tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039563145970308239.post8622300366046651752..comments2023-10-24T08:25:49.233-07:00Comments on Ojai Valley News Blog: Hanstad, Horgan Ready For ChallengeUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039563145970308239.post-8020614382467965232008-08-18T15:47:00.000-07:002008-08-18T15:47:00.000-07:00A verysecretive shadow culture has entrencheddesig...<I>A very<BR/>secretive shadow culture has entrenched<BR/>designs and interests and will stop at nothing or no one to maintain reigns of<BR/>control of future of valley.</I><BR/><BR/>No disagreement there, but there's more than one such group, and they may not be who you think they are.<BR/><BR/>Good luck.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039563145970308239.post-59596359081377516982008-08-18T15:04:00.000-07:002008-08-18T15:04:00.000-07:00Thanks for asking. I have been visiting or living ...Thanks for asking. I have been visiting or living here since the early 90's.<BR/>Have always been car free and explored<BR/>everywhere I could on foot. I have watched the moon rise at night and illuminate the valley like a Japanese lamp. Have picked everything that grows in season there is to be picked. Have attempted truth in politics between the hours of nine and five and at many<BR/>city council meetings in evening, both of which remain scarce.<BR/>Been a fan and booster of Help of Ojai.<BR/>Been a friend, confidente and employee<BR/>of small business. Enjoyed interacting<BR/>with fellow pedestrians and tourists<BR/>on foot. Taken the bicycle path everywhere. Visited and sought wisdom from varied spiritual complexes like<BR/>Ojai Retreat, Krotona and Meditation Mount. Sold at farmers market, friend and grateful customer of small farming. Attended various civic meeetings- Green Coalition, Stop the Trucks, FLOW Golden State Water response, Ojai Community Network crime response, and Save Ojai Group. Participant of Watershed Protection Group.Have many published editorials on valley growth and pressing social issues. Been arrested for speaking up. Lastly,have lengthy involvement in political process receiving the stains and slanders contained therein. Have formulated solutions and alternatives which are on public record. Don't really hate anyone in valley except hatred and corruption.<BR/>Where can I find them to hate? A very<BR/>secretive shadow culture has entrenched<BR/>designs and interests and will stop at nothing or no one to maintain reigns of<BR/>control of future of valley. Biggest<BR/>threat on horizon I feel is water politics of valley growth, and incorporation of outlying areas into the city for commercial and residential expansion and developmet. PLAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039563145970308239.post-32662588858409597882008-08-18T14:19:00.000-07:002008-08-18T14:19:00.000-07:00Pete, what have you ever done for Ojai? I'm not as...Pete, what have you ever done for Ojai? I'm not asking you what you talked about doing for Ojai or what your vision is for Ojai, I want to know what you've actually done. I'm not trying to make you feel bad, I just want to know and I want to hear it from you. How have you out performed all of the people you seem to hate so much?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039563145970308239.post-30467747460826855512008-08-18T12:29:00.000-07:002008-08-18T12:29:00.000-07:00Thanks, B, for your honesty and integrity.Thanks, B, for your honesty and integrity.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039563145970308239.post-76237451560876999502008-08-18T11:41:00.000-07:002008-08-18T11:41:00.000-07:00B just because you're a businesswoman in Ojai ...B just because you're a businesswoman in Ojai at a doggie store gives you no right to make derogatory statements to a kind heart like P L <BR/> [Just to refresh your selective memory, I state that you are hypocritical. <BR/>Read what the bible tells us <BR/><BR/><< Matthew 7:5 >><BR/>You hypocrite! First remove the beam from your own eye, and then you will see clearly enough to remove the log from your own eyeAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039563145970308239.post-15760069471179426502008-08-18T09:18:00.000-07:002008-08-18T09:18:00.000-07:00B Dawson get a life will U--U must be one unhappy ...B Dawson get a life will U--U must be one unhappy lonley person in this life to write such nan ne nan na stuff about PeteAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039563145970308239.post-31775319003992425882008-08-18T09:09:00.000-07:002008-08-18T09:09:00.000-07:00sOuch-you really hurt my feelings with that last o...sOuch-you really hurt my feelings with that last one! For you not seeing the humor of my avacado society (did I exclude citrus?) and I know plenty from city hall being quite humorless,<BR/>I refer to Green as in Coalition, one of the more pleasing and proudest developments coming out of civic minded Ojai group dynamics. It really stands out as a progressive force in town and I am praying and meditating on it's transfer into political capital!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039563145970308239.post-86776319169804836542008-08-18T08:45:00.000-07:002008-08-18T08:45:00.000-07:00Oh Pete, your Ignorance, I am not the poster who h...Oh Pete, your Ignorance, I am not the poster who has called you those things or raised those issues. I do NOTHING that is anonymous. My first post on this thread was 17 august 12:02.<BR/><BR/>Just to refresh your selective memory, I state that you are hypocritical. Those who have money, own property or have a profession you deem to be detrimental to YOUR vision of Ojai is corrupt, greedy and unfit for office, yet all you offer about yourself is some distant past deeds by a relative. You whine about being called names and marginalized, yet inside of two weeks, you called me a Republican wannabe, a facsist and a capitalist.<BR/>Back to the civics books for you, sir!<BR/><BR/>As to this topic, Rae and Sue are far more qualified to be in office than the majority of people who are currently opposing them. The jury is still out (for me) on Ms Clapp.<BR/><BR/>B DawsonAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039563145970308239.post-13309491986871621772008-08-17T14:47:00.000-07:002008-08-17T14:47:00.000-07:00Oh and B, sorry your Highness but you're confusing...Oh and B, sorry your Highness but you're confusing me with your prattle. You say in one respect I am on public assistence spending other people's money, then in another I am "Mr. Blue Blood<BR/>Trust Fund Baby" which is sort of the opposite, yes? About my not living in Ojai, I believe you've written of living outside city limits so you are unable to hold office. Me too! Should we both stop<BR/>weighing in about a sense of place we care greatly about? You first! PLAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039563145970308239.post-6784890680517636512008-08-17T14:07:00.000-07:002008-08-17T14:07:00.000-07:00Have already discussed my background and it is not...Have already discussed my background and it is not blueblood trust fund, but green, as in the royal order of the transcendental avacado society. When I ran for council last time, not for fun by the way, I was sickened by the corruption culture and real life villans who occupy city hall. They physically threw me out of chambers, violated my civil rights to speak and assemble,smeared my name and character<BR/>in a manner I can only take pride in coming from this winner's circle, and have made me lose faith in representative governance. B and you other anonymouse here, I assign this MO to you as well. To say it has been a true pleasure is the understatement of the 21st century. What is next for you all, a place on the GB Imperialist Wall of Shame in DC? PLAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039563145970308239.post-11000931293650574372008-08-17T12:02:00.000-07:002008-08-17T12:02:00.000-07:00Sooooo, those of us who own businesses and homes (...Sooooo, those of us who own businesses and homes (ie, those of us with "skin in the game") are not qualified for Council under your rules?! <BR/><BR/>B DawsonAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039563145970308239.post-21568762939833165372008-08-17T10:28:00.000-07:002008-08-17T10:28:00.000-07:00Anon 3:01, if the shoe fits...You might consider t...Anon 3:01, if the shoe fits...<BR/><BR/>You might consider that you are the problem in Ojai, not Pete, whatever names you might call him. You reveal your bias by your phrase, "skin in the game." I bet you do have "skin in the game." Pete has pointed out for years how members of this council, and people who are supposed to serve the city and public like our city attorney, have far too much "skin in the game."<BR/><BR/>What we need are people WITHOUT "skin in the game," whose only interest is their love of this great town and their desire and ability to bring new and fresh ideas to keep it great and make it better. <BR/><BR/>I know, for some, that is hard to imagine, and just not realistic. For me, I much prefer the no "skin" "idealists" you deride to what we have today. The bankruptcy of your position is revealed by your inability to counter the comments in this blog showing the terrible voting record of Sue Horgan, for example. Instead of calling Pete names, why don't you share with us any examples of actual accomplishments of the incumbents? As best I can tell, the platform of the incumbents is shaping up to be fear, division, and don't risk the "fringe element." I doubt there will be much public comment on the incumbent side about making sure the council is stacked in favor of those with "skin in the game," but the rest of us can see pretty well what it is all about. <BR/><BR/>I look forward to an opportunity to vote for change.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039563145970308239.post-50243199734992527852008-08-16T19:41:00.000-07:002008-08-16T19:41:00.000-07:00Pete, 3:01pm here. You are exactly who I am think...Pete, 3:01pm here. You are exactly who I am thinking of when I say, "...because they don't have the credibility to get elected."<BR/><BR/>You have no skin in the game. You don't even live in Ojai. Your offer of leadership has been weighed, measured, and found wanting. You spend your time putting down those who are truly in the arena. But your ideas revolve around telling others what they CAN'T do, and spending other people's money.<BR/><BR/>Some refer to you as "9% Pete", and it fits. Accomplishment = credibility, Pete. Instead of lecturing everybody, why don't you try to learn something yourself? Like with CMWD? Or Meiner's Oaks Water District? Get away from your computer, and visit a retail store in Ojai and find out what obstacles they face (hint: it is not landlords).<BR/><BR/>Stop embarrassing yourself, and clue in to reality, Mr. Blueblood Trust Fund baby.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039563145970308239.post-7762427604116095642008-08-16T18:57:00.000-07:002008-08-16T18:57:00.000-07:00Oh, Pete, knock it off. We know you couldn't find ...Oh, Pete, knock it off. We know you couldn't find a nice thing to say about the Council if you were dying and they all took turns giving you CPR and saved your life. Your bias is an illness. Anyone who can't find anything nice to say about anyone has some serious problems. You're free to talk and write all you want, but if you could see yourself through the eyes of others you'd probably spend more time thinking and less time making putting other people down. Right now, you represent everything I hate about the campaign process, regardless of who's running.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039563145970308239.post-86314555947816564332008-08-16T16:48:00.000-07:002008-08-16T16:48:00.000-07:00Anonymous 3:01 PM I am carefullyconsidering my re...Anonymous 3:01 PM I am carefully<BR/>considering my reply to this for<BR/>two reasons- to save you anymore<BR/>embarassment to you than you<BR/>have written, and to make sure<BR/>I am reading your post correctly.<BR/>Is this really your take on<BR/>Horgan and DeVito? PLAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039563145970308239.post-47928545714111904402008-08-16T15:01:00.000-07:002008-08-16T15:01:00.000-07:00What new ideas do you have in mind?:-)There is a r...What new ideas do you have in mind?:-)<BR/><BR/>There is a reality that many dreamers never have to face, because they don't have the credibility to get elected. Horgan and DeVito have given generously of their time and effort to make Ojai better. They don't personally profit from any of the decisions, they are acting on their principles and what can realistically be accomplished.<BR/><BR/>I thank them both for their service.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039563145970308239.post-71647546165020958832008-08-16T12:06:00.000-07:002008-08-16T12:06:00.000-07:00As much as I may disagree with Horgan's politics, ...As much as I may disagree with Horgan's politics, the appointment of Sue as Mayor this go-around was better than having to listen to Joe "Time to Go" DeVito. Let's think about how little these decade-long politicians have done for the community on the issues that they say are important to them and concentrate on getting some new ideas downtown. Listening to the incumbents talk about what they want to do now is hollow campaign speak.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039563145970308239.post-35109431018742552482008-08-15T17:39:00.000-07:002008-08-15T17:39:00.000-07:00Los Arboles was built after the City approved and ...Los Arboles was built after the City approved and built the Sycamore Homes affordable family houses. Ojai needs homes for everyone.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039563145970308239.post-85232589342842009512008-08-15T17:36:00.000-07:002008-08-15T17:36:00.000-07:00The mayoral designation is the choice of the Counc...The mayoral designation is the choice of the Council, which voted unanimously to appoint Sue Horgan. She has served the City well and now has her colleagues' support for reelection. <BR/><BR/>Is this the blogging content you want to teach to your children?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039563145970308239.post-80502877141618506582008-08-15T08:33:00.000-07:002008-08-15T08:33:00.000-07:00SUE HORGAN CHANGING HER MIND AFTER BEING MADE MAYO...SUE HORGAN CHANGING HER MIND AFTER BEING MADE MAYOR HAS SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES.<BR/><BR/>Sue Horgan asking the City council to make her Mayor because she was not going to run again, then her filing papers to run again after the Council made her the Mayor is a slap in the face to our City and the Citizens of Ojai and may be illegal. <BR/><BR/>It would be different if there were some extenuating circumstances beyond her control, but there were none. It appears it was an outright lie. <BR/><BR/>Are these the ethics we want to teach to our children?<BR/><BR/>It seems the City Council must censure Sue Horgan otherwise a new standard is set for accepted practices in our City Government in the future.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039563145970308239.post-50937405182796018582008-08-14T20:38:00.000-07:002008-08-14T20:38:00.000-07:00Affordable housing is just a lot of talk.Affordable housing is just a lot of talk.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039563145970308239.post-61781533163788504672008-08-14T20:03:00.000-07:002008-08-14T20:03:00.000-07:00Yes, I know of two families that lived at the Ever...Yes, I know of two families that lived at the Evergreen cottages. Their children went to Topa Topa School with my son. I felt sorry for the young boy as his parents had little money. I bought the boy a Boy Scout uniform and took him to the scout meetings with my son. The other was a Hispanic family, and despite all of the filth she always went to school in a freshly washed and ironed dress. When the cottages were shut down, the young boy and his family moved to Camp Comfort. I don’t know what happened to the Hispanic family. I agree it was not an environment I would like to raise my children in but that is no excuse for the landlord not to keep the place up. Mallory way could be the same but thank god the Becker Group has higher values than Smigel.<BR/><BR/>The issue however is that both of the incumbents gave praise for the Los Arboles project but has done nothing to replace the low cost housing – all they do is talk-talk-talk and use buzzwords like the “housing element”, etc,. etc. Heck, this issue has been on the minds of people long before Jeff F submitted the voter initiatives and the incumbents have done nothing to solve the problem.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039563145970308239.post-34704052635100891842008-08-14T19:10:00.000-07:002008-08-14T19:10:00.000-07:00Does anyone here ever actually know anyone who liv...Does anyone here ever actually know anyone who lived at any of the Evergreen Cottages during the last 12 years they existed? I had a friend who lived on the top floor of the center house, and there was a soft spot surrounding a hole in the kitchen floor that we had to avoid stepping on or near or else we'd wind up visting the guy who lived downstairs. It took almost 10 minutes to fill the bathtub, and almost as long to drain it except for the time that one of the rusted drain pipes gave out and the water drained into Hugo's place on the first floor.<BR/><BR/>The only nice thing this place had when I last saw it was the trees. The rest of the property would have been a slum in Calcutta. The people who lived along the barranca threw all of their trash into the stream bed, and the City and various volunteers had to clean it out every year before the rains started. I worked on this cleanup 3 times, and we were told to watch out for used hypodermic needles and human feces. It became almost impossible to get people to volunteer for this cleanup, yet the trash continued and the City had to continue to clean it up. Law enforcement refused to do anything about it, saying that it was a code enforcement issue, and the City couldn't fine the people who were throwing the trash because there was no way to catch them doing it and proving in court that they had done it, and even if they'd caught them doing it, the DA would have laughed at the idea of filing charges. The landlord didn't care what happened as long as the rent got paid.<BR/><BR/>I once visited a woman who lived in one of the cabins. Her son was a famous rock musician in the old group "Spirit". Had I been a code enforcement officer I would not have allowed her to remain in the building. She was using a freestanding unvented gas heater. She had no hot water. The bathroom walls had been torn out and the toilet was in the living room along with the single counter and sink that passed as a kitchen. She had no shower or bath tub. I never understood how she came to live there, or why she seemed to be receiving no help from her family. My friend was the only person who looked in on this woman as far as I could tell.<BR/><BR/>Genevieve, the "manager", was not there to make repairs. She collected the rents and sent them off to the absentee landlord. Tenants either did their own repairs and their own gardening or these things didn't get done. Most of the repair work that was done was not to code, and I saw garden hose and hose clamps used as 1/2" water pipe, and automotive wiring used to bypass the ancient knob & tube household wiring. When a feral cat died in front of my friend's house, it lay there for 3 days until I got back from Northern California and buried it for her. The woman who lived in the other half of the downstairs property had put a cardboard box on it, and that was it. Nobody was going to to anything else about it.<BR/><BR/>You could buy drugs at the Evergreens 24 hours a day, seven days a week, all year long, Christmas day included, and people did. People who had never scored there before would walk around knocking on doors at any hour of the day trying to figure out where a dealer lived. Fights would break out in the middle of the night, and when my friend called the cops one night all 4 of her tires got slashed some time before she had to go to work in the morning.<BR/><BR/>I could go on. Maybe these places had a heyday, but by the time I first saw them 22 years ago, they were worse than some big city projects, except for the trees. At least they had the trees, but that's about all they had.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039563145970308239.post-83068979288262003602008-08-14T17:02:00.000-07:002008-08-14T17:02:00.000-07:00I am voting for former mayor Suza Franzina because...I am voting for former mayor Suza Franzina because...<BR/>She’ll abolish pledge of allegiance at city council meetings instead have Rutting Buck lead attendees in the antler dance...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039563145970308239.post-13233928389048784862008-08-14T16:10:00.000-07:002008-08-14T16:10:00.000-07:00In case people have forgotten, the Evergreen Cotta...In case people have forgotten, the Evergreen Cottages where the Los Arboles condos are now located were low cost housing long before the slum –lord developer Smigel bought them. If you don’t think Smigel’s purpose was to let a property become an eye-sore and a slum to get a City to approve development, you might want to ask the citizens of Carpinteria what they think of Smigel – same tactics. <BR/><BR/>Check out the history of the Ojai Creek Village at 119 and 201 S. Montgomery St., near Libbey Park and the Ojai Art Center that Smigel has before the planning commission (Ref. OVN article Dated August 7, 2008). Some say the city was going to take over the property but the owner was able to sell it to Smigel at the last minute who has ties with some with those in the City – another coincidence where a developer gets favored treatment by our elected officials.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com