Category Archives: City News

We congratulate our officers for their exceptional service to our community.

Sixteen Ventura Police Officers were recognized alongside officers throughout Ventura County at the 41st Peace Officers of Ventura County Law Enforcement Medal of Valor Awards Ceremony held on October 7 at the Ronald Reagan Library. The Medal of Valor is awarded to officers for extraordinary bravery, above and beyond the call of duty, where risk of life existed and the officer was aware of such risk.

Incident One: On December 17, 2015 at 8:30 in the morning the Ventura Police Department received a 911 call stating a female subject had been shot. There were limited details to the shooters whereabouts. Officers arrived on scene and immediately went into action. As dispatchers attempted to gather further information, a child could be heard crying in the background. As officers formulated a plan a female victim exited the residence. It was obvious that she had sustained multiple gunshot wounds. It was later determined that she had 18 wounds. As the victim exited the residence officers, without hesitation still not knowing the whereabouts of the shooter, formed an immediate reaction team and went into rescue mode. Officers rescued the victim and immediately began first aid until medical personnel arrived on scene.

After the female victim had been rescued officers staged at the doorway of the residence. A male subject could be seen lying at the top of the stair case. He was later pronounced deceased. A child could be heard screaming from an unknown location within the apartment. The suspect’s location was still unknown but officers made entry into the residence to render aid to the child in distress. The distressed child was unharmed. Officers rescued the child.

The suspect’s location was still unknown. Agencies throughout Southern California were searching for the suspect. The Ventura Police Department posted a picture of the suspect on the department’s Facebook page. A Ventura resident was vacationing in Mexico and came across the photo on social media. She was eating at a restaurant in Rosarito Beach and noticed the suspect was also at the restaurant. She called the Watch Commander to report identifying the suspect and detectives then worked with authorities at the border to apprehend the suspect. The suspect is now awaiting trial for murder and attempted murder.

Sergeant Anselmo, Detective Acquarelli, Officer Davy, Detective Corporal Marchetti, Officer Martinez, Officer Kasper, Detective Corporal Gilbert, Officer Fowler and Officer Brittle received the Medal of Valor for their service above and beyond the call of duty during this incident.

Incident Two: On June 29, 2016 two people were shot, one fatally on E. Main Street in Ventura. The shooter fled the area in a vehicle occupied by additional subjects. Officers responded to the shooting scene but three officers began patrolling the surrounding area and located the suspect vehicle. The suspect vehicle drove recklessly at speeds over 100 MPH through areas of heavy pedestrian and vehicle traffic. The suspect vehicle ultimately crashed into an orchard in east Ventura. The driver fled the vehicle leaving the three injured subjects in the vehicle. The vehicle caught on fire with the subjects trapped inside. At this time, officers were completely exposed to the suspect who had fled into the orchard, the weapons used were still outstanding and the subjects were wanted for murder. The officers made the choice to sacrifice their safety and rescue the occupants before they were engulfed in flames. Officers approached and rescued the occupants with the vehicle on fire. The driver, who tried to escape, was later apprehended in the orchard. The subjects are now awaiting trial for murder and attempted murder.

Corporal Knackstedt, Detective Conger, Detective Gutierrez, Officer Almaguer, Officer Dillard and Sergeant Medina were awarded the Medal of Merit for risking their own lives to save the occupants of the vehicle who otherwise would have been trapped in flames.

In the past year, Building and Safety has experienced an influx of projects

Yolanda has been the Chief Building Official for three years.
by Yolanda Bundy, Chief Building Official City of Ventura The Building and Safety Division is the City office that issues building permits for construction projects in Ventura, such as new housing developments, commercial structures, small residential remodeling projects, or the installation of solar panels on a commercial or residential structure. The permitting process embraces all aspects of building construction – life/safety, structural, plumbing, electrical and mechanical – and is based upon the mandated state building codes, regulations and city ordinances. With the ever-growing concern for health and safety within construction, it is no surprise that construction jobs of this nature often require a qualification similar to a hsr certificate in order to maintain employee safety at all times. In the past year, Building and Safety has experienced an influx of projects, ranging from large developments to tenant improvements, to DIY home remodeling projects thanks to the internet offering vast amounts of advice and information to complete such projects, for example, see the likes of these tips to inspect your commercial plumbing and other improvement or maintenance articles that are for people trying to cut down on maintenance costs, etc. With more and more people wanting to complete construction projects, it’s vital that they receive initial assessments of the land they’re wanting to build or develop on. This needs to be done by professionals who can accurately examine the sub-surface to ensure the building site is safe. By getting in touch with a company that offers concrete sanning services, potential building projects can be reassured that their site is safe to begin building work.

Currently our Building and Safety counter (room 117, City Hall) serves approximately 800 to 1200 walk-in customers each month. Some of the services that we provide include issuing building permits, answering building code questions, processing Public Records Requests and assisting architects, engineers, owner-builders and contractors with their building plans. We have processed an average of over 4,300 permit applications for the past two years and are on track to exceed a total of 4,500 permit applications that will have been processed by the end of 2017. The number of plan checks received and reviewed is expected to exceed over 5,000 this year, topping last year’s record number of 4,400 plan checks. Our inspection volume has increased tremendously over this past year as a result of the many projects and building activities in our community, with a steadily increasing monthly average of 1,200 per month. As a point of reference, our office was conducting an average of 600 monthly inspections just two years ago, so the increase in construction has had a definite impact on all aspects of our operations. It can be sometimes hard to tell whether your building is solid enough to pass any test or inspection it may face, which is why you might want to get in contact with the trusted building inspections service in Melbourne sooner rather than later. While this construction activity can be seen by all in the medical hub of Midtown, at the Harbor, in the housing projects on the east end, the commercial projects on South Victoria, new dealerships at the Auto Center and prominently along the Highway 101 corridor with Kaiser Permanente’s clinic in final construction activity, it is important to note that the planned and predicted population growth rate of .88% in the 2005 General Plan remains only at .45% population growth over the ten year period from 2006-2016, per Department of Finance data. This growth rate when applied to “predicted” development activity shows that the City is growing at 45% – residential, 27% – industrial, 22% – hotel, 17% – retail, 14% – office of the totals identified in the General Plan. These percentages through end of 2016 account for all built and under construction, but also approved projects not yet issued building permits. The city is in year 12 of a 20-year General Plan projection period with the expectation in 2018 to commence a 3-year effort to formally update the General Plan, which will include significant community and City Council engagement to determine our land uses and community development for a new projection period. Building and Safety is committed to continuing to work with all community members to ensure that each project is reviewed in a timely manner and that we provide the best possible customer service for our city.

City Council districts are coming

The City of Ventura received a threat of a lawsuit relating to our current At-Large Election Process for selecting city council members from Attorney Robert Rubin which in part stated that our current method of electing city council members at-large does not conform to the California Voting Rights Act(CVRA) and that city council elections must transition from the current “at large” method to “by district” in order to conform to CVRA requirements.

The State of California has also determined that the Ventura City Council does not represent the racial diversity in Ventura and that we need to elect our city council by districts.

The City of Ventura currently elects City Council members through an at-large election process, which means all voters elect all members of the City Council. Changing to district based elections will result in the City being divided into seven geographic districts, each with one City Council member who resides in the district and is chosen only by the voters residing in that district.

City Attorney Gregory Diaz has instructed the City Council that to avoid a costly legal battle, that the city would probably lose Ventura should start the process to a voting system where its elected officials are seated based on where they live in Ventura.

“While a number of options are provided for the City Council’s consideration, transitioning to districts is the only one that clearly meets the requirements of the CVRA,” Diaz wrote in his staff report.

To protect the City and avoid significant legal costs the City Council adopted a resolution on October 16, 2017, declaring the City’s intent to transition to district based elections; the ordinance needs to be adopted by January 14, 2018 making district elections effective for the 2018 election.

Along with drawing new lines, the council must consider what to do with council members who find themselves living in the same district as is the case now.

The following meetings will be held to discuss the proposed new district voting.

Community Information Meeting: October 26, 6 p.m. at the Poinsettia Pavilion, 3451 Foothill Rd.

Public Hearings: November 6, 2017 at 6 p.m., December 4, 2017, at 6 p.m., December 11, 2017 at 6 p.m. at City Hall, 501 Poli St.

For a complete list of key dates, administrative reports and frequently asked questions visit www.cityofventura.ca.gov/districtelections. You may provide input via email at [email protected]. The City has created a short video that explains the district elections process at www.facebook.com/thecityofventura .

City Council speaks out against islamophobia, racism, sexism and xenophobia

On October 2 the Ventura City Council supported a resolution opposing racism and violence brought forward by Councilmember Cheryl Heitmann.

Cheryl stated” It was sparked by what happened in Charlottesville but seems it also applies again with the senseless violence in Las Vegas. I have left off the whereas part due to its length but here is the rest.”

NOW, THEREFORE, the City Council of the City of San Buenaventura does hereby resolve, find, determine and order as follows:

Section 1: The City Council of the City of San Buenaventura desires to make it known that the City and this City Council stands for the following

Principles:

• We believe in and stand for values of inclusion, equity and justice. We condemn islamophobia, racism, sexism and xenophobia in rhetoric or action.

• We welcome all people and recognize the rights of individuals to live their lives with dignity, free of discrimination based on their faith, race, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, or immigration status.

• We will continue our work in making our services and programs accessible and open to all individuals.

• We believe in the public sector for the public good. Advancing equity and inclusion is critical to the success of our communities and our nation.

Section 2: The City Council desires that these principles be reflected in how the City conducts its business and how our City officials, employees, and residents treat each other.

Measure O to fund neighborhood drug and crime prevention

The Ventura Police Department (VPD) will step up prevention efforts on neighborhood drug and crime issues through Measure O funding. This was approved by the City Council during its regular meeting on September 25. The funding will be dedicated to a comprehensive plan developed by VPD that will specifically address narcotics and property crime issues by adding sworn officers onto the streets of the Ventura community.

“This funding will strengthen our ability to effectively respond to crime and narcotic activity, and further our long term efforts to improve the quality of life for Ventura residents,” said Mayor Erik Nasarenko. “The revenue generated from Measure O is providing vital services we need in our community.”

The Measure O funding for neighborhood drug and crime prevention is ongoing. The partial year appropriation is $622,000 for non-sworn, non-safety, Police Officer Trainees. In subsequent years, the Trainee positions are expected to transition to 1 Police Sergeant and 4 Police Officers performing the full range of law enforcement duties and the appropriation will adjust to $940,000 after five years.

The City of Ventura has the highest per capita Part 1 Crime Rate in Ventura County, driven most significantly by property crimes. Additionally, Ventura has the highest incident of drug overdoses in Ventura County and receives more than 100 calls per year to its Narcotics Hotline regarding concerns of neighborhood and public space drug offenses. The Ventura Police Department has no dedicated resources to effectively respond to the problem.

Prior to the recession the Ventura Police Department had 13 Police Officers assigned to property crimes and drug narcotic investigations. There are now only seven Officers assigned to both areas, while reported property crimes have increased by more than 20%.

City of Ventura Fall Camps

Call 658-4726 to register, if you already have an account online, visit www.cityofventura.ca.gov.

Fall CAMP Minecraft Engineering with Lego Materials 5-7 years

10/23-10/27 M-F 9 am-12 pm $190

Build engineer-designed projects such as a motorized Creeper, a portal to the Nether, and a moving Minecart! Create your favorite Minecraft objects with the guidance of an experienced Play-Well instructor. At BVC.

Fall Camp Minecraft Masters Engineering with Lego Materials 7-12 years
10/23-10/27 M-F 1-4pm $190
Build a motorized walking Creeper, a terrifying Ghast, and a motorized Minecart! Students will explore real-world concepts in physics, engineering, and architecture while building their favorite Minecraft objects. At BVC.

Fall Billy Clower Hip Hop Boot Camp 5-16 years
Ages 5-7 10/23-10/27 M-F 9 am-12 pm $135
Ages 8-10 10/23-10/27 M-F 1-4 pm $135
Ages 11-16 10/23-10/27 M-F 5-8 pm $135
Each day starts with a warm-up full of freestyling, stretching and conditioning guaranteed to get your heart pounding. Performance at end of week for family & friends. At Billy Clower Studio, 75 Macmillian Ave. At BVC.

Phase 2 of the project will be developed as funds are raised.

Lots to do at Kellogg Park already.

The newest member of the City of Ventura’s Parks, Recreation and Community Partnerships division, Kellogg Park, is currently in its first phase of construction. Kellogg Park began as a community driven project to increase park area on the Westside of Ventura, and although there were no available funds to build the park, the City and its partners secured $3.5 of the $4.5 of the funds needed to construct the park through grants and donations. The first phase of the 2.41 acre park will feature community gathering spaces, an amphitheater, playground area, outdoor exercise equipment, and a perimeter walking path.

The construction at Kellogg Park is moving along quickly. People walking by can now see that play and exercise equipment have been installed, as well as, new cobble seat walls surrounding the play areas. Work has also begun on beautiful pebble mosaics. Park staff are set for an April 2018 expected completion date, of the first phase of this park. The first phase of the 2.41 acre park will feature community gathering spaces, an amphitheater, playground area, outdoor exercise equipment, and a perimeter walking path. For more information, photos and videos please visit the Kellogg Park website https://www.cityofventura.ca.gov/521/Kellogg-Park.

The plan is to evaluate the one way conversion in six months

Were you surprised to see this?

by Jeff Hereford, City of Ventura Civil Engineer

Harbor Boulevard west of Figueroa (adjacent to the Amtrak station) has been permanently converted to an eastbound one way street. Note that the section of Harbor Boulevard east of Garden Street (adjacent to the fairgrounds) is already an eastbound one way street.

For the past couple years Harbor Boulevard west of Figueroa has been converted to eastbound one way as a part of the VC Fair traffic control set up. Since the conversion was made VPD has indicated a significant improvement to traffic flow during the 10 days of the fair, particularly when fairgoers exit the fairgrounds in the late evening. A significant amount of work has to be done each year to make this conversion which includes re-striping the roadway. The removal of the striping has an impact to the condition of the pavement and over time will require additional maintenance. In addition, there is a significant cost in making these changes each year.

With the growing number of special events at the Fairgrounds and the amount of work it takes to convert to one way each year prior to the fair, it would be beneficial to just make the one way permanent. People wanting to go to the Amtrak station will need to traverse through the fairgrounds parking lot. New signage has been installed as a part of the permanent conversion to guide motorists to the station. The fairgrounds will accommodate access to the station through their parking lot. The fairgrounds already has an agreement with the City to provide 22 parking spaces in their lot for long term parking for Amtrak passengers. In addition to coordinating with the fairgrounds we have also coordinated with the DVP (Downtown Ventura Partners)trolley. The trolley will also need to traverse through the fairgrounds parking lot. This has been discussed and there doesn’t seem to be any issues.

The plan is to evaluate the one way conversion in six months to see if there are any major issues that arise. The City, Fairgrounds, VPD, Fire, and DVP will all be involved in the evaluation. Since the striping has been done in paint rather than a more permanent striping material it can be changed back to the original layout fairly easy.

The 12th annual City of Ventura Photo Contest deadline is around the corner!

Might this photo be a winner? Only if Richard Lieberman enters it.

Do you have an amazing shot you took of a Ventura landscape, or of you or your children participating in one of our Parks and Recreation programs or events, or perhaps of a wedding that took place at one of our historical sites? We encourage all amateur and professional photographers to enter our 12th annual City of Ventura Photo Contest, with a focus on all things Ventura. The deadline to submit photos is Oct. 2. Many submitted photos will be used in city publications and social media posts with a photo credit. Photographers of all ages are invited to enter their best high resolution images with two ways to win; People’s Choice by online votes and/or Judges’ Choice by visual arts professionals.

The mission of the contest is to celebrate the City of Ventura, therefore all photos entered must be taken within our city limits or directly adjacent–beaches, mountains, Channel Islands, etc. There are three categories to enter your photos into: Environment, Architecture and Culture & Community. All winners will be invited to attend a reception at City Hall to celebrate their work. You do not need to be a resident of the City of Ventura to enter.

For more information on entry requirements and the submission process visit the City of Ventura’s Photo Contest website. https://www.cityofventura.ca.gov/665/Photo-Contests

Vol. 10, No. 26 – Sept 27 – Oct 10, 2017 – City of Ventura Classes

Call 658-4726 or 654-7552 to register, if you already have an account online, visit www.cityofventura.net
Classes held the Barranca Vista Center ~ 7050 Ralston Street in Ventura unless otherwise noted.

Ghosts or Folklore 12 years-Adult
3/11-4/8 Tuesdays 5:30-6:30 pm $60 + $5 supply fee
Real or folklore, it’s for you to decide as Richard Senate discusses his 34 years of ghost hunting investigations all over Ventura County. Material fees cover handouts and booklet: How to Hunt Ghosts. The fifth class will be a local field trip TBD. Instructor Richard Senate.. Course# 36874

History of Ventura Through Crafts 6-10 years
3/12-3/26 Wednesdays 4-5 pm $30
Explore the five culture groups -Chumash, Spanish, Mexican, Chinese and American- that built today’s Ventura through the crafts and games of each culture plus a take-home coloring book of Ventura history. Instructor Richard Senate. Course# 36873

Young Creators: Sketch Comedy Workshop 10-13 years
3/20-5/15 Thursdays 4-5:15 pm $125
Students learn to write, film and edit a comedic digital short film with the fast setups and punch lines often associated with Saturday Night Live or MAD tv. No class 4/3. Course# 36459

Animation Creators: Stop Motion Animation 7-12 years
3/18-5/13 Tuesdays 4-5:15 pm $125
Students work together to create an original story around favorite toys through basic animation concepts such as camera angles, storyboards, scripting elements and theme. No class 4/1. Course# 36457