come in, the water's fine

It's just a fact: news and features work for the most part (I don't write for National Geographic or the New York Times) is not as lucrative as corporate writing.  However, I have to say I truly enjoy keeping my "toe in the water" writing for the local paper. 

I like knowing what is going on in my local government.  It's not something many people (and until recently, that included me) know about -- but, we should.  You've heard the line "you should know where your tax dollars go," but after decades of ignoring this cliche, I find myself believing it.

Kool-aide drunk, resulting article follows...

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City budget decisions loom, time for you -- yes, you -- to get involved

By Rebecca Wicks

Ventura Breeze

March 7, 2013

It’s time. 

It’s time to think about what matters most to us as residents of the City of Ventura because city staff is starting to think about it.  And, what’s more soon enough the Ventura City Council will be making decisions about what will and will not funded this next fiscal year.  They will be making these decisions with or without your input, so I say, give them your input.

Here’s the skinny.  The fiscal year we are talking about goes from Jul. 1, 2013 through Jun. 30, 2014.  City staff will present their recommended budget on Apr. 22.  Then, throughout May and the first half of June, the council will take that budget and finagle it until everyone (okay, clearly not everyone) will be happy, having created a passable budget.  The final budget will be voted on Jun. 17.

Simple, right?  Not really.  As Ventura’s Chief Financial Officer Jay Panzica explained, we have essentially been stealing from Peter to give to Paul for the past couple of years and it’s catching up with us. 

When the economy headed south the city opted not to borrow money or take money from its reserve fund (which is slated for catastrophic events, e.g., an earthquake).  Instead, in order to pay for services councilmembers thought dire, it took money from internal department funds.  These departments include those that take care of other departments such as the technology group, which fixes and supports computers used throughout the city, the maintenance group that cares for  all of the city’s vehicles and the facilities group, which maintains city buildings.

According to Panzica these internal groups have been neglected for too many years now, and are in somewhat critical need of funding.  It is this point among others Panzica  has been working to illustrate to city council members who have been sitting through educational workshops run by Panzica.  The workshop meetings focus on outlining what has been done budget-wise for the past four to five years.

Oh, and another thing, there is a discrepancy between forecasted revenues and our past fiscal years budget.  This means, if the city were to change nothing in its existing budget we would still be $1.2 million short.  That doesn’t include funding those internal departments, which have been languishing the last 5 years.

All this means some serious decisions need to be made.

“The city council members are going to have to decide between a lot of important and conflicting priorities,” said Panzica. 

And, again it’s not always as simple as picking one or two priorities.  As Panzica points out, no one city service exists in a vacuum.

“You can’t just say we want more police and say forget everything else,” explained Panzica.  “The police department is supported by other departments in the city and can’t function alone.”

What can you do?  You can write a letter or email to councilmembers telling them what you want from your local government.  You can attend a Monday night city council meeting where there is time for the public to come forward.  Again, a crucial time period where council members will be actively hashing through what to spend money on will be between Apr. 22 and early June.

If you want to learn more about the city’s budget, there are a number of resources to tap, almost all of them online.  You can review what this year’s budget included by viewing the Budget Book documents online or you can peruse last year’s budget a lengthy document entitled Comprehensive Financial Annual Financial Report (CFAFR), which reads similar to a traditional company’s annual report.

The councilmembers have some tough decisions ahead of them.  I’m suggesting we give them some help.  They are, after all, suppose to be representing us.  If we don’t give them input on what we feel the priorities need to be, then we only have ourselves to blame.

Get found online

Creating Optimized Web Content for Search Engines

By Rebecca Wicks

Last week I had a conversation with a client about the ongoing need for new content on their Website. Before you think, she’s a writer, of course she’s going to say that, here me out.

Fact 1: Studies show 85 percent of all initial Website visits originate from search engines.

Fact 2: People tend to trust and prefer the organic or unpaid list that appears on a search engine result as opposed to the list of relevant advertisers that appear (normally to the right of the screen).

Problem: How do you appear and stay high on that merited “organic” search engine list?

Answer: Current relevant content.

The magic equation each search engine uses to determine the rank order Websites appear in is continually tweaked by the search engine companies. But one thing is for certain; the number of relevant key words and key word phrases plays a central role in all of them.

For example, if you enter the key word phrase “Purple boat rentals in San Francisco” a search engine will go through and find Websites with those exact words. The more the site has those key word phrases the higher it will be ranked – extra points for being in the exact same order.

SEO or Search Engine Optimization

The process of figuring out the best key word phrases to include in your Website and integrating them in it is called SEO or search engine optimization. Also, the more current the content the better. Search engines don’t want to send you to content that was put up 10 years ago as the probability of it being irrelevant is more likely – the company may have gone out of business, or the business may have changed.

Who does SEO or Search Engine Optimization Matter For?

If you’re Intel, you don’t really have a problem with getting found on the Internet. Search engine optimization is a marketing tactic most relevant for small to medium-sized businesses who are looking to come up high on Google, Yahoo or Bing searches.

random reading update

Just finished a couple of very different books with one thing in common: humor.

Bossypants by Tina Fey was a book club choice of a group I sometimes frequent. As expected it was funny but what I really enjoyed was the surprising feminist bent the book had.

Fey highlights many an oxymoron that exist regarding men and women when it comes to comedy. She also exposes some blatant sexism in the industry as it pertains to sometimes prevailing producer and director opinions, e.g., two women by themselves in a skit can't possibly be funny enough.

The second book I completed this week was Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain.

I hadn't read the book since high school or somewhere thereabouts.

I have to say, it was entertaining, but a number of elements of the book did bother me starting with the fact that the "N" word is used on just about every page. I understand book was written a long time ago, but still flinch a little when I hear or read the word.

As I said, the book is wildly entertaining, but the last handful of chapters started to irk me as these two boys (Huck and Tom) are literally making a game out of a grown man -- Jim's -- freedom. Working to make his escape as ostentatious as it can be for the pure fun of it.

I suppose the beauty of the book is the journey itself including the ongoing parade of characters met and lost along the river's shores.

fair faces

I was asked to do short "faces of the fair" piece. I met six great (and funny kids) today. It was refreshing after a handful of more serious pieces I've written lately.

Tyler, 16

Favorite thing at the fair: hanging out with friends

Favorite fair food: pizza

Favorite ride: doesn't go on them

Allison, 7

Favorite thing at the fair: the animals, all of them

Favorite fair food: dibs

Favorite ride: Yo-Yo swing ride

Kyle, 14

Favorite thing at the fair: pigs (especially his pig "Pedro")

Favorite fair food: spiral fries

Favorite ride: Mega Drop

Brooke, 3

Favorite thing at the fair: goats, "because they have beautiful fur"

Favorite fair food: donuts

Favorite ride: Dora swing ride

Lily, 9

Favorite thing at the fair: youth pavilion exhibit

Favorite fair food: ice cream

Favorite ride: ferris wheel

Steven, 10

Favorite thing at the fair: "everything"

Favorite fair food: candy

Favorite ride: Monkey Maze

changing lines

The fight over where congressional lines are drawn is not a new one, but always a battleground where politicians and special interest groups jockey for position.

Every local area has its own set of issues. Here is a snapshot of ours.

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Proposed congressional redistricting lines keep Ventura split; Change means 24^th District may be up for Democrats to grab

By Rebecca Wicks

Ventura Breeze

July 27, 2011

With another controversial proposed redistricting map presented, one thing seems sure to remain the same: Ventura will stay divided – between two congressional districts, that is. Heated debate has swirled around this year’s redistricting project which has proven to be a very involved and at times confusing process.

Currently, the majority of Venturans living along the coast and southwest of Main Street belong to District 23, which encompasses much of the greater coastal area through Santa Barbara just past Cambria. The congressional district is represented by Democrat Lois Capps. The rest of Ventura belongs to the 24^th District which includes most of Ventura County sans Oxnard.

The newly proposed districts would place more of Ventura into the 24^th District. The only remaining areas staying in Capps 23^rd District would be the Pierpont neighborhood north of Peninsula Street and most addresses southwest of Main Street but north of S. Evergreen Drive. The rest of Ventura from the Avenue through east Ventura would remain in or move to the 24^th Congressional District.

Mayor Bill Fulton who was hoping to see all of the city of Ventura unified within one congressional district was disappointed in the most recent iteration of the lines.

“I understand when you get to the nitty gritty you have to draw the line somewhere, but I don’t like the fact that even a small part of our city is broken up” said Fulton. “The truth of the matter is for things like receiving state and federal resources, it will be better for Ventura if all boundaries – congressional, state assembly and state senate – line up together along city lines.”

City Manager Rick Cole has a different view on the matter believing being separated into two congressional districts means little for Venturans.

“The city nor the city council operates on a partisan basis,” said Cole. “Both [congressional representatives] pay attention to us – in some cases it may even be better to have two representatives pay attention to us.”

Perhaps the biggest headline for those Venturans who will belong to the 24^th District is that their district will now be made up of a majority of Democrats. The 24^th District is currently represented by 13-term Republican Elton Gallegly. The district is currently 41 percent Republicans and 35 percent Democrats. With the proposed changes – which leave Simi Valley out of the district – the numbers are exactly opposite: 41 percent Democrats and 35 percent Republicans.

This possible change has a number of people speculating that 24^th District Congressional seat may be up for a Democrat to grab in the next election.

A handful of Democrats have been noted to have expressed interest in making a run for the seat that has remained firmly in Republican hands since 1993. Those who may be exploring the possibility of running in the upcoming election include former Ventura Mayor Richard Francis, Moorpark City Councilman David Pollock, Oxnard Harbor District Commissioner Mary Anne Rooney, Supervisor Steve Bennett of Ventura and Thousand Oaks businessman Tim Allison.

Gallegly has not publicly stated if he will run again however, continues to collect donations for his campaign account where he has amassed more than $800,000. Capps has stated she will run for reelection regardless of how redistricting lines fall.

Final redistricting lines are scheduled to be approved and adopted on July 28. This will leave new candidates approximately 10 months to gather enough steam – and cash – to attempt to topple Gallegly if he chooses to run again.

Cole who is following the process with interest is optimistic about what a change might mean for the city of Ventura.

“When one [political group] is dominate, local government can get taken for granted,” said Cole. “Competitive districts are good for local government at least at the assembly and state level.”

flashback

A piece I wrote awhile back just got picked up by Southern California Parenting Magazine.

Caught Mid-Stride in Life

By Rebecca Wicks

I am a child of the 70s. I wasn’t allowed to have a Barbie and was told repeatedly I could have any career I wanted. Later in the 80s I was surrounded by entertainment media that showed me how women could and should be in the work force. Sitcoms – The Cosby Show, Family Ties, etc. – featured mothers who had successful careers. My junior high school project which propelled me to state-level competition centered on women’s suffrage. I was a 14-year old acting out the likes of Susan B. Anthony and Betty Friedan. I was seemingly programmed from day-one to be a ball-busting, no-nonsense, all-out woman-in-charge.

I went to college. I went to grad school. By 27 I held a senior position at a global marketing firm where I had at times dozens of people reporting to me in multiple countries dealing with CEOs of companies like Starbucks, Jacuzzi, Visa and Amazon.com. Working with Europe and the east coast meant getting up early. Conference calls with Asia meant working late. Five minutes did not pass during waking hours without glancing at my Blackberry.

I was just finishing a whirlwind trip that took me to Dallas, New York, Orlando the Caribbean, back to Orlando and then to Portland all within two and a half weeks when I caught myself mid-stride in life. I was exhausted – and I wasn’t even 30. And, the kicker was: I wasn’t happy. I had achieved financial success. I had married a great guy. But I was tired and stressed and didn’t have a lot to show for it.

Flash forward 8 years.

I’m a stay-at-home mom – and, I love it. I work as a writer when I have time. I do news and feature pieces. I occasionally take on some corporate advertising copywriting and other projects.

What I truly enjoy is writing about is my family. I blog about my kids and our little adventures. I love dreaming up outings and other activities. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still a strong-willed person who cherishes efficiency and organization. I’m still lost in a Michael’s craft store and have no idea how to operate a glue gun.

I’ve just found a place – even if it’s just for now – where I feel more needed then I have ever felt, a place where I get a sense of fulfillment that I’ve never had before.

What happened? I sometimes wonder: Was I not cut out for a high-powered executive lifestyle? Was I pushed into thinking corporate-dominance equated to success and subsequently happiness? Was I supposed to be “in the home” all along?

Maybe someday I’ll return to the world of conference calls and Blackberries --or whatever technology rules the day.

For now nothing makes me happier then when I snuggle up with my four-year old and she responds with, “goody, goody, goody.”

Rebecca Wicks is a professional writer and stay-at-home mom. She writes on business and technology, home and garden and family and parenting issues. She is a regular reporter for the Ventura Breeze newspaper and has appeared in a number of magazines, eHow.com, Doityourself.com and other online sites. She blogs at writerslifeforme.blogspot.com.

squeaky wheels

I wrote an article for eHow awhile back and this week, I put my tips into motion.

I thought I'd share my debacle because I believe there are some take-aways that can be helpful for traveling families.

Here is the complaint letter to Disney that pretty much sums up my issue:

Dear Disney Customer Service,

My children were fortunate to receive $1000 in Disney gift cards for a Disneyland vacation.

When I called to book a hotel reservation I spent more than 30 minutes with the reservationist going through tedious details regarding my children’s ages and descriptions of multiple rooms and extra services available (mostly through the agent trying to up-sell me).

When it came time to book the reservation I was told I needed to put a deposit of $420 on my credit card, and that I could not in fact use the gift cards. I was told the only way to secure the hotel room was to use a credit card. Further, I was told this amount would remain on my credit card and that they would not be willing to take this deposit off my credit card when I arrived at the hotel with my gift cards.

The Disney reservationist referred to two sales supervisors during our call, but did not let me speak to them or anyone else. When I asked if there was a corporate number or department I could further my discussion with I was told there was none.

I understand that as a hotel business you take a credit card number in order to protect yourself. What I don’t understand is your company’s lack of willingness to refund the money back to the credit card and apply it toward the gift card as you will be reaping the same amount of money in the end.

While $420 may seem like a small amount, for a family of four living month-to-month off one income, it is in fact a significant amount of money.

To me it seems ridiculous that we need to spend $420 out of our own pocket in order to use $1000 in gift cards at Disneyland.

I would appreciate any help you can offer in this matter.

Sincerely,

Rebecca Wicks

cc: Mike Hyland, Disneyland Director, Public Relations

Thomas O. Staggs, Walt Disney Company Chairman of Parks and Resorts

Catharine Hamm, Los Angeles Times Travel Editor

Christopher Elliott, Travel columnist

I received immediate responses -- as in same day (on Sunday nonetheless) -- from the two journalists I cc:'d on the letter. Ms. Hamm offered to contact Disney execs on my behalf for a column she writes. Mr. Elliott asked that I let him know how Disney responded.

The following business day I received a call from Anthony who said he headed the customer service department. He referenced the email I had sent "Tom," and stated that his call was to work with me to rectify the situation.

He said that in special instances like these they like to examine and help customers on a case-by-case basis. Upon his review he could in fact guarantee my reservations without a credit card and I could use my gift cards upon arrival at the hotel. He explained they normally don't do that, but he was "happy to get everything squared away." He also gave me a complimentary upgrade to a "preferred standard" room.

Anthony then proceeded to thank me for taking the time to write the letter saying it gave them an "opportunity to turn this experience around."

I was of course, satisfied with the outcome however, the bottom line is I had to go to the extent of writing a letter and cc: the likes journalists and a Disney executive to be noticed. Their policy remains the same, and unless you are prepared to take the next step of complaining -- buyer beware, a non-refundable deposit will be taken!

Long post - but the moral of the story is:

1) Don't be afraid to make a well-composed rational complaint to a company

2) It might help to cc: some "heavy weights" -- e.g., journalists, executives of the company, public relations staff of the company