Countywide : Harbor District May Sue Over Boundaries
Top officials of the Oxnard Harbor District are considering a lawsuit against Ventura County in their bid to expand port boundaries and battle a rival plan by two cities to cut back on the district’s territory.
Commissioners discussed possible litigation at a closed meeting Monday.
A decision on the conflicting proposals is due Friday by the Local Agency Formation Commission, the county group with authority over government annexations and boundaries.
A LAFCO staff report has recommended that district boundaries be reduced to the cities of Oxnard and Port Hueneme.
District lawyer Anson Whitfield said that if LAFCO votes to reduce the district’s boundaries, particularly without putting the issue to a vote of district-area residents, commissioners may have grounds for a lawsuit.
LAFCO Executive Officer Robert Braitman characterized his staff report as the fastest way to end the lack of cooperation between the harbor district and the two surrounding cities of Port Hueneme and Oxnard.
“LAFCO encourages orderly boundaries,” Braitman said. Current harbor district boundaries, which include Camarillo, parts of Thousand Oaks and some unincorporated county areas in addition to Port Hueneme and Oxnard, aren’t logical, he said.
The two cities had asked to have the district’s boundaries reduced to their own city limits.
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