Santa Paula City Council Clash

Re “Federal Suit Provokes Councilwomen’s Clash,” April 11.

I attended the Santa Paula City Council meeting April 10. One word can describe it: appalling!

Everyone who attended knew it would be a heated session. Tension in the audience was high, as it should be with the poorest city in the county set to spend $1 million to fight a federal lawsuit alleging voting rights violations. After the decision to fight the lawsuit was rendered 4-1, with total disregard to the objections of the citizens, the council agreed to spend yet another $100,000 for attorney fees that would last only until the end of June.

Many people asked, “What will you win and at what cost?” The people of Santa Paula are educated and they know this decision means the streets will not be repaired, the children will still be without crossing guards and the Police Department will still be in need of subsidies.

If anyone doubts that prejudice exists in this city, how would you feel if your council members sat by quietly while the city manager said, “Frankly, what this city really needs is a better class of people.”

The Department of Justice picked up on this with its reference to the project in Adams Canyon.

I agree that Santa Paula needs a better class of people--to occupy the seats of the City Council.

Fortunately Councilwoman Laura Flores Espinosa cares enough about the people of her city to speak up. I’m sad to say I didn’t.

Councilwoman Robin Sullivan and the other magnificent three have only themselves to blame. I doubt that this problem would have escalated to this point if the council had tried to work with the Department of Justice and not tried to play hardball. The attitude of this self-righteous, self-serving, hypocritical and arrogant council is so obvious that one only has to listen to see it.

I have no better words to describe this situation than those of Mark Twain, who looked at politicians with an eye for telling it like it is:

“It’s better to keep one’s mouth shut and appear stupid than to open it and remove all doubt.”

JOY CHAPMAN

Santa Paula

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An open election is a system in which everyone can vote for any candidates. The candidates who are elected represent all the people in the city.

The key words are “represent all the people.”

In Santa Paula, there are large pockets of voters that historically have high turnouts. John Melton and Les Maland knew this. They vigorously campaigned for these pockets of votes. Once in office, to their credit, they made their decisions and “represented all the people.”

It’s kind of like gun control, where hoodlums, lunatics and irresponsible people have undermined an amendment to the Constitution on which our country was founded. In Santa Paula’s case, over-ambitious and power hungry politicians have undermined the election at large system.

Redistricting should not be blamed on Councilwoman Laura Flores Espinosa. The blame squarely lies on council members Robin Sullivan, Don Johnson, Jim Garfield and Rick Cook. Their failure to “represent all the people” has caused the federal Department of Justice to investigate Santa Paula.

In the meantime, these four are trying to save face by wasting tax dollars fighting the lawsuit. What will they win? They’ll be able to keep themselves in office, that’s what. And they’ll use as much tax money as they can and bring the city close to bankruptcy if necessary.

Espinosa is taking a lot of heat, but she is also the only council member who is standing up for us taxpayers. And that is “all the people.”

JOHN WISDA

Santa Paula