The Ojai Post

Thank you, Tyler and Chris,

I look forward to watching the video on a friend's computer...
my little laptop only lets me watch a few seconds at a time...

As one who witnessed all four of the forums for city council candidates, I'd like to offer some general observations and suggestions for future reference.

The four forums were remarkably similar to one another in structure and format. In each case, the five candidates were seated side by side at a long table, looking out at an audience of one or two hundred people.

In each case, questions were read aloud by a moderator, and answered one by one in turn by the candidates. In each case, answers were timed and limited to one minute, ninety seconds, or two minutes.

A couple of the forums offered brief (30 second) opportunities for replies to other candidates, but very little actual dialogue resulted from this.

Next time around, let's try something else:

1. Candidates seated in a semi-circle so they can see one another as well as the audience.

2. Two or three general questions designed for exploration and dialogue, rather than a dozen questions necessarily limited to a series of short answers.

3. Opportunity for the candidates to discuss and exchange with one another, in a give-and-take process that requires spontaneity rather than rote responses to pre-digested questions. This would require an actual moderator, rather than just a reader of questions -- someone who regulates the discussion somewhat and makes sure that nobody dominates and everyone gets a roughly equal time to speak.

The OVNews picture from the Green Coalition debate showing the look on Horgan's face tells a thousand words.Clapp and Francina come baring truth and light to city council proceedings, and Sue has more than a little cause to be alarmed for the end of her tenure as most shadey self seated mayor.

After listening to the video, I'd like to offer a couple of corrections to the random notes I posted here right after the event.

First and foremost, Suza did come out pretty strong against any use of RoundUp by the city. She stated it should be the goal of the city to be entirely pesticide free.

Regarding Lenehan's opening remarks: He states when he first heard the OVGC was sponsoring a forum, he thought, "That must be the Ojai Valley Gun Club -- I can do that." When his son explained it was the Green Coalition, he asked his son, "Who are those people?" And it was his son who said they are the ones wearing tie-dyed T-shirts and smoking pot and with Kucinich bumper stickers.

Yes, this is actually the way he introduced himself -- check it out.

I think I'll suggest to Tyler that he link the previous Post about the Green Forum to this new Post of the video. For anyone who missed it, here is the link:

http://www.ojaipost.com/2008/10/city_council_candidate_forum_t.shtml

Suza, Are you sitting on a milk crate?!

Yes!
I wished I'd had a booster seat.

I have a couple of questions for Suza, I'm not sure if this is a good place to ask but here goes anyway.

1) How will you balance protection of trees, and the rights of people who own trees, against the need for access to solar energy by other people (in the shade of their trees)?

2) If you oppose the use of "round up", how do you propose to control invasive weeds?

just put the idea of poison out of your mind, BC, and then you will find yourself coming up with all sorts of ways to get rid of weeds.......

but as long as you are relying on poison, you will be too lazy to think of other solutions.....

like what?

BC --

you see? you haven't done it yet.

get rid of the thought of poison, and you won't have to ask, like what?

and BTW, nobody in their right mind would cut down a tree in order to "access" solar energy!

Could you offer a solution to the weed removal problem, or do you not have one?

How will people use solar energy if the sun does not shine on their solar panels?

But would you cut or trim a tree if ordered by the courts?

Trees Block Solar Panels, and a Feud Ends in Court
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/07/science/earth/07redwood.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Solar energy trumps shade in California prosecution of tree owner
http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0318/p20s01-lihc.html

Treeandneighborlaw.com
http://www.treeandneighborlaw.com/main/CM/ClientAccess/ClientAccess71.asp

BC --

i gave you the weed solution.... you just don't like it, because it means you have to think, for a change.... good night!

(your comment about solar panels is too dumb to discuss -- put 'em where the trees aren't, Sherlock!!)

Thanks for the great links, Tyler...

For those who don't have time to read them, the first two links are about the same story.... a lawsuit in Santa Clara county between a homeowner with solar panels and his neighbor with redwood trees. The suit went to court and the guy with solar panels won a partial victory.... the neighbor had to trim one of his eight trees. The case got national attention, but even in this worse case scenario, no trees actually got cut down. Because of this case, however, California is revising its law so that existing trees will not be threatened by installation of solar panels by a neighbor.

(The third link casts a much broader net... not sure it's relevant to this situation.)

Hi Brian,
(I assume BC is Brian Cox)

You asked: "If you oppose the use of "round up", how do you propose to control invasive weeds?"

I take your question very seriously.

We did not receive the questions prior to the Green Forum and for me the most difficult question to answer off the top of my head was this:

"One of the more difficult environmental issues facing our valley is the spreading of Arundo grass throughout our watershed. The county has proposed eradicating the weed with the herbicide Roundup to keep this grass from destroying our native plants. Environmental health concerns have been raised from people concerned about putting herbicides into our water and air. Where do you stand on this issue?"

Even though I know that RoundUp has been linked to numerous environmental and human health problems, I do not feel knowledgeable enough about the arundo problem. But I can tell you what I've learned so far.

I know that Arundo is a major ecological problem as is it crowding out native plants. This non-native plant needs to be removed with the least toxic and most effective approach. While the use of chemical herbicides is not the best answer, it is the only known method that the County considers practical at this time.

A friend who has done more research on pesticides than I have, told me after the Green Forum that there is a company in Northern California that said it will release a non-toxic herbicide that can be used as a replacement for Roundup. He said we need to monitor the field test of this new product and pray that it is effective as they claim. (The field tests are being done in Northern Ca.)

I am very concerned for the people living in areas where pesticides are used, especially in Matilija Canyon. I've read their correspondence with the County, Letters to the Editor, articles on the Ojai Post, etc., about spraying on their property. The health concerns of people living in the area are serious --and need to be addressed.

These past two months I've been asked over one-hundred questions at Forums and interviews. I admit that I need to do alot more research to fully understand issues such as the Arundo removal program.

There are several interesting sites that come up if you Google
"Non toxic ways to remove arundo."

As "weed whacker" (Comment #9) pointed out, if we see clearly that pesticides are to be avoided if at all possible (a last-resort not a first-resort) we then take time to investigate non toxic solutions.

I should add that when you say "weeds" that is a very broad category! "Weeds" too have their purpose in nature.

Since the original question was not about weeds in general but specifically about Arundo, anyone not familiar with the scope of the problem might find this VC Star article, May 2007, worth reading:

County plans herbicide treatment on giant reeds along 208 acres of Matilija Creek, Ventura River Weed invasion

http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2007/may/20/weed-invasion/

I hope that begins to answer your question Brian. And I hope you vote for me November 4th!

(Related Ojai Post Article Here)
http://www.ojaipost.com/2008/10/city_council_candidate_forum_t.shtml

Hi Brian,

My response to your question in Comment #8 got held back by
the Ojai Post cyberspace editor, as I put in some links about
RoundUp and Arungo.

I'm sure Tyler will release it soon.

Typo correction: Arundo, (Arundo donax)