Landfill Initiative Backers File Notice

Supporters of the Weldon Canyon landfill initiative filed a notice Wednesday asking the 2nd District Court of Appeal to overturn a judge’s decision last week removing the item from the November ballot.

The notice, however, consists only of a brief paragraph, and does not detail the reasons they say the initiative should be decided by voters.

“The issue at hand is the . . . right of the citizenry to vote,” said landfill supporter Eloise Brown, the former mayor of Moorpark who said the county needs more landfill space.

“This jeopardizes the initiative process throughout the state of California,” Brown said. “It says to me that any city council or an individual can use taxpayers’ funds to obstruct the initiative process.”

The notice asks the 2nd District Court of Appeal to reverse a decision by retired Santa Barbara Judge Richard W. Abbe, who ruled last week that the Weldon initiative “is not a proper subject for the ballot.”

Landfill opponents said Wednesday that the notice of appeal is “a last gasp effort” to let voters decide whether a landfill should be located in Weldon Canyon north of Ventura to dispose of the west county’s garbage.

“This is a ballot initiative that is a severe abuse of the democratic process,” said Michael Shapiro, a director of the Coalition to Stop Weldon Canyon Dump.

Also clouding the issue is an announcement by Ventura County elections officials, who said Wednesday that the printing company needs all election materials by Sept. 9 to finish printing in time for the election.

Brown said she hoped the appeals court would rule quickly enough to get the initiative back on the November ballot. “If not, there’s always the possibility of a special election,” Brown said.