SOAR Initiative

* The City Council and staff of Simi Valley are to be commended for their support of the Simi Valley Save Open Space and Agricultural Resources initiative campaign.

By giving their unanimous approval to place the SOAR initiative on the November ballot as City Measure O, rather than as a citizens initiative, they successfully avoided a frivolous lawsuit while allowing the public debate on SOAR’s merits to continue.

The City Council was also instrumental in the crafting of the initiative itself by providing input from council members as well as informed city staffers.

Many thanks to all of the city staff for your help and vision on behalf of the SOAR effort and the 9,886 residents who signed the petitions and expected no less from their local leaders.

JOHN M. CARDONE

Simi Valley

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In the day-to-day debate over the Save Open Space and Agricultural Resources campaign--elections, lawsuits, attorney statements, etc., etc.--two major items have escaped notice:

* Agriculture is Ventura County’s largest source of income. The topsoil is not a couple of inches deep but several feet deep, rich in minerals.

* Trees and green plants are our main source of oxygen. When sunlight hits green leaves, chlorophyll breaks down carbon dioxide into two parts: carbon, for plant nourishment, and oxygen, which we breathe.

New bedrooms should be built in places that can’t grow citrus and other fruit, vegetables and berries. Our farmland is a national treasure more valuable than gold, which can’t support life.

Zoning laws should require the provision of three or four trees per new home to provide oxygen for the homeowner while the family sleeps at night.

Federal figures show that the average California household produces 5,399 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions every year. That covers all income groups, since even the wealthy have to breathe.

COL. FRANK LISTER

Ventura