New Members Named to Planning Commission

A former city councilwoman and the publisher of a local newspaper on Asian American affairs are among four new appointees to the city Planning Commission.

Thirty-seven Oxnard residents applied to serve on the board, which the City Council this fall decided to expand from five to seven members.

The reshuffling came at the suggestion of City Councilman John Zaragoza, who said the city needs broader public input on development issues--especially at a time when officials are considering several major housing developments and wrestling with the issue of farmland preservation.

Councilman Bedford Pinkard said Wednesday that the new planning commissioners appear well-suited for the board because each has a background of civic involvement.

“We needed some people with some experience,” Pinkard said. “I think they’re going to tackle these issues with the best interest of the city of Oxnard.”

Tuesday night, council members selected four new members, and reappointed three planning commissioners who applied to keep their seats.

Current commissioners Albert Duff, Joseph Burdullis and Michael Clarke will remain on the board until December 2000. Commissioners Ray Tafoyaand Dale Deandid not reapply.

The new members will serve until December 1998. They are former City Councilwoman Geraldine W. “Gerry” Furr; Rudy D. Liporada, the editor and publisher of Asian-American News of Ventura County; Ray W. Gonzales, chairman of the city’s Inter-Neighborhood Council Committee; and Edward M. Castillo, who sat on the Planning Commission from 1993 to 1995.

Furr, who served for many years as city treasurer and on the council from 1988 to 1992, stressed the need to improve the downtown and Wagon Wheel areas in her application.

Gonzales said he wants the city to continue focusing on retail and industrial development, because that creates jobs for both skilled and unskilled workers.

“If we’re going to have a functional community, the city fathers have to create a viable economy,” said Gonzales, a real estate broker and retirement planner.

Castillo stressed the importance of farmland preservation in his application.

“Though we cannot stop development from taking place, I would very much like to see some of our farming land preserved . . .,” he wrote.

And Liporada, publisher of the monthly newspaper and an insurance claims representative, said in his application that maintaining a brisk economy should be a primary focus.

The new Planning Commission’s first meeting is scheduled for Jan. 15 at 7 p.m.