How to resolve AdBlock issue? OVN EDITORIAL: Community members have right to be heard about pool they are paying for
- Details
- Published: Tuesday, 24 May 2022 14:19
Ojai Unified School District held a meeting to discuss the Nordhoff pool at its May 23 meeting. The recording of the meeting can be viewed at: https://www.ojaivalleynews.com/?view=article&id=22256:nordhoff-high-pool-discussion-may-23-makes-a-splash&catid=856
Children rise as their community rises, and as a community rises, so does its children.
When local governments work for the betterment of all through collaboration — and avoid a tribalism approach — everyone benefits.
Ojai Unified School District is governed by five elected trustees. Those five people hire the superintendent, provide fiscal oversight of the district, and wide-angle direction to the superintendent. School board members are the public's representatives and are a key part of our democracy. But remember the adage: “No taxation without representation”? It seems that school board members have forgotten that history lesson.
Pool size — excellence or tread water?
- Details
- Published: Tuesday, 24 May 2022 09:32
By Laura Rearwin Ward, Publisher
Imagine living in a town known for more than tennis and tangerines.
Envision a school attracting students to the best swim and water polo teams in the county.
The $300 Circus
- Details
- Published: Friday, 13 May 2022 10:17
By Laura Rearwin Ward, Ojai Valley News Publisher
Apparently, for $300, you can buy your own circus at Ojai City Council. If you missed the show May 10, I highly recommend you take the time to watch the city’s YouTube channel to see what happens when more than 40 of Ojai’s most engaged citizens push themselves away from their dinner tables to defend beleaguered Hotel El Roblar project applicants caught in the drama of a political stunt in the center ring: https://bit.ly/3yyya5T
Opinion Editorial: Crying wolf for our souls
- Details
- Published: Friday, 25 March 2022 12:06
By Laura Rearwin Ward, Ojai Valley News publisher
Shouting “tourist” and “valet parking” in a crowded Ojai Facebook chat room had the expected effect of bringing an irate public to the March 22 City Council meeting. Mayor Betsy Stix and her agents spun a misleading narrative that successfully riled up the public. Was her aim to score political points by presenting Mayor Stix as “tough on tourists” in an election year?
Mayor Stix either did not understand the permitting process for El Roblar Hotel, did not trust the process to work, or saw the El Roblar application as a political opportunity when she attempted to make an end run around the Ojai Planning Commission process.
The result was to whip up the public, inject bias into the Planning Commission’s upcoming public hearing, and possibly expose the city to legal action by the applicants for being targeted by the city — all for what appears to be a political stunt.
Understanding and believing in the process of local government is a foundational requirement for any councilmember.
The Backstory
1. The Oaks, as a hotel site, is two years older than the city itself, and has been closed since 2017. The closure is costing the city upward of a million dollars a year in transient occupancy (hotel) tax.
2. El Roblar Hotel owners have been working with the city’s Historic Preservation Commission and staff for more than two years and will come before the Planning Commission on April 6. The plans are under active review by the Planning Commission.
3. El Roblar owners have purchased a vacant lot directly behind the hotel for private valet parking. There is no proposal to have the hotel’s valets use public lots or spaces.
4. No private party can confiscate any public parking in the city — that being on-street parking or parking on city-owned property. The Oaks Hotel never had enough parking spots to accommodate all of its guests.
5. Any member of the City Council may appeal whatever decision the Planning Commission makes on April 6, and bring the issue to the council for a final decision.
The Setup
The debate was framed via Facebook chat rooms by Mayor Stix and friends as an urgent need. The mayor did not mention El Roblar Hotel, but she had a solution to a problem that does not exist: an ordinance restricting off-site valet parking.
It was implied that public parking spaces were to be utilized by a hotel via valet. It was implied that the city was considering a policy to allow public valet parking. A false emergency was created that ginned up the community for an imaginary battle. Her request in the agenda item stated, “We all want Ojai to hold onto its soul.”
The mayor is the only councilmember with the power to place an item on the agenda without a second. It is a power rarely used since three votes are needed to pass any item. But Mayor Stix came proudly armed with 34 letters and public speakers, who presumably would bring enough pressure to bear on the other councilmembers to join her to create an ordinance that makes no sense in the context of reality. The construct put to the rest of council was that you’re either for what I’m proposing, or you're for valet parking.
The Spectacle
The love and passion our dear townspeople have for Ojai was used by our mayor who doesn’t appear to understand the Planning Commission process or El Roblar’s parking application. After her 2020 campaign manager, Tom Francis, took the lectern during public comment, asking if Mayor Stix could reopen the public comment period, (so that she could speak on the issue), the mayor then spoke in general terms from a prepared statement, focusing on Ojai trigger points, such as: “economic expansion,” “another form of gentrification,” “make parking available to everyone,” “it’s a big change,” “allowing business to monopolize parking…” — all flags to fly, rather than statements connected to any problem facing the city. Perhaps she was positioning herself as the superhero of Ojai parking?
The Concern
We need our councilmembers to respect the processes of government. It is highly irregular and inappropriate to usurp the Planning Commission and conflate issues to activate people.
People use “politics” as a dirty word when underhanded methods are used to drive public opinion to suit one’s political desire, to curry favor or virtue-signal.
The polarization techniques being used in social media, and the disrespectful comments during council meetings, while good theater, are divisive and a bad direction for our City Council. The city’s process was working.
The ‘Soul’
Thank you to the people who keep asking detailed questions — refuse to be herded — and to the councilmembers who took the breath of sanity — Suza Francina, Ryan Blatz, Randy Haney and William Weirick.
The benefit of the doubt — trust makes Ojai a wonderful place — will wane as people discover they have been misled and manipulated for political gain.
It is truly this type of political campaign style, and social media manipulation, that strike at the heart of a community and our affection for each other — a real threat to “Ojai’s hold on its soul.”
Opinion Editorial: What price freedom?
- Details
- Published: Thursday, 10 March 2022 18:44
Laura Rearwin Ward, publisher
Freedom of speech is the gateway to the big three — life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
The Ukrainian people know this as dearly as Americans do. Our hearts are breaking for the 44 million Ukrainians fighting for a free country as their courage and resilience are put to the ultimate test.
Ukrainian bravery in this crisis and their steadfast belief in maintaining their liberty are inspiring people around the world. Their valiant actions have many people in Ojai asking themselves the big questions.
Before looming economic concerns overtake our moment to self reflect, we consider our own ideological attachments to country, family, freedom and peace. What are the freedoms worth fighting for, and how can we avoid paying the last full measure? In front of us now: What are we willing to give up so that others may have freedom? What can we do now to keep freedom ringing in our own country?
Strangely, subscriptions to Ojai’s 131-year-old free-press have not even doubled in the last two weeks. We’ve heard that “freedom is not free,” but what are we willing to pay?
Opinion Editorial: Carrying Ventura's Water
- Details
- Published: Thursday, 17 February 2022 17:37
Laura Rearwin Ward, publisher
What Ventura city wants most, in its thirsty attack on Ojai Valley water rights, is to fracture the parties to further splinter the resistance against it. The Ojai Basin Groundwater Management Agency (OBGMA) stands poised with evidence that could remove thousands of properties from the adjudication lawsuit. Everyone from the “Y” through Upper Ojai can be holding their breath that they may be excused from the lawsuit.
Enter Bruce Kuebler — vice president of the Upper Ventura River Groundwater Agency (UVRGA) and a director of the Ventura River Water District — attempting to upset that apple cart.
Opinion Editorial: Cutting off your limbs to spite your trunk
- Details
- Published: Thursday, 10 February 2022 17:38
Laura Rearwin Ward, publisher
Without environmental or financial sanity, Ventura County government has cut off limbs to spite the trunks of an unprecedented 82 Soule Park trees.
A poison cocktail was sprayed around the bases of the 64-year-old trees for weed control, which is contraindicated on the label.
But, according to a Jan. 25 report by the Ventura County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office, the trees died “accidentally.”
Though the Agricultural Commissioner’s Office found “no violation,” it is expected that most of the trees will need to be removed for safety reasons.
The destruction of our best-loved park’s trees by the county’s incompetence is heart-wrenching for our community. Most of the current Ojai population will not live to see replacement trees restore the park to what it was. Sadly, continuing down the same management path will likely produce a similar result.
Opinion Editorial: Preservation or power grab?
- Details
- Published: Friday, 28 January 2022 08:40
Laura Rearwin Ward, publisher
The false timeline was set, protectionist cards were played, and free money was offered by the city of Ojai Historic Preservation Commission last week as it rolled out its beautiful slide presentation about the historic value of Ojai's downtown.
Any Ojaian would have been touched.
Commission Chair Brian Aikens led the charge to "save" an area that has managed to maintain its character without a Historic District designation for 100 years — by the end of its birthday come August. The pretty pictures and urgency in their voices to protect our old-town charm from threats, both from inside and out, tugged at our heartstrings and paved the way to install themselves — personally — as oversight over every building permit in the new district.
The timing for this move is strategic. The best time to wrest control of the Chaparral school property and grow power at the city level is at the exact moment when fears have recently peaked due to the doomed lease and development project brought forward by Ojai Unified School District. The project, which was never close to being successful, did not require the five white knights of the Historic Preservation Commission — Brian Aikens, Cindy Convery, Gina McHatton, Valerie James and Jennie Prebor — to stop it. We had Ojai city government standing by with zoning, planning and its trusty traffic-credit rule to stop any development it wanted.
If we weren’t taken in with the stirring images or the fear of outsiders, Commissioner Convery offered to save property owners on taxes (after applications and reviews, of course) and to attract more tourists.
Ms. Convery said at the Jan. 18 special joint meeting of the Ojai City Council and Historic Preservation Commission: “The 40 best places to live in America, 90 percent of them are National Register. They attract better-quality tourists, higher-spending dollars… they attract better-quality businesses … you’re not talking about people that are slobs coming to town. It just attracts a better-quality visitor…
Opinion Editorial: Flip your housing standards
- Details
- Published: Friday, 17 December 2021 09:54
Laura Rearwin Ward, Ojai Valley News publisher
The “Haves” have it and those who don’t, won’t. Ojai is a shrinking town, building an average of one home per year over the last 20 years. Even during this season of charity, we've heard the NIMBY battle cry for a building “moratorium” from our mayor. (Because one house per year is too many?)
Opinion Editorial: Turf over trees: Ojai’s last trees died first
- Details
- Published: Friday, 03 December 2021 10:32
Ojai Valley News photo by Grant Phillips
R.I.P. lost Soules at Ojai Valley county park. "The county is unable to provide deep irrigation to the park based on our limited allocation for Casitas Wataer District and efforts to assist conservation effforts."
Laura Rearwin Ward, Ojai Valley News publisher
Eighty-two native and non-native trees at Soule Park are dead.
The steward of this park and its trees is the county of Ventura. The mostly 63-year-old sycamore, silver maple and Modesto ash trees had their natural lives cut in half.
Their deaths went unnoticed by the county until July when local arborist Jan Scow questioned the county about the die-off. Too late they increased their watering, to no effect. A county investigation of one ash and two soil samples determined the trees died from lack of water, with high levels of chloride. County officials blamed the loss on Casitas Municipal Water District's limited water allocation and cited their own "efforts to assist in conservation efforts," according to County Parks official Jeri Cooper. This travesty was their effort to assist?
Opinion Editorial: Is hate the new black?
- Details
- Published: Friday, 12 November 2021 11:11
Laura Rearwin Ward, Ojai Valley News publisher
Democracy is not in fashion as much as it used to be. Someone told the Ojai Valley News that “hate is the new black” this year. Has the beginning of the civil war already begun, in our minds? The thought is minted fresh each day in the minds of believers fighting to defend their one truth.
Some people are more than willing to set aside the free exchange of ideas and the First Amendment of the Constitution for a greater feeling of security. As always, fear is what drives the hate that follows. It closes our minds and makes us smaller. Our heightened concern for survival brings forth our most primitive selves — fear of change, fear of outsiders, fear of death, all excusing our attacks, which feels like self-defense.
The First Amendment with its promise of free speech is a cruel mistress for a newspaper and for a republic. We have learned that bots and trolls and terrified people can fuel the herd with disinformation. The insidious walling off, of tribalism, results in microthreats to our democracy every day. Where does civil war begin and where will it end?