To: Scott Eicher, Ojai Chamber of Commerce

Dear Scott:   The following is in response to the questions asked in your March 25, 2010 letter.

     While serving on the Planning Commission for nine years, I worked hard to help steer Ojai in the right direction and to make decisions that helped benefit everyone in Ojai. A few years ago, I stepped down from the Planning Commission to be the President of the Rotary Club of Ojai-West. For many years the City was in good budgetary shape and overall City morale was positive because the general consensus was that the City was being run well. However, in recent years, the City has fallen on tough times, money is tight, morale regarding city government is extremely low, and most people think the current City Council, City Attorney, and City Manager are doing a poor job. I share many of these concerns with the citizens of Ojai, and I refuse to stand by apathetically and complain about the current problems at City Hall when I know I can get involved and change things from the inside.

     Working with other City Council members will allow me to protect our small town character and quality of life and to maintain the proper balance between our environmental and economic interests to improve life in Ojai for everyone. An essential element of this balance is to promote Ojai tourism through a strong city-supported Visitors’ Bureau/Center.

    To assist our local economy, I will propose the creation of an Economic Development Commission comprised of a cross-section of our community, to find and entice "Ojai Friendly" businesses to relocate to Ojai in an effort to fill the empty buildings along Ojai Avenue, as well as, to determine ways to create more in-town shopping for our residents.. 

     In addition, in an effort to further enhance our village character, I will propose new city codes mandating the proper appearance, maintenance and landscaping of vacant commercial and residential structures within the city. 

     2) What do you perceive are the strengths and weaknesses of Ojai’s City Council?

On the positive side, there are a couple of specific things that the Ojai City Council has done which I believe are extremely beneficial to the city: 

     1) Reinvesting city funds to promote the City of Ojai through our Chamber’s Visitors Bureau, and 

     2) Committing city funds to the Libbey Bowl renovation project.

     Reinvesting city funds through the Visitors’ Bureau is a smart and responsible use of city funds. Not everyone realizes that a substantial portion of Ojai’s tax revenue is received through the various taxes levied on businesses which rely on tourism. Investing in the Vistors’ Bureau makes good business sense because it reinvests city funds back into the kinds of businesses that contribute the most toward Ojai’s tax base. However, I don’t think Ojai should only be focused on promoting businesses that cater to out-of-town tourists when what we really need are businesses in Ojai which cater to Ojai citizens. Too much of our tax money is going to businesses outside of Ojai because it is too expensive for most people to shop in Ojai.

     On the negative side, I want to see the City Council do more creating policy and less following policy dictated by the City Attorney and the City Manager. At times, it seems as though the City Council is taking its orders from the City Attorney and the City Manager rather than the other way around. I want to use my leadership skills and experience accomplishing projects within the city to show city staff that the Council is in charge and we want to get something done. 

     It is time for action and the unelected City officials who make up the city staff need to be reminded who is boss. Just look at what has not been done. The Skateboard Park supporters worked hard and raised the money it needed, but there is almost nothing to show for all the hard work because the Council has kept it from moving forward. At Ojai’s busiest intersection, the "Y", there is no Bus Shelter, so anyone who wants to take the bus must stand out in the rain or bake in the sun and wait. How hard can it be for the Council to get moving on a bus shelter?

      The City has not studied the financial impact of having a City Attorney who works just for Ojai or our own Ojai Police force that works just for Ojai. Currently, we hire a Ventura law firm and the Ventura Sheriff to be our City Attorney and our City Police, but is there a cheaper way? The Council has not reached out to the businesses community to recruit businesses to fill the eye sores created by empty buildings along Ojai Avenue.

      The best example of the City Council not getting it done is the current state of our water infrastructure that was supposedly being maintained by Golden State Water Company. Since the Council hasn’t bothered to study the current water situation like it was supposed to, Ojai is getting hit with huge rate increases mandated by Golden State Water to help repair our water infrastructure. There is no reason to have some giant out-of-town company running our water system and mandating that the water rates include a "return on investment" to their share holders. Shouldn’t any profit that comes from Ojai selling water to its own citizens be kept in Ojai? I don’t think Ojai should be mandated to help ensure a profit at the end of the year for the investors of Golden State Water Company.

3) What do you perceive are the strengths and weaknesses of Ojai’s city government?

     Ojai is a wonderful place to live. I have lived in Ojai for 26 years, I have raised my family here, and I don’t plan on leaving anytime soon. So, Ojai city government must be doing something right or the people of Ojai wouldn’t be living here. Specifically, our city government is responsible for the low crime rate, preservation of our local environment, protecting our precious Oak trees, excellent emergency response systems, and the overall aesthetic beauty of our occupied city businesses. 

We don’t have giant signs blocking our views of the mountains and we don’t have 5 story condominiums rising along Ojai Avenue. Our city government has provided us with controlled growth consistent with Ojai’s small town character.       In addition, the city government has been positive influence by supporting many worthwhile projects, such as the reconstruction of the Pergola, Save Libbey Bowl, and Rotary’s Ojai Community Park.

     My favorite strength of Ojai’s city government is its small size. Ojai has not been turned into a sprawling bureaucracy like many other Southern California towns. Here, the voice of the citizen is actually heard and any member of our community can make a difference. The lack of bureaucracy means that the City Council members actually make decisions face to face with the citizens for whom they work.

     My major concern with Ojai’s city government is the lack of leadership from anyone to take the reigns and get projects done. Too often it looks like policy is being dictated to the City Council, rather than the other way around. We need leaders who can say to the City Attorney and City Manager, "This is what we want to do, now find a way to make it happen." I won’t allow staff members to just provide the City Council with informational reports containing recommendations that just advocate the staff’s wishes rather than having open public debate between the Council members.

4) Do you think Ojai’s City Council should be willing to address issues outside Ojai City Limits?

     Yes, our City Council should, and in some instances must, address issues affecting Ojai’s "sphere of influence" in the unincorporated areas of Ventura County. We cannot allow over-development in the unincorporated areas to impact our economic and environment viability. If not controlled, these external forces will increase traffic, destroy our environment, and leave Ojai stranded as the only part of our beautiful valley that is sustainable. 

I believe the City Council should be deeply involved in some specific issues outside Ojai’s City Limits.       The Council should take a strong stance against the gravel trucks coming from outside the city and traveling over Highway 33.  The Council must work to address traffic issues in Casitas Springs and Miramonte since traffic flow in those areas has a direct impact inside our city limits, and the Council should keep a vigilant watch over all development in Miramonte and Meiners Oaks to ensure that there are no negative impacts on Ojai.

     Thank you to the Chamber for its involvement in this election process. I look forward to meeting with you on April 7th and participating at the Chamber’s Candidate Forum on April 29th.


All my best,
Paul