In defense of SOAR




Last week The Acorn reported on a conference organized by opponents of SOAR (Save Open Space and Agricultural Resources).

It’s important to note that the organizer, the California Economic Forecast, is a private consulting firm not associated with any university or nonprofit, with clients that include Exxon, Newhall Land and Farming, and the Building Industry Association.

The conference included speakers paid to oppose SOAR and, as expected, it was very one-sided.

So here are facts about SOAR to provide some balance:

1) SOAR does not lock in land use until 2050. SOAR locks in the citizens’ right to vote on major changes to land use (development projects).

2) SOAR doesn’t devalue agricultural lands. In fact, the latest crop report shows some of the highest crop values on record.

3) To assist farmers, new language in the SOAR2050 initiative allows for food-processing facilities and farmworker housing.

SOAR is proven. We know it benefits our economy, including a billion-dollar agricultural industry.

It protects the critical buffer of undeveloped land around the naval base, one of our county’s largest employers.

In the East County, SOAR adds a layer of protection to the open space hills that surround Oak Park, it protects parks and open space in the City of Thousand Oaks and it protects Alamos Canyon and the lands beyond Whiteface Mountain in Simi Valley.

It also keeps East County cities from sprawling into the Tierra Rejada Valley. In fact, SOAR protects many of the features that led to our county’s No. 1 ranking as the most desirable place to live in the country.

Not only do residents of Ventura County deeply value open space and farmland, they also value their right to have a voice on decisions about sprawl development.

Linda Parks
Westlake Village

Parks is a member of the Ventura County Board of Supervisors.



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