Election season is over–NO MORE SIGNS! Hooray!

For the last couple of months, there was nothing more irritating than riding my bike down Pierpont Blvd. Say yes to A, No on B–unneccessary, Mareen O’Hara for City Council, Phil Mechanick for Council…
While I understand how important it is that people see one’s name or issue over and over, hoping that seeing that name or issue will equal votes come election time, I am certainly glad this is all over.
This morning there was nothing more pleasurable than seeing Measure C’s Stop Traffic sign in someone’s garbage.
Maybe money would be better spent with pop ups on our computers and text messages on our phones… But these signs are just unneccesary…
And for all the money Brennan didn’t spend marketing and still winning proves these signs are unnecessary.
While marketing is important, election signs are antiquated and harmful to our environment, never mind the fact they are just plain garish.
Next election season, let the failures of Measures A, B and C, along with so many council candidates who lost, winning only minimal votes–think outside the box. Let your reputation and hard work in the community be your sign. Let clear and concise leadership win votes for you. Let measures be beneficial to all and not have prejudice and become laws we could not pass up.
It is amazing to me all the time and energy and money that went into an election where 11 candidates and three measures failed miserably at the polls.
Thank goodness 2009 election season is over.

VCReporter endorsement of Measure A, Ventura’s half-cent sales tax increase

If you are here, reading my blog, it is probably because you are curious as to the typo regarding the endorsement of Measure A, or perhaps you are outraged that we endorsed it, or perhaps you are confused and wondering if we really endorsed Measure B.
Well, first, I would like to introduce myself, I am Michael Sullivan, the managing editor of the Reporter.
And I would like to apologize for any confusion the typo might have caused anyone–but if you only read the paper online, then you have no idea what I am talking about.
But if you read today’s print edition, I wrote the endorsement for Measure A. There were two versions… My first version was a bit too critical for being an endorsement. I focused heavily on the last year of what seemed to be one heavy burden on us taxpayers after another. I had a heavy hand on this endorsement, and decided if voters were going to feel comfortable with this new sales tax increase, it was necessary to lighten up a bit. And I did.
 And the reason we endorsed it is because Venturans need to shoulder this burden to get us through some of the toughest times this country has seen in almost a century.

But somewhere, somehow, for some inexplicable reason, I redid the bolded last sentence and replaced A with B. And surely, it was not a Freudian slip. And the reason for that was in my heart of hearts, as well intentioned as Camille Harris and other concerned citizens are in protecting our viewsheds, what makes Ventura great is the fact people of the lower and middle class can live here. And I hope that for years to come, we can develop responsibly, creating housing and an urban environment to attract young, and often, underpaid creative types to the area and provide them adequate housing. Also, since our green space is so valuable, building up is the smartest decision to plan a responsible urban environment. Measure B, if passed, would be the antithesis of responsible building.
I was born and raised here and have relished in our beautiful views all my life… from the hills to the panoramic views of the ocean.
But after having lived in places such as Atlanta, Fresno, Montgomery, AL, and Northridge, the one thing that matters to me the most, is access to the ocean. Having lived hours from the beach and often not seeing it for years at a time, I am excited about the possibility of having young adults move here to experience what so few get to- being able to get to the beach in 10 minutes–unlike many of the towns I used to live in.

Measure B was great in theory, but poor in execution. Not only would it have long term unintended consequences for building adequate housing for younger creative types who are just beginning their careers, but it gives too much power to people who have no background in developing or planning. That would be like having the trashman teach my son’s 1st grade class because his son is also in the class and it is his right to not only know what is going on, but to control what he and his classmates are learning as well.

It is the epitomy of the democratic process, but just too overzealous.

So the VCReporter’s endorsements for the local measures are as follows: Yes on Measure A, No on Measure B and C, and Yes on E.

There you have it. And look for the clarification in next week’s print issue as well.

The Ventura pier–not a place for loitering any more

On Monday night, the Ventura City Council decided to make it illegal to jump off the Ventura pier and/or loiter near or under it. In 30 days, the amendment will become law.

This brings me back to a great movie–Fletch. Chevy Chase played the role of a charismatic, wisecracking investigative journalist who spent many days affiliating himself with the vagrants who used a pier (Santa Monica, I believe) as a home away from home. There Fletch would get great leads  to stories about drug dealing and other wrongdoings. There Fletch could mesh in and overhear conversations about various activities happening in the city. There Fletch would make or break his story.

Well, here in Ventura, I cannot, as a journalist, go to the pier any longer to find those stories or overhear those conversations. Homeless people can’t loiter, no daring teenager can jump off the pier in a midnight rendezvue, no more inspiring journalists to find a lead to the next great story.

C’est la vie. You win some, you lose some.

The question that is plaguing me the most though is… enforcement. How exactly do they plan on enforcing these new regulations? How will you know if I jump off the pier at 3 a.m.? And how many people had been jumping off the pier throughout the day or night? I have lived in this town 75 percent of my life and have never seen or heard of one person jumping off. And the vagrants? Come on now. The pier provides shade and shelter. Do we just plan on ushering them over to the parking garage or the bushes? I really don’t see that this is a great fix…

I just wonder who in the world was complaining about it in the first place. Vagrants are going to be, for the most part, wherever they want to be and making a law about it won’t help much.

Maybe give some relief to those citizens who wanted such laws implemented, but I don’t think things are going to change much and for sure, I would rather have the police tending to crimes of burglaries, thefts, rapes and murders rather than worrying about some people who are homeless or other wise loitering at or near the pier.

I don’t know about you, though, but I think Ima grab my swimsuit and go for a pier jump!

CHP shame–Don’t let one bad apple spoil the bunch

I understand that we are human, prone to making mistakes and are completely fallible. I know that everyone at some point in their lives have formed opinions on others based on surface values–race, gender, weight, level of education, etc.  It is hard to obstain from obscene behavior when we feel justified in thinking a particular way. But that doesn’t mean it is impossible to obstain. And for CHP officer Seth Taylor, well, keeping his mouth shut would have been in his best interest.

Taylor pled guilty to four counts of hate-crime allegations, including yelling ethnic epithets at two Latinos and even threatening to shoot another man. And what is his punishment? Termination? Nope… Office duty.

Hmmm… Office duty–the punishment doesn’t seem to fit the crime. Not only that, but CHP administrators tried to block Taylor’s name from being released. So if and when he should do it again, it would just get swept under the carpet and the victims would see no justice? Even minor Brian McInerney’s name was released… though his hate-crime was beyond fathomable.

The point is the public shouldn’t have to deal with public servants who are outright racists and our public agencies should not protect them. Those who commit crimes are criminals, even if they have a squeaky clean record.

It is so disappointing to hear of corrupt officers and corrupt agencies we look to protect and serve us. We have enough hatred and corruption in the world… the last place we need it is in law enforcement.

$70K for needy women and mother assistance programs in VC

It is so great to hear, that in the midst of a recession, that no matter how bad it gets financially, that there is still money to go around.

On Sept. 17, the Ventura County Women’s Legacy Fund donated $70,000 to nonprofits who provide free health care to uninsured women, aid victims of domestic abuse and shelter homeless mothers.

“Established at the Ventura County Community Foundation in 1995, the Women’s Legacy Fund has awarded from its endowment a total of $650,000 to local organizations with proven strategies to help women and girls improve their chances of leading fulfilling lives…”

With The Arnold making severe cutbacks for just about every social service, it is an amazing thing to see that hope and charity is still alive and, apparently, very well. 

Everywhere we turn, banks are closing, shelters are being boarded up, unemployment insurance beenfits are drying up–but still, we pull together and help those who need it the most.

I am overly impressed and filled with hope.

Long term answer to overpopulation in our prisons: Education

Many people, especially those of the conservative moniker, are extremely concerned with the prospect of letting thousands of prisoners loose. It is understandable–I don’t want to be raped, mugged, beaten or murdered. And if these are the people who are being let loose, the chances of them repeating the same offense is pretty high, at least statistics say so. Punishment is far from treatment.

But if punishment is not treatment and many criminals are doomed to repeat  such offenses, what is our solution? Keep them locked up? Well we can’t afford that. So then what?

Education. Education is the key to life. It is the key to mental health and stability. It is fundamental to the success of our youth. It is the long term answer on how to keep people out of prison.

If we spent as much time and energy on educating our youth and making sure we reached all of them as we do incarcerating criminals, there is no doubt in my mind that the prison population would dwindle over time, making the issue of overpopulation null and void. Get them while they are young–not lock em up because we didn’t care about them then.

Heath care should be a right–not a choice

After reading Obama’s health care speech online last night, I can only commend him for trying to accomplish such an endeavor and be disappointed that we as a society don’t care for the well being of others.

But please don’t get me wrong. I am not the person who goes around giving money to those panhandling on the street, I am not the one putting all my time trying to rehabilitate homeless people and find them jobs, I am not the person actively protecting people who don’t want to help themselves.

But I am the person who understands that life is unpredictable, that life throws curve balls at us and the only thing we got in this life is… just that… life. And life is fully dependent on being healthy.  And to think that for all the years I have been working and all the money I have spent on paying my health care insurance premiums every month and the fact I have gone to the doctor maybe two times… And what about the millions of people who do the same thing… Where exactly is all that money going? Not to help those who are sick. And not to those who were born with pre-exisiting conditions. Nope, it all goes into the pockets of shareholders and executives.

If I had any say in the matter, I would rather my money go to help those who need it the most than to bankrolling some CEO.

It is amazing to me we have so little compassion for our fellow man, our neighbor, hell… even our friend.

I have numerous friends who work in the service industry, waiting tables. And you know what, big surprise… they don’t have health care insurance! And my best friend will probably be denied coverage anyways because of a bad knee from playing soccer.

That seems fair. We only insure the healthy and when we get sick or have cancer, we are denied access to medicine.

Purrrfect.

So the alternative? Go to public health care clinics and force my neighbor to pay for it.

I don’t condone a lifestyle of not working, but for those who are working and don’t have health care insurance or those who have pre-existing conditions, it is time that we do the right thing. We need to start watching out for everyone else, because in the end, if we continue on this path, it will just end up costing more than we would ever want to afford.

The futility of a smear campaign–Neal Andrews and the Ventura Police Officers’Association

Smear campaigns were at all time high last year–Obama the Muslim, Palin the moron, McCain the old foagie.

Whatever channel or station you tuned into, one couldn’t avoid being in the middle of the mudslinging. And you know what–the truth prevailed…. McCain was just a bit too old and showed signs that he wouldn’t be fit for the job and even conservatives realized that Palin just wasn’t the right person to fill his shoes. And Obama–well, even if he was tied to Islam in any form, it didn’t matter. He was the best suited for the job because the truth of the matter is people wanted change… even if it was going to sting.

I guess the president of the Ventura Police Officers’ Association learned nothing from last year’s debacles for smear campaigns. I have heard that the reporter may have gotten some the facts wrong in his reporting, but I have seen the questions that were asked to random residents of Ventura during a poll conducted by an agency hired by the association.  Good grief! I think the VPOA wants Neal Andrews to be elected and wants the association to look bad! Judging by those questions, there couldn’t have been any other motive. Common sense would tell anyone that these pointed questions were unethical and illogical.

I know the unions are ticked at Neal Andrews’ conservative viewpoint regarding pensions. I am not an accountant but I think there are some major flaws in the system as is and by the time I retire, there won’t be any social security left for me to live off of… just my money I sacked away and that’s it. None of my employers have ever negotiated a deal that if I worked for them for 20 years, they would pay 95 percent of my salary from when I retire til when I die even if I only contributed about 5 to 10 years of my own money for retirement–well this is what I have heard of retirement benefits for most public employees, from public safety to code enforcement to the file clerks.

I would proudly admit I was wrong about certain things, and I don’t underestimate the importance of having strong public safety agencies, but good grief. What is it all worth in the end? Why is there such a great divide between public and private benefits? Why are my taxes paying not only current employees benefits but also those retiree’s who retired 15 years ago?

I believe Neal is on the right track. I believe the VPOA did themselves a HUGE disservice if they wanted to dissuade voters from electing Neal by conducting this poll that would eventually justify a smear campaign. Time to meet in the middle and stop being so stubborn. Something has to give…

Do your part and beat the heat–no fires this season!

Every year around this time, some youngin or crazy adult thinks it is amusing to play with fire and watch our hills burn. This season… maybe we can make a difference.
Instead of just being complacent, let’s watch our teenagers and be mindful of their actions and behaviors. And for the adults, don’t flick your cigarette out the window–that is just gross anyways. When you go camping, do the right thing and put out your fires.
I would be so amazed and happy to get through the next cuople of dry hot months without a fire.

VC Star commenters–Such unnecessary hate for gay pride

In Ventura’s daily paper, the Star reported on how this year’s gay pride event would be a march this year instead of a festival. Of course, for the small handful of gays living in Ventura who dare to be so emboldened to be proud of their sexuality, I say good for them.

And for those who have to hide behind a screen to spew their hatred and froth at the mouth through their fingertips, I say, I’m sorry for you.

I refuse to battle ignorance and blind stupidity by commenting on the site, but I will call them out here. Just how much more do we plan on digressing as a society and opt for hatred over tolerance? Is hate such a powerful thing that we want to feed off of it and pass it around? It wasn’t 100 bottles of hate on the wall, now was it?

Sad.

Although I am straight, I feel no need to celebrate my sexuality. You know why? Because in my entire lifetime no one has ever put me down for being straight. No one beat up my straight boyfriend for loving me. Not one single family member kicked me out of their life for having a baby with a man and raising a beautiful child.

On the other hand, though, I have a string of friends and close companions who have been ostracized for being attracted to and for being in relationships with someone the same sex. I have had friends who have had to move hundreds if not thousands of miles away to bigger cities just to find some peace and happiness by being able to explore their sexuality.

So I will guarantee you this, when i begin to celebrate my sexuality, it will come only as an evolution of years of hatred for being straight and being ostracized from the majority of society.