Third District County Supervisor Doreen Farr held office hours in Isla Vista yesterday in order to address her constituents’ questions and concerns.

Farr discussed several issues during the meeting, including the social host liability ordinance, Naples development, the Isla Vista Master Plan and community housing. Appointed representatives from Isla Vista, UCSB, Santa Ynez Valley and Goleta were present alongside constituents to listen to Farr’s comments on several contentious local issues.

One of the topics Farr addressed was the recent opening of a portion of the Naples coast to the public after Orange County developer Matt Osgood defaulted on a multimillion dollar loan to build large estates on the area.

According to Farr, there are still issues concerning communication between county officials and the property owners.

“I need to put the action into context. People have been crossing the Naples to get to the beach for a long time, but with the recent default on the developers’ loan, ,it is unclear who the responsible party in charge of the coastline who the county should be talking to is,” Farr said. “This issue needs to be discussed in open session, and it needs to be made clear what environmental impact development in the area would have.”

When questioned about the contradicting message from a campaign promoting job growth and sponsoring a bill that froze Santa Barbara County hiring in the 2011-12 fiscal year, Farr said the county’s budget deficit has made job growth unsustainable in the near future.

“This year we are looking to an 80 to 90 million dollar deficit. I am very concerned about keeping people employed, but at the same time everybody needs to be prudent,” Farr said. It does not make sense to hire someone in January and lay them off in February. It is not good for the county and it is not good for the individual.”

Farr also discussed the Isla Vista Master Plan during her two-hour meeting.

According to Farr, the plan is already creating more affordable housing and structural improvements in Isla Vista.

“We have bought property to help the I.V. Parks Department and build low-income housing,” Farr said. “A certain percentage of property in Isla Vista has to be affordable for low-income buyers. The Master Plan will install sidewalks and streetlamps in Isla Vista. It’s an important step for women’s safety reasons.”

Fourth-year student Chris Benham said he was impressed with the way Farr handled herself and responded to questions during the exchange.

“I found Doreen Farr to be perceptive, thoughtful and well-versed on the issues,” Benham said. “Her respect for the residents of Isla Vista was evident throughout our conversation.”