Letters to the editor: Big Oil and Measures A and B; county sheriff race choices
Stop Big Oil’s lies and gouging
We are shocked that gas prices remain sky high even though oil prices have dropped. Public records that The Star reported make it clear why — Big Oil is keeping prices high by spending over $6 million to try to overturn protections that economic, health and environmental experts wrote and our Republican and Democrat Supervisors put in place to defend our health and water. Big Oil mailers tell us that their “experts” say that Big Oil should be allowed to cancel our protections. The “experts” in the Big Oil mailers are paid for by Big Oil. It’s like Big Tobacco paying their “experts” to say smoking is good for you.
Big Oil can afford to care about our health. For Exxon alone, its gross profit for the 12 months ending March 31, 2022, was $72,695,000,000, a 114.95% increase year-over-year. Big Oil doesn’t pass on the drop in oil prices to us. Instead, they try to make more at the expense of our health and safety. A new PBS Special “The Power of Big Oil” describes how the same Big Oil lying to us about Measures A and B has lied to us for decades about their role in creating the climate catastrophe.
Stop the Big Oil lies and price gouging. Support the bi-partisan protections for our health and safety. Stop Big Oil from using their price gouging to sacrifice our health and safety for their profits. Remember that you are paying for the flood of Big Oil mailers through higher gas prices. Hear the real experts, public, private and academic, who want to protect our economy and the health and safety of our families and ask you to vote yes on A and B.
Joe Connett, Ventura
Fryhoff is the choice for Sheriff
In the race for Ventura County Sheriff, I will be casting my ballot for Jim Fryhoff.
As a resident of Thousand Oaks, I support his candidacy for several reasons. Fryhoff has received endorsements from active law enforcement officers and first responders and their respective associations, including the Ventura County Deputy Sheriffs’ Association, Ventura County Professional Police Officers’ Association, Oxnard Police Officers’ Association, Simi Valley Police Officers’ Association and Santa Paula Police Officers’ Association.
Fryhoff also believes in building partnerships in communities to reduce crime rates throughout our county. When he served as chief of Thousand Oaks, the crime rate plummeted, resulting in the city being named the safest city of its size in our state.
Lastly, I believe Fryhoff has the energy, enthusiasm and drive to lead local law enforcement. Anyone who attends a “Team Fryhoff” event will see this. He understands the challenges of being a police officer in today’s world and would not dismiss the concerns of those who would report to him.
Join me in voting for Jim Fryhoff on June 7.
Stephanie Dufner, Thousand Oaks
Fryhoff exaggerates his record
As a retired captain and 38-year member of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, I have watched with much concern as Jim Fryhoff continues to exaggerate his accomplishments, such as being a leader in addressing homelessness, and developing the School Resource Officer and “Active Shooter” programs.
I heard these false statements during a candidates’ forum in Oxnard. Fryhoff claimed he oversaw the first SRO program in Thousand Oaks. This statement wasn’t just an exaggeration; it was untrue. At least five years before Fryhoff was assigned to the station in 2007, SROs were assigned to Thousand Oaks area high schools.
Additionally, Fryhoff’s website says, “(He) developed several programs in his time in crime prevention, including threat assessments for our schools as well as active shooter training.” In reality, this was accomplished shortly after the Columbine School shooting in 1999. The Special Enforcement Unit in Thousand Oaks completed threat assessments on the schools, including compiling detailed binders listing all pertinent information, emergency evacuation procedures, school maps and aerial photographs. Additionally, in 2000, the Crime Suppression Unit developed the “Active Shooter” program. It was a comprehensive program that included actual tactical training of department personnel and presentations that familiarized school staff with the department’s response.
It may be easy for Fryhoff to exaggerate his accomplishments to a less-familiar public, but not to officers who have worked with him and know better. Taking credit for other officers’ work is unethical and shows a lack of integrity. Fryhoff’s actions disrespect the dedicated men and women of the department that have done the great work he falsely claims as his own.
Our current Sheriff, Bill Ayub, does not need to exaggerate the extent of his accomplishments. Ayub’s ability, integrity, and leadership speak for themselves and he will get my vote on June 7.
Mike De Los Santos, Camarillo
Jobs aren’t an issue with A & B
Readers of your letters to the editor can’t help but notice those letters urging readers to vote no on Measures A & B are written by folks connected in some way to the oil business. Of course, they want to keep their jobs, but that has nothing to do with the issue.
This is not about politics or business. It’s about adjustment. Had those running the business done a better job environmentally, we might all be in better shape. Measures A & B offer the opportunity rectify that.
Vote yes on Measures A & B as though our lives depend on it.
Libby Treadwell, Ojai
A & B won’t affect world oil supply
Of all the lies being told by the No on Measures A & B crowd, aka Big Oil, the most absurd (and funniest) one is the one that seems to imply that by requiring Big Oil to update its antiquated drilling permits the world oil supply will be impacted. If Big Oil is mandated by voters to clean up its act, then the price of gas will skyrocket more than it is already doing, and we will have to import more oil. Most likely, it could shut down all its wells and not cause a ripple in the world oil supply.
The No on A & B crowd must think we are Saudi Arabia. They also must think that Ventura County voters are a pack of rubes who are too stupid to know a lie when they see or hear one.
The No on A & B crowd has their record profits to protect, profits garnered by price-gouging Ventura County residents. We have to show this crowd that we are not going to fall for their lies no matter how much money they spend to spread them.
Do as I just did, Ventura County, vote yes on A & B.
John Darling, Ventura
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Letters: Big Oil and Measures A and B; county sheriff race choices
