ojai news at The Ojai Post :: blog, newspaper, events in Ojai, California

So enough about us, how about you? Post an event, concern, platitude or declaration...

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 10:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (15)

Well, one candle for one year! Happy Birthday Ojai Post! (And, thank you to the young girl who made us a card...maybe she'll have a comment to share with us!)

Thank you, Tyler, for all the work, focus, time and dedication to making this a "destination" location. No matter how many hundreds - or thousands! - of visits, we'll still remember this evening as a special one shared among strangers...who quickly became friends...

Wishing everyone involved a great, new year. And, to the bloggers who make this site what it is: Hats off to you!

Posted by Jason Womack at 08:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Exactly one year ago today, I posted this warning welcome:

The Ojai Post is a community blog, featuring Ojai residents from all walks of life writing about the unique Ojai experience. Ojai is a special place, not just for its geography, flora and fauna, small-town architecture and rich native American history - its also because of the people - talented, creative souls who tend to walk to the beat of their own drummer and carve their own path through life. Check in for daily musings, rants, Ojai news and greater goings-on from the place some call Shangri-La.

We've certainly had our share of musings, rants, news and greater goings-on - 425 posts and counting. And we're just getting started. My deep gratitude to twenty-two authors who have dipped in a toe or taken the plunge, and to our ever-increasing audience (over 1,500 visitors and 5,000 page views yesterday). The Ojai Post is about community, one I'm proud to be a part of. Hope you're enjoying the ride as much as I am.

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

We heard from Mayor Carol Smith that Police Chief Norris will speak to this issue at the beginning of the city council meeting tomorrow night.

Tues. 27th at 7:30. City Hall.

Posted by Leslie Davis at 11:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

TILLMAN IS A 1.5 YEAR-OLD BULLDOG. HERE IS WHAT HE HAS TO SAY,

I want to say that I love to skateboard. I dream of skateboarding all the time.

I am very smart. Way smarter than what anyone thinks. I like it when I eat hamburgers. It makes me skate better.

I like to go fast because it makes me feel like everyone stops and watches me. That is the best feeling and to feel the wind in my face. I want my kid to be able to teach me tricks. I want to be able to jump off the board and then back on really quickly, but I don’t know if I can run as fast as the board. I want a wider and longer ramp with obstacles I can weave through. Can they do that for me?

I need a jersey. Dad has some shirts that he thinks he looks really good in. Can I have one like his? The one I like is blue and has white and black lettering.

I like to skate mostly in the morning. It is harder for me to see at night under the lights. The shadows and glare play tricks on me then. I don’t understand why the kids wear shoes. Doesn’t it make it harder for them?

WHEN DID YOU FIRST KNOW YOU WANTED TO SKATE?

Stoli (a former dog of the home) told me that it was my job to learn to skate. He used to send me mental images of me skating as a puppy. He said there is nothing more fun than watching our family together. He used to say that skateboarding made families fall in love. He wanted to skate himself, but said he was too big and that maybe he would come back to earth as a kid one day. He told me that if I learned when I was little that I would always know how. I wanted to make Stoli proud. So I learned to skate. He was right it does make families fall in love.

I make people touch each other. When they see me they are filled with joy and love for one another. It’s a great feeling.

I remember the first time I tried to steer I lost my balance. Then they pushed me down a little hill and all of a sudden I started to shift my weight around and it made me move directions. I thought it was crazy. Then I would watch everyone skate and I would see how they skated. At first I tried to move my butt the way that they do, but then I realized that I am not a person so I had to find my own way. It is mostly in my shoulders.

IS THERE ANYTHING YOU DON’T LIKE ABOUT SKATEBOARDING?

I don’t like some of the peoples’ language. Sometimes I find that it is chilling. I love the excitement around skating and people cheering for me. No there is nothing about skate boarding I do not like.

ANYTHING YOU WANT TO TELL YOUR FANS?

Thank you for coming to see me. I love when people come to see me. It makes me feel very special. Also I would like other dogs to learn this sport. Some of the dogs that see me are jealous and I know they could do it too.

IS THERE ANYTHING YOU WANT TO TELL YOUR PEOPLE?

I want my people to know that they are just as special as I am. They make everyone smile around them. I want them to know that we are going to be ok and that know one will ever hurt us. Thank you for spending so much time with me.

I want them to keep focusing on the future in front of them. Because when I see them looking into the past, I think it hurts them. I know from skateboarding that you always have to look forward smiling. If you look back you fall and if you look forward with fear you fall.

YOU CAN LEARN MORE ABOUT TILLMAN AT WWW.GOTILLMAN.COM

Posted by Laura Stinchfield at 09:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (12)

[Formal complaint letter
submitted by Jock Doubleday to BBC
on February 21, 2007
re: "Conspiracy Files" Documentary]

Dear BBC:

My complaint is twofold.

1. ABSENCE OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AND FACTS

It has been over five years since the 9/11 tragedy, and in that time "Conspiracy Files" producer Guy Smith has managed to discover little more than has been handed to him by the major media. There seems to have been no independent scientific research at all on the part of Smith or his team.

"Conspiracy Files" skipped over several important scientific facts . . .

First, the World Trade Center buildings were brought down by controlled demolition.

Supporting facts:

a) Jet fuel is not hot enough to melt steel in steel-frame towers. Jet fuel burns, at its hottest, at 1,520F. Construction steel has a melting point of 2,800F (before fire-proofing).

b) Black smoke coming from the two towers is evidence of low-temperature fire.

c) People waiting in the hole made by the passenger jet is evidence of low-temperature fire.

d) Evidence of the use of Thermate has been found on steel frame parts. Thermate is a patented chemical compound used in demolition work to cut through steel girders "like a hot knife through butter."

e) Steel-frame stubs still standing after the fall of the two buildings were cut at the slanting angle used in controlled demolition (clearly visible in rescue worker videos).

f) All three buildings fell at free-fall speed (clearly visible in all videos of building collapses).

g) All three buildings fell in their own footprints.

h) Building 7 was not hit by a plane but fell at free-fall speed.

i) Pools of molten steel (evidence of Thermate reaction) were still burning in basements of all three buildings four weeks or longer after the collapses.

j) Pyroclastic flow typical of volcanic eruptions was seen in New York City streets and even out in the harbor, flowing out over the water.

k) All three buildings' concrete was pulverized -- no sizeable chunks remained.

l) Desks, chairs, and copy machines were pulverized. No pieces of office equipment larger than a few inches were found by clean-up crews.

m) Significant seismic activity directly preceded each tower plane crash.

n) Squibs (small horizontal explosions) preceded the fall of the towers. These squibs are clearly visible in most videos of tower collapse when played in slow motion.

http://physics911.net/stevenjones

http://911scholars.org/

http://www.911truth.org/article.php?story=20070126195122197

http://www.911truth.org/article.php?story=20060405112622982

http://www.studyof911.com/articles/mirrored/craigfurlong/

Why was it not mentioned in "Conspiracy Files" that no passenger jet hit the Pentagon?

Where were these supporting facts:

a) The hole in the Pentagon was not big enough to have been made by passenger jet.

b) The Pentagon lawn was not scratched.

c) No bodies were found by search dogs in or around the Pentagon.

d) No luggage was found in or around the Pentagon.

e) No passenger jet parts were found in our around the Pentagon.

f) No seismic wave forms were recorded by any of five seismology stations near the Pentagon.

http://physics911.net/missingwings

http://www.911truth.org/article.php?story=20060405112622982

2. BIAS

Why was BBC's show titled, "Conspiracy Files" when it should have had a title without bias -- something such as, "What Happened on 9/11"?

Speaking of bias, how can BBC consider "Conspiracy Files" to be a fair and balanced documentary when there were four times as many persons presenting the conventional model as there were persons presenting alternate theories/facts? Why were the alternate theory presenters slandered/defamed?

With the airing of "Conspiracy Files," BBC's credibility has been seriously tarnished. In this viewer's opinion, BBC's reputation is presently beneath ground zero.

It's shocking, really, that BBC would allow such a poorly researched documentary to be aired -- although after BBC's flagrant and biased trashing of Graham Hancock's excellent work in archaeology, perhaps we shouldn't be surprised.

Why do citizens have to do BBC's research for it? What are your subscribers paying for?

Here's hoping that, in the future, BBC 1) does a better job of researching its documentaries and 2) presents different sides of an issue in a fair and balanced way.

Regards,

Jock Doubleday
Director
Natural Woman, Natural Man, Inc.
director@spontaneouscreation.org
http://www.SpontaneousCreation.org
http://www.SpontaneousCreation.org/SC/links.htm

* * * * *

To make your own complaint to BBC, go to:

http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/february2007/210207bbcdiscredited.htm

Posted by Jock Doubleday at 06:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

..

on my knees,
from my quieted heart,

and this lifetime of tears,
returning to the great river ...

I give thanks.

to every sister/brother, child/friend, elder/teacher,
in this valley Moon ...

this Turtle Island, this planetesimal Earth ...

our world family, all our living relations,
Orinari-sama (fox), coyote, deer, bear, hawk,
every spirit that dwelleth/is our cosmic sea ...

I humble me.

all our beloved ancestors,
before great Mother Sun, milk-providing Galaxy,
Virgin Supercluster, Greatest Grandmother Matterverse ...

I bend my body, touch my forehead to your soil.

Salten your creation.

kia ora, as the Maori say,
kia orana.

may our Chumash ancestry/herstory,
continue to grow in our collective knowing.

pray this land, this dirt, on which I sow the seeds,
Aina which shares her infinite song of peace,
intwines us further in each day and night,
within this river of our returning.

mitakuye oyasin,

Millennium Twain
(and Megumi Tatsuzawa)

~~~~~
~~~~~~~

Bodies of Jesus, Mary Magdalene and their Child Discovered

JERUSALEM, Israel, Feb. 24 (UPI) -- A documentary produced by Oscar-
winning filmmaker James Cameron claims there is proof that Jesus
Christ was buried in Jerusalem with his wife and son.

Cameron and director Simcha Jacobovici argue that Jesus was not
resurrected and he was married to Mary Magdalene, Time magazine
reports.

Their claims are based on an archaeological find made 27 years ago,
a burial cave in the outskirts of Jerusalem with 10 stone caskets,
Time said.

Archaeologists during the subsequent 20 years identified the names
on the caskets as Jesua, son of Joseph, Mary, Mary, Mathew, Jofa and
Judah, son of Jesua.

Cameron is scheduled to hold a news conference in New York Monday to
show three caskets -- supposedly those of Jesus, his mother and Mary
Magdalene. He and Jacobovici say they have proof in the form of DNA
and archaeological evidence.

http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Top_News/20070224-113802-2870r/

Or at least he's trying to kill the story of Jesus' resurrection.
An upcoming 90-minute documentary directed by Jewish Canadian
filmmaker Simcha Jacobovici and produced by Titanic director James
Cameron makes the startling assertion that Jesus was never
resurrected -- a cornerstone of Christian faith -- and that his
burial cave was discovered in the Jerusalem suburb of Talpiyot some
27 years ago. One more thing, Jesus fathered a son with Mary
Magdelene.

Cameron and Jacobovici claim they have DNA tests, archeological
evidence and Biblical studies on their side. And on Monday, Cameron
will hold a press conference in New York to reveal three coffins
that supposedly held Jesus of Nazareth, his mother Mary and Mary
Magdalene.

The 90-minute film will be shown on Discovery Channel, Britain's
Channel 4, Canada's Vision and Israel's Channel 8.

http://www.laist.com/archives/2007/02/24/ james_cameron_tries_to_ kill_jesus.php

15:12 Now if Christ is being preached as raised from the dead, how
can some of you say there is no resurrection of the dead? 15:13 But
if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has
been raised. 15:14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our
preaching is futile and your faith is empty. 15:15 Also, we are
found to be false witnesses about God, because we have testified
against God that he raised Christ from the dead, when in reality he
did not raise him, if indeed the dead are not raised. 15:16 For if
the dead are not raised, then not even Christ has been raised. 15:17
And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is useless; you are
still in your sins. 15:18 Furthermore, those who have fallen
asleep in Christ have also perished. 15:19 For if only in this
life we have hope in Christ, we should be pitied more than anyone.

Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:12 to 19

Posted by Millennium Twain at 01:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (14)

The A-1 Mart on El Roblar in Meiners Oaks is now serving homemade Indian food on weekends! Owned by the same folks who brought us India's Best in Mira Monte, the convenience store offers burritos and sandwiches every day of the week as well. Great vegetarian foods including dal, several different vegetable choices, naan bread, papadams (crunchy, spicy, Indian chips), even cardamon-y lemony rice pudding! They also offer curried and tandoori chicken, which I have not eaten so I can't offer comment.

Vegetarian Special for 2 $12.99 for 4 $22.99
Chicken Meal for 2 $14.99 for 4 $26.99
805.646.2084

Posted by Heather McKenzie at 12:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

The (Solar) New Year is off to an exciting start! SB1, the million solar roofs bill signed into law last year went into effect January 1st, and is now called the California Solar Initiative or CSI. There have been quite a few changes to the requirements for designing and installing solar electric systems that are beneficial to architects, contractors and solar system owners:
1) The rebates are now based on the expected system performance, rather than the size of the system (in the past it was a capacity based incentive and now it is a performance based incentive).
2) The highest rebates will be paid for systems that produce the most electricity in the summer peak demand season.
Summer peak demand in SCE service territory is defined as 10 AM to 6 PM, Monday through Friday starting the first

Sunday of June running until the first Sunday in October.
3) Solar electric systems designed facing anywhere from south to west will have now have higher rebates than systems facing east (no incentives for system facing north).
4) A system designed with a lower degree of tilt (10 to 17 degrees) will pay more rebate than one designed with a tilt at latitude (34 degrees).
5) Incentives will be higher for non profits, schools and government buildings.
6) Solar system owners will now have the option of an up front incentive (expected performance based incentive, or one paid monthly over 5 years based on the actual kilowatt hour production of the system).
7) First come first served, as in the past the rebates will decrease over time; the more applications the program administrators receive, the lower the rebate (based on MW triggers).
8) Anyone participating in the rebate program is now required to first conduct an energy efficiency survey.

Anyone with questions about the new program or solar in general, feel free to give me a call.
Here are a few websites for more information;
SCE Program Administrator
http://www.sce.com/RebatesandSavings/CaliforniaSolarInitiative/
CSI Handbook and Forms
http://www.sce.com/RebatesandSavings/CaliforniaSolarInitiative/2007Handbook.htm

Michael Lind

Sr. Solar Energy Consultant
REC Solar
2894 Bunsen Ave. Suite L
Ventura, CA 93003
Phone: (805) 302-6005

“All the energy stored in Earth’s reserves of coal, oil, and natural gas is matched by the energy from just 20 days of sunshine.” -–Union of Concerned Scientists

Posted by Michael Lind at 12:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sunday, February 25, 2007, Zalk Theater, Happy Valley School, Ojai, CA - Jonathan and Nathan join dad John McEuen for a fundraising night for the HVS Arts Program. Read more for a recap of the evening and some video from the performance...

The show was the 6th in a series of fundraisers for the HVS Arts Program. John McEuen of Nitty Gritty Dirt Band fame started the show solo, with a monologue filled with jokes, the banjo and some good ol' fashioned pickin'. Sons Nathan and Jonathan joined dad for "Grand Design", the title track off Nathan's album, which was written with Crosby Loggins, son of Kenny. John, playing the mandolin, joked that people going to see him in concert were disappointed they weren't seeing Kenny Loggins and David Crosby.

A Jonathan/John duet was followed by "Long Hard Road" written by the Dirt Band's Rodney Crowell, as John picked up the fiddle and continued his versatile display of musicianship. Jonathan then led "Lowlands", an old Dirt Band song first recorded by Jonathan's band for his own album, thirty years later.

Play Earl's Breakdown!

The final song of the first set features the three playing "Earl's Breakdown", a tune originally done by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band with bluegrass legend Earl Scruggs (of Flatt and Scruggs fame). Check out the video above.

John once again opened up the second set solo, doing a tune from the 1800's followed by a song he recorded for the score of a Tommy Lee Jones flick. The trio became a quartet, joined by fiddler Phil Salazar. Jonathan led a tune on piano, and then picked up his electric guitar, plucking out "Crazy" by Gnarls Barkley, while Nathan beatboxed and dad rapped. We'll just call it an experiment.

"Mr. Bojangles", "Don't Belong Here" and "Will The Circle Be Unbroken" closed the second set, followed by a one-song encore highlight - Jonathan on acoustic and John on mandolin as the son sang a song he wrote for his father - "I'm a living legacy / of the leader of the band" that brought tears to dad's eyes. A touching end to a beautiful night of music.

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 11:17 PM | Permalink

The cycling tour winds it way through downtown Ojai on February 24, with dozens of cyclists competing. See the bicyclists whip throught downtown past hundreds of spectators, led by and followed by support vehicles, fire engines and police cars. Continue reading for some video of the Bike Tour...

Click To Play

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 11:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

from reader SPK...

I know it's kind of short notice, but a friend of mine is here in town visiting with his cousin and he just happens to be a representative with Food & Water Watch. Their website is http://foodandwaterwatch.org/ . They specialize in helping cities overthrow their private water contractors. His name is Aden Scow and he is one of the Food & Water Watch California organizers. He's in the area because he is helping Saticoy organize against their private water contractor and his cousin lives here in Ojai so he's up visiting this weekend. He learned that our water company is planning a 43+% rate increase and started to inquire if there was support here in Ojai for a campaign to return water to the public domain. I told him there was most definitely interest in that regard. He's agreed to have an initial meeting with anyone interested today at 1 p.m. at Java and Joe's. So if anyone would like to come talk about giving the boot to Golden State Water and starting a municipal water company here in Ojai, come on down.

Aden Scow - California Organizer
Food & Water Watch
1 p.m. Sunday 2/25
at Java & Joe's

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 11:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

The Los Angeles Times reported Saturday that a new light bulb is attracting the interest of California lawmakers who are considering a ban on the sale of old-fashioned incandescent bulbs as of 2012.

A similar piece of legislation has also been introduced in Australia.

Acording to a UPI news story, both energy experts and environmentalists love the "stubby, squiggly fluorescent bulbs" and that the switch to the low-energy long-lasting compact fluorescent bulb would slash electricity consumption by a whopping 75 percent.

The author of the bill is state Assemblyman Lloyd Levine of Van Nuys, who called the act of banning the bulb a "simple idea." "When you're running short of power, one thing you can do is find a way to make that energy go farther," he told the Times.

Wal-Mart Stores, the world's largest retailer, is throwing its hefty weight behind the new bulbs and have urged their millions of customers to purchase one or two for starters.

Costs will be realized over the life of the new bulb, which can last 10 times as long as the incandescent kind. However, the new fluorescent bulbs are pricier than traditional incandescent bulbs.

Posted by Howard Smith at 09:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

About an hour ago there was a shooting on Drown Street. I'm still shaking... It happened directly across from my house. Thought I'd get the word out since I'm sure many of you heard the shots.

I heard two shots, saw a car speed past out of the corner of my eye and then looked out to see our neighbor's SUV with the driver side window shattered. A young man was shot and taken away in the ambulance. The Crime Scene Investigation team is here now, Captain Norris and loads of officers, gang unit, detectives, media, etc.

Pretty scary. Glad my kids and I were in the house.

Posted by Leslie Davis at 05:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (36)

Following is Sue Williamson's 3 minute address regarding the ballot initiatives to the Ojai City Council meeting of 2/13/07 during the community comment period. She follows it with a brief description of Monte Widders response:

I would like to speak to the fact that you, the City Council, following the advice of your lawyer, Monte Widders, filed a lawsuit against a citizen of this city who was exercising his legally protected right to propose an initiative for the consideration of Ojai voters. This was a slap in the face to all the people of Ojai.

I would like to remind the counsel that according to the California Constitution: “All political power is inherent in the people. Government is instituted for their protection, security, and benefit, and they have the right to alter or reform it when the public good may require.”

After witnessing for many years the refusal of this counsel to meet its responsibility to provide for low income housing, and instead cater to the financial elite, it seemed totally appropriate and even required that the initiative process be used for this issue. But whether you agree with that or not the initiative process is clearly defined by the Election Code.

And I quote: “Within 15 days after the proposed measure is filed, the city attorney shall provide and return to the city elections official a ballot title for and summary of the proposed measure.... In providing the ballot title, the city attorney shall give a true and impartial statement of the purpose of the proposed measure in such language that the ballot title shall neither be an argument, nor be likely to create prejudice, for or against the proposed measure.” It says nothing about the right of the lawyer to decide to throw out the initiative.

There is something very fishy and very improper when our city attorney, not only does not perform his required duties, but initiates a lawsuit against the petitioner. And for the city counsel to co-conspire in this form of intimidation is malfeasance of the highest order. And when you had the chance to drop this whole thing you chose not to.

Now I understand that this attorney will be asking for $20,000 in fees. And the fees to come in defending his actions in a court of appeals could be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. I feel this is a truly tragic day for the city of Ojai, and there are going to be serious consequences for this ill considered attempt to steal away the rights of Ojai citizens.

I suggest that you refuse those fees based on the fact that he failed to correctly inform you of the legal issues, and that you immediately relieve Mr. Widders of his duties so that he no longer profits at the taxpayers expense. I also suggest you find a lawyer who will work FOR and WITH the citizens of Ojai, rather than against us. While I am as a rule against using lawsuits to accomplish what dialogue can achieve, as it stands now, a taxpayers lawsuit to prevent waste may be the only avenue left if you fail to act.

Mr. Widders responded to me and others who spoke with the following comments:

“Joshua is not a lawyer but made a gross misstatement. The judge said, ‘Widders was well within his official duties to deny Mr. Furchtenicht’s request to title & summarize.” This is directly contrary to what Mr. Joshua said.”

“The judge said: ‘SLAPP suit denied because Mr. Furchtenicht caused Mr. Widders to bring the lawsuit by not withdrawing the initiatives. Once Mr. Furchtenicht was informed that the initiatives were unconstitutional he should have taken them back. But he did not. Mr. Widders was compelled to bring the action, not by me but by Mr. Furchtenicht.”

“That was the judges opinion, not mine.”

“It was not the right to petition, Sue, but the failure to withdraw that caused the lawsuit.”

So, as you can see, Mr. Widders just refuses to acknowledge that the judge threw out his case with the following ruling:

Having considered the submitted matter, the Court rules as follows: Demurrer to 1st Amended COMPLAINT of WIDDERS as to JEFF B FURCHTENICHT sustained without leave to amend. SLAPP Motion is also denied.

Instead Widders focuses on the judges refusal to grant a SLAPP against Widders for filing the case in the first place.

Without going into great detail here, and falling into the trap Widders is trying to set to engulf us in arguments about side issues that are irrelevant, suffice it to say that he has now made it imperative that Jeff appeal the case and we must thank our lucky stars that the ACLU has stepped in for free to defend our constitutional rights against a lawyer and city council gone power grabbing mad!

- Sue Williamson
Ojai, CA

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 12:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

The OVN reports today that the "city's surplus for basic services last year was much larger than previously estimated, $760,000 instead of $650,000."

City Manager Jere Kersnar, who deserves to share in the credit for righting the City of Ojai's financial position, was quoted as saying, "Looking at the long term, we continue to review ways to restore the city's reserves as quickly as possible. If we can do so ... we will be able to free up $500,000 or more in cash flow each fiscal year to meet council priorities."

Meanwhile, however, short-term expenses introduced by the City Manager include the following:

* $86,400 for an associate city planner
* $65,400 for a second "office specialist" or administrative assistant for himself
* $15,000 adjustment to planned expenses for immediate hardware upgrades
* $133,000 set aside for software purchases in the future

I've questioned the need for second assistants and outrageous software expenses in the past.

I will reiterate my open question: Where is the $50,000 reinstating the Ojai Visitor's Bureau funding?

A city that gets over 28% of its revenue from TOT (the hotel bed tax), and 16% from sales tax can't spend less than 2% of that revenue on a Visitor's Bureau?

This is a lack of vision on the part of the City Council. Period. As Kersnar stated, money is being freed up each fiscal year to meet "council priorities." One of those priorities MUST be supporting our primary source of revenue by funding a Visitor's Bureau, not undermining it.

Sue Horgan, Joe DeVito, and Rae Hanstad - you three voted to kill funding for the Visitor's Bureau in a time of financial crisis. Now that we are in a much more stable financial position, this is your opportunity to restore funding at the earliest opportunity. Steve Olson, please join Carol Smith in her continued support of the Visitor's Bureau. This is a low-cost opportunity to support the very lifeblood of Ojai with vision and foresight.

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 10:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

For those who think that corporate profits and $100 million CEO salaries indicate that the economy is going just great, take a minute to read an article in The Charlotte Observer on the soaring growth of people in the U.S. living in 'severe poverty'. "A family of four with two children and an annual income of less than $9,903 -- half the federal poverty line -- was considered severely poor in 2005. So were individuals who made less than $5,080 a year."

The number of severely poor Americans grew by 26 percent between 2000 and 2005. That's 56 percent faster than the overall poverty population grew in the same period. The review also suggested that the rise in severely poor residents isn't confined to urban counties.

The plight of the severely poor is distressing amid an unusual economic expansion. Worker productivity has increased dramatically since the brief recession of 2001, but wages and job growth have lagged. At the same time, the share of national income going to corporate profits has dwarfed the amount going to wages and salaries. That helps explain why the median household income for working-age families, adjusted for inflation, has fallen for five straight years.

These and other factors have helped push 43 percent of the nation's 37 million poor people into deep poverty -- the highest rate since at least 1975.

Millennium Twain has been writing about the theft of billions of dollars as a result of 9/11, but the theft of money from the middle and lower classes is systemic. While the GOP cuts government services and says people can "pull themselves up by their bootstraps", millions of Americans continue to fall into severe poverty, where shelter and food are not a given, let alone clothing and education. We as a nation are paying for this direlection, and will continue to do so for generations.

...in 17 years of working with the poor, Deronda Metz has seen the face of the extreme poverty change from adults seeking help to entire families needing emergency shelter.

As director of social services for the Salvation Army of Greater Charlotte, she has also seen how poverty takes root in a family and holds on.

When she first started work, most clients she saw were adult women. Now they are entire families with children in tow. She has even seen some children come back through the doors as adults, seeking help from the shelter where they stayed as kids.

"How do we break that cycle?" she asked.

Metz was among about 400 community leaders who gathered Thursday at the Charlotte Convention Center to discuss affordable housing. But she said the fix needs to go beyond housing.

She advocates for more vocational education to help train the poorest in specific jobs so that they can pay for that affordable housing, plus food and day care. It's going to cost money, she said. But she added, "We pay now or we pay later."

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 09:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

High school video project looking at how young black children view race.

This video is short but enlightening. Watch the hesitation from the girl who is asked to show which doll looks like her. Clearly she'd like it to be the white one.

Posted by Heather McKenzie at 11:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Led by the vision of Publisher Tim Gallagher, The Ventura County Star continues to push into the digital age with their latest offering, Studio 805, a website heavy with video featuring host Gretchen Macchiarella, and an ambition to highlight grassroots citizen journalism. Check it out and give 'em a little love.

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 03:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Gay and Katie Hendricks continue their global trek, on a wild taxi ride from Petra to Amman, Jordan.

I opened the door at 60 miles an hour and acted like I was going to get out. You should have seen the look on his face, as he woke from his trance to realize he was dealing with a bull-goose loony. This got him to screech to a halt in the mouth of one of the exits. Still he wouldn’t actually use the exit to get off the freeway. He sat in the mouth of the exit, with cars honking and swerving around us. This was a very stubborn guy.

Read more at GayHendricksBlog.com...

photo courtesy of AtlasTours

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 12:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Elevated from the comments...very much worth passing on, as many people from the community came together to support the ongoing fire-fighting effort. Thanks to Mike Dietrich, Incident Commander and Fire Chief of the San Bernardino National Forest for the acknowledgment and his efforts during the Day Fire.

Editor:

It's been several months since the threat of the Day Fire has passed. This was arguably one of the most complex incidents in California history.

The purpose of this note is to openly thank the communities from Ojai to Filmore (and places in-between) for the tremendous support during and after the fire. I give credit to not just the citizens, but also to the elected officials, dedicated public servants including fire/law enforcement, and private industry/businesses.

The successful outcome was based on one of the strongest partnerships I have been privileged to work on. Everyone should be very proud of the combined efforts.

Thank you.

/s/ Michael J. Dietrich
Incident Commander -- Day Fire West
Fire Chief, San Bernardino National Forest

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 01:00 AM | Permalink

Ventura County residents suffering from the severe form of headache known as migraine may not realize there is an amazing resource here in Ojai called The Keeler Center For The Study of Migraine. After just a few months of working with the center - which offers a wide range of treatment options including massage, meditation, yoga, biofeedback, stress management, naturopathic, homeopathic and conventional medicines - I have gone from having several of these debilitating headaches per week to last month only experiencing two.

They accept most major health insurance plans and provide some of the most comprehensive and cutting-edge research and treatment I have experienced in my own short lifetime of looking for help since I first started having migraines at the age of five. The science has come a long way, into a kind of results-based open-mindedness that embraces a wide range of so-called alternative therapies and backs them up with the rigors of Western science. In the end, it's about doing whatever works to help patients manage their condition and win back greater well-being. If you have migraines or know someone who does, The Keeler Center can probably help.

Posted by Robert Peake at 04:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Which Barbie are you? (hint: the Ojai Barbie is made out of actual tofu) Check it out after the jump. If you're feeling politically correct, better save the post for another day...

Camarillo Barbie
This yuppie Barbie comes with your choice of BMW convertible or Hummer H2. Included are her own Starbucks cup, credit card and country club membership. Also available for this set are Shallow Ken and Garces High School Skipper. You won't be able to afford any of them.

Thousand Oaks Barbie
This princess Barbie is sold only at the Marketplace She comes with an assortment of Kate Spade Handbags, a Lexus SUV, a long-haired foreign dog named Honey and a custom home . Available with or without tummy tuck and face lift. Workaholic Ken sold only in conjunction with the augmented version.

Ventura Barbie
This modern day homemaker Barbie is available with Ford Windstar Minivan or Chevy Tahoe and matching gym outfit. She has no full-time occupation. This soccer mom enjoys shopping at Target and eating lunch at Sizzler. Home Builder Ken or Law Enforcement Ken sold separately.

Oxnard Barbie
This recently paroled Barbie comes with a 9mm handgun, a Ray Lewis knife, a Chevy with dark tinted windows, and a Meth Lab Kit. This model is only available after dark and must be paid for in cash (preferably small, untraceable bills) unless you are a cop, then we don't know what you are talking about.

Fillmore Barbie
This pale model comes dressed in her own Wrangler jeans two sizes too small, a NASCAR t-shirt and tweety bird tattoo on her shoulder. She has a six-pack of Bud light and a Hank Williams Jr. CD set. She can spit over 5 feet and kick mullet-haired Ken's butt when she is drunk. Purchase her pickup truck separately and get a confederate flag bumper sticker absolutely free.

Casitas Springs Barbie
This tobacco-chewing, brassy-haired Barbie has a pair of her own high-heeled sandals with one broken heel from the time she chased beer-gutted Ken out of Ojai Barbie's house. Her ensemble includes low-rise acid-washed jeans, fake fingernails, and a see-through halter-top. Also available with a mobile home.

Ojai Barbie
This doll is made of actual tofu. She has long straight brown hair, arch-less feet, hairy armpits, no makeup and Birkenstocks with white socks. She prefers that you call her Willow. She does not want or need a Ken doll, but if you purchase two Barbies and the optional Subaru wagon, you get a rainbow flag bumper sticker for free. She works at Costco, eats lunch at The Garden Terrace on Saturday's and goes to Boccali's for drinks.

Port Hueneme Barbie
This Barbie now comes with a stroller and infant doll. Optional accessories include a GED and SCAT bus pass. Gangsta Ken and his 1979 Caddy were available, but are now very difficult to find since the addition of the infant.

=========================================================

This is getting passed around via email (I've received it from three people) - there's no author credit. I'll update it with proper accreditation if I can.

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 09:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (22)

The discussion on how Ojai can control, or regulate, chain stores continues. Here's another opportunity to make a public statement, let your personal opinion be known, and do what you can to Keep Ojai Real.

Our city council recently had this item on the agenda. At the end of the night their recommendation was for Mr. Kersnar (city manager) to give the same powerpoint presentation to the Planning Commission at a future date. The city council suggested that the Planning Commission bring suggestions back to the city council on ways to control or regulate chain businesses in Ojai.

On Wednesday, February 21 Mr. Kersnar will be giving his report on chain stores to the Planning Commission. Let's show up and get involved in the dialogue. If the public doesn't show up, decisions could be made that we won't be happy with. I, for one, am not keen on adding any more chain stores to my hometown.

WHEN & WHERE

Wed. FEB 21
7:30 pm
Planning Commission Meeting
Council Chambers of Ojai City Hall
401 S. Ventura Street, Ojai,

From the Planning Commission Agenda for Feb. 21:

DISCUSSION ITEMS

4. CHAIN STORES

RECOMMENDATION:
1. Receive the administrative report and staff’s Power Point Presentation; and
2. Discuss and identify ways in which chain stores might be controlled and regulated in
the future; and
3. Direct staff to develop recommendations in response to Council and Commission
discussion.

Posted by Leslie Davis at 10:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Peacemongers unite!

Today’s headline: “More Troops, More Violence in Iraq”

The House is engaged now in a “debate” on whether or not to support Mr. Bush’s proposed sending of more troops to Iraq, which is a move already rejected by just about everyone living in the real world. They’re expected to make their decision by Friday as to whether or not to adopt a resolution stating that

(1) Congress and the American people will continue to support and protect the members of the United States Armed Forces who are serving or who have served bravely and honorably in Iraq; and

(2) Congress disapproves of the decision of President George W. Bush announced on Jan. 10, 2007, to deploy more than 20,000 additional United States combat troops to Iraq.

“Disapproves”? Aw, how cute...Congress disapproves of the President’s decision. What seems abundantly clear to the real government – the People – is that we must soundly REJECT the escalation in a way that actually PREVENTS IT FROM HAPPENING, and we must DE-FUND this war in order to bring it to a close. There are already BAJILLIONS of dollars allocated for this violent adventure, all of which could be redirected to keeping our troops safe as they exit Iraq and Afghanistan (and the areas around Iran). This false choice of “support the troops or end the war” is BULLSHIT and we all know it. I demand that we do both.

Call Congress TODAY and urge them to
> adopt a resolution with TEETH, to actually halt the sending of any more troops to the Middle East.
> cut the funding to the occupation, and use the existing budget to safely remove our troops from harm.

This isnt a matter of whether or not the resolution will pass...it’s virtually guaranteed to. The point is that it’s wimpy and meaningless without ACTION to back it up. Here’s your numbers:

Representative Elton Gallegly: 1.202.225.5811
Senator Dianne Feinstein: 1.202.224.3841
Senator Barbara Boxer: 1.202.224.3553

Don’t fight, for peace.
-evan

Posted by evan austin at 06:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Kathlyn and I are on the road in Asia and Europe, so we're getting our Valentine's Day a little earlier this year. In lieu of chocolate, here's a bite of visual candy we like to send to our friends on Valentine's Day:
http://www.consciousgreetings.com/hendricks

The more I travel the world, the more I think Ojai is the best place on earth!

Posted by Gay Hendricks at 01:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

This picture is courtesy of MB. It was taken on 12/7/06.

"WHAT IS IT LIKE BEING AN OJAI MOUNTAIN BEAR?" asks the pet psychic.

One answers, "We dont know what it is like living anywhere else, but I can tell you there is plenty of food and safe places to sleep. Our mom is teaching us about dangerous humans but we think they smell sweet. There is a woman we watch often. She moves like a graceful bird. She also talks to the trees like we do."

They are talking about an older woman who lives in an oak forest.

ARE THERE BEARS WATCHING YOU?

Posted by Laura Stinchfield at 03:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)

http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/The911StockPlay/message/55
http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/The911StockPlay/message/57
http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/The911StockPlay/message/67
http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/The911StockPlay/message/90

those who orchestrated 911, and made $50 Thousand Billion (Trillion)
[not counting the bodies] taxfree on that day:

the BIS, Goldman Sachs, Deutsche Bank, J.P. Morgan/Chase, Citigroup, the U.S. Treasury Department, the Federal Reserve Board, and the New York Federal Reserve Bank.

and, oh yes, here is the Rockefeller video came out this week:

http://thinkwithyourheart.blogspot.com/2007/02/rockefeller-admitted-elite-goal-of.html

Posted by Millennium Twain at 05:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (24)

I'll admit it, not a thought I like to have at minute 33 of a 10K race...but that's what happened while I ran through Ojai one day last year.

Think for a moment, what did you drive by yesterday? What did you not notice because, well, you were more focused on where you were going, than where you were right then?

If you dare, sometime this week drive (or walk, or bike) home a different way than normal. Chances are, you'll see something you had missed until then!

In my profession, it's important that I facilitate strategic learning opportunities. People I coach are looking to learn something, and implement that learning immediately. So, I figure it's important to "look for what I'm missing."

Think for a moment...what do you consider to be Creative, or New, or Innovative, or Simply Cool?

Chances are, that whatever it is did NOT actually exist at some point in time. Take ANY modern necessity - a microwave oven, a glue-bound stack of papers, a wax-encased string - back to its root. There, at that time, someone had a problem to solve.

Whether you are heating a snack, reading a book, or enjoying a candle-lit dinner, look around and notice what you don't notice each and every day.

As I started writing this entry, I reflected on an event here in Ojai last spring: The Heart and Sole 10K race. I came in first place in my age group, but I lost time turning the corner from Carne to Thatcher. There, I looked over and saw a whole new nvew I had missed on every other drive, run and ride along that roadway. Slowing down just a little bit gave me a view of the mountains that surprised me: It was beautiful!

That morning, that moment, I had a realization. "I've got to slow down to notice more!"

I agree and will echo most people when I say, "Time is of the essence, and we must be productive." However, what would happen if, just once in a while, we slowed down.

Look around right now, can you notice something new, or something old from a new perspective?

Nowadays I tend to "stop" every now and then. You might see me do this in town, or while running one of my favorite trails above Ojai. While I'm out, I practice "noticing." While I'm at the airport, waiting for breakfast, walking down the stairs to the subway in New York...just looking for something new.

Try it yourself. Next time you finish a meal, sop and look around. You might just see or say something for the very first time. Now, THAT'S being creative!

*PS: here's info on that Heart and Sole race:
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3019868

Posted by Jason Womack at 06:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Ojai Post author Gay Hendricks and his lovely wife Katie are on an exotic adventure around the world that will take them to the Far East, the Mideast, Europe and elsewhere. Check out Gay's first post on his own blog as they arrive in Bangkok and take in the local cuisine.

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 10:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

The response period for the EIR is now closed.

I want to personally thank the hundreds of concerned citizens of the region who took the time to write letters to Gary Kaiser. They have already had an impact!

According to a news story in the Pacific Coast Business Times, a final draft of the EIR will be completed by the end of the month. Your letters will be included according to a conversation I've had with Gary Kaiser. The Santa Barbara County Planning Comission will review and decide on the merits of the EIR at their April Meeting. If approved there are a number of other, smaller regulatory issues that must be dealt with. If everything passes approval, the whole issue is expected to go to the Santa Barbara County Supervisors in late summer or the fall.

Our "Stop the Trucks" committee, which has so far been an infomal collection of concerned citizens, will be meeting at the end of February for an open "brainstorming" meeting.

The purpose of this meeting is to examine where we as a community stand right now; what the major options are; what course(s) of action might be available to us; which we might take next; how we might organize ourselves; and who is going to do what.

The meeting is not meant to be an open community session ala the meeting at Chaparral, but rather a free flowing brainstorm session by people willing to be active leaders as we move ahead.

If you are interested in attending this session and have not already been invited, please email me at smythe@ojai.net and provide me with all of your contact information.

Space is lmited and our effectiveness will be limited if we have too many people at this meeting. Please only response if you are truly serious about being an active leader or participant or have special knowledge or insight that is invaluable.

In any event, regardless of what choices are involved and what paths are taken, there will be a lot for everyone in this community to do in the future, so please stay tuned for updates.

This battle is very far from over and will take some time to win. But win we will.


At the moment there are four tracks to follow here.

Posted by Howard Smith at 07:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I made the mistake of visiting an LA animal shelter unattended recently, and surprised my wife when I returned with three beat up old dogs. My original mission was to rescue a Pomeranian, “Daisy,” scheduled for execution after outliving her welcome at the shelter. Daisy is a 12-year old who was dumped off at the shelter to die after becoming inconvenient to her human. Anyone with a heart who has visited one of these urban kill shelters knows well that this is an unconscionably cruel end to the life of a dog who has given unconditional devotion to its human companion. The shelters are physically barren, scarce on medical attention and comfort, pervaded by the smell of urine and an atmosphere of fear and terrible sadness. The animals have been abandoned. They don’t know why. They just know they miss their humans terribly, even monsters like the one that gave up Miss Daisy.

The original plan was that my wife and I would simply be a stop on the rescue railroad for Daisy on her way to a foster home in Denver. While I was waiting at the shelter for Daisy to be fetched, a woman walked in the door with a tiny 10-year-old Norfolk Terrier named “Waif.” Waif had been adopted by the woman, who decided to return her because her vet found that Waif had too many medical problems. I watched the scene anxiously as the woman placed the little dog on the counter and discussed her predicament with the worker. Focused on the conversation, the woman was unaware that Waif, fully aware of her location, was attempting to hide in the woman’s arms. Ultimately, Waif was pried away from the woman and taken away. I had overheard that Waif had a serious heart murmur. Having lost a cherished old dog last year to congestive heart failure, I knew how Waif was going to die. There was no possible way I was going to allow that to happen in this horrible place. I told the staff that I wanted Waif. While I sat waiting for, now, two dogs, the worker told me, “y’know, she’s got a brother.” As it turns out, their story was virtually identical to Daisy’s – they had been abandoned at the end of their lives to die in the shelter. My heart knotted further. “Ok, let’s take a look,” I sighed.

Waif’s brother turned out to be a sister, completely blind, who was sound asleep in her cage. The shelter worker touched her, and she awoke, scanning the room with her sightless milky eyes and sniffing the air with a congested wheeze. She stretched and lay back down.

“Ok, I’ll take her,” I told the worker.

“You’re doing a good thing,” he replied.

I was not so sure, but I also knew I had no choice. My wife and I already cared for two other rescue dogs and two non-rescues, in addition to a rescue horse, three other horses, two goats, four fish and a frog. Our three new old additions to the family were all special needs dogs, and were going to require a tremendous amount of medical care and TLC. I was making a huge unilateral decision for our family, which is unheard of in our relationship.

“You did what??” my wife Laura said over the cell phone when I gave her the news as I drove home from the shelter with a carload of dog. Indeed I had, and when Laura saw Waif for the first time, she knew that she would have done the very same thing. Thankfully, I was not in the doghouse.

It’s been a few weeks and our three new charges are coming along nicely. Daisy’s rescue train came off the tracks, so Laura and I decided to keep her, at least for the time being. She appears to have been abused, and though she always wants to be near us, she is very nervous about being touched and often snaps. Given her needs, we did not want to give her up to anyone we had not personally met and trusted. We’re committed to spoiling her for the rest of her life, though we are willing to give her up to a loving family if the right one comes along (if you have a kind heart and a warm lap, please visit Daisy’s Dogster page ).

Waif indeed has a life-threatening heart murmur, though she is not yet showing the dreaded symptoms of congestive heart failure. She loves to putter around in the yard when we take her outside (all of our dogs live indoors with Laura and me).

We now call Waif’s sister “Snufulupagus,” because of her nasal congestion, probably due to an infection from rotted teeth and gums. All three dogs have terrible teeth, and Daisy had her few remaining removed by Dr. Bailey at Matilija Veterinary Clinic. Waif and Snuf are following suit this week and will be dining on soft food for the rest of their lives. Once Snuf recovers from her dentistry, she’s heading off to an eye clinic, where we are going to evaluate her options for restoring her sight. Meanwhile, she is becoming increasingly ambulatory, exploring the house, and learning where the walls and furniture are. Waif and Snuf always sleep together, and Waif cleans Snuf’s face and eyes every day. They seem genuinely happy to be reunited.

As for me, I light up when I see these dogs and know that they are happy, comfortable, and well fed. As is the case with our dogs, I’ve come back from the dark place where we all met for the first time, and I experienced the hopelessness and futility of what the shelter represented. There were some 200 animals in the shelter that day, and many had the same incomprehensible stories as Daisy, Waif, and Snuf. On days like those, if there are indeed a thousand points of light, it seems as though there must be a million darknesses. While I waited an eternity at the shelter for my dogs' paperwork to be shuffled around a classic municipal slate gray office, yet another frightened dog was led through the front door by his human, Sure enough, the following morning, the dog’s picture was on the shelter website.

Posted by Todd Miller at 09:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (18)

The following from City Councilmember Rae Hanstad is elevated from the comments... read the initial post on the rate increase here.

The rate hike proposed by Golden State Water Company will be an agenda item at the Ojai City Council Meeting of Tuesday, February 13, 7:30 PM.

The meeting agenda, staff report, and the City's letter of protest to the Public Utilities Commission should be posted at the City's website by tomorrow. There is also coverage on the GSW increase request on Page A1 of today's OVN.

I encourage concerned citizens to attend the meeting or email comments to me at rhanstad@aol.com.

Thank you.

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 03:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Although Spoken Word Salon has come to an end, a new spoken word and performance art series is starting up at Zoey's in Ventura. Hosted by Barry Miller, the series has set out to feature poets, musicians, comedians and those that blur the lines on the second Sunday of every month. The first show starts at 7PM this Sunday, February 11th and features Gauvin, Ryan Gillenwater, Doris Vernon, Roe Estep , Phil Taggart, Erik Harber, Jani Baldwin and The Lyrically Speaking House Band. Admission is $7 at the door.

Posted by Robert Peake at 05:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

A young twelve year old girl is raised in an atheistic household. At the age of four she begins having visions. The language she adopts includes words like God and Heaven. She discovers the paint brush and begins painting lucid scenes of her inspirations. Some call her a prodigy.

Here's a short video about the young girld talents: http://tinyurl.com/yxewot

One of the great mysteries of Life: What is possible when we, at any age, open up to intellegence, collective consciousness, universal creative forces and allow the energy to express itself through us? Art, Music, World Peace, Sustainable Communities?

Walter Russell spoke of this in The Man Who Knew the Secrets of the Universe.

Posted by Raymond Powers at 10:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I got the following letter in the mail this week from Steve Bennett, our County Supervisor. If you are interested in preserving the possibility of home ownership for seniors and lower income individuals and families in our area, please take a look and maybe take an action. I apologize for any typos - they are mine not Mr. Bennetts.

Dear Mobilehome Owner,

Last week residents in the Ojai Oaks Village Mobilehome Park were notified that their park owner intended to make application to sub-divide the park. Later the park owner will offer to sell the space to the coach owner. This is the first such application in Ventura County following the new court rulings regulating this action.

While on the surfae this may seem attractive to some, it comes with very serious consequences for all the park residents. Once the first lot is sold, our local rent control law becomes null and void for all the residents in that park. This would be true for the County rent control law or the rent control law of the City of Ventura should this happen in a city park.

Residents who are not considered low income and who do not purchase their space will have their rents increased to "market" rate over four years. Residents who are low income will have their rents controlled by state law not by the local rent control law.

All residents who do not purchase their spaces at the park owner's asking price, including low income residents, will lose all protections of local rent control laws. This includes "vacancy decontrol" protections. Renters could only sell their coaches to a buyer who pays the asking price and purchases the space.

This situation is the result of some vaguely written state legislation and a recent court interpretation of that law. If all of the other park owners in Ventura County take advantage of this provision, local rent control protection would be eliminated in Ventura County.

Your state GSMOL [Golden State Mobilehome Owners League] organization has made fixing this situation its top legislative priority. The Ventura County Board of Supervisors will be considering a resolution to take a position in support of the GSMOL effort and to offer the support of our county counsel and state lobbyist.

The hearing on this item will be at 9:30 on Tuesday, February 6, 2007 in the Board of Supervisors hearing room should you care to attend and become informed or comment on this item.

You can also contact your state Assemblymember and Senator to encourage them to suppport proper adjustments to the state legislation so that park owners could not so easily get around local rent control laws.
My reply, if you'd like to use it:

Dear Mr. Bennett and colleagues,

I am writing to ask you to support the CA GSMOL in any way you can to prevent the break-down of local rent control as pertains to residents of mobile home parks. I am unable to attend your hearing Tuesday morning, or I would be saying this in person.

I purchased my mobile home two and a half years ago. It is the only way that I can afford to own a home in this area. I am lucky to live in a park filled with families and senior citizens. I know that, for most of us, even the “normal” annual increases in our rent present a budgeting squeeze. If my space rent were to increase even more, or if I were forced to purchase the land under my home, I would lose my ability to own my home.

Home ownership is a part of the American dream. Please take action to support the residents of Ventura county, not the interests of the park owners who are based in other parts of the state or the country or even the world. Help us preserve our home ownership.

Posted by Heather McKenzie at 09:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

http://www.organicconsumers.org/valentines/index.cfm

This buying guide includes a list of companies that sell Fair Trade and Organic flowers and chocolate and paperless/ recycled cards, and gifts. Whenever possible, buy local (many of these sites can lead you to local, independent retailers)

Posted by Raymond Powers at 04:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

There's a tiny person inside my wife!
We're 16 weeks along, and our first child actually looks like a little human being now (for a while there i had visions of an alien abduction). We're not getting ultrasounds because there seems something unnecessary at best about bouncing high-powered sound waves into, around, and through a developing child, but this picture does me just fine for "seeing" what the little tyke is looking like. We're not finding out the gender either, which rubs against the grain of our gender-crazed society.

The whole experience is still more cerebral than anything else, but i'm sure that soon enough it will start to take on an emotional reality for me. some of the changes i'm already experiencing are surprising and exciting to me.

For example, i suddenly find myself able to leap tall buildings in a single bound (if the orange popsicles or chicken tacos that Jessie NEEDS are on the other side). i've never believed in doing things which people - particularly women - are perfectly capable of doing themselves...not in a self-absorbed or jack-assy way, but because i wasnt comfortable with assuming that they needed help, or that i had some kind of right to bear their burdens. i hope that makes sense, but at any rate that seems to have dissolved in my home. Jessie can get popsicles herself, but i'm suddenly more than happy to do it, and lickety-split.

perhaps in the absence of the opportunity to do the work of bearing the child, i'm overcompensating by being johnny-on-the-spot. perhaps that's the contribution that i can make at this point. whatever it is, it feels good, and i'm glad that it does.

AND because i understand that people may offer this stuff anyway, you're all hereby invited to post advice, stories, name suggestions, etc...just as long as you understand that we're not obligated to use ANY of them. :)

Posted by evan austin at 09:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (19)

Inspired by the recent post and comments about psychic pets, I'd like to share a couple of my favorite stories about Lucy. Lucy is a silver tabby Persian with an easygoing disposition and a remarkable degree of psychic awareness. She has graciously allowed Katie and myself to share her home for the past 11 years.

I learned for the first time about Lucy's telepathic abilities when she was a youngster. We lived over in Montecito at the time, in a house that had a backyard Lucy could roam in. One day I was sitting in the bedroom typing on my laptop when I noticed Lucy at the screen door wanting to come in...

I got up to let Lucy in, but when I got to the door I saw that she had something in her jaws. It was a live hummingbird, fluttering wildly to get away. I freaked out at seeing the poor little hummingbird frantically trying to get out of Lucy’s jaw, so I fell to my knees to pry Lucy’s jaws open.
I saw the look of confusion in Lucy’s eyes as I tried to get her mouth open with my fingers. No doubt she thought she was doing me a favor by bringing me the little bird. The more I tried to open her jaws the harder she clamped down, frozen between her nature and her desire to please me. Suddenly I realized that my attempts to save the little bird might have the opposite result, so I let go of Lucy and took a few steps back to give her some space. She was locked in eye contact with me, as if awaiting further instructions, but I realized I had been trying to communicate with her the wrong way. An inspiration came to me. In my mind I gave Lucy a silent appreciation that went something like this: “I honor you for being such a good hunter. As a personal favor to me, I’d appreciate it if you’d let the bird go.” In my mind I sent Lucy a telepathic picture of her opening her jaws and letting the bird fly free. A split-second later Lucy opened her jaws and let the bird fly free. It zipped off to a nearby tree limb to recover. I picked up Lucy and gave her a good cuddle. I thanked her profusely and took her into the kitchen for her favorite treat, the water from a freshly-opened can of tuna.

Here's a more recent example of how tuned-up Lucy's psychic sensibilities have become. Not long ago I was working with a couple in my home office. Before the session I had noticed that Lucy was napping on the bed in our master-bedroom. The office is accessed from the outside by a separate door, so Lucy had not witnessed the arrival of the couple. As the session progressed, the woman began to access some deep memories and feelings rooted in her experience as a Holocaust survivor. As she opened up to the feelings she began to shake and quiver, as people often will when they are handling the emergence of old fears, grief and anger. As we all have probably experienced, part of us wants to let go and part of us wants to hold on, resulting in a hesitant shudder like you get when one foot is on the accelerator and the other on the brakes. I was about to suggest to the woman that she take a few deep breaths to help her relax into the feelings, but before I got the words out of my mouth, Lucy pushed the door open and strode purposefully into the room. She immediately trotted over to the woman and snuggled her sturdy, ten-pound body up against the woman’s leg. The woman looked down, saw Lucy and burst into tears. Her resistance melted and all her old feelings poured forth. Lucy stood right by her for the next ten minutes, as the woman let go of a lifetime’s burden of unexpressed feelings.

Finally, the wave of intense emotion passed through and the woman looked around the room in wonderment, as if reborn. Lucy must have sensed the change, because she looked up at the woman and quietly withdrew from the room. After the session I looked in the bedroom and saw Lucy asleep again in her spot on the bed. The essential work had been done, and she had gotten back to resting.

Posted by Gay Hendricks at 07:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

i realize that blogging about blogging may well be considered either meta-blogging or schizophrenia or something, but it's striking to me how dead the OVN blog is. perhaps it's simply because it's relatively new, and perhaps the bulk readership of the paper is older (which makes sense since Ojai, on average, is older) and less blog-savvy.

so perhaps we'll see some change over time. meanwhile, here are some current statistics:
- there are currently 14 different topics on the OVN's blog, and they're all timely and relevant.
- between all 14 topics there are only 20 comments made, with 7 of the topics receiving 0 comments. (that's 50%)
- of the 20 comments made, 5 of them were made by me. i am officially 25% of their total blog traffic.
- that amounts to almost 1.5 comments per topic.

this is not in the spirit of ridicule or head-shaking-tongue-clicking. and i'm not sure how cool it is to post on one blog about another in the same community. in fact, i'm kind of thinking some of us should start popping on over there and commenting once in a while. they're covering topics we dont here, and from slightly different perspectives, so i dont see it as redundant.

but rock on, Ojai Post. we're still the life of the party, bloggily-speaking.

Posted by evan austin at 07:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

No doubt it was a rhetorical question, but awhile back a reader asked if I would be giving an account of how I spent Groundhog Day. Well, I didn't think there would be much worth mentioning except the fact that the little rodent would go back into his den and give us 6 more weeks of winter (although you wouldn't know it on a day like today). But it was a little more exciting than that. I had a face-to-face interview with Al Gore on the red carpet at his screening of An Inconvenient Truth at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. Playing reporter was very different than the role I played as filmmaker earlier in the week, but thrilling given who was answering my question. Tune in for more after I decipher my notes! Meanwhile, read evan's previous post about the movie here.
Photo of Al Gore and Davis Guggenheim 2/2/07 (click to enlarge)
Also check-out a red carpet podcast with environmentalist, actor and former Ojai resident Noah Wyle on Radio Ojai.

Posted by Lisa Snider at 01:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (36)

Friday February 2

* The Blessings of Being Multiculturally Human with Huston Smith
* Cooking with Women
* O Canada!
* Theater: "Greater Tuna"

Saturday February 3

* Making Calendula Oil with Carol Wade
* ARTIST TO GIVE WORKSHOP USING RECYCLED MOVIE FILM
* Divine Raw Food Desserts
*