Candidates' Answers to Question #1

1. How do you value city beaches, and what do you see as priority issues for them?

Bill Fulton: Living in Ventura is kind of like living on an island. Our town is nestled in a fragile
ecosystem, surrounded by the hills, the rivers, and the ocean. Everything we do on this
island has consequences that we can see and we will have to deal with. The city’s
beaches and oceanfront are extremely important in so many ways that it is almost
impossible to articulate them here. But to me, the single most important issue is
improving our stormwater system to improve the quality of the water that flows into the
ocean. This means we must take all steps we possibly can to create natural water
purification systems here onshore.

Doug Halter : People, like myself, who value living near the beach and ocean seem to have a strong appreciation for the serene, tranquil effects the coast provides to our often hectic lives. I value the beautiful natural setting of both our beach and ocean and would strive to insure manmade debris is pollution is eliminated from our environment. We should more effectively educate those in our community and visiting what it is we are preserving in our sensitive habitats and also where more urban uses such as tanning, volleyball, Frisbee etc should be concentrated.

Christy Weir :Our beaches are a top priority to me, because they define the character of Ventura and are a source of enjoyment for our residents. The main issues are safety (dangerous debris and water safety), cleanliness (litter), water quality (storm water runoff) and access (sand covering stairways). With all of these issues, there is a balance between ecological concerns, jurisdiction (State/City) and attractiveness to residents and visitors that the current City Council and staff are working hard to achieve.

Carroll Dean Williams: I would advocate to keep our city beaches, along with our local state beaches, CLEAN. Our beaches become the "living room" room to our city.

Mike Gibson: I place a very high value on the City's beaches. I believe the beaches are a very important, if not the most important, component of the City of Ventura's identity and distinct character as a beach community. The beaches are a major factor in the desirability of the City as a place to live and work, as well as it’s attraction for tourism and location of new businesses. They are an important public resource that the City has an obligation to preserve and care for.

Carl Morehouse: I highly value the beaches around our city. However, as you are probably aware, the City has very little control over a majority of the beach areas that most individuals believe are city owned/regulated along our coastline. The City controlled portion runs from the north (or west) side of the Pier to the circle area at about the end of Figueroa Street. The rest of the beach area is controlled by the State.

That being said, I believe the city has a strong obligation to maintain the portion that is within city control and keep the city beaches safe, clean and attractive for use by our residents and visitors.

For those portions of the beaches that are in State control, I believe the City has an obligation to continue working with the State to achieve both the State and the City’s goals pertaining to beaches. My goal and priority is to have safe, clean beaches for the enjoyment of our residents and out-of-town guests, and to ensure that the sand doesn’t severely impact the residents who live near the beach. By the same token, the State’s mission, under the voter approved California Coastal Act of 1972, is to preserve the beach as a natural resource including plant and animal life and to provide public access for recreational uses to all Californians for their enjoyment. Those missions are not mutually exclusive, however they require cooperation between the City and the State and the continued exploration of opportunities to achieve those joint goals collectively. One good example of joint cooperation are the efforts undertaken at Surfers’ Point involving the joint cooperation of the California Coastal Commission, the State Department of Parks and Seaside Park (a State Agricultural District) which has been led by the City to re-design and restore the popular beach and bike path area. Also, I have been extremely supportive of the removal of Matilija Dam in order to help replenish the sand along our beaches.

Jerry D. Martin: Our beaches make Ventura the wonderful city it is. We have the obligation to maintain clean beaches with easy access to ensure Ventura remains “The Jewel of the Southern California Coast.”

Lou Cunningham : I feel that the beaches are of great importance to us even though I don’t use them. My wife is a teacher and takes her class to the city beaches at least once a year. The problem we have is that we don’t keep them clean enough and that we don’t have enough beach frontage. Most of the beaches along Ventura belong to the state and they don’t take very good care of them. Jerry D. Martin: Our beaches make Ventura the wonderful city it is. We have the obligation to maintain clean beaches with easy access to ensure Ventura remains “The Jewel of the Southern California Coast.”

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