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27 comments:
Anonymous
said...
If you want to make it better we need a starting place, whats wrong?What areas cause you concern? Do we really need 400 more housing units when we already have twice that number of unpermited units now?How safe do you feel using a crosswalk at night? How real are the Crime and Gang problem? Why is the Police Blotter twice the size over the last 10 years?We've lost 30% of out trees in the last 10 years in Ojai, what will the next 10 bring?
This survey is intended to take the question of "what's wrong" to the community. That's what we should all be focused on. If you are asking for my personal opinion, I think we need more workforce and senior housing. The tough question is where to put that housing. The Honor Farm immediately comes to mind. Whether we could put it there is a different question, but most of the buildings seem to be well constructed and sit there empty. Has anyone talked to Help of Ojai?
Where is Ojai? Is the Honor Farm part of Ojai? Have you noticed that when school is out how quite and calm life is, is the School a poblem? Should we inforce building codes on the 1000 plus landloards that cause gridlock and without paying for sewer service caused the rest of a rate increas? We have traffic problems and when the city takes down a palm and brush to allow better vision we complain. Maybe a point by point issue is necessary. Remove the crosswlk at Canada or relocate the mail box at the Chevron station for starters?
This is a great exercise to start the process of making Ojai better. All too often the powers-to-be at the city level ignore or go against the will of Ojai citizens. I thank the developers of the survey and this web site for their unselfish, unbiased efforts (and associated costs) to allow Ojai residents and others the opportunity to be heard.
I'm with you Ojaian. This is awesome. i wish the paranoia were a little less though. We all need to stop being afraid. Of being told we're "fringe"! This has really opened up a dialogue...from EVERYONE.
Good for you Steve! Thanks for putting this into play. I can't wait to see the results!!
Thanks for words of support. Let people know and encourage them to take the survey. Tell your friends and family. This will only work if we get a lot of people expressing their views.
What is the connection between "Make Ojai Better" and the drive for a $30 million professional performing arts center?
Your web site gives the impression that this is an independent "survey" with no hidden agenda. I have the same concerns as the author of the April 5 post:
"There is no attribution as to who is involved in Make Ojai Better
Who are the financial backers?
How was the survey developed?
Transparency is everything and with out it this site is a sham"
Suza, thanks for your interest and concern. It was perhaps naive of me to expect that people would understand that I am doing this for the right reasons. I am also sorry that there is distrust in our community. No, there is no connection with the persons behind the proposal to build a downtown performing arts center. I haven't signaled any agenda or slanted the questions. My emphasis is letting others be heard. I am a strong believer in the democratic process and this survey is intended to act as a referendum on the issues confronting our community, including, among many things, whether to build the center you reference. I am encouraging honest responses and allowing people to add issues they believe are important. As a small community, we actually have the ability to make this meaningful. I have funded this myself and have managed to keep the costs low. Running a website is very inexpensive. The only significant expense is materials designed to get out awareness. Even there vendors have been supportive and provided me with discounts. I feel fortunate to have a home in Ojai and I like this process. It has been an opportunity for me to meet and talk with some pretty terrific people. If you are ever interested in getting together, just shoot me an email at steve@makeojaibetter.com. In the meantime, hope you do the survey.
I saw your survey when it first ran, and I visited your website. At that time, you had no personal information available, and that
worried me a little. Soon after that, you posted an "About us" link, but I had already Googled you and found this information:
A significant portion of Mr. Velkei’s practice involves the defense of corporations in class actions and against claims of
unfair competition, fraud, breach of contract and discrimination. He has also defended corporate clients in derivative suits. In
addition, Mr. Velkei has developed a specialty prosecuting cases on behalf of businesses in a variety of industries, including
the entertainment industry, the real estate industry, the retail/consumer industry, technology and telecommunications and the
insurance industry.
Mr. Velkei’s clients currently include one of the largest owners of apartment buildings in the country, several regional
developers, a number of media and entertainment-related companies, a prominent boutique hotel company and a number
of individuals of high net worth.
The information I found says far more about you than you've allowed so far, and today's (May 16, 2008) article in the OVN does
little to expand on your biography as far as I am concerned, and "concern" is the operative word here. Why have you chosen to
not make clear to everyone who might take your survey the types of businesses that apparently provide you with your daily
bread? That might seem like a mere detail to you, but in a small town it means everything to people who encounter a stranger
who is asking a lot of questions.
There is nothing intrinsically wrong with your survey, nor with what you do for a living and the way you volunteer your time, but
there is something about the fact that you continue to be less that 100% forthcoming with certain of your very public online
biographical details that niggles at me and that causes me to have some doubts about your quote in the OVN, "There is no
hidden agenda". It will go a long way toward convincing me and others that you are simply a concerned citizen who is not a
front man for other interests when you start being more inclusive in your biography.
I believe that someone has made clear to you these concerns already, and I know that this person's wife is the reporter who
wrote the aforementioned article in the OVN, and therefore I continue to wonder why you have chosen not to address an issue
that is likely to become a bigger issue as time goes on.
Incidentally, a comment you made about housing seniors and the "workforce" at the old Honor Farm because the buildings
appear to be sturdy sounds, to those of us who have actually toured that bleak facility, as if perhaps you want to get the Latinos and the old people out of town and put them in a compound of some kind. It may have just been a naive and careless statement and it may not have been what you meant to imply, but it really doesn't sound good at all. I think that the old people who still own their own homes are quite happy right where they are, and I believe that you will find that their families are and will be quite ready to defend them against anyone who decides that their parents and grandparents need to be relocated to some distant gulag for the economic betterment of Ojai. The idea of segregating the town won't win you the friendship of the majority of people in Ojai, either, in spite of some things you may have read, heard, or seen. Additionally, the entire concept of moving the workforce housing out of town smacks of the kind of exclusive thinking that one might expect from someone who hoped to turn Ojai into a place where the visitors and the wealthy wouldn't have to mingle with blue collar residents, and if that were your goal, I'm pretty sure that you'll be getting some resistance from the blue collar residents on that issue, as well as from all of the churches and other religious institutions.
As I said, there is nothing wrong with what you do for a living, and nothing wrong with you asking questions as long as you are
willing to accept the answers you get. Remember this, however: although you might simply be a person who is honestly
concerned for the welfare of Ojai, you're not the only one who is, and if you want us to trust you you're going to have to trust
us. I will continue to pass around the additional details of your your biography until you choose to take up the task yourself.
"Soon after that, you posted an 'About us' link, but I had already Googled you and found this information:"
The bio you googled is probably from his own legal website. Hardly hidden. And most good lawyers have at least some corporate clients.
The implication of some kind of generalized kooky conspriacy theory "agenda" is exactly the kind of accusatory crap we need less of whenver someone wants to try do something positive.
"The implication of some kind of generalized kooky conspriacy theory "agenda" is exactly the kind of accusatory crap we need less of whenver someone wants to try do something positive."
If I were Steve Velkei, I sure wouldn't want you to be in charge of my public relations.
As far as someone doing something positive, well, "positive" is kind of a subjective word, isn't it? In Congress, for example, the Republicans think that it would be a positive thing to throw out all of the Democrats, and the Democrats think that it would be a positive thing to throw out all of the Republicans. There you have two different definitions for the same word, and I can think of endless other examples to make the same point. Additionally, a gift is not a gift unless all of the recipients agree that it's a gift, and we don't even know what the gift is yet, do we?
In the OVN article, Mr. Velkei compared what he's doing to what Steve Bennett is doing. The big difference, however, is that the majority of us voted for Steve Bennett and a lot of us know him. His COMPLETE biography is available for the asking. Nobody I know of has voted for Steve Velkei, and I don't know who he is and I don't know anyone who does.
All I'm asking is that Mr. Velkei be as forthcoming with us as he already is with anyone he'd want to have hire him. After all, I think he wants us to kind of "hire" his ideas and his point of view, doesn't he?
I'm not accusing Mr. Velkei of doing anything wrong. I just want to know who he is, and I want to know that he wants everyone else to know who he is, too. Commenters on blogs can be anonymous, but would-be movers & shakers need to do a better job of introducing themselves, don't you think? If you don't agree with that, I'd be interested in hearing your reasoning.
If you want to know more about me, let's have coffee. I am certainly curious to know more about you and open to meeting. If not, why don't you tell us what you think should be done to make Ojai better? That is where I believe our time is best spent: talking about how we think we change things for the better. Tell us what you think. That was the intention of this blog, not to serve as a forum to anonymously attack or needle either myself or others on this site. You are the only one who is doing that. People have differences of opinion. They are entitled to them. But when people talk openly and constructively, they find common ground. If you continue to visit this site, I would ask that you adhere to my request that you be equally constructive and positive.
Well Steve welcome to the world of anonymous bloggers who won't come out and play if they have to take responsibility for their comments!
I am not afraid of a face to face, so I'll take you up on that coffee if you don't mind. I'm interested in knowing who you are and what makes you tick.
Any one who puts their name on what they are doing and finances it to boot deserves a look see.
While believing this survey/blog is a positive endeavor, I have great difficulty with people who are unable to look at a question and determine by their own instincts if it is a leading question or an outright neutral inquiry. The questions on this survey are neutral, not slanted. For all of the wasted words attacking the blogger, it makes me wonder what the true motivations of the attackers are? People who seem inteeligent enough to write cogent postings cannot figure-out on their own that this survey/blog is trying to start a legitimate dialogue within the community. ............................. I don't need to know everything about the blogger to see that. His politics may be the complete opposite of mine, however, it is easy to see that he is sincere with this exercise. Apparently, some posters are afraid to trust thier instincts...or they have none. ................................ With all of the exposure this survey/blog has recieved, why has there been only 19 postings, with some posters (like me) posting more than once? .............................. Ojai is made-up of people that are so distrustful and cynical that it is a real shame. I would have guessed that that this blog would have had hundreds of postings by now. ............................. I stand by my original comments that this is a good exercise for the community IF the community participates, which they are obviously unwilling to do; they would rather continue to gripe about this or that instead of trying to make the community better and more inclusive. To Steve I say, let no good deed go unpunished.
Thanks to both of you for your comments. B, I would like to have coffee. Shoot me an email at steve@makeojaibetter.com so we can figure out a time to get together. With regard to the participation so far, don't give up on the community just yet. We are approaching 200 participants who have taken the survey. I will be out at the skate park event this weekend passing out surveys and intend to speak to a variety of different groups to encourage participation. The more you can help get the word out the better. With regard to my politics, I didn't want to address the prior comments since I don't want people to be distracted from the important focus: which is talking about how to make positive change in the community. I will say only that my politics are probably not far off from most others in this community and I have not forgotten my roots. While I have represented a number of corporations in my practice, I have also successfully represented the underdog on a number of occasions: individual policyholders against a major insurance company, a startup technology company after a large foundry took its technology, small businesses against a Fortune 100 company and a small independent entertainment company against a giant entertainment conglomerate. I believe very strongly in community service and support and wouldn't be where I am today without the support of others helping me along the way.
Thank you again for your words. They really came at the right time. Now, let's figure out what people in this community want . . .
I'm always impressed with people who are proactive! Sharing interesting perspectives and fresh ideas with each other can only generate positive results. I do understand the one man's concerns though...your politics (you've donated to the Dems quite often...) and your heart seem to be in the right place. But, your public cases focus on how you've helped "big business" more than the "little guys." I have a feeling that many people would work with you to "make ojai better," if they got to know you and trust that you have good intentions. Organize a rally...throw a bbq...Try the tradition of actually talking, as opposed to typing. Some great things might happen...
Thank you for your thoughts and suggestions. Getting out and talking to more people is exactly what I have started doing. I spent five hours yesterday at the skatepark fundraiser. I spoke with a number of people about themselves and what they want for our community. Almost 50 people took the survey while I was there. I want to keep reaching out to the various groups in town and talking to them about this. A barbecue is a terrific idea by the way. In the meantime, if you want to talk, just shoot me an email.
I know steve personally. he is life long democrat, has mentored multiple students from underprevileged families who are now attending law school. he has tried a ton of cases protecting the little guy... seriously what is the deal???? maybe he's hiding his shoe size too!
let's get over the conspiracy silliness. if you have a question ask.
we are living in a time when real change is possible. steve has been inspired to do this and lives in our community. let's support him instead of condemning him.
the survey is awesome steve. thanks for putting ourself out there. not all of us feel that way. it's nice to see someone actually doing something instead of just complaining about it. you have created more dialougue in the last 3 months than has happened in the last 10 years! Kudos to you!
Welcome to the special and wonderfully wacky world of the Greater Ojai Valley. The longer you live here and spend more time here the more you will begin to understand the traditions, culture and the history of how many people, including me, and many groups, have attempted in many different ways to do things like you seem to want to do and the goal(s)you seem to have. I, and many others I know in Ojai, wish you well and are/will support your efforts. We will trust you, and will hope that your efforts will somehow not only help our wonderful valley to be sustainable but will help us deal with the many challanges we now face and even greater ones we will face in the future. We have the opportunity to try our best to control our future. If we don't do that then others will and we will be very sorry if that happens.
So, please continue this adventure but please also remember two important things: 1. Since the only absolute in this world is the fact that "Change Will Happen" and if we don't try to control that change then others will, so, please do your best to cause healthy changes here!
2. It helps to remember that while a few individuals have caused some very important healthy changes to the Ojai Valley, somehow, without the Visioning and Strategic Planning that some of us might believe in, the Ojai Valley has become what most of us love without the kind of structured change your actions might cause. We all need to remember an old and very wise saying: We better be very careful about what we wish for because often that wish comes true, but the results are a great mistake!
But please, don't slow down...life is a great adventure and we need people who are willing to take risks, even though others may put up lots of roadblocks.
I think MakeOjaiBetter is a nice movement that will enable us to hear what the community as a whole sees as a priority and not just those activists who are always voicing their opinions on this or that. It's usually those people who give Ojai the (sometimes but not always) bad reputation that it has for rejecting good opportunities and people from the community. As a lifetime community member of the Ojai Valley it's a pleasure to have you here with us.
27 comments:
If you want to make it better we need a starting place, whats wrong?What areas cause you concern? Do we really need 400 more housing units when we already have twice that number of unpermited units now?How safe do you feel using a crosswalk at night? How real are the Crime and Gang problem? Why is the Police Blotter twice the size over the last 10 years?We've lost 30% of out trees in the last 10 years in Ojai, what will the next 10 bring?
There is no attribution as to who is involved in Make Ojai Better
Who are the financial backers?
How was the survey developed?
Transparency is everything and with out it this site is a sham
George Kalogridis
This survey is intended to take the question of "what's wrong" to the community. That's what we should all be focused on. If you are asking for my personal opinion, I think we need more workforce and senior housing. The tough question is where to put that housing. The Honor Farm immediately comes to mind. Whether we could put it there is a different question, but most of the buildings seem to be well constructed and sit there empty. Has anyone talked to Help of Ojai?
Steve Velkei
steve@makeojaibetter.com
With regard to the question of who is behind this survey, please see the section "About Us" that I added.
Where is Ojai? Is the Honor Farm part of Ojai? Have you noticed that when school is out how quite and calm life is, is the School a poblem? Should we inforce building codes on the 1000 plus landloards that cause gridlock and without paying for sewer service caused the rest of a rate increas? We have traffic problems and when the city takes down a palm and brush to allow better vision we complain. Maybe a point by point issue is necessary. Remove the crosswlk at Canada or relocate the mail box at the Chevron station for starters?
This is a great exercise to start the process of making Ojai better. All too often the powers-to-be at the city level ignore or go against the will of Ojai citizens. I thank the developers of the survey and this web site for their unselfish, unbiased efforts (and associated costs) to allow Ojai residents and others the opportunity to be heard.
I'm with you Ojaian. This is awesome. i wish the paranoia were a little less though. We all need to stop being afraid. Of being told we're "fringe"! This has really opened up a dialogue...from EVERYONE.
Good for you Steve! Thanks for putting this into play. I can't wait to see the results!!
Thanks for words of support. Let people know and encourage them to take the survey. Tell your friends and family. This will only work if we get a lot of people expressing their views.
What is the connection between "Make Ojai Better" and the drive for a $30 million professional performing arts center?
Your web site gives the impression that this is an independent "survey" with no hidden agenda. I have the same concerns as the author of the April 5 post:
"There is no attribution as to who is involved in Make Ojai Better
Who are the financial backers?
How was the survey developed?
Transparency is everything and with out it this site is a sham"
Suza Francina
Suza, thanks for your interest and concern. It was perhaps naive of me to expect that people would understand that I am doing this for the right reasons. I am also sorry that there is distrust in our community. No, there is no connection with the persons behind the proposal to build a downtown performing arts center. I haven't signaled any agenda or slanted the questions. My emphasis is letting others be heard. I am a strong believer in the democratic process and this survey is intended to act as a referendum on the issues confronting our community, including, among many things, whether to build the center you reference. I am encouraging honest responses and allowing people to add issues they believe are important. As a small community, we actually have the ability to make this meaningful. I have funded this myself and have managed to keep the costs low. Running a website is very inexpensive. The only significant expense is materials designed to get out awareness. Even there vendors have been supportive and provided me with discounts. I feel fortunate to have a home in Ojai and I like this process. It has been an opportunity for me to meet and talk with some pretty terrific people. If you are ever interested in getting together, just shoot me an email at steve@makeojaibetter.com. In the meantime, hope you do the survey.
The latest blog was from Steve Velkei.
Mr. Velkei:
I saw your survey when it first ran, and I visited your website. At that time, you had no personal information available, and that
worried me a little. Soon after that, you posted an "About us" link, but I had already Googled you and found this information:
A significant portion of Mr. Velkei’s practice involves the defense of corporations in class actions and against claims of
unfair competition, fraud, breach of contract and discrimination. He has also defended corporate clients in derivative suits. In
addition, Mr. Velkei has developed a specialty prosecuting cases on behalf of businesses in a variety of industries, including
the entertainment industry, the real estate industry, the retail/consumer industry, technology and telecommunications and the
insurance industry.
Mr. Velkei’s clients currently include one of the largest owners of apartment buildings in the country, several regional
developers, a number of media and entertainment-related companies, a prominent boutique hotel company and a number
of individuals of high net worth.
The information I found says far more about you than you've allowed so far, and today's (May 16, 2008) article in the OVN does
little to expand on your biography as far as I am concerned, and "concern" is the operative word here. Why have you chosen to
not make clear to everyone who might take your survey the types of businesses that apparently provide you with your daily
bread? That might seem like a mere detail to you, but in a small town it means everything to people who encounter a stranger
who is asking a lot of questions.
There is nothing intrinsically wrong with your survey, nor with what you do for a living and the way you volunteer your time, but
there is something about the fact that you continue to be less that 100% forthcoming with certain of your very public online
biographical details that niggles at me and that causes me to have some doubts about your quote in the OVN, "There is no
hidden agenda". It will go a long way toward convincing me and others that you are simply a concerned citizen who is not a
front man for other interests when you start being more inclusive in your biography.
I believe that someone has made clear to you these concerns already, and I know that this person's wife is the reporter who
wrote the aforementioned article in the OVN, and therefore I continue to wonder why you have chosen not to address an issue
that is likely to become a bigger issue as time goes on.
Incidentally, a comment you made about housing seniors and the "workforce" at the old Honor Farm because the buildings
appear to be sturdy sounds, to those of us who have actually toured that bleak facility, as if perhaps you want to get the Latinos and the old people out of town and put them in a compound of some kind. It may have just been a naive and careless statement and it may not have been what you meant to imply, but it really doesn't sound good at all. I think that the old people who still own their own homes are quite happy right where they are, and I believe that you will find that their families are and will be quite ready to defend them against anyone who decides that their parents and grandparents need to be relocated to some distant gulag for the economic betterment of Ojai. The idea of segregating the town won't win you the friendship of the majority of people in Ojai, either, in spite of some things you may have read, heard, or seen. Additionally, the entire concept of moving the workforce housing out of town smacks of the kind of exclusive thinking that one might expect from someone who hoped to turn Ojai into a place where the visitors and the wealthy wouldn't have to mingle with blue collar residents, and if that were your goal, I'm pretty sure that you'll be getting some resistance from the blue collar residents on that issue, as well as from all of the churches and other religious institutions.
As I said, there is nothing wrong with what you do for a living, and nothing wrong with you asking questions as long as you are
willing to accept the answers you get. Remember this, however: although you might simply be a person who is honestly
concerned for the welfare of Ojai, you're not the only one who is, and if you want us to trust you you're going to have to trust
us. I will continue to pass around the additional details of your your biography until you choose to take up the task yourself.
I have no idea why the formatting on my previous comment looks the way it does, but there it is.
"Soon after that, you posted an 'About us' link, but I had already Googled you and found this information:"
The bio you googled is probably from his own legal website. Hardly hidden. And most good lawyers have at least some corporate clients.
The implication of some kind of generalized kooky conspriacy theory "agenda" is exactly the kind of accusatory crap we need less of whenver someone wants to try do something positive.
"The implication of some kind of generalized kooky conspriacy theory "agenda" is exactly the kind of accusatory crap we need less of whenver someone wants to try do something positive."
If I were Steve Velkei, I sure wouldn't want you to be in charge of my public relations.
As far as someone doing something positive, well, "positive" is kind of a subjective word, isn't it? In Congress, for example, the Republicans think that it would be a positive thing to throw out all of the Democrats, and the Democrats think that it would be a positive thing to throw out all of the Republicans. There you have two different definitions for the same word, and I can think of endless other examples to make the same point. Additionally, a gift is not a gift unless all of the recipients agree that it's a gift, and we don't even know what the gift is yet, do we?
In the OVN article, Mr. Velkei compared what he's doing to what Steve Bennett is doing. The big difference, however, is that the majority of us voted for Steve Bennett and a lot of us know him. His COMPLETE biography is available for the asking. Nobody I know of has voted for Steve Velkei, and I don't know who he is and I don't know anyone who does.
All I'm asking is that Mr. Velkei be as forthcoming with us as he already is with anyone he'd want to have hire him. After all, I think he wants us to kind of "hire" his ideas and his point of view, doesn't he?
I'm not accusing Mr. Velkei of doing anything wrong. I just want to know who he is, and I want to know that he wants everyone else to know who he is, too. Commenters on blogs can be anonymous, but would-be movers & shakers need to do a better job of introducing themselves, don't you think? If you don't agree with that, I'd be interested in hearing your reasoning.
Dear "Anonymous,"
If you want to know more about me, let's have coffee. I am certainly curious to know more about you and open to meeting. If not, why don't you tell us what you think should be done to make Ojai better? That is where I believe our time is best spent: talking about how we think we change things for the better. Tell us what you think. That was the intention of this blog, not to serve as a forum to anonymously attack or needle either myself or others on this site. You are the only one who is doing that. People have differences of opinion. They are entitled to them. But when people talk openly and constructively, they find common ground. If you continue to visit this site, I would ask that you adhere to my request that you be equally constructive and positive.
Sincerely yours, Steve Velkei
Mr. Velkei:
I'll pass on the offer of coffee, thank you, and you don't need to be concerned that I'll be making any more comments here.
Well Steve welcome to the world of anonymous bloggers who won't come out and play if they have to take responsibility for their comments!
I am not afraid of a face to face, so I'll take you up on that coffee if you don't mind. I'm interested in knowing who you are and what makes you tick.
Any one who puts their name on what they are doing and finances it to boot deserves a look see.
B Dawson
While believing this survey/blog is a positive endeavor, I have great difficulty with people who are unable to look at a question and determine by their own instincts if it is a leading question or an outright neutral inquiry. The questions on this survey are neutral, not slanted. For all of the wasted words attacking the blogger, it makes me wonder what the true motivations of the attackers are? People who seem inteeligent enough to write cogent postings cannot figure-out on their own that this survey/blog is trying to start a legitimate dialogue within the community.
.............................
I don't need to know everything about the blogger to see that. His politics may be the complete opposite of mine, however, it is easy to see that he is sincere with this exercise. Apparently, some posters are afraid to trust thier instincts...or they have none.
................................
With all of the exposure this survey/blog has recieved, why has there been only 19 postings, with some posters (like me) posting more than once?
..............................
Ojai is made-up of people that are so distrustful and cynical that it is a real shame. I would have guessed that that this blog would have had hundreds of postings by now.
.............................
I stand by my original comments that this is a good exercise for the community IF the community participates, which they are obviously unwilling to do; they would rather continue to gripe about this or that instead of trying to make the community better and more inclusive. To Steve I say, let no good deed go unpunished.
Thanks to both of you for your comments. B, I would like to have coffee. Shoot me an email at steve@makeojaibetter.com so we can figure out a time to get together. With regard to the participation so far, don't give up on the community just yet. We are approaching 200 participants who have taken the survey. I will be out at the skate park event this weekend passing out surveys and intend to speak to a variety of different groups to encourage participation. The more you can help get the word out the better. With regard to my politics, I didn't want to address the prior comments since I don't want people to be distracted from the important focus: which is talking about how to make positive change in the community. I will say only that my politics are probably not far off from most others in this community and I have not forgotten my roots. While I have represented a number of corporations in my practice, I have also successfully represented the underdog on a number of occasions: individual policyholders against a major insurance company, a startup technology company after a large foundry took its technology, small businesses against a Fortune 100 company and a small independent entertainment company against a giant entertainment conglomerate. I believe very strongly in community service and support and wouldn't be where I am today without the support of others helping me along the way.
Thank you again for your words. They really came at the right time. Now, let's figure out what people in this community want . . .
Steve Velkei
I'm always impressed with people who are proactive! Sharing interesting perspectives and fresh ideas with each other can only generate positive results. I do understand the one man's concerns though...your politics (you've donated to the Dems quite often...) and your heart seem to be in the right place. But, your public cases focus on how you've helped "big business" more than the "little guys." I have a feeling that many people would work with you to "make ojai better," if they got to know you and trust that you have good intentions. Organize a rally...throw a bbq...Try the tradition of actually talking, as opposed to typing. Some great things might happen...
Thank you for your thoughts and suggestions. Getting out and talking to more people is exactly what I have started doing. I spent five hours yesterday at the skatepark fundraiser. I spoke with a number of people about themselves and what they want for our community. Almost 50 people took the survey while I was there. I want to keep reaching out to the various groups in town and talking to them about this. A barbecue is a terrific idea by the way. In the meantime, if you want to talk, just shoot me an email.
I know steve personally. he is life long democrat, has mentored multiple students from underprevileged families who are now attending law school. he has tried a ton of cases protecting the little guy... seriously what is the deal???? maybe he's hiding his shoe size too!
let's get over the conspiracy silliness. if you have a question ask.
we are living in a time when real change is possible. steve has been inspired to do this and lives in our community. let's support him instead of condemning him.
the survey is awesome steve. thanks for putting ourself out there. not all of us feel that way. it's nice to see someone actually doing something instead of just complaining about it. you have created more dialougue in the last 3 months than has happened in the last 10 years! Kudos to you!
Joe
Steve,
Welcome to the special and wonderfully wacky world of the Greater Ojai Valley. The longer you live here and spend more time here the more you will begin to understand the traditions, culture and the history of how many people, including me, and many groups, have attempted in many different ways to do things like you seem to want to do and the goal(s)you seem to have. I, and many others I know in Ojai, wish you well and are/will support your efforts. We will trust you, and will hope that your efforts will somehow not only help our wonderful valley to be sustainable but will help us deal with the many challanges we now face and even greater ones we will face in the future. We have the opportunity to try our best to control our future. If we don't do that then others will and we will be very sorry if that happens.
So, please continue this adventure but please also remember two important things:
1. Since the only absolute in this world is the fact that "Change Will Happen" and if we don't try to control that change then others will, so, please do your best to cause healthy changes here!
2. It helps to remember that while a few individuals have caused some very important healthy changes to the Ojai Valley, somehow, without the Visioning and Strategic Planning that some of us might believe in, the Ojai Valley has become what most of us love without the kind of structured change your actions might cause. We all need to remember an old and very wise saying: We better be very careful about what we wish for because often that wish comes true, but the results are a great mistake!
But please, don't slow down...life is a great adventure and we need people who are willing to take risks, even though others may put up lots of roadblocks.
Jerry Kaplan
right on jerry! and keep it up steve!
al
I think MakeOjaiBetter is a nice movement that will enable us to hear what the community as a whole sees as a priority and not just those activists who are always voicing their opinions on this or that. It's usually those people who give Ojai the (sometimes but not always) bad reputation that it has for rejecting good opportunities and people from the community.
As a lifetime community member of the Ojai Valley it's a pleasure to have you here with us.
Ryan Aikens
Thanks :)
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