Gherardi going back to VCTC as board
director, other appointments made
December 26, 2014
By Peggy Kelly
Santa Paula News
City Councilwoman Ginger Gherardi is going back to the Ventura County Transportation Commission, this time as a board director of the agency she headed for 17 years before retiring in 2001.
Gherardi was among the three new Council members that filled seats on various local, county and state commissions and committees left vacant following the November election.
Mayor John Procter presented the list of appointments at a special meeting held December 22.
The session concentrated on just appointments to the Mayor’s Standing Committees for 2015 and lasted less than 5 minutes.
But that didn’t mean, Procter said that the appointments didn’t take some hard thinking: “I agonized over this, honestly, there were no good or bad conclusions,” regarding appointments.
Gherardi moved the item for approval and Councilman Jim Tovias seconded the motion.
The full council was present at the meeting held at the City Hall Conference Room; Human Resources Director Lorena Alvarez oversaw the brief meeting.
Procter was listed as the member of the Southern California Association of Governments (VCOG) with former member Tovias becoming the alternate.
“It was mutual agreement,” said Tovias, who noted that Procter “Has a long background,” with the agency, from which he retired earlier this year and served as a regional affairs officer.
Tovias, owner of an insurance agency, did retain his seat on the California Joint Powers Authority - City Manager Jaime Fontes is the alternate - and as the council liaison to the city’s citizen-driven Economic Development Advisory Committee.
Overall, Tovias said he was pleased that the council, “All quality people are on the correct commissions, I appreciate the quality,” of the representation the council will provide to the committees and commissions.
Procter said during the appointment process he, “tried to be as fair as possible... it’s such a great bunch,” and, in some instances council members were “almost overqualified” for select appointments.
Gherardi, who led the Ventura County Transportation Commission for 17 years before retiring in 2001, said being a member of the VCTC board would be a change albeit with a strong dose of familiarity.
“It will be different to be on the other side of the table,” she said, although, “I certainly have good experience and knowledge,” of VCTC and its operations.
“There are challenges out there,” with the changing VCTC and its service providers, as well as the city implementing its own - and first - intercity bus system in the coming year.
Said Gherardi, “And I’m hopeful I can help get a resolution of the train situation,” the longstanding lawsuit between Fillmore & Western Railway and VCTC.
Among Procter’s other appointments were Gherardi and newly elected Councilwoman Jenny Crosswhite as members of the Santa Paula Unified School District/City Council Joint Committee, and Crosswhite to the Santa Clara Valley Neighborhoods for Learning committee.
“I think Ginger and Jenny bring a nice new perspective,” said Procter, as Crosswhite has taught and “Ginger was instrumental in unification and she’s also very familiar with school board members.”
Other appointments were: Vice Mayor Martin Hernandez to the local Fish Ladder Authority and Santa Paula Basin Pumpers Association, and the county Animal Regulation Commission, Air Pollution Control District Advisory Committee (Procter is the alternate) and Ventura Regional Sanitation District (Crosswhite is the alternate).
Tovias was also named the City Recreation Commission Liaison (Gherardi is the alternate).
Procter will serve on the Economic Development Collaborative of Ventura County (Tovias is the alternate), Ventura County Regional Energy Alliance (Hernandez is the alternate), and as Gherardi’s alternate on the VCTC/VISTA committee.
The presiding Mayor and Vice Mayor serve on the Association of Ventura County Cities (City Selection Committee), and the state League of Cities Liaison for State Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson and Assemblymember Das Williams.
Although Gherardi and Jenny Crosswhite are council newcomers Procter served two council terms before stepping down in 2008 and successfully running again for office. The three were elected in November and replaced retiring Mayor Rick Cook and Ralph Fernandez and Bob Gonzales, who were defeated in their third bids for office.
