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The following article first appeared in the Saturday, June 21, 1986 edition of the “Ojai Valley News” on Page A-1. It is reprinted here with their permission.

San Antonio School
District board nixes landmark status
by T.C. Mitchell

A building commonly recognized in the Ojai Valley by residents as being a historical landmark will not get that official designation from the Cultural Heritage Board if the Board of Education has its way.

WHILE MEMBERS of the Ojai Unified School District school board believe as a group that it would be nice to have the San Antonio Elementary School recognized officially as a landmark of historical significance, the board will not willingly let that happen.

In discussing the designation at last week’s board meeting, Boardmember Robert Tholl said he felt the designation would restrict the district’s ability to make changes in the future. He said he didn’t want to commit future school boards to the limitations for construction, rebuilding and remodeling that the historical designation presents.

According to ordinance, before any building designated a historical landmark can be altered, notification of specific plans must be given to the Cultural Heritage Board 12 months prior to any work ever being done. School boardmembers last week said they feared that would limit changes that could be made in the future to the school, and it would require future boards to go through the county Cultural Heritage Board to have changes made at the site.

David Mason, member of the county Cultural Heritage Board, said last week that the board’s decision is not a major setback. “I don’t think there’s any danger of them (school district) tearing it down. I doubt anybody would make an issue of it. It’s important to the Ojai Valley, and I would fill the board meeting room with protesters if I heard they were going to bulldoze it down. But I don’t think it’s going to happen.”

MASON SAID the school was built in 1926 and was designed by Santa Paula architect Roy Wilson, a noted designer in Ventura County. The school replaced a Victorian design that was built in 1892, said Mason. The Victorian replaced the original school moved there in 1887 when the San Antonio School District was formed. The first school, according to Mason, was a granary.

So the school site is nearly 100 years old, adding to its significance locally. But Mason said the school board assured him during its June 3 meeting that the school was not going to be torn down.

“If they (school district) do decide to sell the property, I would like to do something. Maybe meet with the new owners or something,” Mason said. Beyond his duties as chair of the Ojai Cultural Heritage Board and as a member of the county Heritage Board, Mason also has a personal interest in the school. He attended there through the sixth grade, and so did his mother before him.

By law, the Cultural Heritage Board is not required to have the property owner’s permission to designate a building a historical landmark. But Mason said he didn’t think the county board would make an issue of designating the school as long as the school district is in possession. Should that change, Mason said designation proceedings can take place very rapidly in order to spare one of the Ojai Valley’s historical assets.

The following article first appeared in the Sunday, February 26, 1978 edition of the “Ojai Valley News” on Page A-12. The article is re-printed here with their permission.

Technology vs. nature’s wisdom

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Our environment
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by John E. Nelson, M.D.

As the torrents of water which fell from the sky eased a bit and we all surveyed the damage to the manmade artifacts surrounding our lives, we could not help but be reminded of our closeness — and vulnerability — to the forces of nature.

Especially sad was the story of the family who lovingly labored with their own hands for nearly two years to build a beautiful new home near a picturesque stream. They had moved in a scant two days before that stream turned into a raging river, severely damaging their house and converting much of their property into a rocky wasteland.

Mankind has traditionally viewed itself as a species whose technology could potentially free it from such whims of nature. An illusion to be sure, this way of thinking has been carried to extremes in our cities where it is possible to exist for weeks without seeing a tree.

Isolated in concrete apartments and steel vehicles, citydwellers feel safe from nature, but vulnerable to each other. So they reinforce their windows with bars and watch television, only to witness scenes of freeways clogged with miles of cars buried under snow and of their neighbors freezing to death in their apartments when the electricity failed.

Here in our rural Ojai Valley we have so far been able to keep in close enough contact with primal energies to know better. We can see firsthand that the primary rule of all nature is change, and that this rule must be respected at all costs.

THIS VALLEY’S RECENT floods began in a monumental change witnessed by no human. The awesome energy of the water we all watched pass through our lives was actually imparted to it hundreds of millions of years ago when the Topa Topa mountains to our north were thrust above the ocean floor by forces we can barely imagine.

Since that time, nature has changed those mountains and our valley with each rainfall, etching first rivulets in the hard rock which became gorges which became canyons in the foothills, finally emerging as fertile alluvial fans covering most of the valley basin.

And simply because we have built houses here in the last 150 years, these changes will not cease. Our best technology will not stop them. We can only seek to understand them so that we ourselves may change in harmony with them.

One means we have developed to help us understand how man-made changes relate to natural changes is the Environmental Impact Report (EIR). By law, an EIR must be ordered by any agency who must rule on changes which may have a “substantial adverse impact” on our environment. A well-prepared EIR will bring expert minds to bear on the potential problems inherent in any anticipated change.

A good idea. But obviously, the words “substantial” and “Adverse” are open to interpretation by the powers-that-be who can file a “negative declaration” allowing them to bypass this vital process. This is often done with shortsighted impunity, such as recently occurred when the city and county planned to chop down 17 trees to widen and reroute South Montgomery Street.

Fortunately, a public outcry put a halt to that misguided project.

BUT MORE CHALLENGES are forthcoming. The recent floods will undoubtedly renew efforts for concrete channelization of the waterways which course through our valley. Those who seek to establish the primacy of technology over the wisdom of nature will argue that these sterile Los Angles-type canals are necessary to protect our homesites.

The futility of such thinking was recently demonstrated on Old Creek Road where the county decided to “improve” a natural river-bed crossing with a high concrete edifice. Although a lot and homesite just downstream survived the great floods of 1935 and 1969, this time the water cascaded across the new obstacle in its path, crashing down to opposite side with such force that it formed a giant whirlpool which swept away 20 feet of the lot.

Such events make clear the fact that all the desirable and safe homesites in the Ojai Valley are already filled. The only way we can cram more people in is to put then in precarious perches or destroy the few remaining undeveloped green belts and natural water channels.

Rather than changing nature to create an illusion of safety, wouldn’t it be better to let nature’s inevitable wisdom shape our future changes?

The following article first appeared on the front page of the Sunday, February 26, 1978 edition of the “Ojai Valley News”. It is reprinted here with their permission .

Water candidates tackle key issues
Editor’s note: At 7 p.m. on March 1, Candidates George Purvis and Earl Hansen will square off in a candidate’s night sponsored by the Ojai Valley Chamber of Commerce at World University.
by Tom Murphy
In the March 7 election, voters in District 4 of the Casitas Municipal Water District (Oak View and surrounding areas) will vote on a recall movement against their representative to the district’s board. Earl Hansen is a man who does not want to be recalled. His opponent, George Purvis, claims to be a man who does not even want to run, but has led the move to have Hansen ousted.

Purvis started working on water issues in 1945 when he first moved to Oak View with his wife and realized there was very little water to be had. In 1952 he became publicity chairman for the steering committee of what is now CMWD. He was elected to the board of directors when the district incorporated in 1952 and did not step down until his retirement in 1970.

“THIS IS THE last thing I ever wanted to do, to come back to the board. You’ll have to take my word on that. I thought some knowledgeable person would come forth and run. We need somebody who is knowledgeable and ready to go to work,” says Purvis, in explanation of his campaign bid.

As leader of the Oak View Utilities Investigation Committee (OVUIC), Purvis has promoted the recall movement, which has two basic complaints about present district policy. The first is the proposed conjunctive use agreement with the City of Ventura. The second is the disparity between water rates for residential, commercial and agricultural users.

The conjunctive use agreement would grant Ventura up to 6,000 acre-feet of water per year from Casitas Dam if the water they were able to draw from the Ventura Rivera at Foster Park should ever fall below that figure. The water would be delivered free of charge. In exchange, the district would be able to divert 20 cubic feet of water per second into the Los Robles Diversion Canal from the river.

PURVIS MAINTAINS that the agreement is designed to ward off a threatened riparian rights lawsuit by Ventura against the district and could leave the district without a sufficient water supply during droughts. He also says the pact may spark similar agreements with other riparian users.

The challenger claims that the 20 cubic feet per second the district would get in return would not make up the possible 6,000 acre-foot loss. He also condemns the free water allocation saying the district might incur pumping costs to give Ventura the last of the district water is a severe drought hit.

The second matter revolves around a district rate structure Purvis says was designed by Hansen and former director (and now planning commissioner) Glenn Zogg, who recently endorsed Hansen in the upcoming vote. Pumping rates in the district, which used to vary dependent on the user’s proximity to the supply, are now equalized and charges for water by different users vary widely depending on the use.

According to present rates, Purvis says, a domestic user pays $161 per acre-foot of water. Under a commercial discount, businesses get the water for just $61 per acre-foot , and agricultural users get the biggest saving of all buying their water for just $25 per acre-foot under a discount similar to the Land Conservation Act’s decreased taxing scheme.

Purvis attacks the rates as discriminatory and notes that the rates for agricultural users do not even cover the cost of pumping and storage. In making up the difference, he claims, the other district customers are actually subsidizing agriculture.

RESIDENTS in District 4 used to pay only $8.77 per acre-foot of water to cover pumping charges in the district because they are located in the region closest to the lake. Residents in the Upper Ojai used to pay significantly more. Now the rate is $39 throughout CMWD.

Purvis charges that one of Hansen’s efforts in office as the District 4 representative has been to equalize the rates for all district customers and that this effort has significantly raised the pumping rates in the district as a result.

As the target of the recall, Hansen is in an obvious defensive position. He is upset by the recall because it is aimed at him personally instead of at the board as a whole.

“A lot of people ask me why I just don’t chuck it. Well, I can’t. All I want to do is vindicate myself. And I intend to run again. Of course, if the recall is successful, that may change,” he says.

He answers Pruvis’ complaints about the water rate differentials by saying he merely went along with the board’s decision to adopt the rates, and is not singly responsible for them, though he admits he and Zogg were “probably” on the committee that recommended them to the board.

On the question of the pumping charges, Hansen replies that the single rate system was recommended by a consultant hired when Purvis was on the board and that if makes sense when considering that the differing pumping costs to the district were gradually diminishing due to fluctuations in energy costs and that the cost of pumping in Oak View was lower than the Upper Ojai partly because so much water was being pumped to the Upper Ojai.

Hansen says he is upset by the recall because is it costing the district between $2,500 and $3,000 which will have to be paid by the consumers and he notes there has been no effort to start a recall in any other district, though the issues are virtually the same throughout the district.

ON THE offensive, Hansen asserts that he was responsible for obtaining a new water system for the Oak View area after Purvis failed to do so while on the board, that he helped to cancel the district’s debt from the old Rio Vista Water Company customers, he is actively pursuing the provision of district land for the Oak View Community Center, he has aggressively sought to protect water quality and supply while a director, and he is partly responsible for a drop in the district tax rate of 22%.

Hansen says that he is being forced to run a second time for the same office and that the process trying to drive him from the board will , in the long run, discourage qualified and dedicated candidates from entering the public arena — a factor which hurts the public in the end.

The following article first appeared in the Sunday, May 21, 1967 edition of “The Ojai Valley News and Oaks Gazette” on Page A-4. That newspaper in now the “Ojai Valley News”. The article is reprinted here with their permission. The author is unknown.

Realtors: time is right to by home

“The Time is Right to Buy a Home” is the theme of the 1967 Realtor Week celebration this week by the 75 members of the Ojai Valley Board of Realtors, Effie Skelton, board president, announced today.

In honor of Realtor Week, a number of observances have been scheduled as Realtors in this area join with their more than 85,000 colleagues across the nation directing public attention to their calling and special character of the services they render.

“A Realtor,” said Mrs. Skelton , “is a profession in real estate who subscribes to a strict code of ethics as a member of the local and state boards and the National Associations of Real Estate Boards.”

The term Realtor, which is a coined term and trademark, can be used only by members of the National Association and its local boards.

In discussing the Code of Ethics, it was one of the first such codes adopted in the history of American business. Under it 30 articles which cover all aspects of real estate transaction, Realtors pledge fair treatment and their total real estate knowledge to both parties of a contract — the buyer and seller.

Realtor week will continue through Saturday, May 27. The slogan this year underscores the resourcefulness of Realtors throughout the nation. For the prospective buyer who is experiencing a little difficulty in securing financing for property, the Realtor can suggest new money sources. For the family which needs more space for growth, the Realtor can fill their needs, both as to size and cost.

The local board was founded in 1962. The parent group, the National Association or Real Estate Boards, was founded in 1908, with offices in Washington, D.C. and Chicago.

1967 will continue to be a busy year for the Ojai Valley Board of Realtors. Last year some members assisted in the Heart Fund Drive, others with the Ojai Valley Museum, one on the Architectural Board, also, a committee working with the high school, in which the board is sponsoring an essay contest for a Calif. Real Estate Assn. scholarship. The board will enter a float in the 4th of July parade in Ojai.

They received a plaque for first award in 1966. They have committees covering local and civic affairs, as well as legislation.

The following article first appeared in the Sunday, May 21, 1967 edition of “The Ojai Valley and Oaks Gazette” on Page A-4. This newspaper is now the “Ojai Valley News”. The article is reprinted here with their permission. The author is unknown.

Preditors take over Pony league lead

Righthander Dennis Taylor hurled the defending champion Preditors into first place May 16 when he fired a one-hit 9-2 win, defeating the Lions.

The only Lions hit in the abbreviated five inning game was a single by Jim Conrad in the second inning. The Preditors broke open a 1-1 tie in the third when they scored four runs on two hits, two walks and two hit batsmen. In the fourth the Preditors padded their margin with four more. Preditors batters collecting hits were Glen Schrader with a single and a double; Ken Marsh with a single and a double; and Dennis Taylor, Tony Edwards, Jim Strasser and Randy Dill all singled.. The victory gives the Preditors a 2-0 record while the Lions have a 2-1 mark.

C & C, behind the two hit pitching of Gary Gartrell in a five inning contest, won their first game of the season with a 3-2 victory over I.T.I. Monday, May 15.

C & C scored three runs in the bottom of the initial frame and then held on to win. Gartrell got the rally going when he spanked a double to left-center and came home on Kent Sandefur’s triple. Mike Hardy raced home on Rick Larson’s run-scoring single. Gartrell led the winners with a 3-3 performance, including two doubles while Mike Martin had a single. For I.T.I. Drew Robertson went 2-2 with a pair of RBI’s.

The following article first appeared in the Wednesday, November 25, 1987 edition of the “Ojai Valley News” on Page A-6 under “Another Voice“. The newspaper called this a “Silver Pen” article. It is rewritten here with the newspaper’s permission.

YES, the job presents myriad of challenges
By Arlou Mashburn
Special to The News

When invited by Duke Tully and Verne Peyser to “share thoughts on the problems of today,” my first thought was to interpret the word, problems, into the word, challenges . . . a technique I often use to put myself into a more positive attitude.

New challenges challenge me daily; especially in the Ojai Valley Youth Employment Service where I am the executive director, so I will address these issues.

The ever present challenge, and the No. 1 on YES’s list of concerns is: THERE ARE NOT ENOUGH QUALITY JOBS WITHIN THE OJAI VALLEY FOR THE YOUNG PEOPLE WHO APPLY FOR THEM. Because Ojai is family oriented, it has more youth among its citizenry than many communities, and because the valley’s growth is limited, there are fewer jobs. Isn’t that what is referred to as a “Catch 22”?

Impacting the above is YES’s second accelerating challenge: THERE IS INADEQUATE FUNDING TO CONTINUE YES’S METHOD OF OPERATION. A non-profit organization, run by volunteers, YES must create it own funding.

A common misconception I hear is that a “mysterious” source backs YES. That is not the case. YES has received a portion of its budget from the United Way of Ventura County, however, that allocation was trimmed due to the increased number of human services agencies applying for financial assistance from the United Way for 1988 . . . an annual appeal.

In the past when federal revenue sharing was available, the city, recognizing what a viable service YES was to its citizens, designated a portion of the monies allocated to it to YES. This source of revenue is no longer available.

Because YES is located in the Ojai Unified School District Building (formerly the Ojai Elementary School) at 414 E. Ojai Ave., many people assume it to be part of the school district. Again, this is not the situation. In fact, YES pays rent to the district for use of the office space plus the use of a copying machine.

Since job opportunities are scarce in the area, our young people gain less work experience than they might if the reverse were true. Ojai businesses are struggling to keep their heads above water in a period of economic stress which prevents them from hiring part-time help. And as we all know, the state is distributing less and less funding to educational programs, so the almost-non-existent career education department and vocational classes in our high school are affected.

One of the ways YES would like to compensate for this lack is to provide workshops emphasizing jobseeking skills, resume writing, job interview techniques, communication skills and other self-improvement classes.

Apprenticeship programs, with volunteers from the community sharing their expertise in exchange for assistance from the young person(s) is a goal YES is reaching for.

These dreams can only become realities if YES receives more financial assistance, moral support, job offerings and volunteers.

Current members of the board of directors include Bill Shouse, president; Jack McClenahan, secretary; and Alice Chesley, treasurer. Others are Bette Bluhm, Pat Gates, Janis Long Nicholas, Jenny Phelps and Kathy Rice-Leary. Allan Jacobs, Joe Matacia and Roy Rodriguez also served this year.

Assisting in the office (which is open from noon until 5:00 p.m. Mondays through Fridays is Elizabeth “Betsy” Gates, formerly a job counselor with Ventura County.

YES was previously open from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., but in an attempt to cut back operating expenses, shortened its hours. A telephone answering machine was installed to accommodate those needing to contact YES at other times. The number is 646-4397.

Open 12 months a year, including many holidays due to the availability of jobs and job seekers, the only dates of inoperation are New Year’s Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

YES serves those 13- through 20-years-old. There is not charge for employee or employer for the placement, however, due to the immediate concern for funding to keep the doors open, registration fees are being considered.

Young job aspirants are encouraged to get on file at YES, regardless of the financial status of their families. Most of the employment opportunities are in the residential area.

In its 20th year, YES, despite the previously mentioned problems . . . oop! challenges . . . must be doing something right, as the saying goes. Only by saying “yes” to YES will Ojai continue to count among its assests the Ojai Valley Youth Employment Services.*


*Ojai Valley YES is one of eight YESes in Ventura County, six of which are operated independent of city assistance. This is the only county in the United States whose major towns/cities provide this service free of government help.