The City of Ventura and the City of Ojai have entered into a cooperative letter agreement regarding the Ventura River lawsuit. The agreement confirms that the City of Ventura is not seeking attorneys’ fees from individuals or businesses in the case, including those who received notice packets.
Officials from the cities met last month to discuss the matter. Officials with the City of Ojai shared that they were continuing to hear concerns from their residents that the City of Ventura might seek costly attorneys’ fees from them in the lawsuit. Ojai officials requested that Ventura enter into a letter agreement confirming Ventura is not seeking attorneys’ fees to ease these concerns. Ventura officials appreciated the suggestion, and both entities worked with their legal counsel to have it arranged.
City of Ventura Mayor Matt LaVere signed the letter agreement after the Ventura City Council voted in closed session on Tuesday, September 8, to authorize the letter agreement, confirming that the City of Ventura will not pursue attorneys’ fees from individuals or business named or noticed in the case.
“Ventura is pleased to fulfill this request from its colleagues in Ojai, and we thank them for approaching us with this proposed solution to help address some concerns in our communities,” said LaVere. “We hope this agreement demonstrates that we are committed to developing cooperative solutions for the Ventura River Watershed.”
“We hope this agreement will provide some relief for our residents,” said Ojai Mayor Johnny Johnston. “This is a good example of cities working collaboratively for common sense solutions.” Councilmember William Weirick added, “We’re pleased the City of Ventura was willing to address our concerns on this aspect of the lawsuit. We look forward to further collaborative efforts towards resolution.”
The signed letter agreement will be posted on the City of Ventura’s website dedicated exclusively to this issue, www.venturariver.com, and at the City of Ojai website, www.ojaicity.org.
