“I have never understood why it is ‘greed’ to want to keep the money you’ve earned, but not greed to want to take somebody else’s money.” —Thomas Jefferson Ventura Water will push the boundaries of the law as it tries to use Proposition 218 to raise money to meet the Wishtoya Foundation Consent Decree. […]
Our federalist system gives us many opportunities to participate in our democracy. Some forms of participation are more common than others. And some citizens participate more than others, but almost everyone has a voice in government. Meet Your 2019 City Councilmembers We have a new Ventura City Council for 2019. We have three new Councilmember […]
“…Great responsibility follows inseparably from great power.” —Voltaire What’s next for Ventura with a new City Council and a new City Manager? Is Ventura better prepared to meet the challenges of 2019 and beyond? At the inception, the answer may be no. It takes time for city government to change course even if danger signals […]
“If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.” —Lewis Carroll Ask anyone what the pressing issues are facing Ventura; you’ll get a variety of answers. With the unprecedented departure of three serving City Councilmembers, this is an excellent time to get the perspectives of those who have served. […]
“Courage Cannot Be Counterfeited. It Is One Virtue That Escapes Hypocrisy” —Napoleon Bonaparte The City of Ventura has a spending problem, and it’s time for an intervention. The fiscal crisis is not widely understood. At its core are the promised unfunded pensions for public employees. Ventura’s pension contributions for 2018 are $17,410,000. The annual contributions […]
“You’ll Never Reach Your Destination If You Stop And Throw Stones At Every Dog That Barks” —Winston Churchill When it comes to real estate, Ventura’s City Council is, at best, inconsistent. At worst, they are reckless with our money. Their latest decision costs taxpayers over $1,000,000. On June 16th, the Council accepted the city staff’s […]
“Water is life, and clean water means health.” —Audrey Hepburn Ventura needs to get its priorities straight about water—and fast. On July 9th, Ventura Water will ask the City Council to approve direct potable reuse (DPR). Ventura Water views DRP as a primary alternative source for increased drinking water. The project will cost $538 million […]
“We need leadership. We don’t need a doubling down on the failed politics of the past.” —Paul Ryan City Council Makes The First Step Toward Dealing with Surplus Building To get realistic information for the City Council to decide about 505 Poli, Councilmember Mike Tracy presented a motion to seek advice from a licensed commercial […]
“We’re no longer a quaint little beach town.” —Ventura Mayor Neal Andrews Mayor Neal Andrews’s State-of-the-City address was noteworthy more for what he didn’t say. The speech was a summary of last year’s events delivered by each of the major department managers with summary comments by Mr. Andrews. What this year’s address lacked was a […]
Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth. —Buddha The City Cuts And Runs On Brooks Institute Debacle Citizens Short Changed The folks at City Hall are trying hard to put on a brave and jubilant face in trying to explain why their decision to accept $71,000 to settle […]