about this blog

You can view this blog as an attack on the city--or you can view it as a historical tutorial on the city’s financial woes and other problems, which is this blog’s true  intent.

Over many years our elected officials, led by city staff, many of whom are incompetent or have had their own private agendas, have voted on and approved issues that have had adverse affects far into the future for our city. We are now paying dearly for those acts.

As a recent example, on 9/13/2016 at the city  council meeting, council voted 4 to 1 to give city employees a raise . Council member  Bert Perello voted no. Perello’s reason, and rightfully so,  was there was not enough data presented  and study time to make an informed descion. Nobody is disputing the raise, only the deceptic process that was used, a tactic, I might add, that is typical of Oxnard.

The city’s response---
From VC Star: “Assistant City Manager Maria Hurtado said the staff "didn't want to confuse the issue" by trying to explain the complex budgeting involved in the shift of pension costs. 

Are our  elected officials so simple minded that they are easily confused. or does the city staff just perceive them that way? Either way it’s a scary proposition for the Oxnard taxpayer.

This is one way the Oxnard, CA , City Council is manipulated by staff. Unfortunately, some council members buy into this narrative, and as a result, financially destructive and long lasting, uniformed decisions are made.

But the electorate, you the voters, also have a measure of guilt with uninformed choices made at the ballot box. It seems that many vote for the glib tongue, name recognition, or the spelling of the surname, instead of their past track record or qualifications for the job.

The right council members can make a huge difference, so pay close attention to the candidates, scrutinize them as if under a microscope.

If we don’t learn from past mistakes, and correct them, we are destined to continue repeating them.

Much - much more to come.

Separating the wheat from the chaff.