As the election neared I found too few people I came across, who were not intimately involved, seemed to know much or anything about it or misunderstood. And too late I noted not enough signage, etc. Hindsight, they say, is …………

The election results were dismaying because the one thing I most strongly hoped could happen was a reprieve for the Wright Library. A friend said, of the election results, “What did you expect? You live in hillbilly country.”

I looked for other reasons and found a few. True, most people I have met here do not have books in their homes, presumably because reading is not high on their list of wonderful ways to spend your time. A neighbor who works in education described our home as “artsy-fartsy” for being filled with art and books and projects. Frankly, I had never heard that description before; more likely and more often my home has been called among other complimentary things: Color Therapy.

We see the pick-up trucks with the Obama-hatred slogans scrawled on the windows, stuck on the bumpers. I have read more ugly mean-spirited sneering extremist right wing e-mails since coming here than I could have even guessed were being passed around, or considered worthy.

There was no shortage of ‘No New Taxes – No on A’ signs. They were green no doubt to suggest all the money to be saved. A half of a cent called forth such gusto for a No? And the most successful bid for council-person was for someone who claimed the main reason people go to the library is to use the computers so why not just put them in other buildings or private businesses. I was also told he arrested the homeless, many of whom are veterans, when police chief. This was Venturans’ overwhelming favorite in this election. While he may be otherwise a nice guy, my guess is his home is not “artsy-fartsy” and has few if any books.

But aside from all that which seemed to affirm my friend’s diatribe on this our new city and home, Measure A failed in part because it was not really promoted, explained or given the energy it needed to pass. Granted, maybe more residents than not may not care about a library, but the ads were scant, if not non-existent, and skimpy on info.

When someone called my home about it late in the game, I said I’d be happy to sport a sign in front of our house. It never arrived nor was I given a way to go and get it. I lamented I hadn’t seen any signs and was told, We’re just getting started.

My neighbor said she was voting No because the money would only go to more bloated pensions. The citizens’ oversight built in to it was not mentioned anywhere I could find except on the official election info itself. The percentage that would have saved the library was only mentioned once in all the ads I saw about the election, and mentioned last. So it would seem it died from indifference and shoddy promotion.

We will miss this charming, accessible and valuable place – the Wright Library. We only discovered it this past year, were thrilled with the discovery. We donated 2000 books, cases, etc., from my husband’s now-closed bookstore. We had our hopes it might help. I will always wonder if we could have done more. And I can’t but wonder in what way it will signal a harbinger of the city’s direction. Yesterday I visited and the staff there glumly said, We’ll be downtown. With the trek, the parking and the less-inviting venue we will undoubtedly visit less often and this one election result will really have changed our lives.

All that aside, thank you for your excellent blog and for providing me with a sense of belonging, if you will, for its intelligence, and points-of-view on many things that seem to match my own.

Thank you David Comden! You made my day.

Two Trees On a Mountain

Two trees on a mountain by the sea,
One for you and one for me.
These trees look west and stand guard duty
O’er Buenaventura in all its beauty.
Wherever we go in this fair place,
We look to these trees as a kindly face
In coming home we know we are there
When the two trees appear like a loving pair
Husband and wife, or mother and son,
Or any two friends who live as one
Can pleasure the sight they often see,
Two trees on a hill are you and me.
They stand so green on a hill of brown
With blue sky above and clouds for a crown,
That I want to climb the mountain steep
And share their sight and vigil keep.
They see the city with all its life,
So much that is good and so much strife,
We need their view of the sand and sea,
A sign of the more that we can be.
Ventura is home for all who share
The sight of two trees on a mountain fair
Two trees on a mountain by the sea,
Two for you and two for me.

Michael Collins
EnviroReporter.com