Ventura Is Rich in a Different Way
Re the great Santa Barbara versus Ventura debate, here is why we chose Ventura.
My son, Chris, and I checked out Santa Barbara, taking the first turnoff to the right, going right into the city (thank God they got rid of that one stoplight that backed up traffic for miles during the busy periods).
He commented, “I thought Santa Barbara was a rich city,” as he surveyed some of the seedier districts south of town.
All cities have their monetarily challenged areas, but Santa Barbara chooses to think of itself as a “harmonious paradise.” What a crock. And the U.S. Interior Department paid for this three-year study conducted by Harvey Molotch? Cut!
Let Santa Barbara pass on its snobby lifestyle and pompously say that Ventura is “stuck with history, tradition and their respective characters. And there isn’t much Ventura can do about it now.”
We chose Ventura. And Mr. Columnist Barney Brantingham and Mr. Sociologist Molotch, you ain’t seen nothing yet.
Be like Santa Barbara? Why should we? We are who we are, and proud of it.
LOU TAPPON
Ventura
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