Although there are many options for monitoring truck traffic, such as CHP weigh stations, electronic GPS units, or 24 hour camera surveillance, Scott Ellison, a senior staffer at the Ventura County Planning Department who covers the Ozena Gravel Mine operation, has apparently come up with an idea that is not only simple but low cost and easy to implement.
According to an earlier news story in the Ojai Valley News, Scott Ellison said, “..it has been difficult to monitor trucks violating their travel restrictions because there are several mines in the area which use gravel trucks, each with varying permit restrictions, and it has been almost impossible to identify which mines the trucks are coming from.”
For example, the Ozena Mine, whose trucks are frequently seen in the area, is only allowed to have project related truck travel in either direction on Highway 33 between Ojai and Casitas Spring for a very limited seven hours a day. That is from 6:00am to 7:00am and from 9:00am to 3:00pm on Weekdays and from 6:00am to 5:00pm on Weekends. Any of their trucks that violate this order could trigger a “Notice of Violation,” and lead to major penalties.
(If you suspect a truck is in violation, please complete the “Catch at Truck Violation” form at:
http://www.ojaipost.com/2007/06/catch_a_truck_violation_report.shtml
The more complaints we receive, the easier it will be to take action against the offenders.)
The Ojai Valley News reported that the Ventura County planners are proposing a more aggressive program that requires trucks to be identified with PLACARDS, indicating which mine they are delivering for, as well as a fine to the mining company for each time a restriction is violated. To keep costs down, all enforcement through this monitoring system would be handled by citizens’ complaints in writing to the County.
The simple brilliance of this plan is so remarkable, it is amazing no one came up with this idea previously. Kudos to the Planning Department and Scott Ellison for coming up with idea and then sharing it with his counterparts in the Santa Barbara Planning Department as well as some of the mine owners, all of whom appear to support the plan.
Given that the violations frequently occur at night or in the wee hours of the morning, we undertook a simulated demonstration so you too can judge just how effective Scott Ellison’s strategy is.
Here is a Gravel Truck at 5:00pm Violating its Permit.
Can you spot the Placard and Identify the Mine?
Here is a Gravel Truck at 2:30am Violating its Permit
Can you spot the Placard and Identify the Mine?
Here is a Gravel Truck at 3:30am Violating its Permit.
Can you spot the Placard and Identify the Mine?
Here is a Gravel Truck at 5:30am Violating its Permit.
Can you spot the Placard and Identify the Mine?
And here’s the Placard we’d really like to see at 9:00am
the next morning, when it is time for a…
Is it any Wonder that Mine Owners, Truckers and the Planning Department Love this Plan?
If you would like to share with our elected officials or the press about this plan,
please tell everyone what you think before it is too late!
And Remember Only You Can Report Violations and Save Ojai!
{ 3 comments }
Scott Ellison’s Reply Follows:
—– Original Message —–
From: “Scott Ellison”
To: “Howard Smith”
Sent: Wednesday, June 27, 2007 7:36 AM
Subject: Re: Truck Monitoring Plan Proposed by Ventura Co. Plannners!!!
If you do not like the placard idea, do you have a better one? Any system should have a way for the public or a County monitor to identify a truck quickly if one is suspected of not being where it is supposed to be.
Scott L. Ellison
Ventura County Planning Division
800 S. Victoria Avenue
Ventura, CA 93009
(805) 654-2495 fax 2509
Scott.Ellison@ventura.org
—————————
Dear Scott,
Thank you for your quick response. Any monitoring of violations must be both reasonable and feasible, which your Placard idea is clearly not because most violations come at night.
If there is no adequate means of monitoring compliance, then any C.U.P. application by any mine, including Ozena, should simply be denied.
In yesterday’s email to you, there were three possible alternatives mentioned of the many that are out there that could actually work, particularly if the costs are underwritten by the applicant.
1) A CHP monitored weight scale on Route 33 between Ojai and the Cuyama Valley
2) Electronic Monitoring by the CHP of all trucks using GPS technology
3) 24 hour Camera Surveillance at the tunnels, also monitored by CHP
If you are not already aware of the complaints coming out of Ojai in the press, in emails, on the Ojai post or in the 350 plus letters forwarded to the Planning Department by “Stop the Trucks” and Forestwatch, you might learn that the major concern citizens have are about trucks coming through Ojai either before 6:00am or after 3:00pm or during the weekday black out hours of 7:00am to 9:00am. The worst violations come between 2:30am and 6:00am.
Then again, how can we be sure you know the restrictions imposed on Ozena, given your comments in a public email you sent out on April 30th to me and to Nao Braverman of the Ojai Valley News? In that letter you incorrectly stated:
“As an additional piece of information:
4. Since the operator can start loading trucks at 3:00 am now, empty trucks
can be running north through the Ojai at 2:00 am and loaded trucks can be
coming back through the Ojai by 4:00 am.”
(Your full email of April 30th is below.) Even giving you the benefit of the doubt, that you wrote in error or confusion, the information you released as a public official is clearly inaccurate and misleading, particularly when it is directed at the news media.
Furthermore, when Forestwatch made a “Public Records Act Request,” for information about all complaints in regards the Ozena Mine and their disposition, you apparently denied the request. Your response to them claimed that;
“Material that is not public record include copies of actual complaints, any enforcement files/notes, or proprietary information that could give competitors business insights into a project’s operational or financial activities.”
Please correct me if I am wrong, but given your advocacy of an unenforceable monitoring system; your apparent lack of knowledge of the hours Ozena is forbidden to send trucks in either direction through Ojai; your seeming unwillingness to provide documentation regarding violations and punishment; and the horrible experience the citizens of Ojai have endured day after day, night after night, how are we to know that any thing you say or do in regards the C.U.P. is accurate or appropriate?
If you can correct these impressions, I would be only too happy to issue a public apology, secure in the knowledge that either a truly effective monitor system has been put in place or that Ozena’s C.U.P has been suspended by your department.
Sincerely,
Howard Smith
—————————
Scott’s email of April 30th follows:
—– Original Message —–
From: “Scott Ellison”
To: “Howard Smith” ; ” Nao Braverman”
Cc: “Katrina Rice Schmidt” ; “Kim Rodriguez”
; “Martin Hernandez”
; “Patrick Richards”
; “Steve Offerman”
; “John Hecht”
Sent: Monday, April 30, 2007 8:00 AM
Subject: Re: Ojai Valley News: EIR Request Seen As Victory by”Stop the
Trucks” campaign
As the project case planner for the Ozena mine, I would like to correct a
couple of things in the following release:
1. The current permit only allows 66 daily truck trips (ADT), not the 132
ADT cited in the release. The applicant is ASKING for an additional 66 ADT
or a total of 132 ADT for existing and new trips.
2. The existing 66 ADT are unrestricted as to what route they take
(although they are restricted as to the time of day they can travel through
the Ojai Valley). As such, all 66 ADT can travel through the Ojai now if
customer demand justifies it.
3. NONE of the proposed additional 66 trips would be allowed to travel
through the Ojai at any time. The project description in the MND explicitly
limits those trips to only going north. That means that even if the project
is approved as proposed by the operator, there would be NO increase in the
allowable trips through the Ojai Valley.
As an additional piece of information:
4. Since the operator can start loading trucks at 3:00 am now, empty trucks
can be running north through the Ojai at 2:00 am and loaded trucks can be
coming back through the Ojai by 4:00 am. The proposed project would move
the start time to 4:30 am which shifts the empty trucks to 3:30 am and the
full trucks to no earlier than 5:30. While the new start time is still
early, it is later than the existing allowed time * we assume later is
better than earlier.
Without the reader having the above information, the release clearly implies
that approval of the Ozena mine would result in many additional truck trips
through the Ojai than already exists. However, that is not true. I hope
this clarifies what the actual project description is. If you have any
questions on this issue please feel free to contact me.
Scott L. Ellison
Ventura County Planning Division
800 S. Victoria Avenue
Ventura, CA 93009
(805) 654-2495 fax 2509
Scott.Ellison@ventura.org
Excellent and persuasive presentation. The only way the mines and truck companies will obey the time restrictions, would be having extra CHP and / or Sheriff officers available and AGRESSIVELY citing for violations. Now, seriously, how realistic of a chance of that happening on a long term basis? Try slim and none!
I have read many items about the trucks. I have been concerned about these trucks for years. Now, it is time to change the names for the higways in order to ban the trucks. Change Maricopa HW to Maricopa Scene Road and Ojai Ave/HW 150 to Ojai Scene Road.
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