Environmental Coalition Of Ventura County

An environmental group on Monday filed a lawsuit against Ventura County and the Farmont Corp. over the county's approval of an Ojai Valley golf course development, officials said. The suit, filed in Ventura County Superior Court, asks that a judge require the Board of Supervisors to reverse its decision to allow Farmont to build the 204-acre course, said Phil Seymour, the Santa Barbara lawyer who filed the suit on behalf of the Environmental Coalition of Ventura County.

An environmental group on Monday filed a lawsuit against Ventura County and the Farmont Corp. over the county's approval of an Ojai Valley golf course development, officials said. The suit, filed in Ventura County Superior Court, asks that a judge require the Board of Supervisors to reverse its decision to allow Farmont to build the 204-acre course, said Phil Seymour, the Santa Barbara lawyer who filed the suit on behalf of the Environmental Coalition of Ventura County.

In regard to the article the Ojai landfill ("Environmental Group Cites Landfill's AIDS Threat," June 11), "the possibility that condom-carrying sea gulls could spread AIDS" is a truly terrifying vision. And we have the Environmental Coalition of Ventura County to thank for inventing the notion and the Los Angeles Times to thank for publishing such ridiculous AIDS-phobic misconceptions. Please refrain from publishing statements made by such narrow minded, ignorant individuals who hide behind the word "environmental."

Regardless of one's opinion about the future of the proposed Weldon Canyon landfill, and contrary to the Environmental Coalition of Ventura County's comments that the dump might play a role in spreading AIDS, it is a fact that the dump would not spread AIDS. Has truth become a casualty in the coalition's eco-war on the proposed dump? Why is this eco-political group ignoring science and spreading misinformation about AIDS transmission? Does the end result of blocking the proposed dump justify the means of preying on people's anxiety about AIDS?

In a 3-2 vote, the county Planning Commission approved a request by former President Ronald Reagan and his wife, Nancy, for burial sites at his presidential library near Simi Valley. Several planners and an environmentalist expressed concern that the graves would attract too many visitors and increase traffic in the area.

Lately, it seems to be the practice for candidates who are running for office to introduce bills and make statements that make them appear to be environmentally inclined and look good to the casual reader. The latest is Sen. Pete Wilson's wilderness and river protection bill. Wilson has no interest in protecting the environment, as his voting record clearly shows. The bill that he is introducing carefully leaves the Sespe open to damming and includes less than half of the valuable wilderness area available for protection in Ventura County.

Still hoping its housing project prevails in court, the developer of Hidden Creek Ranch was encouraged by a favorable court ruling Monday on its environmental impact report. Ventura County Superior Court Judge Thomas J. Hutchins refused to reconsider his ruling last month that threw out a challenge to the report, a state-mandated document that identifies anticipated effects the development would have on the community.

A lawsuit filed by the Environmental Coalition of Ventura County accuses Moorpark of violating its General Plan by approving the massive Hidden Creek Ranch development north of the city. Glen Reiser, an attorney representing the project's Costa Mesa-based developer, the Messenger Investment Co., called the lawsuit "bogus." It was filed Friday in Ventura County Superior Court. Reiser contends the action can't be heard in court because the coalition did not exhaust its administrative remedies.

Ventura County Proposition: Measure B Summary: Will approve a half-cent sales tax for transportation projects for 30 years. Who got it on the ballot: The Ventura County Transportation Commission and the Ventura County Board of Supervisors. Who are in favor: The Building Industry Assn. of Southern California and Cal State Channel Islands Foundation. Who are opposed: Citizens Against Urban Sprawl; representatives of Environmental Coalition of Ventura County and Sierra Club's Los Padres chapter.

A literal interpretation of Ventura County's water policy does not appear to allow officials to approve a private golf course in the Ojai Valley, a judge said Thursday. "The problem I have is it's a very specific ordinance," said Superior Court Judge William A. Peck. "I didn't draft it. I assume somebody in the county drafted it." Peck is being asked by the Environmental Coalition of Ventura County to overturn a 1993 permit allowing the Farmont Corp.

The judge hearing the Farmont golf course case brought against Ventura County by an environmental watchdog coalition told attorneys Tuesday that he helped organize the group in the 1960s, but that he is no longer a member. Before final arguments, which were continued to Thursday, Superior Court Judge William A. Peck said he was among the founders of the Environmental Coalition of Ventura County. "I haven't been a member for more than 20 years," Peck said.