Editor:
I quickly ran the Short Term Rental Figures this morning based on the Nuisance Response Plans at the City’s website.
There 117 Short Term Rentals Registered with the City as of 9-12-16.
There are 77 in the Pierpont Community. Of these 21 of the owners live in Ventura (27%). Only 11 live in our Pierpont Community (14%). Pierpont has approximately 1200 residences.
There are 6 Short Term Rentals in the Keys
There are 34 Short Term Rentals in the rest of Ventura.
66% of the Short Term Rentals are in Pierpont, however, Pierpont only represents 3% of the Housing Units. Consequently, the vast majority of Short Term Rentals are heavily concentrated here in our Pierpont Community.
To put it another way 86% of the owners of the Pierpont Community’s Short Term Rentals don’t even live in our Pierpont Community and 73% don’t even live in Ventura. These owners should not be deciding the quality of life for our community. Those not living in Ventura can’t even vote for our City Council. Our community residences should not be used as a hotel alternative. Hotels at least have someone on premises to monitor their guests. This, for some reason, is now the Pierpont residents responsibility pitting neighbor against neighbor.
Robert George
A vote to protect our citizens and our city
Public safety and security is key to a more thriving city and business community. Measure O will bring additional local resources to keep Ventura neighborhoods safe.
For starters, your Yes vote will allow all fire stations in the City to stay open and fully operational, ensuring every Ventura neighborhood has life-saving emergency response times. Maintaining fire, police and paramedic emergency response is paramount to protecting the residents of Ventura.
Our city also needs protecting. Ventura is 150 years old and showing its age, including deteriorating streets, sidewalks and storm drains. Voting Yes on O will repair streets, fix potholes and make repairs to bridges and overpasses in the case of an earthquake. Thanks to Measure O, the Ventura Pier, Promenade and citywide bike paths will remain accessible for everyone.
If we wait, it will only get more expensive to protect our quality of life. And, with a local sales tax, the millions of tourists who spend money on lodging and other taxable items will contribute to the cost of maintaining our City.
Despite what some may say, Ventura has no budget surpluses. Costs have gone up, while State and federal funding cuts have jeopardized Ventura’s ability to address its urgent needs. Measure O helps to replace those lost funds with new locally controlled funding that cannot be raided by Sacramento politicians.
Measure O makes Ventura a safer, cleaner and better maintained city, which in turn will make it a more in-demand place to live and work. For all these reasons and more, we are strong supporters of Measure O and in fact are serving as Co-Chairs of the Yes on Measure O Committee, which is spearheading the campaign to pass this critical measure for the City we love.
Ed Wehan, Kevin Clerici and Jim Duran
Co-Chairs of Committee for a Better Ventura – Yes on Measure O
Breeze:
Our Park Ambassadors are doing a great job of keeping Downtown Ventura safe and clean. I am so grateful that they check in frequently with my staff and are only a phone call away if we need back up in a potentially unsafe situation. They are breaking down barriers with those who are chronically homeless and are available to connect them with services to get them off the streets. As a merchant (Spice-Topia), I couldn’t be more pleased with the services that the Park Ambassadors are providing. What a fantastic use of parking meter funds!
Ashley Pope
People who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do.
~ Isaac Asimov
