Measure C Balloting

The First Assembly of God church has submitted a proposal to the voters of the city of Ventura (Measure C) to obtain the consent to rezone 26 acres of land from its present agriculture zoning to residential. This land is cultivated and has been for many years. It’s highly productive, valuable, irreplaceable cropland. It’s equally irreplaceable as open space.

Against these values, I posit the asserted values intended to be gained in having a new, larger Assembly of God church. For me, it’s an easy choice: Keep the present agriculture zoning. Keep the land. Keep the open space.

Urbanization of farmland and open space is no less destructive of our environment when done in the interests of a church than when done in the interests of commercial development. It’s all urban sprawl. Although the project in question is regarded as small, compared to many developments that cover hundreds of acres, 26 acres of prime cropland is not, in these parts, a trivial piece of acreage.

So far as I’m aware, the city of Ventura does not suffer a critical lack of churches or space within the present city boundaries to accommodate more. But preserving sufficient productive land to assure the survival of healthy agriculture in our county is certainly critical.

These are the central questions with which we should be concerned in deciding our position on Measure C. All the others, as I’ve heard them stated and argued, are peripheral.

Forget about the playing fields the church promises to make available to the public on the proposed site. Reasonable skepticism alone should suggest that the offer may largely be a ploy to obscure what is overwhelmingly private, sectarian interest, with the aura of public good. But in any case, I don’t want to be dependent on this church or any private entity for access to recreational facilities. If we need more recreational facilities, and it seems amply evident that we do, let’s proceed with construction of the sports park proposed by the City Council. If it’s unavoidable that we lose more cropland to provide new sports facilities, it should be for city facilities--built, managed and maintained by the city for all the city’s residents.

Vote no on Measure C.

WOLF BREIMAN

Ventura