Category Archives: Featured News

Family-friendly event held at the Aquatic Center

Board President Ed Wehan addressing the crowd at the launch of VCPF. Photo by Bernie Goldstein.

On May 17 a celebration was held for  the launching of the Ventura Community Partners Foundation (VCPF) at Ventura Community Park and Aquatic Center, 901 S. Kimball Road.  The family-friendly event will be held at the entrance to the Aquatic Center and included remarks by Ventura Mayor Erik Nasarenko, as well as refreshments, games and prizes.

The VCPF is a new non-profit established to build community and enhance the livability of Ventura by developing and maintaining parks, recreation and cultural opportunities through partnerships and sustainable, diverse funding.  For more information, including ways to get involved, visit VenturaFoundation.org  or  Facebook.com/VenturaFoundation.

David De Candia

At the event VCPF members thanked  Board Member David De Candia for his $5,000 gift to provide local youth with Ventura youth basketball programs and swimming scholarship opportunities.  As the first donor supporting the new Ventura Plays Scholarship program, the De Candia family name will be engraved on the Donor Wall at the front entrance of the Aquatic Center.

VCPF Board Members   Ed Wehan (President), Kevin Clerici (Secretary), Patrick Davidson (CFO), David De Candia, Paul Drevenstedt, Michele Newell, Berta Steele and Norbert Tan were all there to celebrate the day.

In the US, the majority of children enter sports and other recreation classes around six years old.  Families with low income, single mothers and minorities start their children in recreation classes almost two years later on average, with available funds being the limiting factor in early action.

“The new recreation scholarship program, Ventura Plays, increases opportunities for all children to engage in community sports, art and cultural activities.  Through scholarships the Foundation provides, we level the playing field so more of Ventura’s children can play and develop the social and health skills and habits they will rely on for the remainder of their life,” stated Mayor Erik Nasarenko.

A Beatles tribute in song and story

Harmonix kids:  Nico Wicklin, Gus Graham, Daniel Brackett, Riley Conrad, Cassidy Craig, Jesse Graham, (concert-master:) Miriam Arichea , Maddie Gambon. The kid on the lower row left is Ivor Davis.

Rubicon Theatre’s much acclaimed Harmonix singers are teaming up with local author Ivor Davis for the first ever concert of its kind in America. The Harmonix will appear with Davis in a concert collaboration to benefit Rubicon Theatre. The concert will be held at 5:30 pm on Saturday, May 27.

Entitled “Ticket to Ride: A Beatles Tribute in Song and Story,” the performance will showcase the Rubicon Harmonix singing familiar Beatles melodies, interspersed with inside stories about the Beatles from Davis, who was assigned to cover the Beatles as a reporter for London’s Daily Express and traveled with the group on their first history-making tour to America.

Also featured will be the newly formed Rubicon Broadway Juniors (youth age 9-13), who will join the Harmonix on a few iconic songs such as In My Life and Imagine.

The event will include a Beatles trivia game, with three winners bringing home a signed copy of Davis’ award-winning book, The Beatles and Me On Tour.

The concert is a fundraiser to benefit Rubicon Theatre’s scholarship program, which provides financial assistance to nearly 70% of the students who participate in Rubicon’s summer performance camps.  Tickets range from $50 for show only to $250, which includes a three-course dinner with wine.   Purchase of a VIP table for $2000 includes dinner for 8 plus a signed copy of Davis’ book.

The event will be held at the gardens of a private residence in Ventura.  Tickets must be reserved in advance via the Rubicon Theatre box office:  rubicontheatre.org or  667-2912, x234.

The Rubicon Harmonix, founded in 2011 and directed by local concert pianist and attorney Miriam Arichea, is an 8-person youth performing ensemble of 16-18 year olds who have performed extensively in diverse community events.

State of Education

Ms. Nan Drake E.J. Harrison & Sons Inc., Joseph Richards Jr.  Interim Superintendent VUSD, Dr. Erika D. Beck President, CSUCI, Dr. Greg Gillespie  newly appointed Chancellor of the Ventura County Community College District,  Stephanie Caldwell President and CEO, Ventura Chamber of Commerce.

by Jennifer Tipton

On Thursday, April 27 the Ventura Chamber of Commerce hosted the State of Education, the event took place at the Wright Event Center here in Ventura. The event focused on presentations from the Ventura Unified School Superintendent and the Ventura College President who provided their perspective on past accomplishments, current state and a future forecast of education in the City of Ventura.

Ventura Unified School District Est. July 1, 1966 is the largest land owner in the City of Ventura which is about 165 sq. miles and serves 21,656 students with 576 of these being special education students.

Many attended the State of Education including our Mayor Eric Nasarenko, representatives for other leaders in the community, the Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and countless others that support education in our community.

The first speaker was Nan Drake from E.J. Harrison who emphasized that making children successful meant much more than just providing an education, but preparing them for life.

The second speaker was Joseph Richards Jr. the Interim Superintendent of Ventura Unified School District who spoke about the changes that have taken place including the cultural population we serve and economic uncertainty.

For instance, 52% of students are Hispanic, 40% are Caucasian, 2% are African American while the remaining are of other cultural descent and 25% of these are English learners.  The cultural population of the students has changed dramatically over the years.

Regarding the economic uncertainty, in 1978 proposition 13 limited taxes which put schools at the mercy of the State, in 2012 proposition 30 increased revenues and they have been increasing ever since but we are still significantly below the State average for funding. Mr. Richards encouraged businesses to assist schools by collaborating partnerships and described the many ways to accomplish this.

Dr. Greg Gillespie the President of Ventura College since 2013 and the newly appointed Chancellor of the Ventura County Community College District was the third speaker. Dr. Gillespie stressed that education is critical to opening doors to our community and again he spoke of how the demographic has changed with a decrease in student age and a dramatic increase in the need for financial aid. He spoke of a six-year educational masterplan in which priority #1 would be to put Ventura College in the top 5 colleges in the State and explained, “because we want to do a better job to provide a future to our community.” Dr. Gillespie wants to see kids “grow up here, get an education here, get a job here and raise a family here.”

The last speaker was Dr. Ericka Beck the President of California State University Channel Islands, she was excited to see some of her alumni in the audience and spoke about the changes taking place on her campus including a new program that builds drones to support the bee population using “swarm technology”.

The Traveler’s Café, (a new family owned restaurant located on Front St.) provided an outstanding buffet luncheon.

City Public Works removed 2,757 graffiti cases from Ventura last year

Community members can help keep Ventura safe and clean by reporting graffiti

by city staff

City of Ventura Public Works staff removed, painted, blasted or chemically treated 2,757 graffiti cases last fiscal year.  Outfitted with paint, rollers, gloves and environmentally safe cleaner, the team travels throughout the city responding to issues reported by other staff, attentive community members and tips received on the graffiti hotline.  The graffiti removal efforts are impressive, and so is the time frame in which they are cleaned up.  Nearly all graffiti instances are removed within 24-48 hours, which is a testament to the City’s great work in keeping Ventura safe and clean.

In addition to our Public Works team removing graffiti, the Ventura Police Department responds to calls for service related to graffiti, tagging, and spray paint.  From April 2016 through March 2017, Ventura Police filed 156 graffiti/tagger crime reports and arrested nine people for graffiti vandalism.

In 2012, the City of Ventura collaborated with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and Union Pacific Railroad to remove graffiti with a shiny new coat of paint, install surveillance cameras, new lighting and fencing, and add other physical safety barriers to deter trespassers and vandalism on the bridge trestle. The trestle is an important area to remove graffiti — it is highly visible to visitors and the 94,000 motorists who pass it each day.

Nearly five years later, the City remains committed to keeping the bridge and other locations throughout Ventura graffiti-free. Recently, Public Works staff removed approximately 25 square feet of graffiti on the trestle, which required coordination with Union Pacific Railroad, Caltrans and the California Highway Patrol because freeway lanes needed to be closed for public safety during the graffiti abatement.

Graffiti vandalism happens on both public and private property.  Property owners can discourage graffiti tagging by using good lighting to deter vandals, planting trees, shrubs or climbing vines to restrict access to tempting walls, and rapidly removing graffiti to send vandals a message that their defacement has little chance of being seen.

Community members can help keep Ventura safe and clean by reporting graffiti in the City of Ventura, at 654-7805.

Oopsies! We were all wrong

by Jennifer Tipton

In our last issue, we reported that Kevin Costner was a graduate of Ventura High – oops! Kevin attended Cabrillo Junior High and although that would have put him attending Ventura High, his family moved to the east end of Ventura so he attended Buena High instead. However, he did not graduate from Buena either! Kevin’s family moved again before his senior year where he graduated high school from Villa Park (In California) in 1973.

And so, the rivalry between the Cougars and the Bulldogs continue spurred on by the Ventura Breeze.

Selecting a new district superintendent

The Board of Education of the Ventura Unified School District will select a new district superintendent. Community input regarding the desired characteristics is needed to assist in the recruiting and selection of the new superintendent. The Board of Education is soliciting your feedback. You are invited to attend either of the two districtwide community forums:

Tuesday, May 16 Wednesday, May 17
Buena High School Cafeteria
Cabrillo Middle School Cafeteria
5670 Telegraph Road 1426 E. Santa Clara St. Ventura
5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. (Spanish translator provided)

Mr. Ben Johnson and Mrs. Aida Buelna-Valenzuela of McPherson & Jacobson, LLC search firm, selected by the Board of Education, will oversee this important process. Individual input from members of the community, parents, students, employees and others interested in the Ventura Unified School district are welcomed.

Your participation may also be offered through an online survey available on the District’s website at http://www.venturausd.org and link will also be posted on every school website.

Joe McDermott has worked for the City of Ventura since 2002

Dear Valued Customer,

With great pleasure and enthusiasm, I would like to introduce myself as Ventura Water’s Acting General Manager. I am a registered engineer with over 20 years of experience in the Civil Engineering profession with a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from California State University, Northridge.

I have had the pleasure of working for the City of Ventura since 2002.  Some of my most accomplished achievements as Assistant General Manager for Ventura Water include the development and implementation of the VenturaWaterPure Demonstration Facility and launching demand management initiatives such as Ventura’s Water Wise Turf Removal Incentive Program and the Water Shortage Event Contingency Plan.

I have been working diligently with staff to plan and set the stage for constructing new water supply projects. These include potable reused water under the VenturaWaterPure Program, and a pipeline that will finally give Ventura access to the State Water Project.

With many great projects and challenges ahead, I am honored to serve Ventura Water as we continue to work toward a safe and sustainable future.

Sincerely,

Joe McDermott,
Ventura Water Acting General Manager

City of Ventura names 2016-2017 Green School Award winners

Juanamaria Elementary School honored by Ventura City Council. Photo by Michael Gordon.

In celebration of Earth Day, the Ventura City Council presented the annual Green School Award for achievement in environmental excellence to students and staff from Juanamaria Elementary School and ATLAS Elementary School. 2017 Watershed Hero Award Winner! These prestigious Green School Awards) were presented on Monday, April 17th in front of the City Council in honor of Earth Day.

This year’s winners, Juanamaria Elementary School and ATLAS Elementary School, created programs and projects that increase recycling, build wildlife habitats and reduce waste and water consumption.

“Many public and private schools in Ventura have been working hard to demonstrate environmental leadership in our community,” said Haili Matsukawa Environmental Services Specialist at Ventura Water. “Every year since 2007 the City of Ventura has recognized and encouraged those school efforts through nominations and selection of a competitive annual ‘Green School’ award, presented in partnership with Agromin Premium Soil Products and EJ Harrison & Sons, Inc. who provide the annual $500 cash award.”

Students and staff at ATLAS Elementary School have demonstrated excellence in sustainability through their recycling, electronic waste and battery collection programs. Starting at a young age, students at ATLAS Elementary School are taught to be good stewards of the environment. In their Makerspace classroom, students engineer their own designs out of recyclable materials. In recognition of their efforts, the City will present them with the 2016-2017 Environmental Leadership Award.

Juanamaria Elementary School has made extraordinary efforts to conserve water by converting turfed areas into sustainable landscapes. Students of all ages were involved in mulching and planting of the school’s new Science Garden. In an upcoming project Juanamaria Elementary School has partnered with Surfrider Foundation’s Ocean Friendly Garden group to design a water wise reading garden for students and teachers to enjoy nature. For this reason, Ventura Water will present them with the 2016-2017 Watershed Hero Award.

For more information about the City of Ventura’s Green School Awards program, visit www.cityofventura.net/greenschool or contact Brandon Kaysen, Environmental Sustainability at 652-4593 or Haili Matsukawa, Ventura Water at 652-4501.