The Ventura City Council will decide this Monday night whether to place the Super Store Initiative on the ballot in November 2009 or take the initiative and adopt the ordinance outright. If they don't address the Wal-Mart issue in Council the issue will go before the voters on the November 2009 ballot. This could be bad news for Council members running for election in an off-year. Adoption of the super store initiative would allow Council members who are up for election in 2009 the opportunity to run without this polarizing issue and a big grassroots Stop Wal-Mart campaign.

A citizen's group called Livable Ventura has been pressing the city to pass an ordinance controlling big-box development for several years. They were involved back in March of 2007 when the City Council adopted a 20-year "smart growth" plan for a seven-block area along Victoria Avenue called the Victoria Corridor Plan. The plan calls for more offices and pedestrian-friendly development. The Council then demonstrated their support for these planning goals by passing an "urgency" ordinance for Victoria Avenue that requires a building greater than 50,000 s.f. to submit to a special review and a use permit. City planners suggested that Wal-Mart should, like any other applicant, meet the city's new development guidelines. This meant Wal-Mart would reduce the size from an initial 150,000 s.f. with groceries to 100,000 s.f. maximum with no groceries.

The Stop Wal-Mart Coalition, who helped collect 8,600 signatures to place the Super Store Initative on the ballot, opposes Wal-Mart because economic studies of communities in California show that it hurts local businesses and workers. To operate like a Wal-Mart local retailers would have to pay little more than minimum wage, to eliminate reliable full-time and long-time employees, reduce or eliminate health care benefits and utilize federal and state subsidies for the poor. Local businesses can't compete with the Wal-Mart myth of low prices. In spite of the fact that research has shown Wal-Mart doesn't have the lowest prices on products across the board. Yet their unlimited advertising resources tout low prices to bring in customers and convince them they're getting a good deal. Wal-Mart promises a gain in sales tax revenues - which cities depend on - but Wal-Mart increases are offset by losses in sales tax revenues from local retailers while traffic increases and local storefronts close. Often there is a net loss in revenues to cities.

In these recessionary times of economic crises we don't need to further stress our local businesses. In order for Wal-Mart to occupy the shuttered K-Mart site on Victoria they must come to the City understanding that they will have a smaller size store and relinquish the right to expand in a piece-meal way or add groceries in the future. Democracy Watch encourages the Ventura City Council to adopt the Super Store Initiative on Monday November 24.

By Maren Semler,
Oxnard

I remember the day JFK was killed. It was my senior year in high school and my graduating class canceled the senior prom and all other senior activities. A profound shift in consciousness was occurring.

Then along came the long task of trying to end the war. The war was Vietnam. The flower power generation put flowers in the gun barrels of the police, imploring our government "to make love not war." It was a revolution that was occurring, a time of change; for war, civil rights, women's rights, for worker's rights.

My generation grew up, went to work, created families, and became complacent with their prosperity. We were witness to the demise of the middle class, decline in education and the value of being educated, loss of health care, a crumbling infrastructure, and the desecration of the Bill of Rights, the looting of our economy, unjust wars and unnecessary death.

I have long wondered what happened to my generation. Where were all those voices that once had yelled and marched for justice and change? And then in 2004 I turned on my television to watch the Democratic National Convention. There was an incredibly articulate young man that gave a speech that gave me pause. I found myself asking "who is that speaking?" It was Barack Obama, the junior senator from Illinois. I read his book, "The Audacity of Hope," and it gave me chills and I knew that some day he would be president.

George W. Bush's reign has been long and dark. No one could ever have imagined the depth of destruction his administration would cause. I remember thinking "we need a revolution." But how and who would lead it? And then Barack Obama declared his candidacy and put in motion a revolution of the people, by the people, for the people. He empowered us, one by one and by the millions, to work for change. He provided a beacon for hope. We walked and talked and worked for hope and change.

On November 4, 2008 I sat with hundreds of people that had gathered to watch the results of the election. When the pundits declared that Barak Obama had actually won, there was a moment of shared surreal silence. All of the voices in that room joined in concert with all of the voices in Chicago's Grant Park and yelled together "Yes We Can." Yes we did, we did it!

We heralded in the chance to turn the page on history, to restore our shared humanity with all of our hopes and dreams and pride. Oprah put it best: "Hope won!" And now the hard work begins.

The former best man in Tony and Audra Strickland's wedding and Tony Strickland's former campaign manager Joe Giardello probably summed it up best when he told the Ventura County Star: "I don't think he's in this for anything other than Tony Strickland."

Manipulators of both campaign donations and the truth to suit their own purposes, the Stricklands do whatever it takes to win, ethical considerations be damned. Tony is currently running for State Senate District 19; Audra for re-election in Assembly District 37.

Blatant campaign distortions
Tony Strickland's entire State Senate campaign is based on his claims of being a "renewable energy businessman" and "independent thinker." Yet records show that the wave energy company he is associated with was started by his political friends and has no paid employees or even a permit to do business. Strickland's "whoppers" have drawn jeers from environmental groups everywhere based on his 1.67% voting record on environmental issues. Even more laughable is his self-proclaimed "independent thinker" label after being president of the far-right California Club for Growth, a group known for destroying the political careers of moderate Republicans.

County School Board shenanigans
The Stricklands worked behind the scenes to stack the Ventura County Board of Education in Karl Rove-like fashion with politically minded right-wing zealots. Tony's former aide, Chris Valenzano, who was elected to the county board after financial help from his boss, first proposed hiring lobbying firms in 2006 and the board entered into a $396,000 contract with two outside lobbying firms who have both donated money to Strickland. These lobbyists have produced little more than additional bills for local taxpayers and a possible partnership with one of their own clients, a private Christian college in Indiana, which could help build the college a new $8.5 million building but do little for Ventura County students. Valenzano is in a very tight race for re-election against well-known and respected community leader Dr. Mark Lisagor. It is expected that Dr. Lisagor will win this race in large part because of obvious mismanagement of taxpayer dollars like this.

Corporate influence shows trail of pay-to-play politics
Beginning in his 1998 Assembly race and from every year thereafter, Tony Strickland took money from tobacco, alcohol, gambling, insurance and oil interests like Enron, and once in office repaid his benefactors by sponsoring bills for them and voting in their favor. This led to legislation such as his bill which was vetoed by the governor for "unacceptable expansion of gambling in California." His wife is equally drenched in these dubious campaign contributions.

Allegations of campaign finance misdeeds
According to the Los Angeles Times, "Over a little more than five years, Tony Strickland and his wife, Audra, who replaced him as a member of the state Assembly, paid more than $138,000 raised by their supporters to businesses owned by them and a staffer living in their Moorpark home. An additional $20,000 in campaign money was deposited into a nonprofit organization run by Tony Strickland."

Even Republicans were outraged. "How could people be so arrogant to blatantly transfer money like this?" Jere Robings, a Republican activist from Thousand Oaks told the Times. "It is obvious they are trying to circumvent the law," he said.

The Stricklands' money laundering practices would be investigated many more times, usually by fellow Republicans.

Out-of-control employees
In June, Audra Strickland's chief of staff  (and Tony's former top aide) Joel Angeles got into a well-publicized fracas with anti-tobacco protesters outside the Hyatt Westlake in an apparent attempt to keep them from being seen by people entering the fund-raiser Tony Strickland was doing with Mitt Romney. He allegedly knocked a former minister to the ground in a scuffle in front of many witnesses, including the press. The man later underwent surgery for a torn rotator cuff. The Star reported the case is now with the State Attorney General after Republican Ventura County District Attorney Greg Totten needed to recuse himself because of his extensive campaign activities for the Stricklands. Sheriff's investigators typically do not send files to the District Attorney's office unless they believe charges should be filed. The photo above shows him yelling at protestors and Obama supporters.

And the list goes on. This kind of corruption and cronyism must end. The Stricklands must go.

In the barrage of late campaigning, a new Independent Expenditure Committee working on behalf of Tony Strickland reared its ugly head. This one dropped $88,361 last week on behalf of the far-right contender for the Senate District 19 seat.

Now this one really makes us laugh. It's called the California Citizens for Ethics in Government. It sent out a mailer presenting itself as a champion of truth and ethics in government and let us know that they had "investigated" the charges Hannah-Beth Jackson has made against Strickland for his numerous ethical lapses. (Which, incidentally, are quite true). The group also made robocalls over the weekend.

In fact, they claim, "Tony Strickland's record is far more independent."

But who is behind this "Ethics" group? Why, none other than the California Republican Party's lawyer, Charles Bell. That's him listed as treasurer in a campaign filing report on the Secretary of State's website.

This law firm recently sent a threatening letter on behalf of the California Republican Party to the San Bernardino Democratic Central Committee, the Ventura County Democratic Central Committee and Vote Blue of California. It was signed by one Charles H. Bell Jr., General Counsel to the California Republican Party.

Guess who is funding this group? The Republican Party and Indian tribes.

Here's a caveat to voters: Do your homework before you vote. These Independent Expenditure Committees aren't always who they profess to be. If you're sick of all the campaign mailings, check your local newspapers for their recommendations on who to vote for in the SD-19 race. Both the Los Angeles Times and Ventura County Star have endorsed Hannah-Beth Jackson.  

Blessed (are) they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:10)

Using selective church doctrine to discriminate against gay couples is wrong, just as preaching against interracial marriage was wrong or upholding slavery for religious reasons was wrong.  

The largest contributor to the campaign to change the California State Constitution to eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry is the Mormon Church. They argue that voters passed Proposition 22 in 2000 making it California law that only marriage between and man and a woman was valid and it must now be enshrined in the Constitution to protect certain Christians. This came about last summer when the California State Supreme Court ruled Proposition 22 was unconstitutional. The justices ruled that this state law violates the equal protection clause of our Constitution.

Enter the Mormon Church with its vast resources who has become involved in the fight to deny same-sex couples the right to marry. Mormons number more than 12 million members worldwide, and it is a close-knit community, where belief in God and family is paramount. It is a family-centered organization that prescribes how you live and participate in the community.

The Mormon Church doctrine teaches that if you're gay, you must be celibate. To have same sex-relationships is wrong and to openly demonstrate love and affection for another same-sex individual can bring excommunication from the church.

Yet in recent years, gay Mormons have been speaking up against this discriminatory policy. A Salt Lake City-based group called Gay Mormon Fathers, or Gamofites, says changing one's sexual orientation is not possible.

Over many years Russ Gorringe denied himself -- he prayed for change and did the right thing according to Mormon doctrine. He knew that there was no place for him in the community unless he married. He felt torn and depressed. Eventually after many years he told his wife he was gay. Then he spent years in a church-sponsored reparative therapy program. Finally, Gorringe and his wife realized that being gay doesn't go away. The family began to come to grips with this reality and make peace, but the church cannot accept these final truths. Gay Mormons must choose between their faith and their heart.  They must recover from discrimination and feelings that they are sinful and immoral.

Discrimination against gays and gay couples and families is wrong. We agree with the California Supreme Court.  Vote NO on Proposition 8 to protect civil rights and gay families.