“It takes years and decades for a tree to grow and seconds to make the bone-headed decision to fell one.”- Me.

 I grew up in Oxnard on “J” Street between Hill and Wooley Roads. Fond memories I possess of our-once tree lined street. Most houses on the street were accentuated with proud, commanding trees which took decades to grow.  By the time I was a teenager, most of those trees had fallen prey to the City of Oxnard’s tree cutting department. My understanding for felling most of the trees is that the roots of the trees were cracking and raising the sidewalk along the street.  Our block lost a lot of character and charm when those trees were chopped down.  I wish the City of Oxnard had either replaced and raised the sidewalks or had had the vision to replace those trees. Had they done the latter, J Street again would be a much more interesting and beautiful tree-lined thoroughfare.

 The houses on our street were built in the mid-fifties. Granted, they don’t have the architectural intrigue of houses in Oxnard’s Historic District. Yet the block itself was similar to “F” Street, in as such both streets were tree lined with dozens of majestic trees.

 Decades later, the decisions to remove those trees have affected my outlook on Oxnard. As I drive around town, I often realize there’s a dearth of trees in the community. Hundreds and thousands of residents in Oxnard have taken it upon themselves to rid their front yards of trees over the years, leaving hundreds of properties barren of the character a tree can provide.  Some have removed trees for justifiable reasons- perhaps the tree was too old or diseased and therefore became a safety issue.  Unfortunately, I think the vast majority of the trees were cut down as homeowners simply grew tired of racking leaves.  What a shame.

 The City of Oxnard also has some responsibility in this scarcity of trees.  I rarely go a week or two without seeing tree cutting crews employed by the city removing trees throughout the community (granted, some trees are removed due to safety concerns.  But if the city removes a tree, there should be policy in place to either replace that tree or to plant another tree elsewhere in town).  It’s unusual to see the same crews in town actually planting trees. 

 Though I have seen the aqua-green trucks with attached trailer stump grinders owned by the City of Oxnard throughout town, I lay most of the blame for altering entire neighborhoods mostly on the shoulders of individual residents for removing trees on their properties. In my neighborhood, if I hear a chainsaw in the distance, I grind my teeth and shake my head.  It’s time for the City of Oxnard to do much more to reverse the decades-long trend of removing trees.  There should be a push to promote tree planting and to spare spruces, conifers, oaks and other species from being chopped down simply to avoid the task of having to rake.

 It is my understanding that in Sacramento a tree cannot be chopped down without permission or justification regardless if said tree is on private or city-owned property. If a tree is removed anywhere in Sacramento, the city will either replace the tree with a young sapling or will plant three other trees elsewhere in town.  Sound public policy Oxnard should incorporate.  Additionally, the City of Oxnard should implement and execute an educational and beautification campaign highlighting the aesthetic charm and environmental benefits of trees. Oxnard needs more trees….thousands of them.

 Carmel is obviously a beautiful seaside town in Central California. Oxnard isn’t Carmel, but imagine if the latter had residents and city-employed tree cutting crews chopping down the beautiful trees in that hamlet. It certainly would alter the beauty of Carmel.

 In closing, plant a tree, Oxnard residents.  Doing so will beautify your home and neighborhood and could potentially improve the value of your property.  Convince your neighbor to do the same.

I vividly recall a TV commercial from my youth, in which a Native American gentleman is standing alongside a freeway. Cars are zooming by and the occupants of one throw a bag of litter out of the window.  The mess lands within a few feet of said gentleman.  The camera zooms in and we see tears well up in his eyes which eventually trickle down his face.

The message?  A simple one, really- don’t litter, it’s bad for mother earth.  Even as a child I understood the thrust of this ad.  This commercial should become a constantly running public service announcement especially, unfortunately, in my hometown of Oxnard.

You see, Oxnard has a litter problem.  The problem seems most prevalent in neighborhoods situated in the southern and eastern portions of the city.  Those communities are predominantly made up of hard working, working class people. Fine people- the majority, indeed.   Yet some, like “Poppy” in Seinfeld, are “a little sloppy.”

I’ll try to be sensitive here, but for some reason, it seems to me as though my Latino brethren (yes, I’m Mexican American) in particular are litter bugs.  And it drives me caterpillar and often causes me to shake my head in disappointment.  Here’s an example:

I live on a relatively busy street in one of the above-mentioned neighborhoods.  The families immediately to my north and south are honest, hard working folk. I enjoy them as neighbors. Yet both households are filled with litter bugs and I’ve tried to get my message across to them subtly and directly. Neither tactic seems to work.

I’ve seem them step out of their cars, drop a soda pop can, an empty bag from McDonald’s, cigarettes buds.  I’ve literally walked to the area where the litter was thrown and picked it up myself, ensuring they see me do so. I’ve gone up and down the street seven houses deep with my broom and big dustpan with the elongated handle on a bright Saturday morning, ensuring my neighbors outside cutting lawns and socializing notice me.  I’ve left notes on car windshields. I’ve sent anonymous, I think, well-written lists on why litter is bad for the neighborhood, affects property values, goes into storm drains and ends up in the grand Pacific Ocean, yet the littering continues. I’ve asked neighbors why on said Saturdays they so meticulously wash their cars, inside and out, yet so willingly take the trash collected in the car and simply toss it in the gutter.

Now, not all of the litter on our street is caused by my beloved neighbors. Cars drive by and toss things out the window (unlike the Native American, I am yet to shed a tear).  But I have yelled at the passing cars, “Pick that up!” after seeing an occupant throw something on my street.  I’ve been the recipient of many birds, indeed.

Our busy little street is also near two elementary schools and a secondary school.  When the kids get out of school, our street becomes a little thoroughfare for these future intellectuals.  Yet they litter, too.  They litter often.  What are they tossing? Wrappers, popsicle sticks from ice cream bars, soda cans, a plethora of junk from their daily stops at ice cream trucks who sell junk to these kids (another issue, another article).

As I drive along various communities in Ventura County, I often notice a striking difference between the streets of Oxnard, Camarillo, Ventura, Thousand Oaks, etc.  The streets of Camarillo and the other cities are clean.  I can go miles and not see litter, which amazes me.  I can’t go two houses in my neighborhood without seeing litter.

I just hope someday my little public relations campaign in my neighborhood will work, and the families will begin to understand how a well maintained home, street and neighborhood might maintain and perhaps, increase property values.  How the hundreds of cars which drive-by my street and their occupants might think, wow! what a nice neighborhood and consider living here.

I also think of some law enforcement and city codes which do not tolerate broken down cars on their lawns, broken windows and make sincere efforts to clean up graffiti (kudos to the City of Oxnard on the latter- there is a consistent effort to paint over graffiti).  I suppose the thinking goes, broken down cars, graffiti, etc, beget problems and decreased property values.  In these difficult economic times I realize cities are financially strapped.  But I hope the City of Oxnard, local school, responsible adults collaborate to make an effort to clean-up and maintain the streets of Oxnard.

Perhaps the City of Oxnard will hire kids to walk the streets to clean up gutters and sidewalks.  Maybe elementary and secondary school can implement a little environmental science into the curriculum.  Perhaps parents will teach their kids not to toss their litter on sidewalks which, with a good dust of wind, will end up on my well-manicured lawn.

In February 2009, policy-makers with California’s Franchise Tax Board (FTB) issued new guidelines to be implemented at the start of January 1, 2010 requiring Property Management firms to withhold a certain percentage of rent collected by them on behalf of their clients. This policy only concerns residential property owners with properties in California, but whose owners live outside of California.  Refer to the FTB for exemptions and waivers.

The new policy states property management companies now have the burden of informing their out-of-state clients as to this new initiative and are responsible for a quarterly accounting , withholding and submissions of such funds to the FTB.  Granted, California current fiscal woes and budgetary problems are a mess.  Currently, there is an approximate 20 billion dollar budget deficit in California and policy-makers are scrambling to close the gap. Unfortunately, this new policy seems to place an unusually high burden on property management companies to collect and submit these funds.  By placing the tax collection responsibilities on property management companies, the FTB may unwittingly be jeopardizing the relationship between property management companies and their clients, respectively.

At Esquire Property Management in Ventura County, we are already experiencing concerns and skepticism by our client base over this new policy. The new policy states we are responsible for withholding seven percent of rental income and submitting those funds quarterly to the FTB.  This policy places a huge tax collection burden on property management firms and have already caused many residential income property owners who live out of state, to drop their property management companies in order to avoid the fees we charge to manage properties coupled with the additional 7%  to the FTB.  The mind set of these property owners seems to be, “why should we continue to pay for your services along with the additional seven percent quarterly to the FTB, when I can manage the property myself and deal with the tax consequences in my own, creative way?”

We certainly understand the FTB has a right to collect taxes on these income properties.  Unfortunately, by placing the collection burden on property management firms throughout California, the FTB is jeopardizing the relationship between property management companies and their clients. In the third week of the implementation of this new policy, we have already seen a significant decline of our out-of-state clientele.  Additionally, this new policy has highly increased the amount of work, accounting, and costs associated with submitting the necessary documentation to implement these new measures.

In summary, we again certainly understand California’s right to collect taxes on these properties.  Unfortunately, by placing the burden of these collections squarely on the shoulders of firms such as ours, some of our clients now perceive us not necessary as managers of their properties with their best interests in mind, but simply, perhaps, as tax collectors.

 In Thorman’s article How Are Property Managers Using Technology, he surveys property management companies regarding their use of email statements, e-maintenance requests, e-payments, use of property management software, integrated accounting, lead tracking electronically, and posting on craigslist.

 Esquire uses technology in all aspects of our property management business.  We market the benefits and services of our company on websites including, but not limited to craigslist, Google Base, Yahoo Local and our website esqpm.com.   We post active listings on the aforementioned sites and also incorporate the use of Google to consistently rank high on organic searches in order to further develop our business outreach and marketing efforts.

 Once prospective tenants register on our website, they can request an appointment to preview the units on our online scheduler.  If our prospects want to proceed, we offer free application processing if they register on our website.  We thoroughly search prospective tenants for credit status and criminal history.   After our review process, if they are approved, clients can then place a holding deposit online with an ACH or credit card e-payment.  We also utilize Docusign electronic signature capabilities so new tenants don’t need to drive to our office to sign their lease or to pay their rent.

 We utilize powerful property management software which integrates online payments with our accounting software.  The property management software also allows us to utilize e-maintenance requests and online work orders. We can also send owner draws electronically and email monthly statements.

 Esquire Property Management Company in Camarillo uses an intranet system called Backpack by 37 signals.  Backpack is a small business information management and intranet system which allows us to track team projects efficiently.

 Finally, we also use social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Yelp.  By incorporating all these tools of technology, we at Esquire Property Management in Camarillo are confident we are incorporating all of our personal and technological capabilities to ensure we are creatively and consistently seeking new business relationships and providing much need services to our property owners and tenants.

 By R.S. Rodriguez

With the advent and boom of mega-stores along Oxnard’s border fringes, stores such as Wal-Mart, Home Depot and Best Buy thrive while the historic and continual struggle of Downtown businesses seems evident. The recent plastic surgery of Plaza Park, with Oxnard political and business leaders tentatively holding scalpels, seems to be another ill-fated attempt to stimulate retail activity in Downtown Oxnard. Granted, this mean-spirited recession has not helped. Yet it seems as though the only businesses which are doing well in the newly conceived Plaza Park area are the mega chains (Subway, Starbucks and Cold Stone Ice Cream shareholders thank you, Oxnard).  The independent businessperson, however, seems to be on the cusp of having to shut their doors.

I’m not a supporter of Sara Palin, yet I will borrow a slogan she often used during her last campaign. The city seems to have once again placed “lipstick on a pig” when it comes to recent changes in Plaza Park.  I will not delve into the many attempts over the decades to solve the problems of Downtown businesses- let’s just say there have been many ill-faded, short-sighted attempts and there have been many a-pig with lipstick roaming around the area for decades! The bovine is still slogging about at Plaza Park.

While strolling through the area, one cannot help but notice the quick failures of some business within the “Downtown Theater District” (already!). Notably, the Peruvian-Thai and Escobar restaurants have folded within a months of opening.  The 5^th Street Steakhouse seems to periodically have activity in the bar area, but I cannot recall the last time I saw many people actually eating in the restaurant.  The anchor of this facelift, of course, was the new mega-theater complex in Downtown, which I understand has only survived due to The City of Oxnard’s subsidies of theater to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars. In the age of the internet, DVDs, Hollywood and Blockbuster stores, was a mega theater complex viable in an era with high tech flat screen televisions? (Personally, I would much rather watch a film at home than in a theater complex listening to someone nearby slurp the last vestiges of liquid from their soda pops out via their straw.   I’ve noticed many teenagers patronizing the theater, who have a tolerance for such noises, but not a lot of adults, who have the financial wherewithal to stay after a movie and potentially enjoy the Plaza Park environment. But alas, this does not seem to be happening).

Rather than invest and subsidize the new mega theater complex, perhaps a refurbished old Vogue theater would have been a better investment and would have been aesthetically more pleasing.

Downtown, especially the Plaza Park and along “A” Street, often looks like an abandoned ghost town once City of Oxnard employees leave the area after putting in their eight hours of work.

One would have hoped when taking into consideration all of the historic struggles in recent decades of Downtown that our leaders would have stepped back and taken a grander view of that independent-business-locale quagmire. They did not.  I can envision in ten years the mega theater building being converted into a “Swap Meet”, which is now the unfortunately fate of the once architecturally significant Vogue Theater.

If one were to stand in the middle of Plaza Park and look south, one sees “Plaza Laundry” and its’ eye-sore of a building taking up about half a block of the southern border of the plaza.  Looking northward, one is uninspired by the architecturally insignificant boxed concrete rectangle which houses Social Security Administrative offices, swallowing up most of the northern border of Plaza Park. To the east, of course, we find the Theater Complex and its adjoining retail chains and struggling eateries. Taken together, one is not swept off one’s feet and inspired to spend a lot of time in Plaza Park.  As Gertrude Stein once wrote about another place, “There’s no there, there.”

Granted, financing could have been at issue, but just imagine if the developers who built the hundreds of new homes, condos, townhouses and who dredged the new canals east of Oxnard Shores had worked with city and business leaders to develop a clear, well-thought-out vision on how to connect Oxnard Shores and other beach communities with Downtown Oxnard. Since these meetings probably did not happen, I’ll hereby contribute my vision on how to connect the beach communities with downtown.

Imagine if our political and business leaders had lobbied those developers to build a fishing pier at the end of 5^th Street. Said pier could have been used for fishing, for taking a stroll at sunset and could have been anchored by restaurants and shops just as beautiful as those at Huntington and Redondo Beaches in Orange County (it might have been necessary to buy out the owner of the Shores Mobile Home Park, thus freeing up lots of space along Fifth Street at the beach).

How to connect the Fifth Street Pier to Downtown? Free trolley rides!

We have fabulous weather in Oxnard. Consider open-aired double-decker trolley (think London) buses taking people from the Fifth Street Pier, continuing east with views of the Topa-Topa Mountain range as one scuttles about at 15 miles per hour. Looking northward, those views would not be blocked, as Fifth between Harbor and Victoria on the both  sides are agricultural fields, thereby giving pristine, unencumbered views of those grand mountains.

Now take the trolley all the way to a new, revamped Plaza Arts Park (with emphasis on the arts). Imagine if the blight currently bordering Plaza Park was razed with the park itself becoming a true loop. The Soviet-era-like Social Security building would be razed, as would all of the other insignificant building surrounding the park.

This now circular park would be bordered with architecturally pleasing-to-the-eye structures similar to those imported into Heritage Square. The park would now be surrounded by refurbished Victorians with many housing art galleries and other shops intended to bring people from all over into the new Plaza Arts Park. (The current configuration is simply not conducive to enjoying the park. One is not inspired to spend time at the park, peering south at Plaza Park Landry). The anchor of the new Plaza Arts Park would be The Carnegie Art Museum, one of the few significant buildings left standing in downtown Oxnard (perhaps suggesting Carnegie reconfigure its’ stairway allowing access via the Plaza Arts Park, and not from C Street). The lower floors of these refurbished historic homes could house art galleries and specialty shop and the top floors could be rented out as living spaces so that those living at Plaza Art Park provide a sense of community.

Once consumers left the park area after hopefully spending many hours shopping and strolling about, they could hypothetically stop at predetermined stops along the Fifth Street Corridor.  Perhaps stops could be made on Fifth Street by the Historic District, allowing people to walk up and down F and G Streets to admire those historic homes. Another stop could be made at the old Oxnard High School. Consider the current name of  the old high school location, Campus Park.  Certainly an open space is an improvement over the old abandoned educational buildings. Yet Campus Park doesn’t inspire. Imagine, if you will, if that space was use for the Oxnard or Channel Islands Botanical Gardens or Japanese Gardens, or a combination thereof.  People would come from all over to stroll and enjoy a well-maintained botanical garden: a splendid reason to hop off the trolley.

Continuing on Fifth westward, along the Oxnard Airport, perhaps one or two of the giant warehouses could be converted  to house the new Oxnard Aeronautical Museum with the Oxnard Farm Museum next door. The trolleys would stop at those designations, as well. All of Fifth Street could become a viable commercial, retail and residential hub with vision (and with a pier on one end and a beautiful park at the other, surrounded by the splendor of Victorians).

Fifth Street would need to be cleaned up, of course. The housing complex across from the old OHS could be improved upon by planting many more trees along its sidewalk. Dozens of new lovely palm trees have been planted along Fifth just east of Harbor-perhaps more palm trees could be planted all the way to H Street along the center divide.

(In an earlier post, I proposed western Ventura County incorporate a 49 Mile Scenic Drive route similar to San Francisco’s. The new Fifth Street Pier of course, would be part of the route).

The Fifth Street Corridor might become a hip place to visit.  Such an improved Fifth Street might inspire wineries and other businesses to setup shop.

Vision, grand vision, is what Downtown Oxnard needs from its’ leadership. Historically, that vision and leadership has lacked in Oxnard and the trend seems to continue.  Imagine how beautiful the Plaza Arts Park would be if surrounded by Victorians.  A jazz club or two opened at night to attract people to the Plaza Arts Park.  Perhaps structures important to the city’s history could be refurbished and brought in- buildings like the historically and architecturally significant Pettit Farm House. Oh darn! My bad, The City of Oxnard gave permission to our fire department to burn it down to ashes for fire fighting training a few months back.

Such is Oxnard.

Okay, it’s already ten days into December, and you haven’t done any Christmas shopping?  Is it because you’ve lived in Ventura County for so long that you’re overwhelmed with all the options here? Or perhaps you are new to the area and don’t know where to even begin to shop.  Well, let’s narrow it down and open up some possibilities.

The most obvious places to go would be the malls and shopping plazas if you can manage the crowds.  There’s the Pacific View Mall for you Ventura locals, The Oaks Mall in Thousand Oaks, the Camarillo Premium Outlets if you’re looking for quality at a deal, and the Market Place off the 101 in Oxnard at Rose Avenue.

But if you fancy gifts which reflect the essence of Ventura County or of a more specific nature, try one of the many specialty boutiques like The Wine Closet in Old Town Camarillo, or bike shops in Ventura for that bicycle enthusiast, a cigar/smoke shop for your tobacco connoisseur, or one of the surf shops along Thompson Blvd. for the friend who likes to catch the biggest wave.  If you have a relative that needs a bit of pampering, try a gift certificate for a day at one of our fabulous spas.  And for the health nut, there’s a great little organic and health food shop on Main Street downtown.

This brings me to managing the shopping experience.  The Ventura area has several places to go if you want to get something out of the shopping day for yourself.  First, there’s downtown Ventura on Main Street, where you can spend the day strolling up and down the Santa Barbara State Street-like sidewalks, discovering the nooks and crannies of our local retail entrepreneurs.  While you’re buying gifts for your loved ones and little happy’s for your co-workers, you can take in a movie at the cinema, a cup of coffee from several cafes and coffee shops, lunch at your choice of the various restaurants, or just the breath-taking view up on the hill above the main strip.  You can even take a walk over the 101 bridge down to the beach and do some shopping while you’re at the Promenade.

Then, if you travel up into the mountains, you can enjoy a day cruising through the many artists’ studios in Ojai.  What a fabulous place to pick up that unique gift that’s only from the Ventura area!

If the twists and turns of Topa mountain roads don’t agree with you, then visit the other part of heaven- Ventura Harbor Village.  Here, you can find a few specialty shops while absorbing the marine life of boats pulling in to dock.  Why not try on dozens of hats at the hat shop, and then rent a paddle boat for an hour before ending the day with a yummy hand-scooped ice cream cone.  Oh, and don’t forget to get a few Christmas gifts!

After all that running around Camarillo, Ventura and Oxnard, it’s time to do some at-home Christmas shopping.  No, I don’t mean online shopping; although, that is a smart way to comparison shop before you go out to the mall.  What I’m referring to is making gifts from the kitchen.  Nothing is easier, cheaper, and more personable than to give a hand-made gift to your boss or teacher.  You can find a plethora of gift recipes on the internet, and I’ve provided my favorite one here, as well.  A craft store like Michael’s in Ventura or Camarillo will have any kind of container and ribbon you need; even the 99 Cent Store in Oxnard and downtown Camarillo will have a few.  Make a list of ingredients; then order them from Von’s, and have them delivered to your door for a very small fee.  Set up an assembly line in your kitchen, line up your workers (kids), and before you know it, you’ve got a dozen wrapped gifts that are unique and delicious!

As a relatively new resident renting in the City of Ventura, I don’t have a huge knowledge of all the treasured shopping places in Ventura County, myself. Let me know of any other must-shop sites in our county!

Reindeer Food

Make a big batch of this sweet, crunchy snack, and package it in several little canisters or jars, tied with a bow.

1 package (6 oz, 1 cup) semi-sweet chocolate chips

¼ cup peanut butter

½ cup peanuts (optional)

6 cups rice Chex or Crispix

1 cup powdered sugar

In large bowl, melt chocolate in microwave on HIGH for 1 minute.  Stir and heat an additional 30 seconds on HIGH or until melted.  Stir in peanut butter and peanuts.  Gently stir cereal into chocolate-peanut butter mixture, until well coated.

1. Place powdered sugar in 2-gallon storage bag.  Add coated cereal to sugar and close bag.  Gently toss cereal mixture until well coated.  Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

Yields 8 cups