To the Editor:

At the October meeting of the Santa Clara Valley Democratic Club Maricela Morales, executive director of CAUSE (Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy), spoke of imminent approval by the California Public Utilities Commission of a third natural gas-fired electric generating plant in Oxnard. Oxnard’s citizens and city council have had longstanding concerns about the environmental hazards associated with the Mandalay and Ormond Beaches plants. Their citizens and councils have spent the last 50 years in unsuccessful efforts to rid themselves of these plants. They now strongly oppose the building of a third plant.

Given Oxnard’s opposition, a location on Mission Rock Road just west of Santa Paula has been proposed as an alternative site for this third generating plant. The environmental consequences for the entire Santa Clara Valley would be disastrous: air pollution and its effects on human health, and the installation of massive high voltage lines through the valley, easements for which would be profitable for large land owners such as the Limoneira Corporation.

Furthermore, while fossil-fueled plants are for now less expensive than solar and wind generated power, they will rapidly become obsolete. Legislation recently passed and signed by Governor Brown will require that 50% of all electrical power come from renewable resources by 2030.

We urge Ventura County supervisors and the city councils of Santa Paula and Fillmore to take action in opposition to the location of a generating plant in our valley, and to do so before the Public Utilities Commission takes further action in this matter. We urge our fellow citizens to make their opposition to the building of a generating plant here known.

Julie White, president, for the Santa Clara Valley Democratic Club

Thank you

To the Editor:

On behalf of Blanchard Community Library, I would like to extend a very heartfelt thank you to the wonderful individuals and businesses who greatly contributed to the tremendous success of our 2015 “Read to the Rhythm!” Teen Summer Reading Program. Altrusa International of Ventura, the Bagdazian Family, Big 5, Ellen Brokaw, Jerry Burns, Joyce and Ernest Carlson, Nancy Cole, Mali De Silva, Foster’s Freeze- Summer Schaefer, Friends of Blanchard Community Library, Nancy Gallaher, The Habit-Ventura, Robert Hargarten, Mary Alice Orcutt Henderson, Elaine Hunt, Island Packers, Kohl’s, Legoland, Leslie’s Hallmark, Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Lakers, Mary and Richard Mah, McDonald’s, Stephen McFadden, , Optimist Club of Santa Paula, William Orcutt, Carrie Owens, Regency Theatres, Paschen Management Corporation, Scott Rushing- Rushing Real Estate, Santa Barbara Museum of  Natural History, Santa Paula Rotary Club, Santa Paula Super Store-Jeongh and Stella Kong, Target Ventura, Target West, Carol Wan,  Linda and Norm Wilkinson, and Zapparelli’s Family Pizzeria all generously donated to our program, while Rachel Olson kindly served refreshments to a room full of teens on the day of the party.

This year we had 168 young adult participants who read 284,450 pages over the summer! Although some years we have had fewer participants and some years we have had more, these are the most pages read in one summer since 2005, and the third highest number of pages in the 17 years we have offered the program! We are certain that our teen readers were inspired to read an additional amount due to the wonderful array of prizes provided by our donors. We hope that our teenagers will continue to read all year round and enjoy the pleasures of reading for the rest of their lives. 

Thank you again to our marvelous sponsors for partnering with us and encouraging Santa Paula teens to read!   Your generosity meant the world to us, and you have truly made a difference in our community!

Most Sincerely,

Ilene Gavenman

Children’s and Young Adult Librarian Blanchard Community Library

      Santa Paula