More is not the answer – Better is the Answer.
Change may be inevitable, but bad change is not. Ventura can’t continue to rely on short term thinking to solve our long term problems.
Our mission is to maintain and improve the quality of life for all residents of Ventura. For far too long city officials and outside developers have given us poorly planned projects and quick fix programs under the guise of “progress”.
The question is – Progress towards what? So far this “progress” has resulted in overcrowding, higher taxes, lower levels of service, a faltering economy growing more dependent on the false savior of tourism, and a lower quality of life for us each passing year.
I’m a third generation Californian, who moved to Ventura in early 1972 when my stepdad was transferred here to manage an oil well service company located on the Avenue. I grew up in the Ventura Keys, and started surfing on the beaches of Pierpont in 1976. I went to Pierpont School, Sheridan Way, Cabrillo, Ventura High, and Ventura College before graduating from UCSB. My wife and I bought our house in 1994, in the same Keys neighborhood we were raised in.
I’ve seen a lot of change in the 48+ years I’ve lived here, but not much of that change has been positive. In that time Ventura’s population has almost doubled. The 101 Freeway that once flowed freely at all hours now has L.A. rush hour level traffic in the middle of the weekday. Our kids have to leave town to attend a four year college, and then find there are few good jobs to come home to after they graduate. Unless you want to work for the local government, hospitals, or a low wage restaurant or retail job, you are probably commuting to another city to find a job that actually pays enough to live in Ventura. Or, like most of the people I grew up with, you have to move away altogether.
Like most Ventura residents, I live and stay here for a reason. And it’s not because I’m waiting for it to turn into another tacky version of the Valley or Orange County. We can do better, we deserve better. It’s time for us to take back our town, and insist that any change makes Ventura better for all, not just for tourists and developers.
- We are dedicated to making Ventura a better place for the people who live here.
- We will celebrate the people, organizations and local businesses dedicated to making our town a better place.
- We will hold politicians and government workers accountable for serving the needs of Ventura citizens first and foremost, not people or commercial interests from outside the area.
- We will look to the past to see what we’ve lost and what could have been, combined with a view towards a more sustainable, livable, and inspiring future.
- We will stop the short term reliance on a tourism-driven economy, to one that supports Ventura citizens and their families first.
- We will support city officials who are not just focused on winning the next election, but are working hard to make Ventura better a better place for all residents.
And no, I have no intention of running for office. I’m just trying to save what’s left of this town’s character and livability, and maybe encourage others to speak out and demand better too. Maybe by asking the right questions, we can come up with the right answers.
Thanks for reading,
Marc Hoopingarner
Founder – SaveVentura.com