“Advocacy 101,” as the presentation is called, will be held from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. on April 22 at the Chaparral High School Auditorium, 414 E. Ojai Avenue. View the event flyer Here.
Mohandas Gandhi once said, “We must become the change we want to see in the world.” But how can one person influence change here in the Ojai Valley?
Improving the quality of life here is often a matter of advocacy: active support of an idea or cause, or promotion of a change in governmental policy. It’s often easy to see what needs to be changed, but difficult to actually make that change happen.
In years past, citizens of the Ojai Valley have come together to stop Caltrans from building a freeway right through the middle of our valley. They’ve also worked together to convince the Ventura County Board of Supervisors to locate a landfill elsewhere than in Weldon Canyon at the mouth of the Ojai Valley. Other efforts have influenced zoning codes, noise ordinances, and the introduction of chain stores. How were these feats accomplished? The answer is citizen advocacy: working within the established system to create change.
In April, residents will have an opportunity to learn from government representatives who will walk them through the process of getting an issue introduced for legislation, changing existing legislation, or even defeating legislation. As part of the Ojai Valley Green Coalition’s Ecology and Community series, County Supervisor Steve Bennett and Ojai City Council member Steve Olsen will provide an overview, and Kenley Neufeld, the citizen who initiated a successful petition to ban chain stores in Ojai, will discuss his experiences. John Broesamle will also speak about the defeat of the proposed Farmont Golf Course back in the 1990s, when through his and many others’ determined advocacy, 1,500 acres became dedicated open space protected by the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy. You’ll also hear a couple of stories about advocacy as told by Frank Malle, and each segment will include a Q&A session.
