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Ojai "YES" Man
Sez ZILCH
Stonewalls The VIEW!
New Ojai City Manager
Rob Clark Fails To Answer - City Stands
in Support of Illegal Search & Seizure
by Code Enforcement ?
COVER STORY ~ Apr. Issue #35:
Citizens Losing
More Rights

SUBJECT: re: Ojai Public Speaking/Code Enforcement Activities
From: editor@ojaiandventuraview.com
Date: April 14, 2011 4:05:15 PM PDT
To: clark@ci.ojai.ca.us
Cc: editor@ojaiandventuraview.com
Thurs., April 14, 2011
Rob Clark, Ojai city manager, clark@ci.ojai.ca.us
RE: Ojai Public Speaking/Code Enforcement Activities

---

Code Enforcement?
Why Worry? It's Only
Your Money They Want

Dick Lynch
Ojai and Ventura VIEW, Dec 2012, Issue #42

- by Dick Lynch

Dec #42, 2011: Water, Water.... anything else on your mind when you get your mail and hope your water bill isn't in there? Well, we do have some new Heroes in town. Pete Kaiser and the bunch on the board of Lake Casitas for not takin' the decision that would have let enough water go down the drain each year as to supply a town like Ojai, of TEN THOUSAND people. Self-styled bird dog Larry Yuva would have had the water go into the SEA each year so he can Fish?

What do you think Larry? One fisherman or 10,000 people that will have to ration water usage in the future? We will end up protecting everything but us.
Way past the time to fish or cut bait. We have a new Mayor: Mayor Betsy Clapp, so hopefully this is gonna be a busy and benign year, unlike the last!
Libbey Bowl is still out there like an expensive harpooned albatross. City Council Health Care is on the list.... or should that be rephrased as benefits. Council should get some benefits. The Ojai School Board does. Without those School Board Health PERKS they could actually hire additional aids for the K-2 Grade kids (age 2-12), where help is needed most. You remember the "Kids" those things schools were started for in the first place?
Instead, kids from the Nordhoff Music Dept. have to beg for money at Vons like Tiny Tim... while the cream of the crop school board gets cozy free rides and extra vacation time! phD's, attorneys, retired teachers... and the list goes on. Big bucks. Think the elite wealthy school board members can afford their own health insurance?
But back to the City, we are divided as to whether greater harm is done to Ojai by leaving all those store fronts empty or filling them with Formula stores like Patagonia. Now, given, that is a subversive corporate "green" chain store (with products manufactured/outsourced in China, Thailand, Vietnam, Japan, Turkey, Portugal, Mexico, Costa Rica, Colombia, El Salvador, Israel, Morocco, Tunisia, Bulgaria, the Philippines, oh and in the good ole U.S.A....) Really, no big box stores are really Green or Responsible enough to come to Ojai....like Chase, Bank Of America and Wells? What have we done recently that also repels businesses with backbone from trying out Ojai? Such brave shopkeepers we have here tho, not afraid to rock the political boat you know. Maybe it's just not politically correct in Ojai to promote an opinion, be a free-thinking American, solve old problems? Those empty store fronts just continue on.... after ITI, Lynda.com and Garlic Gold left, they took 150 jobs out of town... Now I hear we have an 11% unemployment rate....No wonder Ojai's finest have nothing better to do than kick around the poor folk for penny revenue.
A wise person once told me, "Just because they won an election doesn't mean they know anything".
So, why do we automatically assume that our elected officials have an average IQ, have the ability to understand complex issues, and aren't biased or paying off political favors, and have a good moral balance?
California Cities are having trouble with Fiscal and Moral balance: Ventura being one of the worst but those folks down there must have saltwater on the brain.... they keep electing/supporting the same crooked individuals. Ventura has become Pottersville in fact with no cuts in city staff salaries, unnecessary parking meters, high rents, myriad empty store fronts of their own. These big city imported cancers have resulted in a neglected quality of life for the 99%, with code enforcement that preys upon those least able to pay - helps them into the grave even. It's NOT A Wonderful Life there except for the crooked politicians and their crooked L.A. developer fiends... the paid for suck ups worshipping a false god, the golden calf. Ojai it might appear, could easily fall into the well too.... Lock Step.
Still tho, Ojai should consider itself lucky. We have escaped most of the problems the other cities are faced with. Don't get me wrong - we have plenty of issues with our elected officials and City staff, but not to the degree of other "SMALL TOWNS".
Our City seems to be like a kid at a Buffet: faced with so many choices, issues, factions, conflicts, cohorts and options that it can't make any one choice stick - civic gridlock. We have become the City of NO-Jai by default!
Council meetings easily go 4 +hours only to have staff say we'll be back with more information next time.... Often the issue and information is forgotten by the next meeting, if not the next minute. Instead maybe staff, when they get the tough questions, should not be allowed to say "we don't have enough information" and hide out on the BE-Back Bus. Seems like council is always waiting for staff to be-back with the rest of the information.
Maybe the council should have 1/2 as many meetings, that go shorter. Heck, I can't go anymore. My Arthritis and Bursitis bother me too much.... 4 hours. My Kidney and Bladder protest and can't stand it either.
A few gift ideas: Maybe council should first get complete reports or complete options from staff to then be able to vote meaningfully and move on to the PEOPLES BUSINESS. Instead, staff directed by overly influential folk hold back pertinent information before the agendized item and the bus has to be backed up yet again.
Staff should be restricted to the agenda only once a month and be allowed to complete their thoughts. Have Public Works at Council once a month, have Parks and Rec there only once a month. Finance might have to be there each meeting because the cat is already out of the bag, but the rest can wait.
No more "last minute" stuff that is always pushed through incomplete. I also don't want to waste your time telling you what Council couldn't do because they didn't get the information.... can you think of what they did get done this year?? On the other hand, why does council always need it now?
We do have one staff member, Steve McClary, asst. to the city manager, whose doing an outstanding job! He's taken on the effort, doing well in answering the tangled web of paper filings and protests to the Public Utilities Commission, (P.U.C.) to protect the residents of Ojai from the outrageous and egregious bulldozing perpetrated on the city of Ojai by Golden State Water.
What's on your Wish List? How about patching the potholes, paying back the.... is it $4 MILLION "borrowed" for the Libbey Bowl? We kinda overspent to only have 4-5 programs swirling the Bowl this season - some were real losers. No planning and last minute promotion by the city. On top of that the rotated-out Mayor orders the Homeless shipped out of the park by law enforcement. Now, is that really in the holiday spirit?
$4 MILLION - How much road paving could we have done with that kind of money - $4 MILLION....lessee? We could have paved, Drown, Montgomery, Shady maybe Fox and Bald. We seem to have all kinds of money for all the wrong things, like extravagant, bronze plaques immortalizing the elite "A-List" in Libbey Park, instead of the dedicated who have performed there over the years.
Then, you have to ask yourself: if term limits are good enough for our national President, then why not for the Ojai Council too? Think how long Flag wavin' Joe hung around, still seen ducking for cover every now and then. I think at the end of the year the city should release a goal-oriented list of changes and decisions they actually accomplished. Also list those that were discussed or were on an agenda and didn't get complete and how long they've been waiting to still be completed.
Writing this fishwrap is pretty depressing, as this is the year of the do nothing Congress. I hope this isn't a start of the do-nothing DECADE for the Ojai City Council.
I thought when the City passed the Blighted Building Ordinance, the obvious vacant commercial buildings would be spruced up? It will take a hundred years or so for the old bowling alley to Rot to the Ground.
Instead, the Ojai code enforcement don legislates from his truck, singling out and discriminating against whomever he or she likes - longtime taxpaying homeowners included. Perhaps Code Enforcement honcho Brian Meadows who lives in Ventura doesn't live far enough from Ojai - perhaps a Santa Monica live and work situation would suit him better. Carpentry?
What the City needs to do is make things easier. A few LEFT TURN SIGNALS on Ojai Avenue. I ride my Bike east past City Hall to Signal St., making a left in front of the Post office. There is a real problem there: sittin' out in the middle of the street is like being a sitting Duck. Someone is going to go straight through the intersection and take out a Flock of Bikers like Bowling pins. Result? We will have a couple years of council discussion and still get nothing done.
Is it true? The G.C./CREW is planning on knocking down more nice historic trees in Libbey Park, habitat for the Barn Owl? Perhaps concrete channelizing the baranca, room for more LA condos? Soon there won't be a tree left standing, save the Grants where the top people make the big salaries and the kids who do the work get minimum wage and a few leftover pats on the back.
Water. Did I mention water? Guess not. Golden Slick Water did! They have a Sham Political Consumer Protection Outfit sending out Slick Glossy mailers.... how much expense did they add to your water bill for that? Now they have a new Disinformation Survey (like they really care about the ratepayers...) It would be interesting to find out just how much your water bill has and will increase... all for GSW to hold back the inevitable.
They will lose. They will lose the Ojai Valley as a Monopoly to SQUEEZE AND SQUEEZE TIGHTER, run people out of town with increased costs that make our already tight business community less and less competitive then continue to dramatically lower your property values.
Lower our property values?? Ask a Realtor how many people are asking about Utility costs before they buy, more than ever. We do have some nice homes in the immediate areas around Ojai that have a Water bill 1/3 of Golden Snakes Water Co. Why not move just a block over in the Arbolata, looks the same, but OH SO much Cheaper. Wonder if they get to ask more for their homes because they DON'T HAVE GOLDEN CHARADE WATER CO. Never thought that could be a big plus. I guess that works for rentals, where the landlord pays the water. Meiner's Oaks could change the name to Ojai Oaks and no one would even know the difference, except for a 2/3 reduction in water costs.
Hang 'em High ! - Dick Lynch

Dick Lynch
Ojai and Ventura VIEW, Nov 2011, Issue #41

- by Dick Lynch

Nov #41, 2011: A friend of mine has a sayin', "You'd tell a lie, even if the truth would save you." Water, have I been talking about water? Yep. Now it's time to pay the piper. The people of Ojai have seen Water rates go through the Sky, then higher again, really Sky High like Everest! Michael Peavey is the former CEO of a major electric company (S.C.E. International) and he is also head of the state Public Utilities Commission (P.U.C.) that determines how big the rate increases are here in trusty ol' California.

No wonder every GSW rate increase gets accepted, even when it's not necessary.... Golden Mistake already charges 2-3 times higher than the other Ojai water companies.
I almost got up and left the Oct. 24 "meeting" when one speaker said GOLDEN Mistake Water has filed for yet another rate increase. Something in the State government that allows that IS corrupt. A former CEO of an Electric company, the same company that is installing those DEATH RAY METERS, Michael Peavey, needs to be removed as the Chair of the P.U.C. Call Tony Strickland and Jeff Gorell's office. Peavey is about as trustworthily as KEN LAY FROM ENRON. Golden Mistake asks Peavey and the P.U.C. say yes. EVERY TIME.
The P.U.C. never saw a rate increase they didn't like. Who said that profits in Golden Mistake were up 45% in the second quarter, and the P.U.C. allows them to make an 8.9% rate of return. Can you spell Monopoly or is it Mafia? Golden Skates underestimates the people in this Valley.... Casitas was financed with a 50 year bond. The last payment on that bond rolls on in Jan. 2012. Fifty years of responsible management...? and with a reliable water source and resource in Ojai. (Ouch 2012 how did time go by so quickly)? The big topic just yesterday was 1999. Time does go by fast.... no matter how fast it flies by we won't get to the time when we outlive our need for Water. Basic Water, Life-giving Water.
Figures lie and liars figure! GSWC has a slide show about the world's state of water affairs, about 8 or 10 slides. None of them were about "Ojai." These water "experts" had every excuse for takin' our money, and none of the facts.
What GS water did do was Threaten the residents of Ojai. They Huffed and Puffed and threatened to blow the House down. I need to remember to tell my Great Grand kids about the 3 PIGS. Well all their hot air didn’t work.
Well now, there ain't a Bull that can’t be Rode and ain’t a Rider that Can’t be Throwed. We had one Battle Scarred Rhino, Stan Greene stand up and tell them they were threatening us in no uncertain terms and they were not welcome to be here and we had been threatened by much bigger companies that lost and had been sent scatterin' away from Ojai with their tail between their legs. Stan, who is your elected Sanitary Board Representative for the City of Ojai, was having none of those threats. Did Stan make some threats of his own? No, he just corrected the record.
A young Rhino, Ryan Blatz also took them to task, as did a number of people. The City Council finally has come to the right decision and backed the FLOW movement to make our water supply fair for the people. The People, isn’t this what this is about?
I reckon this is gonna hurt a little.
When Mayor carol Smith spoke at the Matilija meeting, she was a different person than the one that Whined about losing the Franchise tax. Then she voted Down a chance to hire the Attorney that had already whopped "Tennessee Joe" from Golden Mistake Water. What caused her head to spin back around on Nov. 8 when the council voted UP and hired the attorney to shut down GSW?
Anyhow, seems ole GSW Joe had uh hum represented Cal-Am Water but they soon lost, finding themselves taken over by Felton FLOW and given over to the San Lorenzo Water district to operate responsible-like. They are a NOT-FOR-PROFIT WATER COMPANY.
Carol Smith should be forced to recuse herself on all things with Water because she has been off and on again like a leaky spicket! Why, her husband and personal lacky Larry Yuva writes screwball threatening letters to Casitas (and everybody else......) on a regular basis is beyond me. A lot of people would argue that it's actually the impetuous Carol who writes those letters - we've already seen way to much of her "Carol moments" - tirade's in council chambers to fill 50 episodes of Saturday Night Live! Either way she is standing in your way when it comes to removing GSWater and getting stable water rates for a change.
Annual Franchise tax revenues from GSW to the city amount to a mere $44,000 but cost the Ojai residents a whopping $4,400,000? Not chicken Feed indeed!
How can the Mayor be so selfish?....The new Marie Antoinette... "LET THEM DRINK WATER", but force them to pay the franchise fee"! Ojai rate payers have paid GSW extra for years, well above the cost for the same water from Casitas, of $4.4 MILLION. Meanness don't jes' happen overnight.
GSW can actually be purchased with the excess charges that we pay now. The Mayor, Carol had squandered our best chance to get out from under these outrageous rates. A couple years ago she thought it was more important to be Gone Fishin' on a faraway vacation than represent the people of Ojai at the P.U.C. in San Francisco... Gone Fishin'? Maybe she should use that for her next campaign slogan.
A lot of you voted for her, I think you could call and tell her what you think of her actions, or inactions regarding the stalling.... and more stalling at finding the nuts and bolts of the water issue. Backbone? hardly.
Another Lady, Kathleen Richards, seemed to know much more about our 44-year-old Franchise Agreement than The City or GSW. Maybe she should be hired by The City to be an Intervener!
Basically The City IS holding the options; by contract it can kick GSW out of the Franchise Agreement to supply "our" water at any time and appoint a company, like Casitas, free and clear to handle it. Much of the Casitas' supply pipe runs right alongside the GSW pipes right here in town. Just a matter of The City calling in its markers on that Franchise Agreement it owns and controls. Time to call the plumber and take it back. Time is money.
City Staff had been dragging this out.... why who knows? How many of "The Staff" pay GSWater rates? Oh really no pain for them, they don't live here.... Let them get (what on old man said) a $500 dollar water bill.... but, no more than $175 at Casitas. But someone else always drinks upstream from the herd.... Are you aware that Carol Smith pays reasonable rates at Casitas for her water, NO PAIN THERE EITHER!! Wild card.....She needs to be removed from all water votes!
If the voters stay on the sidelines... But guess what, 175 turned out at the Ojai FLOW water meeting on Nov. 9 at Nordhoff. This was a Real Good meeting. Nearly every council member and also members of the Casitas board attended, as well as GSWs "P.R." videographer to record the magic (or tragic) moments. Did the GSW honcho's attend? noooooo..... Now, if we don't build that GSW noose and hoist those boys up the nearest hangin' tree real quick.... then we'll all be payin' higher and higher rates with no end in sight.
What can we do to make this better? Call or write all council people for The City and tell or bitch about the need for urgency, (did I say I stopped watering my Orange Trees). We're getting the shaft every 2 months with our water bills, and The City had been sitting on their hands. The City had been talking about all kinds of things except those that have the biggest financial impact. Time to stop ALL other agenda item's till they solve this one? Do you know of anything more important than this?? No! They need a deadline.
It's apparent from the Group of Commissioners in the All-City Meeting that everyone was totally lost. No one had a clear map or direction, no one had been given clear instructions.
This last year with this Mayor has been a disaster for Ojai. From the non-events in Libbey this year after breaking the Ojai City Bankbook and causing The City to get a LOAN, a line of credit while we Piss away money on every Consulting outfit we can find.
Take the Historic boondoggle.... how did we spend so much more on that bunch than we get from the entire WATER FRANCHISE TAX income ($44,000) and soaring? Our Mayor does have company though, she looks and acts like that distinguished Governor of TEXAS --------PERRY. Tax, Tax, Tax!!!
We sure got our money's worth didn't we? They got the franchise tax and you get taken to the cleaners.
Hang 'em High ! - Dick Lynch

Dick Lynch
Ojai and Ventura VIEW, Apr 2011, Issue #35

- by Dick Lynch

April #35, 2011: Power Grab, did you see the March 22 Council meeting? Gee WHiZ. What was that about? Did the Mayor Carol Smith attempt to MUZZLE Councilmember Carlon Strobel and limit discussion?? That 'ol boss mare is sure gettin' cranky! Isn't that a First Amendment Rights Issue?? Has she heard of AMERICA, right? (See www.YouTube.com/OVVTaVIEW) What is Carol trying to accomplish? With a little luck she can alienate 3 council members that can send a motion, ask for a second, and vote to remove her from office!!! The Council has only 14 meetings or less left to remove Carol. Now, why would she incite a lynching mob?

- Dick Lynch

She has been Curt, Snippy and Abrupt with the residents of Ojai. She is supposed to lead meetings, bring respect, and be respectful, not admonish speakers, constantly saying "Stick to the Point". It's really up to the speaker. This is called the free flow of ideas, you know Democracy, not Queen Carol's Totalitarian Regime. Maybe the City has enough money for an additional lawsuit like the one they currently have on the barbeque involving Mallory Way.....
This new "OJAI ONLY" Building Code, will surely knock your hat in the creek....it's an attempt by Planning to hide, confuse, mislead and generally pull the Wool over the eyes of the residents of Ojai. This is an end run and a power grab that has no benefits of any kind for the residents of Ojai and property owners. If passed, the local codes issue will displace over a 1,000 lower income residents. Whatever happened to Carol's campaign promise to champion low income housing?
"What exists in Ojai between it's residents and the Planning Department is a lack of Tust." The general practice of stalling, misinformation, lack of effort, incorrect information, an intolerance of citizens asking for help is a complete misunderstanding of the Public Servant role of the City Planning Department employee. Makes a fella half scared to lock horns with the city. Decisions from the planning department appear to be Random, and seem to be made more on who's applyin' than whether or not the project is "Ojai appropriate." Can we say favoritism?. Our current Planning Depot is slooow, offers little if any help or solutions at all. It's like "figure it out yourself and if you can't too bad". Staff stuns residents with statements like "Staff has chosen to interpret" without any written ordinance or explanation or even an offer of recourse. How did staff get the authority to interpret, legislate and make their decision "final", after a lengthy and costly process that discourages discourse and recourse. That is simply a "choose yer weapons," answer. We have problems with "Official Notification" on what to some are important issues, even notification of an effected property next door has resulted in a failure to notify that effected neighbor. Are we expected to be psychic?
You only have to look in our current Planning Department to understand that. Enforcement is erratic and has caused many hard feelings. Information as to what or how to, has given people reassurance prior to purchasing property, only to be denied after the fact. Imagine buying a property, being told you can put in a home studio, and then have them up and change the zoning after escrow closes. Citizens complain, but are told that's not how the conversation went or they must have misunderstood. Remind me to carry a voice recorder.
Questions have arisen as to the motive or to the ability of planning to do a basic job. This incompetence has caused, and will continue to cause litigation beyond the Cities obligation and may, in some cases, result in a lawsuit against the Realtor and Broker for what was thought to be sound advice but later reversed.
Planning is already so slow that for the city to ask for additional "HIDDEN" Codes is despicable and downright dishonest! This Planning Department has neither the will or the resources to add additional duties and will result in a pick and choose enforcement which is just plain discrimination. The intent is to cause further gridlock for more power or higher wages.
"OJAI Code" approval will do a number of things. It will stop all building approval and inspection of projects in any reasonable time frame to a department that is years behind implementing codes and ordinances that have already been "almost" approved (sign and political sign). It will further overwhelm an already overwhelmed city department. It will be the final straw in an already mistrusted Planning Department. This new code will solidify all opinion that this is a "naked power grab" that will decimate the Residential Real Estate Market. Recording a non-conforming title will eliminate all chance of refinance, improvement, "correction" loans and will eliminate all chance of sale except for the very rare "all cash" offer.
The big LIE was that they couldn't separate out the language from the code, but didn't they have to submit the changes, show us what was submitted and make it simple? Are they tellin' us that they inserted the code line by line without an outline and did this and are enforcing the code without the Council approving the changes that become law.
Rotation Mayor "Cash Register" Carol's failure to protect the residents of Ojai as Mayor is unbelievable. How you permit enforcement of codes prior to a vote of the council?
Putting a cloud on any property title, on any and all residents, is an act of confiscation of personal property. The Planning Department should be outsourced or have a survey, in writing, of all actions, calls, permits, applications and interaction that are reviewed directly by the City Manager to discover just what level or reorganization must take place. When it gets to the bottom line "When you can't change people, Change People"
It has come to my attention that a number of people are passing out petitions, handing out signs and askin' for donations. I wish them luck and hope this works. Southern Cal or Golden States or American States whichever it is... running water in the streets should be thankful that the residents of Ojai are too busy minding their pocket books.
This has gone on way too long.... I see the City waterin Sarzotti' Park until the street is awash with water, again you could float paper ships in the gutter. We have so many leaks in town that an aerial photo of the streets would show up like a checker board pattern for all the diggin' and patchin' the water company has done. If we do get some more Obama mad money make them fix the pipes before we patch, please. As far as Golden Slick goes, it looks like they have been caught with their hand in the cookie jar. They are being investigated by the Division of Water and Audits... (DWA)...hmmm...stay tuned as the struggle to protect our freedoms unfurls.
Hang 'em High !

Dick Lynch
Ojai and Ventura VIEW, March 2011, Issue #34

- by Dick Lynch

March #34, 2011: Mayor Pro Tem Betsy Clapp filled in for absent Mayor Carol Smith at the City workshop a couple weeks ago on Code Enforcement. Horgan also opted to no-show for this one. Imagine a well-run, polite City Council meeting with Clapp at head of the herd instead of Smith. Folks are concerned over the attempted expansion of police powers for code enforcement officials. What tans my hide is the possibility of the city sneakin' in a way to charge massive new permitting fees to line their thinning money pouch. Now then, the next cock-eyed idea to squeeze money out of townspeople....

Code Enforcement.... could amount to kick-the-door-down anytime, anywhere searches in your homestead. Then them big-britches big-city officials, could record a noncompliance violation and cloud any property title.
Monte, our city attorney is riding that horse at the front of the herd. Wonder how much money he'll make for handling all them law suits. That's one crafty attorney. When you finally get as old as some of us geezers and need to add some wheelchair ramps, make a few changes, even though you get the basic remodel permit and inspection fees, you might still find yourself hit with violations, permit fees, investigation fees, processing fees, appeals board fees, title recording fees. Like the termites in city hall, once those buggers git in yer house there's no telling when they'll leave.
Monte Widders' research fees.... Did I say investigating fees? Wonder if he's gonna in-vest-eee-gate those couple recent Ojai Mayors....I hear they have their own bootleg permitless construction/water meter projects?
Since when did we hire a bounty hunter to sniff out old homes, built willy-nilly, then come down on the little guy with blazing guns? Who are those guys anyway?
We came to Ojai to be Free and Express Ourselves, but it appears we're being led into the same "Box-Canyon" as Santa Monica and Calabasas. The way I hear tell it, they chose to Raid the home of a local that was known for "Speakin' up" at Calabasas City Council meetings. Are you next?
Whoa Nelly!!! Monte doesn't need more people to persecute. Pretty soon, not only will they continue with the most UN-AMERICAN rule I have ever seen.... Code Enforcement by Complaint.... But I'll bet they'll be offering a reward for a We-Tip Program like Ventura. Ya know, where people drive around taking pictures of their neighbors and turin' 'em in... for the crime of having an ole home? As Clapp pointed out, most of Ojai is old.
Remember the General Plan which is supposed to protect the quaint small town look of Ojai? The permit posse wants to add big urban Rat Enforcement to quaint Ojai. Them easterners in New York City have Rat Police, are we next? I'd like to know how we get rid of the Rats infesting Ojai's city hall who'er eatin' our cheese???
Adding 43 pages of New Codes to what we already have is scary enough without having Monte say "WE." When did our legal servant take over as owner of Ojai?, I thought he was just a hired hand on contract, not 'Owner.'
Who is "the" revenue-driven code expert? Who authorized a code enforcement consultant (Stephen Stuart) to try and dump big city codes on Ojai? What was he told to do? Where is his report? Where are his credentials and experience? Ventura? How much was he paid and who authorized his fee?
Newbie City Manager Rob "Yes Man" Clark seems to be falling in line after a 'larn'n the ropes session from "Smilin'"Alan Rains and "Big" Bill Burrrrr. Just like cowpokes scarfing at the chuckwagon.... borrow, borrow, borrow... let Ojai go Bankrupt....
The "B" word may be why Wells Fargo has tucked-tail and run from lending the City a line-of-credit to save their bacon, or at least prolong the agony of defeat.
The next Council was stormed by Pesticide Free Ojai Valley, comprised of good ole down home real naturalists. Zorba addressed the council and asked the city council folk, (holding a bouquet of sprayed Scotch Broom) "Do they look like enemies to you? You are polluting our drinking water. It's an excuse chemical corporations make to take a lot of money. It's not for us...it's for the generations to come."
Imagine not wanting chemicals washing into your watershed. Imagine not wanting to take your kids to the park to have them play in the wilting remains of Roundup sprayed plants. Whatever happened go good old weed pulling? Mayor Smith commented that she thought a year or two ago, this issue came up.... "I would like our public works officer ...some information...perhaps he can remember...." she said trailing off... Blatz claimed... "We don't have any control outside the city limits." What about the spraying in Soule Park, in Libbey...that's in the city, Blatz.
Leary warned the council that the use of Roundup could produce a resistant "super Arundel." Dale Hodges remembered when Roundup was first introduced it required HazMat gear to apply. By the way.... where's the Ojai Defense Fund (ODF) and the Green Coalition while our kids are choking on pesticides?
Course, the Big News at the city council that never makes the OVN "Happy News," was the ever-deepening financial rut the city has cut for themselves. Ron Calkins, the new interim public works director, checking in from retirement with the City of Ventura, delivered the bad news after his sugar-coated intro. "There's tough issues being discussed," he claimed...The Budget... "I don't have real good news there. That's a major Challenge."
There was a $262,000 contingency set up at the beginning of this job for cheaping down the 'extras.' "For all practical purposes the contingency has been used up." That smoke and mirrors concept of "value engineering," or in other words, giving you less bang for your buck, has already optioned-out the trees that were part of the original plan along with other amenities. The more you run out of money the more you use up the "cushion" that was written into the bid. Clapp delivered the grim news that overages just mount up faster at the end of a project.
Speaking of trees.... Remember those trees that were removed to build the new seating? Well, NOW there is a shade problem...or ...er...a NO shade problem....at the new Bowl.
Then there's still the Bowl management issue which is still in a twist. Of course Calkins has been meeting with the big honchos Alan Rains and Bill Burr. By the way who is the Service Foundation, that's supposed to be running the Bowl? City Manager Rob Clark apologized for "forgetting" his list of board members. "Sorry I didn't bring it" he said. Only "City Cash Register" Smith claimed to know who they were. She.... "thought they were Steve Olsen (from the City side), and Barney ...mumble...er..."
She couldn't remember who the rest were, but assured the council that all of the board members had only the best interests of the city at heart. "We have taken a leap of faith," said Smith...adding that they needed to wait and see what happens on April 12th (City Council meeting). That's the point where they are supposed to have a contract worked out with the foundation, to manage the Bowl. The big push is to try to book some acts into the Bowl..... to salvage a 2011 season. Funny that hasn't been done yet since Baker told them months and months ago it was probably already soooooo toooo late since most touring acts book two years in advance.
They have finally realized that there are enough differences between the Ojai Bowl and the Santa Barbara Bowl that they can't just duplicate the SB Bowl's contract. The plan is for them to outsource an executive producer to manage the bowl...Course the fly in the pudding on that one is that there is no money for a start-up "business." Did I just say "Business????" Yep, and so did Rob Clark and so the non-profit Ojai Foundation has become a "business"....that's no wonder... Yep...that Foundation thing needs working capitol to get the Bowl off the floor. Course nobody knows how much will be needed to pay for Bowl working expenses or maintenance until they get their feet wet for a few seasons. Where are the numbers? Blatz brought them back down to earth reminding them "The idea behind raising money though commercial concerts is so that we have enough money to maintain the bowl. We still don't know how much each year we will need to maintain the bowl. Until you know that how can you know the scope of what it is you is you want to lease out." On a wing and a prayer Paul...
Newbie City Manager Clark's best advice is to add the start up costs to the line of credit the city has been looking for to keep the City Open for Business. That $159,000 "drop in the bucket" for the Visitor's Bureau, added to the big BUCK BAILOUT for Libbey Bowl and NOW stretched to cover million dollar start up costs are all supposed to be rolled into the line of credit they ain't even got yet.
Clark did float the "rose-colored glasses" comment that there was also the possibility of the city (once again John Q.-Ojai Public) "gifting" the foundation start up money, but thought it would be more fair if the burden were shared between the foundation and the city. Wonder what kind of big lump salaries these wide-eyed foundation commanders are going to demand after they hold up the stage?
That line of credit would then be contributed to, and withdrawn from, as the fortunes of the city and bowl wax and wane. With the hope that the funds withdrawn would be eventually replenished out of proceeds from Bowl events. Reassuringly, Clark said the Bowl people did have a business plan that projected eventually breaking even. Clark said he eventually planned to "wean" the foundation off the city dole, at some undisclosed time, sometime in the future..... The future that's A Lot of infinity! This drew an incredulous comment from activist attorney Len Klaif who said, "Who is the service Foundation? Who are members of this group? Are you really going to give them city money, and let them write checks? I have never heard of that." Ojai, who is your daddy?
Of course the concept of a line of credit has one small snag. First you have to secure one, which has run into a pesky problem for the city. Clark admitted that, as of yet they have not been approved for a line of credit by Wells Fargo Bank. This to-date reticence of that good ole gun totin', strong box protectin', stage coach ridin' bastion of the Old West, Wells Fargo Bank, earned the censure of our mayor-by-rotation Smith. "I am kinda shocked that Wells Fargo, who we have been doing business with for god knows how long... is having a difficult time about the...um...line of credit for other things, such as I think, we.... because of the Chamber of Commerce.... or...r... our own budget.... and If they are being uncooperative well I think if we..... there's other banks we can move our money too. I am.... that's quite disheartening. So ah...haha.... that, to me, is not being a good community partner. Um...also... there was this.... you know..... whatever, I won't even want to talk about........ cities and the actual amount that go bankrupt..... and do not make good on their bonds. It's so minute... that actual amount is... you would think in the headlines that cities there were going broke everywhere..... and going into bankruptcy..... and being taken over by who knows what.... But in reality, it doesn't happen... um.... No I'm not happy about extending necessarily a line of credit to the foundation... I think the board is working on other possibilities though. The grants seem to be..... one particular grant that was not mentioned here but that I know is in the works... could potentially be for start up money... We have other banks to do business with.... if Wells Fargo is not being cooperative to us."
Meanwhile back at the farm... Daddi, Strobel and Clapp all chimed in to suggest that perhaps the remainder of the 2011 season could be run by the city. Feet to the fire, Daddi was ready to beg performance acts to return to the Bowl, even if it meant giving them the venue for "free," just to get people in to see the new facility. Boy oh Boy... Baker sure saw this coming... wonder why they didn't listen...Mayor Smith, now you're talking about the great Libbey Bowl eventually "breaking even" ...what happened to the great Economic Engine that was going to enrich this small county town?
Hang 'em High !

- Dick Lynch

Dick Lynch
Ojai and Ventura VIEW, Feb 2011, Issue #33

- by Dick Lynch

Feb #33, 2010: Holy Smoke...Ojai has burned through it's dough and is out shopping for a bank loan. According to former Interim City Manager John Baker, they're going to be in big trouble if they can't secure a line of credit by July. "You're skating on thin asphalt around here....," he said. The Feb. 8 chamber-member-filled city council audience seemed to think that was a laughing matter and broke out into belly laughs and hee-haws... Laughing matter ??? You might be askin' what's a comin' up in July? Well... in May McGillivray Construction will have to be Paid in Full for building that fancy new high-faluting con-struction called Libbey Bowl.

Holy Gee Hossi-fits.. Property Taxes from the rank and file homesteaders of Ojai won't be coming in until December and by then the coffers will be looking mighty thin if not flatter n' a pancake with receipts from TOT and Sales Tax lower than projected. Councilmember Sue Horgan said, "You saw these numbers... the numbers are really bad this year ."
Added to that interest bearin' line of credit being chased after for the Bowl debt is the $159,000 smackeroos for the Visitor's Bureau (OVB), "A drop in the bucket," in the words of Councilman Blatz. All to lure them big-city dudes to Ojai so shop keepers don't have to pay for their own marketing expenses.
Scratching my whiskers here to ponder how much of that OVB dough goes to administrative salaries.... If Ojai is so unique, special and desirable why do we have to send more taxpayers dollars to a slick Ventura marketing firm to tell people what Ojai is? There's a cool $109,000 going to Ballin Marketing firm with $53,950 to the Chamber of Commerce for expenses, some of which are rent and utilities. This year the Chamber is doubling their management administrating fees and hiring a new marketing assistant for $23,000. Nice to know there are some new jobs being created in Ojai. Course this means a little "belt-tightening" down at the hall, with the city light bill going on the credit card, cause there ain't no dough. The Chamber is really flexing some muscle these days taking claim for getting two of "their" candidates elected to the City Council at their recent annual Awards Gala held Feb. 24 at the Ojai Valley Inn.
According to OVB supporters, there were about 60 travel articles glorifying chamber businesses in print last year, which were dished out by Ballin in a frenzy to paint Ojai as a weekend "destination." Yet the Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) receipts still went down last year for all but the Inn. The Inn will also be hosting Good Morning America.... seems they get all the business in town. For those of you born yesterday, TOT is the tax money motels pay from folks beddin' down in Ojai for the night.
Now, divide those 60 fluffy articles into $159,000 dollars.... that looks like about $2,700 per article. Whoo-eee that's good dough for a journalist. Perhaps the "OVSnooze" and independent tabloids would like to know what travel 'journalists,' who are being rewarded with freebies in exchange for kiss ass articles, are being paid. Seems they all have to mention (our turn now) Ronald Coleman's 1933 movie 'Lost Horizon' to play the Shangra-lalala Card in the first paragraph. How many ways can one say 'Lost Horizon' in 60 articles?
Speaking on plying the tourist trade, some of the Chamber member shop-keepers who showed up to lobby for funds for the OVB were "squatters" by local standards. Imagine businesses who set up in Ojai to trade on the "Ojai Mystique" by purveyin' not made in ojai arts & crafts? Or merchants who display local work who are not-local work themselves? What ever happened to "Art Sunday" when local artists could just set up their easels without handing a wad of cash to the city or the Art Center?
Horgan drew a line in the sand with her errr uh get-tough no-nonsense attitude and declared that if there weren't "measurable" financial results from the OVB by next year there would be big trouble. Sue said, "If we were to fund this, I think next year when we go through this, there will have to be really measurable results... umm you know"...Tough talk from the little money-guy.... Isn't this the same face-saving approach she used for Libbey Bowl, talkin' caution for a big dollar project and then Votin' for it? She couldn't uh said it better herself, "I'm coming to the very same decision that I came to with Libbey Bowl.”
Betsy Clapp, who ran on a platform of fiscal responsibility, voiced her frustration with the ever widening deficit at the Feb. 8 council meeting. "We don't have the money, what do you suggest we do ? I think it's so unfair to the citizens to have to take out a line of credit to pay our phone bill, to pay the light bill.... to pay the water bill....we've taken huge risks to help this community. We took this risk when we chose to fund the Libbey Bowl....the city was in no position to fund building the Libbey Bowl....and now the taxpayers of this community are having to pay interest to pay our water bill, our light bill."
Dang good thing they hustled up a new City Manager who has experience with Cities that are teetering on the brink of Bankruptcy. Mammoth is just another resort city like Ojai, must be why they picked him. How soon they forget that when they brought lonesome cowboy Jere into town, they were ridin' the red and needed a "hatchet-man" to bring the city reserves back into the black.
Course Jere might not be too much of a dummy since the city is also still paying his salary while they move a new dude into his chair. Two-Two-Two almost City Mangers for the price of Two....or is it Three??
Public comment at them City meetin's always brings in dissidents, activists and "trouble makers." Riding in with smoking guns, the lone ranger (your-three-minutes-are up) Leary, stood up and waved the January edition of The View, challenging the Council to send their liason to the Green Coalition to ask "What the Hell Are You Doing?" It's a confounding, mind-boggling thought that the "green" people are in the business of killing some of Ojai's, 100-year-old trees....
Where was our elected city treasurer Alan Rains during much of this recent financially draining time when the roof caved in...? Where was he when we needed him for moral support? You know 'our' man watchin' the city kitty... the treasurer who owns that big general store in town, and is largely influential for gettin' the funs switched to the Save Libbey Bowl gang. Smiley is also a big outspoken honcho in the Chamber quest for that OVB dough. When all this pilagin' was goin' on he was on 'holiday,' ridin' the range in South America.
The trail-dusty Skate Ojai gang was back again with road weary faces, stunned that they are yet again locking horns with the Council over what should be a no-brainer.... THE SKATE PARK NEEDS LIGHTS!
Ms. Carol (Mayor-by-rotation) Smith, had a couple of words to say about skating just not being in the same class as tennis. Waaall...---- the little lady just might have something there. How much wattage does it take to light a court for two tennis players to play a set, compared to the wattage used to let 50 kids use a small skate park? Darn good thinkin' there Care-ol.....let's get the lead out your pants and get the lights up before summer hits.
Course there is a little stream that needs crossing. Rec. Director Dale Sumersille seems to think that before lighting goes up the city of Ojai needs to go hat-in-hand to the Green Coalition and ask permission. Last time ah took a gander at the Green Coalition it warn't no government agency with off-ici-al powers...
Seems that there is a mighty powerful wallup behind this "non- profit," "politically correct" fringe gang. Hell they got more fringe on their trimmings than ah have on mah riding chaps.... Better watch your back and not get their dander up! Make sure you ain't caught loping into Rainbow Bridge without your eco-friendly tree-saving cloth shopping bag and birkenstocks. We KNOW how they take to the cutting down of innocent trees!
Word has it that residents of the Libbey West Barranca/Los Arboles townhomes, and other streamside residents are hopping mad to have their view denuded for a dewey-eyed idealism that wants to take Ojai back to Pre-Columbian Days. Gone are the 21 Canary Island Palm trees from the Libbey stream. With Golden State Water taking a 26.2 percent rate increase, me-thinks that the city might reconsider the drip lines they have installed to water those "native plants."
Speaking of Carol....cowpokes been sayin' she and the city have a new suit to wear - it's filed!
Residents have been wondering why the developers of the Mallory Way project have been so silent. With a second chance to rehash their plans, from big-city duplexes to big city bungalows which would seriously whittle away at their high density profits, they have decided to stand and fight instead of slink off with thar tails between their legs.
They had been given a chance to resubmit to the planning possee without having to wait a year to re-file and start over from scratch. In the meantime they have been mighty silent while they smoked a pipe and pondered their predicament. Seems like they are getting tired of seeing the same old faces down at the planning commission for the last seven years.
Course City Attorney Monte Widders did warn the council that when you make a decision to turn down a proposal you had better be able to back it up with some darn good reasons. Like it ain't fittin' with the general plan which is supposed to hang on to the "small-town" character stuff. You know that charm thing that brings the big-buck tourists to town? Big money developers just don't cotton to capricious decisions. Darn good thing new-bee City Manager Rob Clark has some experience fighting these rough-n- tumble land sharks. Means extra dough for Monte, with more billable hours for legal services charged to the city! Tough timing though, for an already strapped bunch of village dwellers.
Tough times too for the huge music department at Nordhoff. Schools are cryin' "wolf" as the budget cuts are threatening to curtail music classes for the kids. Tough for Wagner too, who has certainly done a great job. Darn good thing he has an "in" with the Music Festival folks. Since they are so darn good at funraising maybe they can take some of that over-flo from the Save-the-Libbey-Bowl kitty and schlep some dough to the local kids who need education to fulfill their potential.
Can you spend pledges or do you just have to chew on them until they turn into meat? Speaking of cutting the fat...wonder if some of those bigtime school administrators will be volunteering to take a pay cut for the benefit of the school Kids? OUSD Super Hank Bangser, said in front of the en-tiiiirre Ojai Rotary Club meetin' last year at Soule Park (3/12/2010), that he would be making "Administrative Salary Cutbacks" but I ain't heard hide nor hair of the matter from Hank since....................................!
Stay tuned for another excitin' gun-toting, range riding adventure where the good guys wear white and the bad guys could be the guys sitting next to you.
Hang 'em High !

- Dick Lynch

Dick Lynch
Ojai and Ventura VIEW, January 2011, Issue #32

- by Dick Lynch

January #32, 2011: Someone took a pot shot at the Classical elevator music being programmed into the minds and onto the city TV station. I agree. How about harkening back to the days of KHAY, before all them intellectuals decided country wasn't good enough for Ojai, and before the City's huge spending spree on a classical music venue. So what really happened at the council meeting? Fill-in Ojai City Manager John Baker is really doing a good job - showed Ojai just how much it is the poor man's Montecito by revealing just how broke Ojai is! Hope new Ojai City Manager, Rob Clark (as of Feb. 21) can get a handle on it.... He left Mammoth, Amidst Bullets Flying, to the tune of a lost $30 Million Lawsuit and talk of bankruptcy!

Baker really bellied up to the bar and called a spade a spade. Poker faces all around as the losing hand of this years city income was dealt. I think council is going to get longer and longer...may even have to have a bake sale to raise money. After all it takes time to clean up the streets from years of failed city policies. But coffee and cookies are going to need to be replaced by substance; hardtack and beans might stick to the ribs better as 5 hour meetings are looking like the standard.
OK I know, the Bowl. The Bowl. Can't believe that 9 altruistic artists, city activists or every other new volunteer Ojai doo-gooder who can spell R-E-S-U-M-E is going to be able to run programs flushed round and round inside the Bowl at a profit or non-profit. What is a non-profit anyway? Does this mean no one's making a "profit"? Nope. The only difference between a for-profit and non-profit outfit is the non-profit gets to skate out on taxes as they pay out huge salaries to insider A-list board members, officers and other self-appointed folk. By the way, isn't profit a foreign word to our city officials? Definitely The City Will Not profit from all this... It's looking like the town will be running RED as TOT revenues are down a cool million, just after the hen house has been raided for the Libbey Construction. By fall there may be no hay in the manger and no corn in the crib. This years crop just didn't produce up to par. Even with the $160,000 genius marketing subsidy handed over last year to the Ojai Visitors Bureau to lure dudes to the valley, Ojai will be in the hole a million dollars by next November. In order to pay the city-hands, it will necessitate the need to borrow, borrow, borrow.... which will mount huge bank interest fees, according to Baker, of $50,000 a month, maybe $130K or more... A lot of lean times for the mule team.
Speaking of "transparency," the council meetings need to be ONLINE so the people can watch what the city does, or more often doesn't do. Mayor Carol needs to start respectin' citizens like Dennis Leary who are exercising their brief 3 minute public speaking rights, Yeah Carol should not be saying "Dennis, speak to the subject. Please. It's not your opinion if it (Libbey) is a mistake or not” causing Dennis to remind Mayor Carol, "I believe I'm entitled to my opinions... That's under Freedom of Speech." Looks like so much time has passed and Carol has forgot her supposed social justice roots and can't wait to crush opposing thought and critical thinking with darkness and distractions.
Yes, The City is Brrr-oke! Millions committed, without a plan, without the promised Libbey bridge loan or structure to manage and recoup spent revenues, all with Ojai taxpayers footing the sky-is-the-limit annual maintenance bill too. Any volunteers stepping up to pay for THAT? Meanwhile the City Treasurer is Traveling in South America?
The city needs to figure out what "jobs" the "Libbey 9" are going to do!! And, by the way, who is going to pay them up front? Or should this brand new layer of altruistic semi-government in Ojai be known as the "Gang of 9"? Giving a bunch of money from Ojai's tenuous reserves to rebuild the Bowl seemed necessary for some, not knowing what Environmental Impact on Ojai (other than temporary city manager Baker's "AOK") or how to do it all, or in what form, is classic "new" Ojai. All the while the Skate Park toilet bowl/outhouse smells worse than a rotted skunk, not to mention no water to wash bacteria laden hands. Do kids still suck their thumbs?
Parking is a problem, OH, Libbey Park never had a Parking lot....except for dead horses. Now, it will be much worse. How about a mega level 10-story concrete parking structure in the fine LA sardine parking lot tradition, to park all these LA festival goers? How will that look on the skyline to replace all those butchered palms? Pre-Columbian Spanish Revival Concrete? And how will they hear about Ojai without more subsidy ad monies in the kitty to BS people through the tourism bureau? Anyhow, this LAesque concrete park and walk would make LA folks feel right at home in The Ojai. Now wouldn't it?
Yes, the days of whining for tax dollars, appear over. Looks like we are going to have to pay Ventura County the excesses of the $800,000 Redevelopment Agency (RDA) dollar days. It's about time.
Who was legal council at the time they said Ojai could make property tax and special interest spend policies so freely like it did? So Ojai can tell struggling business owners what kind of signage they can put up, they just can't say "NO" to phoney boulders installed behind the arcade ten years ago in a fluttery attempt to use up precious property tax funded RDA dollars. Now that the goose that laid the golden egg is dying, property re-appraisals have driven revenues down and police, fire services cannot be paid, but Ojai has fake rocks, NO Rupp fountain, and some pretty fat private developers, and multitudes of struggling private businesses sooooo hungry for "success!"
The Gov. Brown Switch-a-Roo is not going to allow us to keep those millions of siphoned dollars anymore, once promised to private development companies and other special interests who successfully positioned their hands in the public cookie jar. You know who you are.
I hope the council isn't going to rely on the $3 increase in parking ticket fines (why are we giving parking tickets in Ojai anyway?). We really can't afford to have Ojai's finest at 40 percent of the total budget acting like tax collectors, writing parking tickets can we? Really? If we have time to write parking tickets lets lower the police budget, eliminate the parking ticket officer and save $85,000, maybe enough to hook up the unusable skate park outhouse to a real sewer.
Hope that gets fixed before the weather gets hot. Fourth of July is going to smell swell. When are the Skate Park problems going to be a priority? How about we spend some time pitching a fit about the pot holes that swallow up an entire tire and wheel? Where is that on the agenda? Only 7 percent of all the time used at Public NO-Works is spent on roads. We spend more time on parking tickets! Maybe at $50 per pothole, if we stopped writing parking tickets we could fix our streets say....in 10 years.
The recently retired Ojai trolleys? You know the ones that Ojai subsidized into the red to the tune of $400,000 and climbing. Whatever happened to the reason they "needed" to be retired? Are we spending to buy two new trollies and paying the penalties to still run the last-years model? Is this outlay worth it to shuttle mobs of people to and fro the concert? Wear your ear plugs and gas masks. Yup, what better use to put the descendants of the coming Redevelopment Agency $500,000 Trolleys? I bet the police/fire departments in the county will really appreciate all that spent funding. This will allow for a smoother if not louder start to another successful Bowl season.
It was said, (by the now obsolete Public Works Director) Mike Culver, that we couldn't sell public property (and the trolleys are public property), without a penalty. How then can we sell out (Quid Pro Quo) Libbey Bowl to non-profits that can exclude public input and restrict and deny public access the ability to serve on those boards and even attend meetings. Those meetings are private, not public.
Non-Profits as such, the city has no control whatsoever as to who they put on the "Gang of 9." Better for the council to do it. The "Gang of 9" so far is going to pretty much be a full time, unpaid job, and so subject to manipulation by out-of-town big money interests. Ojai, as it has always done, is going to determine who wins the personality-beauty contest and only then determine what past or current skills might adapt to the need. One need only look in the Council Meeting audience for the anxious contestants. If non-profits (one is a 'Charitable') were truly interested in getting the best results for Ojai they would require that the Gang of 9 could not serve on any other board at the same time. It is just too important. The undivided attention of all should be at the forefront, not who can sit on the most boards, vying for each outside of Ojai interest. And the draft agreement deal on the Gang of 9? Sounds like a repeat of the Libbey lease arrangement.
When is this Council going to print a list of real projects, things that need to get fixed now - like the leaky City Budget, never mind the leaky, blue-tarped roof at City Hall.
On the Trolley shelter: Why did Public Works design an elaborate Shelter at the "Y" on paper only? What ever happened to the shelter originally presented as a simple Boy Scout volunteer project? The scouts were told to take a hike and an elaborate project was designed to use up precious Grant money. After pocketing the Grant money, the elaborate plan, council has said, will be scrapped in favor or a watered-down version. Watering down? Isn’t that what the shelter is supposed to prevent?
With this new council makeup you can see just how much the discussion has shifted. Lets do this, lets add that to the agenda. That would be a very positive step. How about asking the overburdened taxpayer what they want on the agenda, besides of course to stop misusing taxpayer dollars??
How about suggestion boxes all around town, not just the City Hall lobby (where the same local 'volunteers' pedal their causes) for things the Citizens, the everyday joe, want discussed other than the 3 minutes and please "sit your ass down" time for council open discussion. I would vote to have the lousy microphones replaced, even before the pothole that knocked the front end on my truck out of alignment. Seems like some members still want the behind closed doors agreements. What happened to the Transparency of the election promises?
Looks like Sue Horgan made an announcement to run for re-election. It's time to have an elected Mayor for a two year term and stop all the shuffle, which can favor someone as mayor who would not be nominated Mayor Dog Catcher, except outside Ojai City Limits. Declare and run. If you are elected real Mayor at least you have some time to get things done. It usually takes staff longer than a year to get most things done and by then that person is no longer Mayor and the pro tem's pet-project is shelved. No wonder we don't have the roof at City Hall or a realistic boy scout shelter at the "Y".
Water, did I mention Water? You're going to want to go to the Skate Park and borrow a helmet from a kid before you open your water bill. When you see the extra MILLION PLUS DOLLARS Golden State added to our water bills, your going to want to bang your head against the wall, hence the need for the helmet.
Mayor Carol, Bravo. Good meeting, really, just one thing; have Dale Summersille, City of Ojai recreation director stop and personally check the toilet daily at the Skate Park and send in a written report as to how it's going before it gets ankle deep.
I went to look at the budget online. It's gone. Poof! I hope the smoke I SMELL isn't the cooking of the books. The budget hasn't been preserved? How can the budget disappear???
Hang 'em High !

- Dick Lynch

Dick Lynch
Ojai and Ventura VIEW, June 2011, Issue #27

- by Dick Lynch

June #27, 2010: So now what? Wasn't the Bashin' the Bowl swell. Fun. Lots of people flushed with excitement having fund, oops I meant fun, Yi haaaa, not a bad thing to say about it. I heard it couldn't have been more successful. Beer lines were long, so was the Wine line. Everything sold, double edge. Wished they had more, but it all went. Fights, drunks well, none of that happened. Just a ton of spiffy people having a great time on a beautiful Ojai Saturday. So this is not me, or is it? Why did we wait to get this thing repaired? Why didn't "RISK TAKERS" like Councilmember Carol Smith demand we have proper maintenance funds back when?

What did they think was going to happen one day? Well that day is here Carol, and if you plan to run again you need to run things much better than the last 8 years you have been on the Council! Now I understand you are going to sell Libby Bowl for a DOLLAR a year for 99 years?
Looks like the Music people out-slicked the Batman and Robin duo, of Jerry and Monte and got a 99 year lease for only $99.00. WOW ! What's in it for the people footing the bill? All the maintainenance costs. Aren't the costs, when complete about $4,500,000. We get to pay that less the million the music people have. That leaves a balance of $3,500,000 (Three Million, Five Hundred Thousand) in pledges and city taxpayer support. That's just this time around.
What about the next repair cycle, who gets that bill? So let me get this straight, Libbey goes from a "Non-Profit" tax-exempt venue to a Full-Time-Promotion 25-times-per-year-use, and the city can't use it for music 1 month prior to the Music Festival!
The CITY COUNCIL IS SELLING THE BOWL - and Cheap! The lease says for the "consideration of the funraising efforts." Not even close. Less than a 1/4 of the money is in Bank. The rest, Some time over the Rainbow....
Why not give the Cluff's, Cluff Park in consideration? Why not the Tennis people, for their efforts for the job they did? Why not Ivor for the grant for the ALMOST LIGHTED CROSSWALKS? Or Rotary for the money and 4 years they spent on the Rotary Park?
It's just too early to award a 99 year lease, for a "non-profit" job that was necessary to get the rebuild efforts started. Let's face it, the Festival people did a FANTASTIC job of organizing and funraising. Yes Really, no tongue in cheek, They deserve this communities thanks. That effort may probably save this town from the continuing BLIGHT that has overtaken OJAI. City Manager Jerry is wrong is his assessment, this New Libbey Bowl, will have a significant impact in increasing the Cities revenues, higher dollar costs, congested traffic, parking paranoia, smog, potholes, and a future BOND on the ballot to pay off the LIBBEY RECONSTUCTION BECAUSE THE CITY IS BROKE....
But a 99 year lease??? They are just guessing at what the actual pledge money collected will be. WAIT. WAIT until the 5-year pledge cycle is in..... Let's see if the City can pull out of the NOSE DIVE the budget is in.
We were told we would be "OK" now "MINUS 20 percent, $8,600,000 to $7,000,000 JERRY" that was really a BAD, BAD guess. I was right about this year's revenue slide last month, too bad it would have been better to be wrong. Next year isn't going to improve until the BUSINESS group gets the Visit Ojai program going.... Maybe we will need Libbey to Sell for real, for real money to keep the exorbitant salaries of our City Manager and Attorney intact.
Lease for 99 years? NO not at this time! Maybe give the Festival people a 90 day lease at This point, and see how confident the City feels about the budget and see what shape this town is in. I really think the Bowl will bring back life and a good deal of prosperity to OJAI....
I am amazed by how many people really knew Mr. Libbey and what he really wanted. No Liquor in the park, that works in a time of the Great War or the Prohibition movement.
Women's suffrage. What if women weren't allowed in the park during Libbey's time? Would we now be pushing to exclude them? Those declarations died long ago, in different times when Ojai was like now, a town of radical people. Radical enough then to change the town's name from Nordhoff to Ojai because Nordhoff sounded too German. How would that go over today?
If Libbey loved this town and wanted all these things to never change, why did he give the Park and the Post Office to the Civic Association instead of the town? Things and times change.
If all you folks that knew Mr. Libbey, preach that he wanted this or that, what would he say after seeing this last Grasp? Would he have been happy to see the park being used for a gathering of Joy and Socializing or would he have been upset with some of the women in spiffy halter tops instead of button up necks and shoe top length dresses? Stop telling us what he wanted for your own personal prejudices.
Now getting back to me, this City has been derelict in its tolerance of its citizen’s getting FLEECED by the Water company. The water smells just as bad, has the same brown-rust color and is as pricey as pharmaceuticals on the Black market, which is what you might need after drinking it and paying for it! Why has our City Manager and City Attorney not been more pro-active and protected us from Those snake-oil selling Bandits? Why hasn't the broken rain sensor water-saver timer been fixed at Sarzotti Park and the sprinkler system flips on at Midnight, come high rain or shine ?
I heard of a 91-year-old woman who pays $11.00 bi-monthly for water and $48.00 just for the honor of having had Golden State's meter parasitically attached to her house like some nightmarish creapy figure out of War of the Worlds? Armageddon? You bet, for her! She is going to shower less. Is that what it has come to. Councilmember Carol Smith thinks we should get rid of the Kids in Ojai and the water monopoly will run out the poor and aged and, in most cases, they are one in the same. Take your water bill to City Council and demand they resign or fix the water rates.
Hang 'em High !

- Dick Lynch

Golden State Water honchos have been freely traveling cities across the State bringing tidings of high water rates and water saving punishments... They told Ojai to "Conserve Water" (which they did...) Funny thing, Ojai was then charged more (punished) for using less water than Simi Valley, who was charged less becaused they conserved less, or used more...? go figure.... ~ Pictured here in Ojai June 17 for the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) scheduled hearing, (left to right) Patrick R. Scanlon, V.P. Operations, Kenneth Petersen, Golden State District Manager, and John Garon, Regulatory Affairs Manager. - Editor

Read More Dick Lynch

editor@OjaiandVenturaView.com