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| GRAND-FATHERING/AMNESTY PROGRAM
VENTURA SAFE HOUSING COLLABORATIVE
From: Camille Harris
To: Ms. Nesbitt
I always read your column and appreciate how much you look out for our senior population. Your column today on the Home Share program was very helpful to so many who are struggling right now.
I want to make sure that you are also aware of another current program intended to preserve low income housing and rentals for seniors...both as landlords and as tenants. There are thousands of little safe and charming studio rentals in the city of Ventura that were garages in a former life, that have been accepted for decades. These little studios are the unofficial Granny Flats in town, but are also, used for students, disabled or unemployed family members and other low-income citizens.
During a house-to-house code enforcement proactive pilot program last year, it became apparent that there were so many of these, that continuing to require them to be gutted and returned to garages, was doing more harm than good. However, it became apparent that even a program to legalize them would fail because homeowners are afraid to let code enforcement on their properties for fear of punishment for other improvements that may not have been permitted in the past.
Therefore, the City Council formed a committee to get public input and develop recommendations for a Grandfathering/ Amnesty program that would assure safety and preserve this valuable low cost housing. Many seniors are only able to stay in their homes with the help of the modest rent from these units. Some seniors move into the second unit and rent out their homes. It is a means of allowing them to age in place.
Many of us are very concerned that the city recently turned 39 property owners over to the county assessor because they had not paid their fines for code violations. This puts these homeowners on a path to foreclosure and the stress could cause them to sell their homes at the bottom of the market, while further devalued because of the registered code violation.
The greatest cause for code violations is for un-permitted maintenance and improvements. Even changing a water heater without a permit can cause a senior's home to be deemed substandard. Most people are vulnerable to being cited and many do not even know what requires permitting.
The citizens' committee was formed to find a way for homes to be grandfathered and to find a solution. One of the many solutions that could affect seniors is a sliding scale or waiver for permit fees. The citizens' committee needs the participation of seniors to weigh in on what would help them the most, in order to have scheduled two public meetings to get their input.
The name of the citizens' committee is the Ventura Safe Housing Collaborative and their first public meeting on July 24th from 10 a.m. to noon at the EP Foster School in West Ventura. I have attached the flyer.
I hope that you can pass this information on to our senior public. They are the ones who have the most to gain, or lose.
Appreciatively,
Camille Harris
805-901-8188
http://www.camilleharris.com
The best way to escape from a problem is to solve it. ~ Alan Saporta
"An investment in knowledge pays the best interest." ~ Benjamin Franklin
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CROSSING THE BORDERS ILLEGALLY
LET ME SEE IF I GOT THIS RIGHT
If you cross the North Korean border illegally, you get twelve (12) years hard labor.
If you cross the Iranian border illegally, you are detained indefinitely.
If you cross the afghan border illegally, you get shot.
If you cross the Saudi Arabian border illegally, you will be jailed.
If you cross the Chinese border illegally, you may never be heard from again.
If you cross the Venezuelan border illegally, you will be branded a spy and your fate will be sealed.
If you cross the Cuban border illegally, you will be thrown into political prison to rot.
If you cross the Mexican border illegally, you will be jailed for two (2) years; if you illegally cross a second time, you will be jailed for six (6) years; if you are caught helping someone to illegally enter Mexico, you will be jailed for ten (10) years.
If you cross the U.S. border illegally you get:
- A job,
- A driver's license,
- Social security card,
- Welfare,
- Food stamps,
- Credit cards,
- Subsidized rent or a loan to buy a house,
- Free education,
- Free health care,
- A lobbyist in Washington,
- Billions of dollars worth of public documents printed in your language,
- The right to carry your country's flag while you protest that you don't get enough respect,
- And, in many instances, you can vote.
I just wanted to make sure I had a firm grasp on the situation
Posted: 07/01/10
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CALIFORNIA: AMERICAN GREECE
"Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God"
Motto on THOMAS JEFFERSON'S seal.
RES PUBLICA - Newsletter
Tim Cavanaugh of an on-line news company called REASON has written a good analysis of the dilemma facing California. Go to:
http://reason.com/blog/2010/05/09/california-the-american-greece
He writes:
"What do Europe's most bankrupt state and America's most bankrupt united state have in common, aside from being bankrupt?
In what is undoubtedly a coincidence, noticed only by free-market fundamentalists, it turns out that Greece, that sun-drenched paradise on the Aegean, and California, that sun-warmed El Dorado on the Pacific, are the worst places to do business in their respective economic zones."
VENTURA'S VISIONARY?
The city Manager recently announced that we are in a "war for jobs". He is right, but know this. We will be competing with every city in the nation for those same jobs. The winner will be the public entity that realizes that the jobs that we lost in the 2008 depression are not coming back. We have to create new opportunity and new jobs.
The city needs private enterprise now more than ever; so please City Council, when a new project developer or businessman comes through the door give him a hug, and not a bill for all of the costs and fees that you have piled onto such projects. A happy face and lower fees, as an incentive to come to Ventura, will work wonders.
The Ventura City Council says they are going to "Live Within Our Means" and stay within their budget; however, they wince when it comes to the thought of layoffs. The closing of a fire station proposed by the City Manager, as expected, has heightened the emotions of several adjacent neighborhoods and the Fire Department folk. These citizens and the firemen need to wake up and realize that this is not about saving a fire station, but the financial well being of the entire City. We must keep in mind that City government has been entrusted to provide "basic governmental services" to its citizens within its means, but does not have an obligation to keeping individuals employed so that they can retire with life with lavish pensions and benefits.
Any business owner knows that to reduce services diminishes their value. They also know that the single highest AND controllable expense is labor. Maybe the theme of "Living Within Our Means" needs to be better defined. Reducing services and programs should only come after a reduction of staff levels reached the bear minimum.
Five years ago, the claim was "we have cut expenses to the bone and there is no where else to cut. Today, the City has reduced the workforce by 16% AFTER they made that claim. Sounds like the story of the "boy who cried wolf". Enough on the budget for now. All we know is the reduction of services has long been a ploy to get the citizens to sympathize with public employees.
WAS IT $10,000,000 or $20,000,000 LOST?
In March and April 2009, VREG discussed the loss of $10,000,000 in Washington Mutual and Lehman Bros. investments. The City fathers' took refuge [seemed proud?] that they only lost $10 million in investments in 2008, they defend their loss by comparing the loss to the average citizen's 401K losses. Hardly a realistic comparison given that the investment policy for a municipality is and should be much be more conservative and restrictive. Some at the City make it sound as if it is heresy to suggest that they should not have lost anything.
The City Attorney on the other hand is crying "fraud" on the part of Lehman Brother and WaMu - a distraction at best. The decision to invest in these financial institutions was made by a committee of four. None of the four members of the Investment Committee has investment licenses, nor the experience and qualifications to oversee a $200 million portfolio in this current financial market. Months before the Lehman and WaMu debacle, the City had a prior warning of problems due to a potential $10 million loss they had invested with Bear Stearns. It turned out that the Bear Sterns was acquired by JP Morgan and thus avoided bankruptcy; however, at this writing we do not know how much JP Morgan is willing to pay the City of Ventura on that investment.
How is the recovery of the loss of $20,000,000 by the City of Ventura with their investment in Bear Sterns, Washington Mutual and Lehman Brothers going? We do not know. Was anyone fired for losing $20 million? Nope and we predict they will not be fired. What the Council should do is appoint people who are qualified AND do not have a potential conflict of interest in making investment decisions to insure that income from the investments will be available to feed the general budget.
THIS FROM A READER OF THE LAST EDITION
It is interesting that when I attended the PERS conference in Los Angeles at the Convention Center in February, the strongest criticism of PERS [CALPERS] came from the representative of the Governor's office, who had been a former member of the CalPERS Board. His critique was focused on two things:
1. that PERS consistently and incorrectly utilized a projected return of investment (7.75%) that was grossly overly optimistic of their likely actual long-term results, and
2. that PERS was virtually impenetrable and as dark as a lead lined coffin when someone attempted to secure information from it.
I reported this critique to both the Compensation Task Force and to Council Members... I have also reported repeatedly on the losses that PERS has incurred in their investment portfolio, that they are the subject of criminal investigations over potential fraud and kick-backs form their relationships with placement agents (former Board members using their old connections to get rich), and that at least several current board members have incurred serious fines because of their consistent failure to report publicly on their investment holdings and sources of income as required by law… Needless to say, our union representatives constantly run with the official PERS line that PERS is sound and in good health."
Neal Andrew
EDITORS' COMMENT: We have previously reported on the failed investment policies of PERS. This organization invests our pension dollars using failed economic models and fallacious investment return calculations. It is easier said than done; but, the sooner we can distance our City from this organization the sooner we can be on the path to economic recovery.
Venturans for Responsible and Efficient Government. (VREG) was founded in 2007 to assist the citizens of this community in better understanding their city government's fiscal management and the policy decisions that lead to the expenditure of our tax dollars. We advocate open government, freedom of information, constructive dialog and efficient use of resources.
It is our goal to make every effort to provide you with clear facts and information so that you can know and understand the decisions of our City Council, and then decide for yourself if they are doing the job for which they were elected. An uninformed voter does himself and the community a vast disservice. We will report the facts as they develop and invite your input.
Res Publica Editors:
R. Alviani
S. Doll
J. Tingstrom
K. Corse
R. McCord
T. Cook
P. S. Venturans for Responsible and Efficient Government. (VREG) was founded in 2007 to assist the citizens of this community in better understanding their city government's fiscal management and the policy decisions that lead to the expenditure of our tax dollars. We advocate open government, freedom of information, constructive dialog and efficient use of resources.
It is our goal to make every effort to provide you with clear facts and information so that you can know and understand the decisions of our City Council, and then decide for yourself if they are doing the job for which they were elected. An uninformed voter does himself and the community a vast disservice. We will report the facts as they develop and invite your input.
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