

SOAR has joined forces with another group, Ventura Citizens for Hillside Preservation, to oppose the initiative. Representatives for each group said they plan to work aggressively to get their message out.

“We will start actively trying to educate people on the pros and cons so they can make an educated decision in November,” said Martha Zeiher of the citizens group.

Open 80 proponents will promote their measure by talking to civic organizations and neighborhood groups.

“This is absolutely historic,” Merryman said. “We will win.”