Threat From Drought
Without the assurance of future water, Ventura County is dead for future business growth. The no-growth advocates have won--hands down. Their wildest dreams are now realized.
The news media are already smearing Santa Barbara across the front page of the Wall Street Journal, USA Today and now on CNN. USA Today’s headline said, “The Central Coast Is Dried Up.” That includes us. Public perception is everything, and the perception now is, “They are about to start drinking their bath water!”
What savvy business would locate to an area with unstable water supplies? Or even visit? If your business is growing, or even if you’re making future business growth plans--plan to leave. Patagonia read its own “no-growth here” banner and expanded to Montana. And so should any other bright, ambitious entrepreneur in a no-growth business environment.
We do have one immediate responsible alternative though. That is confronting the Ventura City Council and getting them to say “go” on the Water Quality Pipeline project to get state water. Without the water that the pipeline will bring, the economic future of Ventura County is bleak.
Would the last business leaving, please turn out the light.
CHUCK BENNETT
Ojai
Bennett is chairman of the Ad Hoc Water Committee of the Ventura Chamber of Commerce.
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