ojai blog - news and events in the Ojai community

Arnold: Political Product Placement?

One of the truly special things about Ojai is a virtual moratorium on chain stores, billboards, bus ads and other 'impression-gathering mechanisms'.  There's no Starbucks, no Niketown, no McDonalds and certainly no Wal-Mart. 

Being away from Los Angeles awhile, its all the more shocking and disconcerting to see corporate logos worm their way into the most unlikely of places.  I'm not trying to pick on the Governator - I had never mentioned him on this site until a couple days ago with the pothole incident - but he's got a new political ad that clearly steps over the bounds of what's appropriate.

Brian Flemming has a story on Arnold's new ad, which is being picked up across the blogosphere.  Arrowhead, Diet Pepsi and other products are clearly in focus in the ad.  A sample from the post:

Someone chose to dress this set not using the typical generic items that a designer would normally choose. Someone selected these particular branded items and placed them carefully in the frame. And the director and the director of photography both said, Yes, that looks good like that.

It could not have happened any other way in the real world of film production.

Find the people on this film set who held one of these titles: Production designer, art director, set dresser or property master. Any one of these folks should be able to tell you who told them to choose these particular items to place on the set, or lead you in the right direction. If they say they don't know, and they don't know who would know, they're lying.

Memorial Day in Ojai

The Ojai Veterans of Foreign War are sponsoring a Memorial Day Celebration in Libbey Park today.  The press release as posted on VFWOjaiValley.com:

To honor the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II and the 140th anniversary of the end of the Civil War, Ojai will host a Memorial Day celebration featuring flyovers by vintage aircraft, music, food and information booths.

The heart of the first-annual event, according to event organizer Sanford Drucker, will be the opportunity for people to interact with veterans from World War II, Korea, Vietnam and both Iraq wars. For example, World War II veterans will talk about a crewing a Naval ship during kamikaze attacks and reminisce about the day when the Ojai Valley Inn & Spa was an Army training ground. Veterans from every subsequent conflict will be on hand.

The Ojai Memorial Day celebration is sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign War and Mid-State Bank, and is being organized by a committee of Ojai residents. It is scheduled from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Libbey Park and Bowl, featuring booths from local Veterans of Foreign Wars Post, with the book “Ojai Valley Veterans Stories,” and Buddy Poppies for sale with a variety of memorabilia on display.

The event, said Drucker, is to “bring together the young and old of our community to honor, celebrate and to share with our veterans their stories of service. Come meet your veteran neighbors in person, listen to their words, hear their music and see their memorabilia.”

The event will begin with a ceremonial flyover by the Commemorative Air Force at noon, then the music at Libbey Bowl will strike up with bands from local schools, including the award-winning Nordhoff Band under the direction of Bill Wagner. Speakers will hold forth at the park’s gazebo; Larry Prince and Phil Culbert are set to open the conversation with their experiences during World War II. Gazebo events also include addresses from Ojai’s Mayor Rae Hanstad, local historian David Mason, and a rousing rendition of “God Bless America,” from Phil Harvey.

The celebration will end with a fly over by the 805th Navion Squadron as “Taps” being played at 3 p.m., followed by the crowd’s chorus of “America the Beautiful.”

Booths will be manned by the Ojai Valley Museum, Ojai Valley News, Ventura Museum, Oxnard Maritime Museum, Red Cross and Smart Start. The celebration is also being filmed by students from the Brooks Institute of Photography. Stories of Service videos by our 6th grade students will be shown. Oral histories recorded by local elementary and high school students from the Service Learning Program.

The Ojai Memorial Day celebration is sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign War and Mid-State Bank, and is being organized by a committee of Ojai residents. Other groups involved include the American Legion Post, Ojai valley Garden Club, Ojai Unified School District, Navion Squadron, Rotary Interact Club and Help of Ojai.

Mission statement: Bringing together the young and old of our community to honor, celebrate and to share with our veterans their stories of service.

Googling Ojai

Google is quirky.  This blog gets about half its traffic from Google searches.  Visitors show up in bunches for topical issues such as the Matilija Dam removal or the Ojai Parcel Tax.  I also get visitors from outside-the-valley searches such as thanks for the fish and Audra Strickland.  Oddly, I've received dozens of visitors on a Google search for new LA mayor Antonio Villaraigosa - ojaiblog.com places as high as 4th on a search for the guy. 

How did you get here?

Arnold's Bogus Pothole

Gov. Arnold choreographed a press opportunity yesterday, where he travelled to San Jose to fill up a pothole (San Francisco Chronicle).  "I'm here today to let everyone know that we're going to improve transportation all across our state,'' said Schwarzenegger, highlighting his proposal to fully fund Proposition 42 and restore $1.3 billion in transportation money to the current state budget.

But what was stunning about the event was that no pothole existed before Arnold had it dug up:

"For paving the streets, it's a lot of lighting,'' said resident Nick Porrovecchio, 48, motioning to a team of workmen setting up Hollywood-style floodlights on the street to bathe the gubernatorial podium in a soft glow.

Porrovecchio and his business partner, Joe Greco, said that at about 7 a.m. they became fascinated watching "10 city workers standing around for a few hours putting on new vests,'' all in preparation for the big moment with Schwarzenegger.

But their street, he noted, didn't even have a hole to pave over until Thursday morning.

"They just dug it out,'' Porrovecchio said, shrugging. "There was a crack. But they dug out the whole road this morning.''

"It's a lot of money spent on a staged event,'' said Matt Vujevich, 74, a retiree whose home faced the crew-made trench that straddled nearly the whole street. "We still have the same problems. Everything's a press conference.''

This from the San Jose Mayor's spokesman:

David Vossbrink, director of communications for San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales, who was in Washington, D.C., Thursday lobbying for more federal funding for BART, said the city paid the road crew and the extra security costs associated with the governor's visit -- as it would for any visiting dignitary.

Schwarzenegger's office "contacted us several days ago for a suitable area'' to depict his distribution of transportation funding, Vossbrink said. The neighborhood was chosen because "city workers were already in the area" doing repaving and resurfacing, which he said often requires peeling off old pavement and digging up roads to lay down new asphalt.

In this case, Vossbrink said, the governor's event involved "not exactly filling a pothole, but it represented the pothole aspect'' of the transportation funding measure.

This doesn't exactly dispel the stereotype of the out-of-touch, ethically-challenged politician, does it?

Ojai Post Office: don't ask, don't tell

I posted a story last week about the new prohibition on dogs in the Ojai Post Office, and wrote:

I'm sure someone with a volatile dog came in to the post office, maybe it snapped at a kid or got in a tussle with another dog.  And there you go.  Or perhaps a consultant warned against the insurance liabilities. Hmm...

Well, it turns out two things contributed to the ban - an inspector came in when dogs were with their owners in line - that's a no-no.  And two, a chihuahua yipped and scared a couple small kids.  Really, now.

So anyway, no one will notice if you and your leashed dog drop off a couple packages at the drop box outside the main post office area.  You didn't hear it from me...

No Go For Ojai Kyoto?

I posted an open letter to the Mayor of Ojai a week and a half ago regarding the US Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, and received this reply:

Tyler,

 

Ojai's Mayor, Ms. Rae Hanstad, asked me to reply to your request.  She advised that although she might personally support adherence to the Kyoto Protocol, she cannot and will not speak for the Ojai City Council on this matter.  Historically, Ojai's Council has preferred not to take a stand on issues that are clearly beyond their area of purview.

 

Paulette Matheson Whiting

City Manager's Dept.

City of Ojai

First off, I got the wrong mayor, addressing the letter to Mayor Sue Horgan.  My apologies to Mayor  Rae Hanstad.  While I should have remembered our leadership change, Ms. Horgan is still the Mayor of record on the City's website.

While I respect the Mayor's position, it seems that the opportunity to be a progressive voice for our community and the environment is a worthy position and pursuit.  Certainly, working within the bureaucracy of Ojai is no more difficult than that of the thirty other California cities that have signed on to the pro-Kyoto agreement:

Berkeley, CA
The Berkely City Council unanimously approved supporting Mayor Nickels efforts."
-- Mayor Tom Bates, Berkeley, CA

Oakland, CA
"We congratulate Seattle on its bold programs and look forward to cooperating to build a better world…The City of Oakland has set a goal of 15% reduction by 2010, which is beyond what Kyoto calls for the US to achieve. We are looking at 70% reduction of GHGs by 2050, which is what many scientists believe is needed to protect our future. We are in support of the United States surpassing the Kyoto green house gas reduction targets."
-- Mayor Jerry Brown, Oakland, CA

Palo Alto, CA
"I believe it is vitally important that we, as mayors, speak out on this critical issue that affects all cities everywhere."
-- Mayor Jim Burch, Palo Alto, CA

Santa Monica, CA
"The City of Santa Monica applauds the good work you and the City of Seattle are doing to combat climate disruption and we pledge to work together with you to raise awareness and inspire action by local governments throughout the United States on the issue. We look forward to working together on this important endeavor."
-- Mayor Pam O'Connor, City of Santa Monica, CA

Arcata, CA
"Arcata already has an inventory of gloal warming emissions and is working to meet the goals set in our Greenhouse Gas Reduction Plan."
-- Mayor Michael L. Machi, Arcata, CA

I look forward to an opportunity to continue the discussion and address the City Council regarding this matter.

Farmer And The Cook

A nice little article on organic market Farmer And The Cook in Meiners Oaks.

"The farm underwrote the store," says [co-founder Steve] Sprinkel, "so half of what we're selling is what we grow, which allows us to concentrate on the store. The de- mand for organic and sustainable products these days is starting to outstrip the supply. By growing ourselves, we don't have to always buy produce from someone else."

Unfortunately, Sprinkel has lost his lease because the land is being developed into housing units. He is in the process of relocating the farm to a two-acre plot nearby.

"Farming is frequently looked upon as a nuisance (in urban areas)," says Sprinkel.

The article was written by a chef, not a journalist.  I'm wondering if she added the "in urban areas" in parentheses.  Meiners Oaks is anything but an urban area - ha!  It barely qualifies as a small town.  Not that there's anything wrong with that.

UPDATE: I neglected to mention that F&C has the only salad bar in town, to my knowledge.  Both the tahini and feta cheese dressings are great, as is the marinated tofu.

Ojai Post Office: one paw back

The Ojai branch of the US Post Office has a new hand-lettered sign on the door: NO DOGS (except for seeing eye dogs).

I haven't had the chance to ask Barbara, Reba, Donna, Tammy or any of the other fine postal employees what happened yet.  But I'm sure someone with a volatile dog came in to the post office, maybe it snapped at a kid or got in a tussle with another dog.  And there you go.  Or perhaps a consultant warned against the insurance liabilities.  Hmm...

I do a lot of shipping and go to the Post Office pretty much six days a week.  I enjoy walking our dog downtown, as we both need the exercise.  Now, I can't even get to the drop box, let alone stand in line, as long as I have my four-legged friend.

Developing...

Ojai Music Festival change

This from the LA Times:

Health problems have forced British composer and conductor Oliver Knussen, music director of this year's Ojai Music Festival, to cancel his appearances there, artistic director Thomas W. Morris announced Tuesday.

Knussen underwent surgery for an abdominal ailment in London this week but expects to resume his full schedule this summer. His conducting duties at the June 9 to 12 festival will be assumed June 11 by Los Angeles Master Chorale music director Grant Gershon and June 12 by conductor-composer Brad Lubman.

As music director, Knussen planned all the festival repertory. His absence will result in no program changes.

The 59th annual festival will include the Ojai debuts of the Cleveland Orchestra, conducted by Franz Welser-Möst, and of pianist Peter Serkin, plus a world premiere June 12 by British composer Jonathan Cole.

Other programs include a concert of music by Percy Grainger and Mauricio Kagel, a joint violin recital by Cleveland Orchestra concertmaster William Preucil and Los Angeles Philharmonic concertmaster Martin Chalifour, and a performance by the piano duo Helena Bugallo and Amy Williams of Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring" and excerpts from Conlon Nancarrow's "13 Studies for Player Piano."

South of the (Ventura County) Border

Congratulations to new Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who crushed incumbent Mayor Jim Hahn in a landslide victory yesterday:

Antonio Villaraigosa romped past incumbent James K. Hahn to make history Tuesday, winning election as the first Latino mayor of Los Angeles since the city's pioneer days.

Riding a huge wave of voter discontent, the challenger avenged his 2001 loss to Hahn, who possessed an iconic family name but never connected strongly with voters during a rocky four-year term.

Villaraigosa's landslide represented a crowning symbol of Latinos' growing clout in California, after decades of population gains that failed to produce a commensurate rise in political power. L.A.'s last Latino mayor, Cristobal Aguilar, left office in 1872, when the now-sprawling metropolis was a frontier outpost of barely 6,000 people.