I listened to speaker after speaker advocate transferring more planning authority from city governments to regional organizations, which are less accountable to voters.

Panelists left no doubt about their agenda: to promote high-density housing projects in communities throughout Ventura County. They acknowledged that there is widespread public resistance to higher density and the traffic congestion it creates, and to loss of local control, so much attention was devoted to overcoming that opposition. 

One speaker suggested that government officials never use the term “high density” when talking about high-density housing. I guess “smart growth” sounds better.

The Star editorial states that the Ventura County Civic Alliance “wants to create a ‘Compact for a Sustainable Ventura County.’” Who gave this group authority to plan the future of our county? Will their “compact” be submitted to voters, as was the Save Open Space and Agricultural Resources initiative? Or will it be a device to deny citizens a voice in shaping the destiny of their communities?

— Roderick Greene, Ojai