Farmland Task Force to Meet Monday

A task force charged with analyzing the impact of development on the county’s farmland will hold its inaugural town hall meeting in Oxnard on Mondaynight.

The Ventura County Agriculture Policy Working Group--a coalition of politicians, urban planners, environmentalists, building industry representatives and farmers--will convene between 6:45 and 9 p.m. at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center, 800 Hobson Way.

The meeting is the first of seven regional conferences planned for January and February across the county.

After months of briefings on the county’s economy, agricultural history, land use and other trends, the group will present residents with different scenarios representing a variety of growth-management options.

Working group officials said they hope presentations will spur debate on the trade-offs involved in any pro-growth or preservation strategy.

“We want to get a sense of what the public thinks about maintaining agricultural land and open space,” county Supervisor John K. Flynn said. “We also want people to understand the constraints involved in maintaining ag land.”

Flynn hopes the public will turn out to provide the research group with feedback.

“This is a prime opportunity for the public to participate in the policymaking process for agricultural issues,” Flynn said. “Any policies made in the future will directly impact the entire Oxnard area and residents.”