Category Archives: Facebook

Firefighters respond to fire in the Ventura River bottom

On Oct.30, at 9:36am the Ventura City Fire Department received a report of a fire burning in the Ventura River bottom between the 101 freeway and a railroad trestle. Upon arrival, firefighters discovered a 100’ x 200’ fire burning in the aforementioned location. Access to the fire was hampered by heavy Arundel and brush. California Department of Forestry hand crews were requested to cut fire lines into and around the fire.

Firefighters extinguished and overhauled the fire with hand tools and water achieving full containment 4 hours after the initial report. The cause of the fire remains under investigation; however, several homeless encampments were noted in and around the origin of the fire. No firefighters were injured as a result of this incident.

Veterans Day at Government Center Nov. 11th

November 11: Veterans Day at the Government Center this year commences at 11:00 AM. The location is outdoors at the corner of Telephone and Victoria Avenue in Ventura, near the flags that represent every branch of the military. Wreaths will be laid by friends and family members , one at each flag.  This annual event is provided by the Gold Coast Veterans Foundation and a collaboration of city officials. Held or shine! In the event of rain it move indoors.

There is plenty of parking and we suggest arrival between 10:15-10:30 AM as we begin promptly at 11:00. The 11 o’clock hour represents the exact time the War ended.

Mayor Heitmann and many other dignitaries will attend.  Lyn Fairly is  Master of Ceremonies.

Community invited to important Ventura Water Stakeholder Meeting Nov. 3rd

Community members invited to attend important Ventura Water Stakeholder Meeting, November3 at 11am

Santa Clara River Estuary Stakeholder Meeting
Tuesday, November 3, 2015 at 11am
Community Meeting Room at Ventura City Hall, 501 Poli St., Room 202
Who should attend:  Community members who are interested in learning about how the City plans to provide a sustainable water future for Ventura residents while addressing the complex interests and opinions surrounding the Santa Clara River Estuary.

In December of 2011, the Ventura City Council voted on a final settlement agreement and consent decree with Heal the Bay, and Wishtoyo Foundation/Ventura Coastkeeper to resolve legal actions associated with the City’s Reclamation Facility discharges of tertiary treated water into the Santa Clara River Estuary.  In this agreement, the City agreed to further investigate and determine how best to utilize this water resource for the future, while preserving the natural habitat of the Santa Clara River Estuary.

By the end of December 2015, the City must propose a project or projects that would eliminate 100 percent of the discharge from the existing Reclamation Facility to the estuary.  The City is hosting a stakeholder meeting on Tuesday November 3, 2015, at 11 a.m. in the Community Meeting Room at City Hall to discuss proposed solutions and to clarify what 100 percent diversion represents.

For more information contact Craig Jones at Ventura Water, 223-4378

 

2015 Color Run comes to Ventura Saturday, October 17 – Street closure info

2015 Color Run – Street Closures, No Parking, and Traffic Impacts
Run Begins and Ends at the Ventura County Fairgrounds. Traffic to be Impacted Within the Surrounding Area. Details Listed Below.

Saturday, October 17, 2015 at 8:00 a.m.
Road closures: Saturday, October 17, 2015 beginning at 6:00 a.m. All roads opened by approximately 1:30 p.m. Details below.

On Saturday, October 17, 2015, beginning at 8:00 a.m., the 2015 Color Run will take place in Ventura. The run begins and ends at the Ventura County Fairgrounds.

We want to inform the community of street closures, no parking within designated areas, and potentially congested roadways in and around the area of the Ventura County Fairgrounds, Harbor Blvd, San Jon Rd., Hemlock St., Thompson Blvd., and portions of the downtown corridor.

Street closures will take place on Saturday the 17th beginning at 6:00 a.m. As runners circulate through the route roads will be reopened along the way with all roads anticipated to be reopened by 1:30 p.m.

Street Closures and No Parking Areas:

• Hemlock St. between Thompson Blvd. and Main St.

• Harbor Blvd. from the Fairgrounds to San Jon Rd.

• Main St., between Hemlock St. and Garden St.

• Thompson Blvd. between San Jon Rd. and Hemlock

Color Run Path:

• Runners will begin from northbound Figueroa St. (from Shoreline Dr)

• Proceed eastbound onto Harbor Blvd.

• Left turn (northbound) onto San Jon

• Westbound onto Thompson Blvd.

• Right turn (northbound) on Hemlock

• Left (westbound) on Main Street

• Left (southbound) to Garden and enter the Garden Street Fairgrounds gate

The Color Run is a unique race that that involves biodegradable colored cornstarch powder to be thrown at the participants along the route. The Color Run celebrates healthiness, happiness and individuality. To learn more about the event please visit the following link: http://thecolorrun.com/ventura/

Reel Anglers Guppy Outdoor Program Launch

Reel Anglers Fishing Show invites to all to attend the launch of their “Reel Guppy Outdoor Program” launch and program presentation on Thursday, October 29 from 6:00pm – 9:00pm at Pizza Man Dan’s located at 1601 Victoria Ave. in Oxnard.

Throughout the evening, an informational presentation about the new and upcoming program will be given by Kevin Brannon, Founder and TV Host of the Reel Anglers Fishing Show. This new program will include organized outdoor programs for youths of all ages including fishing trips, educational workshops to learn about the history of the Channel Islands, a “Dream and Visions” component, and more.

“Whenever I would go out fishing with my kids, a lot of other children in my apartment complex started asking me if they could tag-along”, say Brannon. “A lot of these children are raised by single parents who are tied up with work and hardly have time to take their kids on these outings.” Brannon began taking a few of the youth in his complex out which then led to a few other projects he coordinated including “Hooked on Fishing” with the local Girl Scouts Chapter, a Lake Casitas Kids Fishing Day in partnership with the West Coast Christian Anglers, a “Fish in the City” program with the Long Beach State Parks, and Friends of ROLLO – a day of deep sea fishing with children from the Oxnard Police Activities League and children from homeless families of The City CenterTransitional Living.

The purpose of the program launch is to inform any community partners about the mission as well as act as a fundraiser to raise money to cover costs in programming materials, marketing, and securing a space to house the program.

The event is free to attend. Pizza Man Dan’s will be donating a portion of the proceeds from any pizza purchased the evening off at all locations.

Breeze Reader Poetry

The Universe
Joshua Henry Jones Jr.

Count o’er the million leagues from here to yonder star.
On then. On to the next count of a million more.
Sum up the myriad gleams that light the night;
Add too, the orbit where the cold bright moon doth soar.
That done, return to earth and with thy mind outline
That huge expanse called space; and then out from our Hearse
Of changing dust dream out the words-The Universe.

 

Ode to an Encyclopedia
James Arthur

O hefty hardcover on the built-in shelf in my parents’ living room,
O authority stamped on linen paper, molted from your dust jacket,
Questing Beast of blue and gold, you were my companion

on beige afternoons that came slanting through the curtains
behind the rough upholstered chair. You knew how to trim a sail
and how the hornet builds a hive. You had a topographical map

of the mountain ranges on the far side of the moon
and could name the man who shot down the man
who murdered Jesse James. At forty, I tell myself

that boyhood was all enchantment: hanging around the railway,
getting plastered on cartoons; I see my best friend’s father
marinating in a lawn chair, smiling benignly at his son and me

from above a gin and tonic, or sitting astride his roof
with carpentry nails and hammer, going at some problem
that kept resisting all his mending. O my tome, my paper brother,

my narrative without an ending, you had a diagram of a cow
broken down into the major cuts of beef, and an image
of the Trevi Fountain. The boarding house,

the church on the corner: all that stuff is gone.
In winter in Toronto, people say, a man goes outside
and shovels snow mostly so that his neighbors know

just how much snow he is displacing. I’m writing this
in Baltimore. For such a long time, the boy wants
to grow up and be at large, but posture becomes bearing;

bearing becomes shape. A man can make a choice
between two countries, believing all the while
that he will never have to choose.

The 2015 Ventura Paddle Surfing Championships are just 3 days away!

Come join us October 9th & 10th at the Point at C Street, Ventura!

This event is OPEN to International competitors and will result in naming a new US Open Champion, as well as the new US Waveski National Champion, Sign up now, as the Waveski Open event may be limited to 32 competitors. Other waveski divisions include the various age divisions, a women’s division, and of course the Freestyle/Finless division. A high performance surf kayak class will also be included.

Heats will be 15 or 20 minutes in length, and scores will be based on the best 2 or 3 waves depending upon conditions. The format will follow World Waveski Surfing Association rules and include repercharge rounds insuring that everyone surfs at least twice in the open division. Judges will be ASP certified.

About the surf break: C-Street is a world renown point break that works from 1’ to 10’ plus and can offer rides in excess of a quarter mile! Quality waves are found at multiple peaks along this mile long cobble point. This allows more rides per surf session. The actual contest site will be located ‘Up top’ at the Point just east of the Ventura River mouth.

This year’s event is featuring a fully sponsored adaptive surfing class in the competition for those with mobility-limiting injuries such as spinal cord injuries or traumatic brain injuries. Supported by High FIves Foundation and Cojo Bay Advisors, to showcase the power of positivity out in the ocean. For more information please contact Tyler Lausten, [email protected]

Thanks to Kirby Subaru, we will have cash prizes for the top 4 finalists in both the SUP open and Waveski open events! We are also pleased to announce that Macskisurfgear.com will be giving away a $1700 custom waveski at this years event to the waveski competitor selected as the most promising.

Together We Can End Homelessness

Informing, Motivating, and Mobilizing the Community
Thursday, October 8, 2015
6:30-9:00 pm Poinsettia Pavilion 3451 Foothill Rd, Ventura

The Faith Subcommittee of the Ventura Social Services Task Force is sponsoring a workshop to proactively address the need for a community-wide effort to end homelessness.

PATH, a provider of housing throughout California, will share what they have accomplished in other communities. PATH ends homelessness and improves communities through housing, supportive services, and community engagement.

We invite representatives from houses of faith, the business community, government, and the public — All who want to help are welcome at this event.

Thursday, October 8, 2015 Poinsettia Pavilion
6:30 – Welcome from MC Rabbi Lisa Hochberg-Miller
6:45 – “Housing First” video
7:00 – PATH presentation
8:00 – Panel
8:45 – Closing comments
Refreshments and literature will be available throughout.

Our Moderator

Rabbi Lisa Hochberg-Miller has been the spiritual leader of Temple Beth Torah since 1997. In April, 2015, Rabbi Lisa was named one of the nation’s most inspiring Rabbis for her work to end homelessness.

Our Panelists
Peter Brown, Community
Services Manager, City of Ventura
Katie Hill, Chief Operating Officer, PATH
Kate Mills, Program
Administrator at Ventura County One Stop Program
Karol Schulkin, Program
Coordinator Homeless Services
Program, County of Ventura Human Services Agency
Dave Schulze, Minister at Ventura Church of Christ

The purpose of this event is to share, to learn, and to understand

  1. what other communities are doing to address the issues of housing and homelessness;
  2. what action steps are needed to end homelessness in Ventura; and
  3. what the faith community, the business community, social service providers, government, and individuals can do to end homelessness in Ventura.

Our goal is to inform, motivate, and mobilize the community so that together we can end homelessness in Ventura.

What is PATH?

PATH is People Assisting the Homeless, and its mission is “to end homelessness for individuals, families, and communities.” Ever since it was founded in 1984, PATH has pioneered bold and effective approaches that bring communities together to assist people experiencing homelessness.

PATH finds funding, builds housing, and provides services that move people into housing and help them stay there. PATH  is working in many communities, including San Diego, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo.

At this workshop we will explore together which options will work best to end homelessness in Ventura.

For information on PATH see www.epath.org

 

 

Presented by the Faith  Subcommittee of the  Ventura Social Services Task Force www.vsstf.org

 

Ventura City Fire Department respond to traffic collision with vehicle into building

On Sept.25, at 11:28pm Ventura City Fire Department responded to a traffic collision with a vehicle into a building at California south of Thompson with fire involved. Upon arrival, crews discovered a vehicle into an unoccupied retail occupancy. The driver and solo-occupant was out of the vehicle denying injury.

California 3First arriving Firefighters quickly attacked the fire while others assessed the structural integrity of the building and forced entry to investigate for extension of the flames to the interior. The rapid knock down of the fire kept the flames from advancing into the unoccupied building. Positive pressure ventilation was used to evacuate smoke from the interior of the building.

Ventura Police Department provided traffic and scene control. This incident is under investigation by law enforcement.California 2