Four 12×12 foot panels from the famed AIDS Memorial Quilt will be displayed at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Ventura, 5654 Ralston Street on Sunday, October 28 from 9:30 to 12 as part of an annual service of remembrance. The Rev. Dana Worsnop, senior minister at the church, said, “We are honored to be among the venues where the Names Project Quilts will be displayed during AIDS Awareness Month. We invite the community to join in our service, ‘Remember Their Names,’ where we will embrace all those we have lost to AIDS.”

The quilt panels, which have not been displayed publicly in 20 years, are being brought out by the Quilt Project Gold Coast, a bi-county nonprofit that uses quilt panels to “remember the names” and create awareness around HIV/AIDS prevention and history.

The Quilt was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 1989, and is today the largest community art project in the world. The Quilt has been the subject of countless books, films, scholarly papers, articles, and theatrical, artistic and musical performances; “Common Threads: Stories From The Quilt” won the Academy Award as the best feature-length documentary film of 1989.

Contributions to offset the cost of the campaign, such as fabrics and other materials, are welcome by contacting Quilt Project Gold Coast at (805) 569-0561.

The Board of Supervisors has approved a plan for County Parks to shift from a first-come, first-served policy to a reservations-only policy for its three beach parks (Faria, Hobson and Rincon) beginning November 1, 2018. This decision was driven by multiple factors, primarily customer feedback — that is, the high number of public complaints the Parks Department receives about the existing system. In addition, trends in technology have changed the way in which the public conducts business transactions, making this the appropriate time to implement this change.

The shift to a reservations-based policy for the beach parks will generate the following benefits for patrons and improvements in Parks staff efficiency:

• Allow customers to reserve a camping site in advance, from 12 months in advance to within 48 hours of their planned arrival date, eliminating the guesswork of site availability.
• Mobile payment will still be available for open sites (non-reserved) the day of arrival as is currently allowed.
• Improved customer access to beach parks.
• Eliminate groups from holding/managing spaces for other groups.
• Allow park rangers to be more accessible and provide better customer service to beach park patrons.
• Reduce calls for service to the sheriff to resolve disputes (i.e., fighting over sites).
• Allow for self-booking of reservations via the Parks public. At http://www.venturaparks.org/  (reservations can still be made by calling the Parks reservation line (805) 654-3951)
• Length of stay and return polices will remain the same. More data will now be available to staff for better enforcement of the rules and tracking of customer compliance with usage policies.

Improving public safety and patron peace of mind by:

• Keeping bike lanes clear from RVs waiting for a site to become available
• Eliminating onsite campers searching for a space to open – which both contributes to carbon emissions from RVs driving up and down the road continuously and disturbs those already camping (i.e., continually being asked “When you are leaving?”)

The County is aware that this change to a reservations-only policy for the most popular County parks is a major shift from current policy and will require a period of adjustment for patrons. To allow for the least amount of disruption, the County will enact this policy shift during the Parks’ less busy off-season, which will allow flexibility with customers and adjust any procedures before next summer’s on-season.

Bookings will open 24 September through the online Reservation site http://www.venturaparks.org/  or by calling the Parks reservation line (805) 654-3951. There will be a reservation booking fee of either $3 (online reservations) or $10 (phone reservations). You may only book one site per reservation period per park. All length-of-stay and return-to-park policies apply.

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Casa Pacifica Centers for Children and Families participated in United Way’s Day of Caring on Saturday, September 29th. United Way’s Day of Caring connected hundreds of volunteers to community organizations like Casa Pacifica throughout Ventura County.

Volunteers from Wells Fargo came to Casa Pacifica to complete the Day of Caring project – priming and painting the fence that surrounds Casa Pacifica’s Camarillo campus. “This is an annual thing for us, Wells Fargo always participates in United Way’s Day of Caring. Some team members even brought their family and friends to help too. It’s a nice day to spend together,” said Wells Fargo volunteer Renee Montiel.

Morgan Piehn, Casa Pacifica’s Volunteer Coordinator said, “We appreciate United Way creating this day of service and bringing nonprofits together with people who want to help. The Wells Fargo volunteers that came helped us maintain a beautiful home for our children. We couldn’t do it without our community.”

Casa Pacifica Centers for Children and Families is a crisis-care and residential treatment facility for foster or at-risk children in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties. The agency is the largest non-profit provider of children’s mental health services in both counties and administers a number of community-based programs designed to strengthen families and keep children in their homes and communities. For more information about Casa Pacifica visit its websitewww.casapacifica.org or call the Development & Public Relations Department at (805) 445-7800.

The Board of Directors of the Ventura Police Community Foundation proudly announces the first annual Heroes Among Us Gala presented by the Players Casino. The event will take place on November 3, from 5:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. at the San Buenaventura Mission. The Foundation will recognize community members or groups, who through their personal or professional life, have displayed selflessness, dedication and compassion, making a positive impact in Ventura and beyond. The evening will include a silent auction, cocktails and hors d’oeuvres reception followed by dinner, ceremony and dancing.

Heroes were selected through a nomination process. Heroes are community members who have done extraordinary things to make Ventura a better place! Join us as we recognize those who are making a lasting impact in our community.

The 2018 Heroes include: Frank Padilla,Mark Kirwin,Lisa Marquez,Mel Sheeler,John Karayan,Simone Covault.

The First Memorial Honor Detail

Ron Matthews

The Chief of Police Honorary Hometown Heroes include:

Jason Collis,Tim Kilcoyne,Jim Monahan,Judy Devine,Mark Hartley.

The mission of the Ventura Police Community Foundation is to foster and support programs and initiatives that strengthen a safe community and enhance the quality of life in Ventura.

Foundation programs include:

Youth Programs: Positive and proactive opportunities such as the Ventura Police Activities League which supports after school programs and youth mentoring designed to reduce crime-related risk and help disadvantaged youth.

Community Partnerships: Projects that enhance the relationship between the community and the Ventura Police Department.

Public Safety: Initiatives that address specific public safety needs, improve police effectiveness and officer safety through specialized equipment, technology and other innovations.

For more information please call 805-339-4317 or visit www.venturapolicefoundation.org

The week of October 21-27, 2018 is National Teen Driver Safety Week, and the Ventura Police Department wants to remind parents and guardians the importance of talking to their teen drivers about new responsibilities and rules that come with operating a vehicle. If you are interested in finding out more about traffic safety, you may want to check this traffic school florida online.

For teens, getting a license is a rite of passage tied to freedom and independence, but is also something that can be dangerous because teens lack experience behind the wheel and are more likely to take risks, said Traffic Sergeant Michael Brown. National Teen Driver Safety Week is a way to encourage all parents to instill good driving habits that help their teens stay safe on the road.

Car accidents can have devastating consequences, especially if anyone involved is seriously injured. The cost of medical expenses after car accident can be high, so the best course of action to prevent accidents on the road is to educate people about driving safety.

Above all, the reality is that vehicle crashes remain the leading cause of death for teens ages 15 to 18. According to data from the Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS), there were 73,736 crashes in 2016 involving drivers 16 to 20 years old in California alone. In those crashes, 437 people were killed.

Throughout the week the Ventura Police Department will join the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) in offering tips to parents and caregivers on how to talk to teens about the consequences of making dangerous and illegal choices behind the wheel.

Graduated Driver License (GDL):Learn about Californias GDL laws, which place restrictions on passengers and driving late at night during the first year they have a license.

Lead by example: Practice safe driving yourself. Have practice driving sessions with your teen.

Set Ground Rules: No cell phones, no passengers, no speeding, no alcohol, no drowsy driving, and always buckle up. No keys until they know the rules. Establish consequences you will enforce if your teen breaks the rules.

With driving comes great responsibility: Remind your teen that driving requires your full attention. Texts and phone calls can wait. Teach them about zero-tolerance laws, and the adult consequences they face for driving after drinking or using drugs. Urge them to never ride with someone who has been drinking or using drugs. It should be noted that young adults that aren’t of age to drink legally can always still research into how they go about how to get a fake id, so if you feel your teen may not be drinking and driving due to their age, it is always worth considering the potential. After all, it’s always better to be safe than sorry.

Whether its drinking and driving, not wearing a seat belt, speeding, driving distracted or with friends in the car, its important for parents to let their teen know that driving is not a right, but a privilege, said Traffic Corporal Al Gomez. It can be taken away when they dont follow the rules.

To learn more about teen driver safety, visit the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) website at http://ghsa.org/html/issues/teens/index.html.

The Ventura County Auditor-Controller is pleased to announce a new webpage for Unclaimed Property Tax Refunds: https://www.ventura.org/auditor-controllers-office/unclaimed-property-tax-refunds . Taxpayers can access a listing of unclaimed property tax refunds and instructions on how to file a claim for a refund.

Property tax refunds generally result from reassessment of property. Unclaimed property tax refunds consist of checks that remain un-cashed for a period of more than six months.  Reasonable and diligent efforts have been made to notify taxpayers of their refund.

“Often checks are returned undeliverable by the postal service because the payee has moved and does not leave a forwarding address, or the forwarding order has expired,” said Auditor-Controller Jeff Burgh. “If property tax refunds remain unclaimed for more than four years, they may be transferred to the county general fund on order of the Board of Supervisors.”

The transfer of funds is called escheatment and, while escheatment is the legal alternative, the Auditor-Controller’s primary goal is to return refunds to their rightful owner.

All property tax payers are encouraged to search the lists to determine whether they may be entitled to a refund. Claims for funds must be postmarked by November 29, 2018, in order to avoid escheatment to the county general fund. After this date, refunds left unclaimed will become property of the County and can no longer be claimed.

In addition to the webpage, people seeking a refund for unclaimed property taxes can visit the Auditor-Controller’s office in the Hall of Administration at the County Government Center, 800 S. Victoria Avenue, Ventura, or call (805) 654-3182.

California growers who experienced production losses or direct losses to trees, bushes, and vines due to 2017 California wildfires, mudslides,

or heavy smoke caused as a direct result of a 2017 wildfire are encouraged to sign up for WHIP at their local Farm Service Agency.

Sign-up period lasts until November 16, 2018. To sign up, contact the Santa Barbara/Ventura County Office at 805-928-9269 Ext. 2

WHIP payments will be determined based on:

Individual’s expected value of the lost crop,

Value of crop harvest,

Insurance coverage and insurance payments received.

Covers the production loss of crops and the physical trees, bushes, and vines.

Producers are limited to a $125,000 payment, unless it is verified, 75% or more of their adjusted gross income is derived from an agricultural-based

business, at which point payment limit is $900,000.

Adjusted gross income limits are not applicable to WHIP.

Both growers with or without crop insurance may apply.

All producers receiving 2017 WHIP payments will be required to purchase risk management coverage for the next two crop years at a

minimum of 60 percent coverage level.

Producers with crop losses will need to provide production records unless production information is already on file with FSA.

For more information on FSA disaster assistance programs, please contact the  Santa Barbara/Ventura County Office at

805-928-9269 Ext. 2 or visit www.farmers.gov/recover/whip.