CSUCI was put in wrong place
More than two decades after CSU Channel Islands opened its doors, Ventura County is living with the consequences of a decision that never made sense for students, commuters, or the region’s long-term educational needs.
The state turned down a donated 300-acre parcel along the Central Avenue corridor — a site with direct access to Highway 101, major arterial roads, and public transportation — and instead chose to convert the abandoned Camarillo State Hospital into a university campus four miles outside the Camarillo city limits.
The result is a campus that is beautiful, but isolated. CSUCI sits near the Santa Monica Mountains with no freeway visibility, no transit hub, no walkable housing, and no surrounding commercial life. For a county where most students commute, the location is a barrier, not an asset. It’s no surprise that enrollment has fallen back to early-2010s levels, and the university is now forced to “right-size” its operations to close a $17 million structural deficit.
This outcome wasn’t inevitable. A campus on Central Avenue — donated land, centrally located between Oxnard and Camarillo — would have anchored Ventura County’s largest population center, support working students, and create a true college-town environment. Instead, the state chose the path of least political resistance: use land it already owned, avoid environmental battles, and sidestep inter-jurisdictional negotiations. It was a short-term decision with long-term costs.
Today, CSUCI’s challenges are often framed as demographic or financial. But geography is the quiet force shaping its trajectory. A university built in the wrong place cannot easily become the regional engine it was meant to be.
Ventura County deserves a campus at its heart, not at its margins. The state had that chance — and turned it down.
Michael J. Luna, Oxnard
Mahan right choice for governor
Matt Mahan is an excellent choice for your vote to be governor. He is young, energetic and progressive. He believes in the equality of every human being. Matt has proven his leadership as the elected mayor of San Jose. He seems to know what works. Check his record. He worked with and had the support of the people of his city while working on several initiatives.
Join me in voting for Matt Mahan. I believe he will work with us and for us in Sacramento.
Rev. Ronald G. Dybvig, Ventura
Individual ignorance still reigns
Re: Reuters’ April 26 story, “Trump’s claims of voter fraud sow distrust”:
Reading the story about a poll showing that 82% of the Republicans think there are large numbers of fraudulent voters immediately brought to mind this 1926 quote from H.L. Mencken:
“Democracy is a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance. No one in this world, so far as I know — and I have researched the records for years, and employed agents to help me — has ever lost money by underestimating the intelligence of the great masses of the plain people. Nor has anyone ever lost public office thereby.”
Alex Magdaleno, Camarillo
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Wrong location for CSUCI, Mahan for governor | Letters
Reporting by Ventura County Star / Ventura County Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
