Casino Night 2012
To the Editor:
It was a balmy evening, the Glen Tavern lawn provided a beautiful setting, the music was great, the appetizers and drinks delicioaus, and the dinner wonderful! Our Hospice Casino Nights have always been successful but this was the most successful ever with more guests and somehow an especially happy and enthusiastic tone to the evening.
Our Santa Clara Valley Hospice/Home Support Group has many to thank for making this an evening so much fun for everyone! Our Glen Tavern Inn combined the food and services of Wood Ranch, Enzo’s Restaurant and Laird’s Butcher & Deli (who donated all the BBQ & chicken) for a special dinner, beginning with sliders and climaxed with their awesome lemon bars. Studio C musicians pleased everyone with great dinner music. The tables looked elegant with beige cloths, maroon napkins, china plates, crystal goblets and hurricane candle centerpieces decorated with a wide variety of succulents and fresh flowers. Both the lobby and convention center of the Tavern were transformed into classy casinos where guests could spin the Wheel of Fortune, play any game of their choice, bid on the fantastic Silent Auction items or decide their raffle choices.
Sigrid Wong, Hospice Director, orchestrated the details and helps us all keep on track. The Hospice Board Members and many members of their families all work very hard for months to make this event happen. There were also many supporters who provided goods, services, and labor.
For our amazing Silent Auction we are also grateful to all who bid so generously on these very special items. Susan Luckey and her co-leader Mickey Nichols brought their Rainbow Girls to help with set up, centerpieces and hauling of auction items and other equipment from the Hospice office to the Glen Tavern.
We are especially grateful to our generous sponsors: Santa Paula Chevrolet, Valley Care Physicians IPA, Glen Tavern, Limoneira, Santa Paula Rotary Club, Santa Paula Times, Santa Clara Valley Bank, Ojai/Santa Paula Community Bank, Rushing Real Estate & Investments, Michael Swartout MD, Gary Deutsch MD, William Ekman MD, Gosta Iwasiuk MD, Randy & Joanna Axell, Fallini Graphics, Nick Luizzi DDS, Crown Disposal, Vitas Hospice, Laird’s Butcher Shop, Piru Petroleum, and Calavo.
An enormous “Thank You” to all of you, who helped up in so many different ways to produce an evening to remember. Your generous giving of time, talent and treasure will help us be able to continue to offer our many services free of any charges.
Joan Toston & Cathy Barringer
Co-chairmen
Santa Paula
Thank God for Santa Paula’s administration
To the Editor:
We are blessed to have a Jaime Fontes for our city manager and our great city council, Bob Gonzales, Jim Tovias, Fred Robinson and Ralph Fernandez who are capable to using their logic in economically planning for us. These fine men have been major contributors to Santa Paula’s fiscal well being. If we didn’t have these good people we could be like Stockton, California and our poor neighbor Fillmore. I support the team we have and encourage you to do the same.
Sadly many cities, large and small, in California are faced with many old generous retirement contracts that can no longer be met. Liberal politicians were elected and supported by union organizations, the unions got what they ask for, however now the bills for their generosity are coming due.
Today California is a liberal, democratic state that is losing people and businesses to other right to work states much faster than we like to admit. Governor Moonbeam is desperately trying to change things, but it may be too late. Time will tell! Being a sanctuary state is costing Californians big bucks!
On November 6th, you and I will have the opportunity to make a choice between a fiscal conservative, Mitt Romney or a liberal like Obama. The road you take is important.
David Kaiser
Santa Paula
Let’s work together
To the Editor:
For someone who lives in another part of the county, Camarillo, although he works from here, Mr. Castaneda, as well as Mr. Sagely and Mr. Main take an inordinately passionate interest in making personally derogatory comments about anyone critiquing their perspective on local issues here in Santa Paula.
There are many issues that we should, and will, address and debate related to good government here in our community. They are all somewhat analogous to the Keystone Kops-style mishandling of the dismissal of Chief MacKinnon, which we neither will, nor should, forget or live down.
I accept that Mr. Castaneda, Mr. Sagely and Mr. Main truly do care about how Santa Paula is “managed” by the current administration as they have asserted in their written submissions to various media outlets. I hope, however, that at some point they will change their methodology and engage in true, meaningful dialogue with others in the community to develop concrete plans to make this a better place for all of us to live. No one person has all the answers and I certainly do not pretend to claim a solo part in the growing chorus. I know absolutely, however, that there are many thoughtful, smart and creative people in our community who want to see Santa Paula rejoin the ranks of cities that carry their civic heads high as they hold their electeds accountable for the management of their communities.
Tossing written bricks at those who actually live here and strive for civic betterment is unproductive and surely is unworthy of Mr. Castaneda, Mr. Sagely and Mr. Main.
Marsha M. Rea
Santa Paula
Best wishes on retirement
To the Editor:
Pleasant Valley School District Superintendent Dr. Luis Villegas will be retiring at the end of June, bringing closure to a career that encompasses 29 years of public service as a teacher, principal, special education administrator, and superintendent.
Dr. Villegas was born in Panama and came to the United States as a young man. He joined the military and went on to pursue higher education. He worked hard, held himself to high standards, and became a role model for the belief that with hard work and study you can accomplish great things.
Dr. Villegas has served as a role model and mentor for many students and professionals who have worked with him in the many school districts where he has worked – San Diego, Santa Paula, and most recently Pleasant Valley. He has been a master visionary in facilitating the change process and reaching out to the citizens of the community to advance that process. The educational community will miss Luis - his sense of humor, expertise, and compassion.
It’s now time for Luis and his wife, Diane, to take time to enjoy well-deserved time together and with their family. Luis, your professional career is one you can be proud of. I speak for many by saying “thank you” and wishing you a most fulfilling retirement.
David Luna
Retired Santa Paula School District Administrator
Ventura
Good news
To the Editor:
I am looking forward to seeing our City Council Chambers full of citizens that will praise our City Council for the job they have done to keep our City Double A credit rating and for the hard work our City Manager has contributed to this endeavor.
I was hoping that in Friday’s Santa Paula Times I would see an article praising our City Manager for saving the citizens of Santa Paula more than $600,000.00! That our City Council is working hard to try to purchase our sewer plant and possibly stabilizing our rates, hopefully generating some rebates back to our citizens. These are some of the objectives of refinancing the sewer plant! With the good credit rating it is a possibility!!
Remember people this city is more than a small group of people, it is for the good of all the people in this community! All our City Council Members were born and raised in Santa Paula! There is not an agenda for any of them except what is good for this city as a whole!! Keep this in your thoughts!
I am disappointed that there was not an article in the Santa Paula Times about our City Manager “Jaime Fontes” saving the city $600,000.00, that is good news.
Let us all look for the positive!
Maiya Herrera
Santa Paula
