All for one, one for all

At today's meeting of the Ventura County Council of Governments, the board of elected officials representing all ten cities (and the County itself)unanimously approved a compromise "regional housing needs allocation." Although every community had reservations about their individual share of the overall estimate of new housing units to be built over the next nine years, the elected officials put those aside to find common ground.

What does this mean? It means at least three things:

• Each jurisdiction was willing to cooperate to achieve a greater goal -- ensuring that the decisions on growth management policies will remain in our County and not be subject to regional politics.
• Ventura County cities can work together, respecting each community's unique geographic, legal and community situation
• Ventura Council of Governments is carving out a place where the cities and the County can overcome the competition and historic rivalries that have long divided the County

The numbers are likely to be controversial, since growth is so controversial throughout the County. But with strong State and regional pressure on Ventura County to address the larger housing challenges facing California, today's VCOG vote represents a recognition that we are better off united than divided.

Today also marked the first meeting of the year and the election of this year's VCOG chair. Our own Ventura Mayor Carl Morehouse was the unanimous choice to lead the organization.