Hi Mr. Brown,

I enjoy your paper, but this isn’t the first time I noticed your staff apparently doesn’t know the difference between the words then and than.  “Then” is used in reference to an event in time.  “Than” is used in comparison.  Then is misused twice in the first paragraph on page five.  Just thought you would want to know. Thanks for a great paper.

Mary Volpe
Only twice, we are improving? Thanks, any help is always welcome.

Breeze:

The plethora of low income housing has cost federal taxpayers a fortune – the new one next to the Sidecar Restaurant is coming in at $11 million. The one at 1400 block of Ventura was extremely expensive. And then there is the WAV, whose architect, Adele Santos, alleged dean of the MIT School of Architecture, was really upset when I told her in review that it was going to be just as unsuccessful as it has become.  The noise alone from the freeway is incredible. There is no parking (27 spaces)

I suggest Ventura’s architecture and color-appropriateness are at odds with each other bigtime. Many bldgs. designed with natural wood exteriors, for example,  have been painted inappropriate colors – like the black box next to the freeway near Seaward., which looked wonderful in its original natural wood exterior. Beige and faux-Art Deco are like a visual disease all over town.  I have done several projects recently in Seal Beach, a demographic not unlike Ventura, as well as Coronado. Both have a wonderful mix of homes very similar to Ventura, but there is an overall homogeneity which Ventura seems to lack. The rich will be more motivated to come when the city  looks halfway decent visually.

There are hundreds of unpermitted signs and other things around town which nobody addresses. I’ve learned that if you contact Code Enforcement with an address, the problem etc., they will contact the owner and it will be addressed – they do nothing unless someone complains in writing.

The string of light along both sides of downtown’s main drag seem now somewhat pathetic-looking. After all the expensive parking meter renovations, it seems as dead as ever and Oxnard wins again.

Regards –
John H. Stewart

Sheldon

While reading your comments regarding Regency’s proposed 55-house hillside project, I was surprised to read that, because of your 47 years as an architect, you feel it unnecessary to have any discussions with local individuals interested in discussing the matter with you, assuming it would be solely to show you “what is wrong with the project,” indicating by your comment that, as an architect, you have nothing to learn from others outside of Regency’s representatives (with whom you have met) and what insights you will have based on that information alone. I will do you a favor and restrict myself to this comment alone without continuing into a diatribe of reasons why, not only that comment, but its implications reflect an attitude of arrogance and elitism surely to result in the indignation of many well-intentioned individuals in this community.

R. Sterling
Ventura

R:

Not sure why you think I’m being arrogant and elitist, actually I’m not either. In reality analyzing and commenting on the current Regency plans is completely irrelevant because these are not what will be finally proposed after a few years of going through many hoops and city approvals. After they have  drawings of what might actually be built the Ventura Breeze will sponsor a forum to review the more relevant drawings and those still opposed can show me why….. See my column and article by Richard Lieberman.

Sheldon

In your October 28th Issue of the Ventura Breeze I was pleased to see my picture in your paper.  I was not so pleased to see my name was mispelled!  Yes, long ago, my family in Ireland did spell it Sennett  but it was changed to Senate when my ancestor Warren Senate enlisted in the Union Army during the Civil War.  I find it hard to imagine you didn’t catch this flaw in the pages of the Breeze.  Thank You   Richard Senate

Richard: We didn’t write this “cutline”,  CAPS did but certainly apologize for not catching this error, I have a hard time knowing then from than. By the way you misspelled misspelled in telling us we misspelled your name so maybe we are even.

Editor:

Out of curiosity, I looked at the Ventura Pier on Google Maps/Earth.  I could see what appeared to be 5-6 clusters that looked like homeless “camps” on the pier.  Lots of blue tarps.  It is a sad commentary that the City is not taking care of this.  Closing the pier 3 nights a week to me is just giving in/giving up.  You have your work cut out for you trying to attract tourists to our pier and promenade.  The Ventura Harbor seems to be doing a lot of the right things.  I seldom see homeless there, even though they camp in the Santa Clara Riverbed close by.

Robert George-Ventura

Humor is mankind’s greatest blessing
~ Mark Twain

Hi Mr. Brown,

I enjoy your paper, but this isn’t the first time I noticed your staff apparently doesn’t know the difference between the words then and than.  “Then” is used in reference to an event in time.  “Than” is used in comparison.  Then is misused twice in the first paragraph on page five.  Just thought you would want to know. Thanks for a great paper.

Mary Volpe
Only twice, we are improving? Thanks, any help is always welcome.

Breeze:

The plethora of low income housing has cost federal taxpayers a fortune – the new one next to the Sidecar Restaurant is coming in at $11 million. The one at 1400 block of Ventura was extremely expensive. And then there is the WAV, whose architect, Adele Santos, alleged dean of the MIT School of Architecture, was really upset when I told her in review that it was going to be just as unsuccessful as it has become.  The noise alone from the freeway is incredible. There is no parking (27 spaces)

I suggest Ventura’s architecture and color-appropriateness are at odds with each other bigtime. Many bldgs. designed with natural wood exteriors, for example,  have been painted inappropriate colors – like the black box next to the freeway near Seaward., which looked wonderful in its original natural wood exterior. Beige and faux-Art Deco are like a visual disease all over town.  I have done several projects recently in Seal Beach, a demographic not unlike Ventura, as well as Coronado. Both have a wonderful mix of homes very similar to Ventura, but there is an overall homogeneity which Ventura seems to lack. The rich will be more motivated to come when the city  looks halfway decent visually.

There are hundreds of unpermitted signs and other things around town which nobody addresses. I’ve learned that if you contact Code Enforcement with an address, the problem etc., they will contact the owner and it will be addressed – they do nothing unless someone complains in writing.

The string of light along both sides of downtown’s main drag seem now somewhat pathetic-looking. After all the expensive parking meter renovations, it seems as dead as ever and Oxnard wins again.

Regards –
John H. Stewart

Sheldon

While reading your comments regarding Regency’s proposed 55-house hillside project, I was surprised to read that, because of your 47 years as an architect, you feel it unnecessary to have any discussions with local individuals interested in discussing the matter with you, assuming it would be solely to show you “what is wrong with the project,” indicating by your comment that, as an architect, you have nothing to learn from others outside of Regency’s representatives (with whom you have met) and what insights you will have based on that information alone. I will do you a favor and restrict myself to this comment alone without continuing into a diatribe of reasons why, not only that comment, but its implications reflect an attitude of arrogance and elitism surely to result in the indignation of many well-intentioned individuals in this community.

R. Sterling
Ventura

R:

Not sure why you think I’m being arrogant and elitist, actually I’m not either. In reality analyzing and commenting on the current Regency plans is completely irrelevant because these are not what will be finally proposed after a few years of going through many hoops and city approvals. After they have  drawings of what might actually be built the Ventura Breeze will sponsor a forum to review the more relevant drawings and those still opposed can show me why….. See my column and article by Richard Lieberman.