ojai blog - news and events in the Ojai community

Happy New Year, Ojai!

I haven't posted much the last couple weeks - the holidays are a busy time for many of us, and I am no exception. 

It's raining right now, steady but not heavy.  The giant sycamore tree in the backyard continues to shed its leaves for the winter.  The arugula, artichokes, onions and garlic are perky, enjoying a long drink that didn't come out of the hose.  Clouds have obscured the mountains, which look like a dim, dark wall in the distance.

Tonight, we'll gather with a few friends in the east end and celebrate the new year, and all the opportunity it brings.  Many of our friends are on the verge of great things in their personal and professional lives. Gathering together and setting intention is a powerful way to begin 2006.

Happy New Year to you and your family - may it bring prosperity, health and community to your lives.  I'll leave you with a few photos from a drier time - Foothill Trail yesterday morning around 10am (shoutout to Mayor David Bury on the trail!).

Attuning To Nature

Thanks to Sasha for the heads-up:

Tune into KMUD-FM or www.kmud.org streaming over the web, and check out Talk Show Friday from 7-8pm.  "Attuning to Nature" by John Christianson, an activist/environmentalist formerly of Ojai Valley, will discuss "Sudden Oak Death". 

John is the same guy who climbed into one of three oaks in Libbey Park slated for removal by the city way back when.  A flashback (from 2001?  not sure...[ed]):

OJAI OAK FELLED AMID PROTESTS

Protesters in Ojai watched in dismay on Wednesday June 13th as the towering oak they fought to save was cut limb from limb and fed into the grinding maw of a woodchopper.  "Stop killing Ojai!" they screamed as a dozen Ventura County sheriff deputies kept them from approaching the 50-foot tree. One protester was arrested.

The move came a day after an emotional city council session ended with a 4-1 vote to allow the trees removal from a small courtyard in the downtown plaza. Mayor David Bury cast the dissenting vote during a meeting that attracted 125 people.

The property owner maintained the tree had become a hazard and was pressing into the building's foundation and one of its walls. Her efforts to remove it were met with protests from Ojai's vocal tree champions who maintained that other options were not tried.

About 40 demonstrators, some of whom camped out all night, greeted the cutters. The tree, which was 100 to 125 years old, fell in big chunks to the street. Each falling branch elicited a flurry of chants and insults from the protesters.

John Christianson, who last year tied himself to a 150 year-old oak in the city's Libbey Park in a futile effort to save it, stood across the street in tears.  "My heart is breaking," said Christianson, who founded the Ojai Oak Alliance. "This is a terrible defeat. I am determined to stop anything like this from happening again."

Images of Matilija Canyon

a few photos taken out in Matilija Canyon on Oct. 29.

and is this the pink moment people are talkin' about?  nah... :)

David Bury taking the helm as Ojai Mayor

An excerpt from the VC Star (free reg. req.) on Monday.  Bury was approved and will serve a one-year term as Mayor.

David Bury is an architect of Ojai in more ways than one. As an actual architect, he's designed some of the city's most prominent buildings, and as a planning commissioner and city councilman, he's overseen Ojai's evolution toward its current look.

On Tuesday, Bury expects his fellow council members to choose him as mayor, his second stint as mayor since he was elected to the council in 1998. The position of mayor rotates among council members, and Bury is slated to fill the spot for the next year. He will take the reins from Councilwoman Rae Hanstad.

"I intend to facilitate dialogue and discussion in our community, to help address our issues and solve some of the problems that we are facing," he said. "We've got a new city manager, and it's the beginning of a new era."

Local Computer Heroes tonight!

Come on down to Lavender Inn (across the street from Rainbow Bridge) for free computer consulting tonight from 5-7pm.  Join Dave Lawrence of Smart Technology Enablers and myself, and get your questions answered regarding computer hardware, software, networking, business decisions, online marketing, search engines and much more.  And if you haven't seen the inside of Lavender Inn, its worth a trip down just for that.  See you there!

Ojai’s Cluff Vista Park honored

A little housekeeping here - thanks to Chris Wilson for passing this on.

Ojai’s Cluff Vista Park has won top honors, a first place honor award in parks and recreation design,  from the Southern California Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects.

Partners in developing the park included the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy, the City of Ojai and dozens of private donors, most notably Don and Sheila Cluff, for whom the park is named. The park was funded entirely by community donations, and augmented by public works construction provided by the City of Ojai. Bostrom & Associates was selected to lead the design team, which included Van Atta Associates landscape architects of Santa Barbara. Ground-breaking took place in 2001 and the park was completed in 2002.

Once a blighted, polluted, former gas station, today Cluff Vista Park’s meandering pathways, public art, fountains and native plants welcome all as they enter downtown and offer park visitors panoramic views of the surrounding mountains.

Bordered by Ojai Avenue, El Paseo Road and Rincon Street, the triangular park incorporates sustainable landscape design features, an approach that Bostrom & Associates integrates into their projects whenever possible. The landscape of Cluff Vista Park uses very little irrigation, and the water features are recirculating. No pesticides or fertilizers are used, and permeable, decomposed granite walkways allow rainwater to seep back into the ground, instead of running off into storm drains.

Some serious business in Ojai

Have you thought about joining the Ojai Valley Chamber of Commerce for your business?  While I think its a beneficial and essential part of doing business in Ojai, come see for yourself.

Come meet the new Ojai Mayor David Bury and new City Manager Jere Kersnar at the Holiday mixer. This popular last mixer of the year will be co-hosted by Ojai Valley Chamber of Commerce and City of Ojai on Wednesday, December 14th in the City Council Chambers from 5:30-7:00pm (and yes, its free). 

Tottenham Court will be catering the food. Music is by Cardinali Bros. Music and liquid refreshments offered by Attitude Adjustment.  Raffle prizes include an espresso machine from Noah's Apothecary, a massage for two from About Serenity, a gift certificate from Ojai Hair Company boutique, and  a month's supply of Body Balance from Healthy Lifestyle Marketing. 

Solar Initiative Update

Michael Lind passed on this update on the California Million Solar Roofs Campaign from Vote Solar, an advocacy group, whose mission is "to promote a national transition to clean energy by empowering city governments to implement large-scale, cost-effective solar projects":

A short update on the campaign for the California Million Solar Roofs program: Vote Solar has been working with our partner organizations to launch a public outreach campaign to support the passage of the Million Solar Roofs program at the Public Utilities Commission. We’ve had an unprecedented number of groups turn their members loose on the PUC, and it’s making history. In the last two months, more than 43,000 people have now contacted the CPUC in support of passing the Million Solar Roofs program. This is the highest number of public comments that the CPUC has ever received on any issue they have considered, including the California energy crisis.

It's making a difference. On November 15, Administrative Law Judge Kim Malcolm issued an interim decision to increase solar funding to $300 million for next year, the largest it has ever been, and the rebate will be set at $2.80/watt. This is expected to be approved after the 30 day public comment period. On December 13, the PUC is expected to release its proposed decision to create the full ten year, $3 billion solar incentive program. If it is passed in January, this will be the second largest solar program in the world, after Germany's.

Ojai citizens organize in opposition to the death penalty

Monday, December 12

Silent Candlelight Vigil
5:00pm-6:00pm at the "Y"

Meditation and Chanting
6:30pm-8:00pm at the Ojai Retreat

A silent candlelight vigil, followed by meditation and chanting will occur on Monday evening, December 12, in peaceful opposition to the death penalty and the execution of Stanley "Tookie" Williams.  You are encouraged to bring candles to the vigil.  Keep in mind it will be dark and probably cold.  The meditation and chanting is open to all but will have a Zen Buddhist focus. An additional vigil will continue in Ventura from 8:00pm-12:30am in front of the Government Center.

For more information, email Kenley Neufeld at peace@neuhouse.com or call 805-252-2448.

Good Cheer at Nathan Larramendy

The Nathan Larramendy Gallery has a new exhibition of recent work by Ojai artist Cassandra C. Jones.  Her first solo exhibition in the gallery will consist of two analogous bodies of work, Good Cheer and Track and Field: Drawing from the Arena. The gallery will host an opening reception on Saturday, December 10th, 5 -7 pm (directions, etc. here).  I think that means free wine and cheese.  Click on the mandala art for a closer look...