OXNARD : City, Harbor District May Form Panel

The Oxnard City Council and Oxnard Harbor District may form a joint committee to discuss matters affecting both agencies.

Edward Millan, president of the Oxnard Harbor District Board of Commissioners, said the committee, made up of two harbor commissioners and two City Council members, would represent “a new era of cooperativeness” between Oxnard and the Port of Hueneme.

“The days of isolation and separatism are gone,” Millan said. “We’re trying to improve the port. (The committee) is a vehicle to help achieve that.”

City Council members backed the proposal to form the committee last week, Councilman Michael Plisky said. The proposal, which must be approved by the council, may come up for a vote within a month, he said.

In the past, Millan said, the harbor district has operated largely on its own. Surrounded by the Naval Construction Battalion Center, the tiny port is hoping to expand business into the city of Oxnard, Millan said.

Among the areas of mutual interest would be upgrading roads through Oxnard to the port and zoning ordinances that affect areas that the port would like to develop, Millan said.