Mall War Is Only Counterproductive

The “mall war� between Oxnard and Ventura is a counterproductive effort to retain sales tax revenues. This isn’t much different from “fiddling while Rome burns!� With a small fraction of the money being spent on legal fees, Oxnard could be moving ahead with an officially sponsored “Main Street Program,� like 1,200 other cities have done to rebuild their commercial districts with quality in mind. The city received such a proposal recently from the Ventura County Community Development Corp. that recommended formation of a nonprofit Main Street Management Corp. to undertake the citywide revitalization of the entire greater Oxnard, including nearby county areas, starting with a special “Mercado� for the downtown area.

The “Mercado Nuevo� concept could be turned into an international themed, full-time farmers’ market and entertainment center that would attract shoppers and tourists, earning valuable sales tax for the city and revenues for local businesses. The themes could include design qualities that would enhance filmmaking opportunities in the downtown areas done by film-lot designers from the movie production companies. This would give Oxnard “a movie lot personality� that would include some celebrities once in awhile, adding spice to the town.

The “Main Street� proposal included a phase for improving The Esplanade too. By adding quality to the city, shoppers will come here from other places and the retail stores won’t think of moving away. It’s all about staying competitive and drawing the customers into the stores. Bringing lawsuits isn’t the same as bringing the customer to the store, and that’s “Job One� in the retail business!

GILBERT G. BEEZLEY

President, Ventura County

Community Development Corp.

Oxnard