Oxnard Picks 5 to Advise City on Land Use

After disbanding its Planning Commission two weeks ago, Oxnard leaders Tuesday appointed three of the commission’s five members to serve on a new land-use panel intended to streamline development decisions.

Choosing from a diverse field of 24 applicants, City Council members appointed former commissioners Dale Dean, Albert Duff and Sonny Okada to the new panel. A fourth appointee, Ray C. Tafoya, is a mathematician working for the Navy as a computer specialist.

Called land-use advisers, the residents will set long-term development policies for the city but decide fewer of the routine land-use issues than did the five-member commission.

Richard Maggio, the city’s community development director, was appointed by City Manager Tom Frutchey to serve in the panel’s fifth slot--reserved for a city employee with planning expertise.

Duff, who works as an engineer for the county Public Works Agency, said he was pleased to win the council’s endorsement, but said he has questions about what the new group will do.

“The land use advisers--what will be different from the old planning commission?” he asked.

“The group as it was previously comprised, set the tone for land-use and land-use projects,” he added.

Because of the complexity of land-use issues, Duff said he was glad to see that two of the other appointees have experience with Oxnard’s planning policies.

City officials said the abolition of the commission is intended to speed up the city’s planning process, which they characterized as time-consuming and inefficient.

Past City Council members and planning commissioners, however, have countered that the move puts developers’ interests ahead of residents’ concerns. They said the new system raises the potential for corruption because it gives more authority to one city employee, a hearing officer who will decide some issues.

The specific responsibilities and powers of the advisers have not yet been defined. City officials are expected to draft the guidelines in mid-March.

Mayor Manuel Lopez, the only council member to vote against the new system, said he plans to raise some of his concerns about allowing the hearing officer, rather than the full panel, to grant some permits.

“The thing I would like to see is to define exactly what the hearing officer is going to do,” he said. “Once we get over that hurdle, I think everything will be fine.”

Advertisements for the new positions attracted applications from residents with varying experience in planning issues and city government.

They offered a wide range of suggestions on how to improve the quality of life in Oxnard.

Several applicants, such as Linda Banner-Bacin, said the city should focus on building more low-income houses and a recycling center.

Others listed creating jobs, preserving greenbelts and redeveloping the downtown area as priorities.