West County Issue / Oxnard Community...

Nao Takasugi, Oxnard mayor

I am concerned with the city’s continuing financial crunch. We adopted a new two-year budget document last year that should help carry us through the next two years, but we also made some difficult decisions last year to help meet the financial restraints of 1992. Hopefully, we will see a turnaround in the recession, and we will be able to reinstate some of the city services that were cut. The disposal of solid-waste material is another issue. The Bailard Landfill, which has been the landfill site for western Ventura County, will be filled to capacity sometime this year, and it is not too early to start looking for alternative sites elsewhere in Ventura County. Air pollution is another big issue, but the city has already taken steps to reduce it by adopting a compressed workweek and asking city employees to use alternative transportation like walking, bicycling and car pools.

Manuel Lopez, Oxnard city councilman

This year, we will have to reconcile our revenue with the need for services in the community. In order to generate revenue for these services, we must develop more commercial areas which, in turn, will cause growth. Revenue and growth are intertwined. This year, we will have to live up to the affordable housing part of the city’s General Plan, and the city must become involved in order to reach all segments of the society. Violence and crime are things that will continue to affect everyone. We have to continue to emphasize community-oriented policing, where the police are involved with the community and are seen as allies rather than antagonists. This is especially important in a community like Oxnard, where the majority of people are minorities. When the new police chief is selected, either internally or from the outside, he will have to be cognitive of the community and its needs.

Armando Garcia, Oxnard immigrant rights advocate

Affordable housing for low-income and middle-class people will be an issue this year. There are many people in Oxnard who live below the poverty line because they don’t make enough money. Unemployment will also continue to be a problem. I have vendors coming to my door every day, selling chocolate for 25 cents. I’m not talking about illegal immigrants but legal citizens. They tell me their life stories, and some of them are in real trouble. Crime and violence is a growing problem in the community. Something should be done about it through the educational system. The schools could educate parents through special community programs and offer after-school activities that would keep the children busy and off the streets. The city should get involved in creating a community cultural center--a place where people, especially Latinos, can learn about theater, dance and their heritage.

Dorothy S. Maron, Oxnard city councilwoman

Employment will be a major issue facing the community this year. Oxnard, like any city in the country, is in a recession, and I don’t think it will be over in 1992. The city has made cuts and eliminated some services, but I don’t see any major growth in ’92. If Wal-Mart comes to town, it will create jobs, and I am concerned with how we can keep those jobs open for the citizens of Oxnard. The Bailard Landfill will be another important issue. We won’t keep trash in Oxnard any longer then we have to. We have accepted trash from other cities for too long now, and it is time to look elsewhere for a site. Choosing a new police chief will be a major issue concerning the community. Robert Owens is an excellent police chief, and he has done a good job keeping crime down in Oxnard, but he is retiring this year. It will be very important that another chief with the same qualities and excellence is chosen by the city.

Andres Herrera, Partner in an Oxnard consulting business

One of the most important things that will happen in ’92 is that everyone will participate in the electoral process. By becoming involved in the democratic process, people will be responsible for their own destiny. They will be able to deal with the many issues that face the community. Issues like unemployment, housing, solid-waste management and violence are all manifestations that bring the city down. The stark reality is that a majority of the community is Latino, but they really don’t have a political voice. In 1992, there will be the prospect of continuing conflict, where everything is the same old rhetoric, or the potential for opportunity. This year, we will see the empowerment of the Latino community and an increase in its political strength. Being an election year, we will see Latinos running for City Council and school boards.