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

Re: Cardinelli Medical Costs:
Have they soutght the service of overseas pyhsician's in India, Singapore or Thailand. The hospitals/clinics/doctors perform surgical and other health procedures for as little as a a quarter to an eight of the cost including transportation and recuperation in facilities that are at least comporable if not better than U.S. facilities.Search under the heading of "Medical Tourism" in a web dearch and many options can be found. Written reviews in the New york Times, on and 60 minutes all have provided autenticated testimonials of the quality and relative of affordability of surguries as complex as liver transplants and coronary artery by pass surgery that has saved lives when U.S. hospitals turned away people with terminal illness. Good Luck and Be Well--- A concerned Ojai citizen

Another Concern I would like to address to readers of this blog regarding an issues that has prompted much discussion and conflicting opinions.
Re: proposed enactment of chain store / and size limitations' for retail establishments including food retailers.
Some things to consider and perhaps unintended impacts of this legislation as it is being proposed in it's current form.
1) Food / nutrition is a daily neccesity to sustain life. It is not a discretionary item.
2) The access to a range, variety and choice of food
at affordable prices
is a major determinant in the quality of life including the the ability to afford decent housing. Each dollar spent at a retailer whose prices are higher than an identical item that can be purchased from another retailer is a dollar that can not be used for the high cost of housing. The additional dollars that must be spent at the higher priced retailer leaves us with fewer dollars to spend at local small businesses that can provide us with value for goods and services. These businesses
can hire additional workers. Hence, the standard of living for more people goes up. If the ititial food retailer can not match for price they then compete for service or some form of specializaion that adds quality and value to the food producucts ( food by definition is a neccessary item to sustain life ) To create an arbitrarily defined barriers to entry in a local market for food ( such as limiting the size of an an retail establishment below 10,000 square feet) denies the communitiy of the value that orgaziations who can benifit from the economimies of scale in a low profit, high volume industry such as food retailing which in even the most restictive of communites are allowed at least 25,000 square feet.
The irony of this proposal is that it would impact the poorest residentsin Ojai with the least available money for 2 neccessities of life : food and housing by in effect creating a local cartel of food retailers in a mnner similar to the way OPEC has a cartel over oil and it's price.Howevever, this is a cartel that would be put in place by municipal public policy strongly affected members of the Ojai populace with well meaning intentions of preserving our community's sense of place and identity. Let us ask ourselves though are we as a community responding with a visceral sense of nativism and NIMBYism not congruent with the the social and spiritual values we as a community purport to have.Are we determined to have local government to function as the " Ojai brand managers " in a marketing scheme to bring more traffic to our valley while potentialy hurting the least amongt us.
Think about it.
A concerned Ojai Citizen

The "marketing scheme" you speak of is actually our primary industry, cultural tourism. But this is an inappropriate thread to discuss this, particularly since there is a perfectly good Open Thread one post prior. Feel free to continue the conversation there. This thread is for Patricia and her well-being.

This so called primary industry is a source of mostly low wage jobs.People in low wage jobs tend to have the least amount of money for neccessary items such as food which affects the affordabity of housing ,especially for renters.I am just saying that putting up barriers to businesses that can provide something neccessary to sustain life- food--not discretionary items-- at possibly more affordable prices -- can benifit most Ojai residents especially those with low income. The state does not tax food primarily for this reason. Enacting barriers to more affordable food would be in in effect creating a regressive tax (it takes a higher percentage of income from those who have the least) on poor and low income working people. those who have the least) Tourists who come to Ojai don"t usually come to shop at grocery stores.A well designed store that is not in the arcade or downtown area and is aesthically and architecturally consistent with the Spanish mission revial style that is the primary design motif, would little if any effect on tourism.
Low wage jobs often do not have health care provided by employers or the worker can not afford the high premiums or, deductibles and co-pays of this. Thus many are in the position unfortunately that Ms. Cardinalli now faces.I believe we are a progessive community and doing something that can prevent the most people in the community, particularly those with the least resources from possibly getting access to a neccessity of life-- food-- at a possible more affordable cost is not a progressive value.
The medical and health insurance industries by setting up barriers to access to another neccessity of life - medical care and treatment--have driven up the cost,and used lobbyists to prevent universal health care in the USA. This has left many people in the position of not being able to afford health care. That is why so many people have to go to other countries where health care is so much more affordable. That is why the two earlier posts are related. Are we as a community to act as the lobbyists and special intrests act -- affect access to basic neccessites of life -- at prices at the most affordable cost, hurting those who have the least?
Think about it.
A concerned Ojai citizen

Patricia & Don have contributed so much to our community. Giving of themselves, when possible, to lend their talents to numerous fund raisers and providing a lot of entertainment and joy. Now is the time to be generous back. To give to them. To lend support to these two humble people. Take 1-10% of your next paycheck and make it a gift to them. If you own a restaurant or food store offer them this so they can save their funds for the medical expenses. Visit them at Cardinali Music and ask them what they need. Buy a ticket to the benefit concert. Participate. Contribute. Lets show up for these great folks.