When Maryann Hammers pitched the idea of an interview with billionaire developer David Murdock I was torn; there’s a point where the black and white of personal and professional intersect—and for me this pitch fell squarely in the grey. Here’s a man who’s had an indelible impact on southwestern Ventura County. He’s a notoriously hard interview to get and clearly a worthy subject in a magazine whose tagline is “Fine Living in Ventura County.” An editorial no-brainer… Right?
Well, yes, on a professional level. On a personal level, though, I couldn’t be more strongly opposed to some of Murdock’s development projects, particularly his fire and ice transformation of rural, unpretentious Lake Sherwood into an ultra-exclusive golf course community, complete with the requisite guard gate and new mansions with exotic sounding Old World names.
But Ventana isn’t my personal soapbox; as a community publication its readers span the full length of the ideological spectrum, and many of them, I’m sure, would love to tee off at Sherwood, or see their name on the country club membership list. Others prefer a different day on the green—like the recent Ventura Hillsides Music Festival, which promoted the preservation of open spaces. So in the interest of editorial balance, I decided not only to run the Murdock interview but to temper it with a full page of snapshots from the recent Festival at Arroyo Verde Park.
We also take a look at Herzog Wine Cellars, a shining example of our community’s growing diversity. Built in an Oxnard industrial park, this high-end kosher winery is more than incongruous; it’s representative of a new cultural vitality around these parts, one that still shocks people—especially Ventura County natives.
I’ve known since day one that an in-depth Herzog article was in order, but, in general, every regional magazine struggles with the decision of who and what to feature. And in this respect, Neilla Robbins’ article “Three to Know,” a profile of three inspirational local ladies, was particularly appealing. Three birds with one issue, so to speak.
It’s not always so painless, though. Putting out a magazine month after month is an ongoing series of decisions—some tough calls, others no-brainers. We just keep plugging away. As Einstein put it, “To keep your balance you must keep moving.”
Of course he was talking about life itself. But the same rule applies to a monthly magazine. Here’s the November issue, and December is already hot on its tail.
Something or someone you want to see in Ventana? Drop me a line and we’ll do our best to make it happen. As always, many thanks for your readership.
Matt Katz, Editor
11-01-2007
