Jim Hightower in his November publication, “The Hightower Lowdown,� describes the many wonders former President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the Democrats achieved with their wonderful program, the Works Progress Administration, better known as WPA.

Re: William F. Klepper’s Nov. 29 letter, “It’s not Uncle Sam’s job,� a response to my Nov. 28 letter, “S.V. can do more�:

I wrote about the homeless camp knowing that it would ruffle some feathers. It saddens me that money is the only argument that Mr. Klepper had against aid for the homeless. I never meant to imply that the city should rip his wallet out of his pocket and buy homes for the homeless. I only meant to point out that our city, like so many others, doesn’t address the homeless problem except to make it unlawful. Mr. Klepper’s logic is in the age-old question: “Am I my brother’s keeper?�

I have lived in the Conejo Valley for 30 years and have been actively involved in Conejo Valley Days for the last six years.

This year, I am on-site chairman and am also saddened by not having a parade and rodeo. However, what a lot of people don't realize is that after our 50th anniversary last year, there was a very good chance that there would be no Conejo Valley Days at all this year. In order for CVD to continue, some decisions had to be made. So a group of people got together and worked many long volunteer hours trying to preserve CVD. They should be complimented, not criticized.

Re: Ed Jones’ Nov. 29 commentary, “Gallegly challenged to step up and address nation’s problems�:

U.S. Rep. Elton Gallegly is perfectly aware that as a member of Congress he is “in the big leagues.� For many years, he has comfortably accepted our money and availed himself of all the perks associated with his job, reserving district face time for election years.

The controversy over where to locate the boating center at Channel Islands Harbor is caused by a few greedy people who want to control the harbor to maximize the value of their own property.

I lived and worked in the harbor area for more than 30 years and observed that these contentious people seem to have similar backgrounds. They came up from the big city — Los Angeles — and bought beach property that was cheap for them, and now they intend to take control of the harbor away from the "local yokels" for their own benefit.

Recently, our local cable company, Adelphia, was taken over by Time Warner Cable. Within weeks of the takeover, TWC announced it was discontinuing one channel altogether and moving seven others from the "standard cable and basic broadcast" package to their "basic digital" package. There was no mention of reducing the monthly charge for those customers who stayed with the old package.

The reason given for moving these channels had to do with giving them extra bandwidth to accommodate their digital cable offering — or some such techno-hogwash.

Re: your Nov. 26 editorial, “Saving seafood a must priority�:

The disconnect between the scientific community and the practical world is wonderfully illustrated by the concept that “another 8.6 nautical miles would be designated marine conservation areas limited to hook and line for pelagic species such as sardines and anchovies.� I defy them to show us in modern history a recreational fisherman who went out fishing for anchovies with hook and line.

— Peter B. Poulson, Camarillo

Re: Ed Jones’ Nov. 29 commentary, “Gallegly challenged to step up and address nation’s problems�:

It is nice to see this open letter to U.S. Rep. Elton Gallegly from Mr. Jones because it comes from someone who supports Mr. Gallegly and knows him personally. But where were these questions before the election? Why now?

Re: Todd Terres’ Nov. 26 letter, “More cable woes�:

Mr. Terres’ letter is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to complaints about Time Warner cable service.

They have taken away six of my channels, even though they promised to give more.

We have received none of the promised additional channels.

They have taken away the senior discount.

Re: Colleen Cason’s Nov. 29 column, “The punch line that never came�:

Does the interview with Kyle Doss, the "victim" of Michael Richards’ outburst at the Laugh Factory, really deserve front-page status? It might be more appropriately contained as a paid advertisement, where Gloria Allred should have paid for her public efforts at shaking down Mr. Richards for hush money.

Nowhere in the article does Mr. Doss ever state that he would be happy with a personal apology from Richards. Instead, he discusses his "victimization" from the comedian's out-of-control rage.

Re: Judy Fessenden’s Nov. 22 “On Track� column, “Help your child learn the basics of reading�:

This column should be required reading for all parents and educators. If parents accepted and implemented their responsibility to see that their children are educated to the limit of their abilities, then this article is most inappropriate. Improvements in education start with the concepts present in the article.

—Paul C. Mangan, Ventura

Recently a segment of the evening news exposed a major problem: debt among 22- to 29-year-olds. Whether through student loans, credit card debt or capricious spending, many owe as much as $170,000 with no clue as to how to reverse it!

A few states have begun offering personal finance courses. I believe that mandatory courses in budgeting and personal finance should be offered at all middle schools. Furthermore, high school seniors should be required to take several courses as a condition of graduation.

Let us please remember the hatred for the United States in the Indonesian islands the next time a tsunami hits that thankful country.

—Joseph Hektner, Ventura

Re: your Nov. 16 article, “Owner of mortuary files defamation suit�:

I was saddened and shocked to read this story about the horrible and allegedly slanderous remarks made about Robert Garcia Jr. and the family Garcia Mortuary. I had not responded to this story because of an illness of almost two weeks.

I got to know Robert Garcia Jr. — and each member of his wonderful family who own and administer the Garcia Mortuary — while administrator of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Santa Paula.

After all these months, I still mourn the loss of my favorite radio station, KKZZ (1400/1590). I have searched the AM and FM dials, and there are no stations in Ventura County playing music like they did. Immediately after the change to talk radio format, I did find one at 540AM, but now they have gone country.

I enjoyed all of the music on KKZZ, was loyal to their sponsors and felt as if Les Nelson were part of my own family. Now, driving around in the traffic has become even more of a hassle. I took 1590 off my push button. Believe me, the last thing I want is to hear women talking about their troubles, from men to menopause.

The Chicago Bulls signed last year's NBA Defensive Player of the Year to a four-year contract to, of course, play a child's game for a living — and, oh yeah, make $60 million while doing it.

Most employees get irritated when their boss clamps down on personal e-mails at work and these employees are making, say, $30,000 a year. Ben Wallace is making what amounts to be about $200,000 per game —or $35,000 per rebound — and he is angry because he wants to wear his headband!

Re: Clive Leeman’s Nov. 28 commentary, “Well-loved Bear missed�:

On Tuesday, we had to have our beloved dog, Pepper, put down. She was 17 years old, and it was time for her long, beautiful life to come to an end.

After the sad task was ended, we came home get on with our lives, and, lo and behold, I read the article by Clive Leeman about the end of his dog Bear's life. The timing of the article and the coincidental age of Pepper and Bear when they passed was uncanny.

The Wagon Wheel motel office and restaurant must be saved!

At one time, the City of Oxnard had three unique and remarkable restaurants: The Colonial House, the Tradewinds and the Wagon Wheel restaurant. The first two have been demolished, and now we learn the third will soon join them.

Re: Colleen Cason’s Nov. 29 column, “The punch line that never came�:

If the "n" word is bad, it has to be bad 100 percent of the time. You can't just pick and choose when it's OK or with whom it's OK to use it. I can really find no instance that that word should ever be used, as it has bad connotations dating back to the pre-Civil War era. But still, blacks use that word to refer to themselves or others of their race.

It's in the music they listen to, movies they watch and media they subscribe to. So how can these young people be that damaged by it, as they contend they are? They really should be desensitized to it. After all, they use it, young and old, constantly.

Re: your Nov. 27 editorial, “A rare chance to gaze at Lucy�:

I would certainly go over to see Lucy, should her bones be exhibited locally. However, I would oppose her making the trip.

Planes still do disappear into the briny deeps, there still is the running sore of terrorism to contend with, and remember the attack on the Pieta?

Re: your Nov. 25 article, “Irish radical attempts to storm parliament�:

Is the author of the headline certain the radical is Irish?

If you were to ask the attacker, he would insist he is British and feels so strongly about this that he’s willing to go to these extremes to maintain his Britishness. He is an inhabitant of the island of Ireland, but a part of Ireland that has been under British rule for quite some time. As a Unionist loyal to the throne of England, as opposed to a Nationalist who seeks unification with the Irish Republic, he is a British citizen and culturally British by choice.

At the last Pleasant Valley School District board meeting, it was decided that a committee would be formed to study the necessity of closing Camarillo schools. The superintendent spoke about the possibility of closing one, two or three schools with a quick mention of possibly selling a school. The deadline for the committee’s report is February so that the board can move swiftly and enact changes before the start of the next school year.

I would like to take this time to thank the residents of Santa Paula for allowing me to represent them over the past eight years as their elected council member. It has been a pleasure and an honor to represent them, their issues and concerns.

Over the past eight years, I have had the opportunity to make Santa Paula a better place for all of us to live and work. Our town has seen its share of hard times, and we’re still not out of the dark, but with our dedicated employees and staff, Santa Paula will someday soon, I hope, achieve the recognition it deserves as the jewel of the county.

The language of 21st century politicians is geared to keeping the constituents in the dark.

For example, the civil war in Iraq is called “a new phase.� Those killed in Iraq are not returned in body bags, but are called “dignified remains.�

The most outrageous piece of doublespeak (George Orwell, move over) appeared in a congressional paper. We no longer address hunger in America. We now call it “food insecurity.�

— Robert J. Pisapia, Westlake Village

Re: Ron Hawley’s Nov. 28 letter, “S.V. can do more�:

Mr. Hawley says, "The city has a responsibility to provide adequate housing for its citizens."

Re: your Nov. 22 article, “Wal-Mart gay outreach efforts prompt protest call�:

What are the Christian conservatives, represented by the American Family Association and the inappropriately named Operation Save America, really saying in their protest against Wal-Mart's marketing efforts to a portion of the American populace who celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, families and friends; who fight for our freedoms in our wars; save our homes and lives when there are fires; protect us from unlawful acts; help heal our bodies in hospitals and, when accidents happen, comfort our families — all without asking about our religious beliefs, domestic affiliations, marital status or country of origin?

A teacher at Los Cerritos Middle School gave her students an assignment: to write a letter of thanks to someone. My grandson, Kyler Duran, wrote one to me. This was written before he knew Conejo Valley Days would not be having a parade or rodeo.

"Dear Grandmom: Thank you for everything you've done for me. You have let me come over a great deal. You have let me play with the animals, and thank you for taking me to the parade almost every year. It is fun riding in the cart with Normie, your miniature horse.

Re: your Nov. 24 article, “Gallegly tells concern over dead bear�:

Generally silently, inaccessibly and predictably compliant with the right-wing Republican line, U.S. Rep. Elton Gallegly has taken initiative with regard to the handling of black bears that cross national forest borders into cities in his district.
The one other matter on which he has spoken out on his own is people who cross our national borders. I suggest he apply to bears the remedy he supports in the case of people and introduce legislation mandating the building of a multimillion-dollar fence around Los Padres National Forest.

— Harvey H. Guthrie, Fillmore

In a similar incident in 1997 in Meiners Oaks, the Department of Fish and Game put forth a litany of like reasons to justify the killing of an unfortunate black bear. The main excuse, then, as now, was the need to protect hunters — also known as animal killers. While many feel that it would be a tragedy should any hunter ingest bear meat containing traces of tranquilizers, there are probably more who would chalk it up to poetic justice. Maybe it is time for the agency to revisit and revise its policies.

— Marge Hackett, Ojai

Re: Jim Lane’s Nov. 26 commentary, “Self-esteem vital for students’ success in life�:

I am sure Mr. Lane is a nice and sincere man. No reasonable person would disagree that it is better to look at life as a glass half full, than a glass half empty.

However, the idea that speaking a positive message to oneself "even when it is untrue" is yet another reason education in America is in such a dismal state. Self-centeredness and conceit is at the root of virtually every instance that Mr. Lane blames on low self-esteem in his essay.

There is a site on the Web, www.new7wonders.com, that gives people the chance to pick the new seven wonders of the world. There are 21 choices. This is worldwide vote. I know it is legitmate, since I found out about it from the Smithsonian magazine. It gives people the chance to become part of history in the making.

— Jack Brewer, Simi Valley

Re: your Nov. 24 letter, “Gallegly tells concern over dead bear�:

I applaud Rep. Elton Gallegly, R-Simi Valley, for his follow-through with the Department of Fish and Game.

The Department of Fish and Game simply does not get it. The voting constituency of Ventura County and the residents simply do not want wildlife killed at the drop of an impulse, with someone citing some ridiculous law that excuses their behavior.

I wonder why there are so many videos of the so-called "misbehavior" of our boys in blue and never any of the gang shootings that happen so much? Most gang members have video phones.

I am thankful in this Thanksgiving season to live in a country where I can ask this question.

I am also thankful that for the last year, I fought cancer with chemotherapy and radiation and had the solid support of my family and friends. I am now a survivor. I will celebrate the Christmas season this year.

We are approaching Dec. 7, a date in our history that is all but forgotten.

For our youth, it is but a date as vague and meaningless as the last boring history lesson, or as old as Pac Man. But for an older generation, it represents a critical turning point in our history. Dec. 7, 1941: the attack on Pearl Harbor, the beginning of World War II. We turned from an isolationist nation into a war machine.

It was good to read that Peter Foy is interested in safety. With the 23rd accident and ninth fatality near the intersection to my neighborhood since January 2005, let’s make sure traffic is included on his list.

The stretch of Highway 118 through Moorpark is a major concern, but traffic flow in the entire county — today, five years from now and 10 years out — should be on every supervisor’s agenda.

Re: Jef Kurfess’ Nov. 24 commentary, “Community colleges harm high schools�:

As a community college instructor, I, too, decry the lack of preparation of many who currently seek higher education at the community college level. However, to assert that community colleges actually "cause" the problem through open admission policies is just as absurd as maintaining that automobiles "cause" accidents.

Many parents and most of society have encouraged a teen culture of do-nothing, learn-nothing, be-nothing but always be cool. And always, always, blame someone else for your lack of achievement.

The Star did a good job of reporting on the squatters encampment but failed to investigate the reasons for the problem.

The City of Simi Valley does little to create low-income housing and then is ready to run out those poor people who are the victims of their neglect. The city has a responsibility to provide adequate housing for its citizens, but when it fails to do so, it also has the power to make the problem go away by chasing these people out. Their out-of-sight, out-of-mind thinking is morally corrupt. Thank God for the Sonrise Christian Fellowship, otherwise these people would have less than they do now.

Re: Thomas Elias’ Nov. 22 commentary, “How soon before the governor switches parties?�:

This commentary about Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger being a RINO — Republican In Name Only — is equally applicable to recently elected Democrats in Indiana, Missouri, Virginia and Montana who are DINOs — Democrats In Name Only.

I am always saddened at the state of our educational system when I read letters to The Star that complain about bilingual ballots or bilingual government.

Do these people truly not know that the treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, which moved the U.S.-Mexico border south, guaranteed that the ceded territories north of the border would be bilingual? Or do they not believe that the United States should observe its treaties?

— Sandra Sanders, Ventura

My son's school, and my alma mater, had to travel to Oaks Christian High School for junior varsity and varsity football games recently. I'm sure no one thought that we had much of a chance against this powerhouse. I was satisfied that the JVs played a very good game and the young varsity team made a valiant effort, but both came up short. We are supposed to raise our kids to understand that it's not whether you win or lose, but how you played the game. As far as that goes then, we won!

Re: Ed Jones' Nov. 19 commentary, "What would Abe Lincoln say about Iraq war?":

Ed Jones writes that President Lincoln was concerned about some of Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's tactics during the very successful Vicksburg campaign. Through convoluted logic, Jones concludes that Lincoln learned to admit his error in trying to second-guess the tactics of his field commander, and this somehow means that Lincoln would admit Iraq is wrong and change tactics.

Re: Colleen Cason’s Nov. 19 column, “Doing the right thing goes terribly wrong for mom�:

The city of Ventura receives numerous complaints regarding housing code issues. We investigate those that violate the Uniform Housing Code after the tenant has been unsuccessful in obtaining compliance with the landlord. Unless the violation is egregious, the tenant should notify the landlord first, in writing, and give the landlord a reasonable time to have the problem fixed. The courts usually recognize 30 days as reasonable.

I live in Surfside III and completely support the towers project. This is the best thing ever that can happen to Port Hueneme. Please support the project. It will make our city come alive. The opponents of the project are misinformed and not knowledgeable!

— Paul Lewow, Port Hueneme

The Star recently published two articles regarding the desire of city officials — the city manager and one council member — to have the public help modify the budget to allow an increase in police and fire employment. Frankly, I find this call for help disingenuous.

Surely, the city manager does not really want me and others in his office each day reviewing his decisions and providing "ideas" for his benefit. If he does, we might consider the need for a new city manager.

It is an absolute embarrassment to the people of Ventura County that two weeks have gone by and we still do not know whom we elected to office. Given the number of years election officials have encouraged us to vote by absentee ballot, how is it that they have so miscalculated staffing needs to get the job done right and on time?

We deserve better. Now.

— Howard J. Smith, Ojai

Dec. 21, Troop 102 will complete 85 years of Boy Scouting in Ventura. First United Methodist Church of Ventura has sponsored the troop since its inception, and the troop meets in the basement of the present church facility on Santa Clara Street on most Monday evenings. When originally chartered, we were Troop 2, becoming 102 when a number change was made by the council in the late 1920s.

Re: your Nov. 18 articles, "Man sentenced in fatal crash at end of chase" and "Man who stole winning lottery ticket gets 5 years":

I read the article about David Bagai, the man who led police on a high-speed chase in Camarillo that ended tragically when he ran a red light and struck another vehicle, killing the driver. It turns out that the driver, Stephen Aguirre, was a family man with a wife and young children. Bagai was sentenced to four years and four months in prison after being convicted of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and evading a police officer.

Re: Anthony R. Miller's Nov. 13 letter, “Buses are safe vehicles," and your Nov. 21 article, “Three girls killed in school bus accident�:

Miller’s letter was in response to my Nov. 10 letter, "School bus seat belts.�

How sad and tragic it was to hear of the three girls killed and the 30 other kids critically injured in Alabama this past week on a school bus that had no seat belts. According to a Huntsville, Ala., fire chief, students were thrown all over the bus.
I believe Miller needs to send his message of support — that buses are safe vehicles without seat belts —to the parents of those young lost souls.

— Jill Scoggan, Thousand Oaks

It has taken me several weeks to calm the anger I felt due to the decision to cancel the Conejo Valley Days parade and rodeo enough to sit down and write a letter.

The Conejo Valley has always been a ranching community, and from the very first Conejo Valley Days, there has always been a parade and rodeo.

Re: your Nov. 20 editorial, “A courtroom vendetta�:

It is irresponsible, even in editorials, to publish information that is misleading or outright false. In the editorial, The Star attempted to illustrate why the question of United States’ participation in the International Criminal Court "is so unpopular with the American public."

As a fairly recent football fan, I am amazed at the bias toward USC in The Star’s sports section and the lack of coverage about UCLA. I know USC has plenty of fans in the Southland, many with no affiliation to the school that I can tell.

Even when UCLA wins, it's always low key compared to the coverage USC gets. Let's balance the scales a little!

— Debby Ellis, Newbury Park

My family is not racist nor is it we prejudiced against any group of people. We were all aliens at one time.

This is America, and we are tired of being insulted and assaulted by just about every store in Ventura County.

It appears as if advertisers rule over customers at Time Warner's recently acquired TV cable franchise in the county.

NBC's "Sunday Night Football," when recorded with a Time Warner-supplied digital video recorder, had its fast-forward functions disabled. Thus, the viewer is forced to watch all commercials, a lengthy half-time show, and sit through tedious official play reviews.

Oh Adelphia, where art thou?

— Charlie Malone, Thousand Oaks

I just have to say that I believe our new cable provider in Thousand Oaks doth speaketh with forked tongue when it telsl us its new service will not see an increase in price.

Re: Dick Hawley’s Nov. 21 letter, “Finding the humor�:

The writer uses the old movie classic "Arsenic and Old Lace" as an (appropriate) example of real humor versus that of the current movie "Borat."

Hawley lists two members of that wonderful old movie's cast as Cary Grant and Boris Karloff.

The avalanche of money dumped into this last campaign nationwide could have fed, housed and/or treated every wretched soul from New Orleans to Darfur.

A few years ago, three of us knew we'd be out of town on an election day, so we requested absentee ballots. The next voting day, we went to the voting place to vote but were told we were listed as "absentee voters" and could only vote if we brought in our absentee ballots to the voting place and turned them in there. I tried to get back to regular voting but finally gave up. Every voting day, the three of us get absentee ballots, even though we are usually in town.

Along with all the other Adelphia cable TV and broadband Internet customers in Camarillo, Newbury Park and Thousand Oaks, I received a package from Time Warner Cable a couple of months back informing me of all the added channels that were coming on Oct. 14 if I switched from the old Adelphia TV lineup. The most prominent of these were some new high-definition channels, including ESPN HD and HDNet movies. So, on Oct. 14, I signed up and switched.

Re: Jason Love’s Nov. 19 column, “Designed for distress: Grammar is a big trap�:

Jason Love may rant and rave all he wants about the grammar “sickos� and asking everyone to be more “leni-ANT,� but when I heard a sportscaster on national television last week state, “He should have went farther right,� I had to cringe. Grammar teachers: Keep working on those kids!

— Bob Phipps, Thousand Oaks

On Nov. 28, the Thousand Oaks City Council will hear a matter regarding the construction of a luxury home on a ridgeline bordering Wildwood Park known as Mount Clef Ridge.

For all of my 25 years I have enjoyed this area. Whether it was exploring its Chumash caves, or observing its wildlife, it has always given me comfort in my heart to know that such a wonderful place is within close reach.

Re: your Nov. 15 article, “Deputy shoots, kills man, 25�:

The Star should get the terminology correct or not print an article at all. It sounds to me like the "victim" is the deputy. California Penal Code sections 196 and 197 make homicide justifiable under certain circumstances.

More specifically California Penal Code section 197, section 1, states homicide is justifiable (for any person): "When resisting any attempt to murder any person, or to commit a felony, or to do some great bodily injury upon any person."

Re: Lisa Padilla's Nov. 15 letter, “Seeing ‘Borat’ is a choice,� a response to my Nov. 10 letter, “‘Borat’ and the election�:

With respect to the implication that my letter was somehow contrary to the principle of "free speech," in which she asserts "I relish," nothing could be farther from the truth. I was exercising that right. I wasn't attacking the movie, I was criticizing the public's taste, and apparently her taste, as being coarse, crude and very disappointing.

Recently, I was out at 6:30 doing my morning run when I came across three young girls walking barefoot up Lynn Road. They were huddled together, wrapped in a blanket, looking tired, frazzled and intoxicated. I asked if they were all right. One answered, “Not really.� I asked if they needed a ride, and they desperately told me they did. I ran back home to get my car.

As I drove them home to Newbury Park, I learned they were Thousand Oaks High School students who had gone to a party the night before, had been unable to contact parents to come pick them up and had spent the entire night on campus at California Lutheran University.

I was working at my corner in Camarillo as a crossing guard the other day, and a fellow stopped and got out of his car to talk to me. He told me that he thought I was doing a good job. He noticed that a few drivers ignored the traffic and crossing signs. I have observed this also.

I would like drivers to be aware that the city of Camarillo has spared no expense to put up “school crossing� signs in fluorescent green to make drivers aware that they are approaching a school crossing and that they may have to stop if there is a crossing guard present. If you observe that the crossing guard is holding up a stop sign and you can stop, please do so.

Nov. 22, 1963, President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. Most Americans would know this fact. April 15, 1865, President Lincoln was assassinated in Washington, D.C., while watching a play at Ford’s Theater. Most history books hardly cover who killed these two presidents and their reasons why.

Re: your Nov. 18 article, “Netherlands to ban burqa for security�:

I don’t understand what security problem burqa-clad Muslim women pose in The Netherlands.

I have visited Amsterdam twice in my life and never spotted any burqa-clad women. It is estimated that about 30 women wear burqas in that country.

Re: your Nov. 15 article, “Pollsters see pattern in low voter turnout�:

This story and the pollsters quoted missed the point regarding the growth of "decline to state" registration. The increase is not due to apathy. It stems from disgust and frustration with politics as usual!

Re: Bill O’Reilly’s Nov. 18 commentary, “Who will save the babies from ‘Tiller the baby killer’?�:

It occurred to me after reading Bill O'Reilly's commentary that if the word "self-righteous" were applied only to Bill O'Reilly and no one else, its place in the dictionary would be warranted nonetheless.

Re: Leonard Pitts Jr.’s Oct. 16 commentary, “Arm the teachers, and other bumper-sticker solutions�:

Mr. Pitts’ commentary against arming teachers in case of school shootings demonstrates his obstinate refusal to understand things — like how crime in Florida dropped permanently when concealed-gun carrying was liberalized in that state. What his commentary calls for is, if I understand him, that the next time there is a school shooting, the teachers and student body should submit to murder — apparently to gratify Mr. Pitts' ideas of how things should be. This is not merely passively murderous on Mr. Pitts' part — this is lunacy! Where is the value of innocent life here? It has clearly not entered into his calculations.

I am shocked and saddened by the disclosure that so-called elected officials of the Channel Islands Community Service District spent taxpayer money on a small group’s political agenda to stop the boating center from being built on the Hollywood Beach side.

I would certainly hope the county’s district attorney looks into the legality of this act.
I wonder how the residents who pay inflated water and trash rates so their so-called elected officials can support their political agendas feel about this.

The Command Center. Who are they, and where are they when there is no
fire? Where do they get their authority for command and control over such a large and diverse number of units when there is a fire?

Re: T. Valson Abraham’s Nov. 10 commentary, “Religious groups under fire in India�:
This commentary shows us another example of violence manifested by religious tribalism.

Religious adherents worldwide and throughout history have abandoned reason and given way to the stifling them-against-us mentality with tragic results. And they just keep doing it century after century.

Re: Michael Moodian’s Nov. 7 essay, “It is time to lengthen the school day�:

I could not disagree more with Moodian. Lengthening the school day is not the answer to improving our students' academic performance. Nor is it the answer to solving the problem of juvenile crime and crime against juveniles, as the bulk of the essay proposes.

Students are getting plenty of good, solid academic instruction during their six- hour-plus school day and plenty more academic practice with the requisite homework. The key to students working to the highest level of their academic potential lies in them having a consistent supportive home environment. Consistent meal times with healthy foods, plenty of exercise and recreation, consistent bedtimes allowing for good rest, and parents' time, attention and love are what is needed for students to do their best in school.

Let's not mask the real problem by introducing yet another stress into our children's lives. An even longer school day with more demands will give students less opportunity to get the basics they need to thrive and perform.

The problems of student performance and crime involving juveniles deserve everyone's attention. The solution lies mainly in educating parents and parents-to-be in the essentials of parenthood and working to support changes in our society that allow parents to spend more time at home with their children.

— Dianne E. Oliver, Simi Valley

Re: Gregory Knepper’s Nov. 15 letter, “Why two languages?�

Mr. Knepper questioned why our ballots were in two languages. The reason is that it is required by federal law.

For more than 30 years, the Voting Rights Act has mandated that ballots and other voting materials be provided in languages besides English when census statistics show a substantial population of limited-English proficient, voting-age citizens in a particular political subdivision.

Re: Terry Paulson’s Nov. 11 essay, “Soldiers deserve better�:

Why does Paulson, and other Iraq war supporters, willfully conflate opposition to the war with fictional nonsupport of our troops? No one in my fairly wide acquaintance, progressive or conservative, has anything but good to say of those who stand and fight for us. Tell me a person is a veteran or active duty soldier, and I'll shake his hand and offer my warmest heartfelt thanks. We hate the war but love the troops.

Re: David Martosko’s Nov. 8 letter, “Misnamed organization�:

As a dietitian with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, I want to correct the false and misleading comments made in Mr. Martosko’s letter about our efforts to promote healthy nutrition.

Re: Rick Nolan's Nov. 12 letter, "Poll signs important," in response to my Nov. 10 letter, “How to solve a problem�:

My only point is that if there is a problem with the signs at the polling place, Mr. Nolan should say something to the polling inspector at the time. I also don't have the "luck" of working at the polling site where I cast my ballot. I have a full-time job.

— Connie Gajefski, Ventura

Ventura City Manager Rick Cole would like to have input from the citizens of Ventura about how to afford more police and firefighters now that Measure P6 has been defeated.

Well, I am holding the four-color, glossy-cover City of Ventura Recreation Guide in my hand. For starters, you could go back to black ink on uncoated newsprint with a black and white cover, which would cost significantly less than the present edition.

The Democrats must be very aggressive now. I just see them falling all over themselves to cooperate with the Republicans who completely ignored them when they were in power. The Democrats will endanger the 2008 election if they waffle. Their very weakness is that they were perceived by the voters as being weak.
I want them to demand we get out of Iraq now.

Also, we need more aggressive senators from California. If they can’t do more than protect our endangered cactus, these grandmas should go back to their knitting.

No sooner does Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger get re-elected then he starts his old tactics again. The first is to introduce a redistricting plan, using a special election again if needed.

He doesn't care now because he's in office. He figures he’s safe for four more years and can do what he wants again. It truly is the two faces of Arnold, and one can hope that people learn what really appeals to him: fame.

— Robert Fields, Ventura

Veterans Day: That's the day that veterans go to work so they can earn money to pay their taxes so that government employees can take the day off to honor the veterans.

— Roger H. Ransom, Camarillo

Why anyone would expect the lame duck Congress to do anything valuable for the country is beyond my comprehension. For the past two years, House Speaker Dennis Hastert and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist have demonstrated conclusively how ineffective they are. The most valuable result of the lame duck congressional session will be their final departure from positions of leadership in the Congress. It will be a welcome end to a lamentable performance by both.

— Sherman N. Mullin, Oxnard

Re: Dale McFeatters’ Oct. 28 commentary, “Pendulum swings from coed to same-sex classes�:

After being a student going through numerous years of school, I could see the situations that students would run into when in a same-sex class or a coed class. Same-sex and coed classes can be a benefit to some students, but when you look at it, it all comes down to the individual. Everyone has a different preference. Some people like their soup hot, some people like it warm and maybe some people even like it cold. It just depends on the person you are talking to.

Overall election results were pretty predictable, except for one very obvious curiosity. Electing Jerry Brown as our top cop is totally unbelievable.

At age 54, am I the only voter who remembers the Rose Bird court? Jerry, with his Supreme Court appointees, set back capital punishment standards that made California the laughingstock of law enforcement across the country. With Jerry in charge, criminals can relax and go about their deeds. Unbelievable!

— Michael Thames, Ojai

For years, the development of a sustainable community-based management organization to guide downtown Ventura's revitalization has been a goal of the Ventura Redevelopment Agency (RDA), the new Downtown Specific Plan and a focused general plan economic development strategy established by the city.

The United States is at this time the most powerful country in the world, and there is no reason whatsoever that a Third World country like Iraq can kill dozens of our soldiers every week.

To turn things around, we should be doing the following:

When a rocket or a missile is fired, it leaves a trail. With the technology we have and with all the spy planes we have in the area, at the moment a trail is detected, a missile aimed at the origin of the trail should be fired to evaporate the insurgents.

Re: Dick Hawley’s Nov. 10 letter, “‘Borat' and the election�:

Mr. Hawley lives in America, votes in America and relishes in the free speech amendment of America. Then why attack a funny movie? If he chooses not to see the movie, then do not go see it. He probably would not understand it anyway.

Re: Frank Moraga's Nov. 10 essay, “Immigration doomed GOP�:

Frank Moraga states the recent elections demonstrate that American voters are unconcerned about the current illegal alien invasion. Mr. Moraga should not interpret election results as support for open borders and amnesty for illegal aliens. The reality is that nothing could be further from the truth.

Re: your Nov. 10 article, “LAPD probes arrest caught on videotape�:

Once again, we are confronted with a split-second photograph of some Los Angeles Police Department officers actually using force to restrain a resisting suspect. It is not pretty. It would be nice if the media would also prominently report that the complete video was reviewed by a judge in court, and he ruled that the officers had acted reasonably.

Re: your Nov. 12 article, “Scientists look for ways to create ‘thinking Web�:

While I may question The Star’s choices and taste in Op-Ed political writers, I have a higher standard when it comes to the accuracy of news and its sources. If The Star is going to report something as fact, then its content must adhere to the same standard.
Although the word "thinking" appears in quotes in Sunday’s article about a “‘thinking’ Web,� it still implies such remains possible. It does not. Not previously. Not now. And not in the future. As long as such efforts rely on people-generated software on von Neumann-architected computers with a people-predetermined instruction set, we can only produce automata with more sophisticated results.

Re: your Nov. 4 article, “CVD rodeo, parade may go next year�:

I was shocked to read in The Star that the “powers that be� have decided to put an end to the Conejo Valley Days rodeo and parade in 2007!

Re: Timm Herdt’s Nov. 8 essay, “Voting’s over; give it a rest�:

I can enthusiastically approve of Herdt's essay.

Why do we elect a Legislature? As far back as 1988, I became disgusted with the initiative process and wrote our elected officials at the time. To quote one paragraph of that letter:

Tuesday, Proposition 87 fell about a million votes short of being passed. Was it by coincidence that Tuesday morning gas prices jumped close to 10 cents per gallon? Or was it the big oil companies giving the taxpayers a little taste of what was to come if they allowed the measure to pass?

In any case, the voters of California have been once again duped by corporate lies and deception. More than $100 million was spent by big oil to defeat Proposition 87. It just goes to show that money does make things happen.

Re: Rick Nolan’s Nov. 8 letter, “Don’t alter sign rules�:

Four times in a row the signs at the polling place have been wrong and he is just now speaking up? Why doesn't he volunteer his time the night before like I do and help set up the voting booths? That way he can make sure they are right.

— Connie Gajefski, Ventura

You who voted no on Measure P6 in Ventura should be ashamed of yourselves. A one-quarter-cent sales tax is too much to pay? Sure, the City Council may have misappropriated funds that got us into this mess, but don’t punish the general population, yourselves included, for this.

Rather, you should have passed P6, then, when our council members’ terms are up, vote them out. No one likes more taxes, especially folks like me on a very tight, fixed income. We all hope we never need emergency services, but we hope to feel comfortable in knowing they are available.

Karl Rove's election strategy ignored the adage: "The man who thinks he's on top of the world should never forget that it turns over every 24 hours."

— Anthony R. Miller, Thousand Oaks

I would like to thank the Democrats, Republicans and Independents — the people who voted for me in my 37th Assembly District campaign race. We conducted a very powerful campaign in spite of the lack of funding. The overwhelming good will, encouragement and faith of our supporters inspired us to move forward.

I appreciate The Star's endorsement of me and candid understanding of the issues we face. I am humbled by and grateful for your support.

— Ferial Masry, Newbury Park

I have voted in California for 36 years. I arrived at my polling location about 6 p.m. Since I had received two sample ballots in the mail, I wondered if I could vote twice. The nice person who signed me in wanted to know if I wanted to vote E. .J. Bass or Elizabeth Julian Bass.

I was beginning to wonder who I really was.

We decided on one name, then I voted. Then the new voting machine wasn't working right for two people ahead of me. The machine kept rejecting the ballot.

Proposition 83 must be repealed and declared void due to errors presented about GPS monitoring being effective.

GPS monitoring won't work. GPS won't work indoors, and it won't work under trees outdoors.

The U.S. government can disable L1 C/A (code signals) in a time of war, disabling all commercial GPS systems because all commercial GPS systems use L1 C/A.

The threat was that if the tax on oil companies, Proposition 87, passed, prices would increase. Well, the tax did not pass, but prices immediately increased, as much as 10 cents a gallon at some stations.

How come?

If the tax passes, prices increase. If it does not, prices increase. What am I missing here?

— Gary Kellogg, Newbury Park

Re: Michael A. Moodian’s Nov. 6 commentary, “It is time to lengthen the school day�:

I can only assume that Moodian does not have children in public school. The pressures imposed on teachers by the No Child Left Behind Act will ensure that extra time added to the school day will not be used to “nurture high-performing students� and “improve the learning experience.� Rather, our children will simply face additional hours subject to a curriculum aimed merely at bringing low-performing students up to proficiency. The very last thing our high-performing students — and frustrated teachers —need is “extra time working to improve standardized test score averages.�

— Susan Goodkin, Ventura

Re: Michael A. Moodian’s Nov. 6 commentary, “It is time to lengthen the school day�:

I was aghast after reading Moodian's argument for increasing the length of the school day. How dare he suggest government could do a better job of keeping my child "out of trouble" than I could. How dare he imply even more time away from parents and home is what the majority of children need to succeed. How dare he insinuate school time is more important for the development of young children than unstructured family or playtime.

Re: Ronnie Basset’s Oct. 29 letter, “What about beach safety?�

Basset, of Prior Lake, Minn., has a good point. Why don’t we have lifeguards on our beaches?

I posed this question to all Oxnard candidates up for re-election. Only one responded, and his response was, what should we do?

Re: Terry Paulson’s Oct. 30 essay, “An early end-zone dance�:

Paulson is to be congratulated for stepping up to the plate to let us know his political leanings. I, for one, never had much doubt about them, but it’s good to put any lingering questions aside. His support for the president is admirable, and his concern over the possible takeover of Congress by Democrats is not overblown.

Re: your Oct. 26 article, "Construction crew breaks gas pipeline":

This article described the break in a 1 ¼-inch natural gas pipeline that caused the evacuation of residents and the closure of the Lewis Road exit on Highway 101 in Camarillo for over an hour.

Re: your Nov. 7 article, “Transportation chief to quit in year�:

The Star failed to identify the factors justifying a salary raise for Ginger Gherardi, executive director of the Ventura County Transportation Commission. It is therefore important to identify, in more detail, her monumental achievements. A reasonable person reviewing these achievements must conclude Gherardi is worth her weight in gold, let alone a 10 percent raise.

Re: John C. Funk’s Nov. 6 letter, “Put ‘Christmas’ back in Christmas�:

I would like to say thanks to Funk for his recent letter. I agree.

I am tired of hearing "Happy Holidays!" On television, we see “Happy Hanukkah" and "Happy Kwaanza." So why not “Merry Christmas?�

I must express my concern about the continuing construction in Moorpark. At this rate, a merger with Simi Valley will soon be in order. Many of the new buildings are unnecessary and doing nothing more than making our city larger.

First, visit New Los Angeles Avenue. We see the old Kmart lot and it dawns on us: “Oh. It’s still empty.� Kmart has been empty for more than three years. I have noticed that a Petco is being built by Target. Could this store not fill the vacancy in the empty Kmart?

Recently, we had a visit with my cousin, who lives on the island of Trinidad, in the Caribbean. He informed us that there, the price of regular, unleaded gasoline is $1.25 a gallon in U.S. currency.

He also said that next door, in Venezuela, on the South American mainland, the price of regular unleaded gasoline was raised from 30 U.S. cents to 45 cents, and there was almost a revolution in that country because of the price increase.

How about that?

— Allan Clarke, Newbury Park

Re: Roseann Markert’s Nov. 7 letter, “Hypocrisy of fence�:

Markert equates the Berlin Wall with the proposed 700-mile fence along our southern border. The comparison is a non sequitur. The Berlin Wall was built to prevent people from escaping. Our fence will be built to protect us from invasion.

The real hypocrisy flows from the Mexican government. While complaining about our effort to control the flow of illegal aliens into our country, they guard their southern border against poor Guatemalans trying to find work in Mexico.

— Bernie Huberman, Thousand Oaks

Re: your Oct. 26 editorial, “Ferial Masry for 37th Assembly�:

For the very same reasons that your paper is not endorsing Audra Strickland, I will be supporting her. We need representatives who hold tough against benefits to illegal immigrants and higher taxes.

— Pierson Ochoa, Camarillo

Re: Ed Savage’s Oct. 30 letter, “Where was Audra�:

The writer berated Assemblywoman Audra Strickland for not attending a local street fair and her supposed lack of involvement in the community. You have to look no further than The Star's coverage to see what Audra has been up to.

During the primaries, some of us on the east side of the county had to choose between three candidates for supervisor. Fortunately, we were able to rid ourselves of the abrasive and conspicuously absent Judy Mikels. Now, as we head into the general election, we are faced with another difficult, if not impossible decision — Peter Foy or Jim Dantona.

Ferial Masry will not be getting my vote. She likes to claim to represent the district but continues to spout positions contrary to our community's values. Audra Strickland is a solid vote for tougher penalties for criminals and against benefits to illegal immigrants. She will not vote for taxes. Audra will have my vote.

— Matthew Hewitt, Newbury Park

Ferial Masry’s idea for reducing state spending is to take more people out of prison and put them in halfway houses next door to you and me! No, thank you. Public safety should be the number one priority for all levels of government.

I support Audra Strickland and her ideas for reducing state spending and taxes. Let’s start with the waste, fraud and abuse in our government bureaucracies and leave the prisoners where they belong: behind bars!

— Judy Harrison, Moorpark

We will be supporting Audra Strickland for the 37th Assembly District office.

We have known Audra for many years and are extremely proud of the way she has represented our community. As the co-chair for a statewide task force on illegal immigration, she has taken the lead in addressing the numerous problems and costs involved with illegal immigration and coming up with solutions to secure our border.

Re: your Oct. 26 editorial, “Ferial Masry for 37th Assembly�:

I was disappointed to see that The Star did not support Audra Strickland for the 37th Assembly District, as she has worked tirelessly for the people of this community for the last two years. However, it was not surprising, as The Star failed to endorse our own Tom McClintock until his third term in the state Senate.

To those who are calling candidate Greg Lennox, who is running for the Conejo Valley Unified School District board an "extremist," we would have to agree. He is an extreme example of high integrity, excellent parenting, community involvement, business acumen, relational skill and moral character.

We have known Greg and his family for 20 years, and in all that time, he has consistently demonstrated these attributes. He is a Yale and Dartmouth graduate with many years of business leadership experience who will bring needed fiscal and management skills to the board. He is thoughtful, fair-minded, and committed to excellence in education.

As a close political observer, it is frustrating to me how so many Americans are uninformed and easily misled by the left-leaning mainstream media. They have people believing that "change" is necessary this election season. Is changing from Republican control to Democrat the solution? The Democrats have not put forth any viable alternative plan or idea to facilitate any change.

Re: Sara Williams’ Oct. 30 letter, “Allegiance to parents, kids�:

Williams recommends Mike Dunn, Greg Lennox and John Anderson for Conejo Valley Unified School District board. She states that the candidates have “strong business backgrounds� and relate to “parents’ desire for academic excellence.�

In truth, what these men are running for is stated clearly in the article from the same day, “T.O. chapel hosts school board candidate forum�: yes to voluntary prayer in schools, yes to teaching alternatives to evolution, yes to engaging parents more in what their children are reading and yes on abstinence education.

It is high time that Democrats finally seize the opportunity to take over both houses of Congress and restore America’s faith and confidence in its government and with the rest of the world. The time is ripe, considering many overlooked issues such as the environment, Social Security, gas prices and, most importantly, the current situation in Iraq. In October alone, some 100 men and women have sacrificed their lives, all in an ill-conceived effort to spread democracy by a Bush administration bent on “staying the course� and “winning the war� to create stability and legitimacy in Iraq. All this, despite numerous protests from the president’s own party to devise a newer,
more long-term and effective strategy that can end this quagmire, secure Iraq and, ultimately, bring our fellow Americans home.

I am writing in support of Dean Kunicki for Ventura County Board of Education.
Dean has been dedicated to many community and educational causes over the years. He has served honorably in the office as an appointed member. Dean is hard-working and dedicated to whatever he commits himself to.

Dean will represent well the values and concerns of the people of Moorpark and Simi Valley. Please vote for Dean Kunicki to continue his representation of our community on the Ventura County Board of Education.

— Kathleen Nelson, Moorpark

I first met Andy Fox when I was appointed to the Thousand Oaks Planning Commission in 1990. Based on his reputation and knowledge, I nominated him for chairman of that commission; he was elected and performed with distinction and grace. Later that year, Andy left the Planning Commission for private life and firefighter service, but he wasn't to be out of public service for long. About two years later, he resurfaced as a candidate for City Council.

I have been quite active in and with many community organizations, clubs, committees and causes since 1973. I have actively supported Andy Fox in previous elections and presently continue that tradition. In my opinion, Andy is great!

Re: Kenneth Baum’s Oct. 27 letter, “‘Christmas vacation' divisive�:

Mr. Baum is offended by Mike Dunn referring to “Christmas vacation� and will not vote for him for that reason. I am offended by people not being able to say what they want when it involves Christmas. Christmas vacation was around long before Mr. Baum moved here and probably long before he was even born. I, for one, will vote for Mr. Dunn simply because he is not pressured into saying words someone else prefers to hear.

Right now, everywhere I turn, I see office buildings and industrial developments. Enough!

Do I want to protect our beautiful, peaceful Westlake Village? You’re absolutely right I do! But voters need to understand that voting yes on Measure Z does exactly that.

I support Measure Z and the Town Center because it will bring Lowe’s and so much more to our city. I look forward to enjoying a variety of shops and restaurants, and I understand how much the Town Center will benefit Westlake Village versus another office complex. We simply don’t need — or want — another huge office complex, and what we’ll get with an office complex will be 40 percent bigger than the Town Center and up to four stories tall.

Still haven’t been able to decide? Ask yourselves these questions:

— Are you tired of rush-hour traffic?

In 2004, residents of the city of Inglewood were savvy enough to vote down, 61 percent to 39 percent, a measure by Wal-Mart seeking to govern development by initiative, taking the process out of their local city control. It would have set a dangerous precedent then, and if our village residents are not careful, could do so now.

I am a 28-year resident of Thousand Oaks, a certified public accountant by profession and have been the treasurer for Councilman Andy Fox for the past eight years. I would like to set the record straight and respond to some of the erroneous assertions that have appeared recently.

I personally record every contribution and write every check that is disbursed from Andy's election account. Andy is the only candidate to declare in writing that he will not accept contributions from developers, and he has honored that for the eight years that I have served as his treasurer, even though it would not be illegal to accept such contributions.

Re: Kenneth Baum’s Oct. 27 letter, “‘Christmas vacation' divisive�:

I've heard many reasons to vote for or against candidates, but none more ridiculous than the one Kenneth Baum gave in his letter.

Mr. Baum declared that he would not be voting for Mike Dunn for Conejo Valley Unified School District board because Mike used the term "Christmas vacation" instead of the politically correct expression, "winter break."

"The City Council's history of… insulting citizenry and extreme and disrespectful rhetoric has been well-documented for over a decade."

This quote is from Conclusion 8 of the Ventura County Grand Jury's 2005 report on the Thousand Oaks City Council. This finding should come as no surprise to anyone who has watched the City Council over the years.

Recently my name was published as being a developer or person with special interests in an attack mail piece devised by the Peter Foy campaign for county supervisor. I would like to set the record straight on the matter.

I did donate to the Jim Dantona for county supervisor campaign from my own personal funds via my personal check. It would be doubtful that my contribution of $100 would ever provide myself or my company, Pella Windows, any political favor, nor would I welcome it. My company is not involved in any way in Mr. Dantona's campaign or Mr. Foy's campaign for county supervisor.

Bob Labelle is a "stealth candidate" for the school board in Simi Valley. He believes that if he says nothing, takes no questions and takes no position on any of the issues, voters in Simi Valley who have not met and/or worked with him might think that just because he served as principal of Royal High School, he would be a good school board member. Simi Valley citizens who value our good schools would make a tragic mistake voting for him.

Here are some questions the concerned taxpayers of Simi Valley should think about before Tuesday:

U.S. Rep. Elton Gallegly is a loyal lackey for the torture-loving, science-hating Bush administration. He has voted for Bush policies 100 percent of the time. We don’t need a rubber-stamp representative. We need a fresh-thinking, dynamic representative like Jill Martinez. Jill will treat all her constituents with respect and will do what is right for the 24th District and our country.

— Nick Lombardo, Newbury Park

Re: your Oct. 29 article, “Prop. 85 sets off emotional hailstorm�:

Opponents of Proposition 85 say they’re helping girls to have abortions because the girls’ parents may be abusive to them when they learn of the pregnancy. It’s rarely the case; the abuser is the boyfriend who is often several years older. When she tells him she’s pregnant, he threatens to leave if she doesn’t have an abortion. After all, he doesn’t want his “fun� interrupted. And he certainly doesn’t want a now scared and vulnerable young woman to tell her parents, since he has encouraged her to lie to her parents about the nature of their relationship.

Please vote for Claudia Bill-de la Peña, Janet Wall and Louis Masry.

All one has to do is look at the steep 12 percent grade of Borchard Road going up to Dos Vientos in Newbury Park to realize how important it is that the general plan should have been followed. Had it been followed, the road would have been built at a 5 percent grade and with fewer sharp curves. It would have been wider, with a large median area and with two lanes in each direction as well as bicycle lanes. This would have resulted in fewer accidents and would have allowed students to ride their bikes to and from school safely and in a more direct route to Newbury Park High School. The road is currently not safe at all for bikes.

As a resident of Thousand Oaks for more than 30 years, I believe the city is very well run. In looking at the City Council candidates, it appears that most would make great representatives. I do have two concerns.

First, I get mail from Tony Strickland and other Republican sources stating the Louis Masry is such a good Republican, with Republican values or something like that. Someone should tell Masry that he is running for a nonpartisan office. We don't need to know his party affiliation, only what he stands for.

Simi Valley and Moorpark have been fortunate to have Dean Kunicki representing them on the Ventura County Board of Education for the past two years. For the first time in many years, our county school administration has been held accountable.

Dean Kunicki and the majority of the county school board have been proactive in improving the county's role in our schools. Most school boards throughout California are nothing more than "rubber stamps" for the administrations and labor unions. That is not the case on the Ventura County school board.

I was looking forward to the Ventura County Board of Education forum. I was disappointed but not surprised when Dean Kunicki backed out at the last minute. Mr. Kunicki would have a hard time explaining the issues against Donna Prenta. It seems to be a way of getting around letting the people of the community know where you really stand on the issues. If you don’t let people ask you questions, they can only rely on your sound bites.

Re: your Oct. 26 article, “Gaming tribes aid Stricklands�:

I see that the hypocrisy that is corroding the Republican Party stretches all the way from Washington to our local level. While the White House mocks and ridicules its own faith-based supporters, while the Republican-controlled Congress is embroiled in one scandal after another, we here have the Stricklands, who claim to be family-value conservatives, yet willingly accept money from the very sources that work against family values. To whom will the pseudo-conservative Stricklands be accountable — the citizens of this district or the gambling special interests that so lavishly support their political ambitions?

Tuesday is the most critical election for Camarillo voters in decades. Unification of Camarillo's schools into a single K-12 locally governed district likely will be coming to a vote within the next year — perhaps as early as the next election in March 2007.

At issue in this election is whether Camarillo voters want a board of trustees united in its desire to bring the issue before the voters. I've seen and heard much misinformation about all of the candidates' positions over the past month or so.

Just a couple weeks ago, a neighbor experienced a devastating house fire that began in the attic at around 4:45 a.m. The fire alarm went off, alerting the family so they could escape the home and place a 911 call. Luckily for them and our neighborhood, the Fire Department was able to respond immediately. The department sent quite a few units, since the danger of the fire spreading in our neighborhood is high because we have many large trees. Flames were shooting from the roof, but fire personnel were able to get the fire under control quickly.

I am writing to encourage all Ventura voters to vote yes on Measure P6 on Tuesday.

With the exception of positions filled through attrition, the Ventura Police and Fire departments have not increased staffing since 1990. During that time, the population and 911 calls in our city have increased dramatically. Yet the number of public safety responders has not increased — at all. The goal to respond to each 911 call within five minutes 90 percent of the time is met only half the time.

I am supporting Audra Strickland for the 37th Assembly District seat for many reasons. She is a very dedicated and committed public servant. She has always had an open-door policy, and her priorities for state government are exactly what we need. She has been a strong advocate for lowering taxes, as evidenced by numerous bills she has introduced, including eliminating the sales tax on gasoline and increasing the first-time homebuyer tax exemption.

I find it amazing and, yes, puzzling, that so many people seem to be ignorant of the process of prospective school district unification in Camarillo.

First of all, it is an inaccurate perception that the matter can be settled by the Pleasant Valley School District board. The matter is in the hands of a county committee and the state of California. Then, it is anticipated, an opportunity to vote on the issue will come to area citizens.

For board candidates to suggest that the decision is in their hands — upon election — is misleading, because it is not a decision within their authority to make.

With recent revelations that the Republican leadership in the House believes staying in power is more important than protecting minors from a sexual predator, it is time to consider whether our district and nation are being well served by U.S. Rep. Elton Gallegly.

Over the last few weeks, we have all read or heard, “P6 means more police and firefighters� or “Safety a no-brainer� or “Help keep Ventura a safe city.� Some of these proclamations have been put out there by our mayor, Councilmen Bill Fulton and Neal Andrews and the presidents of the police and city fire associations.

The city police and fire associations are very influential in city politics and actively campaign for their chosen candidates. Ambitious politicians can’t ignore these unions, and it would be naïve to believe that union support is given without reciprocity.

I am writing to ask for your help in electing Robert "Buddy" Kelley to the Pleasant Valley Recreation and Park District board.

He has worked very hard over the past several years to ensure safe, clean and attractive parks for Camarillo. He has dedicated thousands of hours in personal time as a volunteer and coach for the Camarillo Eagles soccer club, as an advocate for Village at the Park and its 56-acre parcel of land intended for recreational use, and as a concerned citizen, attending every PVRPD board meeting over the past four years. He is totally dedicated to every single citizen in our community, and he is prepared to listen to your concerns and ideas and to start working on them immediately.

I would like to shed some light as to what leadership is all about.

In 2004, while running for mayor of Oxnard, then-candidate Tom Holden made a promise to work with community leaders and the business sector to help reopen the Boys and Girls Club on Seventh Street as quickly as possible. During the first two years in office, as mayor of Oxnard, he worked to bring people of common interests together to help secure funding for the facility’s redevelopment. He sent letters to community leaders and met with people in the business sector for help in redeveloping the Boys and Girls Club.

On Tuesday, voters in the Oxnard School District have a unique chance to elect some fine candidates to the school board. Among them is Dr. Deborah DeVries, an educator with 34 years of experience at all levels of education, including evaluating curriculum for schools from elementary to secondary and post-high school education. She has also been a classroom teacher and an administrator of educational programs.

During my tenure on the Ojai City Council, I nominated Lenny Klaif to take the place of a council member who was unable to complete her term. From working with him on numerous environmental causes, I saw that he had the integrity, strength of character and the leadership skills necessary to be an asset on the council.

I voted for Lenny previously, and I will be voting for him again.

Re: your Oct. 26 headline, “Gaming tribes aid Stricklands�:

I have a problem when we are bombarded by outside sources on our state and local elections. Al Gore and Bill Clinton are trying to influence our state election by saying how much the surcharge on oil companies will help us. I hope they are being paid well.

Now we have outside interests giving monies to Richard Handley, who is running for director of Casitas Municipal Water District. Why does he need their money in this local election? Do they have a special agenda? Is it a special interest in bamboo in the river, as Richard Handley states?

Ron Speakman, Jennifer Miller and Patty Lerner are all running on a pro-unification platform in the Pleasant Valley School District board election. They cite the ability of the school district to gain $6 million per year of additional state funding to raise teacher salaries and pay for innovative educational programs that have gone unfunded due to severe budget restraints as their reason for their enthusiastic support for unification.

So, U.S. Rep. Elton Gallegly enjoys his job working for us taxpayers. Speaking as a taxpayer and citizen, I say let's fire Elton Gallegly.

In his many years in Congress, he has not authored a single important piece of legislation, unless you think outlawing kitty snuff films was a major issue. As a member of the House Judiciary Committee, he twice voted to impeach President Clinton for lying about sex, yet he has not uttered a peep about President Bush's conduct, as this president lied to us about why he needed authorization to use force in Iraq, why he invaded Iraq and how he has conducted the war in Iraq.

With the majority of students in the Oxnard Union High School District attending schools in Oxnard, and the majority of the board of trustees representing those students in Oxnard, it’s obvious that the priority of this district is to serve the students in Oxnard.

I believe that most Camarillo parents feel that the needs of Camarillo High School students are not being met by the OUHSD. They want their tax dollars spent on schools and programs their children attend, and they want more voice in the administration of their schools.

It is agreed that a primary responsibility of a citizen in a democracy is to vote. Given that so few Americans of voting age vote, I believe that it is rational that those of us who understand the importance of voting have an additional responsibility above and beyond casting our own ballot. We are responsible to communicate clearly and directly to our family, friends and neighbors our beliefs about the critical nature of voting.

Re: your Oct. 28 article, “Eight eye seats on Harbor District board�:

The Oxnard Harbor District, under the direction of the incumbent commissioners, recently used public funds to pay for an expensive half-page ad in The Star. In this ad, they described how the Port of Hueneme generated more than $800 million for the local economy. Wow! Not bad! Congratulations! Hooray for our team!

Re: your Oct. 28 article titled, "A move to magnets":

The box accompanying the article indicated "area choices" where school districts in the county offer parents options beyond traditional neighborhood schools. The Pleasant Valley School District in Camarillo was listed with five schools that provide special options. Oxnard Union had a total of two schools listed, Oxnard High and Pacifica High. Apparently the Oxnard Union High School District board has chosen to forget about Camarillo High School when it comes to offering options beyond traditional neighborhood schools. This glaring omission is contrasted with the local Camarillo school district, which provides options at five schools, so the residents of the city seem to want options.

George Bush recently moved from a position of “stay the course� to a position of promising flexibility on the Iraq war. This is too little, too late.

This administration has been totally incompetent from the beginning of this war — misleading the American public about the threat, not preparing for the period after the invasion and making gross miscalculations about the nature of an insurgency. The Bush administration cannot really change course in Iraq because it has far too much politically invested in its stated outcome.

The Bush administration has demonstrated bad judgment in leading us into war in Iraq and equally poor ability in executing it. The Republican-led Congress has rubber-stamped the administration’s decisions and failed in its oversight role.

With the problems mounting in Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran and North Korea, we cannot afford to let two more years of unwise leadership go unchecked. We cannot elect a new president now, but we can make it more likely that Congress will effectively exercise oversight by giving the other party majority control. Vote Democrats in, Republicans out.

— Steve Matthews, Ventura

Re: Edward Wassell’s Oct. 30 letter, “Why the GOP is good�:

It seems that Mr. Wassell has bought into the line of Newt Gingrich, Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity that any censure of Rep. Mark Foley by House Speaker Dennis Hastert would have been considered gay-bashing. Following that logic, all those who exposed and demanded punishment for the many priests who abused young boys or the bishops who protected them would have been considered gay-bashers as well.

I've known Charles Watson and admired his leadership and administrative skills as chief executive officer of Interface for more than 20 years. It was no surprise to me that when my husband and I recently listened to him explain his reasons for running for the County Board of Education, we were further impressed.

Well, almost no surprise.

After all, how many of us really understand the importance of what the County Board of Education oversees? We did not!

Re: Tom Blattel’s Oct. 26 letter, “Let Camarillo decide�:

I respectfully disagree with Mr. Blattel’s opinion of Kim Marra Stephenson and the unnamed “Pleasant Valley School District board member.�

The community of Ventura is fortunate indeed. We live in a beautiful locale, the 30,000 students at Ventura, Oxnard, and Moorpark colleges enjoy vast opportunities, and citizens like Steve Blum are willing to serve on the board of trustees for Ventura County’s community colleges.

Mayor Tom Holden and Councilmen Andres Herrera and Dean Maulhardt are three men who grew up in our city and who have shown a longtime commitment to Oxnard.

Herrera, a lifetime friend, has always supported his fellow Hispanics and all fellow Oxnard residents. He brings sound solutions and a safe city to our residents.

Maulhardt remains committed to the needs of our city, where all people feel safe and have an enjoyable place to live.

Public safety should come first. Therefore, if additional funds are necessary, then it is the City Council’s and city manager’s responsibility to make sure there are enough funds in the budget.

With that said, anytime a governmental entity is looking for additional taxes, the first thing I do is investigate whether or not the taxes are necessary. If they were, then I would gladly fork up my share.

After carefully looking into P6, I found the funds are clearly not necessary. Here are the obvious reasons why:

It will be my pleasure to go to the polls on Tuesday and cast my vote for Measure P6 in support of increased police officers and firefighters in Ventura. I urge you to join me.

An increase in police and fire services in our beautiful city of Ventura is absolutely worth the cost of a sales tax that equates to 5 cents on a $20 purchase. Measure P6 is not only vital to public safety, but also to the quality of living for our present and future community members. The money generated by a vote for P6 will result in the opportunity to hire and equip 14 additional police officers and 11 new firefighters over the course of the next three years. All of the funds generated will stay within our city and benefit those of us who enjoy the safe and secure environment of Ventura.

Can anyone think of anything worthwhile that Art Hernandez has done for the people pf Oxnard and El Rio as their representative on the Ventura County Community College District board? Don’t strain your brain in the process, as it’s a useless exercise.

The man has done very little to earn his perks as a trustee, except to preside over the continuing mess at the district and the continued instability at Oxnard College. You might remember that the last president at Oxnard College, Lydia Ledesma-Reese, was chased out by those who control the district, apparently including Art Hernandez. Either that, or he wasn’t able to protect her, which amounts to the same thing.

Norma Callero should be re-elected to the Triunfo Sanitation Board. As a North Ranch ratepayer, I am satisfied that Ms. Callero has done a good job during her years on the board, demonstrating leadership and sound decision-making when she has been chair of the board and working with the board and joint partners at other times. She brings smart solutions to the problems that have arisen and has worked to promote smooth working relations with everyone. She is savvy, polite and intelligent, having learned much from her years as a board member. Ratepayers will indeed be losers if Norma Callero is not re-elected. My vote is for Norma Callero. Let’s keep her on the Triunfo board.

—Ed Schnepf Thousand Oaks

Norma Callero has done an excellent job on the board of the Triunfo Sanitation District and should be re-elected. She cares about providing the best water and reclaimed water for her district and has been active in achieving this as a board member. She is knowledgeable about conservation and water quality. She is fair-minded and bases her decisions on the facts and what is best for the most people. I have known Norma for many years. She is a valuable member of the Triunfo Sanitation Board. Please join me in re-electing Norma Callero.

— John Crossan, Thousand Oaks

I have worked on various committees and organizations with Norma Callero for more than 20 years. She believes sincerely in the causes that she works for and is committed to the community and the positive aspects there. She is organized, efficient and honest. She has integrity and has been a very effective member of the Triunfo Sanitation District. That organization has benefited from her forward thinking and ideas, and she deserves your vote. Please re-elect Norma Callero to the Triunfo Sanitation District.

—Betty Horner, Thousand Oaks

Greg Lennox, John Andersen and Mike Dunn are the candidates I support for the Conejo Valley Unified School District board.

Over the years, I've been an involved parent at Westlake Elementary, Colina Middle School and Westlake High. The current school board seems to be focused on promoting the California teachers union leadership's agenda, without regard to what the majority of parents and many faculty members want in our schools.

Incumbents Pat Phelps and Tim Stephens claim that they listen to "the voices of the parents." If that were the case then ask yourself these questions:

Opponents of the Oak Park school bond, Measure H6, have been circulating misinformation. Here are a few examples:

Fiction: Proposed landscaping improvements will cost $11 million. Source: Glen Wilcox, H6 opponent, in front of Oak Park Municipal Advisory Committee Sept. 26.

Fact: Actual proposed landscaping costs, $971,578. Source: H6 Projected Costs Analysis, Oak Park Unified School District Web site.

Re: your Oct 19 editorial, “Yes on H6 in Oak Park�:

The bond’s $71 million is too much money for the true needs of the district. A recently released project list accounted for only $40 million; the unaccounted-for balance clearly is not essential. The school properties would get $1.1 million of new landscaping.

Brookside Elementary would get $12 million of new construction and upgrades, even though local enrollment is declining. The new library was built for less than $2.5 million.

“Willing to do whatever it takes�: telling words in a campaign opportunity ad placed by 4th District supervisor candidate Peter Foy.

Foy has called Jim Dantona “the fox in the henhouse.� The true visual is that of Foy pulling the wool over the voters’ eyes.

Lobbying is not a bad thing. Dantona is not the one who has given it a bad name. That dubious honor belongs to people like Foy’s colleague on the Council for National Policy, Jack Abramoff. Even supervisors have to travel and lobby for the county.

I support Thurlow Partridge for the Simi Valley school board. I have known Thurlow for approximately 18 years. He always enjoyed teaching, and I know he loved working with the kids both at Valley View Junior High and at Simi Valley High School. I know he always has the best interest of the school kids in his decision-making.

He has worked with me at The Realty Center the past 15 years. I have always found him to be honest and trustworthy in all of his dealings, business and personal.

Partridge is endorsed by the Simi Valley Educators Association. Please join me in voting for him for Simi Valley school board.

— Diane Minor, Simi Valley

We urge the voters of Simi Valley to elect Thurlow Partridge and Eric Lundstrom to the Simi Valley school board Tuesday. Both gentlemen believe in setting high expectations for student behavior as well as academic expectations. They will promote both vocational and college prep classes so all of Simi’s students will be ready for college or a career. Unlike Ray Cruz and Dean Kunicki, both gentlemen are interested in benefiting our students by working with teachers and all parents, not promoting a conservative agenda of a few. Please support Thurlow Partridge and Eric Lundstrom to ensure our schools will be the best for everyone.

—Tracy Maiseh, Teacher, Sinaloa Middle School, Simi Valley
(This letter was signed by 14 other teachers — Editor)

Do not let those aqua blue slow-growth signs fool you. The fact is Bob Wilson produced an enormous amount of development congestion and destruction of open space between 2000 and 2004.

I am proud of the voters for kicking him out in 2004. As of Oct. 11, he had only received a pathetic three contributions of $320. That won’t even pay for his candidate statement.

I urge you to vote for Louis Masry, Claudia Bill-de la Peña and Andy Fox for basic elementary reasons any voter can understand.

Tuesday, voters will have the opportunity to make an extremely positive choice for the students of the Conejo Valley Unified School District.

By casting a vote for Dr. Tim Stephens, voters will ensure that all students in grades kindergarten through 12 will continue to receive a world-class education.

Donna Prenta would bring enormous energy, integrity and experience to
the Ventura County Board of Education. Donna is smart, clear-headed, articulate,
personable and capable of handling everything I have seen her undertake. She is totally committed to ensuring that children leave high school with the skills
necessary for them to succeed in life.

I have been reading with keen interest the letters of respected citizens of Thousand Oaks for and against the candidates contesting the ensuing council elections.

I was a member of the Resident Roundtable committee of the City of Thousand Oaks and also of an ad hoc committee, but I never had a chance to meet Andy Fox. I think close relationships and personal long acquaintances should not be a factor in voting for a candidate seeking re-election. Instead, the candidate’s accomplishments and performance record should be taken into consideration. It’s a fact that views expressed in newspapers influence the current of public opinion. Much in lucid detail has been said about Andy Fox. He gets my vote undoubtedly.

— Tahir Siddiqui, Thousand Oaks

Prior to the last major political election, I addressed the issue of politicians believing it is an acceptable practice to call residents and, in a recorded message, advise the residents of the best course to follow at the polls. I believed at that time, and have not wavered in my firm belief, this is not acceptable; it is a rude intrusion into my home via the telephone. And now we are receiving the same intrusions by Sen. Barbara Boxer, who has called our telephone on at least two occasions in a 10-day period. I do not know what her message may be because I hang up the moment she has identified herself.

It is very important for the people of our community to be aware of what appears to be happening with the local water agency, Casitas Municipal Water District.

Casitas has been governed very well in the past by local individuals who have been responsive to their constituents and who have had a genuine interest in what was best for the community. Rates have been kept relatively low compared with other agencies, and the board has done an excellent job.

While what interest there is has been focused on the governor and congressional races, two candidates for secretary of state and state controller deserve the voters’ special attention.

Loyalty towards Elton Gallegly is the only way to go. His seniority is a big plus. His leadership in supporting our troops, securing our borders and interest in Ventura County Naval Base has maintained jobs and safety in his district. His very qualified, pleasant office staff is always courteous and informative. Ventura County is very fortunate to have Republican Elton Gallegly in our corner of the world.

— Carol Jean Browne, Ventura

It is my sincere wish that, during this election, we Americans will cast our votes for candidates who seek to engage our hopes and rebuke those who try to exploit our fears.

Throughout history, tyrants have used fear of external dangers to dominate and then abuse the very people they promise to protect.

Some in Camarillo would have us believe unification is the only issue in the Pleasant Valley School District board election. In fact, it is a completely separate issue. The decision regarding whether to unify currently rests with the county Committee on Re-Organization. Its decision is expected to be rendered in December or January. If the committee recommends unification, the matter will be put before the citizens for a vote. We will decide, not the school board. When the matter is put to a vote, the citizens also will decide upon a completely new governing board made up of members who may or may not be current board members and who may or may not win such an election.

I hope no one is surprised that Ventura’s leaders have had the gall to ask us, the residents and businesses, to put an additional tax on ourselves. There has been a growing elitist attitude at City Hall for some time now. This does not include everyone. I have interacted with some fine people on staff, committees and council, although some have left because of this problem.

We live in a middle-class, bedroom community. Most of us have lived here for many years. We feel safe here. We work hard to stay here.

I am a fourth-generation native of Ventura County. I feel I have a unique view of the issues facing Camarillo. I have seen many improvements in our city and many areas that need improvement. Camarillo needs a new perspective. This is why I am supporting Bob Taylor for City Council.

I have been a resident of Oxnard since 1992. I have seen a fair amount of change since I moved here. This city has made tremendous progress in recent years, addressing what’s really important to its residents: reducing crime by more aggressively focusing on troublesome areas and working to increase a quality job base that has boosted our local economy.

All signs point to a better future for Oxnard. That’s why we need to vote for Andres Herrera for City Council.

Elton Gallegly officially retired in March. Remember? He expressed his goals quite plainly. Then, in true Elton style, he reversed himself because he got orders from the upper echelons of the party. Funny, I don't remember him ever reversing a stand at the direction of his bosses back here in the district. That would be us. I ascribe this to his infrequent visits here, prompting his local nickname "the invisible man."

If you stopped Elton on the street and asked him, "Quick! Where do you live?" he'd answer, "Washington, D.C." What has Gallegly ever done except be another rubber stamp for the vagaries of the Republican-controlled Congress and their embattled president?

Re: your Oct. 29 article, “Prop. 85 sets off emotional hailstorm�:

The article opened with the experience of a woman who, at age 31, had an abortion and didn’t tell her family. Now she runs a Ventura County “crisis pregnancy center� and regrets her decision. What she didn’t tell you: Such centers aren’t impartial counselors to worried teens, but committed anti-abortion activists.

I would like to discuss two issues regarding Mike Dunn, current board member of the Conejo Valley Unified School District running for re-election.

A flyer put on my car windshield promoted Dunn’s re-election. Dunn promotes that he is the only board member to vote against a raise for teachers.

I have lived in Simi Valley for more than 15 years. I have worked and raised my children here. I find Simi a great place to live. I also know there is an upcoming county supervisor seat to be filled.

Jim Dantona has serious fiscal management issues. Newspapers have reported his two personal bankruptcies, closure of his first lobbying company due to one of the bankruptcies and the massive administrative costs by his nonprofit organization. I remember the wise saying so true today: If you are not faithful with your money, then you will not be faithful with someone else’s, our tax dollars.

Donna Prenta is once again pouring her heart and soul into the community. I know this best because I am her husband of 28 years and uniquely qualified to express how devoted and dedicated she is to serving our community.

Our only daughter, Laura, was born severely disabled. We had three young boys at the same time. With tenacity and tireless devotion, Donna saved our daughter’s life while studying medical and educational systems. With boundless courage, she negotiated, collaborated and fought to see that Laura received all the necessary medical and support service and educational opportunity.