4:23pm, dispatched to an offshore Search & Rescue for missing fisherman from the commercial boat John Start. Officers responded in the Fireboat and Rescue B17 with multiple agencies to aid in the search. Search patterns were conducted for five hours in the Santa Barbara Channel along with USCG vessels/aircraft & TowBoat US. Sadly, and with heavy hearts, only his vessel was found and he is still missing. Tran was one of the longest tenants of Ventura Harbor, beloved by everyone, he always made the effort to say hello, shake your hand with a huge smile. Fishing, years ago, Tran rescued a former Ventura HP officers’ father in an outrigger canoe accident.
Thursday 12/09
12:30pm, officers assisting the family of Vuong Tran tow his vessel the John Start to be offloaded at the VHV fuel pier and then returned to its slip in VHV.
Friday 12/10
7:36pm, received a report of a vessel hoop netting at the breakwall without navigation lights. Officers responded in Rescue B17, educated operator.
Saturday 12/11
10:05am, received a complaint from a fisherman about another fisherman placing his hoop nets illegally too close to the breakwall. Officers investigated and educated the individual about harbor ordinance on legal placement of traps.
Sunday 12/12
1:15am, dispatched to Ventura Marina Community for female complaining of difficulty breathing. Officers responded and assisted VFD/AMR with call.
8:20am, received report of an alarm sounding on a vessel in Portside F-dock. Officers responded, no issues noted. Owner notified, en route to secure alarm.
Monday 12/13
12:30pm, received request from CIMWI (CI marine wildlife institute) to assist in capture of emaciated sea lion at Harbor Cove. Officers assisted and were successful in capturing the mammal so that it can be rehabilitated.
Wednes 12/15
12:49am, dispatched to an Ocean Rescue at VHV D-dock, 26 y/o male fell overboard from a Commercial Fishing vessel. Officers responded and found the individual intoxicated and hypothermic from water immersion. He refused care.
12:04pm, received a report of an individual harassing sea lions at VIM. Officers investigated, contacted the disturbing party; no evidence of harassment found.
Thursday 12/16
10:20am, contacted a male with three labs off leash at Harbor Cove. Educated the individual about leash law and to please be in control of his dogs due to numerous complaints about the issue.
Friday 12/17
4:15pm, officers preparing for the 2021 Parade of lights, setting turning buoys and answering numerous inquiries about the event.
5:30pm, officers monitoring the parade of lights from patrol vessels and vehicle. Several warnings for safety violations issued to vessels watching the parade.
Saturday 12/18
12:50pm, officers attended the memorial for lost fisherman from the John Start.
1:15pm, officers in fireboat lead a procession of vessels for the lost fisherman.
5:05pm, officers preparing for the second night of the Parade-of-lights. Setting the turn buoys and receiving assignments for the evening.
10:54pm, dispatched to a traffic accident at 1901 Spinnaker Dr. Officers responded and assisted VPD/VFD with the accident. No injuries occurred.
Sunday 12/19
11:02am, dispatched to a stroke victim in the Ventura Marina Community. Officers responded and assisted VFD/AMR with female patient.
Monday 12/20
6:37am, dispatched to a fall victim in the Ventura Marina Community. Officers responded and assisted the 72 y/o male back to his bed, he refused treatment.
The Ventura Police Department responded to two armed robberies that occurred in October and November 2021.
The first robbery occurred on 10-21-21 at 2850 Johnson Dr (Wild Side Smoke Shop). The suspect entered the establishment with a handgun in his waistband and demanded money from the clerk. The clerk complied with the suspect and gave him an undisclosed amount money. The suspect fled on foot after the robbery.
The second robbery occurred on 11-13-21 at 1145 S Victoria Av (Blenders in the Grass). The suspect entered the store brandished a knife and demanded money from the clerk. The suspect fled on foot after this clerk provided him with an undisclosed amount of money.
Ventura Police detectives began to investigate these two robberies and during the investigation it was determined that the suspect was the same person in both incidents. Detectives located witness and physical evidence to these crimes to assist in linking the suspect to both locations.
On 12-15-21, the suspect, Saad Fakhouri (9/26/96) Ventura Resident was found on Johnson Dr and was taken into custody without incident. He was booked into Ventura County Jail on two counts of felony armed robbery.
Stabbing Arrest
On Dec.15, at 7:35pm, , the Ventura Police Department Command Center received a call of a stabbing in the 500 block of East Thompson Blvd. Patrol Officers arrived in the area within three minutes of the call and immediately located the suspect and took her into custody. During the investigation, officers learned that the victim was attempting to walk by Mary Martin,01/06/1978, Vagrant , who was blocking the victim’s path to her residence. As the victim walked by Martin, Martin threatened her and then stabbed the victim in the leg and arm. The victim sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was transported to a local hospital for treatment.
Martin was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon and criminal threats.
Starting January 1, 2022, the City of Ventura will be required to comply with California’s Senate Bill (SB) 1383. The City Council recently adopted an ordinance in November 2021 to comply with state law. The City also began rolling out food waste recycling programs for all residents, businesses, and multi-family properties to assist with the mandate. SB 1383 aims to reduce methane emissions by diverting organic material from landfills by establishing statewide food waste recycling requirements for cities.
“Food waste includes items like bones, nuts, dairy, bread, fruit, vegetables, meat, and more,” shared Public Works Director Phil Nelson. “The City’s Environmental Sustainability team has worked diligently to ensure our community has resources to assist with these new state regulations to recycle food waste and reduce air pollutants like methane gas.”
Residents in single-family homes must bag their food waste and place it in their yard waste cart. Once at the sorting facility, the bagged organic waste will be separated and composted into soil products. Businesses and multi-family properties can expect to be contacted by E.J. Harrison & Sons to set up yard waste and food waste collection services unless they apply and qualify for an exemption.
Businesses can request exemptions if they generate very little organic waste or if they do not have space for additional containers. Exemption waivers must be filed before SB 1383 regulations take effect on January 1, 2022.
The statewide law was enacted in 2016 by Governor Brown to reduce emissions of short-lived climate pollutants (SLCP’s), which contribute to global warming and negatively affect human health. SLCPs remain in the atmosphere for less time than carbon dioxide, but potentially cause more damage due to their potency. By collecting and composting organic waste, SB 1383 aims to reduce the state’s greenhouse gas emissions by preventing the release of methane into the atmosphere.
The City’s Environmental Sustainability team continues to provide residents and businesses with guidance and support with food and organics recycling resources. Visit www.CityofVentura.ca.gov/ES to learn more.
∙ I wish all a happy, happy New Year. We all thought 2022 would be better with the elimination of COVID, but it appears that it is here to stay. I think going forward receiving COVID shots will be just like getting the flu shot. Just something we do every year.
A special happy new year to our wonderful readers, donors and the amazing Breeze staff who make the paper possible.
∙ The Ventura City Council unanimously voted to extend the downtown outdoor dining program until July. It was set to expire on Jan. 7. Making this closure permanent could take several years. The added time will allow city staff to create a new special permit to address lost parking revenue and other traffic concerns. With the closure extended, the city expects to lose approximately $236,000 in parking fees from downtown meters.
To make the street closure permanent there will be a traffic study, an environmental analysis, approvals needed from the Coastal Commission and other procedures put in place.
The question to many is what negative effect this has on non-restaurant businesses (many would have closed without this) and additional traffic pushed over to Poli and Santa Clara?
Councilman Jim Friedman stated his concerns saying, “I’m starting to see emails and more people checking in saying this is great for the restaurants but it’s really not great for the retail. We can’t turn a deaf ear to that nor can we say it’s a done deal because we have to have a lot more public discussion about it. I’m not being negative about it, I’m being realistic.”
∙ When did the pound sign # become hashtag? And why? Is the & sign next?
∙ From CNN. Never one to understand a filter, former President Donald Trump veered into antisemitism in a recent interview with journalist Barak Ravid. “It used to be that Israel had absolute power over Congress,” he said. “Today, I think it’s the exact opposite, and I think Obama and Biden did that.” The comments were in relation to how Jewish people feel toward Israel, and according to Trump, they don’t seem to care about the Jewish nation. “The Jewish people, in the United States, either don’t like Israel or don’t care about Israel,” he said before fully blowing the dog-whistle. “I mean, you look at The New York Times—The New York Times hates Israel, hates it. And they’re Jewish people that run The New York Times. I mean, the Sulzberger family.”
The release of Trump’s diatribe comes a day after his on-and-off favorite network, Fox News, got in trouble for posting an antisemitic cartoon featuring billionaire George Soros, who is Jewish, as a “puppet master” controlling Democratic prosecutors.
∙ Robert Palmer, 54, of Largo was sentenced to 63 months behind bars in D.C. federal court by Judge Tanya Chutkan. The sentence equaled what prosecutors had been recommending. It is the stiffest criminal sentence of any Jan. 6 Capitol riot defendant so far.
Palmer admitted during an October court hearing where he pleaded guilty that he was the man photographed throwing a wooden plank at police outside the U.S. Capitol and spraying a fire extinguisher at officers, then throwing the empty device at the line of police.
It will be very interesting when the Jan.6 Capitol commission eventually releases its findings.
∙ Be very careful buying or using interconnected smart products, toys, etc. They might be a threat to your privacy. They may collect huge amounts of data about their users and their surroundings. Your personal information may be worth lots of money because the manufacturers could sell it to advertisers, and you will be inundated with ads that you don’t want and maybe even hackers will get ahold of your information. Its bad enough that every time we research something that information is collected and sold.
∙ I’m very happy the US Food and Drug Administration has made the decision to reduce the requirements that abortion inducing medication be dispensed in person by a healthcare worker at a medical facility. These medications have been available since 2000 and are effective during the first ten weeks of pregnancy, well beyond the six weeks now required in Texas when women won’t even know they are pregnant. Especially for lower income women who might not be able to afford an abortion even if they were to find a facility providing this procedure.
I certainly hope the Supreme Court’s refusal to block the Texas “anti-abortion” law does not signal that it is ready to overturn Roe vs. Wade.
∙ Finally, the government is going to take a close look at identified aerial phenomena UAPs as they call them which we know as UFOs. In November, senator Kirsten Gillibrand(D-NY) introduced legislation creating in office to study UAPs and report their findings to Congress. It will investigate only UAPssited in sensitive military airspace. There has been criticism of this limited role but it’s certainly a good beginning. I hope when aliens land here they give us an ultimatum that we all live in peace or they will blow the earth up. It would seem this is the only way we can have peace, as nothing else has worked or ever will.
∙The Trump administration engaged in “deliberate efforts” to undermine the U.S. response to the coronavirus pandemic for political purposes, a congressional report concludes. The report, prepared by the House select subcommittee investigating the nation’s Covid response, says the White House repeatedly overruled public health and testing guidance by the nation’s top infectious disease experts and silenced officials in order to promote then-President Donald Trump’s political agenda.
∙ Trump was booed by a portion of an audience in Dallas when he said he had received a Covid-19 booster shot.
The comments by Trump, who, despite championing his administration’s efforts to develop Covid vaccines, rarely discusses his own vaccination and has largely declined to encourage others to get it came during a stop on his tour with former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly.
∙ Senate bill 9 and 10 takes effect January 1. They require communities in California to allow duplexes, and in some cases 4 units in most single-family home neighborhoods. A majority of Los Angeles County voters support the new state laws which are designed to spur housing construction and to provide more opportunities for residents to own their own home (the American dream).
∙Californians will be able to dial a new three-digit number when seeking help for a mental health crisis.After weeks in which funding to make the hotline work seemed uncertain, the state Department of Health Care Services has announced it would spend $20 million to help support the 9-8-8 network.
The money “is a first step towards creating an easier to access system for mental health care. But it’s just a first step,” Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg said in a statement. The Steinberg Institute he founded had advocated for even more money. “We’re going to continue to fight for sustained funding for a mental health crisis response system that includes mobile crisis teams and appropriate follow-up care. Our jails and emergency rooms can no longer be our primary treatment for people in crisis.”
As the mayor said this is a wonderful first step in handling those that are dealing with mental health issues. Next must be providing them adequate housing and services.
OnDec.17, at 3:28pm, Ventura City Fire Department was dispatched to a reported structure fire in the 300 Block of Jones St. First arriving fire units found a fully involved single family home with all residents out and Ventura Police Officers evacuating adjacent homes. Firefighters initiated suppression efforts and extinguished the fire 20 minutes after arrival on scene. Two additional homes were initially threatened by the fire but were unharmed because of the fire suppression efforts.
On Dec.18, at 3:16pm, Fire units were dispatched to a reported residential structure fire 4600 blk of Rossini Lane. Units arrived to find a growing fire inside an occupied apartment. Fire crews made an aggressive attack on the fire and thankfully prevented spread to other near by apartments. The fire originated in a HVAC unit and exact cause is currently under investigation. Residents are reminded to always have a working smoke detector in any living space and to never leave any open flame such as a candle unattended.
∙ SPAN Thrift Store is open to the public and looking for donations of adult clothing, household items and tools if you’ve got items you no longer use. SPAN Thrift Store regularly provides $10 spays and neuters for low income households with cats and dogs.
Three upcoming clinics in January are: Tuesday, January 4th at the Albert H. Soliz Library – El Rio, 2820 Jourdan St., Oxnard, 93036, a second one on Tuesday, January 11th at SPAN Thrift Store parking lot 110 N. Olive St. (behind Vons on Main), and a third one on Tuesday, January 18th at Shiells Park, in the parking lot, located at 649 C St., Fillmore, 93015.
Please call to schedule an appointment (805) 584-3823.
∙ A border collie, named River, who suffered spinal injuries and was paralyzed in his hind legs after collapsing unexpectedly in October can stand and is beginning to walk again, following neurosurgery six weeks ago by UC Davis veterinarians. River came in to UC Davis after suddenly being unable to stand and walk on his own, said UC Davis veterinary neurology resident Amanda Xue.
UC Davis team did an MRI and found he had “essentially a slipped disc,” Xue said. UC Davis veterinarians drilled a hole in River’s back and extracted the material that was compressing his spine. “He’s exceeded my expectations,” Xue said. He’s walking on his own and wagging his tail.”
River’s owner, Linda Drafton, took the dog in for a recheck exam at UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital’s small animal clinic. The past two months has been a whirlwind. She drove three and a half hours from the Redding area to UC Davis to get River help on Halloween; now her dog is mostly back to normal.
∙ By the time Carolyn Chow learned that her father had Alzheimer’s, he would only have five years before succumbing to the disorder in 2017 at the age of 86.
It was devastating to see her father deteriorate so quickly. “He was highly educated, brilliant and highly sociable, and Alzheimer’s took that all away,” said Chow, a staffing consultant for the Division of Human Resources at Cornell.
Chow is now supporting research into Alzheimer’s by bringing her dog Nora, a 7-year-old Chihuahua mix, to the Cornell Veterinary Biobank to contribute to the Dog Aging Project. The nationwide study is an essential part of a $5.1 million research project recently launched at Cornell, the University of Washington and the University of Arizona to investigate the potential links between Alzheimer’s disease and a similar condition in dogs called canine cognitive dysfunction (CCD).
The four-year-project, funded by the National Institute on Aging, is the first large-scale research study to compare CCD and Alzheimer’s disease to determine whether they are triggered by the same genetic and environmental factors.
Researchers in the study will analyze biological samples of hundreds of dogs to identify biomarkers for CCD and bank those samples for future research. Discovering the specific factors that cause CCD will help advance our understanding of Alzheimer’s – a rapidly growing disease in the United States. Currently, an estimated 6.2 million Americans 65 and older live with Alzheimer’s, and by 2050, that number is expected to reach nearly 13 million, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.
Alzheimer’s and CCD share many similarities: Both are incurable and both are difficult to diagnose until behavioral changes emerge. Dogs with CCD, for example, do not recognize familiar people and may stare blankly into space and wander aimlessly.
In the first phase of the Alzheimer’s study, researchers will identify 200 dogs that have CCD, based on a questionnaire the owners complete when enrolling their dogs in the Dog Aging Project. As the canines reach the end of their natural lives, researchers will then examine 100 of the dogs that died to identify the neuropathological markers of CCD.
Identifying the biomarkers of CCD could then be applied to research on Alzheimer’s to determine whether the same cellular changes are associated with the disease in humans.
Castelhano said the collection at the biobank will be made available for future research on Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia, as new tools are developed to deepen our understanding of these conditions.
Dogs are also a better animal model to study Alzheimer’s than mice, which have traditionally been used but do not develop a similar type of dementia naturally, Kaeberlein said. “Companion dogs living with their owners live in the human environment,” he added, “and that’s something we really just can’t recapitulate in the laboratory.”
Sherrie Negrea is a freelance writer for the Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine
∙ (CNN)While you’re rummaging through cabinets and crevices trying to find your cat’s new favorite hiding spot, cats may be keeping mental tabs on you, too. A new study out of Japan found that a stationary cat can track its owner’s location using audio cues specifically, the owner’s voice.
Saho Takagi, first author of the study and a doctoral student at Kyoto University, said she has always been interested in cats’ hearing abilities. She’s a cat person all around, but said her favorite part is their ears. Cats have sensitive ears that can move in different directions.
“I saw a cat with only one of its ears tilted back, listening to the sound behind it, and felt that cats must be thinking about many things from the sound,” Takagi said in an email to CNN. “This time, I investigated whether they map their owner’s position spatially from sounds.”
The study, which took place in a home setting and at a cat café, observed how cats would react to their owners’ voices without visual cues by using speakers that played a recording of owners saying their cats’ names. The researchers placed the speakers apart from each other, out of the cats’ sight, to see how the cats would respond to the sounds, especially if the owner’s voice appeared to teleport from one location to another. Another group of people, who were not animal behavior experts, rated the cats’ level of surprise from a scale of 0 to 4, based on behaviors like ear and head movements.
Cats in the study were surprised when their owners appeared to “transport” from one location to another, the study concluded. Results from this study demonstrate evidence of socio-spatial cognition in cats, meaning they can mentally picture where others are through cues like sound.
“It is generally believed that cats are not as interested in their owners as dogs are, but it turns out that they were mentally representing the invisible presence of their owners,” Takagi said.
The study said this ability to create mental images based on sound and other stimuli indicates complex thinking. The ability is particularly important for animals that need to hunt prey under poor visibility. Cats understand their names and are probably just choosing to ignore you, a study suggests
“This is an ability that is the basis of creativity and imagination,” Takagi said. “Cats are thought to have a more profound mind than is thought.”
Ingrid Johnson, certified cat behavior consultant with Fundamentally Feline, said cats can get attached to their humans — especially when they’re older. She said some senior cats wake up distressed when they can’t see or hear their owners.
“This is a great example of elevating our expectation of the cat a little bit and realizing that they do have the capability of having that bond in that relationship where they actually will take comfort in their people,” Johnson said.
Studies have found cats can also distinguish between their owners’ and a strangers’ voices, and they can recognize emotional sounds. Our feline friends might be more perceptive — and hear more — than we give them credit for.
Cats understand their names and are probably just choosing to ignore you.
Hi: I’m Blossom, a 9 1/2 year old Poodle X who is in need of a new home. I was found as a stray, but no one came to claim me. I’m grateful to C.A.R.L. who is going to help me find my forever home.
I’m an older lady whose vision isn’t as good as it used to be, but I still get around just fine. My foster mom says I’m good with other dogs and cats too. I’m a wonderful dog when I’m with you, but I don’t like to be left alone and will let you know it.
I know people will pass me by because I’m older, but I know my special someone is out there. I still have lots of love to give and hope there is someone who wants to love me in return. Please fill out an online application if you want to meet me. CARL Adoption Center-call 644-7387 for more information.
Spayed Female Shorthaired Rabbit. Lola has personality to spare! This super social house rabbit loves to hop on the couch with her foster family and enjoys other, non-predatory pets. She is a very tidy girl who is good with her litter box. To learn more about Lola and inquire about adoption, please email [email protected] and ask for ID #A776348.
CAPS Media Crew Evan Carpenter, Elizabeth Rodeno, Alex Uvari, Phil Taggart, Jorge Godinez, Donald McConnell, Patrick Davidson, Manny Reynosa, Gary Roll and Jamie Cawelti
The entire CAPS Media Crew wants to thank everyone in Ventura and Ventura County for their tremendous support and collaboration throughout 2021. The COVID-19 pandemic presented considerable challenges throughout the year, however despite the obstacles CAPS Media crews continued to provide communication and information services for the City of Ventura and the entire Ventura County.
All year long CAPS Media crews stayed extremely busy producing City projects that included covering more than 140 separate live meetings which totaled more than 290 hours and included City Council, Administrative Public Hearings, Design Review, Economic Development Strategy Committee, Finance, Historic Preservation, Parks and Recreation and Safe and Clean and Homeless Committees, and the Water Commission all broadcast and streamed on CAPS Media Channel 15 and on capsmedia.org.
Working in collaboration with City of Ventura Public Information Officers, CAPS Media video crews produced more dozens of informational City videos for the public including monthly updates by Mayor Sofia Rubalcava, informative videos from other City Council Members, Ventura Police and Ventura Fire. Creation of the videos required more than 900 hours of field and in-studio production and editing.
Throughout 2021 CAPS Media crews were collaborating with Ventura County PIOs to produce multiple projects including COVID-19 Updates and educational videos in multiple languages, as well as fire safety, housing, and healthcare videos, totaling more than 75 separate projects requiring more than 800 hours of field and studio production and editing.
CAPS Media’s KPPQ Radio crews continued providing the community with non-stop original, locally produced, non-commercial programming throughout 2021. The resourceful KPPQ DJs produced high-quality, innovative programming in the KPPQ studio and in their home studios week in and week out.
Under the direction of station manager Elizabeth Rodeno and engineer Evan Carpenter, CAPS Media KPPQ has trained more than 100 producers in the skills and art of radio and podcast production. Since the launch of KPPQ, more than 500 hours of original local music shows have been broadcast on the station including Pure Rock Show, The Pam Baumgardner Music Hour, Doc’s Delta Blues Lounge and Ojai Dream. KPPQ DJ’s have hosted an extensive range of community/youth and public affairs programs including In the Women’s Room, Ventura Vibe!, Teen Centric, Women of a Certain Age, The ECTV Radio Show, The Shiver Show, Fireside Tailes for Wolfgang.
During 2021 the KPPQ team produced and more than 300 hours of Ventura Community centered talk show programs, combined with specially selected licensed programs fueled nonstop distribution on KPPQ 104.1fm, streaming on capsmedia.org and myTuner Radio.
Throughout the 2020-2021 school year CAPS Media staff, led by Phil Taggart, continued to mentor El Camino High School students in the award-winning ECTV media education program, teaching students how to master media technology to create, produce and communicate their own stories. The collaborative curriculum includes hands-on training as well as vital communication and storytelling skills. ECTV is a student internship and career pathways program in collaboration with Ventura Unified School District and Ventura College.
As the year draws to a close, the entire CAPS Media staff want to express our appreciation to the members of the dedicated CAPS Media Board of Directors. Thank you all for an engaging 2021 and best wishes for a Happy and Healthy 2022.
