The Ojai Post

Concerned about the cones, sand, and large "environmental spill cleanup" trucks seen along Ojai Ave today? According to Officer Thompson at the Ojai P.D., it's a mineral oil spill that the City is cleaning up.

Mineral oil is a nearly value-less by-product of the distillation of petroleum to make gasoline, and is transparent and colorless. according to wikipedia, mineral oil goes by many names and can be used:
- as a laxative (although it should never be given internally to small children, pets, or anyone with a cough, hiatus hernia, or nocturnal reflux, and should be swallowed with care. Due to its low density, it is easily aspirated into the lungs, where it cannot be removed by the body and can cause serious complications such as lipoid pneumonia. While popular as a folk remedy, there are many safer alternatives available.)
- as baby oil (when a fragrance is added)
- MORE AFTER THE JUMP!

- as an ingredient in baby lotions, cold creams, ointments and other pharmaceuticals and low-grade cosmetics.
- in livestock vaccines, as an adjuvant to stimulate a cell-medicated immune response to the vaccinating agent.
- on eyelashes to prevent brittleness and/or breaking.
- in small quantities (2–3 drops daily) to clean ears. Over a couple of weeks, the mineral oil softens dried or hardened earwax so that a gentle flush of water can remove it. In the case of a damaged or perforated eardrum, however, mineral oil should not be used, as oil in the middle ear can lead to ear infections.
- for lubrication (???)
- as fuel, for items such as oil lamps.
- in electric mineral-oil–filled space heaters
- as a Coolant
- in Fog machines
- in some guitar string cleaners
- as an Automotive and aviation brake fluid that does not absorb water molecules by osmosis
- as a preservative for wooden cutting boards and utensils.
- to protect metal surfaces from moisture and oxidation.
- to periodically condition food-preparation butcher block surfaces.
- in textile industries and used as a jute batching oil.
- to darken soapstone countertops for aesthetic purposes.
- as a release agent for molds, especially in fiberglass casting.
- as a release agent for baking pans and trays.
- in the food industry (particularly for candy). Some studies suggest that prolonged use might be unhealthy because of low accumulation levels in organs. It has been discouraged for use in children's foods, though it is still occasionally found in candies in China and Canada.
- as a cleaner and solvent for inks in fine art printmaking as well as in oil painting, though turpentine is more often used.
- In the poultry industry, plain mineral oil can be swabbed onto the feet of chickens infected with scaly mites on the shank, toes, and webs. Mineral oil suffocates these tiny parasites.
- to remove henna used as a hair dye.
- to reduce a grease, oil, or asphalt stain on clothing. This may seem counter-intuitive, but is often effective, as the mineral oil dilutes and liquefies some of the stain thereby making it easier to clean out of the clothing.
- as a cooling system for a computer, by completely submerging the computer's motherboard and system components into an aquarium tank filled with mineral oil. The oil does not have any long term effect on the components. A video and instructions on building a mineral oil cooled computer can be found here.
- to create a "wear" effect on new clay poker chips, which, without the use of mineral oil, can only be accomplished through prolonged use of the poker chips. The chips are either placed in mineral oil (and left there for a short amount of time), or the oil is applied to each chip individually, and is then rubbed off, removing any chalky residue from the new chips, also improving the look and "feel" of the chips.
- to cover gummy worms for the glossy effect it produces.

the Material Safety Data Sheet for mineral oil rates its flammability as "Slight", and says that its flash point is 400 degrees F. since it's probably close to that hot today, i'd steer clear of downtown until the raging fireball of laxative/lubricant has burned off.

Posted by evan austin at 04:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

For those of you also suffering under the latest Time/Warner Cable TV failure, I thought I would share the new excuse I just heard over the phone from one of their Service Center staffers, Natasha:

"It's all because of Global Warming!"

Given the magnitude of the problem, Natasha was unable to tell me when cable service would be restored. I am calling the United Nations next for their estimate of when the problem will be rectified.

ps: If you want to get credit on your Time/Warner bill for days without service, you must call in and tell them, as Natasha instructed me, "The minute your service comes back on!" -- Even if it's at 3:00 am.

Posted by Howard Smith at 03:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (32)

There seems to be a clear line of demarcation between those who value and respect human life and those who appear to be unable to. The Ojai Post has become an excellent forum, which clearly demonstrates this difference in perspective. There's a growing body of evidence which seems to prove that perspectives can and have been tainted by the use of 'terror management' tactics.

The New Republic has published an article that sheds light on why the 'terror show' has been so effective. Here's an excerpt and link to the original article: "Over the next decade, the three [Solomon, Greenberg, and Pyszczyn- ski] performed similar experiments to illustrate how awareness of death could provoke worldview defense. They showed that what they now called "mortality salience" affected people's view of other races, religions, and nations."

I offer this with the intention that we all can begin to transcend our biologically driven impulse to marginalize and generalize. To me, peace means no one is excluded. This is not an easy pill to swallow and I do not pretend to be beyond 'terror management' tactics or even above exclusion. I believe that the way out is first thru awareness of where and when our perspectives are being altered and distorted by the fear death. Advertisers and news media outlets have perfected the human's fascination with death as a way of generating attention and cash. Our political machine continually and predictably lives, breathes and exudes horror and 'terror' as a way of influencing public opinion in this country.

How do we transcend the saturation of fear based control tactics? We can diversify our sources of information. We can recognize that we are not our beliefs. This will cultivate healthy detachment and allow the inertia of our current paradigm have less mass and be more adaptable. We can start having media free days. We can reacquaint ourselves with the natural environment thru hiking, going to the beach, mountain biking. When we immerse ourselves in the sonic landscape of nature, we can shift from our sympathetic nervous system to our parasympathetic nervous system. Creativity can then be accessed. Stone cold hearts can begin to thaw. The most intelligent thing I can say is: I don't know. This allows new information to be integrated. It is thru vigilance, strength and a strong sense of self that allows one to see the need to surrender and thus allow for an update. The world is changing at an ever increasing rate. We can change and grow with it or be left on the sidelines living in self-created museums.

Posted by Mike Didj at 11:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Silicon from just one ton of sand, used in photovoltaic cells, could produce as much electricity as burning 500,000 tons of coal. Get it?

Posted by Michael Lind at 10:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (21)

Paul Hawken's speech at the bioneers conference on the worlds largest movement, the hundreds of thousands of grassroots organizations that address social and environmental justice.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=N1fiubmOqH4

Paul Hawken is an environmentalist, entrepreneur, journalist, and author. Starting at age 20, he dedicated his life to sustainability and changing the relationship between business and the environment. His practice has included starting and running ecological businesses, writing and teaching about the impact of commerce on living systems, and consulting with governments and corporations on economic development, industrial ecology, and environmental policy.

http://www.paulhawken.com/paulhawken_frameset.html

Posted by Raymond Powers at 10:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

You might find this funny, but I am serious. I sell solar electric systems and with all this hot weather and high electric bills my cell phone is ringing off the hook. More and more people are beginning to understand that solar is not only the right thing to do for our environment but installing a solar system is a viable financial option. The more calls I get the hotter my battery, lately I've had to put my cell phone in the refrigerator a couple of times a day just to cool it off......

Posted by Michael Lind at 03:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Ojai rejects ban on chain stores in downtown (VC Star)
By a 4-0 vote, the council rejected the [chain store] proposal and sent the matter back to the Planning Commission for revision — an outcome largely embraced by citizens and business owners who have debated the issue for weeks. (hat tip to Kenley)

Water rate hike OK'd for farmers (VC Star)
The Casitas Municipal Water District board Wednesday voted unanimously to raise water rates for farmers by 53 percent, citing repair needs. More than 30 farmers packed the district boardroom to oppose the increase, saying it will help drive them out of business, thereby changing the rural, agricultural feel of the Ojai Valley. (hat tip to Kenley)

How to Eat (and Read) Close to Home (NY Times)
What began five years ago as one publication that tried to tell the citizens of Ojai, Calif., everything they ever wanted to know about the food and wine in their community has turned into a network of 33 Edible magazines across the country. Each of them offers readers culinary news tailored to where they live. (hat tip to reader Rae)

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 03:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)

File this one under "food," or "music," but the combination is well worth it.

Last week Bill and I were looking to mix-up our Friday date-night routine and ended up at Farmer and the Cook. We heard their pizza was unparalleled and had noticed the new patio was attracting quite a crowd on the weekends. Maybe it was the beer and wine license kicking in or the addition of musical entertainment. We didn’t need much of a reason to check it out and I’m so glad we did.

When we arrived, looking somewhat bewildered I’m sure at the gathering scene, Nicole caught us with a friendly smile and a couple of menus and escorted us to a table. She asked our names and told us the food was excellent. Simple gestures like that are usually a sure sign we’re going to have a great evening.

We ordered the Samuel Smith organic beer, imported from England. Bill had the lager, I had the ale. He said his was fantastic. Mine was very drinkable, but a little thin for my taste (but then again I’m a Guinness girl with a fondness for beer with the consistency and color of motor oil). For our app, we had the deep fried squash blossoms with a fantastic pesto dip. And since pizza was our mission, we had the “Artichokie,” with garlic, pesto, and mozzarella. The crust was thin, crisp and puffy, just like you would get in Italy. The flavors were fresh and not over-cooked. Conclusion: this is the best pizza I’ve had and I will stand on Boccali’s picnic table and say so.

We also shared a chocolate dipped macaroon and a scoop of vanilla ice cream for dessert. Perfection!

Throughout our evening we were entertained by Jonathan McEuen and a couple of other singer/songwriters toting acoustic guitars and original material (no copycat covers here). The audience of dressed-down comfortable-shoe hippies didn’t seem to match the cars in the parking lot (lots of SUV’s and a giant Mercedes - not a hybrid in sight). The faces were friendly, inviting and enjoying themselves immensely.

Looks like my Friday date-night spot is going to be Farmer and the Cook!

Tomorrow night, I hear local Fred Schmitt will be bringing his guitar around 7:30. He’s got a great interview, a few songs and an intriguing story on Radio Ojai.

More Dishing Ojai columns start here.

Posted by Lisa Snider at 12:53 PM | Permalink

In the spirit of community building, of getting to know our neighbors, of engaging in dialogue...
please join a group of Ojai Valley citizens from all walks of life and lengths of residency to explore greater understanding of one another around the ONE thing we KNOW we have in common: a taste for coffee!

that was how i began the invitation to the first Cuppa Joe gathering, last November. it came on the heels of a heated online discussion (Step 1) and the Ojai Valley-Wide Discussions, which helped our communities to identify issue and projects we'd like to work on and engaged our creativity for what could be done. the real-live, face-to-face Cuppa Joe meeting was Step 2. Now, we find that we continue to need open and honest discussion between Valley residents of all sorts in order to build the closely-knit and respectful community we all desire and deserve. Is that Step 3? Have we already done Step 3 somewhere along the line? Let's talk about it. Fifteen people attended that first Cup, which was held at Stir Crazy. Since "Full of Beans" doesnt look ready yet, i propose that we fill the Coffee Connection in Meiner's Oaks! As mentioned last year, it's the only place serving organic, fair-trade coffee.

anyone wanna start suggesting dates and times? last year we ended up meeting on a saturday at 3 in the afternoon.

Posted by evan austin at 09:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Michael Urbanek, who only recently has begun participating on The Ojai Post as a commenter, has written a Guest Editorial published by the Ojai Valley News titled Letter to Ojai Liberals, which denigrates The Ojai Post readers, and those he refers to in general as "liberal". He didn't approach The Ojai Post to publish it first - he took his editorial straight to the OVN.

Beneath a very thin veneer of bipartisanship, Urbanek layers his editorial with subtle digs and assumptive caricatures of liberals, ignoring a wide variety of evidence from the "reality-based community". I'm not going to call Urbanek names, but I am going to address his comments head on, and if that qualifies as "meanness" in his book, then so be it.

Urbanek says "Before I go any further, can we stipulate that left, right, liberal, and conservative aren’t bad words?"

Sure, we can if we decide to have a conversation in a vacuum, that ignores the incredible polarity that has been hoisted on American politics by the Republican party. From Cheney and Rove on down to the mouthpieces of Limbaugh, Coulter, Hannity, O'Reilly and countless other GOP soldiers, liberals have been demonized as "surrender monkeys", "America haters", "terrorist sympathizers" and worse. These aren't isolated right-wing bloggers throwing these insults - it goes to the very highest levels of media and politics on the right.

So for Urbanek to point the finger at "those on the left" for fostering "meanness and lack of ability to listen to another opinion" shows a serious denial of the fracture that has been caused by the GOP which has used the blunt weapons of fear and accusations to push forward an agenda that includes Iraq, environmental rollbacks, destruction of the middle class, degradation of civil liberties, advocation of torture and more.

Urbanek proceeds to give liberals some grandfatherly advice. Action Item No. 1, he says, is that the OVN needs to publish conservative thought. He implies that what gets published in the OVN is the work of liberals. And what exactly is it that gets published? "Anger displayed in letters to the editor and thumbs up/down, [that] emboldens people. It makes them crazy. They begin to think they are normal. Accusations fly and conspiracy theories abound."

For someone that doesn't want to name-call, Urbanek sure picks a back-handed way of doing so. If I follow his logic, conservatives don't get published in the OVN, liberals do. The people that write in go "crazy and think they are normal." Therefore, liberals are crazy but think they are normal. Nice.

Let's proceed. Conservatives, says Urbanek,"are living their lives, going to work, raising their families and accomplishing things. This will come as a shock to most Ojai folks, but conservatives don’t want to run anyone else’s lives."

What Urbanek and other self-labeled conservatives would like to do is separate themselves from the Republican party. Because associating oneself with the Republican party means advocating or at least ignoring the tidal wave of rubber-stamped policies and legislation that place the GOP squarely in your bedroom, from warrantless wiretapping and gay marriage to overturning Roe v. Wade and even banning birth control. But conservatives own this president and this administration, and try as they might, their votes put Bush in office not once, but twice. The conservatives bear the Bush albatross, despite their increasingly panicked attempts to heave it overboard, in favor of the next fear-based, Christian fundamentalist suckup Republican candidate.

Liberals, continues Urbanek, "own the public education system, and the best and brightest are trained to properly manage their trust funds, get elected, and subsequently tell us how to live. By the way, the liberal elite does not live that way themselves."

This is absurd and insulting. I mean, really, Michael, is there a bigger example of a trust fund recipient who gets elected and subsequently tells us how to live (in fear of the Islamofascists) than President Bush? And how about Mitt Romney, worth $250 million with five trust fund sons who have avoided the war to campaign for their daddy? But that's a sidetrack - the caricature you have created is false. First of all, I would seriously dispute the notion that there are somehow more liberals with trust funds than conservatives. Secondly, the GOP is far more interested in cutting taxes to the benefit of those 1% elite (conservative or liberal), than providing basic services such as education, health care, social security or anything other than a vast military machine.

Urbanek give us "Action Item No. 2: Bush derangement syndrome has spiraled out of control. You need to give it a rest. A mind is a terrible thing to waste, even a liberal one. As with many bad habits, the first step is to acknowledge that you have a problem."

First of all, those on the right (many of whom could easily be diagnosed with Monica-triggered Clinton Derangement Syndrome) love to brush away criticism of this president and this administration as the rants of crazy people who hate. Urbanek, who wants the left to find an "ability to listen to another opinion", simply dismisses those who disagree with this administration as haters. You can't have it both ways, and Republicans want it that way - they don't want to discuss the serious and dire state of the nation on the facts and merits, they want to reduce it to hate and fear. Because that's all they have to work with. Their policies have been roundly rejected by a vast majority of Americans on issue after issue, and the only thing left is to say, "terrorists, gay people, brown people, boo".

Urbanek goes on to list why liberals "hate George Bush", and its a darn good list for a start. But the fact is, there is a big difference between an educated populace that collectively agrees that Bush is an awful president, perhaps the worst EVER, for a litany of reasons, and simply "hating" him.

He doesn't give enough credit to people for taking a look at the devastation that this president has wrought, and making up their mind that he is bad for America, his policies are bad for America, and the GOP doesn't deserve to get a whiff of the White House for the next twenty years. Instead, he dismisses it as hate. And of course, I am sure he can come up with many measured, well thought out reasons why liberalism is bad for the country, and can disassociate himself from George "not a true conservative" Bush, but its hypocritical to assume that those on the other side of the aisle can't do the same.

Urbanek then condescends with this gem: “George Bush is not running for president in 2008. Read it calmly, slowly and, most importantly, without emotion. That will be difficult at first, but you must keep trying. Repetition and discipline are the keys. I realize that discipline thing is a hard one, too, but trust me — I am only trying to help you. Bush is going to be gone."

Well, Michael, I am going to try to help you: Bush may be leaving office, but he is still owned by the GOP and conservatives that have sold out to the religious right, the neocons and faceless multinational corporations. And any Republican that stays in power is part of the same machine. So it doesn't matter who your nominee is, they are part of the exact same machine that has produced Iraq, Katrina and the other failed policies of the last seven years. YOU OWN IT, and getting rid of Bush doesn't change a thing.

Regarding Hillary, she is actually far down the list of desirable candidates among true progressives. Hillary triangulates, she voted for Iraq, is keeping nuclear war on the table and in my mind, lacks principle. Again, your caricatures of liberals are nothing more than paper dolls. I would think you would find Hillary far more palatable a president than Edwards or Obama, despite the Hillary Derangement Syndrome that has been drummed into your head by Rush, Bill, Sean, Ann and the others.

And let me conclude on this second anniversary of the Katrina disaster, where thousands lost their homes, their lives, their families while Bush ate cake and strummed a guitar, Condi Rice shopped for shoes and attended Spamalot on Broadway, Brownie fumbled, Chertoff stumbled and Cheney disappeared into his bunker, your comments on "understand[ing] what some of our conservative principles are."

Here are your conservative principles in action. I'm comfortable in letting the American people decide what it means to be, in your words, "left, right, liberal, and conservative". In my mind, and the majority of our little enlightened community, its an easy choice.

Respectfully yours,

Tyler Suchman
The Ojai Post

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 08:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (30)

Article by Patrick Moore:

An inconvenient fact
Despite the anti-forestry scare tactics of celebrity movies, trees are the most powerful concentrators of carbon on Earth Dr. Patrick Moore is a co-founder of Greenpeace and chairman and chief scientist of Greenspirit Strategies Ltd. in Vancouver.
Patrick Moore, Special to the Sun
Published: Wednesday, August 29, 2007
It seems like there's a new doomsday documentary every month. But seldom does one receive the coverage that Hollywood activist Leonardo DiCaprio's latest climate-change rant, The 11th Hour, is getting.

When we're bombarded anew with theatrical images of our earth's ecosystems when the film opens across B.C. this Friday, I'm concerned that we're losing sight of some indisputable facts.

Here's a key piece of information DiCaprio, collaborator and long-time activist Tzeporah Berman and the leadership of my old organization Greenpeace are ignoring when it comes to forests and carbon: For British Columbians, living among the largest area of temperate rainforest in the world, managing our forests will be a key to reducing greenhouse gases.

As a lifelong environmentalist, I say trees can solve many of the world's sustainability challenges. Forestry is the most sustainable of all the primary industries that provide us with energy and materials. Rather than cutting fewer trees and using less wood, DiCaprio and Berman ought to promote the growth of more trees and the use of more wood.

Trees are the most powerful concentrators of carbon on Earth. Through photosynthesis, they absorb CO2 from the atmosphere and store it in their wood, which is nearly 50 per cent carbon by weight. Trees contain about 250 kilograms of carbon per cubic metre.

North Americans are the world's largest per-capita wood consumers and yet our forests cover approximately the same area of land as they did 100 years ago. According to the United Nations, our forests have expanded nearly 100 million acres over the past decade.

The relationship between trees and greenhouse gases is simple enough on the surface. Trees grow by taking carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and, through photosynthesis, converting it into sugars. The sugars are then used as energy and materials to build cellulose and lignin, the main constituents of wood.

There is a misconception that cutting down an old tree will result in a net release of carbon. Yet wooden furniture made in the Elizabethan era still holds the carbon fixed hundreds of years ago.

Berman, a veteran of the forestry protest movement, should by now have learned that young forests outperform old growth in carbon sequestration.

Although old trees contain huge amounts of carbon, their rate of sequestration has slowed to a near halt. A young tree, although it contains little fixed carbon, pulls CO2 from the atmosphere at a much faster rate.

When a tree rots or burns, the carbon contained in the wood is released back to the atmosphere. Since combustion releases carbon, active forest management -- such as removing dead trees and clearing debris from the forest floor -- will be imperative in reducing the number and intensity of fires.

The role of forests in the global carbon cycle can be boiled down to these key points:

n Deforestation, primarily in tropical forests, is responsible for about 20 per cent of global carbon dioxide emissions. This is occurring where forests are permanently cleared and converted to agriculture and urban settlement.
n In many countries with temperate forests, there has been an increase in carbon stored in trees in recent years. This includes the United States, Canada, New Zealand and Sweden.

n The most important factors influencing the carbon cycle are deforestation on the negative side, and the use of wood, from sustainably managed forests, as a substitute for non-renewable materials and fuels, on the positive side.

To address climate change, we must use more wood, not less. Using wood sends a signal to the marketplace to grow more trees and to produce more wood. That means we can then use less concrete, steel and plastic -- heavy carbon emitters through their production. Trees are the only abundant, biodegradable and renewable global resource.

DiCaprio's movie, The 11th Hour, is another example of anti-forestry scare tactics, this time said to be "brilliant and terrifying" by James Christopher of the London Times.

Maybe so, but instead of surrendering to the terror, keep in mind that there are solutions to the challenges of climate, and our forests are among them.

This film should be a good, clear reminder for us to put the science before the Hollywood hype.

Dr. Patrick Moore is a co-founder of Greenpeace and chairman and chief scientist of Greenspirit Strategies Ltd. in Vancouver.

Here is another article on the cork tree situation:

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2007-08-26-cork-debate_N.htm

Posted by Brian Cox at 07:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (20)

A Report from Tonight's City Council Meeting

The Ojai City Council met tonight per their regular schedule (second and fourth Tuesdays of every month, at City Hall), and i arrived just a few minutes before the published start time of 7:30pm -- just enough time to fill out my speaker card and find my seat.

After most in the room pledged their allegiance under god, the first order of business was Public Communications. i rose to ask the Council to issue a proclamation for the City's recognition of and support for the International Peace Day on September 21 and the local efforts being made to celebrate it. Council agreed to add this as an agenda item to their September 11 meeting. Dennis Leary had submitted the only other card, and used his 3 minutes to submit a Formula Retail Ordinance of his own drafting, using what he considers to be the best of the original City draft, the Planning Commission's recommendations, and the 600+ signature Citizens' Initiative drafted by Kenley Neufeld.

The Consent Calendar (a-h of rather mundane items such as payment of warrants, approval of past meeting minutes, and authorization of projects) was approved in total in one motion, and we leapt right into the Public Hearing on the Ordinance for Formula Retail Businesses which had been held over from the Council's August 14 meeting. Since that time the Planning Commission, in a meeting still celebrated for its integrity and length (just over three hours), rejected the City staff's proposed ordinance, which prominently features the controversial Historical Commercial District.
(Get caught up on the whole issue - complete with maps - at the Ojai Post's Chain Stores Resource Page)

i'm certain that someone more well-versed on this issue and with more logged Council Chambers time than myself will flesh out the subtleties and projected outcomes of the hearing (i'd keep an eye on the OVN blog and the Ojai Post), but here are the main points as i saw and heard them (not necessarily in chronological order):

• Councilmember Rae Hanstad urged a combined meeting of the Planning Commission and the City Council, framed as a public "workshop", to get everyone on the same page on the issue. She used the analogy of the Council and the Commission each painting a house from opposite ends and hoping to have the same color of paint when they meet in the middle. (During public comment Dennis Leary suggested that while the analogy is good, it's possible that they're painting the wrong house.) The workshop idea was never explicitly rejected, but did receive some scrutiny from both sides of the table as to its necessity. As it stands now, the Planning Commission will be made aware of the Council's desire to be present at their September 19 meeting (most of the City Council will be out of town during the Planning Commission's September 5 meeting), which may be billed as a workshop.

• Councilmember Sue Horgan iterated that while there are differences regarding the specifics of how to protect our City, it's important to recognize that we all share the goal of protecting our City's integrity and character. She personally has some specific questions and issues with the proposals that she didn't go into in depth, but wanted assurance that they'd be addressed before their next meeting.

• Mayor Pro Tem Joe DeVito talked for a while, and honest-to-goodness i could not understand a thing he said except that he moved to suspend further Council consideration of the Formula Retail issue and to let the Planning Commission continue their task of drafting a proposal to replace the one they rejected from the City. The rest of the Council agreed, and Mayor Carole Smith confirmed that the City Council was indeed honoring the Planning Commission's recommendation to reject the HCD ordinance.

• The public comment period featured the likes of developer Ron Polito (E' Bello), Ernie Salomon (Matilija Plaza), Dee of Noah's Apothecary, Kenley of the Citizens' Initiative, and a few other community members. Most of the comments were unprepared, but all were impassioned and fairly articulate.

• Kenley expressed concern over the considerable time that was elapsing while local government churned slowly to produce a policy, and was urged several times by Council to honor "his" 600+ signatories and continue the process if Council had not adopted a suitable proposal by the October 19 deadline (at which time the Citizens' Initiative gets submitted as a ballot measure requiring a special election). Joe DeVito warned that such an election would drain the City to the tune of $50,000.

After the public hearing was officially closed, we heard "reports" from Council Members, which i gathered to be a slightly more casual and free-form sharing period. From this we were treated to two gems:

• Fresh from a Sanitation District meeting, Rae urged us to be aware of which things belong in the trash versus down the drain. Turns out those little stickers on your apples and pears literally inhibit the processing of our waste water.

• Carole made us aware of the frequency of death by lead poisoning in our local condor population, which has been carefully restored of the past 25 years. Apparently the scavenging animals can eat a significant amount of lead in the form of bullets in dead deer, prompting recent exploration into lead alternatives such as copper. As a conscious and voting public in a condor area, we are urged to be aware of this issue...particularly those of us who are hunters.

Following the oral report by the City Manager, Mayor Smith invited a Captain from the Fire Department (i missed his name, and i apologize) to address us, at which time we were informed that the Zaca Fire is considered 95% contained, though a threat to Ojai still exists. He praised the tremendous work of the many firefighters who'd worked on this blaze, many of whom in recent weeks were our local Ventura County crew.

Police Chief Norris was invited to speak next, and he informed us of a CalTrans-sponsored guardrail project to be taking place between Casitas Springs and Meiners Oaks (and further into the Lockwood Valley area) for the next week which would require some traffic regulation including occasional reduction to one lane. The project is scheduled from 9am to 2pm through Friday. No mention of recently deceased long-time Ojai transient Victor Keith Stolz, who was found dead two weeks ago in front of the public library. The death's been ruled as accidental, but some aren't convinced.

i walked home through the warm evening bathed in the light of the post-eclipse moon, pausing at the wide open doors of the Wesleyan Church where a brass-heavy band was rehearsing a catchy jazz/swing tune. i could hear it all the way to our nice, socialized, non-chain Post Office.

cross-posted at OjaiNews.com

Posted by evan austin at 12:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Holy cow, the Burning Man was expected to burn on Saturday, but a "San Francisco performance artist" got to it early.

Many festival-goers who were awake watching Tuesday's lunar eclipse said they saw a man deliberately ignite the figure at about 3 a.m., Grace said. "It was in plain sight of many people," she said. "Everyone is looking at it this morning, this big black figure in the sky and that wasn't supposed to burn, saying, 'Now what do we do?'"

I'm looking forward to first-person accounts from OBOP and other Ojaians who went to the Burn...

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 09:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (26)

On Monday, Nov. 12, The Ojai Art Center will host the first in a series of Favorite Poem Project readings. The events will feature members of the community each reading one of their favorite poems (written by someone other than themselves) and sharing the personal significance of that poem. Robert Pinsky, our 39th Poet Laureate, started the project as a celebration of the personal impact of poetry in our everyday lives. If you are interested in contributing to the project, please read on for more details from Ojai project chairman, John Kertisz:

Robert Pinsky, the 39th Poet Laureate of the United States, founded the Favorite Poem Project shortly after the Library of Congress appointed him to the post in 1997. Since its launch, the Favorite Poem Project has been dedicated to celebrating, documenting and promoting poetry's role in Americans' lives.

Local Favorite Poem readings allow diverse members of a single community to come together to share unique, personal treasures: the poems they love. Invariably, the readings contribute to a convivial community spirit. Many schools and libraries have made Favorite Poem readings annual events.

Considering the success of these projects, and the growing interest in poetry as part of the literary culture of the Ojai Valley, it is appropriate that we commence our own Ojai Valley, "Favorite Poem Project", as a regular event at the Ojai Art Center. Please visit the website, www.favoritepoem.org for more information. There you will find that the one prime criterion which applies, is that participants must propose to read a "favorite" poem, other than one written by themselves.

The initial program is scheduled at the Ojai Art Center on Monday, Nov. 12, 2007. This will be an evening program with 6-7 readers/poets who will present works of their favorite poets. Proposals for inclusion in the program may be submitted by mail to: 4210 Grand Ave., Ojai CA 93023 (3 copies), or by email in Word format to: Jkertis@roadrunner.com . Deadline: Oct. 10, 2007. Proposals must include: a) Name of Favorite poet & poems to be read (include time for reading) b) Reason for choice (100 words or less) c) short bio of self d) You may also propose to read a short poem or portion of your own writing which was inspired by or relates to the work of your favorite poet (include time in minutes).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John Kertisz, 805-640-1508

Posted by Robert Peake at 05:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

The Final 9/11 North American Coupe d'etat?
Insider Gangsters Bet Billions on September 2007 Collapse!

On 9/11 2001, JP Morgan had $30 Billion in illegal Put Options, leveraging $30 Trillion of stock & bond theft. A combination of London, European & International Bankers had another $20 Billion in Put Options, leveraging another $20 TRILLION dollars of market ownership.

How many Tens of Billions have World-Gangsters placed now, on the collapse of the American economy? How many Tens of TRILLIONS of Dollars of business, pension and real estate ownership will they acquire in the collapse?

http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/august2007/270807_market_crash.htm

~~~

Re: September Year 2007 ~ The New 9/11 ~
Rockefeller Rothschild Bilderberg WorldBank IMF

"Jock" wrote:

"Get ready!" ....

http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/august2007/270807_market_crash.htm

..

Posted by Millennium Twain at 03:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

the Lunar Eclipse early this morning? Thoughts? Experiences?

Posted by Raymond Powers at 09:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Click To Play

About this time last year, Jessie and i were grumbling all the way to Vegas. We were on our way to celebrate the combined birthdays of some dear friends with some college-style shenanigans, drinking, costumed theme nights, and general foolishness in a neon-lit adult playground in the desert, but we were ALSO missing Jack Johnson playing literally down the street from our home at Locally Grown 1. So this year, with the bill of Perla Batalla and Brett Dennen to lure us, we had our brown paper tickets nice and early. Vegas can wait (and it helps to have a newborn).

We arrived just in time to hear MC Claud Mann welcoming everyone, and Battle-of-the-Bands fourth place winners The Imaginative Clams took the stage as we found a good spot to sit in the elite (as designated by the colored bracelets and plastic chains) "Front Lawn" section. i gazed sadly backward at the row of faces that made up the front of the "Back Lawn" section with the Five Man Electrical Band's "Signs" playing in my head over whatever Avant Garage or The Philosophy were sharing from the stage. And then it happened: Emy Reynolds began to play.

i didnt know that i'd come that night to hear Emy - alone, with just her guitar, the same way she won Battle of the Bands against four-, five-, and six-piece ensembles. With a carefully tuned voice that sounds like it may either cry or laugh at any moment and skillfully clean guitar-playing to match, she was part Jack and part Brett with just the right amount of Alanis. i jumped up and ordered the Battle disc, then filled my brand-new stainless-steel made-in-China Klean Kanteen bottle at the free water station (but forgot to get a raffle ticket for doing so...i hope whatsername enjoys my electric bikes).

The daylight dimmed, the plastic chains eventually came down, and my family and i ate, slept, danced, and sang while local favorite Perla Batalla lit up the stage with music, wit, and heartfelt storytelling. The highlight for me was the crowd-raising "Guantanamera" that she finished her set with. Brett Dennen brought a softer energy, though no less poignant with its dextrous guitar hooks, nimble vocals, and honest lyrics full of razor-sharp introspections and sensual imagery. Between songs there were jokes and light stories, but the climax was probably the impromptu hula-hooping in the middle of a song. It must be seen to be believed, so watch for that video soon. Brett closed the show down by inviting the youth volunteers and Battle bandmembers onstage for a sing-along of CSNY's "Teach Your Children". As we left, Mr. Mann told us that LG2 would fund Food for Thought Ojai's programs - to bring locally grown fruits and vegetables, nutrition education, and agricultural literacy to the children of the OUSD - for the next year. That feels really good, especially since for me "Healthy minds, bodies, and environment" are also key ingredients for the Peace i want to see in the world AND what i want for Noa.

In a year's time, Las Vegas will probably still be the most power-hungry city-in-the-sun with the fewest solar panels...an image that fits less and less with my values. Maybe i can get my friends to celebrate their birthdays the green way at LG3. Eat well, kids.

Posted by evan austin at 10:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Some of the posters have been fondly reminiscing about the OVN when Fred Volz ran it. It was indeed a charming community paper. Besides great photography, regular features on the best local hikes, good gardening techniques and a great thumb on the pulse of local politics, (and some very entertaining columnists) Fred ran an annual “Eyesore” competition, where hundreds of readers would nominate and vote on the biggest eyesores in town. The upshot was almost always an improvement.
So what is your eyesore? My nomination is the perpetually abandoned gas station at Ventura and Ojai Ave. What a blight on downtown!

Posted by Dennis Rice at 04:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (27)

So what did you buy from the Farmer's Market and how are you going to cook/blend/juice/marinate it?

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 11:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (21)

I'm in L.A. Talk amongst yourselves.

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 05:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)

The Forest Service's California Oak Mortality Task Force sent this out...anyone want to go and report back?

The International Union of Forest Research Organizations will hold its fourth meeting August 26-31 at the Asilomar Conference Center to share current research findings about the pathogen responsible for Sudden Oak Death and other tree diseases threatening forests worldwide.

The meeting is entitled “Phytophthoras in Forests and Natural Ecosystems” and is sponsored by the California Oak Mortality Task Force, UC Davis, Oregon State University and USDA Forest Service.

Media representatives are invited to join world-renowned researchers on field trips to view Sudden Oak Death effects at recently discovered sites and places where the disease has been established more than 10 years.

The Mittledorf Preserve field trip will offer an opportunity to see a forest in the early stages of Sudden Oak Death. The Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park field trip will provide a look at Sudden Oak Death in an established disease area, where tanoak mortality is extensive and fire risk high.

When: Tuesday, August 28, 2007
11:00 a.m. – Lecture Setting the Stage for Understanding the Field Trip, Dave Rizzo, UC Davis
11:30 a.m. – Leave Conference Grounds for Mittledorf Preserve

Where: Asilomar Conference Grounds, Chapel Room
800 Asilomar Ave.
Pacific Grove, CA 93950

When: Thursday, August 30, 2007
11:40 a.m. – Asilomar Conference Grounds
11:50 a.m. – Leave Conference Grounds for Pfeiffer Big Sur

Where: Asilomar Conference Grounds, Parking Lot
800 Asilomar Ave.
Pacific Grove, CA 93950

Media attending should wear hiking shoes and comfortable hiking clothes. To minimize the risk of pathogen spread out of the area, shoe sanitation supplies will be provided at the conclusion of each field trip.

Contact Katie Palmieri, California Oak Mortality Task Force Public Information Officer, at (510) 847-5482 for more information about the meeting, field trips, Sudden Oak Death, or Phytophthora ramorum.

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 12:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Just a quick note for those who haven't seen OjaiJobs.com. It's free for people looking for a job, and only $12-$15 for job postings from employers. Geez, dirt cheap. And the job listings are also syndicated on OjaiNews.com. Following are a couple recent testimonials:

"Ojai Jobs worked fast for us - we found just who we needed in 3 days!" - Tom Bostrom, Bostrom & Associates

"Within a few days I received more calls and qualified candidates than I needed. I found the perfect person and have a list of resources for others as well. Thank you, Tyler." - Raymond Powers, Matilija Sanctuary

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 01:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

For those of you who have been eager to contribute to the Ojai Valley Green Coalition's mission to transform Ojai into a model green community, now is your chance! Check out the following, and hope to see you on September 6th.

Heeding all the questions that have been posed to us over these past few months, as well as your offers to become involved, the Ojai Valley Green Coalition is now, after a long, hot- and smoky-summer, asking for your help.

As you may know, the mission of OVGC is to turn the Ojai Valley into a model green - and sustainable - community.
And, we have discovered, we have a lot of work to do. So, please join us for our next Valley-wide meeting:

Go Green Ojai - Next Step: "Help Wanted"

Where: Chaparral Auditorium, 414 East Ojai Avenue
When: Thursday, September 6 at 7:00pm

There, we will ask you to share your expertise, your enthusiasm, or even just your curiosity, and become involved-for the mutual benefit of everyone in the Ojai Valley: young and not so young, rich and definitely not rich, from all ethnic and cultural backgrounds ... from Casitas Springs to the Upper Ojai.

How You Can Help

So far, we have identified the following Action Committees (in alphabetical order):
Alternative Energy
Building/Construction
Food and Agriculture
Transportation
Waste Management
Water and Land Use
Others?? (to be identified by you)

The mission of the above committees is to educate themselves, the public at large, and our public and private institutions. Each committee will then create a set of goals and recommended action steps for our community, and provide input wherever an action step requires a legislative change.

To get the committees started, we will have the gratefully received assistance of people and organizations with an ingoing level of expertise in each of these fields.

In addition, there are practical organizational issues to deal with, so we have established a few more committees.

Again, alphabetically, they are:
Communications/Publicity
Co-ordination and Evaluation
Event planning
Fund-raising

These Organizational Committees will interact with our Action Committees to see how they can assist the Action Committees in reaching their goals.

We realize there will be overlaps in your interests, and in the committees, so you are welcome to serve on more than one committee...

See you on Thursday, September 6, at 7 p.m.

Thank you,
The Ojai Valley Green Coalition

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 10:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)

Well how about that. The VC Star reports...

Fire officials are confident the Zaca fire no longer poses a direct threat to Ojai. The fire had reached within 17 miles of the town on Monday. Firefighters kept the massive blaze from heading east and south through round-the-clock hard work, using bulldozers and hand crews to remove brush and other flammable material from the fire's path, said Capt. Barry Parker, a spokesman for the Ventura County Fire Department. This morning, officials disbanded a command center set up at the Ventura County Fairgrounds. It was established earlier this week to coordinate efforts should the fire have gone toward Ojai. Though much progress has been made along the fire's eastern and southern flanks, Ventura County residents should expect to see a lot of smoke over the coming weeks, Parker said.

I would like to extend my thanks to the 3,100 personnel on the fire, and everyone at Joint Unified Command who did a good job disseminating information. And now back to your regularly scheduling programming...

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 10:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (26)

A quick note from the Forest Service to pass on to the less digitally inclined among us: The trap lines (information boards) for the Zaca Fire will be reduced to the following locations in Ojai on Saturday, August 25th:

USFS office, Starr Market, Vons, Matilija Canyon/Hwy 33, Wheeler Gorge Visitor Center

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 09:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Is the Zaca Fire winding down (for us)? Looks like the weather is favorable, and firefighters are in control of the areas most threating to Matilija Wilderness, and the greater Ojai Valley. But we are still getting a lot of smoke, and conditions can change. Thanks for tuning in. For more info, check out our Zaca Fire Information and Resource page.

area: 225,568 acres
increase, last twelve hours: 2,661
fireline to build: 9 miles (way up from yesterday)
containment: 81% (continued improvement)
personnel: 2,711 (reduction by over 300 from yesterday)
cost: $93.0 million

From the Joint Unified Command this evening:

Highway 33 from Ventucopa to Ozena remains closed, except to residents. Tentatively, fire officials hope to reopen Highway 33 to thru traffic by Friday, August 24.

Firing operations continued today north along the Highway 33 corridor from Ozena to Rancho Nuevo Creek. Winds within the Brubaker Canyon stopped firefighters from completing the remaining fireline into the Cuyama River drainage. Light fire activity within the northwestern fire area in the San Rafael Wilderness created favorable conditions for crews to begin building handline south from the Sierra Madre ridge into the Sisquoc River Canyon. Additional crews will be flown into the wilderness late this afternoon and tomorrow morning to assist with handline construction adjacent to the fire edge.

Although, there are still some fuel islands burning out in Little Pine Mountain, the Live Oak Zone of the Zaca Fire has reached full containment. As a result the Live Oak Zone is now gearing into rehabilitation and restoration of those areas affected by fire suppression activities. Crews are being demobilized or transferred to the Richardson Zone of the fire or other active fires across the nation.

Weather conditions tomorrow are expected to range from 70 to 80 degrees with relative humidity above 14%.

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 09:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

when this fire ends, can breath fresh air again,
and all these ashes washed by autumn rains ...

will it be then I see, the one I am meant to be?
as if fire was the obstacle to, oh 'brilliant' me!

Posted by Millennium Twain at 11:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Just a quick one today... things are looking good at our end of the fire (and looking good for Locally Grown on Saturday!). From Joint Unified Command:

The Live Oak Zone of the Zaca Fire is now nearly contained and focus is shifting from suppression to patrol and mop up and rehabilitation of areas affected by the fire including firelines, contingency lines and roads. As a result of this shift in focus, some crews are being demobilized or transferred to the Richardson Zone of the fire or other active fires across the nation.

Weather conditions are expected to be cooler than yesterday with temperatures ranging from 81 to 98 degrees with relative humidity as low as 14%.

[UPDATE: photos from Pratt Trail and Nordhoff peak, Monday, from Brook]

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 09:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ojai Post readers, there's a whole lot more going on here than the Zaca fire! We've got a big event this weekend, the Locally Grown Concert, and it is being touted as a green event.

"Ojai's Libbey Bowl is going substantially greener for Food For Thought's benefit concert featuring Perla Batalla and Brett Dennen," announced event coordinator, Marty Fujita.

The event, Locally Grown 2, which features not only Batalla and Dennen, but the winners of the August 4th Ojai -Ventura youth Battle of the Bands competition, will benefit Food for Thought's farm-to-school program which educates children about healthy food choices and the importance of good environmental stewardship. Food For Thought's programs are in six of the seven schools of the Ojai Unified School District. The program also works with OUSD Food Service to introduce as much fresh, locally grown, seasonal produce into school meals as possible.

"We want this event not only to raise money for our program, but to be a model for how we can do large events, and keep our carbon footprint as small as possible. We may not be 100% green for this event, but we will be reaching for that standard," added Fujita.

To that end, Food for Thought has contracted with Amy DeLuca, president of Green Lotus Events, a business specializing in "green" events. "To begin with," says DeLuca, "we will encourage people to ride bikes and walk to the event. We will have a safe bike parking area near the entrance, and everyone who rides a bike will receive a free raffle ticket for a bike and helmet from Bicycles of Ojai, a wheelbarrow with gardening equipment from Ace Hardware and native plants from Mountain Meadows Nursery, or a Spa Package. The food court will feature organic, healthful snacks. We will sell NO water in plastic water bottles," reports DeLuca. "Instead, we will have a water station where Green Team volunteers will refill concert goers' own water bottles, for free."

People who do not bring their own bottles may purchase a stainless steel Kleen Kanteen brand water bottle at the merchandising table, then pick up their free water. Additionally, the event will have "Zero Waste" Stations, where not only glass, plastic and metal can be recycled, but food scraps, napkins and biodegradable service ware like bagasse plates, bowls, cups and corn cutlery as well. Mano Farms will process all the compostables. Green Team volunteers will circulate to assist concertgoers to understand how to separate trash and to utilize the station correctly.

"This is intended to be a family event," said Fujita. "It is meant to be fun for the whole family and we should all leave knowing more about how each of us can live with a smaller carbon footprint."

The VIP party following the concert will also go green and will feature fare prepared by local chefs using locally grown, seasonal produce. The Locally Grown concert will be held on Saturday, August 25th in Libbey Bowl. Doors open at 5:00 pm. Tickets are available online at www.brownpapertickets.com. For more information go to www.foodforthoughtojai.org or call 805-640-5044.

Posted by Lisa Snider at 08:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (19)

For those of you available for and passionate about counter-recruitment at our high schools, the VC Committee to Stop the War, Ojai’s CodePink, and the Ojai Peace Coalition – all embodied in super-activist Tanya – are supporting counter-recruitment efforts at all the county high schools this week.

TODAY at 2:30pm we will be visiting with students as they leave Nordhoff High and sharing leaflets with them about recruiting, opting out, and some truth.

[ UPDATE ] I'm thrilled to announce that today's action has been CANCELLED due to lack of need! Principal Dan Musick has informed us that Nordhoff is an "Opt-Out School", meaning that opt-out forms are presented in-class to all students and are signed and collected right then, as well as being sent to their homes as part of the paperwork package for all new students, resulting in a very high return rate. Additionally, military recruiters are limited to the Career Center, and students have to sign up to see them. Military recruiters are treated just like university representatives and other college and career organizations: with regulations like only being allowed on campus twice a year. NHS also does not routinely administer the ASVAB test, which was developed by the DoD and is used to "predict future academic and occupational success in military occupations." i'd like to personally thank former Special Education instructor Dennis Daneau and current College & Career Center administrator Jana Devine for their diligent work to keep our local public high school from being a militarized zone.

if you still want to help with counter-recruitment, there are plenty of opportunities to be had just down the road. Leafletting will also take place at Ventura's Foothill Technology High School (Day Rd) today at 2:30pm - much larger school, many more minority students, much more active recruiters.

Posted by evan austin at 07:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (37)

From the Joint Unified Command of the Los Padres National Forest and Santa Barbara County Fire Department this evening...

area: 222,577 acres
increase, last twelve hours: 1,694
fireline to build: 2 miles
containment: 79%
personnel: 3,090

Hwy 33 between Wheeler Gorge and Ventucopa will remain closed until Friday due to firefighting equipment and heavy smoke. Residents will be allowed to enter but must carry identification to access areas within the road closure.

On the northwest perimeter, the fire is well established in Foresters Leap Canyon on the north rim of Sisquoc Canyon. Today, firefighters continued a backfiring operation along the Sierra Madre Ridge to contain the northern progress of the fire. Air tankers dropped retardant in the area to slow the progress of the fire. Contingency plans are being developed to determine a course of action to stop the progress of the fire northwest down the Sisquoc drainage. On the northeast and east perimeter, the fire has moved to the boundary of the Dick Smith Wilderness near Highway 33. Firefighters continued a backfire operation from Cuyama Peak Road in Dry Canyon down Brubaker Canyon to Highway 33. On the east perimeter, firefighters have successfully completed the backfire operation from Highway 33 through the switchbacks to Ozena and continue to monitor the area for spot fires.

On the southeast perimeter, hand crews constructed fireline directly next to the fire's edge northeast of Agua Caliente Springs. Good progress was made on this line and as a result, the Live Oak Zone of the Zaca Fire is now approximately 97% contained. Focus is now shifting to patrol and mop up, and rehabilitation of firelines, contingency lines and roads.

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 11:30 PM | Permalink

From the VC Star (hat tip to Kate):

As of Monday afternoon, the fire was about 17 miles north of Ojai, said Victor Gutierrez, a spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service. The fire is ranked as the third largest in the state's recorded history. The fire is nowhere near being under control, said Capt. Barry Parker, a spokesman for the Ventura County Fire Department. It was 77 percent contained on Monday evening. Firefighters hope to have the blaze fully under control by Sept. 7. But Parker said much could happen between now and then.

Parker said it would be impossible to predict exactly what the fire is going to do next given the difficult and very steep terrain in which it is burning, along with the lack of rain and very low humidity. "It could easily go in the direction of Ojai." Parker urged residents to be alert and prepared to leave at a moment's notice should the fire get closer.

A temporary staging area has been created just north of Lake Casitas, where large helicopters take off and land. Large buckets capable of carrying more than 1,000 gallons of water or fire retardant material are tethered to the helicopters. While helicopters help a lot, ultimately it takes "boots on the ground to get the job done," Parker said.

My suggestion: stay tuned, be prepared and don't panic. As I wrote yesterday, there are trigger points set up where if the fire were to break towards Ojai, we would have at least 72 hours. Much of this information from the VC Star came from the same conference call I was on, and this information was omitted from the article.

The VC Star also has a discussion going on - Ed, I think its a conversation you should participate in. Check it out.

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 03:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

in this be-againing ... beginning ...
this child did laugh, did cry

did ask her first question,
the reason "why"?

her heart did beat,
green grass tickled under feet

sparkling eyes did smile

your eyes do smile ...

Posted by Millennium Twain at 01:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Congressman Elton Gallegly had the chance to support legislation that would decrease our dependence on foreign oil, create thousands of clean energy jobs and change the direction of this country’s energy future, but instead Elton once again chose to support tax breaks for the big oil. Gallegly showed just how out of touch he is with main stream America by voting to support 14 BILLION DOLLARS in tax loopholes for the oil industry at a time when the oil companies are reaping maximum profits.

Gallegly voted against extending the tax credits for the solar and wind industries, he voted against requiring the electric utilities to produce 15% of their energy from renewable sources, he voted against local jobs and he voted against reducing our dependence on foreign oil. We need someone who will better represent Ventura County and who can think outside the republican (big oil) party box. We deserve better representation, not an oil industry

rubber stamp congressman.

Ventura County already supports a vibrant and growing solar industry which provides hundreds and hundreds of high quality local jobs. Manufacturers like SolarWorld AG and Professional Solar Products are thriving here and local contractors like REC Solar, Solar Perfect, Prime Solar, California Solar and a half dozen other solar companies are installing solar electricity systems on rooftops throughout our county, but Gallegly continues to support big oil instead of our local economy.

Please write or call Gallegly and let him know that we need more responsible leadership in Washington. We need leadership that will guide Ventura County (and our country) towards a clean energy future. We need a congressional representative who will help steer us away from our dependence on foreign sources of fuel and who will support clean renewable energy, local jobs and energy independence.

Talk about a do nothing congressman. Gallegly announced that the he was going to retire and it’s time we help show him the door. Let’s work to elect someone who will do a better job of representing the good citizens of Ventura County.

Posted by Michael Lind at 01:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Reader Julia sent this link to the Magical Mystery Tour, which explores a "search for spirituality". Grab the circle on the map (Magnifying Lens) and drag it over the Ojai star. Then click on the “click to play”. I think you'll get a kick out of it.

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 12:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Although our air quality rests today at a cool 64 in the particulates department, registering a "Moderate" rating from airnow.gov, the Zaca Fire continues at our back door, having burned over 215,000 acres (nearly 1,000 of them in the last 12 hours alone) with over 3,000 firefighters working on it and at a price tag of over $87 Million. All that, and it's 77% contained.

There are many sources for updated fire info, including the free-standing kiosks that the County Fire Department has set up throughout the valley, mostly at grocery stores and gas stations. Online, your best bet is the Ojai Post's Zaca Fire Information & Resource Page, which features websites and phone numbers of all the relevant organizations, including the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, National Forest information center, road conditions, weather, media, and evacuation information.

Also, check out the Ojai Post main page for daily updates and community-driven breaking news and information! Check out this morning's thread for the most current info and comments as of this writing.

In the "The Story Everyone Knows About But Nobody Knows" Department, the Ojai Valley News is reporting that Victor Keith Stolz, 46, was found dead last Thursday the 16th in front of Ojai's public library. An autopsy has been performed, but the cause of death is being withheld pending further investigation. A commenter on the Ojai Post suggested that the man was beaten to death, but that is unconfirmed.

cross-posted at OjaiNews.com

Posted by evan austin at 10:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

From Joint Unified Command (Los Padres National Forest and Santa Barbara County Fire Department):

Hwy 33 between Wheeler Gorge and Ventucopa will remain closed until Friday due to firefighting equipment and heavy smoke. Residents will be allowed to enter the area but must carry identification to access areas within the road closure.

On the southeast perimeter, firefighters were successful in constructing fireline directly next to the fire’s edge east of the Hildreth Jeep trail and north of the Pendola Jeep Trail. Secondary dozer lines were constructed below the direct handline in support of obtaining containment objectives. Good progress was made last night in continuing to tie in the remaining line construction. Rehabilitation of firelines, contingency lines, and roads will begin today. Approximately 300 miles of dozerline are in need of restoration.

Due to predicted low humidity, a red flag warning has been issued for the fire area until Wednesday night.

---------------------------------------

I added some links yesterday to the Zaca Fire Information page, including some blogs and a couple map links.

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 10:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)

I thought it would be nice to take a break from reality and listen to some local music.

Ojai's rock band, Myridian, is back in Ojai this Friday 8/24 at 6pm at the Ojai Athletic Club and again next Friday 8/31 at the Deer Lodge at 9pm. I asked Scott Smith, the band's keyboardist, what they are looking forward to most with the Deer Lodge gig, and he said, "It's one of the few regular venues for a full rock band in Ojai, so we’re glad to be coming home after being on the road down in San Diego." Myridian recently performed for the troops at Camp Pendleton.

They've always stayed true to their original music, but plan to surprise fans with some familiar sounds next week, "We’ve worked up a few covers for the Rolling Stones, Beatles, and Steely Dan fans, and Lady Sheila, our groovin’ bass goddess will be with us!"

Since summer is just about over, and I would like it to linger on, I thought we should take a listen to the first track on their CD, Prime Myridian, aptly named, "Summer of My Mind." Tune in at Radio Ojai.

Posted by Lisa Snider at 08:51 AM | Permalink

From the Forest Service, 8:00pm report...

Acres Burned: 215,692 acres
Increase last 12 hours: 967 acres
Fireline to Build: 3 miles
% contained: 77%
Injuries: 35
Personnel: 3,162

On the northwest perimeter, the fire is well established in Foresters Leap Canyon on the north rim of Sisquoc Canyon. Incident Commanders are planning a backfire operation along the Sierra Madre Ridge to contain the northern progress of the fire. On the northeast perimeter, the fire has actively burned in the Dick Smith Wilderness and is now less than a mile from the eastern boundary of the wilderness. This evening, firefighters will continue backfiring from the Cuyama Lookout Road towards Highway 33 along Dry Canyon. On the southeast perimeter, firefighters suspended backfire operations today near Potrero Seco Ranch and Pine Mountain Summit due to spot fires over the established dozer lines. All spot fires have been contained except for one. Tonight, firefighters will continue backfiring from Pine Mountain Summit to Ozena. These backfire operations are intended to provide a good secure line on the northeast and southeast perimeters of the fire.

Today, hand crews constructed fireline directly next to the fire’s edge along the south eastern portion of the fire. Secondary dozer lines were constructed below the direct handline in support of obtaining containment objectives. Some burning occurred in the interior section of the southwestern area of the fire. Rehabilitation of firelines and contingency lines will begin tomorrow.

Due to predicted low humidity, a red flag warning has been issued for the fire area until Wednesday night.

Firefighting resources staged at the Ventura County Fairgrounds are creating and reopening fuel breaks, clearing roads, and providing structure protection. The firefighters will also be available for initial attack for Ventura County and the Los Padres National Forest.

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 09:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

The Governor's Office just hosted an Emergency Briefing Call at 2:30, concluding at 2:54 pm. Following are notes from the call:

Yesterday morning, the Governor's Office received a request to declare an emergency in Ventura County, which was signed by the Governor yesterday. This follows a declaration for SB County on August 3rd.

The #1 Priority for Unified Command is the southern edge of the fire, which is "almost buttoned up", with two miles of open fire line to secure. #2 Priority is in the northeast, the Richardson Zone, which spans both counties. They are confident on having a "good handle on it by tonight." #3 Priority is the northwest, which is rough terrain. The plan is still being established.

A coordination team has been established at VC Fairgrounds, working on the possibility of the fire expanding into Matilija Canyon. The teams are being challenged by an active Fire Weather Watch. Challenges faced include difficult terrain and "no recorded fire history, exceeding 75 to 100 years" for much of it. What is going well is the total communication effort, with no breakdowns recorded.

The DC-10 has flown every day "for the past few days". Forest Service Air Operations gives it high praise, but warns that it is not a "silver bullet", but a tool in the toolbox which is being used effectively and well.

There are bulldozer contingency lines just about completed at Wills and Rice Canyon, at least 8-10 miles as the crow flies from the fire. All lines are holding, and the fire has not crossed Highway 33. Trigger points have been established, which would give the Ojai community 72 hour notice if the fire does come in.

Highway 33 has a hard closure at Pine Mountain, including closure to residents, until the burnout is done. Gravel trucks, which have been watched traveling 33 would not be able to get past the hard closure were they to travel up that far. I believe that the 33 is not closed at Wheeler Gorge right now, but has been moved up to Pine Mountain, so that Rose Valley residents can reach their homes and farms.

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 03:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

From the Joint Unified Command of the Los Padres National Forest and Santa Barbara County Fire Department...

as of 10:43am:
area: 214,275 acres
increase, last twelve hours: 15,137
fireline to build: 3 miles
containment: 75%
personnel: 3,053

Hwy 33 between Wheeler Gorge and Ventucopa is closed to all traffic except for residents. Residents are required to carry identification to access areas within the road closure.

Today, the strategy is to continue a backfire operation from Cuyama Peak Road in Dry Canyon towards Highway 33 and a backfire operation from Highway 33 north to Ozena. These backfire operations are intended to provide a good secure line on the east perimeter of the fire in order to to stop the forward progress of the fire.

Today as weather conditions permit, firefighting in the southeastern section of the Zaca Fire will continue along the Hildreth and Pendola Jeepways. Crews will continue to ignite vegetation along the jeepways to remove fuels between the fireline and the main fire. This firing operation is expected to begin early in the morning and last as long as weather conditions are favorable.

Firefighting resources staged at the Ventura County Fairgrounds are creating and reopening fuelbreaks, clearing roads, and providing structure protection. The firefighters will also be available for initial attack for Ventura County and the Los Padres National Forest.

Warmer and drier weather forecasted through Tuesday evening will challenge fire fighting efforts to complete the firelines. A fire weather watch has been issued due to low humidity.

------------------------------

[UPDATE 11:43AM] check out this really good image from reader Rob Ryder ...

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 11:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So how's your Monday?

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 10:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (44)

No answer this evening at the Zaca Fire Information Hotline. I'll have some additional resources, including blogs, on the Zaca Fire Information and Resource page tomorrow...

As of 9:00pm from the SB Fire Department...
PRECAUTIONARY EVACUATION ISSUED: The Zaca Fire has moved east towards Highway 33 and has become established in Deal and Rancho Nuevo Canyons in the Dick Smith Wilderness. This has prompted the Ventura County Sheriff to issue a Precautionary Evacuation for residents along the west side of Highway 33 from the Ventura/Santa Barbara County Line to Pine Mountain Summit that began on Saturday, August 18th at 6:00 pm.

Firing operations were proceeding well today along Pendola road and the Hildreth Jeepway but were suspended for safety's sake due to unfavorable winds, however firefighters held the existing fire line. Spot fires have occurred on east side of Hwy 33 at Pine Mountain Ridge and aggressive suppression action with air tankers, helicopters and ground forces is ongoing. Firefighting conditions were very dangerous today in several areas. Strong winds, high temperatures, low, low humidity and the blazing hot sun all combined and increased the intensity of the fire as it pushed up slopes and canyons, especially when they aligned with the wind. Flame lengths again today exceed 100 ft. in spots, as the fire consumed the the thick bed of heavy brush.

In the Ventura Zone firefighters are gaining access through private lands as they prepare contingency lines and will continue to improve the existing fuel breaks, safety zones and interconnect the existing fuel breaks as needed. Good progress is being made in the effort to secure the fireline around the remaining southeastern fire perimeter. Reinforcement of the old fuel breaks in the front country above Montecito and Carpenteria are expected to be completed in the near future.

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 11:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Earlier this year, San Francisco became one of the first American cities to ban plastic bags in stores. Then Mayor Newsom led the charge to ban plastic water bottles. What's going on? Are these good developments? In the July/August issue of Fast Company, there is an excellent special report of Bottled Water. According to the article, "Bottled water is often simply an indulgence, and despite the stories we tell ourselves, it is not a benign indulgence. We're moving 1 billion bottles of water around a week in ships, trains, and trucks in the United States alone. Meanwhile, one out of six people in the world has no dependable, safe drinking water."

I was stunned. I read further.

In regards to Fiji Water, I discovered that "...the plastic for the bottles is shipped to Fiji first, the bottles' journey is even longer." Plus, their plant runs 24-hours per day with "three big generators running on diesel fuel." I thought, ok I'll buy glass bottles instead. Wrong. Glass bottles weigh five times what plastic weighs, with increased freight and energy costs. In fact, San Pellegrino "washed and rinsed, with mineral water, before [filling] with sparkling Pellegrino."

The article goes on to say, "Americans went through about 50 billion plastic water bottles last year. Our recycling rate for PET [recyclable polyethylene terephthalate plastic] is only 23%, which means we pitch into landfills 38 billion water bottles a year -- more than $1 billion worth of plastic."

You may wonder, why pick on bottled water? What about other beverages? "Water runs from our taps in our homes, or from fountains in public spaces. Soda does not." In our house, we have a filtration system at the sink. I try and fill bottles before leaving the house in the car or going to work or going to the beach. If I need to buy bottled water while out, I make every effort to get the empty container into a recycle bin. This is definitely food for thought and I'd be happy to hear from others.

* blog title from Rime of the Ancient Mariner

Posted by Kenley Neufeld at 03:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (19)

'twas a beautiful night to Muse...

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 02:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)

Just talked to Larry at the Zaca Fire Information Center, manned by the US Forest Service, here is the final update for the evening:

183,408 acres burned (which I believe makes it bigger than the Day Fire)
75% contained (huge advance from yesterday)
$81.7 million in cost
2,945 people on the lines and in support (small reduction from yesterday)

There was a significant concentration on the southeast end of the fire today (which would be the potential threat to Matilija), where burnout procedures "went well" and "covered a lot of acreage." The burnout included the Pendola Jeep Way north to Diablo Canyon, where it met the fire. The giant white plumes visible throughout the day were the result of these backfires.

Backfires also were set and managed from Ogilvy Road and connected with the fire. There was some movement on the northeast front into the Dick Smith Wilderness.

From last thread (Friday Evening update), there were some comments about the fire jumping into the Matilija Wilderness. The Forest Service clarified the following: the fire did NOT jump the Monte Arido Ridge. Two hundred acres did NOT burn in the Matilija Wilderness.

--------------------------------------------------------

Reader Ginny sent this image from GeoMac (click to enlarge), representing a late afternoon update.

Elsewhere, there is no smoke over Ojai this evening, and the community meeting is still on for tomorrow, 2pm - see the info and link at the top of the main page of the Post. Have a great evening!

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 08:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (38)

From the City of Ojai: VC Fire Dept officials have scheduled another Community Meeting for fire updates on SUNDAY, AUG 19th at 2:00pm at Matilija JHS Auditorium.

I just got off the phone with the Zaca Fire Information Center manned by the Forest Service and have the following evening update. For those who have heard rumors about Matilija - there is NO evacuation notice for Matilija Canyon, and currently NO fire threat to Matilija Canyon.

As of 7pm tonight:
155,445 acres burned
61% contained
$78.8 million in cost
2,958 people on the lines and in support

Today, the southeast corner of the fire ran down a few canyons, including Diablo Canyon and Agua Caliente. The fires traveled primarily west to east, but at one point took a southern dip. It "nestled up" to the border of the Matilija Wilderness, where it hit the Monte Arrillo (sp.?) Fuel Break, where it stopped. In other words, the fuel break held.

As a result of this southern dip of the fire, the Incident Commanders issued an "Evacuation Warning" for Camino Cielo Road from Gibraltar Road east to the Ventura County Line including Gibraltar Reservoir and Jameson Lake. This Warning affected a total of two people who worked for a dam up there. A Warning is issued if there is at least one person in the way of the fire.

At or around sundown, the visibility and weather conditions were favorable, and the air tankers were called in including repeated drops from the DC-10, and the fire was "pounded with retardant". They are currently running "night ops", making sure the fire holds at the designated places.

For additional information check out our Zaca Fire Information page. Sleep well, Ojai!

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 09:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (23)

as of noon today, Friday, with satellite thermal data turned on:
courtesy http://geomac.usgs.gov

[UPDATE 4:47pm: reader Deborah sent me this image (click to enlarge) which appears to be a rather accurate representation. thanks for sharing the thread, MT! - tyler]

Posted by Millennium Twain at 01:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

From the VC Star:

A cloud of smoke from the Zaca fire that continues to cover Ventura County poses no immediate danger to residents, but air quality likely will worsen over the weekend and early next week, air pollution officials said Thursday...A high-pressure system arriving over the next few days is expected to lower the smoke and fine particulates that can get into people's lungs and cause problems

The 127,200-acre Zaca fire in Santa Barbara County continues to consume large swaths of wilderness on its eastward march and is expected to reach "back burns" that have been established inside Ventura County within days, said Maeton Freel, an information officer with the National Forest Service.

"The fire is still 22 miles west of Ojai," Freel said, "and 11 miles west of Matilija Canyon Road, where there are some homes."... Portions of Highway 33 north of Ojai might be closed over the next few days so fire crews can use the highway as a staging area, Freel said.

(hat tip to reader Robert Lloyd)

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 08:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Once (and future?) congressional candidate Brett Wagner raised the ire of a local Democratic group, who said that Wagner erroneously associated his campaign with theirs for a specific event. The Wagner campaign issued an official statement yesterday:

On June 22, 2007, we forwarded notice of a voter registration effort scheduled for June 24, 2007. In that notice, we inadvertently implied that the Brett Wagner campaign was acting with the Vote Blue organization. While both Vote Blue and the Brett Wagner campaign support voter registration efforts, we want to make it clear that Vote Blue has not endorsed nor has acted in cooperation or coordination with the Brett Wagner campaign in any such effort or any campaign building efforts. We apologize to anyone who had the impression that Vote Blue was in any way endorsing the Brett Wagner campaign and we apologize to the Vote Blue organization for any impression so given.

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 02:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Yet another example of how the American people were LIED to in the run up to the Iraq War, foisted upon the nation in a climate of fear and paralysis. Read on for more...

It had been obvious for ten years or more what the implications were for pre-emptive invasion of a sovereign nation. And yet in the days before the Iraq war began, we heard from the very most senior Bush officials, such lines as:

02/07/03: Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, to U.S. troops in Aviano, Italy: "It is unknowable how long that conflict will last. It could last six days, six weeks. I doubt six months."

03/04/03: Air Force Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, at a breakfast with reporters: "What you'd like to do is have it be a short, short conflict. . . . Iraq is much weaker than they were back in the '90s," when its forces were routed from Kuwait.

03/11/03: Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, in a speech to the Veterans of Foreign Wars: "The Iraqi people understand what this crisis is about. Like the people of France in the 1940s, they view us as their hoped-for liberator."

03/16/03: Vice President Cheney, on NBC's Meet the Press: "I think things have gotten so bad inside Iraq, from the standpoint of the Iraqi people, my belief is we will, in fact, be greeted as liberators. . . . I think it will go relatively quickly, . . . (in) weeks rather than months." He predicted that regular Iraqi soldiers would not "put up such a struggle" and that even "significant elements of the Republican Guard . . . are likely to step aside."

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 02:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I appreciate Steve Sprinkel's post tonight and certainly understand his concerns and fears. Unlike Steve, I made it to the very end of the Planning Commission meeting on Wednesday. After two hours of other items, the formula retail agenda item was opened at 9:30pm with two attorney's presenting their case. The meeting adjourned at 12:30am. Whew. Good news. Under pressure to make a decision tonight, due to the citizen initiative, the commission rejected all the proposals. Because we have spent three productive Planning Commission meetings and they were feeling pressured to make a decision, I made the offer to withdraw the Citizen Initiative if the conversation can remain in the Planning Commission and have a proposal sent to Council by October. The City Staff and the City Attorney go back to the drawing board and have been asked to bring another draft for the next Commission meeting. It seems clear the HCD is out for good, that we will have something city wide, and there is hope for a public hearing process. The Citizen Initiative has driven this conversation and we will continue to be involved and watch the progress.

Posted by Kenley Neufeld at 01:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (24)

I've created a Zaca Fire Info page here.

I suggest using one of the below two threads for comments on tonight's two important meetings - the Zaca Fire Community Meeting and the Chain Store Initiative-focused Planning Commission Meeting. I was unable to attend. How did it go?

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 08:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

From the City of Ojai:

The Wildfire Action Plan meeting will be held this evening, August 15th, at the Womens Club beginning at 7:00pm. Since the Zaca Fire has zoomed to 100,000+ acres and more smoke is visible, there will also be an update on the Zaca Fire at this evening’s meeting.

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 11:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (20)

For the past 17 months I, with others in the community, have been working toward limiting the encroachment of chain stores into the City of Ojai. We have written letters to the editor and posted stories to the Ojai Post (see history). We have lobbied the City Council, the City Staff, and the Planning Commission. We have met with the Ojai Chamber of Commerce and we have knocked on hundreds of doors. We have drafted an Initiative for the voters and collected the required number of signatures. We have reached a critical moment in this process and we need your support at the Planning Commission meeting at 7:30pm tonight. A decision may be made tonight and the Planning Commissioners are listening and working with the public.

They have listened attentively to public comment in their past two meetings on the topic and I expect that will continue. It is our opportunity to influence and guide our government in action. They may make their decision tonight and send their recommendation to the Ojai City Council. Getting into the nitty-gritty is easier at the Planning Commission meeting and I urge you to attend. Also present at the meeting tonight will be City Attorney Monte Widders and Assistant City Attorney Ted Schneider, to provide their legal perspective. You may wish to review the documents or read the Ojai Valley News front page article No-Chain Law Gets Second Look.

I am hopeful that a positive and comprehensive outcome will come from the City. If you are interested in a few talking points, try one of these:

• The ordinance should include the entire City of Ojai. City wide is our goal.


• The ordinance should provide opportunity for citizen comment / public hearing on potential formula businesses.


• We should reconsider, rethink, and/or enlarge the proposed Historic Commercial District

I hope to see you tonight at Ojai City Hall

Posted by Kenley Neufeld at 06:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)

RadarSherpa

Posted by Mike Didj at 01:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Zaca Fire view from our garden two hours ago -- approaching Murietta Saddle, expected to reach the White Ledge area, across from Lake Casitas, on Sunday!

According to the Sheriff's office, who visited us here a few minutes ago, the Fire is expected to reach us on Sunday ... churning through old chapparal forest which hasn't burnt in fifty years. [Our vicinity burnt in 1985, and the land here is cleared, so we are OK.] Will add any reports here as they come in. [Anyone with further info, please share it here also ...]

Posted by Millennium Twain at 04:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Kudos to Karl, owner of Oak Tree Restaurant and Bakery for a great little locally owned eatery. I've had a couple excellent meals there in the last few days. On Sunday, Karl whipped up a garlic and shallot-infused egg and cheese croissant for a late breakfast. Today, I had a fresh roasted turkey sandwich with pesto on nine-grain bread, accompanied by a mixed green salad with shredded carrots, tomatoes, homemade croutons and a honey lemon vinaigrette. And both days I walked away with an expertly crafted pastry to share with a friend. Try Oak Tree if you haven't already!

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 01:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Truthout is one of my favorite sites on the web.
The following article, Escalation by the Numbers, appears on the current site. It is worth reading.

Posted by Dennis Rice at 08:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Monday was a beautiful day, even with the weather heating up considerably. My buddy from San Francisco came down for a couple of days to visit and we decided to take advantage of our Ojai back yard. We lightened up our two BMW dual sport motorcycles and drove over to the Ranger Station on Ojai Ave. The Ranger said that hunting season had just started and asked if we were certain that we wanted a permit for the Wilderness Area. We figured it was Monday morning, should be quiet, and hunters have to go 150 yards from the road anyway. We got our permit and headed up Highway 33.

This was my first trip onto Nordhoff Ridge. We entered through a locked gate at Rose Valley Campground and spent 2 hours driving about 30 miles on some rough dirt roads. We drove out to Chief's Peak and Hine Peak and took in the views of Upper Ojai, Santa Paula, Ventura, Camarillo, and the Channel Islands. Not a perfectly clear day, but enough to see the tops of the Islands.After turning around we headed for the Nordhoff Lookout Tower between the top of the Gridley Trail and the Pratt Trail. What a view. Ojai Valley. River bottom. Lake Casitas. The Ocean. What a treat.The picture above is from the Tower. The only downside to the day was when I crashed in the soft dirt of the 29th mile. Just some sore ribs and minor damage to the bike. What a thrill. We are truly fortunate to live in such beauty.

Posted by Kenley Neufeld at 07:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

The investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal
Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked.
Inside the small boat were several large yellow fin tuna. The
investment banker complimented the fisherman on the quality of his fish
and asked how long it took to catch them.

The fisherman replied, only a little while.

The investment banker then asked why didn't he stay out longer and catch
more fish?

The fisherman said he had enough to support his family's immediate needs.

The investment banker then asked, but what do you do with the rest of your
time?

The fisherman said, "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my
children, take siesta with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each
evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos, I have a full
and busy life, senor."

The investment banker scoffed, "I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You
should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat.
With the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats, eventually
you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a
middleman you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening
your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and
distribution. You can leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City,
then LA and eventually NYC where you will run your expanding enterprise."

The fisherman asked, "But senor, how long will this all take?"

To which the American replied, "15-20 years."

But what then, senor?

The American laughed and said that's the best part. When the time is
right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public
and become very rich, you would make millions.

Millions, senor? Then what?

The American said, "Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal
fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your
kids, take siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings
where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos."

Posted by Raymond Powers at 10:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Promising story from Canada's globeandmail.com... (so radiation causes rampant tumor growth?)

A unique gene that can stop cancerous cells from multiplying into tumours has been discovered by a team of scientists at the B.C. Cancer Agency in Vancouver.

The team, led by Dr. Poul Sorensen, says the gene has the power to suppress the growth of human tumours in multiple cancers, including breast, lung and liver.

The gene, HACE 1, helps cells fight off stress that, left unchecked, opens the door to formation of multiple tumours. Dr. Sorensen's team found cancerous cells form tumours when HACE 1 is inactive, but when additional stress such as radiation is added, tumour growth is rampant.

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 09:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Four Youth Bands to Open Locally Grown Concert at Libbey Bowl in Ojai

The bands who battled their way into the coveted winning slots are: Emy Reynolds, The Philosophy, Avant Garage and The Imaginative Clams. "The kids were tremendous, and it was tough for the judges to decide. But I think our winners will really shine and add a lot to the show," said Marty Fujita of Food for Thought Ojai.

In addition to opening the Locally Grown concert, the winning bands will record one of their songs in a professional sound studio and receive free CD copies of the recording. John Adair of Wild Ox studios is donating his time, his studio and a professional sound engineer for these sessions.

The concert headliners are two local favorites who have risen to international acclaim. Perla Batalla recently appeared in Leonard Cohen's critically acclaimed tribute film I'm Your Man. She has assembled a new band that brings a rich depth showcasing Batalla's powerful voice and soulful, Latin-tinged ballads. Brett Dennen is a young singer-songwriter who has recently been 'discovered' and is skyrocketing to fame on tour with John Mayer and Sheryl Crow. His pure and timeless vocals and joyous lyrics promise great things.

Billed as a green event, Locally Grown 2 will promote a variety of consciousness-raising actions to minimize the human ecological footprint. For example, concert-goers will be encouraged to bicycle or walk to and from the event to decrease fossil fuel use, bring their own refillable water bottles, and visit a "Zero Waste" station at the event. As an incentive, raffle tickets for unique prizes will be awarded for individual 'green' efforts. Sponsorships to help underwrite the cost of the event are available, ranging from $200 for a program listing to $5000 banner sponsorships.

"This is a great way for us to get our message out to the community," Fujita added. Funds raised will go toward programs that promote good childhood nutritional practices, farm-field trips, school garden programs and salad bar lunches that feature locally-produced, seasonal fruits and vegetables.

Ticket prices range from $20 for rear lawn seats to $100 for front row VIP seats and are available online at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/16914.
More information can be found on the Food For Thought Ojai Web site at www.foodforthoughtojai.org or by calling 805-640-5044.

Posted by Lisa Snider at 07:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Most of the time it is so incredibly disheartening to listen to these candidates dance around the issues, strutting around like roosters trying to show who’s the toughest – trying to prove that they are the ones who can save us from “those evildoers.” I can barely stand to watch them as they try to outdo each other: “I won’t talk to Iran for my first year in office,” “I’ll bomb Pakistan,” “I’ll protect marriage” (if they were serious about that maybe they should try outlawing divorce. But I digress…)

Why is it that most of us feel that we can’t do better than this? How is it that so many of us think that one party is that different from the other, that if only our party’s candidate could get in, that things will be so much better? How is it that something like the “Patriot” Act got through so fast, and so many people in Congress voted for it without even reading it? How could so many of them have voted to support the war, when the contradictory information that was reported so belatedly by the mainstream press was already there in the alternative media? Where were they? Is this really the best we can do?

While it’s true that since the Democrats took back the power in Congress, at least they have started investigations and introduced bills that do have some connection to what voters called for so loudly in the recent elections. But how is it that still they sent even more money and troops to Iraq, when it is clear to the vast majority of American people (if not their “leaders”) that we cannot “fix it” by staying? How is it that Clinton was impeached for lying about sex, when the current administration’s lies have caused death and destruction on such a massive scale? Why are they still barely being challenged for such blatant violations of international law and the Constitution? How is it that we are still, as a nation, spending billions of dollars every month on a war that, according to the non-profit Just Foreign Policy, has now reportedly killed close to a million Iraqis?

Just take a moment. Let that sink in.

I can’t even wrap my mind around it. And millions more are displaced. While here in the U.S. we have pathetic health care options for so many of us, schools struggling, bridges collapsing and many more in need of repair, the Katrina fiasco, and on and on… If you’ve ever seen evan’s car in town, it asks a really important question in big letters painted on the side: “What would you do with $450 billion?” Think about it. And if you go to costofwar.com you can see how much has been spent locally. At the time of this writing, California has spent over 57 billion dollars, and Ventura County has spent almost $1.6 billion. What would you do with that money?

I know that not everyone agrees about Iraq, and we can draw many lines to divide ourselves when we talk about abortion, gay marriage, and so on. But I think that the vast majority of people – “liberal” or “conservative” – value children, the environment, education, housing, health care, etc. And I suspect that a huge number of people in this country, not to mention the rest of the world, think that our system is badly broken (if not totally insane…) I think for so many people that it just seems so hopeless. We don’t even dare to dream anymore.

And then there is Dennis Kucinich. This isn’t even meant to be a “Vote for Kucinich” article, by the way. I haven’t met him (although I hear he might be coming to Ojai soon – stay tuned). I don’t know if he’s as good as he seems to be. But I know that something in my heart comes alive when I hear him speak, when I watch him in the debates so clearly and passionately saying the things that need to be said – the things that no-one else is saying. In this week’s debate he promised that in his first month in office he would cancel NAFTA and the WTO, and instead, to trade based on workers’ rights, human rights and environmental quality principles. He would also establish a not-for-profit healthcare system and focus on saving Social Security.

Dennis Kucinich was the one to introduce articles of impeachment against Dick Cheney. He interrogated Rumsfeld about his management of war news. Kucinich has been working for years to establish a U.S. Department of Peace. Some of the key issues on his website include Universal Health Care; International Cooperation (US out of Iraq, UN in); Guaranteed Quality Education, Pre-K Through College; Repeal of the "Patriot Act;" Environmental Renewal and Clean Energy; and Balance Between Workers and Corporations. He supports the use of medical marijuana, as well as re-legalizing the commercial growing of industrial hemp. He also addresses depleted uranium, sweat shops, and media reform. These are issues that are vitally important to me, although I know that not everyone shares the same vision.

In the debate this week he said, “I’m kind of the Seabiscuit of this campaign,” (referring to the underrated racehorse from the 1930s). Hearing him say that sparked my imagination, and rekindled that little flame of hope that – in spite of everything – never quite dies...

So - who is your Seabiscuit? What is your vision for this country? How would you act, how would you vote, if you started to believe that what you long for might actually be possible?

Posted by Sally Carless at 04:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (17)

Culture is defined by the images and symbols we use, our rituals and ceremonies, our histories and legends, and our heroes. The weekend of September 21-23 is a major opportunity to celebrate Peace in a public and audio/visual way that directly builds a culture of peace...it is a time to be the change we wish to see. Please consider how you can help locally.

We have some major opportunities for building a local culture of Peace coming up, and the main purpose of this post is to solicit volunteers for a variety of roles within that effort. September 21st is International Peace Day, and the Peace Alliance – the folks behind the campaign for a federal Department of Peace – will be coming to Ojai on that weekend to perform their play “The Gift of Peace” at our own Libbey Bowl. There will also be an Interfaith peace-focused schedule of ceremony, prayer, and music on Sunday the 23rd. The collective Retreats of Ojai are on board with this in a big way and are organizing events during the entire Peace Weekend, and the Ojai Peace Coalition is going to be a part of it!

• we’re going to award our first-ever Noble Peace Prize! The ceremony’s exact date/time/location are yet to be determined, but there are some specific needs that we have in order to make this happen:
donations toward the creation of the medals that will be given as the prize in the coming years. The up-front cost is around $200 (i’m still doing a little bit of price shopping), but then we’ll have many years worth of prizes! I’ve set our Chipin to last until October, because donations to cover this investment can certainly be made up to and after the awarding of it. You can also send me checks of that’s more comfortable for you, as one $50 donor has already done!
technical needs for the presentation of the award include a podium, chairs, video and/or sound recording, and a contact at City Hall for use of the Park’s power and/or turning the fountain off during the presentation. If you can help in any of these ways, please let me know NOW.

• we’re going to plant a new Peace Pole! Meg at Ojai House has been eyeing just the spot for one in front of her shop, and who better than the OPC to build and plant it? There are some unique needs for this project as well:
materials: as far as i can figure, include one 8-foot-tall 4x4, one shovel, one level, and a few bags of post hole cement. We’ll need a router to carve out the phrase “May Peace Prevail On Earth” on the four sides in four languages, and some earth-friendly paints and weather-coating to finish it off. If you can help with any of this – even if it’s just research – please let me know NOW.

• we’re going to screen the film “Peace One Day”! It’s about the creation of International Peace Day, and the continuing campaign to get it recognized and celebrated. A precise date and time have not been selected, but it’ll likely be screened on the patio at Ojai House, so we’re talking outdoors in the evening when it’s dark enough. Our only need for this project at this time is a projector. If you can help, please let me know NOW.

In peace,
-evan

Posted by evan austin at 02:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Our healthcare system, what we eat, drink and smoke, and how we treat people with the fewest means, is atrocious.

[Dr. Christopher] Murray, [head of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at] the University of Washington, said improved access to health insurance could increase life expectancy. But, he predicted, the U.S. won't move up in the world rankings as long as the health care debate is limited to insurance.

Policymakers also should focus on ways to reduce cancer, heart disease and lung disease, said Murray. He advocates stepped-up efforts to reduce tobacco use, control blood pressure, reduce cholesterol and regulate blood sugar.

"Even if we focused only on those four things, we would go along way toward improving health care in the United States," Murray said. "The starting point is the recognition that the U.S. does not have the best health care system. There are still an awful lot of people who think it does."

[UPDATE] The NY Times has a scathing editorial today, World’s Best Medical Care?...

Fairness. The United States ranks dead last on almost all measures of equity because we have the greatest disparity in the quality of care given to richer and poorer citizens. Americans with below-average incomes are much less likely than their counterparts in other industrialized nations to see a doctor when sick, to fill prescriptions or to get needed tests and follow-up care.

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 10:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Evolution happens... in fact, it's happening right NOW!

Posted by Raymond Powers at 06:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Do 4-H kids really know where the animals are going after they are auctioned off?

“We have enslaved the rest of animal creation, and have treated our distant cousins in fur and feathers so badly that beyond a doubt, if they were to formulate a religion, they would depict the Devil in human form.” --William Ralph Inge

Every year it's the same: Headlines that proclaim "Kids prepare to say goodbye during fair," " Lamb goes from parade star to auction," "Kids must sell their farm animals," and " Youth taking their livestock seriously." The same photographs of youngsters with their very own pigs, sheep, cows and other animals, competing at the Ventura County Fair. Year after year, the same story of how they got their animal when it was just a few weeks old, how much they love and care for the animal, and how hard they've worked feeding, cleaning, brushing, walking and training them.

These animals have certainly had a much better life than their cousins imprisoned on factory farms.

Alas, the ending of the story is also always the same: "part of the commitment of raising an animal is knowing that it's going to be butchered. The kids are a little sad, they know where the animals are going after they are auctioned off."

But, in reality, very few adults, let alone children, really "know where the animals are going after they are auctioned off ." In all the years that I’ve been to the Fair I’ve never seen a single display illustrating what actually happens.

I have seen the youngsters lying in the hay with their arms round their pets, saying a tearful, sad good-bye. There are plenty of displays about raising livestock and all the products that come from these animals. But one part is always missing: What happens in those in-between-hours after the auction and before the pet becomes a piece
of pork or steak?

4-H is the youth education branch of the Cooperative Extension Service, a program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. More than 6 million kids belong to 4-H. While the program offers many activities or “projects,” ranging from photography to foreign exchange, it is perhaps best known for its livestock programs. The four H’s stand for Head for clear thinking, Heart for greater loyalty, Hands for larger service, Health for better living.

I wonder if any 4-H leader has ever taken the time to accompany the animals to the slaughterhouse to report back what they see. Surely familiarizing youngsters with the manner in which animals are transported to the slaughterhouse and the actual killing process, should be part of the learning experience.

Children are coached not to cry while their animals are in the auction ring, but it is difficult to hold back the tears as buyers shout out offers to buy your friend by the pound. There are stories on the web about kids trying to save their pets before they are led to slaughter. "When the trucks arrived they watched the handlers load up the animals,
cringing every time the electrical prod was used to move the pigs along. One year a pig escaped from the loading dock and they all jumped up and down and cheered, “Go pig!” and were angrily ordered out of the area by the handlers. The following year no kids were allowed to watch the loading procedure."

In the end the animals are forced onto a crowded loading truck. After several hours without food or water they arrive at the slaughterhouse where they may wait a week or more in crowded pens -- frightened, stressed, and
confused -- before finally being slaughtered.

Evidently it is human nature to accept as "normal" what the society you live in accepts as normal. We are appalled by photographs of a family in a distant land preparing to kill a dog for lunch. However, if this was a normal part of the day, we would gradually come to accept it. Likewise, the child initially feels horror that he or she is relinquishing his pet to be slaughtered. But his parents and 4-H leader gradually convince him this is normal, acceptable behavior.

Our children are born into a world in which cheap meat from factory farms, fried at McDonald's, is the norm. Slaughterhouse workers are often born into towns where killing animals is one of the few available jobs. Factory farm owners are born into a world that considers animals objects to be used for our convenience. We absorb these social structures into our normal way of perceiving things, so that we are not only shaped by the structures, but we perpetuate them .

In 1978, the Federal Meat Inspection Act was amended to empower USDA inspectors to stop the slaughter line on the spot if any cruelty is observed. Once the line has stopped, slaughter may not legally recommence until deficiencies, whether of equipment, or of abuses by personnel, are corrected. However, there is ample documentation in books such as Gail Eisnitz' Slaughterhouse that enormous speed-ups in the slaughter line mean that animals are no longer being killed in conformity with the law. With one individual required to kill as many as 1,100 animals an hour, workers resort to brutal animal handling techniques. This book and many other sources document that fully conscious pigs and cows are beaten, strangled, scalded, skinned and dismembered in the nation's slaughterhouses.

The number of animals slaughtered yearly in the U.S is estimated at more than 37 million cattle; 110 million pigs; 4 million horses, sheep and goats; 8 billion chickens and turkeys . The numbers are so big the human mind cannot possibly grasp the enormity of the suffering.

Why should we spend our time considering the animals raised by 4-H and other all the other millions headed for slaughter? The truth is, all living creatures -- people, dogs, cats, pigs, cows, birds, elephants, tigers, dolphins -- all are connected.

The responsibility of caring for 4-H animals does not end with their sale at the Ventura County Auction. In upholding the ethics of the 4-H, its leaders should do a thorough, independent investigation of how these animals are transported to the slaughterhouse, how they are handled as they enter the killing area and the manner in which they are
killed.

If the 4-H youngsters must break the bond of trust they have created with their animal, they absolutely should make it their business to be sure their pet has as humane a death as possible. And it is the responsibility of the 4-H leaders to make sure that education about how the animal dies is part of the learning process.

“True human goodness, in all its purity and freedom, can come to the fore only when its recipient has no power. Mankind’s true moral test (which lies deeply buried from view) consists of its attitude toward those who are at its mercy: animals. And in this respect mankind has suffered a fundamental debacle, a debacle so fundamental that all others stem from it.” --Milan Kundera

We must fight against the spirit of unconscious cruelty with which we treat the animals. Animals suffer as much as we do. True humanity does not allow us to impose such sufferings on them. It is our duty to make the whole world recognize it. Until we extend our circle of compassion to all living things, humanity will not find peace. ~Albert Schweitzer, The Philosophy of Civilization

If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men. ~St. Francis of Assisi

The animals of the world exist for their own reasons. They were not made for humans any more than black people were made for white, or women created for men. ~Alice Walker

Authors Note: As part of my research for this article, I interviewed Gail A. Eisnitz, chief investigator for the Humane Farming Association and author of "Slaughterhouse." I would like to thank Marty Fast, a former 4-H leader and rescuer of potbellied pigs, Dale Hanson, Michelle Capper and other Ojai animal lovers for inspiring me to write this.

Related Story:
" I Understand Why 4-H Kids Should Not Send Their Animals to the Slaughterhouse"
http://www.ojaipost.com/2009/08/_i_understand_why_4h_kids_shou_1.shtml#comment-144226

Posted by Suza Francina at 02:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (50)

Local writer and massage therapist Cynthia Waring Matthews tells her triumphant story. Based on her book, Bodies Unbound, tonight's performance features Cynthia in a one-woman theatre piece directed by Jill Andre.

Ojai School of Massage
619 W. El Roblar in Meiners Oaks
8 pm - Tickets $15 at the door

Cynthia Waring Matthews first escaped the sorrow of her early days by retreating to a convent as a young woman. Emerging after a time to re-enter the world at large, she was looking for an occupation and found herself absorbed into the world of bodywork, where she became a licensed massage therapist and massaged over 20,000 people in 30 years, from the anonymous to the dazzlingly famous, from infants to the elderly, from those seeking healing to those seeking a bodily indulgence. In her practice, she made a unique discovery: That through her fingers, she was able to read bodies and into the histories of the people beneath her hands. She could unlock the experiences and traumas stored in their bodies through cellular memories.

Cynthia lives in Ojai with her husband, Wyn Matthews, where they operate a multidisciplinary retreat, The Raw Retreat.

Jill Andre has directed numerous shows in Los Angeles and New York, including “Trust,” “Comings and Goings,” “Bus Stop,” “Navajo Memoirs,” “”Baby Grand,” and much more. Also an actor, she appeared on Broadway in “Children of a Lesser God,” “Devour the Snow,” “The Trip Back Down,” and more. Her TV and film credits include “The Practice,” “NYPD Blue,” “Picket Fences,” “Lost in America,” “Ghosts of Mississippi” and more.

If you miss the show tonight, you can catch it in Santa Barbara at Center Stage Theater, August 17 and 18

"Unbound Again" from Thursday's VC Reporter

Interview with Radio Ojai's Lisa Snider

Posted by Leslie Davis at 11:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Hey, what did you learn at the Zaca Fire Community Meeting last night?

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 10:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)

I'm pleased to announce that Sally Carless is joining us an Author. Sally is the founding director of Global Village School, and is involved in grassroots philanthropy, alternative education, peace, justice, diversity, sustainability and more. Welcome!

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 04:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

John Edwards interview in Business Week magazine. Food for thought...

With 48 million Americans uninsured, how are you planning to fix the health care system in this country?

I've proposed a very specific universal health care plan that requires coverage for every man, woman, and child. It gives Americans choices in health markets between either a private plan or a government plan. The government plan is essentially Medicare Plus. Subsidize health insurance premiums up to about $100,000 of income for a family. And we'd fill in all the cracks in the health care system, which means that [denying coverage for] preexisting conditions is outlawed; preventative care, chronic care, long-term care are all covered; mental health is treated the same as physical health; and it's mobile. If you move, if you change jobs, your health care can go with you. And there are a whole group of things we would do to bring down health care costs—roughly $130 billion of cost savings a year. They include mandated use of electronic record-keeping. And my plan costs—you didn't ask me this, but I think people deserve to know—my plan costs $90 billion to $120 billion a year. It's paid for by rolling back President Bush's tax cuts for those who earn more than $200,000 a year, back to the tax rates that existed under President Clinton.

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 01:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)

They landed on Ellis Island without an invitation.

Everyone lived together in a boarding house in Detroit and then we all moved together, aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents, to the same building in West LA.

I slept in the bathtub and liked it. I didn’t know anyone that was not Irish or Catholic until I was in high school…no one Jewish until I was an adult. I was the first in my family to be drafted, to serve in the US military, to attend college. If anyone asked my nationality, I would have readily said “Irish”. A Notre Dame loss was cause for mourning in our house in the days when the Irish of LA would pack the Coliseum to watch Notre Dame play USC in the same spirit that Mexican-Americans flock to the same place to watch Chivas / Galaxy play.

Yet, I was pleased to be an American. My entire family felt lucky to be here, especially for the opportunity this country gave the next generation. No one shut us out of the schools. We embraced our opportunities.

I am not writing this to say my life was hard. It wasn’t. I was blessed by a caring family and a good upbringing. Yet, these experiences lead me to feel compassion for all of the current “aliens” in our midst. I see, for the most part, hard working, honest, family oriented people. Striving to be North Americans (They are already Americans, thank you) while they are Mexican by culture.

I was moved to march in LA on Cinco de Mayo last year. While some were bothered at the many Mexican flags…though there were as many stars and stripes…I understood them as a cultural symbol, rather than a nationalistic one. It takes some time to acculturate. Though my kids have Irish blood in their veins, they do not cheer for the Celtics or feel compelled to wear green in March.What I am saying is that it takes a generation or two. The average child now born in California is Hispanic…at last a generation who can correctly pronounce most of the cities on the state.

It is important to remember that most of our parents and grandparents immigrated here, were called names, judged as lazy or ignorant, or collectively inferior, yet persevered to give us these blessed lives. We owe them. These days it seems a good way to repay these gifts is to give today’s immigrants the open doors that were not always there for our fathers and mothers. Besides the fact that not educating these children is culturally more costly than educating them, we have an obligation to them to “play it forward.” Who are we to slam the door behind us? Who are we not to teach young minds, whether or not their parents are legally here?

Posted by Dennis Rice at 05:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)

Lots of people travel out of the Ojai Valley on business or pleasure, and we sometimes are the beneficiaries of the insights that they gain upon their returns. Since i live, work, and - to a large extent - shop here, i seldom need to leave the nest, and when i do it's not for very long or far. But i've been away from the Goddess Moon for nearly a week as my wife and i gave birth to our beautiful daughter Noa at Goleta Valley Cottage Hospital, connected to Ojai only by the ash that rained gently down onto both places. We're glad to be home, and i noticed a few things upon our return:

• Someone (presumably the City) painted nearly all our sewer covers white. When i suggested that it might help City workers find them better, Jessie countered that it simply might have helped them find something to do.

• The new development going in at Ojai Avenue between Cañada and Blanche Streets has been named E' Bello, which my state-of-the-art language translating widget says means "Beautiful E'", whatever that means. At any rate, the current list of businesses who've staked out spots in the new building is as follows:
- Jim & Rob's Fresh Grill
- Curves Fitness for Women
- Troop Real Estate
- Tobi Redlich, DC (currently the resident Chiropractor at the Day Spa of Ojai)
- John Maggio, Allstate Insurance (also sits on the Advisory Council of the Ojai Valley FireSafe Council)
- Noah's Apothecary
- Body Essentials
- Ojai Business Center
- Ojai Valley Directory
i'd heard some time ago that Jim & Rob's wanted to move so that Sea Fresh could expand into that adjacent spot, and i spoke with the folks at OBC yesterday who confirmed the move not for a bigger space, but for better location (specifically, according to one young copyist, next door to Jim & Rob's). The phone-answerer at Curves also confirmed a move, not an additional location. Putting all of these diverse services and products into one building sounds convenient, but i'm left wondering if it's very "Ojai", and just what may fill all the vacancies left by the businesses that move there. Check out my map to see where the holes will be. be mindful also that Ojai Creates! is moving into the former location of Cardinali Brothers Music, and the Brothers are moving into the Smart Start building in Meiners Oaks.

• The Zaca Fire continues to rage, although the Valley doesn't appear to be in imminent danger as such. even so, an Ojai Community Meeting will be held this Friday the 10th to discuss the particulars. There's also a kiosk outside Starr Market with maps and in-your-hands info printed on actual paper.

• The County's approved a new traffic signal to be built by Caltrans on Highway 33 at Villanova Road, with a price tag of $750,000, up from the $175,000 that it would have cost if it'd been approved when originally proposed in 2004. This increase is being attributed to sharp rises in the costs of building materials above all else, especially as related to tougher federal construction standards that mandate the signals withstand 100 mph winds. Come the apocalypse, at least our traffic signals will still be standing.

• The Planning Commission is still delayed in deciding on just how far to take the proposed and popularly-supported restrictions on formula retail businesses, although the Commissioners seems responsive to public opinion and are considering the issue very responsibly, if slowly. Kenley Neufeld, author of the 600+ signature citizens' initiative featuring a City-wide ban on chain stores, plans to turn his ordinance in as a ballot initiative by October 13th if the City hasnt drafted one of their own by then.

• Ojai Playwright's Conference runs August 7-12, overlapping the Shakespeare Festival at Libbey Bowl from August 9-12, this year featuring "A Midsummer Night's Dream". Glenn would have loved it.

• the Ojai Post hashes out firefighting, censorship, and public breastfeeding, all of which seem to have deep connections to partisan politics on the national (and even international) level. Who knew?

• The Ojai Valley Dog Park Fund, aimed at creating a canine-friendly area at Soule Park near the tennis courts, will have a fundraiser and raffle at Soule on Saturday August 18 at 4pm. they're looking to raise $20,000, and are challenging every dog owner to donate $5 per dog to the fund. EMAIL NANCY for more info.

cross-posted at OjaiNews.com

Posted by evan austin at 12:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)

This critique actually concerns the philosophy, which, in my opinion, propels this movie. For this author, the concept of universal healthcare is ridiculous. One's health is determined, primarily, by diet and exercise. When one invites the government in to manage their own health concerns, they are asking for trouble.

When one demands it, then they have stepped even further into victim consciousness. Blaming others or genetics for one's own health issues can only perpetuate them. American healthcare has demon-strated over and over that it has no connection to true health. Just about all the solutions it prescribes are temporary and tend to exacerbate the problem. There is very little holistic understanding for the cause of dis ease. This is understandable because western medicine is still in its infancy - at least relative to Traditional Chinese Medicine.

All one has to do to regain health is to eat less processed food, more raw and get plenty of exercise. Turn off the TV. Smile and have fun. Enjoy the burn - know you are alive. Gather confidence when you are able to express the full array of your emotions, Forgive your self, forgive those who cross over your boundaries. Get tense, get charged, discharge and relax. Repeat on a daily basis. Cut yourself some slack. Cut others some slack. Repeat. Smile. Laugh. Peace.

Posted by Mike Didj at 09:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (57)

Hey folks,
I wanted to get a chance to share with anyone who hasn't heard yet, that the Shakespeare festival is back in Ojai, at the Libbey Bowl this coming weekend, Thurs, Fri, Sat, and Sunday nights at 7:30pm.

I've been running sound for the performances with my studio assistant, Kazdyn Nicholson, and this year's performance of Midsummer Night's Dream is delightful, and hilarious!

Please help out the Ojai Shakespeare festival by coming out to see a performance, you will not be disappointed. Click on the extended entry for my review of this year's show. Thanks much!

When I first moved to Ojai in 1999, I was thrilled to discover that my brand new little tiny town had it's own Shakespeare festival, which sported not only a main stage evening event, but also a matinee performance on the lawn, produced and performed by high school students. Wow! What character! What charm! The evening shows would be sold out, and LIbbey Bowl was packed with community theater enthusiasts, night after night, weekend after weekend.

Well, we've seen a lot of changes in this small town over the last 8 years, and our community theater programs have all but disappeared, for many different reasons. But the Shakespeare festival is not ready to give up the ghost quite yet, thank you very much! Thanks to the hard work of many determined and dedicated volunteers, OSF is able to bring us A Midsummer Night's Dream, a fantastical comedy of law and honor, youthful romance, and love potion gone awry.

Directed by Besant Hills' own Paul Amadio, produced by Peter Fox, and starring Scott Campbell, Jaye Hersh, Mike Nader, Brook Masters, Douglas Hill, Alyson Schuster, Rachel Ward, Daniel Baker, and Brad Halverson (among many, many others), OSF's production of A Midsummer NIght's Dream is a joy to watch, and comes in at just about 2 hours in length.

Dana Killgore is providing beautiful lighting for the event, and the set design is wonderful as well.
Check out some photos of past performances at http://www.ojaishakespeare.org and have a look for yourself. Tickets are $15 for minors and $18 for adults.

I hope to see everyone I know at Libbey Bowl. Please help keep the OSF alive. Attend a performance this weekend and you will not be disappointed.

Bye for now,
Chris Foley

Posted by Chris Foley at 11:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Posted by Howard Smith at 06:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

A very warm welcome to new author Dennis Rice, who has contributed a couple guest editorials. He is a long-time Ojai resident, and I think he brings a thoughtful, intelligent voice to the discourse. Hope you enjoy Dennis' contributions as much as I have.

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 06:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

[this entry has been corrected]
[UPDATE: 8/9/07, 5:40pm]

Fire officials are hosting the Zaca Fire Community Meeting in the evening of Friday, August 10th, 7:00PM, Matilija Jr. High Auditorium.

There may be another community meeting, with a somewhat different focus the following week, details to follow. If you are interested in the Zaca Fire and its impact on the Ojai community, be sure to stayed tuned here for the location of the meeting this Friday evening.

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 02:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

makes you wonder, if you listen to the video, what these shallow mouthpieces for Corporate Gangster-dumb think -- viz. Branson, Gore, the Queen of England -- that the workers of the world are stupid enough to believe that we have a generation to fix the death of Gaia? merely 'drinking' our fish and chips, bottled by Monsanto/DuPont?

http://theshiftmovie.com/index2.html

and that the problem is NOT the [NOW] 97 percent irradicated rainforests, old growth 'northern' forests, atmosphere, ocean life ... a world *NOW* turned to desert ...

'PatriScum' promoting their shopping convenience of a Green House -- when in fact we are living through -- ALREADY passed through -- GREEN DEATH of living Green Gaia.

death through automobile, death through nuclear and other power plants ... death through global petrochemical murder ... DEATH ALREADY ACCOMPLISHED ... and THIS THEY WANT TO CONTINUE?

where on the Earth are the people of love and heart? speaking the truth ... that OUR ONLY SALVATION will be found in global reforesting, global re-Pacificing, 'Global re-Atlanticing'?

ending this murderous machine of the chemical consumer INDUSTRY State!

Millennium Twain

for all our sacred relations

http://satellite.ehabich.info/index_13.html

~~
~~~

Re: GLOBAL SHIFT MOVIE

--- Skye Coe wrote:

Aloha all. . .Really interesting and definitely in tune. . .different than I expected. Please enjoy and pass along, Mahalo to whomever sent it to me. in Light )'( Skye

http://theshiftmovie.com/index2.html

"Thoughts become things, use the good ones!"

Posted by Millennium Twain at 08:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Mrs. Gump: "Vacation's when you go somewhere... and you don't ever come back."
This place sure made me not want to come back:

I just returned from Alaska, the last bastion of unspoiled truly wild wilderness - the most beautiful place on the planet.

And imagine hiking through a lush cool rainforest - no dust, no ticks, no snakes, no sweltering heat!

Something tells me, though, I'd have a change of heart in winter and miss Ojai just a wee bit!

Where did your summer vacation take you?

Photos by Bill Snider.

Posted by Lisa Snider at 07:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

WHAT ABOUT AIR QUALITY? One of the key issues for the "Stop the Trucks" coalition is Air Quality.

Surrounded by mountains, with inversions in the air shed, the Ojai Valley is ranked among the worst for air quality in Ventura County. The resultant pollution and dust from diesel-fueled trucks will significantly degrade the air quality of the Ojai Valley. Diesel exhaust is highly toxic and carcinogenic, especially to children. Lower air quality will disrupt the ability of children to play outside, as well as raise health concerns for all, especially the high number of senior citizens that reside here.

Several articles have come out recently highlighting the problems associated with Diesel Fumes. Read for yourself:

FROM THE LA TIMES:

Air board cracks down on diesel

July 27, 2007

SACRAMENTO — California's diesel-powered bulldozers, scrapers and other heavy construction equipment must be retrofitted or replaced over the next 13 years to reduce the air pollution that sickens tens of thousands of residents every year, state regulators decided Thursday.

Under tough new rules adopted by the Air Resources Board, California is the first state to make construction companies fix existing diesel-powered machines. Heavy equipment can last 30 years or more, so without the new mandate, it would take decades for fleets to upgrade to cleaner equipment.

Although the fumes are most often associated with big trucks and buses, 20% of California's diesel pollution comes from the construction industry. Building, mining and airport vehicles are responsible for an estimated 1,100 premature deaths statewide every year and more than 1,000 hospitalizations for heart and lung disease, along with tens of thousands of asthma attacks, scientists say.

The air board's new rules will slash diesel soot — also known as particulate matter — from construction equipment by 92% over 2000 levels. Smog-forming nitrogen oxides will be cut by more than a third. And greenhouse gases, a byproduct of fuel burning, also will drop as a result of a ban on idling equipment.

"This is a very progressive rule with a lot of flexibility," said board Chairwoman Mary Nichols. "Beginning in 2010, we will be breathing far less of the smog and fine particulates that are so damaging to our health."

(FOR THE FULL ARTICLE GO TO:)
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-diesel27jul27,1,6251229.story?coll=la-headlines-california

FROM SCIENCE DAILY:

Diesel Exhaust Pollution Linked To Clogged Arteries
Science Daily — Got high cholesterol? You might want to stay away from air pollution.

That's the message of a new UCLA study linking diesel exhaust to atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, which significantly increases one's risk for heart attack and stroke. Published in the July 26 edition of the online journal Genome Biology, the findings are the first to explain how fine particles in air pollution conspire with artery-clogging fats to switch on the genes that cause blood vessel inflammation and lead to cardiovascular disease.
"When you add one plus one, it normally totals two," said principal investigator Dr. André Nel, chief of nanomedicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and a researcher at UCLA's California NanoSystems Institute. "But we found that adding diesel particles to cholesterol fats equals three. Their combination creates a dangerous synergy that wreaks cardiovascular havoc far beyond what's caused by the diesel or cholesterol alone."

(FOR THE FULL ARTICLE GO TO:)

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070726090009.htm

More From Scinece Daily:
Diesel exhaust exposure biomarker found

KANAZAWA, Japan, July 31 (UPI) -- A Japanese-U.S. science team has created the first test to detect a biomarker for human exposure to diesel exhaust, a probable human carcinogen.

The researchers, led by Akira Toriba of Japan's Kanazawa University, said the new test should be useful for monitoring human exposure to diesel exhaust and in studies of potential cancer risks associated with such exposure.

(FOR THE FULL ARTICLE GO TO:)
http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/index.php?feed=Science&article=UPI-1-20070731-14552000-bc-japan-biomarker.xml

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The "Stop The Trucks" Coalition is an independant organization of concerned citizens that is wholly dependent on donations. It also includes the Superintendent of the Ojai Unified School District, the Major of Ojai, and representatives from the Board of Realtors, the Ojai Valley Chamber of Commerce, Forest Watch and volunteers from environmental, business, economic, scientific and legal professions. Our efforts to save the Ojai Valley is supported by politicians of both political parties - CA State Assemblywoman, Audra Strickland, and Ventura County Supervisor, Steve Bennett.

At present, only a small portion of the permitted trucks are coming through our area, but it's already clear that an invasion of up to 800/day 80,000 lb gravel trucks driving through our community all day and night is a situation that affects us all. It is also clear that enforcement of permit restrictions on the number and hours of daily truck trips is inadequate and ineffective. If and when new and proposed mines are granted 30 year permits and trucks are traveling State Highways 33 and 150 in both directions, we will suffer the serious negative impacts of noise and air pollution, road and safety degradation, and decline of our real estate values, recreation based economy and our overall quality of life.

It's in your own best interests to not allow the adage, "You don't know what you've got 'till it's gone" to happen.

Stopping the trucks is not a one time challenge, but a long multi-year battle against multiple mines. Ventura, Santa Barbara, Kern and San Luis Obispo Counties all want the mines to supply materials for growth and CalTrans is among the biggest customer of gravel and asphalt. The Stop The Trucks Coalition is not against growth, development or maintainence of infrastructure, but believes it should and can be done in a manner that does not sacrifice the survival of the Ojai Valley.

The Coalition has received, and spent much of the donations that were previously raised at community rallies and from local businesses to retain environmental lawyers and experts, who have done a great job for us at the Diamond Rock Permit hearings before the SB Planning Commission. But it needs ongoing community funding to pay these experts to turn our concerns into scientific and legal positions and effectively argue them before Planning Commissions, Boards of Supervisors and, if necessary, in courts of law.

We need to raise $200,000 to fund our case before and during the permit phase of each of several mines. If everyone in the Ojai valley immediately contributed $100, we could put more energy into stopping the trucks than fund raising. Since that won't happen, please contribute as much as you can.

Please print and fill out the contribution form at this website; make checks out to StopTheTrucks; and mail them to the Ojai Chamber of Commerce. ( http://www.ojaipost.com/2007/05/stop_the_trucks_pledge_form.shtml )

You can stay up to date on information and events at http://www.ojaipost.com/stopthetrucks.shtml

Posted by Howard Smith at 07:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

This just in from the City of Ojai: We’ve received word from VC Fire Chief Bob Roper who is closely monitoring the Zaca Fire that a Ojai Community Meeting is being set up for this coming Friday. Currently the fire is in a heavily-vegetated area—where no fire has burned in recorded history—and it is headed our way. There is little concern that it will be a real threat to the Valley, in fact, firefighters say that movement in this direction will make it easier to fight. But we could get even more smoke and ash. (thanks to Paulette Matheson Whiting for the info)

SB County Fire Dept. has good information, including Highway closures, Evacuation warnings and orders, and Health Advisories. Also, a link to a map of the Zaca fire perimeter (PDF).

Inciweb, like the Day Fire most of the time, is down. When its back up, here's the Zaca Fire incident page.

The US Forest Service has some information, including a map of the Los Padres National Forest Zaca Fire closure area (PDF), which dips down to about five miles north of Ojai on Highway 33.

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 04:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (16)

Can the bridge collapse that happened in Minnesota happen here in Ventura County or even Ojai? According to an MSNBC report on the National Bridge Inventory, which is compiled by the U.S. DOT's Federal Highway Administration, the answer is yes.

I have created a spreadsheet isolating the bridges in Ojai or close proximity. All ten of these bridges carry at least 10,000 vehicles a day and have been rated as either structurally deficient (D) or functionally obsolete (O) by inspectors.

A structurally deficient bridge is closed or restricted to light vehicles because of its deteriorated structural components. While not necessarily unsafe, these bridges must have limits for speed and weight. A functionally obsolete bridge has older design features and, while it is not unsafe for all vehicles, it cannot safely accommodate current traffic volumes, and vehicle sizes and weights.

Sufficiency rating is a value obtained by calculating four separate factors (structural adequacy and safety, serviceability and functional obsolescence, essentiality for public use, and special reductions) that is indicative of a bridge's sufficiency to remain in service. A value of 100 represents an entirely sufficient bridge and a zero represents a deficient bridge.

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 12:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

The following contribution is from long-time Ojai resident Dennis Rice...

Dear Fellow Posters,

I have been a regular reader and a very occasional writer on The Ojai Post for about a year. I truly enjoy and appreciate the community focused dialogue and, like many, also appreciate the diversity of viewpoints that make the dialogue rich. What I have come not to appreciate are the participants who do not sign their names.

Besides the fact that much of the meanness and sniping on this site comes from anonymous voices, I think that it is important that each of us own his words.

It is so easy to hide behind a cute nametag and spew pettiness. When we sign our names, we are more thoughtful, more direct, and perhaps more cordial and circumspect in our language and messages.

I encourage all users of the Post to put your real name after your offering, to make room for actual diversity of opinion and to refrain from name calling and simplistic ad hominem arguments. I suspect that there are readers out there who have hesitated to comment, for fear of being subjected to anonymous spite, as there are others who have begun to tune the Post out either because it is dominated by the same voices or that many dialogues seem to degenerate into name calling.

We have the opportunity here to engage with one another, to perhaps entertain, sometimes console or appreciate, to extol both the virtues of our community and its shortcomings, our strengths and our challenges. Let’s make the best use of it.

When two people are at one
in their inmost hearts,
they shatter even the strength of iron or bronze
And when two people understand each other
in their inmost hearts,
their words are sweet and strong,
like the fragrance of orchids.

          The I Ching

- Dennis Rice

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 10:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (31)

Live from Goleta Valley Cottage Hospital in smoke-filled Goleta, California:
Team Austin is proud to announce the arrival of Noa Mae Austin, born Thursday August 2, 2007 at 9:44pm. Noa weighed 3,700 grams at birth, and was 57 centimeters long. She was welcomed into the world by her parents, grandparents, doula, three aunts, best friends, nurses, and doctors.

Noa is already a professional breastfeeder and loves new sounds and faces, which she studies intently. She's been sleeping with her daddy these past couple of nights while mommy is nearby recovering, and has loved visits from aunts, uncles, grand- and great-grandparents, cousins, and best friends!

Noa's first name was chosen from a name book, and is the only one (out of HUNDREDS considered) that made Jessie and i both look up and say "i LIKE that one" together. Her middle name carries the first letters of the middle names of all her grand- and great-grandmothers: Mae, Ann, Arlene, and Evelyn.

Jessie, evan, and Noa Austin will be coming home to Ojai on Monday afternoon, and are already awash in love and support from all over the world. We look forward to sharing our experience with the Ojai Post community!

[conservative trolls: any attempt to hijack this thread will result in the deletion of your comments]

Posted by evan austin at 10:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (24)

On second thought, I think I am more crazy than my goat. - Remedios Varo

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 03:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)

The Zaca Fire in Santa Barbara County dumped a bunch of ash on the Ojai Valley yesterday. The Ventura County Fire Dept. has issued this statement (hat tip to reader Kate):

Update on Zaca Fire
VCFD is currently in communication with the Zaca Fire Officials. The Zaca fire is approximately 16 miles away from the Ventura County Line. There is no threat to Ventura County Citizens, although some smoke will be visible to citizens living on the North Western side of Ventura County. Any further information regarding this incident will be promptly posted on the Ventura County Fire Department website.

Inciweb shows 44,000 acres burned, 60% containment and an estimated containment date of September 7.

Our Day Fire Resource Page contains dozens of links that can provide some more information.

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 12:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

File it under….Chain Stores…..report by Sprinkel

1010 PM…bumpy draft post from Ojai City Hall…crashing…good meeting, revealing, civil, appears like an ordinance against chain-stores city-wide is a real possibility. Planning Commission members earnest, intelligent, curious, not prejudiced against limiting franchise chain stores.

People need to get those last 200 signatures on the Neufeld petition. Need to communicate with Ojai officials individually. Seems like a lot of people are listening in city government….

7:30 PM

Ojai Planning Commission report for Wednesday Eve regarding the Formula/Franchise ordinance debate.

Staff recommendations offered changes from an absolute moratorium, a partial moratorium that competes against a city-wide ordinance that has been developed over the past few months, garnered much support.

I offered a number of anecdotes: That I signed a lease written by the county attorney that forbids me from planting fruit trees and having livestock. These details are important because it illustrates the fact that we have a regulated democratic economy. We expect regulation that protects the many from the few….I noted that when the Domino Pizza truck delivers the pizza dough and the tomato sauce made in Pacoima or Cerritos ( wherever) they might as well fill the truck back up with all the profit, which gets shipped out of town. I, on the other hand, spend a lot of my gross profit here in Ojai, at the local hardware stores or using the local craftsmen for work. This does not happen with a franchise...You just do not get innovation, invention, or a sense of community from the ground up with franchise/formula businesses. You get commercial wallpaper.

Nathaniel Wolpert argued for saving the pristine nature of the town, hoping to be able to protect trees in the city and wanted to forbid franchise retail. He noted how Carmel Valley was ruined by by franchise commerce.

Dennis Leary argued similarly, and believed that the concern over lawsuits was overstated.

Another new resident reminded us that ten cities in the US and six in California have similar ordinances and suggested that the city investigate the legal challenges that have arisen for those cities.

Kenley Neufeld discussed various fine points with regard to the partial moratorium. City staff has been responding to his draft ordinance.

Pat McPherson suggested that he understood that staff was instructed by city council to make the ordinance city-wide. Suggested that city staff has introduced the partial plan despite the overwhelming desires of most correspondents/citizens. Read a real hot bullet point piece now on the Post, as seen also in the OVN. Blazing hot piece.

Chamber of Commerce chair Scott Eicher wanted to know how such ordinances have protected the towns where they have been made law. He said we should build a good buffer zone, protect the local economy, do it in council rather than in an election. ( where he can control stuff better) Sort of fuzzy with his explanation about what an A and W rootbeer café meant to rural America…..(so…maybe we should just allow der Weinershnitzls here because nobody else wants them…and throw in a Bob’s Big Boy. Do you miss the Big Boy as much as I do?)

Leslie Davis suggested that she understood that Ojai was a small town which does not offer everything and that the limitation is well understood. She designs her life around that. She deals with it. Suggested that the Maricopa Hwy area near Nordhoff should be in the prohibited zone as well.

City staff Jerry Kerstner said there is no case law in California to guide the city. He is too personally invested in his own plan, seems to ignore public sentiment…he suggested that the draft plan is better than the public initiative because the initiative would have allowed franchises….staff’s ordinance does not…city attorney does not want the city to create an ordinance that is “arbitrary and capricious” decision making. I sensed a bit of duplicity…fuzzy alternative agenda…

Historic District…to be conserved…whereas other areas of town do not meet the criteria…according to legal advice…restraint of trade issues…( but why not expand the nature of the Historic district?)….claimed protection of existing business against competition is not lawful…the old it’s a free country, land of the free home of the brave argument…(…I think I will park my pig farm across the street from the Ojai Valley Inn!) You bet I will.

Katrina of staff said that Maricopa hwy area already does have environmental controls, design review.
( But those controls are not the same as the propose ordinance. Semi bogus argument. She seemed to want to protect that area for The Whopper. The notion of suddenly having a burger that large so readily available is kind of breathtaking.)

Staff omitted sending a comparative spreadsheet reviewing other cities experience. Planning Commissioners fell in love with the doc once they got it in their mitts.

Question by Steven Foster: how much did staff rely on precedent, earlier ordinances, no city-wide ordinances in other cities, draft based on template from Port Townsend Washington, whereas Calistoga, CA does have a city-wide ordinance.

John Mirk read from the spreadsheet, quoting the Sausalito plan, which should be posted soon for comparison. Mirk really thought highly of the matrix of policies in the Sausilito program.

Troy Becker was not compelled by the city attorney’s legal concerns, said community has very strong feelings that need to be represented, still believes defined area is too small, inclined to expand the area, all the way to Gridley. He was compelled by public input.

Mirk said everybody who spoke wanted a city-wide ordinance-CITY Wide or nothing….no Whopper devotees spoke.

Susan Weaver…did not want to move ahead too quickly…does not want formula stores restricted…is in favor of taking more time…no urgency...sought comfort….compared proposed plan to Solvang. People in Solvang may not shop there, so look out Ojai. Should have used Disneyland as an example. Whopper with Cheese would please M. Mouse.

One other participant suggested that the Ojai Historic District is too small compared to the other cities cited.

Chairman Foster was earlier convinced about the ordinance, but now sees that some capability of expansion/remodeling be provided in an ordinance. Wants to table it.

Commissioner Cortus Koehler cautioned that the consequences of the ordinance are potentially far-reaching…and perhaps even a threat to the constitution….but he seemed to favor the idea.

Commission seemed to be in agreement that they should not be forbidding the exiting franchises from remodeling or expanding, measurably changing their business. The Neufeld plan actually does grant that….

Also everyone seemed to be in agreement to not call them “non-conforming”.

Crabtree suggested that more time be given to craft a planning document.

Federal law on restraint of trade again suggested as a reason to balk at the ordinance.

Jerry of city staff suggested that discussion be tabled, continue to next meeting and have the city attorney respond to legal questions and, for example, utilize the Sausalito plan.

Good dialogue
Ready to send.Crashing.

Posted by Steve Sprinkel at 10:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (14)

An anonymous trucker got in touch with me a while back and said he had some photos of a gravel truck wreck on Highway 33 to share. He dropped them off, I scanned them in, and present them to you for your consideration.

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 11:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (16)

Master Po: [after easily defeating the boy in combat] Ha, ha, never assume because a man has no eyes he cannot see. Close your eyes. What do you hear?
Young Caine: I hear the water, I hear the birds.
Master Po: Do you hear your own heartbeat?
Young Caine: No.
Master Po: Do you hear the grasshopper that is at your feet?
Young Caine: [looking down and seeing the insect] Old man, how is it that you hear these things?
Master Po: Young man, how is it that you do not?

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 10:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)