Simi Valley Days is a great day for fun and showing pride in our little town and its people, but not for everyone.

The “Greek Track” consists of 260 single-family homes at the west end of Simi Valley. I have lived here for the last 20 years, and I have had it with Simi Valley Days.

Every year, two of the three exits from the Greek Track are barricaded for the event, creating an intolerable and unsafe traffic condition.

For half the day, we are held hostage in our neighborhood unless we maneuver our way through police barricades, event participants and other angry local homeowners should we need to buy a pound of butter.

Civic pride is important and has a place in today’s society. But it is unfair to saddle a single neighborhood with the responsibility of hosting the event year after year after year.

This is not the only event we have been fortunate enough to have at this end of our city. For the last 20 years, if there’s a fair, a carnival, a circus, a monster truck pull or anything that makes noise, traffic and dust, it would be located at the lot at Los Angeles and Madera.

Thankfully, this area is supposed to be built on, which will end all that.

It has always felt like we were low priority for the city.

Maybe it’s time another neighborhood gets to host the Simi Valley Days event.

We are willing to let it go.
James Mertes
Simi Valley