by Mayor Matt LaVere

Before we can begin to address our water supply issues in the Ventura River watershed, we must first recognize the problem, and realize we need to work together to solve it. Accordingly, I am pleased to report that the watershed’s water leaders have agreed to come together to collaborate on developing a new sustainable approach to managing the watershed for the future.

The key to creating a lasting and viable solution to protect the Ventura River watershed is collaboration between all its diverse water users. We all understand the obstacles facing the watershed, and we’re all at the table and ready to roll up our sleeves to establish a plan that secures our water supply. To that end, the parties to the litigation initiated by Santa Barbara Channelkeeper against the City of Ventura and the State Water Resources Control Board have started the settlement process by agreeing to a mediation meeting beginning in April where we will exchange ideas, raise tough questions and work together to find common ground.

Many of the region’s diverse water users are in agreement that a locally-driven, physical solution achieved through a collective process is the ideal path forward. The City’s objective, during this mediation and beyond, is to establish an adaptive and lasting framework that clearly recognizes the needs and rights of each water user, makes the most of the watershed’s resources and shares the responsibility of preserving finite water supplies amongst all users. The City’s desired outcome will not have any “winners” or “losers,” but rather a shared commitment by all to protect the watershed. Collaboration is vital to this effort because, as you may know, the City of Ventura is just one of more than 100 users that pump and divert water from the watershed.

Mediation provides the opportunity to create a proactive resolution that provides procedures and protections to ensure all of the parties are part of the decision-making. The court process also provides a standardized process for all parties to provide the information necessary to assess everyone’s future water use and needs. That’s why it’s the most efficient and effective approach to preserving our water supply.

The varied interests in the watershed and the current lack of collaboration and accountability have made it difficult to assess availability in our water system and effectively manage our limited water resources for the future. We are eager to leave these challenges in the past and charge forward with a strategy that considers all of the watershed’s users and looks at the entire interconnected water system holistically.

The dialogue that will establish this framework for the future has already begun. Solving the obstacles facing our region’s water resources – including the impacts of climate change, prolonged periods of drought and increased users – will take an investment of time and work, but I’m confident we can address them through a collective effort. The next steps of this effort includes the first mediation next month, further, regular mediation sessions between all of the watershed’s parties, careful analysis, technical and legal research to inform all of our proposed solutions and, ultimately, a fair and lasting settlement approved by the court to protect the Ventura River watershed.

The City remains committed to positive momentum and ensuring that these critical challenges are resolved in a fair and proactive method that safeguards our water supplies now and moving forward.

by Richard Lieberman

During a regularly scheduled meeting of the Ventura City Council recommendations and voting, along with special presentations and announcements were conducted including the Mayor for a Moment program enabling students from local schools to sit in the Mayor’s chair and present an essay to the council and public.

This month Joey Baccerra from Junipero Serra Elementary School was honored as Mayor of the Moment by the City Council. Joey took the Mayor’s seat and read an essay he penned. An avid sportsman Joey was lauded by teachers and administrators for his excellent academic achievements and his sportsmanlike attitude in everything he has accomplished.

Another special presentation followed A Census Presentation “The Road to the 2020 Census” given by Jesse Gonzalez, Partnership Specialist, U.S. Census Bureau, Los Angeles Regional Census Center. He discussed the importance of the census in the allocation of Federal funding for cities and how important the results will be for the City of Ventura.

The meeting then moved on to consent items:

Item 8B: Lease agreement- the City of San Buenaventura and Los Angeles SMSA Limited Partnership, dba Verizon Wireless by Air Touch Cellular, to operate a cellular site at 350 Summit Road, Ventura, Ca. (Grant Park)

Recommendation:

Approve and authorize the Mayor to sign the lease agreement

Designate the City Manager to act as the agent for the city to sign all related documents and subsequent amendments thereto to implement this agreement.

Authorize Finance and Technology to appropriate funds to the proper projects, accounts, and funds for reimbursement of expenses incurred by the city as a result of this lease agreement.

Passed by the Council

Item 8H: Sewer line replacement –Seaside wastewater Force Main Authorize the Mayor to execute a professional services agreement with Fippen Engineering, Inc. to provide construction management services, in the amount not to exceed $135,390

Passed by the Council

Item 8I: Sewer line Replacement – Seaside Wastewater Force Main- Authorization to Execute Professional services Agreement with Padre Associates, Ic. For Environmental Consulting Services.

Recommendation:

Approve and authorize the mayor to execute a professional services agreement with Padre Associates in an amount not to exceed $135,390

Passed by the council

Item 8E: Amend Special Event Indemnification and Insurance Requirements

Recommendation:

Amend the insurance requirements for special events based on the three-tiered structure and eliminate the requirement for vendor insurance for most Special Events.

Direct the City Attorney to draft an ordinance to amend the municipal code

Passed by the council

Item 8F: Bus Stop Use Agreement with FlixBus

Recommendation:

a. Authorize the City Manager to execute the Bus Stop Use Agreement with FlixBus

b. Authorize the City Manager to delegate the signing authority for a future year contract

to Public Works Director.

Passed by City Council

Item 8C Consideration of 2019 Amgen Tour of California Cycling Race Contract with AEG and Agreement with Ventura Visitors Bureau and Agreement with Convention Bureau for Hotel and Team Meal Requirements

Approve the proposed Amgen Tour of California Cycling Race Contract

Authorize the interim Community Development Director to Execute an agreement with Ventura Visitors and Convention Burea for $82, 519 for Hotel and team meal requirements from funds already allocated by council

Passed by the Council.

12B: Museum of Ventura County Funding for Fiscal Year 2019-2020

Recommendation:

Provide direction regarding funding with the Museum of Ventura County to support general operations through June 30, 2020

Authorize the City Manager to execute a Funding and Services Agreement not to exceed $250,000.

Passed by council with one opposing vote by Councilman Jim Friedman.

Ventura Water announced the 2019 honorees at the 7th Annual Water: Take 1 Film Festival, a free community event held March 21 at the Buenaventura Banquet Center, in celebration of World Water Day. Ventura High School’s environmental club and Surfrider Foundation’s Ocean Friendly Garden program were presented with the Community Partnership Award. Local environmental advocates, Ron and Barbara Barrett received the Community Member Award, and CLEAN International was awarded the National Organization Award. All honorees received a $500 award for their inspirational conservation efforts and commitment to elevating the value of water.

City of Ventura Mayor Matt LaVere kicked-off the film screenings of water-themed short films profiling each honoree’s inspiring story. The films can be viewed at www.watertake1.com.

The Water: Take 1 Film Festival, recognizes individuals, non-profits and organizations with exemplary efforts in water conservation, resource management, and sustainability by producing short films in honor of their commitment to making a difference.  The event is proudly sponsored by Carollo Engineers, Nossaman LLP, Hopkins Groundwater Consultants, and Kennedy Jenks Consultants.

“This year’s honorees exemplify the critical efforts of community members that inspire change through forward thinking water conscious actions and initiatives,” said Ventura Water Interim General Manager Susan Rungren.

Event sponsors Hopkins Groundwater Consultants, and Kennedy Jenks Consultants recognized Surfrider Foundation’s Ocean Friendly Garden program for partnering with Ventura High School students to replace over 1,000 square feet of lawn with a new water wise garden. The new landscape was designed to save water, prevent stormwater pollution, and serve as a demonstration garden for the public.

Representatives from Nossaman LLP presented the Community Organization Award to Ron and Barbara Barrett for their leadership in protecting local watersheds and inspiring youth to care for the environment. For more than 30 years, the couple has volunteered as site leaders for the Ormond Beach annual Coastal Cleanup Day.

CLEAN International, whose mission is the eradication of waterborne illness and an end to the daily walk for water worldwide, was presented the National Foundation Award by Carollo Engineers. The Ventura-based non-profit organization advocates for clean, sustainable, and convenient water and sanitation around the world.

Five reasons to apply now to be a lifeguard at the Ventura Aquatic Center:

1. No need to decide what to wear to work. Your wardrobe is a bathing suit with a uniform shirt and shorts.

2. Killer workout every day- swim between your shifts.

3. Work outdoors in Ventura. Yes, please!

4. Co-workers, you may not know any of them when you start, but by the end of it all, they will be your best friends.

5. Ability to save a life…mic dropped!

If you are over the age of 16 and would like to serve as a Ventura Aquatic Center Lifeguard, now is your chance! No certifications are necessary to try out, just a good attitude and strong swimming skills. Several tryout dates are available.

• Fri., March 15: 3:30-4:30 pm and 6-7 pm
• Sat., March 16: 2:30-3:30 pm
• Thurs., March 21: 5:30-6:30 pm

Show up to the tryout that is most convenient for you, no need to RSVP. No additional tryout dates will be added. For further questions, please contact the Ventura Aquatic Center at 805-654-7511.

The Ventura Police Officers’ Association (VPOA) is accepting applications for the 16th annual Dee Dowell Memorial Scholarship. The scholarships will be presented in to honor Sergeant Darlon “Dee” Dowell, who was shot and killed on August 7, 1978. Sergeant Dowell is the only officer in Ventura’s history to die in the line of duty.

At the time of his death, Sergeant Dowell, 32, was a nine-year veteran of the Ventura Police Department. He is remembered as a dedicated police officer, devoted husband, and loving father to his two young children.The City of San Buenaventura named Dowell Drive, the location of police headquarters, in Sergeant Dowell’s honor in 1979.

In selecting scholarship recipients, the VPOA will consider academic achievement, school and community service, and financial needs. Applications must contain all required information and be returned no later than April 12, 2019. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Scholarship Awards:

• 1st Place $5,000.00
• 2nd Place $3,500.00
• 3rd Place $2,000.00
• Honorable Mention(s) $500.00

Applicants must:

• Be entering his/her freshman through senior year in college;
• Plan a course of study related to the field of public service;
• Ventura resident or have graduated from a high school in Ventura within the past three years, or a Ventura Police Department employee or employee’s child.
• Have a grade point average of 3.0 or better (based on a 4.0 system);
• Maintain a grade point average of 3.0 or better if selected as a recipient;
• Submit a resume of school and community activities, including a copy of transcripts through the most recent semester;
• Submit a typed essay of 1000 words or less on “Service, what it means to me”;
• Submit a letter of recommendation from a public servant.

For additional information please contact Ofc. Mike Hibdon at 805-339-4443 or [email protected]. Applications are available at the front desk of the Ventura Police Department on Dowell Dr.

The City of Ventura invites community members and stakeholders interested in learning about the VenturaWaterPure project’s role in a sustainable water future for Ventura to review and comment on the Ventura Water Supply Projects Draft Environmental Impact Report (Draft EIR). The public review and written comment period for the Draft EIR will run until April 19, 2019.

The City of Ventura is currently in the planning phases for the proposed VenturaWaterPure Project which includes the construction of an Advanced Water Purification Facility (AWPF) for potable reuse. Potable reuse is the proven use of recycled water to supplement drinking water supplies. After years of special studies, environmental assessment, demonstration facility testing, and stakeholder meetings, the City determined the best way to enhance environmental protection while improving local water quality and supply reliability is to divert highly treated wastewater discharges for reuse. The final product of this state-of-the-art AWPF would be a new, locally owned source of highly purified drinking water that provides Ventura with a long-term drought resilient water supply solution.

Interested persons, organizations, and agencies are invited to attend a public meeting, in conjunction with the regularly scheduled Water Commission meeting, to receive an overview and ask questions about the environmental analysis of the project.

Public Meeting Date Tuesday, March 26, 2019,5:30 P.M., Ventura City Hall, Community Meeting Room (Room 202)

Written comments on the Draft EIR are due no later than 5 PM on Monday, April 19, 2019.

Please direct your comments to:

Gina Dorrington
City of Ventura
501 Poli Street
Ventura, CA 93002-0099
Email: [email protected]

Upon completion of the environmental review process, the next steps include permitting, final design, and bidding for construction.

Document Availability: Copies of the Draft EIR are available for review at:

• City of Ventura Planning Division, 501 Poli Street, Room117
• City of Ventura E.P. Foster Library, 651 E. Main Street
• City of Ventura Avenue Library, 606 N. Ventura Avenue
• County of Ventura Saticoy Library, 1292 Los Angeles Avenue, Ventura, CA 93004
• Visit www.venturawater.net

For information on how to review the Draft EIR and submit written comments, visit www.venturawater.net and click on the Ventura Water Supply Projects graphic.

This release is available on the City of Ventura website at www.cityofventura.ca.gov

Craig A. Jones
Ventura Water
Management Analyst II
General Manager’s Office
Phone: 805-654-7526
Cell: 805-223-4378
[email protected]
www.venturawater.net