Christy Weir Ventura City Councilmember

Physical Structure

Streets need to be well-paved and clean, for safety and appearance. Sidewalks and landscaping need to be upgraded and maintained. Historical buildings should be preserved and renovated to remind us of the importance of Ventura’s heritage. New buildings should conform to strict quality and design standards, to enhance the beauty of our natural setting. There should be limits on “high density” and mixed use development to prevent over-urbanization.

Community Services

Police and fire services are the city¹s core services and should continue to work together to maintain our public safety. Developers should be required to plan for parks and bike paths in future building proposals. The proposed Westside park needs to receive adequate funding from the city for completion. More attention should be paid to attracting tourism through marketing, as well as making our downtown and harbor areas more attractive to tourists through quality dining, shopping, recreational and cultural opportunities. Hotel and sales tax revenues from tourism bolster the city’s economy, benefiting all residents.

Community Relationships

In any vital community, healthy relationships between residents, groups,
churches, schools, business and government are essential. Positive change
can be made only when people work together. Avenues of communication need to
be strengthened and mutual respect fostered.

Environment

Ventura is blessed with an abundance of natural resources that benefit our residents every day — mountains, rivers, coastline and rich agricultural land. Stewardship of these resources is a primary responsibility of our citizens and our government, as we carefully balance economic growth with the preservation and enhancement of our environment. Protecting open space, greenbelts and orchards should continue to be a priority.

My role on the Ventura City Council has enabled me to lead several key environmental efforts in our community.

As a coastal city, we are experiencing the impacts of climate change in the form of increased storm surges and extreme high tides. Ventura’s shoreline is being battered and our damaged infrastructure needs sustainable, long-term solutions. I currently serve as Vice-Chair of BEACON (Beach Erosion Authority for Clean Oceans and Nourishment), a joint powers agency whose focus is coastal erosion and clean oceans in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties. Through our relationship with BEACON, the city was awarded a $285,000 grant to complete the planning and engineering for Phase 2 of the Surfers’ Point managed retreat project. The current bike path is eroding, and this project will move the bike path further inland and rebuild the beach dune area to prevent future erosion.

I also introduced a citywide ban on Expanded Polystyrene (EPS or Styrofoam), which was unanimously approved by the City Council. EPS single-use cups and take-out containers do not biodegrade and cannot be recycled. They are a common source of litter and harmful to our marine environment. Our restaurants will now be required to eliminate this unnecessary and toxic form of waste.

In addition, I led the efforts to enroll the City of Ventura in the Clean Power Alliance (CPA) and sit on their board of directors. CPA provides 100% clean, renewable electricity to our residents at a competitive price, using solar and wind sources, and helps us to decrease reliance on polluting fossil fuel.