Commissioner Stephen Onstot votes FOR Isis Preservation conditional use permit.
Conditional use permit PL13-0011. Ventura County Planning Commission hearing on March 20, 2014. Irena Hauser, Isis Preservation, tiger sanctuary. Below is the transcript of the video.
"The applicant has met every test. Environment report came back negative declaration, use permitted in the zone. We have no evidence to deny the conditional use permit, of a substantive nature. I don't think there is any real factual disputes that would stop me from voting FOR the applicant. The reason for that is a perfect safety record, people on site, no public access. I look at the conditions imposed and staff came up with standards that don't exist in the code. That is exactly what they've done and I feel sorry for the staff, and I understand why they jumped through hoops. No matter what happens today it should go back to board of supervisors for further study so guidelines can be set. I feel the restrictive conditions imposed by staff would be stronger than anything from the board of supervisors. A two year permit. If you think about it, if any real problems exist they will be discovered. This sound situation is, as residents think it might be, then they can come back also. There is no credible expert testimony upon which I can deny based on sound, and sound is one of the chief concerns that I have. <snip> We don't have substantive expert evidence upon which to deny the permit based on noise. It doesn't exist now. Staff denied based on public safety and compatibility. Well I didn't see any evidentiary substantive support to deny on public safety basis. As I said conditions exceed all standards. Safety record is perfect. On a compatibility issue I can't see any distinction between this one and Lockwood Valley. And I don't think we should have two standards, one for Malibu and one for Lockwood. I'm not saying there's not a lot of work that may need to be done with the "wild animals." But as everything exists today, as the record appears before me I have no choice but to vote to support the conditional use permit. I mean tigers, that is what this is about. Everybody is scared to death. Who wants a tiger next door? I appreciate that but it's actually permitted. All the conditions have been met and exceeded. So what are we supposed to do up here? Invent a problem so they can't go forward because we haven't done our job? I don't think so. I think what has to happen, we need to do our job. This matter needs to go back to the policy makers to clarify this issue. But I'm not prepared to stop the application because we haven't gotten direction from the policy makers. As I said all conditions have been met. We have a negative declaration. I can't find a public safety or compatibility issue. And I'm prepared to vote to approve the application."
