I like when elected officials hold public forums where voters can ask questions not filtered by the media and the average voter can attend. Events held in the middle of a work day at a Country Club with an admission charge do not count.
Jay Kapitz, a Barack Obama volunteer and a community activist, sent me an email with information on the upcoming community forum to discuss the landmark open space law known as SOAR.
Are you going to go? Anyone know if it is going to be televised? If it is, please post it on youtube for us.
Here is the email from Jay Kapitz:
Dear Friends:
You are invited to a meeting on Saturday, January 31, 2009, 10 AM to Noon, at the Oak Park Community Center regarding protecting the open space in Oak Park, the Conejo Valley and all of Ventura County.
Ventura County Supervisors Linda Parks and Steve Bennett will discuss the law known as SOAR -Save Open-Space and Agricultural Resources."
Currently the SOAR law is set to expire in less than 12 years. It protects us against development of the hillsides around Oak Park, Thousand Oaks and surrounding areas. There is currently a deed restriction prohibiting development around Oak Park by the Rancho Simi Park District, which owns the open space. This deed restriction will expire in a few years and that is a huge reason that SOAR is so important to anyone living in Oak Park. Similar issues are in play for Thousands Oaks.
Please attend this meeting. Come find out more about SOAR and how we can protect these and other open space areas that could be at risk for development.
Hope to see you there.
Jay Kapitz
10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
WHERE: Oak Park Community Center,
1000 Kanan Road
�?� What areas in our community are identified
in SOAR's At Risk Report as being at risk of
development?
�?� What additional lands, if any, should be
protected?
�?� What are our options to protect open space long into the future?
If you are a supporter of keeping our open spaces free from development and urban
sprawl, your input is needed!
For further information and to RSVP,
please contact Marilyn Carpenter, (805) 495-9541
We Need Your Input--
Please join members of the SOAR Board, local community leaders and open
space advocates for a Thousand Oaks/Oak Park community meeting on
Open Space protection.
WHEN: Saturday, January 31st Open Space de�?nes our community, provides us with beautiful views,
fresh air, and nature trails, and gives wildlife room to roam.
Fortunately for us, the thousands of acres of natural open
space that surrounds much of Oak Park and Thousand Oaks
is protected by a law that requires developers to get a vote of
the people before they can rezone it for development. The
open space protection law, created by citizen initiative in
1998 is known as SOAR (Save Open space and Agricultural
Resources) and, unless we act, the SOAR law will expire in
less than a dozen years. Lets not wait until it's too late.
Save Open Space
and Agricultural Resources
www.soarusa.org
Brian: thanks for posting the meeting announcement. I moved to Oak Park 8 years ago, drawn by the great schools and amazing open space. Most residents assume because Oak Park is "built out" that the open space will always remain as it is. In fact, we are learning that the reality is more complex and that deals made years ago may not be as protective of the open space that we have all come to expect. This scenario is in fact a concern in many areas across Ventura County. This meeting is a great opportunity to learn about a law that has been absolutely critical in the battle to preserve our open space and agricultural resources. Although this is a regional meeting geared toward Thousand Oaks and Oak Park residents, other areas in Ventura County will be discussed and residents from all areas in the County are welcome.
Jay Kapitz