Mailer Opposes 2 Measures

The campaign brochure was mailed to Ventura voters by Venturans for a Quality Community, a group opposed to measures I and J. The two measures will be voted on in Tuesday’s city election.

* THE AD: The mailer shows a black-and-white photograph of a man leaning against a dirty brick wall with a handgun sticking out of his jeans. The caption reads, “After cutting six police officers, Ventura is now more violent than Oxnard. Measures I & J will only make it worse...” The flip side of the brochure features an open letter to voters signed by Virginia Weber. It maintains that “Measures I & J will take valuable tax dollars that should be dedicated to public safety and shift them to a new bureaucracy of lawyers and consultants to deny private property rights.” It goes on to say that Los Angeles gangs are expanding their turf, and Ventura residents need to defend themselves with a strong police force. The letter ends with a suggestion that due to a recent California Supreme Court ruling, new fees to implement the measures would have to be approved by voters. “We can not fathom Ventura’s voters supporting a new Measure I & J tax to hire slick lawyers and consultants to defend the social engineering schemes of city hall’s special interests.”

* THE ANALYSIS: Since 1993, Ventura has cut six police positions due to budget pressure. The city’s violent crime rate did rise slightly after those cuts. However, the brochure is wrong when it says Ventura has more violence than Oxnard. Police report that Ventura’s rate of violent crime--murder, rape, robbery and felony assaults--is less than half of Oxnard’s. Although the mailer claims that costs to defend the initiatives would reach millions of dollars, Measure I is a virtual copy of a Napa County law that was upheld by the California Supreme Court. Because of that, proponents argue, it is less likely to be challenged in court. The brochure makes the assumption that if the city spent any money on defending the measures that the money would necessarily come from police and fire services and that would raise the crime rate.