Table of Contents:
Part 1: Politics in Ventura
The Challenge Of Being A Local Politician
Ventura Cheat Sheet
Part 2: The Awkward Straddle
The Development Battleground
The Star Site On Ralston
The Evolving Saticoy & Wells Community Plan
Cleaning Up The Planning Process
A Neighborhood For The Future
Cleaning Up the Planning Process -- I Think!
The Midtown Corridors Code
Back to the Bad Old Days?
Getting Around
The New Coastal Express Bus Stop
Managing Parking Downtown
Parking Management That Actually Manages Parking
All Aboard For East Ventura
Measure J Was Illegal -- And Too Extreme For Ventura
Wrestling With Walmart
The Victoria Corridor
Why I Backed Off On Reconfiguring Victoria
Let’s Unite Around Shared Goals, Rather Than Divide Over Tactics
The “Anti-Wal-Mart” Initiative
Victoria Avenue and Wal-Mart
Part 3: Give Me Plastic Bags Or Give Me Death
The Search for Enduring Prosperity
Connecting The Digital Coast To The Technology Corridor -- In Ventura
Ventura's High-Tech Incubator
Building Ventura’s Enduring Prosperity
Shop Ventura
The Arts Is An Anchor For Our Entire Creative Economy
Let's Make Ventura "One Big Accelerator"
Think Globally, Act Locally
My Earth Day
A Rising Tide
Give Me Plastic Bags Or Give Me Death!
Part 4: Hard Times
Fiscal Reality
Why We Adopted the 911 Fee
What’s a tax and what’s a fee?
Cut the Budget and Hold the Fees
Why We Are Increasing the Firefighters’ Pension
The Ventura Compact: A Covenant For Hard Times
The Message From Last Tuesday
The Cliffhanger Budget
The Fallout From Bell
We Really Don't Do It For The Money
Why We Have To Make Tough Choices on Pensions
The Tough Slog To Increase Revenue
Closing A Library
The Library Challenge
Wright Library: Much To Grieve, But Much To Be Thankful For
Wright’s Final Hours
Part 5: Talk City
Monday Nights
Making Public Policy At 2:15 A.M.
How We Spent Our Time At The Council Meeting
Talk City
A 24/7 Councilmember
What It’s Like To Run For Office
Recession In the Pocketbook, Depression In the Soul
Opening Day
Weekend Update: Why Ventura Is Special
Preserving What’s Precious
How Do We Avoid Becoming a Commuter Town?
How to Make Sure We Keep Our Young Families in Ventura
State of the City 2010: Prosperity and Sustainability
I’m From Here
I’m From Here
Help Means More Than Slopping Stuffing
Thankful for the Lights and for our Diversity
Every Day Is Phil Marquez Day
Thank You, Nick Haverland … We Will Always Miss You
Why I’ve Decided Not To Run Again
Coda: The Luckiest Guy In The World
Thank You, Ventura