Category Archives: Home Page Links

Third graders at Ventura Charter School hold month long school-supply-drive

Kids & Families Together on the campus of Ventura Charter School

June 7, 2021, was the culmination of a year-long project by the 3rd grade classes at Ventura Charter School of Arts & Global Education (VCS). Teachers, Flow Hansmeier and Emily Noel worked with their students on a year-long “Peace Project”. During the first half of the year, students interviewed (via Zoom) various individuals from organizations within the community asking the question, “How do you bring peace into the world?”

As part of this project, the students interviewed Kids & Families Together (K&FT)’s Co-Founder Faith Friedlander, LMFT in October of last year. Faith, an adoptee herself, explained how K&FT helps children, many who are adopted or in foster care, along with their families, though counseling programs and support services and various resource events during the year.

As a way to wrap up the school year, the students wanted to find a way to give back and help others in the community so they selected one of the individuals/organizations they had interviewed during the year. The students chose to support K&FT’s annual school supply event hosted for Ventura County Foster/Resource, Kinship and Adoptive Families who are working in programs with K&FT.

During the month of May, the 3rd graders at VCS established a “School Supply Drive” and promoted the event throughout the entire K – 8 campus by making posters and talking with the other classes. On Monday June 7th, Carrie McAuliffe, Heart 2 Heart Program Manager, and Amy Huot, Outreach Manager, with K&FT paid a visit to the school’s campus, to thank them and celebrate their amazing success! Students helped to load all the school supplies that were collected into vehicles to be taken back to the K&FT offices in preparation for the annual August “School Supply Gift Away Event”. Their school supply drive was such a success that the amount of supplies collected filled up two entire cars! Kids & Families Together would like to sincerely thank the students, staff and families of Ventura Charter School for their wonderful and generous support. And we hope they all have a fun and fantastic summer!

Kids & Families Together (K&FT) is a nonprofit that has been serving foster/resource, adoptive, kinship, and birth families throughout Ventura County since 2000. K&FT works with children who have experienced trauma, abuse, neglect, loss, and multiple placements. K&FT also works with caregivers who need specialized education, support, and strategies to help raise safe, healthy, nurtured children that thrive.

Master classes offered for dancers and dance teachers at NAMBA Performing Arts Space

“Modern dance is an investigation of movement from the inside out.”

On Saturday, July 10, and Tuesday, July 13, danah bella (it’s spelled this way), Director of the BFA Dance program at the Peabody Conservatory at Johns Hopkins University will teach master classes for both dancers and dance teachers at NAMBA Performing Arts Space.

“Modern dance is an investigation of movement from the inside out,” states bella. “This class encourages efficient use of alignment and technique while exploring full bodied movement with an emphasis on strength, breath and dynamics.” danah was named one of Baltimore Sun’s 25 Women to Watch in 2018 and just recently received the Maryland Dance Education Association’s 2021 Higher Education Dance Educator of the Year Award.

“We are thrilled to be able to offer this level of dance education to our local community,” said Cathy Butter, Dance Liaison at NAMBA Performing Arts Space.

In addition, on July 18 danah will teach a master class for local dance teachers utilizing Functional Awareness® (FA); an approach to embodied anatomy through reflective practice to enhance our understanding of movement function, facilitate ease in body action, and improve movement skills.  For more information about FA: https://functionalawareness.org/

Classes will be held at NAMBA Performing Arts Space, 47 S Oak St. in Historic Downtown Ventura. Cost for individual classes is $25. To sign up visit NambaArts.com or call (805) 648-9250.

danah bella, is the artistic director of d a n a h b e l l a DanceWorks, a modern dance company focused on reclaiming evocative movement as social practice. She is an award-winning choreographer who has performed & presented her work throughout the country and abroad. danah has taught workshops and has been artist in residence in festivals and universities throughout the United States.

NAMBA Performing Arts Space is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization in historic Downtown Ventura with a mission to provide an intimate venue to inspire and develop interdisciplinary art projects with a creative emphasis on dance, music, theater, writing and audio-visual arts.

City of Ventura launches online tool to support local businesses in recovering from COVID-19

The City of Ventura’s Economic Development Division is launching a new online business intelligence tool called “SizeUp Ventura” to provide access to market research information.

“The City of Ventura is committed to helping our local businesses succeed and recover from the pandemic,” stated Mayor Sofia Rubalcava. “They are the foundation of our local economy, employ our residents, create new jobs, and make our community a more prosperous place.”

Local businesses and entrepreneurs can now access free industry-specific and hyperlocal information to help them grow and make smarter decisions using big data analysis. SizeUp features information collected from hundreds of public and proprietary data sources covering firmographic, demographic, geographic, labor, wage, cost, consumer spending, transportation, and more.

“In today’s information economy, if you don’t have access to information your business is at a significant disadvantage. With the launch of SizeUp, we are empowering Ventura businesses to make more data-driven decisions to better operate, succeed, grow, and recover from the devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Estelle Bussa, City of Ventura Economic Development Manager.

Using the new SizeUp Ventura website, local businesses can:
1.   Rank their business performance compared to industry competitors,
2.   Discover potential customers and suppliers,
3.   Better understand the competitive landscape, and
4.   Optimize advertising to target ideal customer segments.

In support of Small Business Week, local small and medium businesses are invited to a virtual SizeUp Ventura workshop on Thursday, May 6, 2021, from 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. Advance registration required for the Zoom meeting. To register, visit http://bit.ly/SizeUpVentura.

To learn more about SizeUp Ventura or the City’s Economic Development Office, visit www.cityofventura.ca.gov/SizeUpVentura.

A Purr-fect Place to Relax

Jennifer Thompson cuddles with Michael, one of the cats available for affection and adoption, at Cassie’s Cats.

by Jill Forman

“I’m here to hang out with kitties!” says the excited visitor as she comes into Cassie’s Cats Lounge and Adoption Center. Four friendly felines stroll around, doze, and occasionally jump unexpectedly into waiting laps. Comfortable furniture, for both humans and cats, is spread out in the large, open room in Midtown.

It is a place to hang out, relax, de-stress, with the aid of cats. Cuddling with a pet has been shown to have all sorts of beneficial effects on physical and mental health; a “kitty fix.”

“It’s a dream come true” for Jennifer Thompson, who founded Cassie’s Cats and opened the Lounge last month. She first saw a similar setting in Santa Barbara, and went in “…because I love cats.” With the help of her family, volunteers and community members she has been able to fundraise and get through the process of becoming a 501(c)3, renting the space, and equipping it. She has also kept an active social media presence on Facebook and Instagram.

On entering the storefront, there is a front area, with gifts for people and animals for sale: t-shirts, tote bags, car toys, pouches, earrings, quilted kitchen items, masks and lots more. The majority of the sewn items were made by Jennifer and her mother. (Free to come in and shop.)

The cats are all rescues and are available for adoption, but there is no pressure to do so. In fact, pressure of any kind is the opposite of what the Lounge is for. They come from many rescue organizations who are delighted to have another avenue to give cats a good home.

Volunteers will be essential to keeping the Lounge staffed. There is a volunteer orientation on June 19. Anyone interested can contact Thompson at the email or phone that will be at the end of this article

To hang out and cuddle with a cat, the prices are $8 for 30 minutes, and $14 for a full hour. Reservations are encouraged, though walk-ins will be welcome if there are fewer than three folks enjoying the kitties at the time. Days will be Thursday-Sunday, 11-5.

To visit, donate, volunteer or any questions:
Cassie’s Cats, 1744 E. Main St. (805) 232-4228
[email protected] www.cassiescatsandkittens.org

CAPS broadcasts and live streams high school graduations

Everyone at CAPS Media congratulates every 2021 high school graduate in Ventura! After a year of COVID lock down and isolation, the students, families and friends recently shared a week of joyous graduation celebrations. CAPS Media crews recorded and live-streamed the commencement ceremonies for all six Ventura high schools: Buena, Ventura, Foothill, El Camino, Pacific and VACE (Ventura Adult and Continuing Education).

The Buena High celebration was on Wednesday, June 9 at their Bulldog stadium; the Ventura High ceremony was on Thursday, June 10 at the school’s Cougar stadium, and the final all-day extravaganza covered ceremonies for Foothill, El Camino, Pacific and VACE grads, held back-to-back at the Ventura College stadium on Friday, June 11. All of the commencement celebrations were held with enthusiastic friends and family members in the stands cheering on the graduates.

In addition to airing the events live on CAPS Channel 15, CAPS crews also set up and directed the live-stream distributions of every celebration to the VUSD, enabling all of the graduation ceremonies to be seen live worldwide and locally on the VUSD YouTube channel.

At the same time, CAPS crews are producing a series of video messages by Ventura City Council members and Ventura City Staff members as part of this year’s State of the City update. The brief videos allow each representative and staff member to introduce themselves to the public, express their thoughts on the past year, and share their personal goals and visions for the future as the community emerges from the pandemic.

The messages will be included in Mayor Sofia Rubalcava’s State of the City report hosted by the Ventura Chamber of Commerce on June 24. Themed “A Time Like No Other,” the program will feature an update by Mayor Rubalcava, plus a special presentation from Dr. Roger Rice, Superintendent of the Ventura Unified School District, and a question and answer session with Mayor Rubalcava conducted by Stephanie Caldwell, president and CEO of the Ventura Chamber. The Mayor’s State of the City event will be begin at 1pm on Thursday, June 24 and will be live-streamed on the chamber website.

During the shutdown, the CAPS Media Center continues to broadcast and stream television programming on Channel 6 and Channel 15 and online. In addition, CAPS radio, KPPQ 104.1FM continues to broadcast and stream a vast variety of engaging original and syndicated radio programs. CAPS Member/Producers can submit television and radio programming via the online portal at capsmedia.org for broadcast and streaming on CAPS public access television Channel 6, and on CAPS Radio KPPQ 104.1FM. KPPQ DJs and hosts can access the radio studio in the CAPS Media Center by appointment. Please coordinate with KPPQ director, Elizabeth Rodeno.

Every member of the CAPS Media team wants to thank the public for going above and beyond during the COVID-19 emergency by staying safe and distant, getting vaccinated, wearing masks, and helping others. Thanks to the effort by the community, Ventura is slowly emerging from the pandemic restrictions. Despite the increasingly good news the CAPS Media Center will continue remain closed to CAPS Members and the public until further notice. CAPS Media is taking a very cautious approach to continue to protect our staff.

Local Ventura artist selected to join the City of Ventura’s Public Art Program’s Streetscape Mural Project

Home for the summer Kaylie has taken on the task of painting murals.

by Richard Lieberman

The City of Ventura Public Art Program’s Streetscape Mural Project is a sidewalk and street corner showcase for talented local artists and community members to transform traffic signal utility boxes into new public art. Since 2007 artists have painted over 30 boxes with designs that will beautify street corners and aid in minimizing graffiti. Artists, students, schools, and community organizations have made for a better pedestrian experience on Ventura Streets by participating in the City of Ventura’s “Think Outside the Box” program. The program was designed and initiated in 2007 to transform designated street utility boxes into public works of art.

Born and raised in Ventura local artist Kaylie Pendleton is currently a college junior at the Northwest College of Arts in Portland, Oregon. Home for the summer she has taken on the task of painting murals on two traffic signal utility boxes located at the corner of Day Street and Telegraph Roads. Kaylie won the “Mayors Art Award” in 2017 and has worked on the 2019 “Irish Belle” for the Saint Patrick’s Day parade. “I have always been interested in art I love drawing people, flowers, doing magazine illustration, and fashion design,” she said. Painting the murals will take about one or two weeks she added.

Kaylie is a survivor of Retinoblastoma (a cancer affecting the retina which may be caused by genetic mutation though the exact cause is still unknown). In 2019 Kaylie had her mural design selected by Loma Vista Elementary School and installed in 2019, she is also the recipient of the 2021 Ventura County Community Foundation Vivian Klemz Scholarship.

“I have grown up in Ventura, so I have always seen these (traffic signal utility boxes) and saw which ones I liked a lot and since I went to college, we were able to pick our own project and I was able to design this for class and here we are,” Kaylie added. The City of Ventura’s Public Art Program supplies the material to accomplish the task. “I had to fundraise, and Ventura residents were able to donate and get me the supplies I needed, through the cities Public Arts Program,” said Pendleton. “I have been focused on drawing and illustration for around six years now so I am studying illustration and graphic design and I hope people can see that in my work.”

Kaylie is looking forward to returning to Portland this fall as a senior and has also been accepted into a study abroad program this fall in England “I love Portland overall, a great vibe for illustration and graphic design” she said.

Kaylie will graduate with a BA in illustration in May, 2022.

Ventura City Council approves water and wastewater rates adjustments

Rate increases will support both daily operation and maintenance of the City’s existing water and wastewater systems.

On Monday, May 17, 2021, at the Public Hearing for Water and Wastewater Rate Adjustments, Ventura City Council unanimously approved five-year water and wastewater rate increases. A second reading of the ordinances took place on May 24, 2021, for approval. Beginning July 1, 2021, the average Ventura household will see a $7.76 increase on their monthly bill.

Over the course of eight public meetings and nearly a year of deliberation, the Water Commission, in partnership with City staff and a third-party financial consultant, underwent an extensive water and wastewater rate study to evaluate the City’s water rate tiers, water shortage rates, wastewater rate structure, and financing options for major projects.

The results of the study showed that an annual rate increase of seven percent for water service and six percent for wastewater service is needed each year to continue to operate and maintain the systems, repair, and replace aging infrastructure, secure water supply, improve water quality, and meet legal and environmental regulations.

“These are difficult decisions that will impact our community for years to come. After careful consideration, City Council recognizes that we can no longer defer investing in water and wastewater systems,” commented Mayor Rubalcava. “As leaders, it is our responsibility to ensure our existing residents and future generations have access to safe, clean, and reliable water.”

On March 22, the Ventura City Council reviewed the proposed rate adjustments and approved to move forward with the Proposition 218 Public Noticing process. On April 1, a detailed notice was mailed to Ventura Water customers and property owners outlining the proposed changes and instructions for customers that oppose the adjustments. According to State Law, if a majority of customers or parcel owners submit a written protest within the 45-day review period, rate increases cannot be adopted. At the close of Monday’s Public Hearing, a total of 1,076 protests were received in opposition to water service increases, 1,054 for wastewater service increases, and 1,018 for water shortage surcharge rate increases, with 13,470 needed to constitute a majority protest for water service and water shortage rates and 12,517 for wastewater service.

“City staff and the Water Commission made a concerted effort to lead a collaborative and transparent rate-setting process, with the continued goal to communicate early and often,” stated Assistant City Manager Akbar Alikhan.

Leading up to City Council’s decision, Ventura Water conducted over 20 community presentations and hosted several virtual town hall meetings where information about anticipated rate impacts was shared with community members, neighborhood groups, clubs, businesses, and economic development stakeholders.

Rate increases will support both daily operation and maintenance of the City’s existing water and wastewater systems, along with approximately 36 planned capital improvement projects, including the long-anticipated State Water Interconnection Project and VenturaWaterPure Program.

“For many years, our local water sources have been impacted by drought, regulatory and legal constraints,” shared Ventura Water General Manager Susan Rungren. “Now is the time to continue to invest in our aging infrastructure and projects that will help meet regulatory requirements, help secure sustainable water supply for existing and future customers, and improve our water quality.”

For more information on rate changes, visit www.VenturaWaterRates.net.

Working physician turns 100 on June 9th

Dr. Rafael Canton became enthusiastic about treating patients near their homes.

by Mohammed Hasan

The Ventura physician, Rafael Canton, MD, practices Psychiatry. He goes to work three days a week. He turns 100 in a few days.

His life history is of innovation, dedication and giving.

In the early sixties, in the United States, most psychiatric care took place in large, often remote, state hospitals. Patients stayed there for months or for the rest of their life. In cities there was a strong stigma of anyone with mental illness. Then, the National Institute of Mental Health was funded to promote a new approach- community psychiatry.

Dr. Rafael Canton, a 1947 graduate of Tulane Medical school, New Orleans. who had done psychiatric residence in a large hospital, became enthusiastic about treating patients near their homes, involving their family members, connecting with community resources, so as to provide early, more effective treatment and to promote recovery and rehabilitation. He was hired as Director of the new Ventura County Mental Health Department. It was a pioneering challenge. Some of the achievements were:

• The construction of a building for the new Psychiatric Unit at the Ventura County Hospital and creating an active link. Dr. Canton had to be the psychiatrist for the Unit, as there was no other option

• A new building for the first Partial Hospitalization-Day Treatment Program in the County. Again, Dr. Canton was the psychiatrist for the Unit.

• The creation of the first Outpatient Psychiatric Clinics in Oxnard and Simi Velley.

• The creation of the first Methadone Maintenance Clinic in Ventura and Oxnard.

• The creation of the Psychiatric Emergency Team.

Due to the severe shortage of bilingual doctors in his field, he filled in wherever he needed to serve in this county.

Due to Dr. Canton’s dedication in the mental health medicine, things have steadily and subtly changed in this county, the stigma is gone. One can openly talk and get assistance for themselves or their family members which was not possible before. He almost single-handedly changed the perception, patient care and hope for mental health in Ventura County. His contribution to the community by serving others is exemplary and an inspiration to younger generation.

Since 1973, Dr. Canton has been in private practice. He finds special joy in being able to establish therapeutic rapport with patients and their closest relatives. In 2009, he published his book, “Mental Hygiene as a Second Language”, to help readers to choose their thoughts in a healthier way, available online.

Dr. Canton continues his practice and serves the community at the age of 100. The gentleman keeps giving!

When asked how he has made such a milestone, he credits his genes (his Dad died at the age of 94); never overeating (rather eating less, no smoking, and “alcohol never appealed to me”); how he selects his thoughts (healthy way – avoiding criticism of people and express approval generously, realizing we are all imperfect); live an active life (gardening, working, keeping busy, Sunday church, family and friends).

He is celebrating his 100th birthday with his friends and family, and at a church event Wednesday evening (United Universalist Church of Ventura), and also at a luncheon on Thursday at his old Rotary club (Ventura East).

 

Ventura Downtown Lions Club donates computers

City of Ventura receives Chromebooks from members Mario Robinson, Jon Youngerman, Steve Shaw, Chris Brashears, Randy Jewell, and City of Ventura Recreation Supervisor, Chip Tarleton.

The City of Ventura recently received a donation for 42 Chromebook laptops from the Ventura Downtown Lions Club.

“These laptops will mean so much to those who use the Westpark Community Center. Many of the families in the area can’t afford personal computers. These laptops will have a positive community benefit once we’re able to reopen our facilities,” Mayor Sofia Rubalcava stated. “Thank you to the Ventura Downtown Lions Club for generously supporting our families living on the westside.”

The Chromebooks will be available at the Westpark Community Center for students to use for after-school academics during normal business hours of operation.

Since 1923, the Ventura Downtown Lions Club has been serving the community in actively seeking to strengthen and support the area’s civic, cultural, social, and moral welfare.

“The Lions Club enjoys giving back to local youth and has been a longtime supporter of the Westpark Community Center and its after-school programs. Our members are glad to help those in need and serve the families in our community,” said Jon Youngerman, Downtown Ventura Lions Club President. “I would like to recognize Community Services Chairs Steve Shaw and Randy Jewell as well as Lion Chris Brashears who were instrumental in coordinating these donations.”

For information about the Westpark Community Center, visit www.cityofventura.ca.gov/Westpark or contact Recreation Supervisor Chip Tarleton at [email protected].

For more information about the Downtown Ventura Lions Club, visit www.venturalions.org.

Ventura Botanical Garden announces winners in Spring Bloom Contest

Winners of the 2021 Ventura Botanical Gardens (VBG) In Bloom Photo Contest highlight the variety of colors, textures, wild visitors, views and other delights found in the continually expanding gardens above City Hall. Ten winners, “Judges’ Choice” were chosen by a panel of local photography professionals and three winners, “Peoples’ Choice” were chosen by open voting on the Ventura Botanical Gardens Facebook page.

Judges for the contest included photographer and instructor Phil Ranger, Dexter’s Camera owner and photographer Greg Montana, and architectural photographer Stephen Schafer (AKA Schåf), who specializes in HABS, HAER, HALS formats to support the preservation of architectural, engineering and landscape resources. ­­­­

More than 120 photos from 68 entrants were placed into four categories— Botanical Detail, Color and Texture, Seen in the Garden, and View/Scenes. Judges chose winners in each category. No categories were used in open voting and selection was based on technical quality, composition, lighting, overall impression, and aesthetics among other things. Judges also awarded a “Best of Season” to Benjamin Mati for his Views/Scenes photo, which capture many elements of the Gardens in a single portrait.

Winners in the Judges’ Choice by category were:

Botanical Detail:
Judy Layman (1st), Laura Dunbar (2nd), and Jacqueline Counter (3rd)

Color and Texture:
Ashley Brown (1st), Mayra Plascencia (2nd) and Erlich Rosenberg (3rd)

Seen in the Garden:
Nicole Horn (1st) and Benjamin Mati (2nd)

Views/Scenes:
Benjamin Mati (1st)

Best of Season
Judy Layman (2nd)

Judges were impressed by the submissions and noted the overall artistic merit and technical quality of many of the photos. Facebook open voter choices were also strong runners up with the judges. Winners in the Peoples’ Choice were Matt Thompson (1st), Susie Jensen (2nd) and Cristine Le (3rd).

For the last four years, Nancy Kettner and Terri Stober organized the event. “Each year the number and quality of entries continue to grow. The images are rich in color and texture. The photographers do a wonderful job of capturing the beauty of the Gardens.” states Nancy Ketter,  “ Terri Stober adds, “We are grateful to our judges for graciously donating their time and expertise to this fun event.”

The Ventura Botanical Gardens (VBG) is located at 567 S. Poli Street, Ventura, California. The nonprofit organization is dedicated to creating a botanical garden for the twenty-first century celebrating the Mediterranean climate regions. The setting is a world-class site with spectacular 360-degree views of the California coast, the Channel Islands and Ojai’s Topa Topa mountain range. VBG will continue to create new outdoor opportunities including training, research, and educational programs ranging from horticulture and botany to sustainability.