ojai news at The Ojai Post :: blog, newspaper, events in Ojai, California

While taking months to produce a six-page “study” not worth the paper it’s written on, Caltrans has also been busy planning, strengthening, repairing and beefing-up various sections of both Highway 33 and Highway 150. As you may know, Highway 150 runs right past our historic, down-town Arcade, out through the East End, passing Boccali’s restaurant and continuing up the scenic-yet-treacherous Dennison Grade and on through upper Ojai to Santa Paula. It also passes by the new mega-housing development of Adams Canyon and terminates at the new Asphalt Plant being opened in Santa Paula by the giant national contractor, Granite Construction.

If I’m cynical regarding Caltrans’ ultimate objectives, it’s because there’s ample reason to be. Indeed, it doesn’t take an engineer to conclude that Route 33 can’t safely handle the huge size and weights of the behemoths now careening down there, and that our safety and welfare remain in grave jeopardy if these trucks are permitted continued access there. Yet in spite of our requests to seriously research the issue, Caltrans didn’t issue their “report” until now, effectively putting pressure on the Stop The Trucks! Coalition to challenge the findings with a more technically-sound, professional analysis, prepared in time for the next hearing scheduled before the Santa Barbara Planning Commission in Santa Maria, on July 11th.

Remember, there’s several more mining companies waiting in the wings to follow Santa Barbara’s Diamond Rock Mine getting a green light to haul down Ojai’s Route 33.

I’m also cynical regarding Caltrans having singled-out Ojai’s San Antonio Creek Bridge (on Highway 150) for retrofitting and requesting that the City of Ojai grant them jurisdiction to detour traffic around the bridge, via Gridley Road, while working to strengthen it. Could it be that the huge gravel trucks planned for Route 33 might also smell a potential windfall in new business in Santa Paula?

Surely, these trucks can just as easily take a left turn at Vons to Santa Paula as a right to Ventura. How about other trucks delivering tons of building supplies for Adams Canyon? Naturally, the companies involved in all this are claiming that they have no “intention” of moving heavy trucking through Ojai via Highway 150. However, stated “intentions” are not legally binding.

Also disturbing are recently acquired Caltrans documents obtained by Stop The Trucks! Coalition founder Howard Smith -- and only then by having to invoke the Freedom of Information Act to get them -- providing what appears to be a suspicious pattern of either delaying and/or possibly ignoring the opinion of some County planners that, in fact, Route 33 is not an appropriate, safe venue for such heavy trucks. One of the documents, written by an industry lobbyist, even goes so far as to tell Caltrans to get in step with industry material demands and that regardless of Ojai and Ventura County’s objections to massive truck traffic on Route 33, Cal Trans should recommend approval of the project if they want a regular, steady supply of road aggregate.

Unfortunately -- after reading such (previously withheld and “confidential”) documents, how can we ever trust or have faith that any Traffic and Safety Study conducted by Caltrans will be unbiased and transparent? That’s the point, we can’t. And now we know that its terribly biased. Indeed, the credibility and integrity of Caltrans, the Diamond Rock Mine, The Santa Barbara County Planners, and the industry special interests and lobbyist that promote both road building and the mining and transport of rock aggregate are now all on the line.

Don’t forget that it was Caltrans -- under their previous incarnation as the California Department of Highways -- who once wanted to build a freeway extension all the way from the 101, up the Venture River Valley, out to Ojai’s East End, eventually connecting all the way to Santa Paula’s 126 Freeway. Blocked from that development-insanity, are they now planning a more covert, less obvious method of supporting industrial-sized truck commerce via the heart and soul of the Ojai Valley?

While state law limits Ojai’s ability to control Caltrans, our city may have the legal jurisdiction -- and must now have the courage -- to reject Caltrans’ request to reroute traffic around the San Antonio Creek Bridge via Gridley Road, thus effectively blocking or at least stalling their retrofitting plans for the bridge for as long as legally possible. Did Caltrans intentionally delay the Route 33 Safety Study while completing all kinds of retrofitting, strengthening and repairing along both Route 33 and Highway 150, in an attempt at making an “end run” around Ojai’s earlier success at blocking the Freeway? Is Caltrans really being faithful to their mandate to maintain safety along California’s state roads in support of commerce? Well, they sure appear to be promoting the “commerce” part, but at Ojai’s expense:

They’re turning a blind-eye on the safety of Route 33 and Highway 150 by preparing these scenic-yet-narrow and treacherous highways for significant industrialized truck commerce. It’s a classic “Catch – 22” and, as such, Caltrans’ behavior can only be viewed as being both cynical and very troubling.

I believe that the City of Ojai has no choice but to stand-up to the monster-sized and powerful Caltrans and their industry special interest groups in the same way the Stop the Trucks! Coalition is trying to do. The City of Ojai and the Citizens of Ojai have no choice but to be in complete solidarity with each another. It’s also time for the City of Ojai to state publicly that they’re on board with sharing the legal expenses that will guide and protect us through this entire process.

Obviously, no one who loves and treasures Ojai wishes that she’d ever turn into either another polluted truck-route-of-a-town or morph into any mega-development sprawl. Sadly, hundreds of small towns scattered throughout California began their own history with more charm and healthier environments then what ultimately became of them because they lost control of their own destiny and were overtaken by unchecked, aggressive commerce and development.

I’m confident that as in many times past, our city will rise to meet this terrible and epic challenge now facing us today, and once again -- with everyone’s help and financial generosity -- we shall prevail. However, let no one doubt that Ojai is now standing at a critical crossroad, and I fear that her very survival as the town and treasure she is today, does indeed now hang in the balance.

Beautiful yet vulnerable and fragile City of Ojai… what will you do?