IN "BLEAK HOUSE," Charles Dickens wrote about an interminable legal case, Jarndyce and Jarndyce, which dragged on for many generations. In the end, the heirs to a once enormous fortune were left with little more than legal bills.

I thought about Dickens a bit Monday night as I watched City Attorney Ariel Calonne's presentation on affordable housing litigation involving Tolman and Wiker Insurance. He didn't hold back his feelings about wasted tax dollars as he relayed the details of lawsuits which have consumed the city's legal staff and outside counsel for many years.

Calonne blames the insurance company's out-of-town lawyers for stringing out a case which has cost the taxpayers nearly half a million dollars.

"I don't know where all the blame should be assessed but I do know the lawyers representing Tolman and Wiker deserve a big share of it. It's one of these multinational law firms that I think is only accountable to the profits they can make," Calonne said.

THE SUIT IS ONE of a series of lawsuits stemming from the claims of owners of affordable housing units on the city's west side that they were not told when purchasing the units that they were part of the city's affordable housing stock. The city's Housing Authority sent its claim over to Tolman and Wiker asking that the company tender its defense to an outside insurance carrier. But the claim was not tendered and a suit was filed by the city.

"We believe we are owed a substantial amount of money from the insurance companies which protect Tolman and Wiker from their professional negligence," Calonne said.

I think Calonne sometimes gets a bum rap. He started his time as our city attorney with a bit of bad press surrounding a dispute he had with a neighbor in his former city and received more negative publicity when it was revealed how much he is paid -- a lot.

But as a member of the media, I have to admire his honesty. He's highly quotable and always calls it as he sees it.

The case is scheduled to go to mediation on Aug. 19, but Calonne didn't seem at all hopeful that it would be resolved soon.

"We have encountered a very hostile response from the insurance defense lawyers representing Tolman and Wiker," Calonne said. "A response that is almost cavalier about any desire to meaningfully resolve the case."

COUNCIL MEMBER Neal Andrews, always watchful of how public money is spent, said the dragging out of the case "frosts" him. "This is all in the hopes ... that we'll drop the case and settle for less than we should."

The Council has been hearing about this in closed session for many years, but it was time to bring it out into the open, Council member Ed Summers said.

"When it has this level of financial consequences, I think we need to take it beyond the Council. The public has made this clear in the past," he pointed out.

Speaking on behalf of the taxpayers, I hope all the parties resolve this sooner, rather than later.

EVEN WHEN THEY live so close to Tinseltown, it's still easy for Venturans to get excited about an old-fashioned movie premiere in their hometown.

Our laid-back city got a big dose of Hollywood glamour with the premiere of Academy-Award winning actor Kevin Costner's new Disney movie, "Swing Vote," and a wonderful free concert afterward that drew thousands.

The stage, set up at the intersection of California and Main, faced City Hall and thus created a natural amphitheater with concertgoers spread up the hill and out onto the side streets. It was a mellow evening of kids and dogs milling about and great music from Costner's band, "Modern West."

The congenial actor is also a pretty decent singer and guitarist and has assembled a band of talented musicians. He made a grand entrance through a delighted crowd after a montage of his films ran up on the the stage.

What was the most fun was listening to his candid and often heartfelt patter between sets. He clearly has a great affection for the city he grew up in. "Thank you, Main Street," Costner said to the crowd. "I went to junior high right over there at Cabrillo. My whole life's wrapped up here."

But he couldn't resist putting in a big plug for his film, "We have a deal here," he told the crowd. "You came free, so I expect you to go see the movie."

NOW THE FIXATION of many adoring female fans, he recalled his Buena High School days when it wasn't always that way. "I wasn't much with the girls. I wanted to be. The only dances I went to were Sadie Hawkins ones where the girls asked the guys."

Costner was also apparently confronted with his old high school yearbook picture a few times during the day. "I was really small back then. But thank you for sticking that in my face 100 times today," he joked to classmates in the crowd.

He also invited his mother and father to the concert. "I'm so thankful they're alive to see this."

Kudos go to Costner's childhood friend Tim Hoctor, a Ventura realtor, for convincing Costner to stage the event in his former hometown. "Tim said to me, 'If we die and never do something for our hometown, we will have missed out.' "

The guy with the magic wand today was local entrepreneur and music agent Mark Hartley who helped pull off the whole event. The showpiece of the day was Hartley's new restaurant, The Watermark, which was the setting for the $500-a-ticket charity premiere party. I have already fallen in love with the remodeled building and its classy interior, but was still curious about the menu. The artful and enticing spread out in the adjoining reception tent left no doubt this will be a first-class epicurean endeavor.

HOPEFUL CELEBRITY WATCHERS at the premiere party might have been a bit disappointed. Costner was quickly spirited up the stairs for an interview with "The Insider" host Pat O'Brien. Some of the high-profile co-stars of the film such as Kelsey Grammer, Dennis Hopper and Nathan Lane, didn't attend. But actress Virginia Madsen, a Ventura County resident, was in attendance along with "Swing Vote" co-star Madeline Carroll.

I had a chance to speak with The Watermark's interior designer, Kathleen McMullen Coady of Tower Designs. The interior was a collaboration between her and Hartley, who has taken on many projects Downtown and has a talent for transforming buildings. Whose idea was the cool jellyfish tank on the third floor? "That was Mark's," she said. "He's very creative."

I want the booth underneath that tank when I go back there.

Since the two-plus hour concert was such a resounding success, I hope very much we can do it again with another act some time. It was a community-building effort and a great way to show off our thriving Downtown.

Kudos also go to both City Corps and Peace Through Music, who put on a great side event at the City Corps headquarters in front of City Hall. The musical lineup was stellar and the City Corps kids made wonderful volunteers at the Costner event.

THE CITY COUNCIL TOOK steps Monday night to protect and define public viewsheds through a citizen task force and by doing so stepped on the toes of the Ventura Citizens' Organization for Responsible Development (VCORD) which has its own initiative on the subject scheduled for the ballot in the fall of 2009.

"Viewshed" is one of those new-fangled planning words and refers to a scenic vista. We know we want to protect them from being blocked but defining from what vantage point is a bit tricky -- is it uphill, downhill, across the street, across the sidewalk or next door? North/South or East/West? Does a large tree constitute a view blocker?

THE MOST DANGEROUS SPOT to be in these days seems to be between a Venturan and his view. Midtown residents have been particularly vocal about it. VCORD started as a group of bungalow owners who objected to multi-story projects going in nearby which would block their views of the hills. Another tempest is brewing with the plans for a 90-foot Ventura County Medical Center outpatient clinic. Neighbors uphill have filed a lawsuit to keep the project from being built.

Viewsheds and solar access, both required to be protected under our General Plan, are issues that just can't wait to be defined, Council member Ed Summers explained. "I think we're going to be stymied in all our community plans going forward if we don't resolve this issue quickly. I see this as consistent with our ongoing priority to conform to the General Plan and give developers clarity."

The trouble with VCORD's initiative is that if it does indeed pass in 2009, it will be many more months before the VCORD-appointed board drafts a view protection ordinance which may or may not meet the council's approval, which means it could get shuttled to yet another far-off election. As drafted, it also violates our city's charter and is subject to litigation.

THE CITY'S TASK FORCE to study the issue would essentially perform the same function by defining terms and creating neighborhood-specific policies, but would deliver results and thus clarity to the planning process as early as next March. The 15-member task force would be made up of members nominated from a wide cross-section of the community.

Judging by the frosty public comments at Monday's meeting, VCORD leaders are unhappy to have their own plans usurped. "It's a transparent attempt to co-opt the power of the neighborhoods," Camille Harris said. Her group's initiative, if passed, also calls for an immediate moratorium on buildings over 26 feet until a view protection ordinance is drafted and approved. No such controls exist under the council's plan.

The VCORD initiative will go on the ballot irregardless of what the new task force decides. if voters do approve their initiative in 2009, all that work from citizen volunteers and city planning staff could be moot.

TONY BARNES HAS SEEN the power of music firsthand. As a teacher at Oxnard's Curren Elementary School he witnessed a miracle of sorts when a sixth-grader with selective mutism who had never spoken to an adult outside his own family before finally opened up.

"I brought my guitar and gave him my attention," Barnes explained quite simply.

Music turned Barnes around, too. "I came from a pretty horrific background. My brother was in juvenile hall and I was almost there, too." He credits his own fifth-grade teacher with starting the musical spark which changed his life and has led him on a singular mission to make sure every child has the experience of playing an instrument.

Barnes founded a non-profit group called Peace Thru Music to do just that. Since 2002 he has visited area schools and community groups donating instruments and spreading the joys of music with an infectious enthusiasm which also rubs off on the adults he encounters.

"There are any number of kids who have never held an instrument," explained Peace Thru Music Executive Director Heather Mackinga. The group's goal is to provide instruments to children who have demonstrated need and eventually establish a fund to pay for lessons.

BUT IT'S MORE THAN JUST THAT, Barnes said. "Kids need places to go. They need accomplishment." The group's core mission is to teach conflict resolution along with musical skills. While out visiting schools with his guitar, Barnes often can be heard leading the chant, "Pick on strings, not living things."

It all resonates with the students, Mackinga says. "Tony has an amazing ability to connect to the kids and get their attention."

Barnes laments the back-burner status music has been relegated to in the lower grades. His group was instrumental in jumpstarting the Bronco Band at Will Rogers Elementary, the only one in any of Ventura's elementary schools.

Peace Thru Music is struggling a bit with funding, Barnes said, as are most non-profits these days. They recently received a boost when MTV gave the group a plug and assisted in providing instruments. Because of that, Mark Burnett Productions of "Survivor" fame asked Peace Thru Music to be involved in an upcoming musical reality show, "Jingles," Mackinga said. The group is also hoping to publish, as a fundraiser, a book with short stories from famous musicians.

IN THE MEAN TIME, Barnes is only too happy to partner with other kid-friendly organizations who also need a boost. Peace Thru Music has helped with open microphone nights at Ventura's new City Corps, a civic works project for at-risk kids. The two groups are currently holding a used musical instrument drive. (Bring donations to the City Corps office at 77 N. California St., between 1 and 5 p.m., Mondays through Fridays.) And the group is lining up talent to play before Kevin Costner's band Modern West takes the stage this Saturday in Downtown Ventura.

"We're all like musical instruments in a band when we work together," Barnes explained.

For more information about Peace Thru Music, go to www.peacethrumusic.org. For information about City Corps, which is looking for volunteer youth leaders ages 18 to 24, call 653-2351

THERE'S NOTHING LIKE VISITING a laid-back tropical country to help you find a little perspective. My family had the good fortune to rent a house on a very secluded stretch of beach in an area called Playa Grande, Costa Rica.

It's so secluded that the leatherback turtles have been coming to exactly this spot for millions of years to lay their eggs and then return to the sea.

As a blogger, I am perhaps a little too tuned into technology. Nine days without my computer was good for me. I recommend everyone take a little time off this summer to lay back and enjoy the sunshine somewhere pleasant. If you can't, I'm posting a few photos I took for you to enjoy:

Right, sunsets don't get any better than this. The low tide offered an amazing reflection of the sky and first-class beach-combing opportunities. Shells are considered a national treasure in Costa Rica.

I took more photos of the local wildlife than I did of my family. We encountered a family of howler monkeys in a nearby saltwater estuary also inhabited by crocodiles and tree-hanging snakes. The male howlers make a terrible racket, but this female seemed to be posing for me.

Domesticated animals roam the roads in Costa Rica, posing a hazard to drivers. I met this horse on the bumpy road up to the amazing Monteverde Cloud Forest. She is probably used to tourists taking her photo by now.

ONE OF THE "FUN" things about moderating a blog is that every now and then somebody drops an anonymous bomb in your lap. I can often diffuse the bomb myself, but I received a post the other day that I didn't know how to answer and it intrigued me:

Has anyone ever questioned why the City of Ventura and King Cole have
been quietly assembling a database that contains all of the following?
If you are a registered voter- they have the VOTER REGISTRATION
DATABASE. If you have paid water/sewer/trash in the City of Ventura - they have
the Water/Sewer/Trash customer database. If you own property - they have the County Parcel database.

If you have OPTED OUT OF THE 911 FEE - you are recorded in the database
All of these databases and others have been combined into one big big brother database called my ventura access and anytime you call the City for ANYTHING - your account is pulled up and all of the above and more can be looked at BEFORE they decide to speak to you DOES ANYONE EVER ASK WHY????? -- posted by unfettered in ventura

WELL, YES, UNFETTERED, I ask why. The "King" himself responded as did our current and former mayor. I will try to distill their answers here.

According to the city's web site, "My Ventura Access is the most direct way to send your questions, complaints and compliments to the right city staff person." It's a way for citizens to get their questions answered online. Each user is given a way to log in and track answers. If they call and leave their name with their concern or write a letter, the inquiry is also posted there.

"It was set up to better track complaints/concerns made to city officials as to how they were being handled and responded to, hopefully in a timely manner," Council member Carl Morehouse explained. "Staff also now knows who calls to register concerns and how often."

City Manager Rick Cole agreed. "It's a tool to make sure that when someone calls, writes or emails that they don't fall between the cracks." It avoids the perennial " 'I talked to someone at City Hall and they told me ...' with absolutely no way to verify this or 'I called so and so and he NEVER called me back' or 'I've written 20 letters and emails and never gotten an answer" etc.,' " Cole said.

But what's in that database anyway? Is it a Machiavellian plot to get your personal data or is it a way to keep you informed? The trash data isn't there. Only E.J. Harrison & Sons has that. Neither is parcel data. The utility billing is in a separate place. "That old system remains incompatible," Cole explained. "But we are combining our arts mailing list with My Ventura Access and eventually hope to no longer have overlapping, duplicative, stand-alone lists and databases in different software programs that cause us to miss people, mail duplicates, mail to people who are dead or who've moved etc."

He didn't answer whether or not the city has voter data. But that information is readily available through the county, Mayor Christy Weir said.

OUR PERSONAL INFORMATION is spead far and wide these days. Do you have a Vons card? They know what brand of toilet paper you buy. If you're reading this, you surf the Internet. Every Web site you visit knows what service provider and what sort of computer you use and the region in which you live. If you Web surf from work, they may know who employs you.

Google knows more about you than your mom does.

"This may all sound creepy," Cole said, "but every major private business keeps careful track of their customer information in a consolidated database. Each has a privacy policy and all have occasionally had slip ups, but by and large they do a reasonable job of safeguarding the data."

City Hall's new system seems to be an improvement on the old way of doing things, which Cole said was a combination of Post-It notes, email, letters and phone messages.

Note: If you call and complain about the new database and leave your name, that will probably be there, too.

JUST IN TIME for the summer travel season, United Airlines' in-flight magazine, Hemispheres, has a printed a 24-page spread on the charms of Ventura. It's packed with outdoor adventure ideas, lures for the foodie set, an extended piece on our thriving arts community and lots of ads for local businesses.

There's a guide to the local economy, an ad for our high-tech business incubator and even a short story on our efforts to preserve open space.

We all knew we had a overlooked gem here and now the secret is definitely out. If I didn't already live here, this would surely convince me that Ventura is much more than a stopover between Mailbu and Santa Barbara.

It couldn't have come at a better time for the sluggish local economy, according to City Manager Rick Cole. "If there is a silver lining anywhere, it would be tourism. With the fall of the dollar and rise in airfares, we may get more local tourists from Los Angeles and the Central Valley. That's the best hope for our restaurant- and gift store-heavy Downtown."

As I wrote in a previous entry, one of the bright spots in the local economy is that our Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) collections are up. More and more tourists are coming here and staying in our hotels. And they're also visiting our local businesses.

"The process of getting the feature in Hemispheres began over a year ago when our PR rep met the publisher of the Insights section of the magazine while attending Pow Wow, an annual travel industry trade show," explained Jim Luttjohan, executive director of the Ventura Visitors and Convention Bureau. "They told her they were about to do a piece on Santa Barbara, and she recommended they check out Ventura along the way. Last March we were contacted by the publisher asking us to help him on a site visit to town, and while here he fell for Ventura and decided to do the feature.

"After that we got together with city and Chamber folks to get the word out to each of our supporters, and viola! -- a 24-page spread on Ventura in United Airlines' in-flight magazine during one of the heaviest travel periods of the year," Luttjohan said.

He's obviously pleased with the spread and added that the advertising value of the free editorial content is over $800,000.

It's a good read for locals, too. If you're flying this summer, pick up a copy. It may help you rediscover your own town.