Election Season

“America will never be destroyed from the outside, if we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we did it ourselves.”
–Abraham Lincoln

Ventura County! Thank you for joining us this week. We are less than a month away from the general election and a plethora of local elections. There is still plenty of time to register to vote. This week, we’re talking politics, without getting political. 🙅‍♂️ We have an interview with a local city council member, as well as every proposition on the ballot in California. Will Kamala Harris and Donald Trump debate again? Who knows. Is new Twitter better than old Twitter? Not going there. What’s the difference between misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation? That’s a question for Zuckerberg, or your local pastor. For a politically neutral take on things, please continue to scroll. Without further ado, let’s catch this week’s wave. 🌊

This week, The Neighborly Wave will cover:

• Real estate news brought to you by V is for Ventura

• Interview with Gabe Teran

• Local Events

• California Propositions

• Weather

Your local real estate report is brought to you by
V is for Ventura

Interview with Oxnard City Council Member Gabe Teran

This week, I was fortunate enough to sit down with Oxnard City Council member Gabe Teran. Gabe and I had never met before, grabbing coffee at Heritage Coffee & Gifts, but we exchanged DMs on Instagram. Gabe is very active on social media and uses his page to inform the community of upcoming city council events, road construction/closures, and other issues impacting the community. Gabe represents District 2 of Oxnard. He was first elected in 2021 for a 1-year term and was re-elected for a 4 year term in 2022. 

Gabe was born and raised in Oxnard and has familial ties to the city, which date back over 100 years (a true Oxnard OG). That history and attachment to the town gave him a deep breadth of information and inspired him to make changes that benefit the community. Before running for the District 2 council seat, Gabe was the Parks, Recreation & Community Services Commission commissioner. One thing I noticed early on in our conversation was Gabe’s ability to recall events and explain complex matters with relative ease. I didn’t prep him on any of the interview questions in advance, yet he gave thoughtful and insightful responses to every question I asked. 

Gabe’s foray into local politics was somewhat gradual. He learned about local government by helping underserved populations and then taking an interest in the neighborhoods he lived in. That interest led to him working with the Parks & Rec department as a Commissioner and the Oxnard Inter Neighborhood Council as a Vice Chair.

“I was very involved in my neighborhood council. I was elected 3 times and ended a term early because I was elected to the city council. My day job prepared me to engage people in civic issues, and that was the type of good community governance I wanted to bring with me. Every neighborhood is like it’s only little city, with its own specific needs and challenges. Each neighborhood has its strengths, weaknesses, and things the citizens want. That was one of the things that I didn’t get to fully experience until I got elected and spent more time with the neighborhood members and council chairs. 

How important do you think it is to have above average financial acumen? To understand budgets and read financial reports?

“You definitely need that skill set. In my professional role, I would oversee budgets, however, they were minuscule in comparison to the budgets the city has. Although it was smaller, it gave me the chops to manage the city budget. Aside from being a larger scale there are more moving pieces to managing the city’s budget. We have to rely on the professionalism and vetting of staff to do their jobs and bring summaries of proposals, and budgets. If anything is unclear, I ask questions to help me understand. Sometimes I’ll ask the questions again during the city council meetings so that it goes on the public record.”

Gabe’s goals center around helping the youth. He has spent the majority of his career helping underprivileged youth. He believes we must invest in youth programming, recreation, and youth drug prevention. Gabe also advocates for state-sponsored education programs past K-12 to help young adults pay for college or learn a trade. Aside from his interest in helping the youth, he is also an avid cyclist. Improving the biking infrastructure around Oxnard is another area in which he would like to see more momentum. When I asked if there were any other city projects he would like to see a greater emphasis on, he mentioned Campus Park (The old Oxnard High School). The city has been approved for a 6 million dollar federal grant to complete the park project; however, there is still a funding gap. This project is approaching 20 years in the making. 😳

The Oxnard City Council meets every Tuesday, and residents are welcome to attend.

I asked Gabe to share a few final words with the readers: “This is a different Oxnard than the one people have experienced in previous decades. We have a really solid executive team. Our city manager knows what he is doing and gets the job done. The city was previously mismanaged, but those people are gone, and we are willing to work really hard to regain everyone's trust.”

You can find more information about Gabe Teran on Instagram @gabeteranoxnard or online gabeteran.com 

Local Events

Oxnard

Saturday, October 12th. 12 pm - 9pm. The second annual Panteon Fest (a celebration of Dia de los Muertos) is at Heritage Square. Tickets are $15. https://panteonfest.com/?syclid=crg85i26naes73d5kllg

Saturday, October 12th 12-4pm. Tarot Card Reading with Justine The Witch at Strey Cellars. Readings are $15 on a first come first serve basis. Wine is sold separately. 951 North Rice Ave. Oxnard CA 93030

Saturday/Sunday, October 12th & 13th. 10 am - 6pm The Oxnard Psychic and Holistic Healing Arts Fair. Early Bird admission is FREE. Tickets are $5 at the door. Located at The Residence Inn. 2101 West Vineyard Ave. Oxnard CA https://jennyobrienproductions.com/psychc%2Fhealing-fair

Sunday, October 13th. Channel Islands Harbor Farmers Market

Camarillo:

We have a new restaurant opening in Cam. Tacos el Diablo has opened their 3rd restaurant in the Trader Joe’s Shopping center. The address is 315 Carmen Drive. Camarillo CA 93010

Thursday, October 10th, 6:30 pm. Trivia Night at Topa Topa Brewing. 2024 Ventura Blvd. Camarillo CA 93010

Sunday, October 13th. SciArt Presents Art Bash at Studio Channel Islands. This is a three course dinner experience surrounded by art. https://studiochannelislands.org/artbash/

Friday, October 18th, 9 am—1pm, at The Camarillo Airport. Aviation Career Day for high school and junior high students. If you have questions or would like to sign up, please send an email here: [email protected]

Thousand Oaks

Saturday, October 12th. 12 - 11 pm. Oktoberfest at Tarantula Hill. This is a ticketed event, and ticket sales end soon. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/oktoberfest-2024-at-tarantula-hill-brewing-co-tickets-1016964918447?aff=ebdssbdestsearch

Sunday, October 13th. 7 pm. The Walt Johnson Sinatra Tribute @ Bogies Westlake Village. Tickets can be purchased here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-walt-johnson-sinatra-tribute-featuring-michael-falcone-tickets-1030373032477?aff=ebdssbdestsearch

Sunday, October 13th. 11 am-3:30 pm.Westlake High Food Truck Festival Fundraiser @Conejo Creek Park. Tickets are $8 in advance, and $10 at the door. whsband.org/foodtruckfestival

The Reign of Terror Haunted House runs through November 2nd. For hours, ticket prices, and additional information, please visit their website below: www.rothauntedhouse.com

Ojai

Sunday, October 13th. 8 - 10 am. Ojai Cars & Coffee in the Westridge Midtown Market

Sunday, October 13th, 2pm. “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller. A play about the Salem Witch Trials in 1692. Tickets can be purchased here: https://www.tix.com/ticket-sales/tix/991/event/1396604

Simi Valley

Saturday, October 12th. 9am. Teamwork Makes the Dream Work Golf Event, at Simi Hills Golf Course. This is a monthly golf tournament that is open to the public. More information can be found below: https://www.golfgenius.com/pages/9984981614951696579

Ventura

Friday, October 11th. 7-9 pm. Spooky Improv Show with Ventura Improv Company. https://visitventuraca.com/event/spooky-improv-show-with-ventura-improv-company/

Saturday, October 12th, 8 pm - 12 am. Bloodsuckers Ball at Majestic Ventura Theater. You must dress up for this event! For more information, please check the link below: https://www.bloodsuckersball.com/

Sunday, October 13th, 11am - 4pm. Crawl O’ Ween. Boo’s, booze, bars, and beneficiaries. This is a ticketed event: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/crawl-o-ween-2024-tickets-967171765787

CA Propositions

There are currently 10 propositions on the statewide ballot. Three of the ten propositions are bond measures. A bond is a state-backed long-term security that is sold to investors in exchange for the principal plus interest. The state promises to pay back the bond amount plus interest. Bonds are considered one of the most expensive ways to fund the government. (This is not my personal opinion, this is taken from the CA voterguide.gov website. For a list of all ten propositions, as well as Pro’s & Con’s please visit the link below:

If you are anything like me, a cynical freak, you’ll also do additional research. We will discuss the findings of that research in next week’s wave.

Note from the editor:

I’ve always had an interest in politics. Not enough to run for office myself (I’m not crazy), but intrigued enough to follow closely. It can be an insufferable pursuit to determine fact from fiction, propaganda from undeniable truth. I think it’s fair to say that two distinct messages are being thrust upon us, and they feel diametrically opposed to one another. In a world that is not always black and white, I find a lot of my fellow neighbors caught in the middle.

Tribalism is natural. It’s a form of self-preservation. No one wants to believe they’re wrong. Whatever you believe to be true, is true to you, even if that belief is founded in misconception. If that weren’t the case, you would believe something else. There are terabytes of information at our fingertips, and “experts” from every subject ready to give their perspectives on highly nuanced matters. Two Ivy League-educated economists who are similarly aged and from similar backgrounds can have widely differing opinions on the economic impact of migration. Who is to say which one is correct? They’re proposing theories based on their personal beliefs.

In my 70-minute conversation with Gabe Teran, neither one of us mentioned our political idealogy. It wasn’t necessary. In fact, the words “republican, democrat, socialist, conservative, leftist, woke” were not mentioned at all. There was no need to use those descriptors that confine people into a little box. Those words have been weaponized to turn citizens and neighbors against one another. Calling someone a “leftist” or “right-wing” is now a pejorative. At no point did I feel like I needed to know his political leanings because I could tell he cared about the community he lives in and represents. I don’t say this to tout myself as a model citizen, I still Jaywalk. 🚶‍♂️ I say it because we’ll always be a month away from a major election, from a pivotal moment in history, or an event that will change our lives. There will always be differences of opinion. There’s also so much that we can mutually agree on. The media may have you convinced otherwise, but there’s common ground between the two parties, and even more between community members. The less time we spend labeling and self-identifying, the more time we can spend getting to know one another. I’m optimistic about the future, and I look forward to having more conversations with the citizens of Ventura County.

MV

Weather

Oxnard

Ventura

Camarillo

Thousand Oaks

Santa Paula

Simi Valley

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