Suza Francina for Ojai City Council
Dear Ojai Post Reader,
As you may know, I am running for re election to the Ojai City Council. This election takes place the same time as the General Election, on November 4th.
There are two open seats on the Ojai City Council. I am asking for your vote for one of them.
If you are a regular reader of the Ojai Post you have probably seen my articles on a wide range of topics, from birth to death to animals, leaf-blowers, alternative transportation and other environmental issues*. The fact of the matter is that local, national and global politics touches every aspect of our lives from the moment we enter the Planet till our inevitable departure.
When I ran in 1996 there were no web sites like the Ojai Post. E-mail and the Internet was not yet a part of our daily lives. After I was elected, the city manager laughingly told me that I sent the first ever e-mail to City Hall. So here I am, posting the first Ojai City Council fund-raising letter on the Internet.
My return to the council will give residents the transparent, responsible government they deserve. I will work hard to protect Ojai’s unique village atmosphere while keeping it affordable for families of all income levels.
I served on the City Council from 1996 to 2000, and as Mayor for the last year of that term. Many citizens have urged me to run again now that more people understand that my proposals to create a model green and sustainable city are simply common sense. During the past eight years, I have continued to research the shift toward green thinking. I applaud and support the hard work done by the Ojai Valley Green Coalition .
Conservation is now the watchword of every conscientious government and business around the world. As we grow increasingly aware of traffic congestion, air and water pollution, water shortages, global warming, and other issues, we are forced to confront the fact that sound economic development must be tied to environmental responsibility.
I am most concerned about the inappropriate development that is eroding Ojai’s unique quality. The City of Ojai’s General Plan is a clear mandate for “small town character.” I was the only member of the City Council to vote “No” on the Los Arboles condominiums. I believe in “Better, not bigger.” The scale of recent projects and proposed building projects violates our City’s mandate to preserve our village atmosphere.
This race will be strongly contested by those who would turn Ojai into an exclusive enclave for the wealthy. We need your support to stop this trend.
When facing development decisions, I will ask: “Are we looking at the land as something embedded in an ecosystem, with a history and a future that extends beyond our area and life span? Or do we see it as a “blank canvas” on which you can draw something that will make investors a short-term profit at the expense of our one-of-a-kind village?”
In the fifty-one years that I’ve lived in Ojai I’ve worn many hats: mother of two children who attended local schools, small-business owner, yoga and therapeutic exercise instructor for seniors, professional writer on health and environmental issues, and health advocate for the older population. I’m also a consultant for research studies on yoga, and the author of four books. My writings are featured on web sites and print publications world-wide.
The Ojai Valley is one of the most beautiful and sacred places on earth. Our economy, our tourist industry and our quality of life depend on protecting its uniqueness. Together, we can preserve the spirit of Ojai and become a model green community for the whole world to admire!
Please share this letter with your Ojai friends and neighbors. I look forward to seeing you at upcoming forums and events, and listening to your ideas, questions and concerns.
Sincerely,
Suza Francina
Candidate Statement
FrancinaSuzacampaignletterupdated.pdf
Name____________________________________________
Address_____________________________________________________
Phone______________ email____________________________________
Donation: $5 __$10 __$25___$50____$100 __$150__$200 __Other__
* You may use my name for endorsement.__
* I want to help with campaign ___
Your donation of any amount is greatly appreciated. Thank you!
The Committee to Elect Suza Francina
Treasurer, Therese A Hartmann
511 W Eucalyptus Street
Ojai, CA 93023
Email Sfrancina@aol.com
805) 646-2613; Cell: (805) 603-8635
*Suza’s articles on the Ojai Post archives
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
What are you going to do about crime and vandalism in Ojai? You never seem to find time to talk about these major problems?
Suza, another ground-breaking move to use the Post in this way! (and i’ll add that your blogging skills have made an inspiringly fast evolution over recent months!)
Dear Anonymous Comment #1,
Rest assured I am not ignoring your question. On the contrary, I am looking at crime-prevention programs as well as long-term, intelligent solutons after crimes have been committed.
Your question will no doubt be raised at upcoming City Council Candidate forums and I am preparing to post my response by the end of this month.
In the meantime, consider this: In 2000 I was given an all-day tour of the Ventura County prison system. My recollection of that tour was that law-enforcement was anticipating a huge increase in the number of people that would need to be incarcerated and they were expanding facilities accordingly.
I could not help but wish that some of those millions could be channeled into low-income housing, education and crime-prevention projects.
In truth, crime, violence and vandalism are public health issues. The deadliest form of violence is poverty. You’ve heard the expression, “Criminals are made, not born?”
My core philosophy when faced with a problem is this: The solutions to any problem lie in understanding the interconnectedness of problems, not in confronting them in isolation.
Crime, violence and vandalism does not occur in a vacuum. The Nan Tolbert Nurturing Center, the Ojai Youth Foundation, Ojai jobs, and other family, youth and service oriented organizations all play a critical role in local crime prevention.
Some years ago I had the honor of meeting James Gilligan, MD, who directed the Center for the Study of Violence at Harvard Medical School. I highly recommend his book “Violence: Reflections on a National Epidemic.” This book draws on his firsthand experience as a prison psychiatrist and reveals the history and motives of people who commit horrifying crimes. It shows that the criminal justice system itself plays a key role in creating people who commit ever more violent crimes.
The conventional solutions to crime and violence –from longer prison sentences to the death penalty– have failed us.
I understand that you may have immediate concerns about crime and vandalism in your neighborhood and that you are asking what I specifically plan to do about improving police protection, and other steps to make our community safer.
An informed response to your question requires research as to what is currently being done, and what more can be done. I’m on it!!
Suza, we direly need you on council in our little burg. Your answer to anon #1 is right on. We need thinking people on council, so that we can adopt policies that will make us the model community we are meant to be.
“Crime and vandalism” in Ojai? Anon #1 lives in a bubble. We have an unnecessarily heavy, oppressive police presence, which is what is most responsible for the increase in “petty crime.” Too many police with too little to do. Misguided policies from the current council such as the “social host” ordinance, public art ban and ban on alcohol in parks, also have played their part. We need community policing, run by our own police department. We could save a ton of money (because we in fact do not need to have the heavy level of police presence we have now). Add a couple of people-friendly policies, like repealing the current council’s ban on having a beer or glass of wine with your family picnic in our parks (which, as in other towns that adopt these policies, spurs the abandonment of our parks by a stable family and resident presence in favor of those with nowhere to go), issuing warnings instead of tickets for every minor petty supposed infraction, and creating a public art space rather than the current council’s view that an uncontrolled, unvetted mural is anathema, and we likely would eliminate petty crime. (Remember, a locally-based police officer using community policing techniques will know todays “taggers” by name. Instead of ineffectively cruising in a patrol car while the kids play a game of cat and mouse, our own community policing officer would be able to bring the kids down to the public art space, get them some recognition for their talents, and help these kids find a better outlet.)
As far as serious crime, the fact is, we have very little real crime. Ojai is not an unsafe community. Anyone (with the possible exception of some out of town gang members up to no good) can walk around town, at any time of day or night, without fear of assault. Not to advertise, but it is pretty obvious that the majority of people feel no need to lock their car, bike, or house. Meanwhile, the real crime that we do have is not even pursued much less prevented by our current police. So anyone who is talking about more of the same if just talking about more failure on that front.
However, if we want to have more and more real crime, let’s continue the current misguided policies at City Hall, and continue to push out the working families who have in the past made this town great, who used to live and work downtown and know the kids and their parents by name. Let’s continue policies with downtown businesses that make it nearly impossible to make a living by owning and operating your own business. Let’s continue to support out of town landlords over our working residents, let’s continue to gut existing affordable housing in favor of high end condoes. The result will be an apartheid town, of the idle wealthy and weekenders on the one hand, and a permanent underclass of low paid service workers, spurred to crime for lack of other options or examples.
Anyway. Agree or disagree with any of the foregoing, it would be nice to have a thinking member of council, rather than the knee jerk reactionaries we have now.
Thank you, Anonymous #4, for your response. Am saving these comments for future reference and further discussion.
The issue of local vs county police is a huge topic in itself. It has come up many times over the years. I have to run and teach but look forward to responding more later…
Dear Suza,
I share your world view and your vision for Ojai, and I endorse your candidacy for City Council, for Mayor of Ojai — and for the Vice Presidency of the United States of America. Sadly, I live just outside of the city limits and cannot vote for you in this election, but I am at your service (and would make a great White House Aide).
With respect and love for who you are and what you stand for,
Peggy LaCerra
I am impressed by your impressive vision. I don’t live in Ojai but as Ojai goes so goes the Valley. It would be wonderful to have you on council.
Thanks, Peggy, for your donation and faith in me.
Yes, you would make a great White House Aid!
And thank you also Dennis for your words of encouragement.
It would be an honor to have your endorsement.
Do you think you could move into the City limit till November 4th?
Suza,
Your form doen not work. I try to fill it out but nothing happens.
Good morning granny g,
You are right, it is not a “live” form. I need to ask Tyler how to fix that.
I was hoping people would copy and print the form.
Thank you for letting me know!