🐾 THIS IS ACTIVE WILDLIFE HABITAT AND ALWAYS HAS BEEN

The Ventura Ranch site sits at the edge of a wildland–urban interface north of the City of Ventura.

This area directly connects to:

• open space
• hillsides
• wildlife corridors leading into the Los Padres National Forest

It is widely recognized as active wildlife habitat — not a remote possibility, but an everyday reality.

This is not hypothetical.

• Mountain lions are established in this region and move through these corridors regularly
• Coyotes and bobcats are common throughout rural and agricultural areas nearby

These animals:

• cannot be relocated on demand
• cannot be fenced out from large, open environments
• adapt to human presence — not the other way around

Residents in similar areas are routinely advised to supervise children and pets at all times

👉 That is the environment this project is being placed into

Other known risks in this type of environment include:

• Wild boar — unpredictable and capable of causing injury
• Rattlesnakes — common in open space and agricultural lands, especially in warmer months
• Rabies‑carrying species such as skunks, raccoons, and bats

These are not rare encounters.

They are recognized, ongoing hazards in this region.

There is a major difference between:

• scattered rural homes
  vs.
• hundreds of families living in one concentrated area

This project introduces:

• children playing outdoors
• shared open spaces and walking paths
• frequent foot traffic across the site

👉 into an area that already supports active wildlife movement

This is not about occasional encounters.

Because of the location, exposure becomes part of daily life:

• children walking to play areas
• families using outdoor common spaces
• residents waiting outside for transportation

These are normal activities — but in this setting, they come with added, unavoidable risk

Farmworker housing is intended to:

• improve safety
• reduce hardship
• provide stable, secure living conditions

Placing dense, permanent family housing in an active wildlife corridor works against that purpose.

This is not about removing wildlife.

This is not about stopping development everywhere.

It’s about placing the right use in the right location.

👉 Dense family housing for vulnerable populations does not belong in an area where:

• large predators are present
• venomous wildlife is common
• constant vigilance is required just to stay safe

Wildlife hazards at Ventura Ranch are:

• real
• documented
• ongoing

Ignoring them does not make families safer.

Housing intended to protect farmworkers should not place them—and their children—into daily proximity with avoidable risk.

Location matters.
And in this case, it matters for safety