pierpont.com

The Board of Directors Needs Your Input and Help

March 13th, 2008

All Pierpont Community Council Members,

PLEASE HELP THE PCC BOARD HELP YOU!

Please help us spread the word about the following. All residents,
property owners and business owners of the Pierpont area are eligible
for membership in the organization known as The Pierpont Community
Council (the “Council”). The Council’s purpose is to encourage members
of the community to identify and understand the needs, problems, and
expectations of the Pierpont Community. It’s also to involve community
members in programs addressing their needs, problems, and
expectations. Finally, its to make government agencies aware of the
Pierpont Community’s needs, problems, and expectations. The general
membership of the Council is led by the Council Officers and Executive
Board (”PCC Board”). The Council Officers are Chair (John Whitman),
Vice-Chair (Scott Carlson), Secretary (Carmel Whitman) and Treasurer
(Rosemary Icardo). In addition, Dan Clarke chairs a Neighborhood
Improvement Committee and Sandy Botham/Joy Berger Co-Chair a Vacation
Rental Committee.

PLEASE UNDERSTAND THE PROBLEM WITH PIERPONT STATE BEACH MAINTENANCE
AND OPERATION STRATEGY!
The Council would like to identify and help you understand the
following issues. Today, Pierpont Community and general public concern
is rising with accumulating sand levels at the rear of Pierpont State
Beach (”PSB”). Nine years ago, the City stopped servicing
(maintaining) PSB’s 40-foot-wide right-of-way public access easement.
Today, rising sand levels regularly block pedestrian access to PSB
from City streets, create perimeter hazards for abutting property
owners, and require higher spending to clean sand accumulating on City
streets. As high density housing development continues eastward of
PSB, the public has increasingly made PSB, along with State Beach
Park, a popular recreation destination. Last year City and State Parks
increased public safety of visitors to PSB by providing a higher level
of lifeguard service during the busiest summer months.

PLEASE UNDERSTAND THE EXPECTATIONS EXPRESSED AT A MARCH 5TH PUBLIC
WORKSHOP ABOUT A PROPOSED SAND MANAGEMENT PLAN AND MARCH 10TH CITY
COUNCIL MEETING
At the meetings, a high number of citizens from the Pierpont community
expressed no support for the proposed sand management plan and
identified concerns that it failed to address. They also identified
the above general problems with PSB maintenance and operation
strategy. They recognized that the neglect of PSB was a problem that
needed to be solved by cooperation and collaboration between the
primary stakeholders (public, City, State). They recognized that
frustration will continue until all stakeholders have effectively
navigated past the primary barriers of funding and necessary
cooperation between City, State and Coastal Commission. They
identified specific collaborative action that needed to occur in order
to relieve the problems and meet public expectations. We have attached
the March 3rd Administrative Report on the subject of “Pierpont Beach
Maintenance and Operation Strategy.” It’s an excellent summary of the
issues and provides necessary context for a specific program that the
community could propose to address the issues.

PLEASE HELP THE PCC BOARD INVOLVE COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN PROGRAMS
ADDRESSING THEIR NEEDS, PROBLEMS AND EXPECTATIONS!
As the closest responsible steward of PSB, we are the most obligated
to stop continuing the neglect of this treasured natural resource by
all of PSB’s stakeholders and stewards. The PCC Board listened to all
stakeholders participating in the two public meetings and has
identified a program of specific collaborative action and relief that
could potentially address all stakeholder’s needs, problems and
expectations. The program’s primary purpose would be to materially
increase PSB’s service level provided by City public works and State
Parks to annually sustain public infrastructure for clear access, safe
use and responsible stewardship. The PCC Board asked the 30
participants at the March 11th PCC general membership meeting if the
draft program, titled “Consensus on Pierpont Beach Strategy,”
addressed their needs, problems and expectations. Everyone present
agreed that it did and then asked the PCC Board to ask the same
question of the larger general membership.

PLEASE TELL THE PCC BOARD IF THE ATTACHED “CONSENSUS ON PIERPONT BEACH
STRATEGY” SHOULD NOT BE USED TO MAKE GOVERNMENT AGENCIES AWARE OF THE
PCC’s NEEDS, PROBLEMS AND EXPECTATIONS!
The power of individual citizens to address community needs, problems
and expectations is directly related to how many of them are asking
government representatives to spend tax revenues on specific
government actions. All government action costs money and has a
negative fiscal impact on the budget that the elected representatives
have the power to choose how to spend. When large numbers of people–
that the elected officials represent–unify to ask for the same
specific solution, it becomes a higher priority for the elected
officials. Just like at home, elected leaders can only spend what has
been budgeted and, in difficult economic times like today, there is
often less tax revenue available than what would be needed to give
everyone what they asked for. The City Council and the State face a $4
million and $16 billion respective shortfall for their respective
2008-09 fiscal year budgets. Unless you help the PCC’s effort to unify
as many people as possible to ask the City Council and State for the
same spending commitment, you are more likely to remain unhappy with
the maintenance service level at Pierpont Beach.

Please read the attached draft “Consensus On Pierpont Beach Strategy.”
If you join in the consensus by agreeing that the proposed program
creates an opportunity for government to relieve your needs, problems
and expectations, your silence will be viewed as agreement that the
PCC Board should make government agencies aware of the program. If
instead you have specific revisions that would be necessary before you
would join in the consensus, your reply back to a PCC Board member
will give us the opportunity to improve the draft responsively. The
PCC Board can better represent you publicly if we enter the April 14th
City Council meeting knowing exactly what a large number of citizens
want the City Council to do in this area. Only the Council Chair, John
Whitman, and anyone else designated by the Chair, can speak for or
obligate the Council in any way. Please help us ensure that such
statement of the Council accurately reflects PCC membership majority
opinion here. Everyone else of course remains free to express their
personal opinion at City Council meetings.

PLEASE HELP THE PCC MAKE THE CITY COUNCIL AWARE OF THE FINAL CONSENSUS
PIERPONT BEACH STRATEGY AT THE APRIL 14TH MEETING WHEN IT WILL AGAIN
BE DISCUSSED
The PCC Board is seeking to get as many Ventura citizens and interest
groups as possible to support the consensus strategy that requires
CIty and State government to materially increase investment in public
infrastructure to a level that meets public expectation. After you
agree that you support the consensus strategy, please share the
attached draft “Consensus On Pierpont Beach Strategy” with your
neighbors, friends, businesses, churches, social organizations, and
anyone else whom you know throughout the City of Ventura who might
support this as a spending priority in future City and State budgets.
If they agree to support it, please tell any PCC Board member and we
will compile a comprehensive list for presentation at the April 14th
City Council meeting. Also, if they haven’t done so already, please
ask your neighbor to formally join the Pierpont Community Council and
join the e-mail distribution list for future updates on this important
community concern.

Please know that the City Council will not be able to approve specific
spending allocations at the April 14th meeting. However, they can
discuss in general where future funding might come from. As the City
Council and State move into budget discussions in May for fiscal year
2008-2009, they will welcome the input of PCC along with every other
stakeholder group seeking greater spending to address their self-
interests. Only you can help make the City Council and State
prioritize public infrastructure spending to restore Pierpont State
Beach.

Thanks,

Pierpont Community Council Board of Directors

See the Pierpont Concensus Draft

See the City’s Administrative Report on Beach Strategies

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