On December 26, the Ventura County Fire Communication Center received a 911 call reporting that smoke was coming from an apartment in the 3000 block of E. Main. Fire personnel arrived on scene within minutes of the initial call and found a single apartment in a large 3 story apartment building with smoke coming from the front door. Fire personnel ensured that no occupants were inside the apartment and began an aggressive fire attack to contain the fire to the area of origin. During a primary search of the apartment, firefighters found unattended combustible materials on top of a stove.

On December 26, the Ventura County Fire Communication Center received multiple calls of a residential structure fire in the 2200 block of Foster Ave. Fire personnel arrived on scene within minutes of the initial call and found a single-story single-family structure with smoke coming from the roof and an exterior wall. Fire personnel ensured that no occupants were inside the dwelling and began an aggressive fire attack to contain the fire to the area of origin. Firefighters were met with light smokey conditions during the initial fire attack and found the seat of the fire in a ceiling fan unit. Firefighters knocked down and extinguished the fire within 19 minutes of the initial 911 call.

United Way of Ventura County’s Landlord Engagement Program has officially provided permanent housing for 110 local households with a 96% retention rate. This means 188 individuals, including 45 veterans, now have a place to call home in the Ventura County community.
Homelessness and housing challenges have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, and limited affordable housing supply, extremely low vacancy rates, and rising rents make the situation increasingly challenging. UWVC’s Landlord Engagement Program advocates for and supports those prioritized for housing vouchers and housing subsidies provided by local jurisdictions and community partners.
The LEP focuses on increasing the rental housing stock available for utilization of housing vouchers through collaboration with landlords willing to help prevent and end homelessness. The program encourages landlord participation by addressing their key needs and concerns, such as responsive customer service, timely rental payments, assistance with inspection processes attached to housing voucher programs, loss of income during move-in lag time and more.

“In today’s competitive housing market, many people are struggling to find affordable places to live,” said Mitchel Sloan, president and CEO of UWVC. “Our Landlord Engagement Program is helping provide a safe place to call home for our community’s most vulnerable individuals, families, seniors and veterans.”

So far, the program has provided 38 housing placements in Oxnard, 35 in Ventura, nine in Port Hueneme, eight in Camarillo, seven in Simi Valley, four in unincorporated areas, three in Thousand Oaks, four in Fillmore and two in Santa Paula. Of those housed, 50 are between the ages of 0-18, 11 are young adults between the ages of 19-24, 89 are adults between the ages of 25-64, and 38 are ages 65 plus.

If you are a landlord interested in becoming a member of the Landlord Engagement Program, please email [email protected]. To learn more about UWVC and its programs, visit www.vcunitedway.org.

New Illegal Dumping Campaign, perpetrators face $3,000 fines plus clean-up costs and community service

Ventura County Public Works Agency is constantly battling the ever-growing problem of illegal dumping in Ventura County. VCPWA has joined forces through a grant with the Mattress Recycling Council, to launch a new public campaign “Don’t Dump on VC”.

The public outreach for the campaign shows the blight of illegal dumping on beautiful Ventura County and warns those who dump of the consequences, which include fines of up to $3,000 plus clean-up costs and community service. The Ventura County community can report perpetrators and get details on the responsible disposal of bulky items, e-waste, and household hazardous waste at DontDumpVC.org.

Illegal dumping is a large unauthorized deposit of any waste, usually over 15 pounds, such as mattresses, yard waste, construction debris, and furniture. Aside from the impact of the appearance on our Ventura County landscape, waste pollutes the local environment, is a hazard to humans and wildlife, and places a financial burden on the taxpayer when the government agencies have to clean up.

In 2021, VCPWA collected over 730 tons of mattresses and other junk that had been illegally dumped along county roads. The cost of collecting these mattresses and the other abandoned items over the past year was more than $340,000.

“Illegal dumping also pollutes our precious water supply, damages soil quality, and affects our air quality,” said Chris Kurgan, Director Roads and Transportation. “Our Ventura County Public Works Illegal dumping campaign will seek to educate the public on how to dispose of items responsibly and how to report the crimes. The consequences for perpetrators are significant. The court holds the defendants responsible for restitution to Ventura County. In addition to paying for the cleanup costs, they are subject to court costs, new larger fines of up to $3,000, and community service”.

Two plants that live on California’s Channel Islands and nowhere else on earth – the Santa Cruz Island dudleya and island bedstraw – have reached recovery thanks to Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) is proposing to remove the two island plants from the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Plants.

“The recovery of these island plants is the result of long-term cooperation and conservation efforts by scientists and land managers,” said Paul Souza, director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Pacific Southwest Region. “That’s what the ESA can bring to the table – attention, resources, and incentive for sustained conservation work that produces meaningful results.”

Scientists say their understanding of the plants’ ecology, habitat needs, and status has improved due to the diligent efforts of the U.S. Geological Survey, The Nature Conservancy, National Park Service, and Santa Barbara Botanic Garden to survey, study, and conserve habitat on Santa Cruz Island and San Miguel Island.

“Plants are key contributors to the overall food web and island ecosystem,” said Kenneth Niessen, Service botanist. “As the cause of their decline, and now as their caretakers, we have a responsibility to ensure they, and the benefits they provide to their ecosystem, are not lost to extinction.”

Channel Islands National Park and Marine Sanctuary is working closely with the United States Coast Guard, state, and local agencies responding to a fishing vessel that ran aground on Santa Cruz Island. The cause of the incident is currently under investigation.

Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles/Long Beach watchstanders received a report from Vessel Assist Ventura that the fishing vessel Speranza Marie, a 60-foot fishing vessel with six people aboard and carrying roughly 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel, ran aground in Chinese Harbor on Santa Cruz Island at approximately 2 a.m. on December 15.

A private fishing vessel responded to the incident and safely transferred the six crewmembers to their boat without injury and transported them to Ventura.

Cleanup crews are on-scene containing and recovering the diesel fuel. Diesel fuel is considered a non-persistent oil, compared to a heavier bunker or crude oil product, in even the calmest sea conditions, as it known to lose 40% of its volume due to evaporation within 48 hours in cold weather.

No impacts have been reported but crews are actively monitoring for them. Protection to natural and cultural resources remain a priority for Channel Islands National Park. Trained responders from the Office of Spill and Prevention Response have been put on standby and will be activated should they be needed.

Food Safety Among Street Vendors in Ventura County. The County of Ventura’s Environmental Health Division advises the public against consuming food and beverages made or sold by street vendors that do not possess a valid health permit.

Food trucks and food carts that operate with a health permit are expected to follow food safety laws and are subject to routine health inspections by the Division. These vendors will have an identifying sticker issued by the County of Ventura on the vehicle or cart.

The Division is seeing an increase in unpermitted food sales from food carts and pop-up food stands throughout the county. Many unpermitted vendors are coming from areas outside of Ventura County. These vendors are unfairly impacting local vendors who have obtained their licenses and training to do business in Ventura County.

Consuming food from vendors that have not obtained a health permit poses a serious public health risk to residents and visitors in Ventura County. Such vendors often possess unsafe makeshift equipment that does not follow proper food safety protocols and handwashing practices.

If you think you or someone you know got sick from food, please report it, even if you don’t know what food made you sick. Reporting an illness can help public health officials identify a foodborne illness outbreak and keep others from getting sick. Please call (805)654-2813 or file a complaint report at https://eco.vcrma.org/#/home.

The Ventura County Grand Jury seeks opportunities to speak to community organizations, non-profit organizations, and similar groups as part of its education outreach program.

The Grand Jury investigates matters affecting aspects of government in Ventura County. Jurors serve as a “voice and conscience” of Ventura County residents. The Jury comprises 19 citizens who are impaneled by the Presiding Judge of the Superior Court.

The impaneled Grand Jury does not pursue criminal cases or hear evidence in courtrooms. It serves as an independent investigatory panel on behalf of the citizens of Ventura County.

To learn more about the Grand Jury and how it serves the community, how to become a juror, or request speakers to meet with your group or class, (805) 477-1600 or complete a speaker request form available at https://www.ventura.org/grand-jury/forms/.

Mohammed A. Hasan, a longtime business and environmental leader in Ventura County has been re-elected to United Water Conservation District board.

The District boundary encompasses Lake Piru to Ventura harbor along the Santa Clara River valley, and the Oxnard coastal plain. The cities of Santa Paula, Fillmore, Oxnard and Port Hueneme and the eastern part of the city of Ventura are part of the district. This public agency was formed 75 years ago, currently offices in North Oxnard. The district diverts surface water from the Santa Clara River, manages and serves groundwater to farmers and cities. More information is available at unitedwater.org.

Hasan has a long history of being involved in the community. Since 1974, he has been serving in various nonprofit organizations in the county. He is a tireless volunteer/leader in the community in the areas of environment, health, art and youth. Hasan is the founder and instructor of free community classes in Longevity, conversational Spanish, and financial independence. He currently serves as the vice president on the board of El Concilio FS, which serves the underserved community of farm workers and those in need of assistance for immigration and citizenship services. All the local newspapers have published an article or two about his passion for contribution to the community.

Hasan is the owner of a civil and environmental firm in Ventura. He was an engineer with the Ventura Regional Sanitation District, and the utilities superintendent of the City of Oxnard. He earned advanced degrees from the University of Iowa. He is fellow two national professional societies, and the Rotary International. Hasan taught water resource science classes at the Ventura and Santa Barbara community colleges. He wrote a book on solving drought problems in California. The simple book can serve as a primer for citizens wanting to get involved in water.

Hasan is a co-founder of OceanForesters. This Ventura start-up helps economically challenged coastal communities build and manage their own flexible floating fishing reefs. The complete ecosystem on the reefs restores ocean bounty and biodiversity. Hasan also served as the chief engineer and general manager of the bio-energy startup company, PODenergy. Here he helped develop theories for the reduction of global carbon dioxide via ocean afforestation.

Hasan is a 48-year resident of Ventura; married and has two adult daughters.