The Ojai Post

Cities across the Nation are reconsidering where to put their funding. The idea of fireworks is becoming a luxury when stacked up against citizens going hungry or people losing their jobs. http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-fireworks29-2009jun29,0,2351470.story

"The last food bank line I saw had more than 1,000 people in it," said Mayor Rosemarie Vasquez of Montebello Ca. "We figured that, instead of burning the money in the air, why not give it to people who need it." ~~ on why she's spending the $39,000 budget on food rather than fireworks.

Posted by DK Crawford at 02:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (44) | author bio

Death cuts you off with a very, very, very sharp razor from your attachments, from your gods, from your superstitions, from your desire for comfort . . . So how can I find out, actually, not theoretically, what it means to die? It means to be totally free, to be totally unattached to everything that man has put together, or what you have put together . . . totally free. . . While you are living, every moment you are dying, so that throughout life you are not attached to anything. That is what death means.
-- J. Krishnamurti, public talk, January 1, 1986, six weeks before his death

The Ojai Valley News web site has a spot that lists "RECENT DEATHS." There I read the names of my teachers and classmates from Matilija and Nordhoff... childhood dentists and doctors from long ago...my yoga students.... former mayors and city council members....Ojai activists....old friends and acquaintances... I am aware that someday my parent's name and then my own name....will appear under "RECENT DEATHS..."

Yesterday I got a shock when I suddenly saw the name of Ted Cartee, a man with deep roots in Ojai, a man only a few years older than me. I got on the phone and called one of his longtime friends. Today I read his obituary in the Ventura County Star. I am posting it here. I don't know what else to do. Life goes by in the twinkling of an eye. One brief moment in eternity he and I were carpooling to a meeting at the Government Center. We were laughing, speaking out, celebrating some small victory for Life On Planet Earth. Next moment we drop the body and fly free of this Earthly realm, with all it's joys and sorrows.

Yoga classes end with Savasana, Corpse Pose. Why do we do yoga? We do yoga to fully incarnate and consciously inhabit our bodies. And to prepare for death.

Continue reading "In Memory of Theodore "Ted" L. Cartee, Ojai Activist, Spiritual Seeker, Kindred Spirit" »

Posted by Suza Francina at 10:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | author bio

Press Release:

New Film Answers the Question “What Is a Watershed?”

(Ojai, Calif. - May 18, 2009) Stunning high–definition cinematography will be featured in the film premiere of Watershed Revolution on June 24 at Ojai’s Chaparral High School Auditorium.

The 30-minute documentary film, which is being shown by the Ojai Valley Green Coalition, profiles our Ventura River watershed and the community members and organizations working to protect and restore it. It highlights the unique challenges faced by a river that is this community’s main source of water. The film emphasizes the need for floodplain protection, sustainable agriculture, and community awareness of local water resources.

Continue reading "Watershed Revolution Documentary" »

Posted by Lisa Snider at 02:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | author bio

Sponsored by Heal the Community, a group of local parents and residents impacted by the April gang-related murder of Seth Scarminach, the forum will allow residents to discuss the issue of gangs in our valley with a panel of community leaders and experts.

i was there at the start, but my almost-two-year-old insisted that we leave early. The Matilija auditorium holds 300 people, and there were more folks crowding around every door and sitting outside. Notes were taken and will be available at a later date, and there will be an additional forum in late summer/early fall.

What did you see, hear, or say tonight? Who provided the best solutions? What were they?
And, as MC Brett Bradigan asked, what are YOU willing to do to help?

Posted by evan austin at 07:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (14) | author bio

I pulled this photo from changents.com. The garbage patch the size of Texas continues to grow and is off the coast of California, surrounds the Hawaiian islands and stops just off the coast of Japan. The above photo demonstrates that plastic has encroached our food supply.

Continue reading "Plastic Rainbow" »

Posted by Mike Didj at 03:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (5) | author bio

from the Ojai Valley Green Coalition...

WATERSHED REVOLUTION DOCUMENTARY
New Film Answers the Question “What Is a Watershed?”

Stunning high–definition cinematography will be featured in the film premiere of Watershed Revolution on June 24 at Ojai’s Chaparral High School Auditorium.

The 30-minute documentary film, which is being shown by the Ojai Valley Green Coalition, profiles our Ventura River watershed and the community members and organizations working to protect and restore it. It highlights the unique challenges faced by a river that is this community’s main source of water. The film emphasizes the need for floodplain protection, sustainable agriculture, and community awareness of local water resources.

Continue reading "Film premiere: Watershed Revolution" »

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 10:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | author bio

Confused about the May 19th Special Election?

Recommendations from the Ojai Valley Democrats:
___________________
1A - NO
1B - YES
1C - NO
1D - NO
1E - NO
1F - YES
___________________
As some of you are aware, there's an election coming up. May 19th you will be asked to vote on Propositions 1A, B, C, D, E & F. This is a special election called because the legislature needs your vote to change the Constitution of the State of California. This is a direct result of the budget the legislature passed in February to deal with a $42 billion deficit. Since the budget was fashioned back in January - February, the deficit has grown, some say higher than $50 billion, so this budget doesn't even actually solve the whole budget shortfall to date. The Ojai Valley Democrats met on Monday, April 27th and we discussed in depth and voted on our recommendations, the following is what we decided.

Continue reading "Are you ready to Vote?" »

Posted by Sean P. Keenan at 02:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | author bio

On May 27 at 7 p.m. in the Chaparral Auditorium located at 414 E. Ojai Ave., Ojai, Wayne Pendrey will be presenting a program called “The Passive Design Revolution” at the monthly community gathering of the Ojai Valley Green Coalition.

Download the PDF.

Wayne's letter to the editor after the jump...

Continue reading "OVGC: The Passive Design Revolution" »

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 02:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | author bio

From the Ojai Valley Green Coalition:

For the May event in its “Ecology and Community” series, the Ojai Valley Green Coalition will share smart, time-tested heating and cooling strategies of architectural design as the new way to control indoor temperatures. A presentation entitled “The Passive Design Revolution” will be given on May 27 from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. at the Chaparral High School Auditorium, 414 E. Ojai Avenue.

Continue reading "OVGC: The Passive Design Revolution" »

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 10:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | author bio

Posted by Sean P. Keenan at 10:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (13) | author bio

Yesterday, May 3rd, was the undefinable Pete Seeger's 90th birth day. i recorded my favorite Seeger tune for him this morning, and there's also a movement/petition to give Pete a Nobel Peace Prize.

Posted by evan austin at 10:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | author bio

featuring Ojaian Bernadette DiPietro...

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 07:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (12) | author bio

I didn’t get a chance to watch all of Obama’s press conference on Wednesday. Too busy wrestling with our well booster pump, visiting Dr. Thacher for our annual inspection, and soaking up the beautiful Ojai spring wonderland.

Our booster pump went south about ten days ago. For the uninformed, a booster pump forces water up the hill to storage tanks where it is eventually gravity fed back down to our house. Since water has yet to learn how to run uphill, once your storage tanks empty you’re done, fini, over, dry.

When I tell people that we get our water from a well, their first reaction is “Wow, lucky for you that you don’t have to pay those rates charged by Casitas Water.” Then, I recite the litany of costs associated with owning a well and they quickly move to a new subject. Booster pumps are the least of it.

Continue reading "Water, water, everywhere" »

Posted by Fred Rothenberg at 08:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | author bio

"style, naturally" is written by eco-supermodel Summer Rayne Oakes, who presented last month at a gathering up at Ojai Valley Inn & Spa. It is hand-autographed, and a perfect gift for someone who is interested in fashion and eco-trends.

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 06:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | author bio

This "swine flu" article by F. William Engdahl is one of the most interesting ones I've found so far and if I make a fool of myself posting this, so be it. I'm most curious to find out what Ojai Post readers think. The original source with photographs can be viewed here:
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=13408

Flying Pigs, Tamiflu and Factory Farms
If we are to believe what our trusted international media report, the world is on the brink of a global pandemic outbreak of a new deadly strain of flu, H1N1 as it has been labelled, or more popularly, Swine Flu. As the story goes, the outbreak of the deadly flu was first discovered in Mexico. According to press reports, after several days, headlines reported as many as perhaps 150 deaths in Mexico were believed caused by this virulent people-killing pig virus that has spread to humans and now is allegedly being further spread from human to human. Cases were being reported hourly from Canada to Spain and beyond. The only thing wrong with this story is that it is largely based on lies, hype and coverup of possible real causes of Mexican deaths.

Continue reading "Do Your Own Research: Flying Pigs, Tamiflu and Factory Farms" »

Posted by Suza Francina at 12:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (8) | author bio

The Ventura County Planning Agency has issued a Notice of an Environmental Impact Scoping Meeting for the Ozena Valley Ranch Mine to be held in the Chaparral High School Auditorium at 6:00 pm on Wednesday, May 6th.

Scoping Meetings are an important forum to establish the breadth of a EIR. This one time meeting provides Ojai an opportunity to comment on issues that must be addressed in the EIR, and to the extent that the County has not adequately identified those issues, to give the reasons why the issue must be addressed, and how it should be addressed.

If a "fair argument" is made that a significant impact may occur as a result of the Project, legally the County must analyze the issue regardless of what Ozena wants or the cost of such reports. Establishing a record on such matters is vitally important.

Issues to be discussed include but are not limited to the following impacts upon the totality of the haul route from Lockwood Valley to the 101: Air Quality; Toxic Wastes; Road Safety; Road Damage; Hours of Operation; Hours of Allowable Trucking through the Ojai Valley; Establishing a Restricted Zone that actually protects critical parts of the Ojai Valley, such as our schools, hospital, medical clinic, senior mobile home parks and condo complexes, the "Y" Shopping Center; and provide for Reasonable and Feasible Monitoring and Compliance, etc.

We need to have every single person who opposes gravel trucking through the Ojai Valley to attend and pack the room. This is one of our very few opportunities left to make our feelings about this project known directly to the Planning Agency. If we fail to act now as a community, it may be too late to act later! Please be there and bring all of your friends and family!

The current proposal for a modification of the existing permit would DOUBLE the amount of trucking through the Ojai Valley from Cuyama that we experienced in 2007 - 2008 and strip away almost every single protection we have fought for over the past two and a half years!

The Stop the Trucks! Coalition will also be sending around "Individual Petitions" for concerned Ojai residents to forward to the Planning Division. These petitions will list many of the specific issues that must be examined in the EIR and/or reviewed by the Planning Division in their consideration of these permit applications.

Continue reading "Stop The Trucks: CRITICAL MEETING TO BLOCK OZENA, WEDNESDAY, MAY 6TH AT 6:00 PM AT CHAPARRAL" »

Posted by Howard Smith at 07:42 PM | Permalink | author bio

Check out this article by Journalist David Kirby on the Huffington Post:
Swine Flu Outbreak -- Nature Biting Back at Industrial Animal Production?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-kirby/swine-flu-outbreak----nat_b_191408.html

Posted by Suza Francina at 02:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (7) | author bio

REMEMBERING ROUTE 33 THE WAY IT WAS WAY BACK IN 2001 BEFORE THE OZENA MINE BEGAN OPERATING

As we approach the May 6th EIR Scoping meeting at 6:00 pm at Chaparral, we thought it useful to reprint this article purchased some time ago from the LA Times that describes Route 33, Maricopa Highway, way back in 2001 before the gravel trucks came to town. Life was very different then, wasn't it...

Road Low on Traffic but High on Tales of Death, Mystery

Highways: California 33 is a lure to those seeking solitude--and others wanting to dump bodies.
By MATT SURMAN, Times Staff Writer

Sunday, February 4, 2001

Up in the back country of Ventura County, beyond the mountains on curving California 33, legend had it 100 years ago that this was Satan's stagecoach route to hell.

Only evil people could see Satan on his infernal rides. But good people could sense him in the ghostly whoosh of wind and the goose bumps left behind.

In many ways, the sense of mystery and danger and a touch of evil have only grown with the passing of a century.

This road--scratched from the coast across the mountains above Ojai to the Santa Barbara County line--can get downright spooky.

Step right off the highway and into the woods, and it's not unusual to find folks blasting away at trees, road signs or an abandoned trailer.

Go a little farther and you could stumble across an illegal field of marijuana--thousands of plants have been seized in the past year alone--and find yourself worrying whether the growers might be lurking nearby.

Even worse, it could be a body. This road over what was once the path to hell has become the favorite dumping ground for some of the county's most notorious modern-day killers.

Nichole Hendrix, a 17-year-old allegedly killed by skinhead associates, was one of the victims. Her remains were found in October 1999--nearly six months after her killing--far below a hill offering a pristine view of impenetrable pines.

The body of Kali Manley, an Oak View teenager killed when she took a ride with the wrong man, lay in a culvert beneath the highway for days as cars drove overhead, until her killer, David Alvarez, led authorities to the remains the day after Christmas 1998.

In a campground "back there" in 1994, Andy Lee Anderson and his Australian shepherd lost their lives because a teenager with a shotgun wanted Anderson's shiny blue pickup truck.

And they were only a few of the victims.

Continue reading "STOP THE TRUCKS: Maricopa Highway: Road Low on Traffic but High on Tales of Death, Mystery" »

Posted by Howard Smith at 07:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | author bio

April 22, 2009

Dear UCSB Students:

I have been Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs at UCSB for almost twenty years, and during that time I have found countless reasons to be proud of UCSB students. I have watched as students championed issues of social justice—militating for the rights of gays/lesbians/bi-sexual/transgender citizens, fighting for equal pay and equal rights for women, working to ensure that the full range of opportunities are available to all Americans. I have watched as you organized to protect academic preparation programs for underserved communities, and as you provided such programs yourselves. Time and again, you have backed up your protests and your talk with hard work and resources. You entered the political arena registering more students to vote than any other university in the nation. You have spoken out against sexual violence against women, and you have protested manifestations of hate in our community. You, as UCSB students, have routinely stood at the forefront of the hard issues, showing yourselves to be true scholars, leaders and citizens of the 21st Century.

It is from this perspective that I find the general student reaction around Floatopia to be so stunningly perplexing.

Continue reading "UCSB'S "Floatopia" Bad For Community And Planet" »

Posted by evan austin at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | author bio

Touch the soil today.

(photo: HoNbLeSs)

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 08:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | author bio

(from the OVGC) April the 22nd—which happens, appropriately enough, to be Earth Day—will be the date of this month’s gathering for the Ojai Valley Green Coalition’s Ecology and Community series. The presentation will again be held from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. at the Chaparral High School Auditorium at 414 E. Ojai Avenue, with a discretionary donation jar at the door.

The focus of the evening will be citizen advocacy, or how to work within an established system to create change. “Advocacy 101,” as the presentation is being called, will provide know-how for the active support of an idea or cause or the promotion of a change in governmental policy.

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 04:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | author bio

MOVIE NIGHT AT THE JESTER!

This month's film is Running Dry

Continue reading "Movie Night at the Jester Tonight" »

Posted by Sean P. Keenan at 10:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | author bio

Reader H. sends the following from Science Digest - "Cure For Honey Bee Colony Collapse?"...

For the first time, scientists have isolated the parasite Nosema ceranae (Microsporidia) from professional apiaries suffering from honey bee colony depopulation syndrome. They then went on to treat the infection with complete success.

And more from Ars Technica...

A new study published in the journal Environmental Microbiology Reports may clarify things, as a team of Spanish researchers report the cause of the colony collapse disorder, and also suggest a cure. The researchers isolated the parasitic fungi Nosema ceranae from a pair of Spanish apiaries, while finding none of the other proposed causes—Varroa destructor, IAPV, or pesticides. With the identification of the invading pathogen, the team treated other diseased colonies with fumagillin—an antibiotic—and observed a complete recovery of the colony.

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 11:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | author bio

It was the perfect night to have the ordinance Banning All Leaf Blowers within the City on the agenda. The winds were howling and the leaves were blowing wild and free. Surely the whole Ojai City Council would see that leaf blowers are among the least justifiable and most obnoxious technological inventions dreamed up by modern man.

Six weeks ago, at the March 4 City Council meeting, a recommendation was made by City staff to repeal the ordinance dealing with gas-powered leaf blowers in residential neighborhoods. At that meeting (as well as other meetings in recent years) numerous members of the public spoke up in favor of a city-wide ban on all leaf blowers, gas and electric.

At last night's meeting this was item #9 on the agenda and the hour was late. This time only Marleen Luckman and I spoke up in support of Option A: "No person shall operate a leaf blower, whether fuel or electrically powered, within the City."

Marleen Luckman, an environmental health expert and member of the Ojai Valley Green Coalition, reiterated the many health issues that she and other speakers had addressed in past meetings.

When it was my turn to speak at the podium I expressed that there should be no question that at the very least a City as classy as Ojai should adopt Option B: "No person shall operate a gas or fuel powered leaf blower within the City." This would strengthen the current ordinance, described above.

Continue reading "Update on the Ordinance Banning All Leaf Blowers in Ojai" »

Posted by Suza Francina at 11:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (11) | author bio

OK, new Gypsy Moth Spraying Resource Page has been started to track the conversation around the issue. It's chronological, so if you're new to this issue, start from the bottom up.

It's also listed in the upper-right under Resource Pages.

(photo credit: University of Wisconsin Urban Horticulture website

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 11:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | author bio

The 2009 Season for Nonviolence began on January 30. This 65-day period between the memorial dates of Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. (April 4th) and is used globally as a time for personal and community reflection on the healing and transforming power of nonviolence and the contributions towards Peace made by these two great leaders.

Apr 04: Peace Free-For-All! Know it, Love it, Live it!

Continue reading "[UPDATED DAILY!] Reflections on Peace" »

Posted by evan austin at 08:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (39) | author bio

Jeff Kuyper, Executive Director of Los Padres ForestWatch, joined me on Radio Ojai recently to talk about the Ojai Wild! Annual Benefit on Saturday, April 4. He also talked about his organization and how it keeps our wild lands wild.

Tickets for Ojai Wild! are $75 for adults, $20 for children under 14 years of age, and a table for 8-10 people may be reserved for $600. Tickets are available by calling the Los Padres ForestWatch office at 805-617-4610.

Listen to the interview here.

Learn more about the event after the jump.

Continue reading "Ojai Wild!" »

Posted by Lisa Snider at 12:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (13) | author bio

EARTH HOUR 2009 is tonight, 8:30pm local time. From EarthHour.org:

This year, Earth Hour has been transformed into the world’s first global election, between Earth and global warming.

For the first time in history, people of all ages, nationalities, race and background have the opportunity to use their light switch as their vote – Switching off your lights is a vote for Earth, or leaving them on is a vote for global warming. WWF are urging the world to VOTE EARTH and reach the target of 1 billion votes, which will be presented to world leaders at the Global Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen 2009.

This meeting will determine official government policies to take action against global warming, which will replace the Kyoto Protocol. It is the chance for the people of the world to make their voice heard.

Posted by evan austin at 09:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (8) | author bio

Mark your calendars for summer solstice - Saturday, June 20th, when the 2009 installment of the Locally Grown benefit concert for Food for Thought Ojai returns to Libbey Bowl.

PR: Locally Grown Benefit Concert Returns to Libbey Bowl

“This year’s Locally Grown benefit concert will celebrate the diversity of our community, as well as continue our focus on environmental stewardship” announced Food For Thought president, Marty Fujita, today. “It also takes place on Saturday, June 20th at summer solstice, which is significant to us, since a big part of Food For Thought’s mission is to reconnect people to the natural cycles of the earth by eating seasonal, locally grown produce.” The event will feature an eclectic mix of musical styles including American roots rock, Mexican-American rhythms, Reggae and Afro-Cuban beats.

Continue reading "Locally Grown Benefit Concert 2009" »

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 01:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | author bio

Having heard that it was part of President Obama's stimulus plan, I volunteered to look into weatherization programs for our community on behalf of the Ojai Valley Green Coalition.

A brief overview from the Department of Energy:

The Weatherization Assistance Program enables low-income families to permanently reduce their energy bills by making their homes more energy efficient. During the last 32 years, the U.S. Department of Energy 's (DOE) Weatherization Assistance Program has provided weatherization services to more than 6.2 million low-income families.

By reducing the energy bills of low-income families instead of offering aid, weatherization reduces dependency and liberates these funds for spending on more pressing family issues. On average, weatherization reduces heating bills by 32% and overall energy bills by about $350 per year at current prices. This spending, in turn, spurs low-income communities toward job growth and economic development.

Continue reading "Weatherization in Ventura County" »

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 01:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | author bio

from MAC member Jerry Kaplan...save the date if you're interested.

I have just been officially informed by representatives of FEMA and Ventura County that they are planning a joint Community-Wide meeting in Ojai the evening of April 7, 2009... Supervisor Steve Bennett made a preliminary announcement of this meeting at the MAC (Municipal Advisory Council) meeting on March 16th.

Continue reading "FEMA / Flood Plain Re-Mapping Meeting" »

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 04:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | author bio

The following is a white-paper from 52-year Ojai Valley resident and member of the Ojai Conservation District board Jim Ruch. Jim prepared two papers regarding water constraints, one for the City of Ojai and one for the Unincorporated Areas. I'll print out the City of Ojai version below to start the conversation.

Download them here:
City of Ojai
Unincorporated Areas

Faced with a deadline to complete a growth-accelerating housing element for its general plan, the City of Ojai must determine whether the limited availability of water constitutes a resource constraint requiring a housing management policy that provides for significantly less new development than arbitrarily mandated by the State.

Continue reading "Jim Ruch: How will limited water constrain Ojai growth?" »

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 07:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (6) | author bio

I'll preface this to say that I think having a lawn is completely wasteful, in terms of upkeep and water consumption, and that native plant gardens and/or food forests are a wiser choice for land management. Given that, for those die hards who have lawns Ventura County is offering a trade in program to encourage you to change from your gas powered mower to an electric one.

Sponsored by the Ventura County Air Pollution Control District
Trade in any gas-powered lawn mower and get a huge discount on any electric mower at Lowe’s in Ventura or Simi Valley.

Turn in your mower to either Oxnard Metal (805) 483-0512 or Standard Industries in Ventura (805) 643-6669. Make sure you get a receipt for your old mower. Mowers must be drained of any oil or gasoline. Fluids should be recycled at your local Household Hazardous Waste program. More information on Household Hazardous Waste Collection Programs is available at http://www.wasteless.org/5_5HHWCollect.html.

Ventura County Air Pollution Control District staff will issue you a voucher worth $129 off the price of a standard corded electric mower or $200 off the price of a cordless electric mower. Customer pays sales tax. Vouchers limited to one per household.

Posted by Raymond Powers at 05:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (5) | author bio

Michael Shapiro, Chair of Stop the Trucks, sent the following letter regarding Weigh Tickets as a response to an email (below) from Chris Stephens, Director of Resource Managment for the County of Ventura.

Hello Chris -

I've finally read your email regarding how the Coalition might obtain a full year's worth of weigh tickets from the Ozena Ranch Mine facility. Obviously - the "evidence" you've collected is entirely insufficient.

I've turned your email over to our attorney -- for I do not have the legal skills to know how to go from here. Naturally - I view your email not only with great disappointment - but I also see it as one more example of how the Planning Division does not wish to let genuine evidence come to light by conveniently hiding behind a rather poorly collected and insufficient randsom sample of Ozena weight tickets. I'm not that naieve, Chris, to believe that if you and your other colleagues really wished to collect a full year's data that you would certainly be able to do so. The fact that you aren't willing to do that speaks volumes: You fear the TRUTH and simply can't handle the TRUTH.

We'll have to seek another legal remedy to get to the bottom of this. How unfortunate.

Sincerely,

Michael Shapiro
Chair - Stop The Trucks! Coalition

Continue reading "Stop The Trucks: The First Casualty of War is the Truth" »

Posted by Howard Smith at 05:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | author bio

Tonight's City Council meeting was a great one...government in action, with a full room of energetic Citizens. We heard proclamations to the group behind our local Arbor Week activities and to the 2010 Census, some salient public comments dealing mostly with small business signage (specifically, being able to have a small display or sandwich board out to advertise specials or sales), and a quickly approved Consent Calendar totaling $429,714.62 and approving the minutes of six meetings. Discussion Items 2 and 3 dealt with the City's use of pesticides and the proposed purchase of a City-wide phone system, respectively. Public Works Director Mike Culver gave what i thought were brilliantly coherent and detailed reports on both these topics and the research and planning that he and his staff had put together at the Council's direction (short version: the City uses some pretty low-impact herbicides a few months a year and will be putting together a comprehensive Integrated Pest Management program with direction from a task group to include diverse Citizenry and mindful via public comment of instances in which killing "weeds" might be completely unnecessary. Councilwoman Betsy Clapp playfully urges the use of goats for weed control. The current phone system is physically broken and antiquated and splits the City into three departments...the new one funnels all calls through City Hall and connects the public with the department they're after with an extension after that, makes interdepartmental communication easier, and will pay for itself - $40,623 - after 14 months, saving us $5,000 per year after that on our phone bills.)

Then we got to the main reason i was there: the proposed repeal of the City's ordinance regarding leaf blowers.

Continue reading "Total Leaf Blower Ban Proposed!" »

Posted by evan austin at 12:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (37) | author bio

For the life of me, I don't see how our city manager's recommendation to direct staff to prepare an ordinance repealing Section 5-11.05(e) of the Municipal Code, dealing with leaf blowers, fits in with the Roadmap to a Sustainable Ojai (posted on the City's web site) and our stated goal of making Ojai a model green community.

If you Google questions like "what Cities ban leaf blowers?" or "do leaf blowers make workers hard of hearing?" etc., hundreds of web sites pop up. This morning I e-mailed a copy of the most comprehensive document I've found so far, copied below, to our city manager, council members and interested members of the public.

FACTS

Click on Links Below for Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Leaf Blowers:

Leaf Blower Noise and Its Consequences
http://www.nonoise.org/quietnet/cqs/leafblow.htm#conseq

Air Pollution From Leaf Blowers
http://www.nonoise.org/quietnet/cqs/leafblow.htm#air

Leaf Blowers and Health: Letter to California Air Resources Board
http://www.nonoise.org/quietnet/cqs/leafblow.htm#carblett

Continue reading "Are Leaf Blowers On the Roadmap to a Sustainable Ojai?" »

Posted by Suza Francina at 08:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (7) | author bio

Sunday, March 8th

There will be a Non-Violent training for our protest rally this Sunday, March 8th, 3pm - 6pm at Golden Oaks Mobile Home Park Clubhouse, 1273 S Rice Rd in Meiners Oaks. Please park on the street and walk in. There is no parking inside the Mobile Home Park. Please carpool, if possible.

Please bring an organic dish for a potluck following the training...
For more information, please call 805.794.1856 or e-mail pesticidefreeojaivalley@gmail.com

Peaceful protest against the spraying, March 9th

The California Department of Food and Agriculture will begin the spraying of Dipel, a Btk formulation, March 9 in Meiners Oaks, in an attempt to eradicate the gypsy moths in the area. Many residents are very concerned about the possible negative environmental and health impacts. Pesticide Free Ojai Valley is planning a peaceful protest against the spraying on Monday March 9th.
Please meet at the intersection of El Roblar and Hwy 33 at 7:30 a.m.
People are encouraged to bring signs.
For more information please call 805.639.3764 or email pesticidefreeojaivalley@gmail.com

Posted by evan austin at 08:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (18) | author bio

Ojai Valley Land Conservancy events upcoming...

Friday March 13, 7pm - presentation by Stevie Adams at the OVLC office
Saturday March 14, 8:30am - river walk at the river bottom with Lanny Kaufer
Saturday March 14, 1pm - watershed driving tour from Matilija Dam to Foster Park

Great stuff from the OVLC. Reservations required. Flyer after the jump.

Continue reading "Wild About Ojai 2009" »

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 04:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | author bio

I noticed a couple items of interest on the upcoming City Council agenda (scheduled for Tuesday at 7:30pm)

Report on City Use of Pesticides. RECOMMENDATION: Direct staff to develop an Integrated Pest Management program for the City

Ordinance Regarding Leaf Blowers. RECOMMENDATION: Direct staff to prepare an ordinance repealing Section 5-11.05(e) of the Municipal Code, dealing with leaf blowers.

Follow the links to RECOMMENDATION above for the staff reports; both are important issues for the environment of Ojai, and citizens should be aware of the discussion.

Also, I think we need to revisit the topic of the Housing Element, another environmental issue for our Valley. Nearly four cities in ten and a quarter of counties are out of compliance with the law, so maybe it isn't even important. The Housing Element is intricately tied to affordable housing, not just growth, and so that aspect is important. The Public Policy Institute has an interesting report on the issue of noncompliance. Where are we on this process? Do you know? What are your thoughts?

Posted by Kenley Neufeld at 09:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (28) | author bio

On yesterday's radio news show Here and Now, economist Roger Lowenstein warned that Medicare is on track to fail in 2016. By sheer coincidence, 2016 is also the year that the Arctic will be ice-free in the summer, according to the climate pessimists.

But there's a difference between these two crises. Fixing Medicare, although not easy, is within the bounds of possibility. To rework the climate to keep the Arctic frozen, on the other hand, is beyond our powers, at least for the next couple of decades.

This crucial difference is the subject of an op-ed I wrote for this past Sunday's Ventura County Star. For a linked version, please see my site at A Change in the Wind. Or simply read more....

Continue reading "Climate: It's Not Just a Metaphor" »

Posted by Kit Stolz at 09:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | author bio

i'm very excited to announce the NEW Ojai Peace Coalition Action Blog at

www.ojaipeace.org

Posted by evan austin at 06:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | author bio

   Earth Hour 2009 by WWF - Sign up for Earth Hour!

VOTE EARTH! YOUR LIGHT SWITCH IS YOUR VOTE.

This year, Earth Hour has been transformed into the world’s first global election, between Earth and global warming.

For the first time in history, people of all ages, nationalities, race and background have the opportunity to use their light switch as their vote – Switching off your lights is a vote for Earth, or leaving them on is a vote for global warming. WWF are urging the world to VOTE EARTH and reach the target of 1 billion votes, which will be presented to world leaders at the Global Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen 2009.

This meeting will determine official government policies to take action against global warming, which will replace the Kyoto Protocol. It is the chance for the people of the world to make their voice heard.

Read more at earthhour.org.

Posted by evan austin at 02:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | author bio

The Ojai Post, February 27, 2006, entry #1:

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

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 12:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (14) | author bio

Whoops sorry for the late notice... hope you can head on down.

Chaparral Auditorium, 7pm-8:30pm tonite.

OJai Valley Green Coalition - Energy Action Committee presents:
SOLAR NIGHT
comprehensive slide show about the solar electric industry, followed by a panel discussion and Q&A with solar specialists from the Energy Committee. Attendees will learn about utility rates, solar power, costs and financing and how to determine if you're a good candidate for solar power.

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 06:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | author bio

from the fine folk at the Ojai Valley Green Coalition:

A comprehensive educational slideshow and general overview of the solar electric industry will be presented by the Ojai Valley Green Coalition’s Energy Committee on Feb 25, 7 pm at the Chaparral High School Auditorium, 414 E. Ojai Ave

Continue reading "Green Coalition: Solar Night Slideshow" »

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 12:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | author bio

The Ojai Valley Green Coaliton is bringing Gretchen Lewotsky (a.k.a. the Climate Jedi) to Ojai next week to present an updated version of Al Gore’s Academy Award-winning documentary, “An Inconvenient Truth.” Trained by Al Gore himself, Gretchen talked with me today on Radio Ojai about the latest information on climate change and why you can't miss this event. The event takes place Wednesday, January 28, 2009, at 7:00 PM at Matilija Junior High School Auditorium, located at 703 El Paseo Rd in Ojai. A donation of $5.00 at the door is suggested. Click here for more information. And click here to listen to the 10-minute interview.

Posted by Lisa Snider at 04:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | author bio

Ojai Silent Candlelight Vigil for Peace in Gaza/Israel
Thursday January 15, 2009  4:30-5:30 pm
At the "Y" in Ojai (corner of Vons shopping center Hwy 33 and Hwy 150)

Join us as we mourn the loss of lives in this conflict and as we take a public stand for an immediate ceasefire and end to the blockade on Gaza. We ask participants to respect the silence of this vigil and to not bring signs or banners (we will have one large one identifying our intent). Bring a candle, your prayers, and your spirits of hope.

Contact for more info: Email Tanya Cole or call 805-640-3650

Sponsoring Organizations: Integrity Now, Ojai Peace Coalition, Ojai Code Pink

Posted by evan austin at 11:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (56) | author bio

Tired of having your windshield smashed by loose rock flying off a double hopper gravel truck?

The Conditional Use Permit for the Ozena mine requires that all gravel trucks be covered but no one that we've spoken to in the Ojai Valley has ever remembered seeing a covered gravel truck... Ever!

Continue reading "Stop the Trucks: Naked & Topless No More?" »

Posted by Howard Smith at 06:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | author bio

We were treated to not one, but TWO gas-powered leaf blowers this morning! Not only did they wake up Noa, but the timestamp clearly indicates a violation of our City's Municipal Code, which states in part that

"Leaf blowers may be operated from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. everyday, except legal holidays. While electric leaf blowers are allowed in all zones, gas-powered blowers will only be allowed in non-residential zones after December 31, 1998. Other special provisions governing gas blowers include: (1) they may not be operated within 150 feet of residences, motels, schools, and hospitals; and (2) they must be operated with their factory mufflers in good working order."

While the grounds maintenance folks usually do come after 8 a.m., i count THREE violations this morning (not counting Planet-Killing and Baby-Waking). i live in apartments governed by the Area Housing Authority of the County of Ventura. What's my next move?

Posted by evan austin at 08:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (27) | author bio

I'm so happy to hear about this. I've been saying for years that this is a viable way to harness people power and curious why no one had taken the simple dynamo design and applied it.

BBC
A US gym has installed specially-adapted exercise bikes that recycle energy generated by people as they work out. The Green Microgym in Portland, Oregon, aims to be a carbon neutral exercise facility through the use of solar power and human-generated energy from clients as they pedal and run.

Continue reading "Can This Be Part of the Green Revolution for Ojai?" »

Posted by Raymond Powers at 03:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (7) | author bio

New Year's Resolution: responsibly get rid of a bunch of crap on January 10th...

Saturday, Jan. 10 - legally dispose of electronic equipment and small appliances Saturday, January 10, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., in the parking lot of Ojai Community Bank, 402 W. Ojai Ave. Electronic devices, including computers, monitors, and accessories, TVs, radios, stereos, as well as small appliances such as toasters and microwaves will be accepted. It is illegal to throw such equipment into the trash or even the recycling bin. The Ojai Valley Green Coalition will also be accepting CDs, DVDs, iPods, cell phones, ink and toner cartridges, incandescent holiday lights, and household batteries weighing up to five pounds. For more information call (805) 653-8445.

Download E-Waste Event Flyer (PDF)

Continue reading "E-Waste Recycling Day" »

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 05:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | author bio

The following message from long-time environmental advocate, Robert Redford, urges Americans to protest President Bush's plan to auction off Utah's Redrock wilderness to oil and gas speculators on December 19. It was sent to you by

http://www.nrdcactionfund.org

Dear Friend,

No one voted on Election Day to hand over Utah's Redrock wilderness to oil companies.

But the Bush Administration cynically chose that very day to advance an outrageous plan that will sell off leases for some 300,000 acres of spectacular Utah canyonlands to oil and gas speculators.

Continue reading "Is this true? Did anyone else hear about this?" »

Posted by Raymond Powers at 01:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | author bio

In a case titled "Elizabeth Ann Vergilio Vs. County of Ventura," the owners of the Ozena gravel mine challenged the County's right to impose hours of operation and transit through the Ojai Valley.

Judge Reiser ruled against Virgilio and Ozena. Even though Stop the Trucks was not a direct participant in this case, it is a huge victory for the Coalition. Much of the County's brief was based on our research and complaints.

The "Stop the Trucks" Coalition has not only been supporting the County's contention that the rules must hold, we've also insisted that the County also actually enforce those rules.

Continue reading "Stop the Trucks: Ozena Loses Court Case on Trucking Hours" »

Posted by Howard Smith at 08:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | author bio

Brazilian Indians 'win land case'
BBC

Indigenous people say the case could set a precedent to protect their lands. Indigenous leaders in Brazil say they have won an important victory for the rights of their community, at a key hearing of the Supreme Court. Eight of the court's 11 judges voted to keep a reservation in the Amazonian state of Roraima as a single territory.

However the case is not expected to be formally concluded until next year as one judge asked for more time to consider his ruling. The judgement will lead to the eviction of non-indigenous farmers. There are more than 100 similar cases before the Supreme Court but it is thought this ruling will establish an important legal precedent, which touches on a number of sensitive issues.

Continue reading "Brazilian Indians 'win land case'" »

Posted by Raymond Powers at 09:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | author bio

Today is the last day of Chalica, a seven-day celebration of the principles that underlie the Unitarian Universalist movement, beginning on the first Monday in December. Like all holy-days, it was conceived by a person to meet a need; in this case is was a woman named Daylene Marshall from British Columbia, who a few years ago decided that a winter holiday to honor the UU principles would be a community-building and unifying thing. Chalica continues to grow grassroots-style, with people discovering and creating it every year. The general practice is to light a chalice (or candle) in one's home each day in honor of one principle, and to give gifts or take actions that further it. Part of its beauty for me is that, just as one needn't be a Christian to celebrate Christmas, you don't have to identify as a Unitarian Universalist to appreciate and celebrate these ideals! The seven principles are:

1. The inherent worth and dignity of every person;
2. Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;
3. Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;
4. A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
5. The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;
6. The goal of world community with peace, liberty and justice for all;
7. Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

**Read on for an exclusive Radio Ojai interview and hilarious video!**

Continue reading "Happy Chalica!" »

Posted by evan austin at 08:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | author bio

If you talk to the National Weather Service, they will tell you (link) that we're in an "ENSO-neutral" condition, and for that reason they're unwilling to predict the upcoming rain season in our region.

But according to this typically excellent story from Rob Krier at the San Diego Union-Tribune, many forecasters who spoke at a winter forecasting seminar last weekend suspect that despite normal sea surface temperatures in the Pacific today, we will have a dry winter in our region. Krier explains:

The Climate Prediction Center explains their logic, or tries to, in their inimitably eye-glazing way:

Huh? They write that badly and still couldn't even reference the models?

This is why we need reporters. Krier writes that Klaus Wolter, a climate research at NOAA, predicted "a more bleak picture for Southern California. He believes that the atmosphere is dialing up a weak La Niña and that other forces will contribute to a drier-than-normal winter."

Meanwhile a little rain is expected this evening, and more tomorrow. The call is for "a slug of moisture" that will move "directly over L.A. and Ventura County." Sounds like good news...

Below see an infrared image of the incoming clouds and moisture from the NWS:

From A Change in the Wind

Continue reading "Experts Agree on Rain Forecast: It'll Be Dry. Or Not. " »

Posted by Kit Stolz at 01:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | author bio

The following article is by my friends Gordon Davidson and Corinne McLaughlin, who frequently visit Ojai and teach at Meditation Mount.

There has always been a higher, spiritual hand active in the life of the United States, beginning with its founding in 1776 by one of the greatest gatherings of political geniuses ever seen on the planet. And throughout its 212 year life, at each moment of agonizing need, the United States has seen an inspired leader emerge to meet the crises of the times with vision, strength and the gifts required. Abraham Lincoln saved the Union and ended slavery, Franklin D. Roosevelt acted boldly to help end the Great Depression and defeat the Axis Powers. And now, in this moment of historical crisis, another great leader, uniquely qualified to meet the needs of our nation and the world, has come forth, overlighted by Spirit, as an expression of the soul of the American people.

Continue reading "The Spiritual Dimensions of Obama's Leadership" »

Posted by Suza Francina at 07:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (22) | author bio

I read recently (but couldn’t track down the source) the following statistic:

48 percent of those polled mistakenly believed that buying “green” products was actively good for the planet. In contrast, only 22% understood that “green” products are simply less harmful.

Continue reading "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" »

Posted by Heather McKenzie at 09:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (5) | author bio

Here we are! The River of Life has brought us to this day. It's easy to be philosophical about the outcome of a small-town City Council Election, but I cannot imagine the state of mind of Barack Obama and John McCain as the clock is ticking down.

Yesterday I met with Carlon Strobel, our wonderful Ojai City Clerk, and she reminded me of what happens if there is a tie. Here in our small town, where only about 8,000 residents live within the City Limit, (approximately 4,800 registered voters), if a candidate loses by even a single vote, there is no provision for a recount. Therefore... if it's a tie.... the winner is determined by A TOSS OF THE COIN! (Or, they can pick straws. Either way, it's in the hands of fate.)

So in case there are any undecided voters, here are my
Endorsements from the Ojai Community and Beyond
FrancinaSuzaflyer.pdf

Continue reading "Ojai Elections: What Happens If There Is A Tie?" »

Posted by Suza Francina at 05:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (5) | author bio

from Dulanie Ellis, Chairperson of the OVGC Food & Agriculture Committee, via Suza:

Meiners Oaks is quarantined because of findings of Gypsy Moths. The findings are on Rice Road, the quarantine area extends as far east as Rancho Matilija and west to the Ojai Valley Country Club. THIS IS A SERIOUS THREAT. There are no natural predators for the Gypsy Moth and they can potentially destroy our oak forests. They have absolutely devastated the forests of Pennsylvania and other Eastern States.

RESTRICTIONS: Residents must not move any of the following from their property without first getting a free inspection and clearance from the Ventura County Agricultural Commissioner:

** Mobile homes, recreational vehicles, trailers, boats and associated equipment (they cling to tires & underneath vehicles)
** Outdoor household articles including furniture, garden tools and garden machinery. (This means we need to carefully inspect any tools we'd be using to work on other people's gardens!)
** Trees & shrubs with persistent woody stems, including green waste & garden pruning material. (How this affects buying plants from Mountain Meadow nursery, I'm not sure. But it will also have implications for using compost from the recycling yard).
** Timber and building material, including lumber, planks, poles, logs, firewood, fencing and building blocks.

To schedule a FREE inspection, contact the Ventura County Agricultural Commissioner's Office from 7:00am-4:00pm Monday to Friday 933-2926, or Saturdays at 665-7295.

Please broadcast this far and wide. The moths are in the cocoon stage now, when they hatch to larvae each one can eat up to a square foot of leaves a day. This quarantine is in effect for the next 2 years, in order to monitor several life cycles worth of Gypsy Moths. This means we need to be diligent about our living habits for quite some time.

Thanks for your help, and please welcome the inspectors who will be happy to inspect your property free of charge.

Downloads:
Gypsy Moth Info Sheet (.pdf, 213kb)
Gypsy Moth Q&A (.doc, 38kb)
Gypsy Moth Official Letter & Map (.doc, 1.2MB)

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 03:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | author bio

Here is a list of the questions that were asked of our intrepid City Council Candidates, in the video of the Ojai Valley Green Coalition Environmental Forum, posted below. This Green Forum was devoted entirely to environmental issues. The Candidates were not given the questions in advance. Pity the person that had to go first!

1. Please take one minute and introduce yourself. In your introduction, please tell us what type of support for environmental issues we can expect from you as an Ojai city council member.

2. What do you see as Ojai’s most pressing environmental concern? How would you work on this as a city council member?

Continue reading "Would You Be in Favor of a Ban on Plastic Bags?, and Other Questions at the Ojai Green Coalition Candidates Forum " »

Posted by Suza Francina at 01:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (35) | author bio

Following are parts 1-4, in its entirety, of the Ojai Valley Green Coalition Environmental Forum in which the five City Council candidates participated on Monday. Big thanks to Ojai Post author Christopher Foley, and his company Foleypod, for filming, editing and posting this video.

Continue reading "Green Coalition Candidates Forum" »

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 02:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (18) | author bio

From a VCSD press release:

The giant reed, commonly known as arundo, is being cleared with the use of heavy equipment. All required permits have been obtained by the property owners...

Since transient individuals were known to reside in the area, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department was asked to provide assistance in notifying trespassers of the impending action...

On November 3rd and 4th, sheriff’s deputies and social services personnel will again be on scene. November 3rd is the date designated for moving. Assistance will be provided to those who want help moving their property to storage containers for later retrieval. On November 4th, anyone still remaining on the private property will be evicted. This is absolutely necessary to ensure that no one is injured during the brush clearing process. The Department prefers to resolve this situation without making arrests and is hopeful that voluntary compliance will occur.

The goal of this operation is to keep the peace, ensure that the rights of all individuals are protected, and treat all persons humanely and with respect...

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 08:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | author bio

It seems like a hundred years since I bicycled over to City Hall to take out candidate papers for this year's Ojai City Council election, but it was only August 6th.

In order to qualify, I needed at least 25 signatures of registered voters living within the City of Ojai. That part only took a few hours. Then I discovered that the cost of a ballot statement has gone up from $350 in 1996 to $600. As a writer and yoga teacher of modest means, with many four-legged friends to feed, that almost stopped me in my tracks.

As the word got out, the universe delivered a sprinkle of checks and $20 bills. By the end of the week I was an official Ojai City Council Candidate. Since then there have been about ten interviews, four Candidate forums, and dozens of other campaign related activities. Today, for the first-time, there is no forum to prepare for, no questionnaire or other time-sensitive document to fill out. In case anyone is curious what all is involved in running for office, here are some of the highlights, and a list of the interview/forum questions, in chronological order.

Continue reading "101 Questions for Ojai City Council Candidates" »

Posted by Suza Francina at 08:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | author bio

Please come on down and check out the Green Coalition Candidates Environmental Forum this evening at Chaparral Auditorium, 7pm. Listen to all of the City Council Candidates on the major environmental issues and opportunities facing Ojai.

More here...

UPDATE 9:18pm: Thank you to our five City Council Candidates, all of the volunteers, including Chris Foley of Foleypod and Jim and Camilla Becket of Becket Films, and certainly all of the citizens who came out to support the environmental forum. Use this as a discussion thread for now. We will be posting and archiving video in its entirety in the next couple days.

UPDATE 08/29 - 8:42pm: Following the jump are notes on candidate responses from the Forum. Feel free to take a look, and we are still working on archiving the video, which we will post when ready.

Continue reading "City Council Candidate Forum Tonight" »

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 02:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (34) | author bio

(photo credit to Ray Smith, Daly Road Graphics)

1) Do you now or have you in the past personally supported "Stop the Trucks!"

The City Council has agreed to give financial support to the "Stop the Trucks" organization. There are some legal hurdles that need to be addressed, but I believe we need to find a way to make it happen.

Continue reading "Stop the Trucks: City Council Candidate, Betsy Clapp, Answers Our Election Year Questions" »

Posted by Howard Smith at 02:41 PM | Permalink | author bio

Monday, Oct. 27 - City Council Candidates’ Environmental Forum – The Ojai Valley Green Coalition and The Ojai Post will co-sponsor a candidates’ forum, where the subject matter of all questions will revolve around environmental issues pertinent to the Ojai Valley. The moderators will be Tim Baird, president of the Green Coalition and Tyler Suchman, founder of The Ojai Post. The questions were suggested by the Green Coalition’s 10 committees. The forum starts at 7 pm, at the Chaparral High School Auditorium, 414 E. Ojai Ave. For more information call 805-653-8445 and visit OjaiValleyGreenCoalition.org.

Download the PDF Flyer

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 11:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | author bio

Danger Apparently Still Being Ignored by Planning Division

(All pictures are courtesy of Maureen and Dan Smith, Wheeler Hot Springs)

In a August 21, 2006 letter regarding the Ozena Valley Ranch Mining project, the Board of the Ojai Valley Municipal Advisory Council warned Christopher Stephens, then the Director of Planning for the Ventura County Planning Division and now the head of the entire Resource Managment Agency for the County, that "SR-33 has suffered many landslides and slipped roadways in past years. The vibration created by the mine's trucks on SR-33 may be adding significantly to the problem of road slippage, slumps, and slides. No review of vibration as a potential impact on SR-33 has been included in the Draft MND and vibration from trucks may present a significant adverse impact on the environment."

In February of 2008 a portion of Route 33 collapsed into the river. Below are a dozen photographs of the damage done, indicating the collapse was far more significant than originally reported.

Continue reading "Stop the Trucks: County Planning Officials Failed to Heed Warnings About Potential Road Collapse " »

Posted by Howard Smith at 04:31 PM | Permalink | author bio

At last night's Ojai City Council forum/debate, someone in the audience asked the question, "Do you consider it appropriate for the city council to take a position on state issues, such as Proposition 2, or national issues, such as the war in Iraq, or international issues, such as global warming?"

In my one-minute response, I pointed out the fact that many California City Councils, individual City Council Members, Mayors and Former Mayors, Senators, Representatives, Assembly Members and other elected officials do in fact take a position on state and national issues.

For example, if you visit the YesOnProp 2 website you will see endorsements from over one hundred elected federal, state and local officials including US Senators Barbara
Boxer and Dianne Feinstein; State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell and

Continue reading "Does Ojai Care About Animals?" »

Posted by Suza Francina at 05:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (68) | author bio

FILM FESTIVAL DATES
November 6-7-8-9, 2008
PRESS CONTACT: Maureen McFadden
(805)966-0190/momcfadden@aol.com

Ojai’s Ninth Annual Film Fest
2008 SLATE OF FILMS ANNOUNCED ALONG WITH CELEBRITIES

Ninth Annual Ojai Film Festival spools out its programs November 6 – 9 with 57 independent films, lifetime achievement honor ceremonies, and a seminar to fill in the four-day event. Hosting sponsor and headquarters for the festival is the premiere AAA five-diamond award-winning resort, the Ojai Valley Inn & Spa.

Ojai has become a viable path for filmmakers and their work to get noticed. Hollywood producer, Peter Guber said of the Ojai FF at the podium of the Toronto Film Festival last year, “Ojai is the next Telluride!” That festivalis like Ojai, a four-day event focused on films one would not otherwise see in the mainstream but of a very high caliber. Artistic Director, Steve Grumette, who was one of the founders of the festival in 2000 said, “There are so many more films being made since the advent of digital technology, and in the past eight years, the festival has sent over a dozen films on to win the highest honors in the industry, including Academy Award nominations and Oscars.”

Continue reading "Ojai Film Festival Announces Slate of Films" »

Posted by Howard Smith at 06:29 PM | Permalink | author bio

"Stop the Trucks" has turned its attention from Diamond Rock to the Ozena Valley Ranch and Gravel mine.

At Tuesday night’s City Council meeting the council agreed to give financial support to the Stop the Trucks Coalition, after a victory for the citizens’ group in August...

“After this agreement has been worked out, keeping the Diamond Rock Mine’s trucks out of Ojai, it has been pretty clear to me that whatever this group did, they did it successfully,” said Mayor Sue Horgan.

For Nao Braverman's full story go to the Ojai Valley News Blog at:

http://ojaivalleynews.blogspot.com/2008/10/council-to-help-fund-stop-trucks-effort.html

Posted by Howard Smith at 05:59 PM | Permalink | author bio

This Tuesday, October 14th, at 7:30 pm the Ojai City Council will meet for its regular session. Part of the agenda will be devoted to discussions on how to co-ordinate efforts to deal with the Ozena Valley Ranch & Gravel Mine's proposed renewal and modification of their C.U.P. with the County of Ventura.

Given the well documented negative impact of these highly disruptive and polluting mining and trucking operations on agriculture, fishing, the economy, our water supply, our environment and the health of our children, the "Stop the Trucks" Coalition urges everyone in the Ojai Valley to attend and share your opinions with the City Council.

Posted by Howard Smith at 09:52 AM | Permalink | author bio

(Trucks passes through town on Ojai Ave & Montgomery, photo credit to Ray Smith, Daly Road Graphics)

In documents recently obtained by the Ojai "Stop the Trucks" through a Ventura County Public Records Request, the Coalition has learned that Ozena wants to alter their existing permit so that trucking through the Ojai Valley will begin as early as 3:00 am and continue as late as 6:00 pm during the week with "No Route Restrictions" at all on Saturdays!

This proposal would more than double trucking from a total of seven hours a day during the week to a new and even more intrusive and disturbing 15 hours a day!

In a recent review of weigh tickets from 2007, the "Stop the Trucks" Coalition estimated that Ozena is likely now violating existing permit hours in trips through Ojai by as much as 55%. In a letter to "Stop the Trucks," County CEO, Ms. Marty Robinson, agreed with the Coalition that violations have been under reported by the Planning Division.

In a further review of emails obtained through that same Records Request, we found that the agent for Ozena, John Hecht of West Coast Environmental & Engineering, rejected the consultant the County originally selected, URS, because: "...the proposed costs did not appear in line to the anticipated scope of work. Ozena believes that a competitive process will provide a qualified CEQA contractor in a more cost effective manner."

In a separate email Mr. Hecht then went on to propose the names of three other firms:

Continue reading "STOP THE TRUCKS: Ozena Wants to Expand Hours of Trucking Thru Ojai and Hand Pick the Consultant who will Review their new Proposal!" »

Posted by Howard Smith at 09:22 AM | Permalink | author bio

In a letter to the Ojai "Stop the Trucks" Coalition, Ventura County CEO, Ms. Marty Robinson, wrote: "After the CEO's office reviewed the July and August 2007 weigh tickets tickets communicated by the RMA" (Resource Management Agency) "a statistically significant sampling of the 649 original tickets was conducted by our office and it was determined that potential northbound violations were omitted from consideration by the Planning Division. If these potential northbound violations had been included , the number of violations would have been materially higher..."

"Stop the Trucks" had previously reported that upwards of 55% of all Ozena related trips through the Ojai Valley were likely in violation of these rules.

Continue reading "STOP THE TRUCKS: County CEO Finds Ozena Violations Greater Than Reported" »

Posted by Howard Smith at 08:18 AM | Permalink | author bio

There is a significant cost to farmers that go organic, from initial crop setup to decreased initial yields. The new farm bill provides for financial support to encourage the transition.

The new farm bill could help feed America's appetite for organic food by enticing more farmers to switch from conventional agriculture. The legislation, which passed this year, offers farmers as much as $20,000 a year to cover the cost of converting their farms to organic agriculture. There also is money to offset certification costs and new funding for organic research.

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 09:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | author bio

I have five pairs of tickets to give away FREE to Ojai's First Green Home and Building Tour on Saturday from 10am to 4pm. Email me with your full name and I'll confirm, and put your name +1 on a will call list. It's going to be a really cool event, where you can talk to the designers, contractors and "green building docents."

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 10:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | author bio

Continue reading "OJAI FILM FESTIVAL ARRIVES SOON!" »

Posted by Howard Smith at 04:31 PM | Permalink | author bio

SuzaforOjai.com

More Info About Suza at SmartVoter.org

I am pleased to announce that I have been endorsed by the National Women's Political Caucus
Ventura County

Note: Endorsements are valley-wide and beyond. You do not need to live in the City of Ojai to endorse an Ojai City Council Candidate. If you would like to endorse me, please send your name, address and phone number to info@suzaforojai.com . (To learn more about all the candidates, visit the Ojai City Council link at the upper right corner of the Ojai Post page.)

I welcome your questions, suggestions and ideas for making Ojai a model green and sustainable community.

Posted by Suza Francina at 10:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (17) | author bio

Continue reading "Green is Gold: The New CA Gold Rush" »

Posted by Howard Smith at 06:14 PM | Permalink | author bio

What an incredible effort on behalf of these volunteers to clean up our waterway... letter to the editor follows the photo, but here's a key quote:

...our band of enthusiastic volunteers picked up 212 pounds of trash and recyclables, plus at least 1,000 pounds of large items such as couches, tires, lawnmowers, and construction material. You read right, there are folks using an embankment off south Matilija Road as their personal landfill.

Continue reading "Waterway Cleanup" »

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 09:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | author bio

Posted by Howard Smith at 04:45 PM | Permalink | author bio

OVN has an article... an excerpt:

Relocating the removed sediment in the amount of 2 to 6 million cubic yards will be no mean feat. The people who attended the meeting apprehensively sat through the first half hour of slide show presentation reviewing the history of the dam and asked a few questions as the anxiety among them grew more vocal. Besides doubt that the levee, planned to be built south of Meyer Road near the Ventura River trailhead, would serve to protect their community from flooding, several people expressed concern that the levee would, instead, increase the dangers of flooding to their homes and properties by changing the contours of the river bed.

And this from a stellar supporting cast member... blah blah blah, me me me. Lovely.

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 12:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | author bio

I hope I can stop laughing long enough to post this piece by Garrison Keillor. What a pity he lives in Lake Wobegon and not in Ojai! If you need some comic relief, read on...

Continue reading "Comic Relief" »

Posted by Suza Francina at 04:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | author bio

In a story that has yet to be covered by the San Diego Union-Tribune, the San Francisco Chronicle, or even the Los Angeles Times, this week the Ventura County Star featured on the front page (see here) a story about a San Jose State researcher, Robert Bornstein, who has found substantial evidence that global warming in California over the last fifty-plus years has led to a cooling along the coast in the summer.

Bornstein revealed his study at the state-funded California Climate Change Research conference. The curious can find his slides at the portal (along with numerous other studies).

The study is called Cooling Summer Daytime Temperatures in Coastal California during l948-2005: Observations and Implications for Energy Demand.

Two aspects of the study are especially striking for Ventura County residents.

Continue reading "Global Warming Helps Cool California Coast, Study Finds" »

Posted by Kit Stolz at 07:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (6) | author bio

(Caltrans photo of the collapse of Maricopa Highway in Cuyama Valley)

Last week in a Ventura County Star article by Tony Biasotti, Ventura County officials conceded that there are significant problems in the Planning Division but the real questions is this: Are they Willing To Change?

http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2008/sep/04/officials-concede-land-use-problems/

According to Biasotti Ventura County officials hosted an unusual meeting in a conference room just off of the courthouse cafeteria.

"Everyone on our team has affirmed we have a problem here," Matt Carroll, the top deputy to County Executive Officer Marty Robinson, said at the opening of the meeting. "The facts speak for themselves."

"Complaints about the system from developers and property owners are nothing new..." " But this time, the county is listening and often agreeing..."

"Last year, the county commissioned a report on its land-use procedures by Tom Berg, a consultant who once held (Chris) Stephens' current position as Resource Management Agency director. Based on interviews with 75 people in and out of county government, Berg's report concluded that the land-use process was in need of "systemic changes."

"The county put together a committee of high-level managers, including Carroll and Stephens, to analyze Berg's recommendations and start putting them into action."

Continue reading "Stop the Trucks: Ventura County Officials Finally Admit there are Problems and MAC Candidate Jerry Kaplan Responds to our Election Year Questions" »

Posted by Howard Smith at 02:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | author bio

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.

Continue reading "Preserving the Spirit of Ojai " »

Posted by Suza Francina at 08:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (10) | author bio

Tonight Alaska Governor Sarah Palin will accept the Republican nomination for Vice President, a position that would put her second in line to be President of the United States. The Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund is asking for help letting people know where she stands on the brutal and needless aerial hunting of wolves and bears. So I am posting the video below in response to this request:
http://actionfund.defenders.org/palinvideo

Warning: This video is extremely disturbing. It contains graphic images of aerial hunting of wolves -- a brutal and needless practice that Governor Palin has fought hard to promote and expand. Despite strong scientific, ethical and public opposition to aerial hunting, Governor Palin has:Proposed paying a $150 bounty for the left foreleg of each dead wolf; Approved a $400,000 state-funded propaganda campaign to promote aerial hunting; Introduced legislation to make it even easier to use aircraft to hunt wolves and bears.

Posted by Suza Francina at 11:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (13) | author bio

Do You Support this Vision of Ojai?

(Downtown Ojai in Winter, photo credit to Lauren Simone)

Or This Vision?

(A traffic at the "Y." Photo credit to Daly road Graphics, Ray Smith)

Suza Francina was the first of the five candidates competing for two City Council vacancies to respond to our questions for candidates. (see below) "Stop the Trucks" hopes the other City Council candidates and those running for the MAC (Municipal Advisory Council) will take a few moments to answer a few questions online. We would like each candidate to share their thoughts with the public on the how they intend to deal with the long term threat posed by gravel trucking through Ojai and the blind eye that the Ventura County Planning Division is seemingly paying to regular daily violations of the existing Conditional Use Permits (C.U.P.'s).

Continue reading "Stop The Trucks - Second Election Edition" »

Posted by Howard Smith at 03:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | author bio

The World Affairs Council CA Central Coast Presents:
When China Ruled the Seas, the Treasure Fleets of the Ming Dynasty 1405-1433.

September 11, 2008 at the Ventura County Maritime Museum
2731 S. Victoria Avenue
Oxnard, CA 93035
5:30 p.m. -7:30 p.m.
(Reception with appetizers and no-host bar 5:30-6:30, presentation 6:30-7:30)
Cost: $15 members, $20 non-members

During the Opening Ceremonies for the Olympics, China celebrated the achievements of the great navel fleets of the Ming Dynasty, events hardly known or recounted in the West.

By 1405 China had been a powerful empire for nearly two thousand years. The crown jewels of Emperor Zhu Di’s navy were his Treasure boats. These behemoths, nearly half the size of World War II aircraft carriers, were largest wooden sailing ships ever built. And although the wealth they carried back to China was staggering, it created conflict between the two factions that served the emperor; the Military and the Mandarin bureaucrats.

After the emperor’s death, the chief Mandarin sought to undermine the power of his foes by decreeing that the fleets be grounded, the records destroyed and overseas trade forbidden. The result crippled China for the next 600 years - a decline that is only being reversed today as witnessed during the Olympics.

Continue reading "World Affairs Council Presentation: When China Ruled the Seas, the Treasure Fleets of the Ming Dynasty 1405-1433" »

Posted by Howard Smith at 08:45 AM | Permalink | author bio

Today's Washington Post has a great article entitled, "As Food Becomes a Cause, Meeting Puts Issues on the Table." It describes how far some people will go these days to get locally grown food. In California, more than 40 residents volunteered their back yards to an aspiring young bicycle-riding farmer who couldn't afford to buy land of his own. In exchange for a weekly supply of produce, they would let him till their all-American lawns into rows of lettuce, broccoli, squash and peas.

I bet the Washington Post would love to feature a story on Steve Sprinkel and his wife, Olivia Chase, of Farmer and the Cook; Dulanie Ellis-La Barre and other members of the Ojai Valley Green Coalition Food and Agriculture Committee; Kris and Joanne Young, leaders of the Ojai Locavores; and other Ojai foodies...
Here's a link to the Washington Post story:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/29/AR2008082903447.html?referrer=emailarticle

Posted by Suza Francina at 06:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | author bio

photo taken today, August 29, 2008 by evan austin

Posted by evan austin at 10:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | author bio

Ray Smith of Daly Road Graphics sent us these notes and photographs about Gravel Trucks in which it appears that trucks coming and going from Santa Paula are driving on residential streets. If true this would a clear violation of local road and traffic regulations. While we await further confirmation, here is Ray's first person report:

" I spotted another truck near my home. Apparently, they are coming from Santa Paula, but instead of going through downtown via Ojai Avenue, they cut north to Grand Avenue. They head east, turn onto West Summer St.,
then south on Canada to pick up Ojai Avenue again. This is the third time I've seen one do this. "

Continue reading "Stop the Trucks: Sneaking Through Town on Grand Avenue???" »

Posted by Howard Smith at 03:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | author bio

Do You Support this Vision of Ojai?

Or This Vision?

(A double hopper stuck in traffic at the "Y" heads into the heart of Ojai on Route 150/Ojai Avenue.. Photo credit to Daly road Graphics, Ray Smith Monday, May 6, 2008)

With five candidates competing for two City Council vacancies and several of the MAC (Municipal Advisory Council) seats also facing competitive races, the Ojai "Stop the Trucks!" Coalition is asking everyone running for office to take a few moments to answer a few questions online. We would like each candidate to share their thoughts with the public on the how they intend to deal with the long term threat posed by gravel trucking through Ojai and the blind eye that the Ventura County Planning Division is seemingly paying to regular daily violations of the existing Conditional Use Permits (C.U.P.'s).

Continue reading "Stop the Trucks: Election Year Edition" »

Posted by Howard Smith at 10:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (5) | author bio

Today's New York Times has a great article by Stephanie Rosenbloom entitled "Giant Retailers Look to Sun for Energy Savings," on how green energy is now front and center in the minds of the business sector.

“It’s very clear that green energy is now front and center in the minds of the business sector,” said Daniel M. Kammen, an energy expert at the University of California, Berkeley. “Not only will you see panels on the roofs of your local stores, but I suspect very soon retailers will have stickers in their windows saying, ‘This is a green energy store.’ ”

Here's the rest of the article:
Giant Retailers Look to Sun for Energy Savings

Posted by Suza Francina at 09:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (48) | author bio

The Ojai Valley Green Coalition welcomes
best-selling author Brad Lancaster to the Ecology and Community series:

Thursday August 28, 2008 • 7:00 pm • $2 donation
Chaparral Auditorium, 414 E. Ojai Avenue
(805) 653-8445

Based on his book Rainwater Harvesting, Vol. 2, Brad will show you how to select, place, size, construct, and plant your chosen water-harvesting earthworks and present detailed how-to information and variations of a diverse array of earthworks, including mulch, vegetation, and greywater recycling, so that you can customize the techniques to your site.

Jim MacDonald, a Ventura County top building official, will start the evening with a discussion of the county’s new greywater codes.

Rainwater Harvesting Flyer (PDF)

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 10:17 AM | Permalink | author bio

World Affairs Council CA Central Coast

September 11, 2008
Location: Ventura County Maritime Museum
2731 S. Victoria Avenue
Oxnard, CA 93035
Time: 5:30 p.m. -7:30 p.m.
(Reception with appetizers
and no-host bar 5:30-6:30,
presentation 6:30-7:30)
Cost: $15 members, $20 non-members

By 1405 China had been a powerful empire for nearly two thousand years. The crown jewels of Emperor Zhu Di’s navy were his Treasure boats. These behemoths, nearly half the size of World War II aircraft carriers, were largest wooden sailing ships ever built. And although the wealth they carried back to China was staggering, it created conflict between the two factions that served the emperor; the Military and the Mandarin bureaucrats.

Continue reading "World Affairs Council Presentation" »

Posted by Howard Smith at 08:40 PM | Permalink | author bio

OJAI FILM FESTIVAL

GLEN MUSE, 815 Libbey Ave., Ojai, CA 93024

Continue reading "Ojai Film Festival Party In Paradise" »

Posted by Howard Smith at 08:17 PM | Permalink | author bio

OBAMA CAMPAIGN OFFICE OPENS — All are invited to the grand opening of the Barack Obama campaign office and birthday celebration on Monday, August 4, from 6 to 9 p.m. at 323 E. Matilija St., Suite 116, at the corner of Montgomery.

For more information go to OjaiforObama or e-mail info@ojaiforobama.com.

Posted by Suza Francina at 09:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (7) | author bio

Hi,
We understand that there was an Earthquake today in the Chino Hills area of California at approx. 11:40am today, July 29th.

More info will be posted on this thread. Post any info you might have on this quake.

Thanks

Posted by Chris Foley at 12:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | author bio

The Ventura County chapter of the American Red Cross announced it is going green - they are renovating their headquarters to meet LEED Silver status. Nice effort that will help continue the trend of green building throughout the county. Combine that with natural building code changes, and we really will have a plan for the future here in Ventura County. Press release after the jump.

Continue reading "Red Cross goes green with LEED cert" »

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 03:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | author bio

If you're a motorist and are heading out this morning, here's what you have to look forward to:

Regular Unleaded (87 Octane):
Valero, Ojai - $4.39
Chevron, Ojai - $4.49
Union 76, Ojai - $4.49
Circle K, Mira Monte - $4.22
Shell, Oak View - $4.21
Thrifty, Oak View - $4.19
American Gas, Meiners Oaks - $4.29
updated July 25, 2008

as reported at ojainews.com

Posted by evan austin at 07:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | author bio

In a game-changing speech reminiscent of JFK's call to put a man on the moon, Al Gore calls for the US to abandon electricity generated by fossil fuels within a decade, and ties it directly to the economy and national security.

“We’re borrowing money from China to buy oil from the Persian Gulf to burn it in ways that destroy the planet,” Mr. Gore said. “Every bit of that’s got to change.”

...and here's a technical feasibility article by energy banker and international geopolitical author Jerome Guillet on moving to 100% electricity from renewables by 2020. The final paragraph below...

While a goal of 100% of carbon-free electricity is probably unrealistic, it therefore seems possible to get pretty close to that, especially if [existing] nuclear and hydro are included in the mix. A plan that announced a specific goal of 40-50% of wind-generated electricity by 2020 and 10-20% of solar, with the appropriate feed-in mechanisms, demand guarantees for manufacturers and investment in the grid would therefore be realistic, make economic sense, and fulfill two major strategic goals: reduce carbon emissions, and lower fossil fuel demand.

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 12:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | author bio

I've gotten word of a major overturn, spill and gravel truck accident on Route 33 north of Ojai.

Ventura County Star reports a "semi-truck crash" causing closure of Highway 33 near the northern Ventura County border, just south of Ventucopa in Santa Barbara County.

UPDATE 8:23pm: OVN posted this photo with a description of what happened to Ozena Gravel Mine truck driver Eric Aguilar's trailer.

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 03:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | author bio

Send your donations to the Stop The Trucks! Coalition – c/o The Ojai Chamber of Commerce, P.O. Box 1134, Ojai, CA, 93024, or you may also walk your contribution into the Chamber’s offices anytime during the business week, at 201 S. Signal Street -- in the Ojai Festivals building -- in downtown Ojai.

HELP US STOP THE TRUCKS!
By Michael Shapiro, Chairman / Stop The Trucks! Coalition

Repeating what I wrote last week in my Ojai Valley News Guest Editorial -- various news reports about the recent Santa Barbara-based Diamond Rock Mine didn’t tell the full story. It is simply not true that the Stop the Trucks! Coalition prevailed during the recent hearings before the Santa Barbara Planning Commission, and that’s why we’re appealing the decision of the Santa Barbara Planning Commission to approve the Diamond Rock Mine’s Environmental Impact Report (EIR). If we don’t, it paves the way for the granting of their Conditional Use Permit (CUP) and simultaneously strips-away any of Ojai’s legal rights to challenge them in the event that they “change their minds” and hundreds of rock and gravel mine-transport trucks end-up careening through Ojai after all.

Continue reading "HELP US STOP THE TRUCKS!" »

Posted by Howard Smith at 05:04 PM | Permalink | author bio

(photo credit, Rob Varela, Ventura County Star)

Below are some of the highlights from Ventura County Star reporter Tony Biasotti's article last week.

"Until last year, it was common for Bob Walker to wake up before dawn to the sound of grinding engine brakes, as a caravan of gravel trucks passed his house. 'When they're coming through at 2:30 or 3 a.m., and you're sleeping, it gets pretty loud,' Walker said during a recent interview at his home, just north of Ojai on Highway 33. 'At one point, it was an everyday thing.'"

…But many Ojai residents still chafe at what they see as enough truck traffic to turn their bucolic city into a loud, smoggy, congested mess. Ventura County (Planning Division), they say, has ignored their concerns. Walker filed three complaints against one mining company, starting in 2005, and said the county never acknowledged any of them until a few months ago.

Continue reading "Stop the Trucks: Ojai Complains of Gravel Trucks on Highway 33" »

Posted by Howard Smith at 07:47 PM | Permalink | author bio

A couple blog posts in the news from ecogeek.org and Yahoo! Green...

Wow.

In less than 7 years, Mercedes-Benz plans to ditch petroleum-powered vehicles from its lineup. Focusing on electric, fuel cell, and biofuels, the company is revving up research in alternative fuel sources and efficiency.

Meanwhile... "U.S. calls for moratorium on solar". Huh?

Faced with the burgeoning demand and sunny land in the southwest United States, the Bureau of Land Management (the U.S. agency that controls government-owned lands that aren't forests) has decided to put a two-year moratorium [on] new solar power plants. During this period, it's going to be doing studies on the impact that solar power plants have on desert habitat and wildlife.

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 02:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | author bio

Volunteer with knowledge of Microsoft Office Access needed ASAP to help with the Ojai Film Festival.

Microsoft Office Access, previously known as Microsoft Access, is a relational database management system from Microsoft that combines the relational Microsoft Jet Database Engine with a graphical user interface and software development tools. It is a member of the 2007 Microsoft Office system.

Continue reading "Ojai Film Festival Volunteer Needed for Microsoft Access" »

Posted by Howard Smith at 03:03 PM | Permalink | author bio

(photo credit to Ray Smith, Daly Road Graphics)

In Thursday’s Ventura County Reporter, Editor Bill Lascher wrote:

“A broad coalition of Ojai residents, environmentalists, business owners, public officials and educators launched a blistering attack June 17 on county planners overseeing permits for mining operations.

Ventura County Chief Executive Officer Marty Robinson confirmed county officials plan to discuss allegations in a letter sent by Stop the Trucks Coalition Vice-Chair Howard Smith about oversight of the controversial Ozena Valley Ranch mine.”

For the full story go to:
http://www.vcreporter.com/cms/story/detail/mine_opponents_suspect_official_bias/6073/

Some further highlights:

“Frustrated by what they perceive to be lax enforcement of planning regulations, Smith and his allies called for the ouster of a key Ventura County planning official for decisions related to the mine, which is located several miles north of Ojai, east of State Route 33.

Continue reading "STOP THE TRUCKS: Mine Opponents Suspect Official Bias" »

Posted by Howard Smith at 02:06 PM | Permalink | author bio

Join Ojai's legendary herbalist Lanny Kaufer for a hike to the shady oak forest of Wills Canyon.
Learn to identify native plants used for food, home remedies, survival, landscaping, ceremony and more. Lanny has been leading entertaining and informative nature walks for groups of all ages since 1976. I guarantee you will have a wonderful time and what you learn may someday save your life!

Saturday, June 28
8:30-11:30 AM
at the Ventura River Preserve in Meiners Oaks
(Trailhead by Rice and El Roblar)

For more details click here:
native-plant-flyer-6-28-08.pdf

Posted by Suza Francina at 06:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (6) | author bio

The World Affairs Council of America, California Central Coast Chapter
Proudly Presents:

Social Business: Investing in Social Change and International Responsibility

A native of Bangladesh, Mr. Sham is experienced in government
and non-government sectors. He is closely involved with Nobel Peace Prize-winning
Grameen Bank and its family of organizations. He has also worked in the
Ministry of Agriculture and the Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation

Lunch Presentation
Thursday, July 10, 2008
12 - 2 pm
Camarillo Library Community Room
4101 Las Posas Rd
Camarillo, CA 93010

RSVP to Ashley Bailey
(805) 299-2394 or by email
WACA@paladinprinciple.com
By Monday, July 7th

$30 WACA Members
$35 Non-Members

Posted by Howard Smith at 07:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | author bio

I hear it's supposed to soar to 113 degrees today. My house does not have air conditioning so I've discovered all sorts of tricks for staying cool. I wash my clothes in cold water and wear them wet. I put ice cubes down my underwear. Last night I took a walk in wet clothes and came home dry. Of course cold showers or a tub of cold water helps. Or I go outside near some thirsty trees and make rain by pointing the hose towards the sky and get nice and soaked.

A bigger challenge is keeping Rosie and Tillie ("Ojai's SpokesPigs") from having a heat stroke. Tillie broke her kiddie pool, so yesterday, in the boiling hot mid afternoon, I stepped out into the 107 degrees inferno and headed for the Y in search of a new pool. I went into True Value Hardware. Their pools were too big but while I was there I decided I could use another fan. Like a child in a toy store, I spent 15 minutes examining the display models and studying the inviting pictures on the box.

Continue reading "Keeping Cool in Hot Ojai with Rosie, Tillie and Artoo-Detoo" »

Posted by Suza Francina at 10:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (19) | author bio

For those who blame environmentalists for high oil prices and a supposed lack of oil supply...

House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Nick J. Rahall (D-WV) introduced The Responsible Federal Oil and Gas Lease Act of 2008 (H.R. 6251) last week, illustrating how energy companies are not using the federal lands and waters that are already open to drilling.

The 68 million acres of leased but inactive federal land have the potential to produce an additional 4.8 million barrels of oil and 44.7 billion cubic feet of natural gas each day. This would nearly double total U.S. oil production, and increase natural gas production by 75 percent. It would also cut U.S. oil imports by more than one-third, reducing America's dependency on foreign oil.

The Rahall bill would force oil and gas companies to either produce or give up federal onshore and offshore leases they are stockpiling by barring the companies from obtaining any more leases unless they can demonstrate that they are producing oil and gas, or are diligently developing the leases they already hold, during the initial term of the leases.

Coal companies, which are issued leases for 20-year terms, are required, as a result of the Federal Coal Leasing Amendments Act of 1976 to show that they are diligently developing their leases during the initial lease term. The law was enacted in an effort to end rampant speculation on federal coal as a result of the energy crises of the 1970's.

Oil and gas companies, however, are not required to demonstrate diligent development. Because of this, oil and gas companies have been allowed to stockpile leases in a non-producing status, while leaving millions of acres of leased land untouched. The Rahall legislation directs the Secretary of the Interior to define what constitutes diligent development for oil and gas leases.

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 09:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (34) | author bio

From History.com... Solar-energy system installed at White House

Carter presided over a nation still suffering from the fallout of the 1973-74 Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) oil embargo. Carter, a proponent of alternative and sustainable energy sources, put into practice what he preached and, in June 1979, had a $28,000 solar-heating system installed on the White House roof. The system consisted of 32 photovoltaic panels that generated enough energy to provide hot water for the entire White House. During his term Carter also had an energy-efficient wood-burning stove installed in the drafty White House residential quarters.

In 1986, President Reagan had the solar panels removed and put into a federal storage facility in Virginia, stating that the energy crisis that had affected both foreign and domestic policy during Carter’s term would not be a factor during his own. (emphasis mine) Both the environmental organization Greenpeace and a college in Maine asked to have the solar panels after they were taken down. As an October 2004 Associated Press article reported, Greenpeace’s request for the panels, which they wanted to use in a homeless shelter, was ultimately rejected, and in 1992, the conservation-minded Unity College of Maine installed them to use for the generation of hot water in the student dining hall. Former President Carter sent a congratulatory note to the college saying he was glad the panels would be of some use.

By 2004, the solar panels had worn out. Unity College kept one of the panels for “historical significance,” donated another panel to the Smithsonian Institute and offered the rest for sale.

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 09:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (5) | author bio

The County of Ventura Fire Department's Public Information Office tells me that the BRUSH FIRE at Barnett and Cameron in the City of Ventura is receiving a full brushfire response including bulldozers and air support, and that units from the City and County of Ventura are responding. No units from Ojai have been called into service yet.

from the VCFD...
Units from the Ventura City and Ventura County Fire Departments are responding to an 8-10 acre BRUSH FIRE.

Update: 4:20pm - drove by an hour ago, looked like they were mopping things up. - Tyler

Posted by evan austin at 11:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | author bio

Why the Moon Looms Especially Large Tonight

As the full moon rises this Wednesday, many people (including myself) will be fooled into thinking it's unusually large.

The moon illusion, as it's known, is a trick in our minds that makes the moon seem bigger when it's near the horizon. The effect is most pronounced at full moon. Many people swear it's real, suggesting that perhaps Earth's atmosphere magnifies the moon.

The moon always looks biggest when it's closest to the horizon, but Wednesday's full moon may seem even bigger than usual. That's because it is just two days before the summer solstice, when the sun hits its highest point in the sky.

But it really is all in our minds. The moon is not bigger at the horizon than when overhead.

Continue reading "That Huge Moon? It's Just an Illusion" »

Posted by Suza Francina at 04:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (7) | author bio

Not quite sure what to make of this, or if its even real (although Vinod Khosla puts his money where his mouth is). This may be a reasonable piece of the energy independence puzzle in the next ten years. Ultimately, it reinforces the necessity to continue funding science, innovation and alternative energy initiatives.

Scientists find bugs that eat waste and excrete petrol
What is most remarkable about what they are doing is that instead of trying to reengineer the global economy – as is required, for example, for the use of hydrogen fuel – they are trying to make a product that is interchangeable with oil. The company claims that this “Oil 2.0” will not only be renewable but also carbon negative – meaning that the carbon it emits will be less than that sucked from the atmosphere by the raw materials from which it is made.

Update 10:15pm: a particularly entertaining look at the issue from Scott Adams, Dilbert impressario.

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 05:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (22) | author bio

This is just in from the NY Times website:

June 17, 2008
Oregon woman plans to parade topless on July 4
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 6:51 p.m. ET

ASHLAND, Ore. (AP) -- A woman seen frequently in Ashland riding topless on her bicycle says she plans to be in Ashland's Fourth of July parade free and independent of all clothing but a hemp G-string. The Chamber of Commerce says that's contrary to the rules for the family celebration. She says she'll sue if she can't parade as she wishes.

Jen Moss has been known as ''The Naked Lady'' since she moved to Ashland in May from Ojai, Calif., drawn by the town's nudity laws. They specify only that people must cover their genitalia in a city park or the downtown commercial district, which means Moss need not cover her breasts.

The police in California, she says, harassed her when she rode her bicycle wearing a G-string and pasties.

Moss applied for an entry for the parade, which draws thousands each year.

The Ashland Chamber of Commerce learned of her coverage plans from an online posting. She promised to lead in-line skaters ''wearing only a hemp G-string and blowing a conch shell.''

''We don't feel that someone in the parade who is topless or nearly naked is appropriate for a family audience,'' said parade chairman James Kidd.

Continue reading "Jen To Strike Again!" »

Posted by Howard Smith at 04:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (49) | author bio

Ojai Still Reads

We may have lost all but one local bookstore, but on Tuesday evening, June 10, a group of at least thirty citizens of Our Town gathered at the Ojai Library at 7:00 to talk about the first in a whole planned series of environmental books to be read and discussed under the aegis of the “Ojai Reads” project.

The project was initiated in April by Kenley Neufeld, chair of the Ojai Valley Green Coalition’s Transportation Committee. Kenley chose the book—Lester Brown’s Plan B 3.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization—and also enlisted a panel of local experts to give their thoughts on the ideas expressed by Brown. This community reading program is being cosponsored by the Green Coalition, the Ojai Valley Library Friends and Foundation, the Ojai Library, and Local Hero Books (which is, sadly, soon to be no more).

Continue reading "Guest Editorial: Sonia Nordenson" »

Posted by Kenley Neufeld at 03:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | author bio

It was over 30 years ago when President Jimmy Carter gave his infamous energy address. Just think how our current circumstances might have been different had we listened to President Carter.

Posted by Kenley Neufeld at 01:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (13) | author bio

One of the most provocative and entertaining writers on sustainable cities is James Howard Kunstler, author of The Geography of Nowhere: The Rise and Decline of America's Man-Made Landscape and other books. The Washington Post recently published an article by Kunstler entitled Wake Up, America. We’re Driving Toward Disaster. He writes:

Everywhere I go these days, talking about the global energy predicament on the college lecture circuit or at environmental conferences, I hear an increasingly shrill cry for “solutions.” This is just another symptom of the delusional thinking that now grips the nation, especially among the educated and well-intentioned.

Continue reading "Peak Oil and the Greening of Ojai " »

Posted by Suza Francina at 01:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (6) | author bio

When I came home Monday evening, my roommate immediately told me that "Dennis Kucinich is reading the Articles of Impeachment on C-Span." It's moments like this that make me vow to get a TV again. I quickly called a friend and I could hear Kucinich in the background.

"Yes! Yes! " my friend said, " Dennis Kucinich is on the floor of the House of Representatives introducing Articles of Impeachment against George W. Bush right now!! He is doing it in a very dignified manner. He refuses to be hurried. Each Article takes five or ten minutes to read and there are 35 Articles all together on every aspect of the Bush presidency. It's been going on for two hours and he's only half done! So far the charges included misleading Congress about the threat from Iraq and Iran, authorizing and condoning torture, illegal domestic surveillance..." I quickly fed the animals and raced to my friend's TV.

Continue reading "Kucinich Impeaches Bush for Four Hours " »

Posted by Suza Francina at 11:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (64) | author bio

With regular unleaded fuel in Ojai over $4.25 per gallon and a barrel of oil at $135, a record high, peak oil is on many people's mind. Our friends at the Santa Barbara based Community Environmental Council sponsored a half day Tri-County Energy Summit for Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo counties today in Santa Barbara. The 150 attendees were community activists, non-profit representatives, business leaders, city planners, elected city/county officials, and other governmental employees. I went as a representative of the Ojai Valley Green Coalition. The agenda was full and we heard from seven speakers. The sponsoring organization made a proposal to be Fossil Free By 33, with specific plans to make this happen. I will outline what I heard from the speakers, review the proposals, and then make some commentary.

Continue reading "Peak Oil and a Regional Energy Summit" »

Posted by Kenley Neufeld at 02:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | author bio

Many of you may remember when i last attended the Memorial Day events here in the Ojai Valley in 2006, after which i wrote this report which brought up issues of patriotism, accountability, veteran-civilian relations, and the meaning of supporting the troops while opposing the war.

This year's Memorial Day was quite different for me, but not so much because of the local events. i have made some significant personal strides relative to the above issues by listening to the testimony of warriors at the Winter Soldier 2008 event, responding to my brother's choice to join the Marine Corps Reserves, reading some of the local veterans' stories in their book "Ojai Valley's Veterans Stories", and connecting to local organizers of Iraq Veterans Against the War.

***

At this time in 2006 i didn't have a nine-month-old daughter, so i was a little slower getting out the door this time. i missed the pancake breakfast at the American Legion building in Oak View, but caught the last half of the parade, where i noted several violations of the Federal Flag Code. After the parade a sizable crowd gathered at Longhorn's Feed & Supply to hear speakers and for the awarding of the parade trophies. i approached as Ms. Shelley Rhoades was reading the same poem she read last time in Libbey Park, while Boy Scout Troop 503 did the same enigmatic flag-passing ceremony. i began to wonder what was going to happen at the park.
Some guy took the "stage" and led us all in prayer to a Christian God, thanking him for our community and lifestyle and for helping us preserve it, in Jesus' name. Veteran Al Wescott sang his original song "Soldiers, Sailors, and Tired Old Men", just like he did in 2006. The teen girls in their long satin dresses and label-sashes gave out awards to everything from a bagpiper to a llama (although i think it was an alpaca, technically) to "pooper scoopers". People clapped and cheered, then left.

Continue reading "My Memorial Day 2008" »

Posted by evan austin at 02:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (5) | author bio

Photo courtesy of Daly Road Graphics & Ray Smith

Story By Chris Meagher at The Santa Barbara Independent

Gravel Haulers Prohibited Through Ojai, Los Padres
Trucks Brake for Highway 33

"The main artery through Ojai, State Route 33 sits in western Ventura County, just a few miles from the Santa Barbara County border. Along Route 33 sit schools, hospitals, shopping malls, and Ojai’s busiest intersection. What it will not accommodate — to the relief of many Ojai residents — is the daily rumbling of hundreds of semi trucks carrying thousands of pounds of gravel to construction sites throughout Santa Barbara and Ventura counties..."

“The Highway 33 corridor is not suitable for these big trucks,” said 1st District Planning Commissioner Michael Cooney..." "...Michael Shapiro of the Stop the Trucks Coalition, citing the air quality impact on the health, safety, and welfare of those living or traveling near Route 33, said industrial traffic through Ojai would have had a palpable and “scary” impact on residents, creating an industrial feel that could potentially harm the valley’s income from its reputation for arts and tourism. “It [would have] totally, adversely affected the economy,” Shapiro said..."

Continue reading "Stop the Trucks: Santa Barbara Gravel Haulers Prohibited Through Ojai" »

Posted by Howard Smith at 07:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | author bio

Photo courtesy of Daly Road Graphics & Ray Smith

On involvement
If you're going to complain, get involved

From Bill Lascher, Editor of the Ventura Reporter:

"As has been groused about numerous times on these pages and society in general, too many people whine about the actions taken by government and other institutions without ever taking action to challenge those institutions.

Some lament in Ventura County that red tape and not-in-my-backyard-minded activists hinder progress. Yet, without a vigilant active community little would be done to help the vast majority of our citizens, many decisions would be taken with myopic profit motives and few socially minded initiatives would get off the ground...."

"...Now, the first signs are emerging of other successes by local activists, even as new fights take shape...."

"...Ojai residents concerned about mining truck traffic along Route 33 have scored something of a victory and will have a chance to ensure that victory holds May 14. That day, the Santa Barbara County Planning Commission will consider final action on the proposed Diamond Rock mine. After criticism of the mine's plans to use Highway 33 to transport material and other environmental concerns that might impact Ventura County more than Santa Barbara County, the plan was altered to prevent trucks from traveling south on 33, to reduce its production rates and truck trips to avoid situations where those truck trips might be necessary, and to address other environmental concerns. It is a testament to the continued involvement and dedication of Ojai and Cuyama Valley residents - as well as the mine owner's willingness to discuss community concerns - that such progress was made..."

Continue reading "Stop The Trucks: Praise for Ojai in the Press" »

Posted by Howard Smith at 08:01 PM | Permalink | author bio

January 1999 - $8 / barrel
October 2004 - $53 / barrel
August 2005 - $65 / barrel
July 2006 - $77 / barrel
September 2007 - $80 / barrel
October 2007 - $90 / barrel
January 2, 2008 - $100 / barrel
March 12, 2008 - $110 / barrel
May 9, 2008 - $125 / barrel
May 21, 2008 - $132 / barrel
One Year Forecast - $171 / barrel

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 09:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (34) | author bio

With planning already underway for this year's Living Peace in Ojai celebration in September, the Ojai Peace Coalition is ready to receive nominations for our exclusive Noble Peace Prize, to be awarded during Living Peace!

Visit the nomination page!

Last year's first-ever Noble Peace Prize was awarded to Clive and Marion Leeman of the Ojai Peace Vigil which is STILL happening every Friday evening under the Pergola in front of Libbey Park. If you know of someone who is working for more health, sanity, security, and harmony for our community and world, please nominate them!

Posted by evan austin at 11:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | author bio

Required Reading

The idea of planning for the future takes on a whole new meaning after reading Plan B 3.0: Mobilizing the Save Civilization. The first book in the Ojai Valley Green Coalition’s “Ojai Reads” program is by Lester R. Brown, whom Time Magazine calls “one of the U.S.’s most respected environmentalists.” Founder and President of the esteemed Worldwatch Institute for its first 26 years, Brown helped pioneer the concept of “sustainable development.”

That’s a concept that takes on a whole new urgency once you’ve read this book. My advice for readers: put a bookmark between Section I “A Civilization in Trouble,” and Section II “The Response.” That way you can get through the first 131 pages that are full of troubling data about global trends and possible outcomes and know that solutions will be offered.

Continue reading "Guest Editorial: Caryn Bosson" »

Posted by Kenley Neufeld at 06:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | author bio

The following announcement comes from Camille Carlson, who commutes by bicycle from Meiners Oaks to her job teaching Spanish at Monica Ros School in the east end. She is one of the new wave of activists leading the charge to make the Ojai Valley a world class Bicycle-Pedestrian Friendly Community.

Hello Friends, Family and the Ojai Community,

I'm writing to remind you that May is National Bike Month.

May 12-16 is Bike to Work Week.
May 16 is National Bike to Work Day.
May 11-17 is also National Transportation Week
May 21- Evening for the Ride of Silence (in Ojai and nationwide)
Flyer for Ojai Ride of Silence
Ride of Silence flyer (PDF)

Check out www.bikeleague.org (American League of Cyclists) if you get a chance.
Just wanted to see if anyone is interested in commuting by bike to work or 'wherever' together at any point during the month of May. It makes the ride all that more fun!!

I also discovered that May 21st is the evening for the Ride of Silence. Check out these videos or visit www.rideofsilence.org.

Continue reading "May is National Bike Month" »

Posted by Suza Francina at 07:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (10) | author bio

Look out for the locavores: New Ojai group to eat only food grown locally for a year
http://vcreporter.com/cms/story/detail/look_out_for_the_locavores/5946/

By now you have probably heard that Kristofer and Joanne Young are organizing a locavore project in the Ojai Valley for the entire year of 2009. A locavore is a person who pays attention to where her/his food comes from and commits to eating local food as much as possible. I just finished reading the link above to a great article in the VC Reporter that answers the questions I had about committing to a local eating lifestyle. Turns out you can sign up and still hang on to three foods each month that are things that may not be available locally. In my case I was worried about giving up organically grown brown rice, millet and tofu --three things my Dutch-Indonesian bones cannot live without. Now that I know I can eat grains with my local vegies, I'm ready to sign up.

There is an introductory meeting on Saturday, May 10th at 7:00 PM at the Young's house in Ojai. Here is an invitation with the details: .http://groups.google.com/group/eat-local-one-year

Download, view, or print the meeting flyer here.

Continue reading "EAT LOCAL ONE YEAR ~ BE THE CHANGE OJAI " »

Posted by Suza Francina at 11:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (15) | author bio

Thanks to all the volunteers who gathered signatures in Ojai, Ventura and rest of California, our Secretary of State Debra Bowen certified an anti-cruelty ballot initiative for the statewide general election to be held November 4, 2008.

This statewide initiative was the effort of Californians for Humane Farms, a coalition of animal protection organizations, veterinarians, environmentalists, food safety organizations and concerned citizens. According to Californians for Humane Farms, the Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act will provide the most basic protection to nearly 20 million animals confined in industrial factory farms in California: that they be able to turn around and extend their limbs.

Continue reading "Announcement from Rosie and Tillie: Anti-Cruelty Measure Certified for California’s November Ballot" »

Posted by Suza Francina at 02:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (6) | author bio

Iraq Veterans Against the War held a series of hearings on the weekend of March 14 through 16, 2008 (the same weekend as Not One More! here in Libbey Park) called "Winter Soldier 2008", modeled after the Winter Soldier hearings in 1971 during the Vietnam War.

i have downloaded all of the testimony from these emotional and enlightening hearings, and will gladly burn you a 10-disc audio set for $10 (a single mp3 disc for $1). $5 will go to the Ojai Peace Coalition, and $5 will go toward the new IVAW Chapter in Ventura. email me to request a copy.

here's Infantrymen Clifton Hicks and Steven Casey giving testimony as part of the March 14th panel "Rules of Engagement, Part One": LISTEN. DOWNLOAD.

Continue reading "Winter Soldier Audio Discs Available" »

Posted by evan austin at 11:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | author bio

New on the Ojai Peace Coalition Action Blog:

• Mother's Day for Peace: Sunday May 4th from 3-5pm at the E.P.Foster Library on Main Street in Ventura.

• The Future of Local Transportation, Saturday, May 10, 2008 (National Train Day) from 2-3:30pm at Ruby's Café of Oxnard, 348 South Oxnard Blvd.

• Nominate a Peace Pioneer for a $10,000 prize from Ben & Jerry's!

• Tell the Presidential candidates to declare clean cars a priority starting Day One of their administration.

• Women today make up 56% of college graduates and nearly half of the labor force in this country, yet women make only 73 cents to a man's dollar, and mothers only make 60 cents, for the exact same job. AND THE SENATE FAILED TO PASS THE FAIR PAY ACT LAST WEEK, with Senator McCain saying that women just need "education and training". Tell him he's off-target.
(for the energetic: sign this petition in support of the Fair Pay Act through Commitee for a Democratic Majority)

• DVDs of last week's "Are Peace and Impeachment Possible?" town hall are coming...email me if you'd like a copy!

• Tell DHS that the Social Security database is not an appropriate tool for enforcing the immigration laws.

• Share your story or comments about how important it is to provide healthcare coverage for all kids in California. MomsRising.org will share your comments and pictures with California lawmakers to show them that real families are impacted and care about this issue.

Posted by evan austin at 12:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | author bio

"FOOD, FARM AND ECO-EATING" — an Ojai Valley Green Coalition presentation, will be held today, Thursday at 7--8:30 p.m. at Chaparral High School Auditorium.

This evening the Food and Agriculture Action Committee will give a lively presentation on how every choice we make about buying fresh and nutritious food, grown by our region's farmers, is a choice for the health of our environment -- both for the Ojai Valley and the global community.

Come discover other food resources that exist within the valley through the coalition's Food Security Assessment. Learn more about local food production and about a new Community Supported Agriculture program. Consider the environmental impact of livestock production and learn about Eco-Eating, an environmental option focusing on a plant-based diet.

We look forward to sharing an evening of film & media, gardening programs, books and what the food lovers of our valley are doing to add to our enjoyment of life and our food security through sustainable agriculture.

Chaparral Auditorium Unified School District 414 E. Ojai Ave.
$2 donation appreciated, but all welcome.To learn more about this event and other activities, visit us:
www.OjaiValleyGreenCoalition.org Info: 805.653.8445

"Every time you pick up your fork, you can make a big difference for the environment."
http://www.ojaivalleygreencoalition.org/media/PresentationAnnouncement-FA.pdf

Posted by Suza Francina at 08:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (5) | author bio

Green Yoga by Georg Feuerstein, Ph.D. and Brenda Feuerstein
View image

It's a beautiful Earth Day here in the Ojai Valley. Yet we cannot turn a blind eye to the fact that growing numbers of scientists and biologists are proclaiming that our planet is dying. We who are alive today are living in the midst of an unprecedented ecological crisis in which the fate of our entire planet hangs in the balance. Biologists have labeled this tragedy the Sixth Mass Extinction: Every day, an estimated 150 species are becoming extinct -- an entire species comprising tens of thousands and even millions of individual plants, insects and animals.

As others have pointed out, individual action is both a drop in the bucket --- and potentially, collectively, supremely important.

Green Yoga is a blueprint for how the philosophy of yoga, with its reverence for life and recognition of universal consciousness, provides the spiritual wisdom to enable us to respond intelligently in our daily life.

Continue reading "A Yoga In the Ojai Valley Earth Day Review: Green Yoga" »

Posted by Suza Francina at 02:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | author bio

There is life after taxes (even though said taxes are funding the estimated $3 trillion war bill and and annual $54 billion in nuclear weapons, which are all about Death), and in the Valley of Plenty, there's lots of living to be done:

Tomorrow (Friday April 18th, 2008) sees parents socializing about their joys and challenges and Besant Hill School students performing Broadway's 27th longest running musical. The long-fenced Wetlands Project between Nordhoff High and Meiners Oaks is newly restored and open once again to the public, and a rally and fundraising kickoff to Save Ojai Schools (from State budget cuts) will be held on Sunday April 20th at OUSD Headquarters. An ongoing art exhibit titled "A Sense of Place" will feature the paintings of local artist Tegan Hope at Busy Babes hair salon until May 31st, and the Ojai City Council will meet on Tuesday the 22nd at 7:30pm. That same evening, co-founder of afterdowningstreet.org, David Swanson, will be speaking at the Ojai Retreat on strategies for saving our Constitution, Economy and Environment.

Just around the corner, the Ojai Storytelling Festival will open May 1st in Libbey Bowl, and an organizational meeting for Ojai's new locavore group is slated for May 10th (sign up here).

Click on over to the Ojai Post for current discussions of global warming, downed power lines, ending the war, illegal immigration, 9/11, childbirth, and more!

cross-posted at OjaiNews.com

Posted by evan austin at 11:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (12) | author bio

Had a wonderful time out at Ojai Earth Day. Thank you to everyone who worked very hard on this community event at Oak Grove School. As a member of the Ojai Valley Green Coalition, it was great to talk with so many people willing to make a difference in Ojai Valley. Share your Earth Day experience.

Posted by Kenley Neufeld at 06:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (5) | author bio

(photo courtesy of Daly Road Graphics & Ray Smith)

On Tuesday afternoon, April 8th, members of "Stop the Trucks" coalition successfully testified before the Ventura County Board of Supervisors at their regular weekly meeting after a presentation by consultant Tom Berg, who had been hired to assess issues and problems at the county's Resource Management Agency which includes the Planning Division.

The Coalition stressed the need for monitoring and enforcement of permit conditions, particularly of gravel mine operations, a fact that was reflected back by four of the Supervisors to County staff at the end of the meeting.
The Planning Division currently is responsible for oversight of the Conditional Use Permit (CUP) issued to the Ozena Mine and Gravel operation.

According to an article in the Ventura County Star by Tony Biasotti on Wednesday, April 9, 2008, Berg's noted that there are there are many ways in which the county could be more "transparent, predictable and accountable."
And, " the system has some problems."

Continue reading ""Stop the Trucks:" Expert cites problems in Ventura County's Resource Mangement Agency & Planning Division " »

Posted by Howard Smith at 07:18 PM | Permalink | author bio

In a news story written by Nao Braverman in Friday's Ojai Valley News, "owners of the Ozena Valley Sand and Gravel Mine and the Virgilio Family Trust filed a lawsuit against Ventura County last week, for allegedly changing the scope of their permitted operations without prior notice, hearing or environmental review, according to the lawsuit. They are also filing charges against the county for restricting the use of State Highway 33, which is allegedly in excess of the authority granted to the county, according to the legal petition."

Continue reading "STOP THE TRUCKS: Gravel Truck Owners Suing Ventura County" »

Posted by Howard Smith at 08:47 AM | Permalink | author bio

Saturday, March 29, 2008, 8-9pm local time.

http://www9.earthhourus.org/

Posted by evan austin at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | author bio

OJAI FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT HONOREES
Richard + Lauren Shuler Donner
and Ray Bradbury

Early Entry Deadline for Filmmakers April 15

(Ojai, CA) Ojai Film Festival has announced it will produce two Lifetime Achievement Awards programs to honor high powered producers, Lauren Shuler Donner and Richard Donner, Friday, Nov. 7 as well as an American icon, Ray Bradbury on Saturday November 8 as part of its ninth annual event set to run November 6 through 9, at the five-diamond resort – the Ojai Valley Inn & Spa.

Chairman of the Festival Board, David Shor enthused, “I am pleased and honored to announce, Ray Bradbury and the Donners' have accepted our invitation to be honored at the Ojai Film Festival with a Lifetime Achievement Award for their amazing bodies of work that have inspired and entertained so many people around the world. All the honorees have one thing in common – they can’t be categorized in any one genre. These are major developments for our festival.”

Continue reading "OJAI FILM FESTIVAL TO HONOR RAY BRADBURY AND RICHARD & LAUREN SHULER DONNER" »

Posted by Howard Smith at 06:25 PM | Permalink | author bio

A Yoga in the Ojai Valley DVD Review

EARTHLINGS
Nature Animals Humankind MAKE THE CONNECTION

Watch the movie here: http://freedocumentaries.org/film.php?id=119

Written, produced and directed by Shaun Monson.
Narrated by Academy Award Nominee Joaquin Phoenix.
Music by critically acclaimed platinum artist Moby.

This is the single most powerful and informative movie about society's treatment of animals! A must-see film for anyone who cares enough to know.
-- Woody Harrelson

The Humane Society calls EARTHLINGS "The definitive documentary film of all times that Americans don't want to see. "

If I had to name one movie that I want everyone to see, including my family, friends and yoga students, it would be EARTHLINGS . Then they would understand why I am so adamant that human beings must speak out on behalf of animals.

Continue reading "EARTHLINGS" »

Posted by Suza Francina at 11:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (15) | author bio

........We also scout on hands and knees to really get in touch with that modest universe at our feet. There we observed today aphids that had been parasitized by a wee wasp that flies around laying her eggs on the aphids heads. ........

Continue reading "F o r a g e r 27FEB2008" »

Posted by Steve Sprinkel at 01:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | author bio

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Posted by Kenley Neufeld at 05:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | author bio

At my request, the National Priorities Project, which bills itself as "a 501(c)(3) research organization that analyzes and clarifies federal data so that people can understand and influence how their tax dollars are spent", has calculated war cost data specifically for the City of Ojai (previously the closest data available was for Ventura County).

By the numbers:
Taxpayers in Ojai, California will pay $12.6 million for the cost of the Iraq War through 2007. For the same amount of money, the following could have been provided:

5,170 People with Health Care OR
22,429 Homes with Renewable Electricity OR
234 Public Safety Officers OR
188 Music and Arts Teachers OR
1,933 Scholarships for University Students OR
1 New Elementary Schools OR
38 Affordable Housing Units OR
4,695 Children with Health Care OR
1,494 Head Start Places for Children OR
190 Elementary School Teachers OR
168 Port Container Inspectors

Posted by evan austin at 09:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (33) | author bio

(Photo by Troy Harvey/Special to the VC Star)

In this Sunday's edition of the Ventura County Star, we see barracades divert traffic around a section of Maricopa Highway - Route 33 - about 10 miles north of Ojai that has collapsed into the North Fork of Matilija Creek.

Only residents and emergency personnnel are allowed to use northbound lanes. For all other vehicles, the CHP expects a long-term closure of the highway between Lockwood Valley to the north, where most of the gravel mines in dispute are located, and Matilija Road and the Ojai Valley to the south.

Continue reading "Stop the Trucks: Collapse of Route 33" »

Posted by Howard Smith at 07:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | author bio

over-pass-work2.pdf

In today's Ventura County Star:
Saturday, February 23, 2008, from staff reports:

Bridge on Highway 33 Collapses: No One Hurt

A bridge support beam failure caused 130 to 150 feet of embankment along south-bound Highway 33 above Ojai to slide into the North Fork of Matilija Creek on Friday evening, authorities said.

The roadway was empty at the time of the collapse and no one was hurt, California Highway Patrol officials sad.

The bridge, located 10 to 12 miles north of Ojai, reportedly gave way about 6:15 p.m., according to the CHP.

Only southbound lanes were affected, officials said and northbound lanes remained open to residents and emergency personnel.

For all other vehicles, the CHP expects a long-term closure of the highway between Lockwood Valley Road to the north and Matilija Road to the south.

Caltrans crews worked to repair the roadway Friday night, authorities said.

Continue reading "Stop the Trucks: Highway 33 Bridge Collapses!" »

Posted by Howard Smith at 08:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | author bio

From a letter sent by the Ojai Valley Democratic Club:

Because of the hard work we have all been doing, Ventura County is about to change from Republican to Democrat. Four years ago we were 16,000 behind. Now the gap is only 473! Help us close the gap and move on to a decisive majority!

To discuss common objectives and strategies in that pursuit, supporters of Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and Dennis Kucinich, along with members of the Ojai Peace Coalition, MoveOn.org, and the Ojai Green Coalition, are invited to attend a general meeting of the Ojai Valley Democratic Club this Saturday, February 23rd at 10:00am at the Ojai Arts Center, 113 South Montgomery Street, Ojai.

Posted by evan austin at 05:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | author bio

Christmas in Ojai from Daly Road Graphics

On February 1, 2008 "Stop the Trucks," filed the following formal complaint against the Ozena Mine with the head of the Ventura County Planning Division, Kim Rodriguez:

Please consider this letter on behalf of Ojai residents, John Broesamle, Howard Smith and the “Stop the Trucks” coalition a formal request to re-open the investigation of possible C.U.P violations on August 14, 2007 in the operation of gravel trucks in conjunction with the Ozena Valley Sand and Gravel Mine.

The Ojai “Stop the Trucks Coalition is comprised of the City of Ojai; Forestwatch; the Ojai Valley Chamber of Commerce; the Ojai Valley School District; the Ojai Valley Board of Realtors; and many hundreds of private citizens.

In your September 27, 2007 letter to Howard Smith (prepared by Pat Richards) and your January 8, 2008 letter to John Broesamle, the department denies both complaints of early morning and late afternoon CUP truck violations by citing the weigh tickets provided to the Planning Department by Ozena.

After an extensive forensic study of the weigh tickets turned over to the Planning Division by the agent for Ozena, John Hecht of West Coast Environmental & Engineering, “Stop the Trucks,” now firmly believes that the use of self-prepared weigh tickets, which appear to be the sole tool used by the division to monitor truck traffic, is not valid. It is a method in which the results can seemingly be manipulated at will by the mine operator; and/or the weigh master; the trucking contractor; and/or their designated drivers; and may result in fraud or misrepresentation of the facts. Clearly they fail the test as the evidentiary basis for any claims, pro or con.

Details of our review are in the “Analysis” provided both below and attached separately.

Continue reading "Stop the Trucks: Complaint Against Ozena" »

Posted by Howard Smith at 04:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | author bio

A new story by Nao Braverman of the Ojai Valley News along with last year's press release from the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) reveals the heightened threat to our community: "Mine Owners Seek Expanded Routes, Hours; Despite death, bid to expand mine continues."

Some of the highlights from the OVN: "In mid-January, owners of the Ozena Valley Mine applied for modifications to their Conditional Use Permit to mine sand and gravel in Ozena Valley. Included in the application is a request to increase the number of truck trips hauling sand and gravel to and from the plant and expand the hours that their gravel hauling trucks are permitted to travel on Highway 33."

Continue reading "Stop the Trucks: Ozena Mine Seek Expanded Routes & Hours" »

Posted by Howard Smith at 05:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | author bio

The Ventura County Reporter features news story on "Appeal denied in truck violation case."

Bill Lascher, Editor of the VC Reporter, published in this past week's edition a short article on the Gravel Truck battles, which Bill says is the prelude to a much longer story in the coming weeks.

Some excerpts and a link to the full article follow:

….The most recent development came with County planners’ refusal to hear an appeal by Ozena’s owners of a violation of existing conditional use permits…

“We’re opposed to having this town, which is dependent on a tourist economy, education, and the arts, inject industrialization. “It completely obscures and takes away from the heart and soul of what the town is about…”

Continue reading "Stop the Truck: Between a rock mine and a hard place" »

Posted by Howard Smith at 04:08 PM | Permalink | author bio

i don't pretend to know a whole lot about economics or all the troubles that the housing market is in right now, but i'm comfortable enough to know that certain frivolities of society (schools, roads, health care, etc) are feeling a pinch. i also tend to believe educated economists when they say that a declining housing market and general loss of net jobs are sure signs of what they call "recession".

i get a little bit worried when, despite January's unemployment rate being higher than December's, President Bush claims that "for the first time in 52 months, we didn't create jobs." i become alarmed when he says that our economy is in a "rough patch", as though the financial standings of the world's only superpower are a neglected corner of his ranch.

what i DO know is that the occupation of and war on Iraq is costing the United States $720 Million every day of the tax money we're about to send more of. locally, that amounts to $487 Million from Ventura County alone to pay for fiscal year 2007, with FY2008 estimated to cost OUR COUNTY $550 Million. that's a lot of money. how much?

Continue reading "My Economic Stimulus Package : End the F#*%ing War!" »

Posted by evan austin at 02:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | author bio

Today is January 30th, 2008. It was on this day in 1948 that Mohandas K. Gandhi was shot and killed in Delhi, and it is on this date that we begin the Season for Nonviolence. This 64-day period between the memorial dates of Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. (April 4th) and is used globally as a time for personal and community reflection on the healing and transforming power of nonviolence and the contributions towards Peace made by these two great leaders.

In this spirit the Ojai Peace Coalition presents our handy, consolidated, easily-printable, wallet-fittable, fun-to-foldable 64 Daily Reflections Card to keep with you so your commitments to Peace and Compassion are never more than a glance away. Enjoy!

Our first week of reflections are:
Jan 30: Today, I will reflect on what peace means to me.
Feb 01: Today, I will look at opportunities to be a peacemaker.
Feb 02: Today, I will practice nonviolence and respect for Mother Earth by making good use of her resources.
Feb 03: Today, I will take time to admire and appreciate nature.
Feb 04: Today, I will plant seeds--plants or constructive ideas.
Feb 05: Today, I will hold a vision of plenty for all the world’s hungry and be open to guidance as to how I can help alleviate some of that hunger.
Feb 06: Today, I will acknowledge every human being’s fundamental right to justice, equity, and equality.

Posted by evan austin at 01:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | author bio

Photo by Daly Road Grapics, Ojai Ave at Montgomery, 7:00am on 1/22/08

Appeal by Ozena Mine to Expand Trucking Hours Rejected

Such changes would have expanded allowable and permitted trucking through our valley from the current seven hours a day on weekdays to more than double that.

Continue reading "Stop the Trucks: Another Victory for Ojai!" »

Posted by Howard Smith at 05:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | author bio

The rain continues steadily, with a forecast for continued sky-water through Saturday night (AccuWeather) or Monday (Weather Channel). Our local Police and Highway Patrol are reporting no road closures or major accidents, but there are many flooded areas which are mostly marked with cones and/or signs. As always in the rain, simply be cautious and aware, reduce your speed, and increase your stopping distance.

Continue reading "A Downpour of News" »

Posted by evan austin at 05:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | author bio

Do you stay in your house all day and all night? Though there may be a few folks out there in this category, I suspect the majority do cross the threshold into the greater Ojai Valley and beyond. This begs the question of how we choose to get around. Do you walk? Ride a bike? Skateboard? Drive a car? A motorcycle? A electric car? Perhaps you even ride the bus or participate in a car pool? We have many choices for meeting our transportation needs. Beyond our decision of mode of transportation, we then have the decision of frequency of transportation. Do we drive around the Ojai Valley multiple times in the day or do you combine trips? What about participating in a no car day?

These are some of the questions the transportation committee of the Ojai Valley Green Coalition is trying to explore. Beyond these basics, we really don't have an agenda. This is where you come in. What ideas do you have pertaining to transportation in the Ojai Valley? What are the issues? What could be done differently? Who needs to talk to whom to improve the environmental impacts of transportation? Think differently. Think radically. No idea will be dismissed.

If you'd like to actively participate on this committee, join our email list. In the meantime, post your comments over on the Ojai Valley Green Coalition blog.

Posted by Kenley Neufeld at 02:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | author bio

In case you had any doubts about Fox News and you have 10 minutes to spend watching a video exposing their successful effort to squelch their own story about the dangers of bovine growth hormone, here you go......

Thanks to Lanny Kaufer for sending this!

http://www.blinkx.com/burl?v=_PA6ybzbJ9HjYZ8K4bupObjZCCNPvBOm

(I watched the whole thing while I did my morning shoulder stretches...it will wake you up!)

"In essence, the news organization owned by media baron Rupert Murdoch, argued the First Amendment gives broadcasters the right to even lie or deliberately distort news reports on the public airwaves."

Posted by Suza Francina at 05:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | author bio

Happening in the Valley today and into the weekend: "Bringing Up Baby" at the Nan Tolbert Nurturing Center in Oak View begins today (which i can personally vouch for as an excellent parenting/partnering/caregiving experience with real benefit to our community and planet), followed by music, cooking, peace, and theater tomorrow. Saturday sees the 22nd Annual Peddler's Fair, free chiropractic, and tequila tasting. Sunday is all about more eating, more drinking...and supporting Democratic presidential candidate and Ojai visitor Dennis Kucinich.

Continue reading "After the Rain, a Smattering of Headlines" »

Posted by evan austin at 07:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | author bio

Weighing In On Global Warming

Posted by Raymond Powers at 11:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | author bio

Yogi, Presidential Candidate and Peace Activist Dennis Kucinich

Congressman Dennis Kucinich practices yoga every morning, follows a vegan diet and has been an outspoken critic of the war in Iraq since its inception. He infuses spiritual philosophy into his rhetoric, truly sees that everything is connected, and believes that peace begins within. No wonder I was impressed when Kucinich and his wife Elizabeth came to Ojai and spoke in September, 2007!

Can I help it that I'm excited about someone who connects global warring and global warming? Who supports the humane treatment of animals and sees the connection between public health and animal health? Plus, how can you not love someone who proposes a Works Green Administration that will allow us to organize our country around sustainability and conservation and free our country from dependence on foreign oil! I could go on and on...and I will!

The first time I recall hearing any mention of Kucinich was a year ago, when I walked into Gem Quest and Meg Easling, the owner at the time, went on and on about how great he was. Her spiel went in one ear and out the other. Plus sometimes I think our choice for who should be our fearless leader is about as rational as our choice for a mate -- and tall people are perceived as more powerful.

My family is a political soup. If we want to eat in peace, we don't discuss politics at the table. What do I say to those near and dear to me whose Bush/Cheney marriage=man+woman bumper stickers are wedded to their vehicles?

Here's why I'm going to cast my lot with the Kucinich team, and vote for him in the primaries:

Continue reading ""A Man with the Courage of a Lion, a Heart of Gold and Backbone of Steel"" »

Posted by Suza Francina at 07:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (18) | author bio

"White is the praise of winter"
-- Ojai, Land of Man's Sacred Nature

Today is a spectacular winter day in Ojai. There is a dazzling blanket of white snow on the majestic Topa Topa mountains. Ojai has sometimes been compared to a valley in Switzerland, and on a day like this you can see why. A few more days of snow and I can imagine sledding down Signal Street or Thacher Road, just like when I was a kid in Holland! All along Pratt trail the creeks are flowing. Several times my dogs immersed themselves in the water.

When I see the beauty of Ojai, my mind naturally turns to how to preserve it. I have three giant scrapbooks filled with articles from the Ojai Valley News documenting all the environmental battles fought in Ojai all the way back to 1967. These scrapbooks formed the basis for an editorial I was requested to write by the OVN's that appeared eight years ago today on January 7, 2000.

Since many of the issues Ojai has faced remain essentially the same, I thought I would post this editorial here, exactly as it first appeared. Only the dates have been changed to 2008.

Continue reading "Ojai is still a place that uplifts the spirit" »

Posted by Suza Francina at 01:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (5) | author bio

A writer friend and I have been gathering quotes about the Ojai Valley. Here's one for this beautiful Sunday morning, from a letter written in 1922 by Nitya (Nityananda), the brother of Jiddu Krishnamurti, to Dr. Annie Besant. Nitya's letter was composed a few weeks after the two brothers first came to Ojai, and began living in the east end, on McAndrew Road.

In a long and narrow valley of apricot orchards and orange groves is
our house, and the hot sun shines down day after day to remind us of
Adyar, but of an evening the cool air comes down from the range of
hills on either side. Far beyond the lower end of the valley runs the
long, perfect road from Seattle in Washington down to San Diego in
Southern California, some two thousand miles, with a ceaseless flow of
turbulent traffic, yet our valley lies happily, unknown and forgotten,
for a road wanders in but knows no way out. The American Indians
called our valley the Ojai or the nest, and for centuries they must
have sought it as a refuge.

Source:
Krishnamurti: The Years of Awakening, London: John Murray, 1975, Shambhala reprint edition 1997, by Mary Lutyens

Posted by Suza Francina at 08:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | author bio

So this is Christmas, And what have you done
Another year over, And a new one just begun
And so this is Christmas, I hope you have fun
The near and the dear ones, The old and the young

A very merry Christmas, And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one, Without any fear

And so this is Christmas, For weak and for strong
For rich and the poor ones, The road is so long
And so happy Christmas, For black and for white
For yellow and red ones, Let's stop all the fight

Posted by evan austin at 07:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | author bio

Not a new one, but still a good one. Click to listen:

Brett Dennen - They Holidays Are Here (And We're Still At War)

(Lyrics after the jump)

Continue reading "The Holidays Are Here (And We're STILL At War)" »

Posted by evan austin at 06:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (13) | author bio

Malibu resident William H. Weissberg was killed in this crash when an out-of-control gravel truck hit his Mercedes-Benz as he was entering an intersection on PCH. The driver of the gravel truck, Hovik Papikyan, also died.

This story and photo, published in the Malibu Times in October was forwarded to the "Stop the Trucks" coalition by a concerned Ojai resident. (Copyright © 2007 Malibu Times. All rights reserved.)

We have posted it here as both an illustration and a reminder of the potential dangers gravel trucks may present to our community, partcularly as they attempt to navigate hazardous road conditions on both Route 150 between Ojai and Santa Paula and Route 33 from Ojai to the Cuyama Valley.

Continue reading "Stop The Trucks: Two Killed in Gravel Truck Accident" »

Posted by Howard Smith at 07:46 PM | Permalink | author bio

I'm hoping we can continue this discussion of consumption and the environment, especially as we get closer to Christmas. The question is, do we really need to give more stuff or can we do something else. This is a trailer for a longer (20-minute) video that is well worth the time. Watch the trailer or pop over to the full film.

Posted by Kenley Neufeld at 09:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (7) | author bio

Two recent articles in the Ojai Valley News and the Los Angeles Times highlight the ongoing problems created by massive numbers of gravel trucks coming through the Ojai Valley.

The first is from the November 21st edition of the OVN by Nao Braverman in which she reports:

"Traffic threat from Santa Barbara County mines remains..."

"...Two new gravel mine expansion applications have Ojai Valley advocates concerned about an increase in truck traffic. Those community members are fighting to protect the quality of local air, noise and safety, particularly because the valley’s tourist-based economy depends on it…"

Continue reading "Stop the Trucks: Gravel Mines Eye Expansion and a Clear Pattern of Risk Emerges from Smog" »

Posted by Howard Smith at 08:49 PM | Permalink | author bio

Dear family and friends,

As is the case in most presidential elections, our upcoming one is marked by serious and complex issues that We, The People are tasked with deciding the course of. More often than not, these issues are about our common humanity and morality and NOT as shallow as partisan politics, as the media and political machines would have us believe. The most urgent issues facing me this election cycle are
• Iraq – a strategy for ending the war and bringing every soldier home.
• Iran – preventing another unnecessary war by exercising creative and intelligent diplomacy
• Nuclear Weapons – halting the development of a new generation of U.S. nukes, and leading the international community in disarmament.

Some very brief facts about each of these topics:
• Iraq - as of NOW – Saturday December 8th at 9am – there have been 3,886 U.S. troop deaths in Iraq, coupled with tens of thousands of injuries and estimates of up to a MILLION killed Iraqis, and all at a cost to our children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren of more than $475 BILLION.
• Iran - a recent intelligence report reveals that Iran halted its nuclear weapons program as long as FOUR YEARS AGO, and yet the Bush Administration continues to try to scare us with the threat of a nuclear Iran. Reports are showing that President Bush knew about the cessation of nuclear activities, and yet his administration is currently spinning that data as reinforcement for their belief in imminent danger and fear.
• Nukes - this administration has been pursuing production of new nuclear weapons during its entire term, even though we already have a stockpile of nearly 10,000 Earth-destroying weapons (approx. 1/3 of the entire nuclear stock on this planet, and most of them are armed.) each ONE of them carries about 30 times the destructive power of the Hiroshima bomb, and it would take no more than a few hundred of them to destroy a major portion of the world.

Most of our choices for President have a position on these issues, which makes it fairly clear what kind of world we can expect with them in office. Here’s my simplified rundown:

Continue reading "This February and Next November, Vote for Peace!" »

Posted by evan austin at 09:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (5) | author bio

"If a path to the better there be, it begins with a full look at the worst."
--Thomas Hardy

It's a spectacularly beautiful day here in Ojai. Everything looks so fresh and clean after last night's rain. I just had to abandon my desk work to soak up the sight of golden raindrops sparkling on all the leaves. A friend and I took a good brisk walk up Foothill and let the dogs run free in a wide open field. All the while we enjoyed that invigorating feeling that comes after the rain, when the world feels infused with the force of life.

As a yoga teacher I know how good it feels to stretch my limbs. All human beings can understand the pain of being confined in a small space. We know that being out in nature, under the clear blue sky, lifts our spirit.

When I came home I opened my e-mail. The first message I read was from the director of Humane California. It contained an article published in The Reporter,

Continue reading "The Call to Mercy" »

Posted by Suza Francina at 12:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (19) | author bio

Really a fascinating article on building according to natures laws.

There are many factors at work in the creation of a building aligned with principles of Vastu Science, and their importance is slowly making inroads in the West. Feng shui, a derivative of Sthapatya Ved, is probably the best known similar building methodology currently used in the U.S. With the increase in interest, some architects are going to the source.

Posted by Raymond Powers at 12:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (5) | author bio

Click to enlarge. "The Five Stages of (Causing) Grief" courtesy Cectic. So what's on your mind this Sunday?

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 03:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (9) | author bio

"The greatness of a nation...can be judged by the way its animals are treated."
-- Mahatma Gandhi

It's Sunday morning, time to run to Farmer's Market to collect signatures. For the past two months, a group of Ojai citizens (in the yoga world we call these citizen volunteers "karma yogis") has been working with people in Ventura County and throughout California to collect signatures to put a Humane Farming initiative on the ballot next November. The Petition for the Humane Treatment of Farm Animals could greatly improve the lives of millions of animals. If you see one of us at Farmer's Market, or if someone approaches you and asks you to sign the petition, here is what it is all about.

Continue reading "Say YES! for Humane Treatment of Animals" »

Posted by Suza Francina at 07:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (13) | author bio

According to a National Geographic report, temperatures in North America have risen almost two degrees in the last twenty years. Can this big thaw be stopped? I previously posted about vegetarianism and the environment and highlighted other changes taking place in our environment. I am deeply concerned about the future my children may experience. Right now I am receiving inspiration from Thich Nhat Hanh as his community transitions to veggie vechiles, solar energy, and car free days. But what has given me the most to consider is what he said in October.

The Buddha taught that all phenomena are impermanent; there is birth, then there is death. Our civilization is also like that. In the history of the earth, many civilizations have ended. If our modern civilization is destroyed, it also follows the law of impermanence. If our human race continues to live in ignorance and in the bottomless pit of greed as at present, then the destruction of this civilization is not very far away.

We have to accept this truth, just like we accept our own death. Once we can accept it, we will not react with anger, denial, and despair anymore. We will have peace. Once we have peace, we will know how to live so that the earth has a future; so that we can come together in the spirit of brotherhood and sisterhood and apply the modern technology available to us, in order to save our beloved green planet. If not, we will die from mental anguish, before our civilization actually terminates.

Continue reading "The End of Civilization" »

Posted by Kenley Neufeld at 09:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (21) | author bio

Introducing the new Ojai Peace Coalition Action Blog, which will feature current actions, archive our action alerts, maintain a set of links for online peace activism, and more! Visit now and let me know what you think about it!

Posted by evan austin at 10:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (6) | author bio

FARM presents “SPIRITED CHRISTMAS” CONCERT
featuring JIMMY CALIRE and APRIL HENDRIX
DECEMBER 8, 2007

Foundation of American Roots Music (FARM), the non-profit organization behind Ojai’s famed Bowlful of Blues, will host a fundraising concert in the Ojai Art Center gallery on Saturday, December 8th beginning at 8 p.m. The evening, entitled “Spirited Christmas,” will feature the Jimmy Calire Quartet playing jazz arrangements of Christmas standards from his album of the same name followed by a holiday-themed blues dance with special guest vocalist April Hendrix.

FARM, under the direction of blues impresario Michael Kaufer, hopes to bring back the Bowlful of Blues in the fall of ’08. The group also plans to reinstate its Roots Music-in-the-Schools programs that have reached many Ventura County children over the 20-plus years of the festival’s history. All proceeds from the December 8 event will be applied toward those goals.

Holiday appetizers and an open bar will be available. Admission is $20 per person. Tickets are now on sale at Cardinali Brothers Music, 139 W. El Roblar Dr., Meiners Oaks; Ojai Creates, 606 E. Ojai Ave.; and Ojai House, 304 N. Montgomery St., Ojai. Any remaining tickets will be available at the door.

Businesses are encouraged to reserve blocks of seats early for holiday staff parties by calling FARM’s information line at 646-7230. For more information, go to www.bowlfulofblues.com.

Bowlful of Blues staff and supporters invite the community to bring in the holiday season in a swinging fashion while helping FARM bring back Ojai’s own Bowlful of Blues!

Continue reading "FARM presents "Spirited Christmas", December 8th" »

Posted by evan austin at 09:46 AM | Permalink | author bio

A note from Dulanie Ellis, concerned citizen and member of the Ojai Valley Green Coalition Food and Agriculture Committee:

The Meiners Oaks Water Board has decided to rethink their rate structure. We want them to do a flat rate for everyone, residential, commercial and agricultural. We're proposing a $30 meter rate and a unt rate of 75 cents. While this will double Ag rates, it beats the heck out of the tiered rate system which would raise rates up to 700% for farmers. We need residents to come out and support this! Please broadcast this to friends!

Please come out tonight, Tuesday 11/20, at 6:30pm for about half an hour, to 202 W. El Roblar.

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 08:53 AM | Permalink | author bio

Today is November 15th. It's the day the Articles of Confederation were approved in 1777, when NBC radio opened with 24 stations in 1926, and when a million people peacefully protested the Vietnam War in Washington DC in 1969. It's the birth day of Ed Asner, Bill Richardson, and Ol' Dirty Bastard, and the death day of Constantine VIII, Dawn Powell, and Charlie Grimm.
Today is Saint Leopold's Day in Austria, Independence Day in Palestine, and America Recycles Day in the U.S.A. Today there are 432 days left in the reign of the Bush Administration.

And on November 15, 1986, perhaps a thousand exhausted and passionate people marched into Washington, D.C. at the culmination of the Great Peace March for Global Nuclear Disarmament.

Their story, in very brief, goes something like this:
The March was many hundreds strong when it left Los Angeles, California on March 1, 1986 as a project of the non-profit organization PRO-Peace. They got as far as Barstow, Ca when the organization folded due to bankruptcy and other factors. Many people left, but a resolute few hundred held round-the-clock meetings for a few weeks to reorganize themselves and continue.

Averaging about 15 miles per day, the marchers trekked across our nation through big cities, small towns, and great expanses of beautiful nothing in between. Along the way they held workshops on non-violent conflict resolution and peace-and-justice topics, staged protests and demonstrations at nuclear sites, and interacted with local populations in a variety of creative ways. Most nights were camping, with a large and colorful "Peace City" of tents set up in whatever open space they were invited - or allowed - to use. In a truly grassroots, self-organized effort, the marchers did everything from cooking to washing to maintaining a library, school bus, mail truck, portable toilets, and more.

Nine months and 3,700 miles from L.A., the Great Peace March arrived in the nation's capital to meet with decision-makers, stage a protest at the Department of Energy, and say goodbye. Many people only really completed the first two.

Every year in the 21 since the March, participants have reunited in different parts of the country. Here in California, it happens at Carpinteria State Beach (or, like last year, at Lake Casitas). Drawing dozens of Marchers from as far away as Hawai'i and as close as Carpinteria itself, this close-knit family still shares a common passion and bond over their experience even with their differing and evolving lifepaths. Earlier this year, i found out why they continue to reunite, and what their activism is like more than two decades later.

Continue reading "Great Peace March Arrives in D.C. 21 Years Ago Today" »

Posted by evan austin at 11:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (8) | author bio

Right-wing blogger Tim F. at Balloon Juice nails his fellow conservatives on global warming denial:

...The only question is why the right wing felt such a compelling need to get behind it [global warming denial] this time. Is there something inherently liberal about avoiding catastrophe?

It seems to me that the sad saga of warming denial illustrates a major weakness of conservative [movementarianism]. Climate science isn’t really partisan in any meaningful way, yet as long as the movementarians think that attacking the science will score a victory against liberalism they will go on attacking just the same. All the petro lobby needed to do was polarize a scientific matter along political lines and the rightwing movement willingly became what amounts to the private army for a cause almost completely tangential to their individual interests. Retired tobacco execs look on with a mix of humor and deep jealousy.

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 04:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | author bio

Two Calls, Two Points

We have two Senators, and they each need to hear two things from you TODAY:
• ban cluster bombs (98% of victims are civilians, and most of those are children)
• filibuster Mukasey (nominee for Attorney General, refuses to say that waterboarding is torture)

Senator Dianne Feinstein: 1.202.224.3841
Senator Barbara Boxer: 1.202.224.3553

need more? read on... (+ bonus action!)

Continue reading "No Bombs, No Torture: Call the Senate" »

Posted by evan austin at 07:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (13) | author bio

Fast Company has an article on 7th grade dropout Johnathan Goodwin, who "can get 100 mpg out of a Lincoln Continental, cut emissions by 80%, and double the horsepower. Does the car business have the guts to follow him?"

Goodwin [is] famous in the world of underground car modders. He is a virtuoso of fuel economy. He takes the hugest American cars on the road and rejiggers them to get up to quadruple their normal mileage and burn low-emission renewable fuels grown on U.S. soil--all while doubling their horsepower. The result thrills eco-evangelists and red-meat Americans alike: a vehicle that's simultaneously green and mean. And word's getting out. In the corner of his office sits Arnold Schwarzenegger's 1987 Jeep Wagoneer, which Goodwin is converting to biodiesel; soon, Neil Young will be shipping him a 1960 Lincoln Continental to transform into a biodiesel--electric hybrid. His target for Young's car? One hundred miles per gallon.

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 01:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | author bio

It's a sparkling Sunday morning here in the Valley of the Moon!

These past nights of the Full Moon, looking down on the landscape from my favorite spot high in the hills, when all is quiet and buildings disappear in darkness, it is easy to imagine the diverse cultures that have lived in this valley over thousands of years. In my mind's eye I can see how the valley looked, even a hundred years ago, with trees, rivers and deer.

I wonder how the rabbits, quails, snakes, coyotes and the multitude of creatures of the night are adapting as they lose ground with each passing day. I see rabbits darting amidst cars in parking lots on Bryant Street, possums scurrying down Canada, looking for openings in fences, and families of raccoons sitting by mailboxes on Signal Street. As we clear more and more brush away from our homes to prevent fires, we must not forget this brush is part of their habitat. How I hope they can survive!

I've been sitting outside, drinking organic coffee and browsing through this week's articles about the fires. When I see the images of families looking at the ruins of their homes, I wonder, "What does it feel like to have all your earthly belongings suddenly disappear?"

Yesterday I received a letter from my friends Corinne McLaughlin and Gordon Davidson, about their experience of their house burning down. Some of you reading this probably know them. They visit Ojai regularly and have presented workshops at Meditation Mount for many years. Since disasters can happen to any one of us, I thought I'd pass this on, even though I might not be quite as forgiving and philosophical as they are! They wrote:

Dear Friends--here is an article we wrote over 10 years about about our experience of our house burning down. I'm sending it to you in case it might be helpful to someone you know who lost their home in the So. Calif. fires--or in any tragedy or crisis. Let us all continue to hold So. Calif. in our prayers and meditations.

SPIRITUAL LESSONS WE LEARNED FROM OUR FIRE

Some years ago, while we were away for an evening, an arsonist burned our house to the ground. We lost everything but the clothes on our backs and our cars. Everything was in ashes in less than 15 minutes--furniture, clothes, office equipment, books, and most difficult of all--all our work, our writing, our research.

Continue reading "Spiritual Lessons Learned From the Fire" »

Posted by Suza Francina at 08:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (10) | author bio

From Think Progress:
This morning on Fox News, hosts of the show Fox and Friends blamed the wildfires in California on a new culprit: al Qaeda. They pointed to a 2003 FBI memo, which raised the possibility that al Qaeda may try to set wildfires around the western United States. They also noted that men in a “hovering helicopter” saw “a guy starting one of these fires.”
Later in the segment, host Steve Doocy acknowledged that in memo, al Qaeda didn’t even mention California. “They mention Colorado, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming,” he added. (emphasis mine)

Watch it and read the transcript.

i guess the whole "fight 'em over there so we don't have to fight 'em over here" thing didnt work out so well. Bring the troops home to fight Al Qaeda's fires! is "fear-mongering" one word, or two?

Posted by evan austin at 12:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (5) | author bio

A few months ago I received a dinner invitation from the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy, an organization for which I have the highest regard. The meal preference card said, "Kindly indicate whether you would prefer a poultry or vegetarian main dish."

I thought to myself, "Poultry? At a dinner to save the environment?"

Unless the bird comes from a small family farm where chickens actually run around outdoors and their manure goes back to the garden, I'm afraid a chicken dinner at an environmental fund-raiser isn't quite putting your money where your mouth is!

As Kenley Neufeld's article on Vegetarianism and the Environment (posted below) reports, in November of 2006, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization issued a report stating that livestock agriculture generates more greenhouse gas emissions than all forms of transportation combined.

The report projects that unless more people commit to eating less meat, the number of farmed animals will double in the next 50 years.

Have you ever wondered why our beautiful valley has no chicken farms or slaughterhouses?

Continue reading "The greening of Ojai--a chicken coop in every backyard?" »

Posted by Suza Francina at 01:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (22) | author bio

Back in 1985-1986, I was deeply troubled by the plight of the rainforest in the Amazon. The information I received at that time came primarily from the Rainforest Action Network who talked about deforestation to support the booming fast food industry and the American hunger for cheap hamburgers. I felt helpless to do anything until I realized that I could start by not eating meat. My connection to the environmental movement was connected to my eating habits and I became a vegetarian. Ten years later I began a journey into Buddhism, eventually becoming a student of Thich Nhat Hanh. It was there that I learned about vegetarianism as it relates to ethics and its connection with compassion to all beings and not killing. Now, another ten years have passed. I am still a vegetarian. I am still a student a Thich Nhat Hanh. This past week he wrote a letter to our community where he talks of the environment and food. Here are few excerpts:

Continue reading "Vegetarianism and the Environment" »

Posted by Kenley Neufeld at 11:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (29) | author bio

Is Caring for a Small Child a Sustainable Venture?

We’d better hope so. And it would appear that it is, given humankind’s long (though arguably non-illustrious) history on this planet; however, i’m wary of confusing “sustainability” with simple “strength in numbers”. Perhaps the human marketplace has simply been over-saturated with product long enough to give the appearance of staying-power, a perilous condition which we are on the fraying edges of now.

So how do we do it? How do we perpetuate our species – more of a social exercise than a biological or evolutionary necessity – in a way that’s healthy for both us and our planet? Here are some of my family’s solutions and opportunities:

• Much of Noa’s fabric environment is organic, sustainably-produced cotton. YES it’s more expensive than the planet-killing alternatives, and we’re very grateful that we have the means to invest in this way. to have the means to choose life and still choose death would be a tragedy. [hint: read into this as deeply as you dare] Terramor in Meiners Oaks is a great local source, as is the EarthPlay Eco Store at 900 East Ojai Ave.

• as we (slowly) use up the chemicals that populate our under-sink areas, we’re replacing them with eco-friendly options that sterilize countertops but not people. A simple Google search will yield over 56,000 resources, including simple cleaning recipes you can make yourself. Trader Joe's also has life-friendly cleaning supplies, and Plan-It Hardware is a good resource for businesses who want to offer green products (great website to send your favorite hardware, paint, and cleaning supplies retailer to!). Green Thumb in Ventura is listed as a planet-friendly place.

• CLOTH DIAPERS! They’re back, and better than the ones you remember: snazzy covers, no pins, and all the feel-good you can handle. seriously, we researched this decision a lot, and it comes down to this:
- Natural cloth on our baby’s skin, not a petroleum-based techno-diaper.
- While there is industrial-level energy expended to create cloth diapers AND to wash them over and over, it does not overpower the energy used to create plastic planet-chokers NOR is there the hidden cost of the space needed to store massive piles of dirty diapers.
- There is no diaper service for Ojai (a diaper service would rent you the cloth diapers, pick up and wash your dirties, and deliver you clean ones each week). This type of business is a dying breed, because of the ultra-convenience of eternal plastic pants. So, we’re washing them ourselves. Right now while Noa’s breastfeeding, it’s a pop-em-in-the-washer affair for two cycles (one cold and soapless, the other hot and with a minimal amount of Trader Joe’s biodegradable powder soap), then hang ‘em on the line to dry. The sun, baby: dries ‘em, warms ‘em, sterilizes ‘em...all for free.
- No pins! Today’s cloth diapers are held together with some variation of the Snappy: a three-armed stretchy fastener (elastic/plastic, yes) with tiny teeth. works like the metal clip that fastens most Ace bandages.
- Cloth diapered babies toilet train sooner than their petroleum-dipped counterparts because the cloth doesn’t wick the waste magically away from the skin and give a false sense of comfort. This means less diaper-using overall.
- Cloth diapering is cheaper over the diapered career of the child. While the initial investment is higher (we paid over $200 for our startup kit), the prolonged and consistently expensive graph for plastics will overpower the cloth’s more moderate trajectory soon enough.
- Overall, using cloth diapers is a) much easier than people are afraid it's not, and b) so very gratifying to know that somewhere, there’s not a giant pile of plastic and crap with your name on it.

CONTINUE FOR MORE!

Continue reading "Sustainable Child" »

Posted by evan austin at 10:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (11) | author bio

Al Gore's statement via email:

I am deeply honored to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. This award is even more meaningful because I have the honor of sharing it with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change--the world's pre-eminent scientific body devoted to improving our understanding of the climate crisis--a group whose members have worked tirelessly and selflessly for many years. We face a true planetary emergency. The climate crisis is not a political issue, it is a moral and spiritual challenge to all of humanity. It is also our greatest opportunity to lift global consciousness to a higher level.

My wife, Tipper, and I will donate 100 percent of the proceeds of the award to the Alliance for Climate Protection, a bipartisan non-profit organization that is devoted to changing public opinion in the U.S. and around the world about the urgency of solving the climate crisis.

Thank you,

Al Gore

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 10:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (48) | author bio

Starring our own Steve Sprinkel and other luminaries working to protect our most precious natural resource: WATER!

Here is a web link to a five minute video on the Ventura River watershed. It was sent by Richard Handley (Ojai Land Conservancy). The video was a class project for an instructor at Brooks Institute.

Rich Handley writes:
" Last week I spent a day working with local photographer Rich Reid on a video project about the watershed. We visited several people working to protect and restore the Ventura River ecosystem: "

Posted by Suza Francina at 08:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | author bio

It's Thursday morning, my free morning where I can stay home and write, do yoga, dishes, laundry, water the yard and sit outside to read and enjoy the peace and quiet. It's mid morning, nice and warm outside, so I pick a nice spot under a tree, move my lawn chair, spread out the LA Times and go inside to get a bowl of left-over soup from Farmer and the Cook. I have my worries but I brush them aside and think to myself "How lucky I am to live in a war-free zone, with electricity, running water, a flush toilet, and something good to eat." Birds are singing, squirrels are chattering, a perfect day in paradise. Almost.

I go back outside with my bowl of soup. I sit down. Oh no! Not again! What's that noise? My peace and quiet is shattered. It's the ubiquitous leaf blowers. They're back for another round. I live in a beautiful neighborhood but one never knows when the leaf blowers will start up as most of my neighbors use gardening services. Plus the nearby Presbyterian church parking lot seems to get a good vacuuming about twice a week. Sometimes I hear them on Saturday nights, as I watch the pink moment or the full moon rise. They start up when my students are in Savasana (relaxation pose). No moment is sacred to the leaf blowers.

Continue reading "It's the ubiquitous leaf blowers. They're back for another round!" »

Posted by Suza Francina at 12:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (42) | author bio

Jackson Browne, called the "poster boy of the Southern California confessional singer-songwriter movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s" by Wikipedia, will play a special benefit concert on Sunday October 7th at 1pm in Libbey Bowl, to benefit the Ojai Raptor Center.

The concert also features local acoustic pop sensations The Household Gods. Open lawn seating tickets are $40, and are available at Local Hero Books (formerly Table of Contents) in Ojai, and at Patagonia and Salzers in Ventura.

The Ojai Raptor Center is dedicated to the rehabilitation and release of orphaned and injured birds of prey and to providing educational programs to teach about raptors and our shared environment. They are a non profit organization licensed by The California Department of Fish and Game and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The center takes in approximately 1,000 birds a year. ~ Your ticket purchase is tax-deductible to the full extent of the law. ~

Jackson has played locally many times, notably for the Ventura Hillsides benefits. Songs you may recognize include "Doctor My Eyes", "The Pretender", "Running On Empty", "Somebody's Baby", and "Lives In The Balance".

Posted by evan austin at 09:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (5) | author bio

...are not a new kind of underwear.

• Tomorrow (Oct 4) could be a busy day for the new parent with a love for the environment, pets, and jewelry: Hit up the first of six weekly baby-nurturing gatherings at the newly-opened Nan Tolbert Nurture Center from 11am-12:30, then pop over to Gem Quest Jewelers for their liquidation sale until 4pm, followed by a Blessing of the Animals at St. Thomas Aquinas from 4-6pm. Cap the evening off with a Green Coalition Waste Management Committee Meeting at 7pm!

>>read on for more!

Continue reading "Ojai News Briefs" »

Posted by evan austin at 06:38 PM | Permalink | author bio

Citizens for Peaceful Resolutions, with co-sponsorship by the Ventura College International Studies Program, presents the 4th annual Earth Charter Summit Celebration and Awards on Saturday October 13, 2007 at 3pm at Ventura College's Guthrie Hall. [get map] The event is FREE and includes refreshments, live music by Inlakech Cultural Arts Center Mariachis, and vocalist Emy Reynolds - winner of the recent Battle of the Bands!

Continue reading "Earth Charter Summit Celebration in Ventura" »

Posted by evan austin at 09:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | author bio

Tyler Suchman named by Pacific Coast Business Times as one of their 2007 selections for top "40 Under 40" Business Leaders.

(Tyler Suchman, left; with Jerry Kaplan, right, at "Stop the Trucks" rally)

Tyler Suchman founded The Ojai Post and runs The Ojai Network, a collective of Ojai sites focusing on community and culture. His consulting company, Tribal Core, provides internet strategy, online marketing and search engine optimization services.

Continue reading "Congratulations, Tyler!!!" »

Posted by Howard Smith at 08:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (11) | author bio

Or: As Ojai Goes, So Goes The World

The Ojai Valley News reports that a potentially gang-related vandalism and assault incident took place on Tuesday on Santa Ana Road in Oak View, resulting in one arrest.

This comes on the heels of the Ojai Valley community's first major International Peace Day celebration, convened by the Retreats of Ojai, the Ojai Peace Coalition, and the Ojai Interfaith Alliance and titled "Living Peace in Ojai". The weekend-long event included the awarding of the first-ever Noble Peace Prize to local activists Clive and Marion Leeman, performance of the nation-traveling play "The Gift of Peace" which explores and urges support for the creation of a U.S. Department of Peace, and a well-attended and inspirational interspiritual gathering.

The Peace Alliance's campaign to establish a Cabinet-level Department of Peace - which holds "Effectively treat and dismantle gang psychology" as one of its foundational efforts - is led by Ohio Congressman and Presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich, who was in Ojai over the weekend for two appearances. At the Ojai Retreat on Sunday afternoon, Dennis outlined his philosophy of "Strength Through Peace" to over 100 local supporters. Later that evening at the Glen Muse estate on Libbey Ave, a more informal gathering left many feeling uplifted and hopeful for the Kucinich's new post-election home.

MORE after the jump!

Continue reading "All Politics Is Local" »

Posted by evan austin at 04:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (20) | author bio

Good morning, and happy IPD! Keeping an eye on the weather, here's what's in store:

6-7pm: Vigil for Peace under the Pergola in front of Libbey Park. Consider wearing white.

7pm: Opening ceremony for the Living Peace in Ojai weekend, taking place in the fountain area of Libbey Park. Music will gather and focus us, Judy Gabriel of Meditation Mount will welcome us, and Rae Hanstad of the Ojai City Council will read the Peace Day proclamation that the City issued last week. Then the Ojai Peace Coalition will present its first-ever Noble Peace Prize to Clive and Marion Leeman of the peace vigil! A prayer of Peace and some candle-lit silence will transition us to...

8:15pm: free screening of "Peace One Day" taking place on the patio at Ojai House, 304 N Montgomery St. It's about four blocks from the Park, so as long as you're dressed warmly you're welcome and encouraged to create a candle-lit procession to get there. The film is 80 minutes long.

if you're suddenly inspired to volunteer for any bit of this weekend, please call 805-715-9796 or email the team.

* if it's raining, the entire operation will move to the Chaparral auditorium, on Ojai Avenue at Fox Street *

Posted by evan austin at 07:41 AM | Permalink | author bio

Is Bill McKibbon correct when he argues in his new book, Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future, that the world doesn't have enough natural resources to sustain endless economic growth? He is certainly "challenging the prevailing wisdom that the goal of economies should be unlimited growth." The reason I bring this up is because Ojai is grappling with idea of limiting formula business and I see it relating directly to our long history in Ojai of slow growth and our concern for the environment. Chain stores are an environmental concern. Chain stores relate directly to slow growth.. Come tell the joint Planning Commission/City Council meeting on Wednesday, September 19 what you think. It starts at 7:30pm at Ojai City Hall.

The business person will have concerns about economics and growth and limiting a certain type of business. To that person I suggest reading some of the studies and other articles done on the topic. While there are at least a dozen books on the topic, most of us do not have the time to read all the books. Therefore, I have listed two recent studies and two brief articles on the topic.

Continue reading "Slow Growth, the Environment, Chain Stores, and Economics" »

Posted by Kenley Neufeld at 07:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (9) | author bio

The heat is off, and the sixth anniversary of 9/11 has just passed. Today's common thread: Diversity.
Take a look at the variety of things going on in our Valley lately!:

• Wilma Melville, founder of locally-headquartered National Disaster Search Dog Foundation, receives a $100,000 Purpose Prize for her efforts to help the two- and four-legged, which will be used to build a centralized local training center.
See and hear her story here.

• The Ojai Valley Green Coalition drew over 125 people to its most recent meeting, the purpose of which was to organize volunteers into action committees for food and agriculture; alternative energy; building and construction; environmental health; waste management; transportation; and water and land use. Per the OVN, the remaining committee meetings are as follows:
- Food and Agriculture Committee will meet Sept. 20 at 7 p.m. at the old Honor Farm, a.k.a. new Help of Ojai West Campus on Baldwin Road.
- Energy Conservation Committee will meet Sept. 27 at 7:30 p.m. at a location to be announced.

LOTS more after the jump!

Continue reading "Valley of Diversity" »

Posted by evan austin at 10:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (13) | author bio

In celebration of the United Nations' International Peace Day, the Ojai Valley community presents a weekend of special events from Friday September 21 through Sunday September 23 entitled Living Peace in Ojai!

Convened by the Retreats of Ojai, the Ojai Peace Coalition, the Ojai Interfaith Alliance, various yoga centers, and many other volunteers, and underwritten by Casa Barranca and Glen Muse, the Living Peace in Ojai weekend is a coming together and celebration of our oneness, to explore and exemplify how we can activate and express Living Peace in ourselves and in our beautiful community every day, to help heal our fragile world.

If you would like to help in any way, please email info@livingpeaceinojai.com or call 805.715.7976!

The schedule of events includes:

Continue reading "Living Peace in Ojai!" »

Posted by evan austin at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (33) | author bio

The Ojai Valley Green Coalition put out the call for volunteers this evening at the Go Green: Next Step meeting at Chaparral Auditorium. The response was tremendous, with over 130 citizens coming out to join a committee, buy a t-shirt and contribute to the community they love. Give yourself a big round of applause for being a part of the solution. Our work has just begun.

Posted by Tyler Suchman at 08:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (10) | author bio

FREE shredding? Wahoo!!

Posted by evan austin at 04:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | author bio

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!

Continue reading "Mineral Oil Spill Downtown: Get It While It's Hot!" »

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

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) | author bio

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) | author bio

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.

Continue reading "Special Feature: Locally Grown 2" »

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

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.

Continue reading "Take A Sudden Oak Death Field Trip" »

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

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:

Continue reading "Go Green Ojai - Next Step: "Help Wanted"" »

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

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."

Continue reading "Water water everywhere, and..." »

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

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) | author bio

[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) | author bio

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) | author bio

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) | author bio

Glenn Emmanuel - who, like each of us, is many wonderful things to so many people - left this life this past Monday July 23rd. There will be a remembrance ceremony for him this coming Sunday July 29th at 4pm at the Gazebo in Libbey Park.

Glenn's final poem, with his spellings intact:

A single word
A simple line
full of life/death/space&time
All this
my dearest luves my wife, my suns, my friends
Swirling, dancing, the bright sun -
Mirculous & true

Glenn Emmanuel
July 19, 2007

Posted by evan austin at 10:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (17) | author bio

The Ojai Peace Coalition, acting on the advice and brilliance of a friend, has decided to begin awarding an annual Noble Peace Prize to local heroes of Peace, to recognize those in our community who are living and encouraging the kind of world and ways of being that we're working for. i