Scare Tactic Is a Big Lie

I recently had a conversation with a county official who expressed his concern that “Ventura would become another Orange County.”

I responded that there is no chance whatsoever that this would happen in our lifetimes. In fact, Orange County itself could not be built in this current economic climate in California.

When Orange County grew, many businesses were moving into California. These included many military contractors like Rockwell, Northrop and Lockheed, as well as high-tech computer and medical companies. The economic conditions that built Orange County are gone.

This Orange County scare tactic is the biggest lie being perpetrated on the citizens of Ventura County today. As we see our jobs leave the county and state, one would think that our elected officials would see this as the real danger--not planned growth. Maybe when the good jobs are gone and property values decline further, our county government will wake up and be more sensitive to business. I just hope it’s not too late for those of us that have invested our lives and livelihood in Ventura.

JOHN WISDA, Santa Paula