Letters to the Editor
Opinion
Published: February 15, 2013
Tripping down city sidewalks
To the Editor:
Many motorists are surely annoyed at the walkers who choose the city streets instead of the sidewalks to get exercise. They would agree that the streets are bad for cars.
The sidewalks are much worse. Margaret Morales and I have stumbled repeatedly on the sidewalks, which are full of cracks. For this reason we choose the streets for walking, at early hours in the morning when car traffic is lighter.
We ask why the city fails to maintain the sidewalks in the interest of its pedestrians.
Carolina Garcia
Santa Paula
Re: Mexico’s Masked Vigilantes Defy Drug Gangs – And the Law by Nicholas Casey
To the Editor:
There was an article in last Saturday’s/Sunday’s Wall St. Journal that wouldn’t have caught the majority of the public’s eye because of the obvious mainstream media’s bias against the NRA and all gun owners.
Many people are aware of the problems with drugs from Mexico crossing into the U.S. and the drug lords/cartels that supply these drugs. Many people are also aware of how the drug cartels have frightened and terrorized the Mexican population at large and at least in some rural areas they have decided they will no longer tolerate terrorism or intimidation from the drug cartels.
WSJ reporter Nicholas Casey reports that crime is way down in these parts of Mexico (state of Guerrero), at least for the moment and this is attributed to the “ragtag militias carrying a motley arsenal of machetes, old hunting rifles and the occasional AR-15 semiautomatic rifles that control the towns.” Strangers aren’t allowed entry and there is a 10 PM curfew. More than 50 prisoners accused of being in drug gangs, sit in makeshift jails.
A reported leader of one of the militias whose code name is G-1 sums it up in this manner: “We brought order back to a place where there had been chaos. We were able to do it in 15 days what the government was not able to do in years”.
Anyone is free to obtain a copy of this article online or seek other venues online to authenticate the article. However, what is important and what any civil society should understand is personal protection and safety is just that, personal responsibility.
That Chicago fool masquerading as a mayor should heed this example instead of sending Jesse Jackson and his juvenile parade onto the streets of Chicago pretending to have the answer to the violence that has infested their community. As for President Obama he should save his anti-gun rhetoric for the Chicago gangs, promote awareness of mental problems that is the real root of the problems on many of the mass killings and leave honest law abiding gun owners and NRA members at peace.
Andrew F. Castaneda
Santa Paula
Tasty Chamber Mixer
To the Editor:
On Wednesday the 16th of January, the Santa Paula Inn sponsored the monthly Santa Paula Chamber Mixer. It was a wonderful turnout with plenty of networking and food for thought!
We were very fortunate to have all the food donated. I want to thank the manager, Juan, from Panda Express, who with very short notice prepared three different entrees for our party. It was the first time I tried it, and I must say, if you haven’t tried it, please do! Very fresh and delicious! Quick and easy.
Also, I want to thank Michael, the manager from the very new Little Caesar’s Pizza, which is located on the north side of Harvard Boulevard, between Palm and Steckel Drive. Little Caesar’s donated five of their six pizza varieties. They have only one size which is large. This makes it very fast and easy to pick up a pizza. No waiting around and always fresh!
My sincere thanks to Panda Express and Little Caesar’s Pizza for making the mixer a huge success. Be sure to visit these new businesses in town!
Donna Stewart
Santa Paula
Goodbye Victor
To the Editor:
About two weeks ago Santa Paula lost one of its great people that Santa Paula got to know very well and really very well too. He was a very well liked man and we liked him; we liked him very much too.
He was so very gracious too. He was a very kind man with an open heart to anyone. Whenever someone needed help with anything they would call on him to come over to help them out, and he did.
He would go out of his way to go all out for anyone, anybody, everyone and everybody too, and that man who would do all of this and all of these things for us was Victor Salas Sr., a man who had a very open heart for people and a man who cared for Santa Paula, his home town, very much.
I remember when I first met Victor and his family way back in 1969 when we first built our house up here on the foothills; and then later in January of 1970 when we first moved into our house. After we built our house I got to meet his wife Rachel.
I knew his sons, Victor Jr. and Stephen; we grew up together back in the late 60s-early 70s, which was back in the day. Then I got to know his brother Sam Salas Sr., along with his sister-in-law Annie, nephews Sammy Jr., Danny and Tony, who I also grew up with too besides Victor Jr. and Stephen, along with the rest of the other whole entire family.
Then I got to know Michael right after he was born, when we moved up to where I am now still at for the last 42 years, and I have had the pleasure of being good friends with the family.
It was then I got to know Victor Sr., when he owned and operated Salas Radio and TV, ran and managed the family industry, and then later ran and successfully won for the position of City Clerk for the City of Santa Paula to the City of Santa Paula, and other things that he accomplished, like the love for the music and his liking for his singing, too.
Now he leaves behind a legacy of traditional values for anyone to follow, as well as also his love and like for good times and memories and anything else that we can all think of. And now we all have one more thing to say and so do I, and that is goodbye Victor. It was very good to know you and we will all miss you so very much.
My thoughts, prayers, heart and mind go out to the whole entire family for your loss of Victor Sr. And he will also be sorely missed by all and everyone too. Thank you.
John Bravo
Santa Paula
Goodbye Carl
To the Editor:
Santa Paula lost a very great, wonderful and very well liked man and person who really cared a lot about us and his hometown. He was a very wonderful caring man and person who also cared a lot about his family as well as his friends, and that man and person that we lost was our very dear good friend and buddy and that was Carl Barringer, who died with great dignity, honor and pride.
Carl was very active in a lot of things, and they were these things: his church – St. Paul’s Emmanuel Episcopal Church, the Santa Paula Rotary Club of Santa Paula, the VFW 2043 local Mercer-Prieto, the City of Santa Paula City Council, the community, as well as in the real estate housing industry market.
I later got to know Carl in years early on. When I first met Carl it was through my dad. I also got to know his family – his beautiful wonderful wife Cathy and his sons, especially Bob, when we were going to Isbell School back in the day when we were young, and Bob’s wife Elizabeth.
And as time went on, Carl, Cathy and my parents became very good friends and very close active members of the VFW and very active members in the community - and that was later on down the road – as well as attending VFW events including memorial services such as the Veterans’ Day and Memorial Day events at the cemetery for the wreath laying ceremonies of the dead of the Unknown Soldier.
Well, I have only one thing to say, and only one thing only, and that is goodbye Carl. We all will miss you and we all will miss you very, very much.
And lastly, my prayers, thoughts, heart and mind go out to Cathy and the family. Again, goodbye Carl; it was very good and nice to know you. Thank you.
John Bravo
Santa Paula
Santa Paula’s new Unified School Board
Congratulations Tina Urias, on becoming our new Board President!
The recent article in the Times about the Unified School Board left me with a number of questions. I hope you will publish a description of the search process and the Job Description and Requirements for the new Superintendent, and keep the Community informed about the steps involved in the reorganization.
This is an exciting and important change for our Community and many are interested in the process and your progress.
I wish you and your Board success.
David Kaiser
Santa Paula
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