Fluff on Whale Murals Not News

As hard as it may be to believe, there are a lot of people who look to local journalists to keep them abreast of matters that affect their lives. If The Times can’t do any better than asking for thoughts on issues like the whale wall, we’re all in trouble.

Budget-balancing efforts by state and federal legislatures are forcing local governing bodies to provide their public services with less revenue. Disbanding superfluous agencies may seem like a brilliant idea, but taxpayers have to bear in mind the importance each agency may have in the grand scheme of public service and whether eliminating one will increase their local government’s funding or simply leave them with a little money that will be taxed away at a later date.

It’s nice to have editorialists remind us about the $1.4 million the Moorpark Mosquito District has stockpiled over the years, but you have to consider that it, at least, was done under the guise of protecting the health of the county’s residents. On the other hand, the city of Ventura has “accumulated” in excess of 800 grand in taxpayer dollars that, by its own law, can be spent only on public art projects.

The issue here could be which function governing bodies should pursue with public funding: killing bugs that spread debilitating or fatal diseases or making a freeway offramp, bike path or parking structure more visually appealing. But it’s not.

The issue could be whales versus landward motifs or local artists versus those of the internationally renowned variety. But it’s not. The origin of one’s fame isn’t going to be a factor when the taggers stop by.

Realizing that the mosquito district and the public arts fund have both amassed their tidy sums “over the years” is the real issue. Having to tax ourselves to keep libraries open, repair decaying schools and fix our roads while civic leaders allow more money to be stuffed into the coffers of agencies that haven’t spent the funding they were provided last year is a travesty. A travesty that editorial staffs pass over for no-brainer, circulation-boosting fluff like whale murals.

BRUCE ROLAND

Ojai