Grant funding to 10 nonprofit organizations will help dismantle racist structures and practices that prevent communities of color from achieving good health.

Kaiser Permanente, the nation’s largest integrated, nonprofit health system, today announced it has awarded $8.15 million to support 40 nonprofit and community-based organizations across the nation, whose programs address systemic racism and its accompanying trauma on individuals and communities of color.

This incorporates $1 million for 10 organizations in Southern California, including Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy (CA– USE) in Ventura, and is part of a $25 million commitment Kaiser Permanente announced in June to promote health equity and break the cycle of racism-driven stresses that lead to poor health outcomes for its communities. Kaiser Permanente serves 4.7 million members in Southern California.

This announcement comes as our nation honored Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy on Monday, January 18, for his commitment to civil rights and racial equality.

“As we honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., I hope Kaiser Permanente is one of many voices plainly saying that there is much, much work still to be done to realize Dr. King’s ideal of an equitable society that guarantees every individual the opportunity to thrive,” said Greg A. Adams, Kaiser Permanente’s chairman and CEO. “I am encouraged as I see what progress is possible through organization, activism and advocacy – and I want our support to enable future generations to follow that path to create change.”

Julie Miller-Phipps, president, Kaiser Permanente Southern California and Hawaii, Health Plan and Hospitals, echoed similar sentiments.

“It’s important for us to take strong action to stop the economic, physical, psychological, and social impacts of inequity and systemic racism – including discriminatory policies and practices – so that we can create healthier communities where everybody, regardless of their race, ethnic background or skin color can feel safe and thrive,” she said. “This is why Kaiser Permanente is pledging significant funding to help achieve an end to systemic racism and break the cycles of stress and trauma that can lead to poor health outcomes.”

With input from a panel of national racial justice and trauma experts, Kaiser Permanente will develop a formal evaluation plan for the grants it has awarded to track and measure the initiative’s overall progress.

Ventura College’s new degree program in advanced manufacturing is training the future manufacturing workers of Ventura County. Prompted by student interest, employer demand and Ventura County’s strength as a manufacturing sector, Ventura College’s new manufacturing training program will offer the latest information and technology in both lecture and laboratory settings.

Ventura College’s advanced manufacturing degree program offers an associate degree, certificates of achievement, pre-apprenticeships and a Journeyman Machinist program.

It’s a good time for students to get jobs in manufacturing, as the country looks to bring jobs back to the U.S. While learning on the job may have been sufficient in the past, local employers value the streamlined hiring and training process of having entry-level employees who can jump right in. This is particularly important in Ventura County, where manufacturing has been identified by the Economic Development Collaborative as one of six key industries.

“One of the reasons this program is so advantageous is because it trains our local residents to work in an industry where there are high paying jobs in Ventura County,” said John Clark, instructor in the manufacturing technology program. “Our graduates will be able to live here, work here and support their families.”

The advanced manufacturing program aims to prepare students to be career-ready by training them on full-size, industry-worthy CNC machines, which mirror the machines used in the workplace. Students already in the industry can take classes to expand or update their skills for career advancement. Students may also choose to pursue the AS in Advanced Manufacturing to launch their career in industry or transfer to a university to obtain a bachelor’s degree in management, engineering, industrial technology, agricultural engineering or mechanical engineering.

The advanced manufacturing program offers a pre-apprenticeship option to give students real-world experience while providing employers an opportunity to find skilled workers. The goal of the pre-apprenticeship program is to take a student with no knowledge of manufacturing and train them to be capable CNC machine operators in just one semester.

After taking two classes, MT V02 and MT V05, students are eligible to participate in VC’s apprenticeship program and earn approximately $18 an hour. In contrast, the state’s minimum wage is $13-$14 per hour, depending on company size.

For two and a half years, the student will work full-time in local industry to receive on-the-job training while taking at least one class per semester at Ventura College. In just three years, a student will earn a Journeyman Machinist Card from the U.S. Department of Labor, which can transfer anywhere in the U.S. Following program completion, the student may earn $25-$30 per hour.

Ventura College plans to offer two certificates of achievement in manufacturing technology, including CNC Machine Operation and CNC Machinist. The two stackable certificates are pending state approval. The first can be completed in one semester.

Ventura College is offering a new two-year Veterinary Technology Program culminating in an Associate of Science degree. Classes begin spring 2021 at Ventura College’s East Campus in Santa Paula.

After successfully completing the first-year curriculum, students will receive a Certificate of Achievement in Veterinary Assistant, which will enable students to seek entry level employment in the field of veterinary technology while completing the Associate of Science degree requirements.

Ventura College partnered with Ohana Pet Hospital to launch the program. “Ohana is helping build a new teaching lab adjacent to the Ventura College East Campus and our Santa Paula hospital location, which are in the same building,” says Dr. Jill Muraoka Lim, a founding partner of Ohana Pet Hospital. “We are also working with the Ventura College Foundation on fundraising efforts.”

The program is seeking accreditation from the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). Accreditation occurs 1 to 2 years after a program has begun. The program is on course to receive accreditation by the time the initial group of students successfully complete their two-year curriculum. Students will then be eligible to take the Veterinary Technician National Exam (VTNE) to become a Registered Veterinary Technician. Preparations for the national exam are embedded in courses throughout the program. Besides classwork, students will receive training in lab courses and participate in clinical externships at Ohana Pet Hospital.

“We are grateful for the help and support of the Ohana Pet Hospital staff,” says Dr. Kim Hoffmans, Ventura College president. “Their clinical experience brings real-world knowledge into the classroom.”

There are currently no AVMA accredited veterinary technology programs in Ventura, Santa Barbara or San Luis Obispo Counties. “The Ventura College program is important in that it provides local students with a solid education to enter a profession with many diverse career paths and opportunities for growth,” says Lim. “In addition, due to a local (and national) shortage of qualified and educated veterinary technicians and assistants, this program will help fill the staffing void that all veterinary hospitals face.”

The Ventura College Foundation assists the college to successfully facilitate the corporate and campus partnership for the Veterinary Technology Program. Other foundation efforts for educational and local economic development have resulted in the development of the college’s Diesel Mechanics Program, a relaunch of the Agricultural Program (with a renovated avocado orchard and Living Learning Lab) and the Gene Haas Advanced Manufacturing Lab expansion.

“It’s important that students can apply what they learn in college to good-paying jobs in our community,” says Anne Paul King, Ventura College Foundation executive director. “The return on our corporate partners’ investment in education is immediate.”

Program classes are full for the spring 2021 semester. Ventura College will host information sessions and make applications available in March 2021 for the Veterinary Technology Program’s 2021-22 school year. For more information, go to www.venturacollege.edu, select Programs & Courses and type in Veterinary Technology Program in the Search box.

by Venturans for Responsible & Efficient Gov’t

Ventura’s unfunded pension liabilities continued to grow in 2019 to $218.6 million. The City of Ventura continues to sink deeper into debt to pay for city employees’ present and future retirement benefits. Unfortunately, the economic reality of the city’s current public pension liabilities is not receiving the attention it demands.

Revised Unfunded Liability Figures
The new unfunded pension liabilities figures come from the 2018-2019 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR). Ventura added $3.5 million to its unfunded liabilities. Simultaneously, the market value of Ventura’s assets held by CalPERS dropped to 66.7%, a multi-year low.

A Political Hot Topic
Discussions about pensions get emotional because we’re talking about people’s future and security. Let’s be clear. We respect the work city employees do. There is no denying that fire and police perform a vital job that is both dangerous and requires a high level of training and responsibility.

Our concern is not about their work. We’re uneasy about how the city structures, accumulates and pays retirement benefits.

Neglecting The Unfunded Pension Liabilities Doesn’t Make Them Disappear
For ten years, Ventura has done little to remedy the unfunded pension liability. During that time, there have been four different City Councils. Yet, they made only a modest effort to solve the problem. Then-Mayor Bill Fulton and City Manager Rick Cole claimed in 2011 that the City of Ventura had tilled new ground by requiring the city employees to pay something toward their retirement – 4 ½%.

Yet, closer scrutiny showed employees pay their 4 ½% retirement contribution toward the employers’ portion (i.e., The taxpayers’ portion) of what Ventura sends to the CALPERS retirement plan. This accounting maneuver explicitly increases the employee’s total compensation, meaning the “contribution” counts as the employee’s income to calculate the employee’s retirement benefit when they retire.

Suggestions For Addressing Unfunded Liabilities
There are two other choices for our City Council to consider if they have the political will.

1. Make beneficiaries pay more. Capping the employer contribution at a fixed percentage of salary would cut pension costs for the city. As pension costs increase over the years, the employees will pay all the growing costs.

2. Change when retired city employees may begin collecting pensions. This alternative solution applies to new employees only. What if police and fire could vest their generous pensions in full by age 50 or 55, as they do now, but the payments did not start until age 65? At current official pension growth rates, that would more than double the fund’s value over those ten years. Also, the retirement payment period would be ten years shorter, given the same life expectancy.

Public sector employees may resist the changes but this solution makes sense. Private sector employees don’t get their full social security until 65 or even 67, depending their birth year.

Raw Political Power Behind Unfunded Pension Liabilities
Ventura’s city employee unions negotiate higher and higher salary increases disregarding any concern that the money may not be available to pay their pensions once they retire. Union negotiators believe a virtually ironclad guarantee exists for the workers to whom the city promised the pension benefits. Many Councilmembers accepted the same thing, although it’s no longer valid. A Federal Bankruptcy Court ruled otherwise in January 2015.

The impact of this decision is that CALPERS cannot stop cities from modifying pensions. Yet, the Ventura City Council appears unaware of the findings.

Editors Comments
Past retirement pension negotiations were based on union bargaining and raw political power, creating a gap between what politicians promised and what cities can really pay. It will take political will to bring the retirement benefits back to reality. Changing the system is the only way these promised benefits can be sustainable and dependable for retirees. It’s also the only way that taxpayers can afford to pay for them.

“A Conversation About East Ventura” is the topic for panelists and those in attendance at the next Zoom meeting of the East Ventura Community Council, at 7:00 pm on Thursday, January 21st.

Newly elected City Council members as well as Stephanie Caldwell, Executive Director of the Ventura Chamber of Commerce, and Brad Golden, Immediate Past Board Chair, will discuss ideas and plans for assisting East Ventura’s enhancement.

Community members in attendance will review the priorities for East Ventura improvements as previously identified at the September community forum and will help develop an action plan.

Other topics may be added to the agenda, so be sure to check the group’s Facebook page for updates.

The Council represents those who live east of Victoria Avenue, and the public is encouraged to attend and participate.

The meeting will be held online via the Zoom application. Go here to view: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88105125389?pwd=Mm9mTHFyRmtGZDhTaEUzMXI1WTU5QT09.

You will first need to download the Zoom app on your computer or smart phone. You do not need an account.  If you miss the meeting, you can always view later on the website, www.eastventura.org. The Zoom meeting will start promptly at 7:00 pm.

For more information, contact EVCC Chairperson, Deborah Meyer-Morris at [email protected].

Local human services agency urges community support to open their hearts and homes to children and older youth in (foster)care, as additional census shows a growth in need during the pandemic.

The holidays are a special time of year filled with memories, celebrations, and annual family gatherings. It is also a time to acknowledge the families who are less fortunate who may not enjoy the same shared experiences. Ventura County Children and Family Services through Homes with Heart VC truly hopes and needs more families to step up to help children, youth, and families with mentorship, or a home for the holidays by becoming a resource family.

Homes with Heart VC is grateful for the families, organizations and circle of charities who have come forward over the years to help strengthen families in need, and urges additional families to open their hearts to children, older youth in care and their families this holiday season. Your contribution can be large or small whether your family can provide a home, a form of mentorship, or a safe place to come to for guidance, you can make a large impact in their lives and your family will receive so much more in return.

In addition to encouraging more families to come forward and help keep families safe and reunified, Homes with Heart VC is hosting a holiday donation drive where people can donate directly to the charities in Ventura County that help families and children by visiting HomeswithHeartVC.org/Charities. Please help share the holiday cheer to families in need this season. Your simple act of generosity can make all the difference for families in need of love, support and stability.

Visit HomeswithHeartVC.org/Charities and make your contribution to local charities helping youth and families today.

Recognized as a best practice leader statewide in the family recruitment and support component of child welfare, Ventura County Children and Family Services’ Homes with Heart VC, previously known as Foster VC Kids, was developed to increase the amount of loving resource families who are ready to take in children in need in Ventura County.

This initiative provides resource families with ongoing support services, trauma-informed training, and mentorship to enhance the safety, permanency and well-being of Ventura County’s youth and families.

Learn how Ventura County Children and Family Services’ Homes with Heart VC is making a difference throughout Ventura County, www.homeswithheartvc.org.

by Kathy Morgan

Human Trafficking impacts between 4-6 million people annually worldwide, 71% being women and girls. Human Trafficking (HT) is the exploitation of a person for sex or labor through the use of force, fraud or coercion. It is a Human Rights crime as it deprives a person of his or her freedom and causes them irrevocable harm – both mentally and physically.

Many people believe that this is something that only happens in other places. However, California is ranked as one of the top four HT destinations in the United States with our central coast being identified as a natural transit corridor for trafficking. Trafficking is estimated to be a $150 billion dollar industry annually and the second largest criminal enterprise in the world.

Traffickers consider it to be an easy way to make money as it is low risk with a renewal resource. Soroptimist International – a global volunteer organization which advocates for human rights and gender equality has been involved in projects and advocacy surrounding this issue since 1995. For HT to end there need to be efforts in Awareness and Prevention (Education to all),
Protection (Police resources and safe houses), Prosecution, and Policy changes.

Our local Soroptimist International clubs (Oxnard, Ventura and Camarillo) have sponsored STOP Human Trafficking awareness events for 13 years. Only with the public being educated and aware of this issue is there hope for ending this heinous crime. For more information go to www.stoptraffickingventuracounty.org.

If you need help or see potential abuse call the Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or text HELP to 233733.