Letters to the editor: Happy 'art' was kept out of election; columnist can't do math
Keeping artwork out of election
I do not know whether it is the Board of Supervisors who deserve the thanks or our Registrar of Voters Michelle Ascension.
Regardless of who is responsible, it is immensely satisfying that the walls of the Government Administration building were bare during the recent 2024 primary election. No political artwork was on display. This is not true of previous election cycles.
Under Mark Lunn, Ms. Ascension’s predecessor, and a different Board of Supervisors, the Government Center walls leading to the staircase and elevators that take a voter to the Elections Division displayed offensive and inflammatory politically themed artwork. The display was timed to coincide with early voting.
In 2018, the artwork included incendiary images of children in cages and a portrait of “Hillary Clinton on her first day in the Oval Office.” That portrait was hung on the most trafficked corner within the building leading to elevators and a staircase down to the Elections Division.
The art was chosen from a juried competition with cash prizes. The dual art exhibits were called “Still At War” and “Chaos & Order.” Remember, this was 2018 when President Donald Trump was in the White House.
In 2020, the building walls were closed to the public because of the now-disproved narrative about a so-called COVID-19 pandemic.
That was a tyranny of government actors doing the bidding of Governor Newsom in exchange for money. Newsom had officially announced that only counties which compelled compliance with his dictates would qualify for funds.
Fast forward to November 2022, Mark Lunn’s final election before retiring, and the artwork on the walls celebrated Black Lives Matter, Antifa, the LGBTQ agenda, and a host of other social constructs that sow dissent, division, and discord.
Gratefully, the walls during the recent election were “art-free.” Thank you.
Deborah “Deb” Baber, Port Hueneme
Walters can’t do basic math
Re: Dan Walters’ March 28 column, “Dark side of liberal government”:
On March 28, Mr. Walters propagated the gibberish that the inexplicable margin between the average price of gas in California and the rest of the country is due to what he claims to be the high cost of doing business in California.
He is clearly ignorant of the windfall profits that the state’s refiners have earned this past year. Consumer Watchdog tallied up these profits and determined that they add $1.01 to each gallon of gas sold in California.
Walters’ abject ignorance of business headlines and the most basic facts about the major determinants of fuel prices disqualify him from commenting on matters of money. The same ignorance distinguishes Walters as a third-rate partisan hack.
The column is the singular blemish that makes those of us who love the country wary of navigating to The Star’s site.
Payam Minoofar, Ventura
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Letters: Happy 'art' was kept out of election; columnist can't do math
