PORT HUENEME : $250,000 Earmarked for Earthquake Aid

Lending a hand to Ventura County communities devastated by last month’s earthquake, the Port Hueneme City Council voted Wednesday to advance $250,000 in federal grants expected this year to the county’s relief effort.

The money--community block grants distributed by the Department of Housing and Urban Development--will be used to provide emergency assistance to areas of the county hard hit by the Jan. 17 earthquake.

While HUD has indicated that it will attempt to replace the funds, Port Hueneme officials said they were taking a risk because the city has used the grants to pay for services usually funded from city revenues.

Potentially affected by the loss of funds are the city’s crossing guards, housing rehabilitation, code enforcement, graffiti removal and senior citizen services.

In backing use of the funds for county disaster relief, Councilman Dorill Wright said the city was taking a risk that was necessary because of the hardship caused by the natural disaster.

“I don’t see too high a risk to help the needs of the suffering communities, to get damaged businesses back on line and damaged housing repaired,” Wright said.

He said city programs funded by the HUD grants are not essential services.