Measure R committee urges funds be concentrated on roads; questions use for homeless services

The Measure R Oversight Committee told the Santa Paula City Council at a budget workshop that the city’s Measure R revenue should be directed primarily to streets and pothole repair, and that homelessness support requested for the Spirit Homeless Shelter should not be paid from Measure R funds.

Cheryl Manzon, chair of the Measure R Oversight Committee, presented the committee’s review and said the group matched the ballot language and survey priorities against project requests in the draft two‑year budget. “We do feel that it is an important initiative for us, an initiative as the city. However, we did not feel that this was something that fell under the mandate of the Measure R,” Manzon said.

The committee’s analysis showed roughly 60% of proposed Measure R spending as streets and pothole work; when combined with sidewalk funding and a proposed reassignment of traffic‑safety…