Fair has become too expensive
For generations, the Ventura County Fair was the summer event local families looked forward to all year — an accessible, community-first tradition where working-class parents could treat their kids to a night by the ocean without breaking the bank. Today, that tradition is being hollowed out by management turning a beloved showcase into an unaffordable cash grab.
It starts at the front gate. Paying $21 for general adult admission just to walk in is steep. Add $20 for parking, $11.45 for a rodeo ticket, and escalating carnival wristband prices, and a family of four easily spends $150 to $200 before buying a single funnel cake or bottle of water.
Once inside, the sticker shock worsens at the concession stands, and it is no mystery why. The fair
board squeezes vendors with a massive 28% cut of gross sales. When management demands nearly a third of a business’s revenue off the top — plus mandatory utility and booth setup fees — vendors must pass those costs onto attendees. That is an administrative levy forcing local business owners to charge top dollar for basic fair food.
What do fairgoers get in return? Certainly not the entertainment value of past decades. The Grandstand concert lineup, once a major draw featuring marquee talent, has devolved into a lackluster series that pales in comparison to neighboring county fairs. Paying premium prices for a secondary experience feels like a slap in the face to the community.
A county fair should belong to its people. When lower- and middle-income families are priced out, the fair loses its soul. The Ventura County Fair Board needs a reality check: lower entry barriers, stop squeezing small vendors, and put community accessibility first before this tradition becomes something only the wealthy can afford.
Jeff Stewart, Ventura
Kudos for positive local story
Re: your July 26 story, “Camarillo family of 6 takes in neighbors’ 3 children”:
To Makena Huey and The Star,
My deepest thanks for your story. We need more positive news of community advocacy, kindness, and volunteer service that reminds us of our capacity for positivity. It is debilitating to only receive news of the president’s daily actions destroying the good that our government does or about selfish corporations seeking to take more.
The story of the Patton family was uplifting. They are now in my prayer basket — may they be blessed for being kind neighbors, may additional support come their way, and may their story inspire more people to live kindness and positivity.
Our communities need more examples of family and community love and pro-action. My recommendation is for more stories about caring action or an ongoing section on “community positivity” — ways we are advocating or supporting goodness for each other and our communities.
Many thanks to Makena, please continue telling the stories.
Roberto Vargas, Ventura
The dark side of AB 218
Re: Dr. Rene Rickard’s Aug. 11 column, “Why California must reform AB 218”:
Kudos to Dr. Rickard for her informative article and bringing to light the dark side of AB 218. She appropriately identifies the unintended consequences of a well-meaning law.
But, as often happens, there are those who see this as an easy way to make a great deal of money for themselves, notably predatory law firms that charge exorbitant fees and demand outrageous settlements of which the victims see very little. It is sad that what was meant to be restorative for victims has made so many rich firms even richer.
Steven Bailey, Ventura
Absolute Intelligence is the goal
In a YouTube video Mo Gawdat and Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar discussed the future of humanity, particularly as it relates to AI. What struck me was Gurudev’s mention of “Absolute Intelligence.”
Let me explain. AI currently has no boundaries nor any comprehension of what an intelligence guided by the ideals of love, compassion, empathy and mercy might be.
This is fundamentally antithetical to what the human species is striving for.
Why would we turn over our world to a machine that does not recognize and prioritize this paradigm? Our governments, religions and business leaders need to demand that AI is always solely focused on, really, a love of all creation. Perhaps it is too late, and this should have been done at the dawn of AI.
AI should not be allowed to create new weapons or new and potentially lethal diseases, or new organisms that might subvert its core principle of love. Unfortunately, we live in a world largely controlled by men who dream of how AI can help them murder untold multitudes of people. Can we change this? I don’t know but I hope we can have the discussion at least.
Our goal should be an Absolute Intelligence based on love.
Steve Nash, Oxnard
Start building what comes next
California was built by people who believed big problems could be solved.
Somewhere along the way, we became better at managing problems than solving them.
Look at housing. In 2015, the median Ventura County home sold for about $606,000. By 2024, it was more than $921,000 — a 52% increase in less than a decade. By June 2025, the median had reached $975,000, more than twice the national median.
That didn’t happen overnight. It is the consequence of years of failing to build enough housing and failing to confront affordability with the urgency it demands.
And eventually, leadership has to be judged by results.
I’m Michael MacDonald, Ventura's City Clerk and a former staffer to three California state senators. I’m running for State Assembly because I believe our problems are solvable, but we cannot keep doing politics the same way and expect different outcomes.
Leadership is more than a voting record. It’s showing up. Being present. Bringing people together. Championing an issue until something actually changes.
We should ask every elected official: What did you champion? What changed because you were there? Is life better because you served?
Those questions matter because the next decade will bring challenges even greater than the last: housing, immigration, healthcare, wildfire, artificial intelligence and the future of work.
Campaigning has also shown me how easily politics becomes about institutions, relationships and whose turn it is rather than ideas and outcomes. We have to be willing to challenge that system, too.
Our children and grandchildren will inherit what we build, and what we fail to build.
The future is coming either way.
It’s time to stop managing our problems and start building what comes next.
Michael MacDonald, Ventura
Running for Camarillo council
My name is Vishnu Patel, and I respectfully ask for your support as I run for Camarillo City Councilmember, District 1, in the Nov. 3 election.
I have proudly called Camarillo home for more than 36 years. After immigrating from India, I built my career here and have served our community as a pharmacy manager since 1992. My wife, Madhubala Patel, is a retired special education teacher assistant. Together we raised our two daughters, Ruby and Mira, in this wonderful city, where they benefited from the many opportunities Camarillo offers and went on to successful professional careers.
Camarillo has given my family so much. I believe it is now my turn to give back through public service.
If elected, I will donate my city councilmember salary to local nonprofit organizations, including Camarillo Ranch, the Camarillo Public Library, the Pleasant Valley School District, and city of Camarillo community programs.
My priorities as your city councilmember are public health and safety, fiscal responsibility and long-term financial stability, environmental quality, traffic relief, and city cleanliness.
I would be honored to earn your trust and your vote. Thank you for your consideration.
Vishnu K. Patel, Camarillo
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: An overpriced Fair, uplifting local story, and more | Letters
