• Have you ever wanted to know the who, what, when, where, why and how of police operations? The Ventura Police Department’s Community Academy answers all your questions.
The Community Academy will take you on a ride-along with a patrol officer, show you what a SWAT team does, let you experience a simulated firearms training course, give you a look at issues officers face in our community and much, much more.
The current session of The Community Academy began on March 22 and will be held on 9 consecutive Tuesday nights. Each night features a new topic, with speakers, demonstrations, and discussions.
The success of any police department depends largely upon the cooperation and support it receives from the citizens it serves. The Community Academy aims to educate residents on the capacity and operations of the department.
Classes are held at the Ventura Police Department located at 1425 Dowell Dr.
Go to www.cityofventura.net/pd/community-academy for more information and to apply for the next session.
• Good grief, now there might be more items to vote on in November. The Ventura Unified School District might have tax initiatives on the ballot.
The district has two options for putting a tax request on the November ballot.
The district could ask voters to extend the $59 parcel tax that Venturan’s passed in 2012, which brings in approximately $2.6 million of revenue each year.
Or, they could join with the city to include a new sales tax on the ballot. That tax would bring in considerably more, about $20 million a year. The sales tax would require a simple majority to pass, but two-thirds of voters must approve the parcel tax to be extended.
I have said this before and still don’t get it. The state lottery and fees added to building permits bring in zillions of dollars. Where does all the go? That is why people are reluctant to vote for tax increases for a specific use – too much concern that the money will not end up being used for what was proposed.
The city found in a poll (ordered and paid by the city) that voters generally favor the proposed sales tax.
• If you think that running for office in this country has some odd requirements, look at this from India? Several states there are imposing a new requirement that candidates for local office must present proof that they have access to a working toilet. How do they prove that? Do they need to bring in dirty toilet paper?
• It could become addictive but check out “santacruzbaldeaglecam” and watch two wonderful Bald Eagle parents raise their two chicks on Santa Cruz Island. The “eaglets” could attempt to fly away in a few weeks and you don’t want to miss that. And, if you have a cat, be sure to let it watch as well.
• People who use the Constitution to make their points need to look at what the thinking and realities were back in the late 1700’s when the Constitution. Most of the thinking then just doesn’t apply to society today.
A good example is that our President must be a “natural born citizen”.
Article II says, “No person except a natural born Citizen, or a citizen of the United States, at time of the adoption of this Constitution shall be eligible to the Office of President.” This would exclude a person born after the adoption of the Constitution.
So why was this included in the Constitution to begin with in 1787?
“Framers of the Constitution feared that that a foreign monarch might try to take power in the new nation,” said Yale law professor Akhil Amar. He went on to say, “They were worried that a foreign duke arriving with a boat load of gold could bribe his way to take power.”
Donald Trump isn’t a foreign duke is he?
• I congratulate U.S. District Judge Christiana Snyder for ruling that the cross does not belong on the official seal of Los Angeles County. Previously, a divided Board of Supervisors voted to replace the cross on the seal atop a depiction of the San Gabriel Mission (it had been removed several years ago).
The Board was sued by several groups (some religious) who felt that the cross did not belong on a government seal, and the judge agreed with them.
Some people say that the cross is an historical symbol and not a religious one. I hardly think when a person sees a picture or drawing of a cross that they think of history and not of Jesus/Christianity. Kind of ironic, though, that the judge’s name has Christ in it.
• Happy to report that the Board of Directors of Cabrillo Music Theatre announced that the company has secured donations from members of the community, which will allow it to continue production of the 2016-2017 season!
After recently announcing the suspension of production due to a lack of resources, these contributions will provide Cabrillo with the ability to retool the organization, engage in a new focus and strategy, and to move into the future in a fiscally responsible way. See the article in this issue.
