IT'S BEEN 30 YEARS NOW since the all-volunteer group San Buenaventura Heritage, Inc. first took on a civic task the City of Ventura didn't have the budget for: the restoration and upkeep of one of our most historic Queen-Anne style structures, the Dudley House.

It was the home of one of our county supervisors, Benjamin Wells Dudley, and as a justice of the peace he held court right in the parlor. It was also one of the first Ventura homes to have electricity and a telephone.

At one time the family owned 200 acres. A lively group, the Dudleys and their decendents lived there until the 1970s while Ventura grew up around them. It was the last working farm of a pioneer family from the 1890s located within the city limits.

Hoping to see the 1892 farmhouse survive after the family donated it to the city in 1978, a small band of neighbors formed a group to take on the project. It wouldn't be until 1993 that the house would again be open to the public. The transformation the house has undergone in just the last 15 years has been truly amazing. It's now a full-fledged lovingly restored museum outfitted with turn-of-the century charm. And there is a community meeting room with a working kitchen in the basement.

I serve as a docent for children's tours there and my own children have grown up exploring every corner of that house. Dressing up in my silly 1890s dress and teaching my young tour participants what life was like pre-plumbing, pre-electricity, pre-TV and pre-Nintendo is always great fun. We take a peek in the outhouse, learn about the charms of chamber pots and take a trip through the home's "secret passageway." I always end with a ghost story in the attic.

EVERY YEAR JUST BEFORE THE HOLIDAYS, the house is cleared of its Victorian knickknacks and outfitted for the annual Victorian Holiday Boutique, a major fundraiser for the project. It opens once again today. I always get a lot of my holiday shopping done there and the prices are right. I encourage everyone to go.

When you're done shopping, go down in the basement, grab a cookie and a cup of hot apple cider and say hi to Sheri Oelschlager. She was the group's first president 30 years ago and she's still plugging away.

Ventura volunteers are the best.

The Historic Dudley House is located at the corner of N. Ashwood and Loma Vista in Ventura. The Victorian Holiday Boutique is open Nov. 28, 29, 30; Dec. 5, 6, 7; and Dec. 12, 13, 14 from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Admission is free, but donations are gladly accepted. The house is open for tours again after the boutique is over on the first Sunday of every month from 1-4 p.m. and by special appointment. Call 642-7664 or 654-8381 for more information.

DEEP CUTS TO CITY SERVICES are in our future, a somber Ventura City Manager Rick Cole told the City Council on Monday night. A worsening economy bringing with it a drop in city revenues will necessitate a restructuring of how the city is run.

"These will be the most difficult and painful choices that have been faced by at least six of the seven of you in your service on the City Council," Cole said. "The impact on services, the impact on individual employees will be significant, severe and controversial. ..."

"You will have to look the public in the eye and say 'I'm sorry, ma'am, we don't do that any more.' "

Cole estimated that 20-30 jobs would be gone from city government by next year. Some might be handled through retirements and resignations, he said, but it is not possible to make up all the difference through attrition alone.

Cole's words followed a presentation from Chief Financial Officer Jay Panzica which showed a $4 million revenue shortfall for the current 2008-09 fiscal year. The gap could grow to be as much as $8 million by next year. This comes on the back of a $4.3 million cut to this fiscal year's budget and a $3 million midyear cut a year ago.

Lower sales tax revenues coupled with an expected loss of vehicle license fee revenues from the state and other factors helped contribute to the misery. Other cities around the country are experiencing similar difficulties. The City of Los Angeles, for instance, is facing a deficit of $110 million.

City staff will recommend a restructuring plan which should come to the council in March. The plan will be part of a new multi-year budget system.

"We need to do fewer things and do them better," Panzica said.

POLITICAL JUNKIES LOOKING for more drama won't have long to wait if they live in the City of Ventura. In less than a year they will be faced with at least two ballot measures and a slate of council candidates in the off-year municipal election.

In a unanimous vote last night, the Ventura City Council failed to adopt Stop Wal-Mart Ventura Coalition's anti-big box initiative and it will instead go on the ballot in the fall of next year. It will join the Ventura Citizens' Organization for Responsible Development (VCORD)'s view initiative for a full vote of the citizenry.

Council members all agreed the measure should be left to the voters to decide. "There are so many implications with land use, our tax base and the future of retail in our city. It's something that we need to let the citizens weigh in on. It could affect retail uses 20 years from now," Council member Ed Summers said.

The City Attorney's analysis of this amendment to the municipal code found it sound for the most part, with the possibilities for legal challenges only coming from its exclusion of wholesale discount stores and its retroactive clause.

It is one of the most tightly written anti-big box measures to go on a ballot. The ordinance would prevent a major retail project that sells goods and merchandise -- primarily for personal or household use -- and whose total sales floor area exceeds 90,000 square feet and which devotes more than three percent of the sales floor area to the sale of non-taxable merchandise such as food.

Wholesale club stores like Costco would be OK. Other stores such as IKEA or an electronics store, both on wishlists for Ventura, would also be allowed. Another Super Target would not and the ordinance could affect the ability of the existing one at the mall to expand.

Das Williams, a legislative analyst for CAUSE, explained that the exclusion for wholesale membership stores was in response to economic development concerns raised by city staff when they were first presented with a draft of the proposed ordinance. Costco is a store Ventura is one day hoping to attract.

Economic analysis from the city on the measure proved inconclusive. While it could discourage one set of investors, it might encourage another. It will serve to limit some consumer choices in the city and could drive shoppers to travel elsewhere.

THE COALITION RECENTLY PAID for its own study by two economists which concluded the city will not gain new sales tax revenue from a Wal-Mart and it will only cannibalize an existing retail market which is already saturated. "A major new retail facility has the potential to negatively impact current business owners since community needs are already being met," the study concludes.

Another anti-big box measure was soundly defeated by nearly 70 percent of Atascadero voters on Nov. 4. However, that city, which is struggling financially and now operating on its reserves, has less local retail available than Ventura within its city boundaries. It is also a staunchly conservative area, Williams said. It is not known yet exactly how much Wal-Mart invested to defeat the Atascadero measure, but "there was a decent amount of money spent," Williams said.

A poll conducted by the Stop Wal-Mart Ventura Coalition found that a majority of Venturans were not in favor of the retailer coming to Ventura. About 8,600 signed the petition to put it on the ballot.

Williams predicts a battle next fall. "It's going to take a lot of organizing for us. But I've operated a lot of signature campaigns in the past and I've never seen volunteers come out like they did in Ventura."

One of my favorite rules to live by: Unless you go out of your way to spend time with those whose experiences and opinions are very different than your own you will never truly broaden your perspective on the world.

This concept is also the theme of the upcoming One City Family Thanksgiving Celebration this Thursday at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Ventura. It's a commingling of people from all walks of life merged in one spot to pass the gravy and share camaraderie and turkey legs.

Designed to put a spotlight on the city's homelessness issues, it is more than the traditional Thanksgiving "soup kitchen" approach where community leaders typically don aprons for the day to serve an underprivileged population.

"We're reaching beyond the local homeless population and into the community as a whole. We sit together. We share a meal. We share a table," said Jesse Giglio, the event's coordinator.

The day is being planned by the Faith Communities Subcommittee of the Ventura Social Services Task Force (VSSTF). Ten different churches have stepped up to help and another 20 are in the network, Giglio said. The VSSTF is a community-based organization with a goal of ending homelessness in the city of Ventura. It's a big task, no doubt, as the economy worsens, jobs are lost and social services are cut and stretched.

The faith-based and greater volunteer community will be called upon to do even more. But finding the dollars and manpower to help is not easy unless the great need is communicated. And this is an effort to do just that, Giglio said. "It's an awareness and education event as well as a celebration event."

IF THE OUTPOURING OF HELP for "One City" is any indication, Venturans are up for the task. "It's spread to the far reaches of the community," Giglio said. In addition to the churches and local temple, many individual businesses and families have contributed money and food. The new Watermark restaurant Downtown is cooking and serving all the side dishes.

Giglio said he and his volunteers are preparing enough food to feed 600 people. The day will also include live music, a communal art project, plus inflatable jumpers and craft activities for children.

It's clear this group intends to make its efforts last beyond just one day of thanks. The group's next event is "One City, One Weekend, One Fund" set for Feb. 14-17. Details will be forthcoming.

Everyone in the city of Ventura is invited to the free first annual One City Family Thanksgiving Celebration as long as the food lasts. It will be held from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 27, at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 36 Figueroa St. (behind Pierano's/Jonathan's at 100 Main Street). Interested volunteers and other helpers should call Jesse Giglio, Community Life Pastor, Ventura Missionary Church, at 642-0550 ext. 376, or email jessegiglio@gmail.com.

IN THE ANNALS OF Ventura history, there is likely nothing odder than the back-story of Cemetery Park on Main Street Downtown. Established in 1862, the cemetery once sat on the very edge of town before the city sprawled eastward. The site is the final resting place of more than 2,000 people.

You'd never know that by looking at it today. It now functions as a public park with only occasional small, flat markers indicating it was ever a proper cemetery. It's become a gathering space for families and lots of Frisbee-tossing dog owners. I often drive visitors by the spot and point out that while the headstones are gone, the bodies still remain in the ground, a tidbit which nearly always elicits a look of disbelief.

How the resting place of some of Ventura's founding fathers and mothers got to this stage probably ranks as one of the city's more controversial decisions. The church-owned cemetery, filled to capacity in the 1940s, began falling into disrepair over the years, much to the dismay of nearby property owners. A large hedge, planted to cover up the spectacle, did little to appease neighbors.

Years of vandalism took its toll until 1963 when the city, by now the owner of the property, decided -- with only a bit of public outcry -- to convert it to a public park. Bodies resting in mausoleums were moved underground, relatives who could be located were give the option of moving their deceased ancestors and/or collecting the headstones. Flat markers were placed at the request of some family members.

The monuments were unceremoniously moved to a city storage yard and arranged in alphabetical order for relatives to collect. But over the years it became a popular high school prank to steal the headstones and cart them off as grim trophies. Now, many years later, they still pop up from time to time in odd places.

Finally, the unclaimed stones were ground up and used to fill a levee near the Olivas Park Golf Course.

GIVEN THIS CHECKERED history, it is no wonder local residents have clamored for a respectable ending to this resting place for people who have Ventura streets named after them. Finally a plan has emerged that may appeal to everyone, but paying for it in these tight financial times is the difficult part. The city is hoping for help in the form of grants and private donations, Mayor Christy Weir said.

"Since most grant funding will only pay construction costs -- and not design fees -- the city has taken the initial steps necessary to become eligible for available funding by designing a plan for improvements to the park," she said.

But neighbors, who now enjoy the open, restful spot, have complained about the addition of perhaps 2,000 flat brass markers to the site and wonder how recreation and memorials can co-exist. Others in the community say it never should have been made into a public park in the first place and should be fenced off and restored as a cemetery. A map to the gravesites with names still exists.

The new plan also includes refurbished landscaping and repairs to the historic WPA cobblestone retaining wall, a veterans' memorial path and flagpole, original headstones inset into a memorial wall and a memorial garden, which will make it a more pleasant public space.

"The plan is to gather whatever headstones still exist to use them in the memorial wall," Weir said. "We're trying to restore the history and dignity that was lost when the park conversion took place."

The city is hoping to get more public input on the plan on Wednesday, Nov. 19 at 5:30 p.m. at Community Presbyterian Church, 1555 Poli St. The proposed plans are posted at the park, and are also online at the city's Web site.

GRANT PARK, HIGH ABOVE Downtown Ventura, has to be one of the most underutilized and picturesque parks in the city. Many people visit the Father Serra Cross area for its scenic views and religious significance, yet there remain vast areas of the park which are undeveloped. The city's plans for Grant Park have languished for years and now in these fiscally conservative times have been put off indefinitely.

But if the volunteers of the Ventura Botanical Garden, Inc. get their wish, Grant Park could be a showplace. The group, which has 200 charter members, has spent the last few years getting their 501 (c) 3 non-profit status together and shopping for a site. They settled on 10 acres of Grant Park just recently, said the group's spokesperson Midge Stork.

"It's going to be a showplace for Ventura if we really get it right," she said.

The project is just in its conceptual infancy, Stork said, but the plan is to lease the land from the city and build it in phases. The garden could eventually include redwoods, native and exotic species, a tram, gift shop, amphitheater and a site for weddings.

"These things aren't going to happen overnight but they are on our dream list," Stork said.

The new botanical garden will tie into the beautification effort already planned by the non-profit Serra Cross Conservancy, which maintains the acre of land surrounding the Cross. An ambitious project is already planned for that spot with a scenic walking and strolling area and a tree-shaded seating area with a fountain.

BOTH PROJECTS WILL NEED eager private benefactors. And both will feature numerous naming opportunities with plaques and other memorials. The next step will be to come up with conceptual drawings and present the plans to the various city commissions and eventually the City Council. Nearby neighbors will also be consulted, Stork said. "It's better to be proactive."

In the mean time, the group has a smaller project in mind: the seeding of an area above City Hall late this month to encourage a carpet of wildflowers in the spring. Donors to that project are being sought.

These public-private partnerships with volunteer elbow grease may be the best way to tackle underfunded civic projects in a down economy. Luckily Ventura has no shortage of enthusiastic volunteers.

Note: If anybody would like to donate to or volunteer for the Botanical Garden effort, send an email to my address at top and I will forward your contact information to the group.

TUESDAY'S ELECTION results left me curiously unfulfilled.

As it became apparent that Barack Obama was going to become our next president, I found renewed faith in an electorate which looked past skin color and put its faith in an inspiring man with character and great vision.

I listened to the jubilation of my daughter and her friends, far away in college in a firmly red state, who left their dorm rooms and massed out on a field together hugging each other and screaming in absolute joy and amazement that someone had finally listened to them and their hopes for the world.

But late last night I also received emails from several dynamic people in the local gay community who I respect very much. They professed their very great sadness over the passage of Prop. 8 and it made me realize how very far we have to go before we can look past our differences to find common ground.

I have dear friends on both sides of the Prop. 8 issue. My friends in the Mormon community, which invested much money in the Yes on 8 effort, have historically endured misconceptions and persecution over their religion. I have recently defended their belief system to others who have belittled their faith because of the church's activities in the Yes on 8 campaign.

On the flip side, I was shocked to learn of the recent verbal -- and in one case physical -- harassment received by two friends on opposite sides of the county who were displaying No on 8 signs. There is great anguish in the gay community right now over this decision and my heart breaks for two wonderful women I know who were recently married.

Proposition 8 left us more divided than ever. I believe it was a great mistake.

AND FINALLY SD 19: The state senate race between Hannah-Beth Jackson and Tony Strickland remains undecided at this point in time. The district was drawn as a safe seat for Tom McClintock who has recently termed out. But recent gains in voter registration have given a slight advantage to the Democrats.

It is clear to me that the more progressive voices of Santa Barbara County, Ventura and Ojai were more vocal in their support of Hannah-Beth Jackson than the decidedly conservative and more numerous voices to the east were in embracing Tony Strickland. This put Jackson over the top by a razor-thin margin. She also received the majority of precinct votes, by a narrow fraction. Strickland took the early absentees.

There are 100,000 votes left to count in the three counties that encompass State Senate District 19. It could go either way. Late absentee and provisional voters make up this group and in recent elections they have tended to vote more like precinct voters and not the early absentees which favor conservatives. Provisional voters often favor Democrats. I am crossing my fingers for a decisive victory for Jackson.

Part of the rancor in this particular race was due to the way the district is drawn. Very conservative sections of Ventura and Los Angeles counties were thrown in with progressive coastal voters. It is for this reason that I supported the redistricting measure Prop. 11, which appears to have passed.

As we move forward in these difficult times, I hope we can learn to work together for common goals. Divisive issues sap our strength for the things that really matter.