Wassup 805? Bill Locey here, neither in Studio 805 nor in Camarillo, but still gainfully employed by the Ventura County Star, at least for the next hour or two, kicking at my house, multi-tasking, writing about rock 'n' roll, watching "River Monsters" on Animal Planet with the sound off and petting my cat, Nope, who is on my lap and as usual, in the way and doing his fair share as part of the worldwide feline anti-literacy campaign.
So, did anyone else get vein-popping pissed off by the front page story in the Star on 15 February: "Need For 3,600 New Homes Seen For City"? Ventura needs 3600 more houses? Sez who? No, we don't need more people in "the Poinsettia City." If anything, we need 3600 fewer houses. This developer stooge, Chamber of Concrete-supported state law madness cannot stand. This odious Cal State Housing Element Law was passed in 1980 and only affects the six SoCal counties of which, we in Ventura County are the northern-most.
Passed thirtysomething years ago by pro-growth, and no doubt, developer-funded state officials, this law forces us to destroy our quality of life for transparent reasons of pure greed when it is painfully obvious that infinite growth in a finite environment is a loser. This law in addition to building more houses where none are needed offers an odious and ready made cop-out for developer stooges like those that run the city of Oxnard because they can and will say, "It's not us - the state is making us do this."
It's time for the Ventura City Council to stand up against this travesty and tell them, "Hell, no - we're not playing ball with the cement heads any longer. We care about our town too much to destroy it for no apparent reason." Irvine - rich folks from behind the Orange Curtain - have objected to this enforced phony growth mandate and sued the state. Our turn.
One thing about Republicans, they do have a playbook - Un-American and destructive though it may be - but they do adhere to the plan even as they remain complete strangers with the facts. On a national level, it's union busting, systematic voter suppression and destruction of the environment with fracking the latest big lie - remember clean coal?
Anyway, this mandated housing downer is based on existing and future needs and to that end, the cement lovers have been perpetuating their big concrete lie for decades. They tell us that California will have six million new locals by 2035 - really? Back when Ventura had 30,000 people, school kids were told that one day, it would be one solid city from San Diego to Santa Barbara and so, those cement shoes on our corpse in the casket, is coming closer to reality because of laws like this and pro-growth stooges in city government who perpetuate this scam.
That which hasn't happened yet, need not come true. Want to not have six million new Californians? Don't build the houses, no more state water and unplug the tourism bureau - their very existence daily degrades our quality of life by inducing more jerks from Bakersfield and the Valley to move here. Don't televise the Rose Parade to anywhere that's colder than here and all new Californians need to bring their own year supply of water. This cement shill scenario used to called boosterism at the turn of the century - 1900, that is - and look what happened.
We don't need another L.A. here - it's crowded enough right here, right now. Everyone who lives here already lives somewhere - why should we destroy our quality of life for someone we don't even know that doesn't live here yet? I think being in on our own murder is more of that endless, mindless and senseless we the sheeple scenario - not a very good idea. Everyone's kid does not deserve their own home - that part of the American Dream is over - get over it. We're on the front line here in the 805 - we passed the SOAR initiative - so that just means that all that boring farm acreage will be the last places to be paved?
No more hand wringing from city government - time to step up to the state and tell them, "No, thank you. We hate the Stinkin Giants and we don't need any more of their water. We're going to try to live within our means and that means your mandated housing program is a loser."
Time to contact your city government and tell them it's too crowded right now - don't do this. I mean, look who's going to be in favor of this: the Chamber of Concrete, destroying your quality of life since its inception. They are the Viet Cong in suits and never have our best interests at heart. There is a state bureaucrat, one Ma'ayn Johnson - I'm sure she'd love to hear your thoughts on the attempted murder of your hometown: johnson@scag.ca.gov.
OK, my friends, enough exposition for now, I'm here to talk to you wonderful folks about live music and to that end, if I had a faster car, a richer girlfriend or even one with a job, here's where I'll be lurking in the back this week. OK, tonight - Friday night, it's melodic metal madness with Megadeth and Motorhead at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City. While up here in the 805 where we like it, Emilbus will be at the Watermark in Ventura - while down the block and down California Street to the Bombay Bar & Grill, it's CD release party time with the Pullmen - fully in tune with the economic realities by offering a CD and a beer for one Alexander Hamilton.
Yeah, and what about those gas prices? The oil companies have never made more money and now they're trying to torpedo a Democratic president? Shameful - and they're blaming Iran? Really? That has nothing to do with anything and it was BP and the CIA that booted out the democratically elected Iranian president Mossadegh and installed the pro-oil company Shah of Iran back in 1953 - the Iranians have been rightly mad at us ever since. Anyway, also on the bill with the Pullmen will be La Vonettes. And down at Yolie's in west Ventura, it's bluesy rock from Los Fabulocos while up the coast to S.B. doing a homegame at La Casa de La Raza down on Haley, it's Gardens and Villa.
On Saturday down in Hell-A, just in case you happen to be circling Sunset like a buzzard looking for a place to park, there's Electric Touch at the Roxy, while over in the Valley to that former metal mecca with a new name, it's old school punk rock with Channel 3 and Mad Parade at Weber's Palace in Reseda. And still Saturday and up here in the 805 where we like it except in farmland-killing in Oxnard, it's the Mighty Cash Cats channeling the Man in Black at the Oxnard Moose Lodge. Down in the Ventura Harbor, Alastair Greene will demonstrate the guitar solo a time or three at Blackbeard's BBQ - while up Highway 33 to Ojai, Teresa Russell will be the female guitar shredder at the Hub.
On Sunday, doing better than the Lakers who should've kept Caron Butler, Trevor Ariza, Jordan Farmar and Lamar Odom - the Red Hot Chili Peppers will be at Staples Center in Los Angeles also on Monday.
While up here in the 805 where we still like it, the legendary R&B Bombers will be at Bombay. A few blocks away at Zoey's, it's the latest Kohli Rocks event with Two Minute Hero and Via Marina.
On Monday - he's gonna sell out SOhO in Santa Barbara - that would be Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks.
On Tuesday - one of the best shows of the week - he's one of the funniest guys you've never heard of - that would be Andy Borowitz along with seriously weird chick Sarah Silverman - they'll be at the Saban Theatre in Hell-A. A master of editing and precise comedy writing, you can download and read the Borowitz Report for free a couple of times a week. He says stuff like "Mitt Romney makes plastic look authentic." Borowitz is at least as funny as Jon Stewart and Bill Maher for those lefties out there.
OK, still Tuesday but up here in the 805, it's the Blues Harmonica Clubhouse happening every Tuesday at Bernadette's in Ventura and then there's !!!, yeah, just !!! or a.k.a, Chk Chk Chk which is how I get my cat's attention - anyway, check out my story in this week's Time Out - they'll be at SOhO on Tuesday night. All the way from Nebraska, 311 will rock the Ventura Theatre on Wednesday and that All Star Blues Jam thing is happening at the Bombay.
OK, finally on a Thursday, he's a Texas legend from his daze in the 13th Floor Elevators, it's Roky Erickson at the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles, while over at the cavernous Canyon Club in Agoura, it's A Flock of Seagulls, while up here in the 805, Shawn Jones with a new album at hand, will be at the Watermark in Ventura and the happiest living man, Pato Banton, will be uplifting at the Crave in Ventura and Jonathan McEuen will be at the Big Buddha Lounge in Oak View. The end. Of that.
