Negative press

4-30
To the editor:
After several articles and many letters to the editor about substance abuse in the Ojai Valley one would get the impression that NHS was a den of iniquity, a place where the weak of constitution could easily succumb to the depravity of a life on drugs. Such is the outcome of the airing of any problem. The bad news labels the entire student body and institution. But that discussion should not be misconstrued as the complete picture of NHS and its student population, I believe, NHS has changed substantially.
To recap the year: The OUSD has developed a solid drug education program, with positive tools for our students to use like: voluntary random drug testing, access to mental health professionals, up-to-date teacher training, and support from student organizations such as the Peer Mediation program, and the Nordhoff Parent Association. In short, the OUSD and NHS have developed a comprehensive program to effectively fight the insidious battles that will always plague us.
I am concerned about the downside of this discussion. Negative press and rumor threaten to squelch the open discussions that we have had for the last six months, the negative P.R. may overshadow the positive things that are happening in the OUSD. Herein lies the quandary, "We want substance abuse issues to be dealt with and we want people to see what a great school, with great programs and great students we have as well."
I went to a meeting at Matilja Junior High School where Nordhoff students spoke about their experiences and I was interested to hear that some of the students who spoke have never been exposed to alcohol or drugs in their time at Nordhoff. I recently went along as a chaperone to New York with the music department, and was struck again by the character of NHS students. I have attended many basketball tournaments over the years and have witnessed nothing but exemplary behavior from NHS students. Our student athletes and musicians have always conducted themselves with a maturity that should make us believe that NHS and parents have instilled our students with high moral codes of behavior. Ojai should be proud of its students.
If you ever believed that our students' values and ethics are degenerating, come and witness virtually any student event, be it the Mock Trial Program, the Interact Club, the many music groups, our sports events, the plays and dramatic arts productions, and on and on, you will experience a renewed sense that the world of the future will be in good hands when this group of young people inherit it.
We have the responsibility to not put our heads in the sand, we have the responsibility to stand up and fight the battles that must be fought, but, at the same time, we must educate ourselves about the true scope of the problem, and not label entire groups of people or institutions because of our lack of understanding. Substance abuse will always exist, and it will always be a problem. People of all ages have mental health issues. Peer pressure is a fact of life. Nordhoff High School and the OUSD recognize and have decided to tackle these issues. They are not going to hide from the problems because it might give them bad publicity.
I would challenge other scholastic institutions in the Ojai Valley to tackle this "messy" problem as comprehensively and openly as the OUSD has. Not talking about a problem will not make it go away. Dealing with it, the way the OUSD has, will reap great rewards and prevent some of the tragedy that we have experienced in these last few years.

John Kenyon
President
Nordhoff Parent Association

Victoria's secret

5-2
To the editor:
Allow me to address, in your columns, this letter to Mrs. Victoria Alexander, Chief Executive Officer, Ojai Valley Community Hospital.
Dear Mrs. Alexander,
It was most kind of you to have visited me in the hospital after my operation, an unexpected honor!
It is my impression - and from what I hear I am not alone on this - that the standard of care-giving in the hospital has under your direction markedly improved these past few years.
Not only efficient, the nurses were, in my experience, agreeable also, to a level of bonhomie beneficial to the patient.
There is, however, one stricture I must make, and recommendations for its amelioration, which have to do with the Emergency Room. It is a rabbit warren, so crowded that busy doctors and nurses are at risk of running into each other; where patients in trauma are afforded a bare minimum of privacy; where toilets are all but nonexistent; where the question of patients' insurance coverage can delay or curtail their treatment.
Finance permitting, a much larger, fully staffed Emergency Room must be given priority.
As regards the advisability of nurses wearing a uniform, instead of the extant "dress as you please" mode, I cannot but continue to press for it.
I do, however, wish to make clear that this is no reflection on the appearance per se of the nurses. Inside the hospital, a uniform is appropriate; outside (and I blush to say this), nothing would so please me as to see the nurses attired in Victoria's Secret!

D.L. Howard-Ady
Ojai

Happy campers

4-30
To the editor:
Please consider printing the following letter as it pertains to the questions raised in your recent editorial. Namely, what can we do to ensure that young people continue to live and go to school in the Ojai Valley. One answer is to provide affordable housing for families with children.

April 29, 2003
Yissel Barajas
Project Manager, Sycamore Homes
Cabrillo Economic Development Corporation
11011 Azahar Street
Saticoy, CA 93004

Dear Yissel Barajas,
The following is a testimonial of our experiences with the Sycamore Homes project. Please read it at the Dedication Ceremony on May 3 in our absence.
A real success story is a rare thing. That is why we feel obligated to share our recent experiences buying one of the houses in the Sycamore Homes Affordable Housing Project. The most gratifying part of our experience has been watching the promises made to us over the course of the project come true, one by one.
Our story begins in 1996 when my husband and I moved into an old yellow house on Pearl Street in Ojai. We dreamed of settling down, buying our own home and raising a family here, but how would we ever afford it? When Karen Flock, housing development director for Cabrillo Economic Development Corporation, came to our door in 1997 with a proposal to build an affordable housing project right in the neighborhood, we wondered, could this amazing opportunity really include us?
We began to attend the Ojai City Council meetings and watched as the project went through the long, arduous approval process. The visionary leaders at CEDC and the Ojai City Council did not give up on the project despite some vocal opposition, flying accusations, and other roadblocks. How fortunate for us that they saw the promise of providing affordable housing in Ojai.
In 1999, when our first daughter was born, we saw that the plan now called for our old yellow house to be torn down. CEDC promised that they would relocate us to an equivalent house. In January 2001, we moved next door to a little blue house on Pearl Street. Not just an equivalent home, a better one thanks to the renovation by CEDC's construction manager Bob Bailey and his conscientious assistant, Juan Ayon.
As the project progressed, CEDC and the city of Ojai promised that, as former residents of the site, we would have first choice of the new homes. In the fall of 2002, just weeks after our second child was born, CEDC put us at the top of the list, and by January 2003, we selected our new home. By the end of March, we were first-time homeowners.
CEDC and the city of Ojai promised that these houses would not only be affordable, but they would be attractive, complete with sitting porches and streets lined with oaks and sycamores, even a fruit tree in every back yard. You need only look around to see that they kept these promises, too.
As we gaze out at the Topa Topa Bluffs from the window of our beautiful new home, we know that we are living our dream. It has taken a few years, but that is not such a long time to make a dream become reality. We are grateful to all of the many people who have worked hard to make this project possible.

The Woolson Family
Ojai

Ashton remembered

4-30
To the editor:
The Ojai Independence Day Committee would like to pay its respect to a great individual who gave support from almost the beginning of this committee. Jed L. Ashton was a true gentleman who gave his help to so many. He furnished the award plaques and trophies for years to the parade committee at no charge and his company (Aswell Trophy) still designs our outstanding plaques and trophies.
He loved a parade and his patriotism for America was very important to him, not only having served in the Marines, but in showing our youth the importance of them to love of country.
Ojai Independence Day Committee.

Apology offered

5-1
To the editor:
I would like to apologize to the friend "I was talking to just the other day" for using this public forum to blindside a dear friend in such a way. On reflection I could have made my point without having to cause embarassment to a person I've always held in high regard and valued as a friend. Real friends are hard to come by and I think I may have caused myself to lose one of a very small circle. I humbly apologize.

David Borgen
Ojai

Vehicle Code explained

5-3
To the editor:
It is obvious from Janine Conahey's letter of May 2 regarding California driving laws that she does not have a California driver's license, which is required by law within 10 days if she makes her home here or takes a job.
Her first question is about the speed limit when passing the school zone on Highway 33 with flashing lights and the sign "25 mph when children are present." Within 500 feet of a school, the speed limit is 25 mph while children are outside or crossing the street. If children are not present, then the posted speed limit is in effect, which is 45 mph on Highway 33 by Mira Monte School.
Her next question is about the California school bus laws, which differ greatly from those in her home state of New York. In California, school buses stop at the side of the road and flash red lights located at the top front and top back of the bus. Some buses also have a red stop sign that swings out from the street side of the bus. Vehicles in both directions must stop and remain stopped as long as the red lights are flashing. Failure to do so results in a very large fine which has been doubled in Ventura, Santa Barbara, and Alameda Counties since last January.
I suggest that Janine Conahey enroll in the next 55/Alive Driver Safety class offered at Little House on May 14 and 15 to learn about California driving laws and receive a Department of Motor Vehicle Driver Handbook.

Harriett Donnell
55/Alive Driving Instructor
Ojai

© 2003 The Ojai Valley News

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