According to the Ventura County Star, Juanita Guzman has resigned from her position as city treasurer for the City of Port Hueneme. Guzman now joins the ever-growing list of individuals who have resigned in the past year.....City Manager Cynthia Haas, Finance Director Robert Bravo. All of the resignations come following an investigation by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the subsequent findings of improprieties.
While the resignations are a good start, my question would be what is the degree of culpability that the individuals mentioned above have in the financial mess faced by the City......was there some degree of cronyism? Was there something inappropriate going on? I am certain as time marches on, the truths in the matter will manifest themselves......if a criminal investigation takes place, it is amazing the powers that a Grand Jury has in fact-finding.
More importantly, how did we get here in the first place? While I have not researched the pedigree of the individuals involved, it begs the question of their respective background in budget and finance......have they ever had the same degree of accountability that is held to those of us who work in the private sector, or are they career bureaucrats who have the same sense of entitlement to spend our tax dollars as the politicians in Washington?
As we see a rising tide of change in the forthcoming Presidential election, the wave must also continue to the state and local levels.....the status quo have gotten us into this mess, and it is time for the people to take the reigns of government back into their own hands..... Considering how much tax revenue is taken in by the City, hard choices need to be made by bold individuals who are willing to make sacrifices.
I seriously think I should run for public office here......
Wednesday, November 4, 2015
Friday, October 16, 2015
The day I met Bella Rose
OK, I know this is supposed to be a business blog, but I've been telling Christa for some time that I needed to write about the day I met my granddaughter Bella Rose......so here goes!
It was a hot August day.....really hot. Being the smart guy that I am, I chose to drive my old Toyota pickup named Uncle Chuy to the office (why I did this on this day, I am still not certain....considering I knew it was going to be hot and Uncle Chuy had no air conditioning). I knew it was going to be a hot day when I crested the grade into the San Fernando Valley and felt the wave of heat hit.....I was glad I chose to wear a tie at this point, as I was going to be driving home in an old pickup with no air conditioning.......
Meanwhile, Christa and I had been on edge for a few weeks prior, awaiting the arrival of our granddaughter. Heather, our daughter, had made some poor choices, and was incarcerated while pregnant with Bella. The decision was obvious that Bella would be coming home to live with us in our small condo (1 bedroom 1 bathroom) until her mother was released and got her life back on track. We knew it would be cramped, but also a small sacrifice.
So, back to my day at the office.....I was working on a development program with one of my mentors, Deacon Gary, and I had advised him that I may be called to go at a moment's notice to get my granddaughter from the hospital. While in the middle of a nice debate over something technical on a program, Christa called and told me it was time.......
Going backwards a bit, I had never been involved in raising babies, and had only held one baby in my entire life (my niece Autumn Rose). I had never fed a baby, changed a diaper on a baby, burped a baby, placed a baby in a car seat, rocked a baby to sleep, or pretty much anything that would be required of me as a parent of a baby.......I kind of felt like a football player who was sitting on the bench, and finally got the call from the coach to get into the game. Ready or not, get in there and make it happen. The difference was the stakes were now the highest, as Bella Rose depended on Christa and myself for everything......
Christa picked me up at my office in her Kia....she had the baby seat in her car, and it had a really nice air conditioner (it was 10am, and already around 95 degrees....I was really glad I wore a tie and long sleeves now, I tell you!). We made the trek down to County USC in Downtown Los Angeles.....Now for those of you who are not familiar with it, the hospital is in an area called Boyle Heights. Let me just say it is one of the most "interesting" parts of town....I am glad the car had door locks!
We arrived at this massive and beautiful medical center, and the parking was awful as it it is in most metropolitan medical centers......but we got really lucky and found a spot right near the footbridge from the structure to the medical center. Car parked, we started walking in.......I noticed people were looking at me kind of funny, and at that moment I realized I was wearing a cardinal shirt, and a gold tie......I completely looked the part of a Trojan! So, back to the massive medical center......a place that big is hard to get around in, namely because it is easy to get lost.....I'm not sure how far Christa and I walked, but it seemed like forever until we finally found the nursery.
We walked in and were greeted by Nurse Cheryl, a charming older black woman who was nearing retirement. She took us over and introduced us to Bella Rose, who was sleeping at the moment. We let Bella sleep, and Nurse Cheryl took us down to get the paperwork and all that jazz, so we could take Bella home. We asked what Nurse Cheryl was planning to do when she retired, and she told us, "Maybe hit a jazz club or two, walk the streets, have some wine." We feel in love with her instantly!
So we get back to the nursery, and Nurse Cheryl was telling Christa about the formula Bella was eating and all that jazz.....I snuck into the other room where my granddaughter was sleeping still. I peeked under the cover-thingie just to see her, touch her hand, and so forth. Christa and Nurse Cheryl came in, and told me it was time to feed Bella. They scooped her up, gave her a bottle, and she ate.....to say Christa was a proud grandma would be an understatement.
Now, keep in mind, I had only held one baby in my life.....somehow I mustered the courage to ask to hold my granddaughter. I remember my voice cracked and my throat was dry, and even remembering the well of emotions at that moment now makes me a little emotional.....powerful stuff, man......Christa handed Bella to me, and it was my turn to feed her. I remember she was very warm, and very tiny......about the size of a football. She and Nurse Cheryl were gathering up a few things, and then it would be time for us to go....in the meantime, I had some alone time with my granddaughter.
Generally speaking, I am never at a loss for words (as I suspect you already understood with my blogging skills), but I was not quite sure what to say to Bella. After all, this was her 3rd day on Earth, and I am sure she has met several people, but being her grandfather, I had to make sure she knew I was going to be with her for the rest of her life. So, I said to Bella, "Hello little one. My name is James, and I am your grandfather. I am married to your grandmother Christa, and you are going to come home and live with us. I work in aerospace and am a college student at CSU Channel Islands. I love you Bella Rose."
We loaded up Bella Rose in her car seat (she was so tiny at the time we had to kind of pad her in place with blankets and stuff), and then headed back to Ventura County.....I never drove so carefully in my life.
It was a hot August day.....really hot. Being the smart guy that I am, I chose to drive my old Toyota pickup named Uncle Chuy to the office (why I did this on this day, I am still not certain....considering I knew it was going to be hot and Uncle Chuy had no air conditioning). I knew it was going to be a hot day when I crested the grade into the San Fernando Valley and felt the wave of heat hit.....I was glad I chose to wear a tie at this point, as I was going to be driving home in an old pickup with no air conditioning.......
Meanwhile, Christa and I had been on edge for a few weeks prior, awaiting the arrival of our granddaughter. Heather, our daughter, had made some poor choices, and was incarcerated while pregnant with Bella. The decision was obvious that Bella would be coming home to live with us in our small condo (1 bedroom 1 bathroom) until her mother was released and got her life back on track. We knew it would be cramped, but also a small sacrifice.
So, back to my day at the office.....I was working on a development program with one of my mentors, Deacon Gary, and I had advised him that I may be called to go at a moment's notice to get my granddaughter from the hospital. While in the middle of a nice debate over something technical on a program, Christa called and told me it was time.......
Going backwards a bit, I had never been involved in raising babies, and had only held one baby in my entire life (my niece Autumn Rose). I had never fed a baby, changed a diaper on a baby, burped a baby, placed a baby in a car seat, rocked a baby to sleep, or pretty much anything that would be required of me as a parent of a baby.......I kind of felt like a football player who was sitting on the bench, and finally got the call from the coach to get into the game. Ready or not, get in there and make it happen. The difference was the stakes were now the highest, as Bella Rose depended on Christa and myself for everything......
Christa picked me up at my office in her Kia....she had the baby seat in her car, and it had a really nice air conditioner (it was 10am, and already around 95 degrees....I was really glad I wore a tie and long sleeves now, I tell you!). We made the trek down to County USC in Downtown Los Angeles.....Now for those of you who are not familiar with it, the hospital is in an area called Boyle Heights. Let me just say it is one of the most "interesting" parts of town....I am glad the car had door locks!
We arrived at this massive and beautiful medical center, and the parking was awful as it it is in most metropolitan medical centers......but we got really lucky and found a spot right near the footbridge from the structure to the medical center. Car parked, we started walking in.......I noticed people were looking at me kind of funny, and at that moment I realized I was wearing a cardinal shirt, and a gold tie......I completely looked the part of a Trojan! So, back to the massive medical center......a place that big is hard to get around in, namely because it is easy to get lost.....I'm not sure how far Christa and I walked, but it seemed like forever until we finally found the nursery.
We walked in and were greeted by Nurse Cheryl, a charming older black woman who was nearing retirement. She took us over and introduced us to Bella Rose, who was sleeping at the moment. We let Bella sleep, and Nurse Cheryl took us down to get the paperwork and all that jazz, so we could take Bella home. We asked what Nurse Cheryl was planning to do when she retired, and she told us, "Maybe hit a jazz club or two, walk the streets, have some wine." We feel in love with her instantly!
So we get back to the nursery, and Nurse Cheryl was telling Christa about the formula Bella was eating and all that jazz.....I snuck into the other room where my granddaughter was sleeping still. I peeked under the cover-thingie just to see her, touch her hand, and so forth. Christa and Nurse Cheryl came in, and told me it was time to feed Bella. They scooped her up, gave her a bottle, and she ate.....to say Christa was a proud grandma would be an understatement.
Now, keep in mind, I had only held one baby in my life.....somehow I mustered the courage to ask to hold my granddaughter. I remember my voice cracked and my throat was dry, and even remembering the well of emotions at that moment now makes me a little emotional.....powerful stuff, man......Christa handed Bella to me, and it was my turn to feed her. I remember she was very warm, and very tiny......about the size of a football. She and Nurse Cheryl were gathering up a few things, and then it would be time for us to go....in the meantime, I had some alone time with my granddaughter.
Generally speaking, I am never at a loss for words (as I suspect you already understood with my blogging skills), but I was not quite sure what to say to Bella. After all, this was her 3rd day on Earth, and I am sure she has met several people, but being her grandfather, I had to make sure she knew I was going to be with her for the rest of her life. So, I said to Bella, "Hello little one. My name is James, and I am your grandfather. I am married to your grandmother Christa, and you are going to come home and live with us. I work in aerospace and am a college student at CSU Channel Islands. I love you Bella Rose."
We loaded up Bella Rose in her car seat (she was so tiny at the time we had to kind of pad her in place with blankets and stuff), and then headed back to Ventura County.....I never drove so carefully in my life.
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