Good People,
Writing to let you know that I have been selected as a member of the General Plan Advisory Committee for the City of Ventura. I applied because giving input into the cities General Plan means I can address a confluence of issues that are of great importance to me and to the times we are living in and through.
The advisory committee is gathered to provide insights to the General Plan project team to better understand sensitive community needs and also to encourage people to engage with the general plan process. It is an advisory body that does get to make recommendations to the City Council as they update the General Plan.
I wanted to be part of the committee because it is a place that so many of my own and our congregation’s justice concerns intersect. I hope that I can advocate for services for our homeless neighbors and for truly affordable housing for people of all income levels. I hope that the plan can begin to address the continuing effects of age-old and recent ‘red-lining’ housing practices.
This General Plan looks 10 years ahead, and I am highly aware that this is a critical decade for us all to address the effects of climate change that will continue to unfold for the next 20, 30, 40 years and more. Transforming our city into a place that is environmentally sustainable community will mean reducing cars, increasing walkability, increasing bike-ability, and creating efficient and useful public transportation,
I see this work also as an intersection of own sense of urgency as a citizen and resident of Ventura and also for bringing Unitarian Universalist values to the public square. The people who chose the GPAC said that among the reasons I was chosen is that I can be a connection to the faith community.
So, this is both a personal and a professional endeavor for me. I am also choosing to work from within the civic structures and institutions as a member of the community who can have personal input and impact as a member of the clergy in the city.
I encourage all to be involved in this process. I’ll let you know when there are forums where you can bring your input. And please share with me your ideas about the directions Ventura can and should grow into.
I know there are plenty of members who are not residents of the city of Ventura. Yet I am inspired by you all in taking this role. Our communities are all different and all connected.
My dream is to live in a community of many diversities – of race, ethnicity, economics, age, family composition – that is sustainable and contributes to human and environmental flourishing.
May it be so.
With love and hope,
Rev. Dana