Dana Sesma of Assemblywoman Audra Strickland’s office said that the legislator has “worked hard to protect our water,” and has been assisting the Ojai basin groundwater. The Assemblywoman also wrote a new bill to protect animals used in Mexican rodeos. “You have to have a vet on call for traditional rodeos,” and Strickland’s bill will require the same of other such events.“Another big topic was and is the budget,” which Sesma noted this year has brought little good news. The projected state deficit could be as much as $18 billion, and “There have been some suggestions to alleviate that” by the Governor, who has “called for a 10 percent across the board cut.”Assemblywoman Strickland does not support the proposal, as she believes “not all areas are equal” such as education and public safety, whose budgets should not be trimmed. She believes the “huge budget crisis is not a revenue problem, but a spending problem.”Sesma said the Assemblywoman continues to try to help find funding to help with the expense for the city’s new wastewater treatment plant, and will be “addressing it this session.”
GMSP: Assemblywoman Strickland’s office, Housing Element featured topics
February 06, 2008
Santa Paula News
The Housing Element Update and what’s new with Assemblywoman Audra Strickland were featured topics at the January Good Morning Santa Paula.
By Peggy KellySanta Paula TimesThe Housing Element Update and what’s new with Assemblywoman Audra Strickland were featured topics at the January Good Morning Santa Paula. Limoneira Co., represented by John Chamberlain, hosted the Chamber of Commerce-sponsored event held at Logsdon’s at the Airport.Updating the General Plan’s segment that deals with housing must be done every five years, said Judy Johnduff of the City’s Planning Department. “It’s such a critical issue in the state,” where all cities in the Southern Region are required to craft the update to “make sure that all housing needs for each person in the city are met.”The update will be the focus of community workshops before being considered by the Planning Commission and City Council. New housing as well as programs targeting properties needing rehabilitation, among other issues, are also factored into the element, said Johnduff.“We’ll look at all the existing housing units in the city and determine the need for new housing” per population projections. “The end result,” noted Johnduff, “is to determine how to provide housing for the community,” and will include taking an inventory on vacant and underutilized land that might be suitable for housing.
