u/myviewisbetter

Spencer Noren revealed last month he was hired in 2022 to help election campaigns for Measure E, Liz Campos and Bill McReynolds. Spencer created and shared over one dozen Instagram posts supporting the campaigns or calling an opponent a special interest. He did not disclose any campaign spending or financial compensation in those posts.

In addition to endorsing financial supporters, Spencer Noren uses his platform for extortion. He has been accused of blackmail by a City Council Member. He is now calling CAPS a special interest and attacking the non profit media organization for not supporting Ventura Forward events.

Real journalists are not allowed to behave like this. That is why he discredits real journalists. He regularly calls the VC Star a rag and recently called a high school journalist a snitch, scab and Larry for reporting on his own business activity.

His behavior may be supported by Tom Spence and Fox Sports but what about leaders seeking our votes? Four years later, noone can turn a blind eye to Spencer's lack of ethics. Is social media attention worth linking your campaign or business with a bully for hire?

I am worried Ventura Forward's upcoming political events will be more pay to play. There are real journalists who can moderate a fair debate including from our own high school newspapers.

New Instagram account openmainst says it is a "community-led initiative" but its early followers are businesses. Their website openmainst.com launched with a change.org petition run by long time opponents Folke Home and uses the same photo and branding.

The website is full of disinformation written like a political attack ad. It calls Main Steet Moves a fiscal crisis. It says 72 businesses are a majority in an area with more than 1,000 businesses. It says the best way to stop paid parking plan is reopening the street. It lies about the timeline and doesn't mention landlord lawsuits or the same business owners asking for delays.

Lying like this is disrespectful to residents. It only helps the landlords desperate to stop progress. When the fake Insta echo chamber is gone and the street reopens, covid deniers boycotting pedestrian malls will not want your $20 izakaya cocktail and $3,000 coffee table.