Imperial Valley press., 1944-11-21
Quate engineering study.
WANT CIVIC CENTER

/ a site &c be determined by an ade-
+ quate engineering study
+ WANT CIVIC CENTER
In the same conclusion. a COM
miitee is at work on plans for A
civic center to include a city hall
with a bowl" or auditorium, the
I latter pos IDLY to be erected as a
veterans memorial.
! Beyond this a study is being made
of the possible improvements of
streets and alleys.
On the other side of the picture.
tourist trade, plans are under way
/ to improve all beaches and to make
/ them more Serviceable and more
attractive to increasing numbers of
/ pleasure-seekerS.
Moreover. definite steps have been
taken to provide fer new and en-
larged bus depot facilities. A new
site already has been acquired by
the city council This is the most
definite step taken up to this time
/ by the Ventura postwar planning
bodies, and perhaps indicates that
the postwar emphasis will be on a
/ resumption of tourist trade as
constant source of new money in
the community.
That Ventura hopes to expand.
however. into the field of staple
commerce is indicated by the fact
that it is canvassing the possibility
of becoming an integral part of the
POSTWAR worlds mammoth airline
system.
Mrs. Hafner said that although it
has been impossible to make specific
, plans at this time. Ventura.s plan
! ming bodies are in close correspond
ence with air lines and govern
mental agencies. and will seize its
best opportunity to ACQUIRE an ade-
quate airport and obtain regular air
service.
FINANCIAL PROBLEM
What this means is that at the
present time Ventura has BEEN un-
| able to &c much beyond the idea of
! reSuming. after the war; where ii
! left off at the beginning of the war.
! and making the most of its Wonted
resources. That it is temporarilv
sub iect to this limitation. however.
clearly is due to the financial prob
! lem with which it is faced. What it
| has elected to do. in this SituatiCn.
! according TO Mrs. Hafner, is first to
discover how much new money II
can raise. and then to devise pro-
cram which it will have the money
to finance. Already it has embarked
| on the former prOpram.
/ It's first thought in connection
with the monev-raiSing problem
! MIS-. Hafner said has been suggest
ed by the traditionallv bad condi-
ton of traffic on Ventura'S streets
Under consideration, therefore. is
the installation of parking meters
which would help to clarity the
traffic mnddle and raise funds ~
the same time Moreover, this would
be q permanent source of revenue
The planning bodies also believp
that there is considerable addition
al permanent revenue to be deriVed
from o general revision inward OF
the business license law. After study
and compal i on. they are convinced
| that the license fees charged for
doing business in Ventura net only
are unusually low, but that they are
too low, and that equity alone calls
for incrpas 6 in those fees.
SCAN HIGHER FEES
The plannino bodies also bell ve
that a small fee may be CHARGED
for garbage collection. and that the
CITY watfr rates nav be increased
without sinister effect.
Mainly. however Venture Is hon.
| ing for a restoration of the : per
/ cent state sales tax with its rebate
| of one half of per cent to the
cities. It is adding its voice TO that
| of many other cities which are
! clamorinp for the restoration Ct the
| 3 Pr cent tax.
| As compared with San BernAr-
! diro. which is soliciting no outside
! aid Whatsoey T.. Ven,uras financial
| position obviously i weak. It is also
week in respect to ite heavy reli9ncf
en- public works construction which
offers only temporary payrolls, and
which actually narroWs rather than
WiderS the tax base. 1t is also weak
in reliance on fuch comparatively
puny sources of permanent revenue
as parking meters and garbage col
lection taxes. and in its failure 10
date to plan for some industrial de-
elCpment to provide substantial
permanent payrolls.
Actually Ventura'S StrongCst point
is its beach improvement and new
bus terminal program together with
its other plans for reSuming and
nvrandin" tourist trade.
INDUSTRY MOVES IN
Industry has ccme to California.
and ii has come to stay. There may
be as much gayety as before but il
will appear against an Increasingly
larger background CT wOrk-a- day
world. In Los Angeles today. for eX-
ample, what one is most consc cious
of Is an atmosphere freighted with
smoke and fumes that aiflict the
eyes, ears. nose and throat to an
alarming degree. The condition is so
bad that il is unthinkable ii will be
toll rated in its present acute stage
for long, but it IS the signal that the
day when a large part of California
was a playground has gone. and for
ever.
1t may be, of course, that. with
the almost complete induct ralization
of the great cities, and with the es-
lsl -. e t,,1 f,.sn