WILL VENTURA CITY GOVERNMENT EVER LEARN? It’s déjâ vu all over again. Once again the past rears its ugly head. Only this time will the City Council be wise enough to learn from its past mistakes? There are some things this Council and this city staff are not qualified to evaluate fully. Among the first issues facing the 2017 Ventura […]
ELECTION AFTERMATH 2016 was a fascinating and challenging election year at all levels of government. The City of Ventura was no exception. Voters elected a new City Council Member and passed two City Charter amendments. Most remarkable of all, Ventura voters approved an increase in the sales tax. This will impact Ventura for 25 years. The city staff and City […]
We congratulate the voters and the City Council on Measure O passing. Many people voted against this measure. That opposition was never about the extra tax money that could benefit our City. Instead, it was about the lack of trust in how this government would spend the money. Citizens’ Oversight Committee Promised Our opposition forced […]
“EVERYONE’S ENTITLED TO THEIR OWN OPINION, BUT NOT THEIR OWN FACTS” —Daniel Patrick Moynihan Brooks Institute continues to be an issue Ventura’s City Council’s bad deal with Brooks Institute exposes its lack of financial understanding. The Council and the city staff are scrambling to cover up those flaws. They’re feeding voters information designed to distract the public from […]
ELECTION RANCOR AND MALICE IN OUR MIDST It will be hard for anyone not to remember this election. The election rancor and display of malice that has bombarded us on a daily basis by many of the candidates, and those supporting or opposing ballot measures, has been destructive if not disgusting. The disrespect shown the […]
FEEDING AT THE PUBLIC TROUGH The Yes on Measure O Committee reported contributions of $30,000. Of that, over $10,000 has been spent with a public relations firm to convince you to vote yes. (This is in addition to the $144,000 the city has already spent on consultants and a 4-color brochure). They argument has been […]
WAVE GOODBYE TO BROOKS INSTITUTE AND OUR TAX DOLLARS The news in the last few weeks has reported the closure of Brooks Institute. Everyone lost from this closure. The students hopefully will find other institutions to complete their education and their teachers may find other positions, but the Citizens of Ventura are again holding the […]
VENTURA CITY COUNCIL ASKS CITIZENS FOR MORE TAXES On May 23, 2016, the Ventura City Council joined a parade of governments hoping to persuade voters to raise the sales tax, and last week, in a 6 to 1 decision, the Council voted to place a measure on the November 2016 ballot to raise the Ventura […]
The Scenario The Ventura City Council is determined to raise taxes again by putting a measure on the ballot in November to increase sales taxes by 0.5%-1%. Two previous attempts failed. As is customary, they are not completely forthcoming or transparent when they are trying to extract more money from the citizenry. On January 30, […]
The Scenario The Ventura City Council is determined to raise taxes again by putting a measure on the ballot in November to increase sales taxes by 0.5%-1%. Two previous attempts failed. As is customary, they are not completely forthcoming or transparent when they are trying to extract more money from the citizenry. On January 30, […]