Democracy on the Beach?

Outside Magazine in its June, 1989 edition called the beach “a fine and democratic place compared with the rest of the world.” Obviously, had the editors stopped in to visit Ventura this past summer, they would have had to put an asterisk next to that statement and refer the reader to the fact that in Ventura that statement does not apply, as evidenced by this past summer beach recreation destruction.

First, the state makes the brilliant decision to tear out the bike path at the beginning of summer. Shortly thereafter they followed that stunt up by ripping out yet another recreational entity, the “dreaded volleyball court.”

As I fought my battle this summer to get a healthy, recreational entity returned to the city beaches and its people, I soon became aware that yes indeed, all of the dirtiest decisions are done behind closed doors at a location know as City Hall.

Yes, my plea to get volleyball courts returned to Pierpoint Beach now lies in the hands of a yet to be started environmental impact report paid for by who else but the taxpayers of this city.

I thought I had a really good chance of winning back the courts, but I found out that the concept of strength in numbers plays no role in Ventura politics. While I presented the City Council and park commissioners with more than 1,000 signatures in favor of volleyball’s return to the beach, all they presented me was a single letter of disapproval signed by only a single person. At both public hearings, a number of people spoke out in favor of the courts’ return, yet in both instances not one person spoke out in disapproval.

The city has enough problems without wasting money on destroying recreation. It also has a gang problem which this past summer has only continued to escalate. The youth in this city need more recreational choices--not fewer. By taking away pre-existing entities, the city is only helping to contribute to the problem. Once again they proved to the general public that no one in City Hall knows what the hell he or she is doing.

KAREN L. BIEDEBACH

Ventura