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Resident urges Fillmore to act on Rancho Crespi traffic safety; council says area is county jurisdiction
Summary
A Rancho Crespi resident told the council a petition backed by more than 115 neighbors and legal professionals calls for dual traffic signals at both entrances because of a severe public‑safety hazard; a councilmember responded that the area lies outside Fillmore city limits and advised contacting Ventura County.
At the start of public comment on July 14, Rancho Crespi resident Ximena Cortez presented a petition she said was signed by more than 115 residents, including 13 legal professionals and five medical professionals, urging the city to install dual traffic signals at the eastbound and westbound entrances to Rancho Crespi.
"We are giving formal notice of a severe public safety hazard," Cortez told the council, describing repeated collisions at the community entrance and the case of a resident who suffered lasting injuries after being struck while turning into the neighborhood. She said she had contacted Caltrans and that the agency "acknowledged the situation and will be addressed," and she asked the council to direct public works to partner with Caltrans, use capital improvement funds and place the item on the next agenda.
Councilmember Villasenor responded during council reports that Rancho Sespe and the Rancho Cespe area are in unincorporated Ventura County, not inside Fillmore’s municipal boundaries. "The decision makers and the authority that can assist you is the county of Ventura," Villasenor said, offering to connect Cortez to County Supervisor Kelly Long and to provide traffic‑study data the city has collected along Highway 126.
The exchange clarified jurisdictional limits: Cortez framed the issue as a city obligation because residents access the highway daily, but the council and staff noted that roadway authority and permitting for state highways falls to Caltrans and county supervisors for unincorporated areas. The council did not vote on an action to change signal controls; Villasenor offered to share existing traffic studies and to help connect residents with county officials.
Next steps: Cortez asked that staff put the item on a future agenda; councilmembers said they could provide data and introductions but reiterated that the county and Caltrans are the agencies with primary authority over the roadway.
