Oxnard: Don't ignore the 300-pound gorilla in the room
By Michael Sullivan 03/18/2010
We are only one week away from the much-anticipated state of the city address, which will be given next Friday, March 26. As speeches of this nature typically go, we expect to hear that great things are happening in Oxnard. And we agree. There are great things happening.
We applaud the City Council for its efforts over the last year, making plans to improve the landscape and even the reputation of Oxnard. One of the most recent decisions was delaying the final approval of the 2030 General Plan. In doing so, we know that the city is listening to residents and giving them an opportunity to shape Oxnard into the kind of city they want it to be.
Demolishing the dilapidated Halaco buildings as well as delaying the approval of the final floodplain maps were two great accomplishments that couldn’t have been done without the help of city officials. We know that Measure O, the half-cent sales tax initiative, bodes well for the city, paying for much-needed street repairs. We also know that Oxnard recently received a California Gang Reduction, Intervention and Prevention grant for nearly $400,000 that should be put to good use with the gang injunction already in place.
We also realize, however, that there is a 300-pound gorilla in the room that probably won’t be addressed next Friday, because these sorts of speeches are supposed to be filled with hope and promise, not grim realities.
While we understand that cities similar in size to Oxnard tend to have major social issues, the string of sad, even horrific, news stories originating within the city’s limits can’t be swept under the carpet. Whether it’s overtly violent crimes (including the pointless stabbing of three people early Sunday morning) or the fact that Oxnard’s foreclosures equal almost 30 percent of the county’s total, or the city’s 15.6 percent unemployment rate, Oxnard has some major problems that it won’t be able to just build its way out of.
Over the last decade, the city has grown by leaps and bounds, with major developments such as Seabridge Marina, Riverpark and the Collection, but nice housing and neatly paved roads aren’t going to solve Oxnard’s problems. While we believe hiring an experienced consultant to work on solving the city’s image problem is a step in the right direction, the problem isn’t, in our opinion, about how the city looks, but about the general population and its ability to survive. If the city’s poorest continue to resort to gangs and violence, then Oxnard doesn’t stand a chance of changing its image.
When it comes to unique features, the city is sitting on some of California’s, or even the country’s, most precious assets — farmland, beaches and wetlands. If the city isn’t proactive in trying to preserve these endangered regions, then what are city officials saying about their importance? By pushing for projects like Jones Ranch rather than focusing on infill projects, Oxnard is doing itself a dual disservice — gobbling up irreplaceable farmland while ignoring areas, such as downtown, that could be redeveloped.
For this year’s state of the city address, we hope to hear plans about how to improve the city at its core and how it will utilize its great assets rather than the usual fodder of the many great things happening in Oxnard.
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VCReporter's editorial is right on. In the four years I served on the Oxnard City Council, no one, including the mayor, wanted to talk about "the other side of Oxnard". As a life-time resident of Oxnard who nostalgically remembers pristine neighborhoods and low levels of violence in the city, I sought to expose the "hidden problem" of residents living in substandard, overcrowded, and third-world like living conditions. The city council would never directly comment on my remarks, but instead talk about how development dollars would build new fire stations, needed parks and low income housing. "If your not going to talk about supply", they would say, "then you are part of the problem and not the solution".
This "Tale of Two Cities" will only widen, in this former councilman's opinion, because to Oxnard's political elite, the elephant does not exist. The exodus of Oxnard's middle class, now comfortably relocated in Ventura and Camarillo, will continue unabated. They in turn will be replaced by San Fernando Valley and Orange County refugees located on the city's periphery. Meanwhile, the city's core will continue to rot, neighborhood by neighborhood, street by street.
I am proud to say I am an Oxnard resident, but denial will only pave the way for more development and an uncertain future.