∙Ventura has made announcements about closing four to five blocks on Main St. downtown to make them pedestrian friendly, but no one seems to know what that means exactly. Does that mean closing all of Main so that people can walk in the street? Or does it mean removing some parking spaces so restaurants can expand into them?

Where would people park in order to walk downtown? What about the thrift shops and furniture stores, do they all have rear entrances so customers can pick up their purchases? What happens to traffic? Does it just turn and take Poli or Thompson around downtown? Will be interesting to see what this really means.

Not sure if the city council really knows, except that it sounds like a nice idea. And, maybe with the county approving additional phases and opening-up businesses, this might not even be necessary.

∙Readers are asking me what happened to the multi-paper rack that was located in front of the downtown post office. What a good question. Without the courtesy of telling the “vendors”, one day they just removed them without any notice or warning. Very rude and unprofessional. On top of that they took the inserts in the racks belonging to us (which cost about $400), so they actually stole our property.

∙Regarding the virus, it seems that many people only followed the guidelines because it was the law, and not because it was the safe and prudent thing to do. Now that restrictions have been relaxed a little, many people aren’t following any of the guidelines, which will probably mean that the whole situation will just continue and start over.

The first California county to change its reopening plan wasn’t an urban area or a coastal area where beaches draw crowds, but rather a remote city that didn’t have a single known coronavirus case until last week.

All it took was a single infection that spread to four other people before Lassen County, home to 30,000 people living in the high desert of Northern California, temporarily rescinded reopening orders. Dining at restaurants, in-store shopping, hair cuts and religious services are now barred.

This virus isn’t the flu where you take two aspirin and call your doctor in the morning. If you get it, you could spend several weeks in the hospital and then still die. The way some people are acting now it will never go away. No face masks (“If my president doesn’t wear one why should I”), or distancing.

The people who are claiming their constitutional rights to not wear face masks in restaurants are absurd. First of all, this has absolutely nothing to do with constitutional rights and restaurants can set any dress code that they wish. Some restaurants even require that ties be worn (not in Ventura of course), so requiring face masks is just a new dress code.

These people are jeopardizing the health and lives of others. Does the constitution give them that right?

∙If your dead relative got a coronavirus stimulus check, the government wants the money back.

“A payment made to someone who died before receipt of the payment should be returned to the IRS,” the Treasury said in a statement.

In this case the saying, “I’m probably better off dead,” might be true. So, if you are dead, you should immediately return the money or you could go to jail.

∙ Many kinds of scams are on the rise especially those that target more vulnerable seniors. Please, seniors, do not give your vital information to people on the phone or on your computer even if they seem very legitimate. And that call from your grandson held captive in Iran is also phony even if the caller does know all your personal information.

∙ Don’t get mad and critical when our police don’t remove the homeless (and their belongings) from where you feel they should not be allowed. The police are powerless to do such. A federal judge has ruled that Los Angeles must stop seizing and tossing out bulky things such as mattresses that homeless people have on sidewalks or other property based solely on their size. I know that we are not LA, but these types of rulings have applied in many cases that have gone to the courts and would apply here also.

∙The University of California Board of Regents unanimously voted to suspend the SAT and ACT testing requirements for freshman applicants through 2024 and eliminate them for California students after that.

Instead, the UC system , which includes about 280,000 students across the University of California, Los Angeles, the University of California, Berkeley, and seven other undergraduate schools, will focus on creating its own test “that better aligns with the content the University expects students to have mastered for college readiness” and its values.

∙New words that we need to learn because of the virus that news media are using.

Attestation:

A proving of the existence of something through evidence.

An official verification of something as true or authentic.

the notary’s attestation of the will.

The proof or evidence by which something (such as the usage of a word) is attested.

∙A Florida man who thought the coronavirus was “a fake crisis” has changed his mind after he and his wife contracted COVID-19.

Brian Hitchens downplayed the seriousness of the coronavirus in Facebook posts in March and April.

“I’m honoring what our government says to do during this epidemic but I do not fear this virus because I know that my God is bigger than this Virus will ever be,” he wrote in a post on April 2. “Jesus is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.”

∙35 of the 92 people (38%) who attended services at a rural Arkansas church March 6–11 tested positive for the coronavirus, ultimately killing three, according to a case study released by the CDC.

Places of worship continue to be a problem for controlling the widespread transmission of the coronavirus, especially as some churches and local government officials push to loosen restrictions on religious gatherings siting religious freedom.

∙The World Health Organization (WHO) announced that it is pausing trials of hydroxychloroquine, the malaria drug that President Donald Trump said he took as a possible preventative COVID-19 treatment, despite his own government’s warnings about the drug’s potentially life-threatening side effects.

The WHO’s decision came after scientists from six continents linked the drug to higher death rates in a massive study published Friday by the Lancet journal.

∙President Trump signed an executive order targeting social media companies, days after Twitter called two of his tweets “potentially misleading.”

Speaking from the Oval Office ahead of signing the order, Trump said the move was to “defend free speech from one of the gravest dangers it has faced in American history.”

“A small handful of social media monopolies controls a vast portion of all public and private communications in the United States,” he claimed. “They’ve had unchecked power to censor, restrict, edit, shape, hide, alter, virtually any form of communication between private citizens and large public audiences.”

And this is the man who has 80 million twitter followers. Maybe this is “one of the gravest dangers it has faced in American history.”

When defending his decisions of why he fired four inspector generals, Trump kept referring to them as “attorney generals.” Since he doesn’t appear to know what the people do who he is firing, how can he decide they aren’t doing a good job?

∙One after another, Ventura’s wonderful events are being cancelled. The latest is Music Under the Stars, held at the Olivas Adobe. This is one of my favorites. Too bad they couldn’t have an abbreviated season (3-4 concerts) later in the year.

∙ It’s odd looking at my weekly calendar, which is currently blank. I now look forward to going to the bank (yes, I still do that in person).

∙If you have a passion for radio, or a show or podcast you want to create and share, you can join the CAPS Media creative community by becoming a member of the CAPS Media family. See the CAPS article for all the details. I had a show for a while, and it was great fun.

∙In an effort to keep up with rising costs (tax base is dwindling), Ventura is raising hundreds of fees it charges for developers and others that use city services.

The City Council voted unanimously to adopt a new fee schedule that will take effect starting July 3. This will increase the city’s fees for building permits, water connections and other city services. There are also new fees of 3% for credit card payments, the same amount the city is charged by its credit card company.

The fee increases should add approximately $500,000 per year.

Stephanie Caldwell, the president and CEO of the Ventura Chamber of Commerce, appeared to speak against the increases. “We strongly oppose any increase to the city fees during this time, in the midst of the biggest economic disaster that any of us will see in our lifetime,” she stated.

Not sure how I feel about this when businesses are struggling but Ventura does need the funds.

∙Once again, I want to thank our dedicated readers and supporters who have contributed to the Breeze to help keep us going.

∙I think that Gov. Newsom is doing the correct thing in his approach to handling the virus by being cautious. Let other states (like Georgia) that are opening-up be the litmus test. Let’s see what their positive results and/or deaths are over the next few weeks. This ain’t a joke or conspiracy.

∙Two weeks after Texas Governor Greg Abbott began reopening the economy, the state reported 1,801 new confirmed coronavirus infections marking its single-highest rise in cases since the beginning of the pandemic.

Of the new cases, 734 are from Potter and Randall counties. “These counties’ new cases are largely from targeted testing of employees at meat plants in the area. More test results from plants are expected,” stated the Texas Department of Health.

As of May 17, Texas has a total of 45,198 COVID-19 cases, with 1,272 deaths and 25,454 recoveries. Before the weekend, Texas had never reported over 1,500 cases in one day. The state has been averaging roughly 1,220 cases per day over the past week, as non-essential businesses continue to open as part of Governor Greg Abbott’s phased reopening plan.

∙If you need nice moving boxes, Steve’s Hardware (on Thompson) always has all kinds of sizes available for free. And you could even buy a new toilet while you are there.

∙Such difficult times. Jails are letting out those who have committed more minor crimes to reduce the spread of virus in their population, but at the same time there are no jobs or facilities where they can go. This will increase the homeless population and perhaps crimes. There is just not an easy solution to these complex problems.

∙The US Postal Service is actually doing something good. Photos of the items that will be placed in your PO boxes are emailed to holders who register for the service. This way trips can be eliminated and reduced.

∙ One of the ways that America is informed of important government happenings are through the press conferences that the president has. At these meetings, reporters are asking important questions so they can provide relevant answers for their readers and listeners.

When Trump doesn’t like a question, or can’t answer it intelligently, he calls the person a fake reporter that no one reads. If the reporter insists on an answer, Trump insults the person further, says the meeting is over and leaves the room.

The next time he insults a reporter doing their job I would love to see all of them just get up and leave. This is not a reality show, this is life. Why is Trump incapable of treating it as such? We expect this kind of behavior from China, perhaps, but not in our democracy.

And what is this nonsense that the Coronavirus is a liberal Democrat made-up conspiracy to defeat Trump? Over 300,000 people have died throughout the world. Does this mean the entire world is part of this to defeat Trump? Good grief, be serious.

∙I received two envelopes from US Treasury so assumed that each contained a $1,200 stimulus check. Opened the first one, and it had a check for $26. After a few swear words, I opened the second one and it had a check for $2,400. Looking more closely at the $26 check, it was an income tax rebate. I never get income tax rebates, so this was a little peculiar, but I kept it anyway.

∙Folks that owe school loans and other money to the government are having their $1200 rebate checks applied directly to those balances. I don’t think this is appropriate during these times when people need money to survive. The government can get their money when things are back to normal (whatever our normal is going to be).

Regarding stimulus payments from the government, I’m glad to hear that the LA Lakers have returned the $4.6-million that they received. Hopefully, athletes making only $20-mill a year have saved some money and can manage to not receive salaries for a while. If I receive $4.6M, I will immediately return it as well.

∙The former co-owner of Discovery Ventura is facing criminal charges over a similar business venture in San Luis Obispo County. Jeremy Pemberton opened the entertainment venue in midtown Ventura in 2014 with his brother. In 2017, Pemberton was working to open another location in San Luis Obispo. Many Venturans, who invested in this venture have never received anything in return. They lost all of their investments.

While seeking investors for the San Luis Obispo project, authorities allege Pemberton misrepresented the amount of financial backing he already had. He is also accused of failing to disclose to these investors that there was a default on the lease he had for the future site.

The situation was made even more complicated in December last year when Pemberton filed for bankruptcy.

In the meantime, the property of the Discovery Ventura building, located at 1888 E. Thompson Blvd., is on the market for $4.2 million. So, if you want to buy a restaurant, music venue, bowling alley and bar, this is your chance.

Luckily (or wisely), the Ventura Breeze stopped accepting their advertisements some time ago because their credit cards were always being declined.

∙I’m sure you all remember our previous city manager Rick Cole. After being dismissed from Ventura, he went on to hold several important positions. His last one being the city manager of Santa Monica. He recently resigned, citing divisions over drastic budget cuts that he has recommended as result of the coronavirus. He has been under fire by some who accused him of rushing to cut programs and city staff, deeming it unnecessary. But, no need to worry about him financially since he has several pensions and will not have to worry about an income.

∙Soon good, and bad, news regarding local newspapers. Three smaller newspapers recently closed by the LA Times have just been purchased by the owner of a La Canada Flintridge paper. But, at the same time, the publisher of all four of Northern California county’s newspapers has stopped publication. This is all based on the great huge reduction of advertising in all newspapers, big and small.

∙Once again, I want to sincerely thank our dedicated readers for donating money to keep the Breeze in publication. Hopefully, this will keep us publishing until the economy does turn around when we can, once again, have our more usual number of advertisers.

∙Many local restaurants (and all take-out restaurants) are open for delivery or take-out, So, please support our local businesses and shop as best you can. Many also have sales on-line to consider. Hopefully, they can open-up soon.

∙President Trump recently took aim at George W. Bush after the former Republican president issued a call to push partisanship aside amid the outbreak of the novel coronavirus. In a three-minute video shared on Twitter, Bush urged Americans to remember “how small our differences are in the face of this shared threat. In the final analysis, we are not partisan combatants. We are human beings, equally vulnerable and equally wonderful in the sight of God,” Bush said. “We rise or fall together, and we are determined to rise.”

Republican Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said Sunday that he “can’t really explain” President Donald Trump’s public speculation last week about using disinfectant as a treatment for COVID-19, but he advised the president make sure his news conferences on the coronavirus are “fact-based.”

Hogan, chairman of the National Governors Association, said on ABC News’ “This Week” that from the beginning of the outbreak, it had been important to him that officials communicate “very clearly on the facts because people listen to these press conferences.”

“They listen when the governor holds a press conference and they certainly pay attention when the president of the United States is standing there giving a press conference about something as serious as this worldwide pandemic,” Hogan said. “And I think when misinformation comes out or you just say something that pops in your head, it does send a wrong message.”

“We had hundreds of calls in our hotline here in Maryland from people asking about injecting or ingesting these disinfectants, which is, you know, hard to imagine that people thought that that was serious.”

Donald Trump said he will take no responsibility if Americans inject or otherwise consume disinfectant to kill Covid-19, even though he suggested it during a press conference. Finally, some Republicans are speaking out against some of the rash statements made by Trump.

Vice President Mike Pence’s refusal to wear a mask during his visit to the prestigious Mayo Clinic sent the wrong message. He was the only one in the hospital not wearing a mask. He certainly didn’t support the federal guidelines he regularly touts.

Regarding Trump, there is an opinion in our Mailbox section from Kevin Daly that I suggest you read. Again, I am always looking for counter-opinions.

∙WOW, WOW, WOW! I am humbled by the overwhelming support for the Ventura Breeze from our wonderful readers. I cannot thank all of you enough for your financial contributions.

Community papers rely on local advertisers for survival. And, as we all know, our local businesses are fighting for their lives. Please continue to support them as best you can along with our current advertisers.

Unfortunately, community papers are closing in droves. The Burbank Leader, the Glendale News Press (published since 1905) and the La Canada Valley Sun and OC Weekly are just a few of them. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, which was a daily paper, is now printing 3-days a week.

I’ll continue to do everything in my power to support our community by keeping the paper alive through this difficult period. Again, thank you for your support. With your help, we have a fighting chance.

Ventura County has opened up its golf courses, but golfers can’t use motorized carts. So, now they might actually get some exercise. Sorry golfers don’t mean to pick on you.

∙Trump fans were going to be proud of me because I was not going say one thing about him in this issue, but something is happening that I must comment on.

First let me say that I do not dislike all Republican presidents.

I didn’t dislike:

Warren G. Harding, Eisenhower, Ford, one of the Bushes and Reagan.

I didn’t like Nixon at all.

A reader said that I am a typical Democrat. I don’t think that there is a typical Democrat or a typical Republican or a typical Christian or a typical Jew. We are all individuals, and the last thing I’ve ever been called in my life is typical.

What is going on really scares me. And, if it doesn’t scare all Americans, that is even more frightening. A president encouraging riots and anarchy should be cause for concern for all Americans.

I did not write any of the following (it was simply a cut and paste).

Late last week, Trump cheered the effort to “LIBERATE” Michigan, Minnesota and Virginia – three states with Democratic governors. He defended those tweets Friday, saying that he thinks some states stay-at-home orders “are too tough,” adding he feels “very comfortable” with his tweets.

“These are people expressing their views,” he said. “I see where they are, and I see the way they’re working. They seem to be very responsible people to me, but it’s — you know, they’ve been treated a little bit rough.”

Governors across the country on Sunday criticized President Donald Trump’s expression of solidarity with those protesting various state issued stay-at-home orders, saying his comments are “dangerous” and “don’t make any sense.”

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, a Democrat, said, “I don’t know any other way to characterize it, when we have an order from governors, both Republicans and Democrats, that basically are designed to protect people’s health, literally their lives, to have a president of the United States basically encourage insubordination, to encourage illegal activity. To have an American president to encourage people to violate the law, I can’t remember any time during my time in America where we have seen such a thing.”

Inslee said Trump’s comments were “dangerous” because they “can inspire people to ignore things that actually can save their lives.” Trump’s promotion of the protesters was “hobbling our national efforts to protect people from this terrible virus.”

The protests have seen a large pro-Trump contingency, with demonstrators wearing and waving Make America Great Again gear, as well as “Don’t Tread on Me” flags. Some have even been seen waving Confederate flags at the rallies (and carrying rifles).

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, told CNN’s “State of the Union” his state is “doing everything we possibly can to reopen in a safe manner,” but “I don’t think it’s helpful to encourage demonstrations and encourage people to go against the president’s own policy. Trump is playing with fire.”

Just 24 hours after he told the nation’s governors, “You are going to call your own shots,” when it comes to reopening the economy, the President posted a series of incendiary messages on Twitter that seemed to incite his followers to revolt against the current orders to stay at home.

He issued similar tweets calling for the liberation of Minnesota and Virginia, including a disturbing addendum for loyalists to “save your great 2nd Amendment,” adding, “It is under siege!”

What exactly is Trump trying to do? This is not an out-of-range dog whistle. We can all hear it. Trump is calling for open revolt in three states – all of which are potentially competitive in 2020 and run by Democratic governors.

Even judged against Trump’s own record, these incendiary messages are beyond the pale for many reasons.

Anger and frustration lie just below the surface. It wouldn’t take much for peaceful protests to turn violent. Trump’s referral to gun rights makes the prospect of violence even more ominous.

Trump may discover that once he incites his supporters, he may not be able to rein them in should they decide to act. These are times unlike any we have experienced. Emotions are running high. That is a tempting canvas for a demagogue seeking to design his own version of reality, but there’s no guarantee Trump can control what he sets loose.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee accused the President of “fomenting domestic rebellion.” He wasn’t the only one who saw that as the message. After Trump’s string of tweets, right-wing extremists questioned whether the President was calling for a “boogaloo” – a term derived from 4chan that extremists use to describe an armed insurrection, which many far-right activists have been gearing up and advocating since last year.

Hogan, Maryland’s Republican governor, speaking on CNN’s “State of the Union,” described the lack of testing as the biggest problem in the nation since the coronavirus pandemic hit the United States.

Hogan is and chair of the National Governors Association. He once considered running against Trump for the 2020 Republican presidential nomination.

As always, we welcome (and encourage) Trump supporters/fans to provide us with some intelligent counter input as to why this is acceptable behavior for a President of The United States.

∙ A potential positive outcome from people being forced to stay home is that some companies will realize that it might be beneficial to let employees work at home. Efficiency might improve, and they would see that they don’t need 40,000 square feet of office space. Plus, it would help the environment by keeping cars off the road.

Perhaps on the negative side some buyers will have gotten comfortable ordering products online and having goods being delivered to their homes, so they might stop shopping at local businesses.

∙Following the county’s announcement, the city of Ventura decided to close its parks, including Arroyo Verde, Mission and Plaza, as well as its beaches, the Ventura Pier and the promenade. They mainly just closed parking lots, so some folks are still using these facilities.

I have been asked why Mayor Matt LaVere decided to do this, so will briefly explain how our local government works. The mayor is a city council member who is selected to the post by the other city council members. He/she has just one vote like all members.

The daily workings of Ventura are made by our City Manager Alex McIntyre who is the “boss”. He explained, “As City Manager, I hold two titles – City Manager and Director of Disaster Services. Under the second authority, I have the general ability to make such declarations with the Council affirming them. This action generally does not come from the Council rather from the facts that dictate the need for immediate action. Given the gravity of the health crisis facing us all, creating opportunities for greater social distancing is going to keep people healthy and save lives. That is critical at this time.”

The city council hires (and fires) the city manager and city attorney.

∙You will note that our recent issues contain more non-Ventura articles as we report information on the coronavirus for the community. I hope that all of you are managing okay under these extremely difficult times.

∙Governments are telling renters to just not pay rents currently. All landlords are not wealthy developers, and many depend on the money that they get from rents to survive, so we must also consider them as small business owners during these times.

∙Malaysian’s have a great sense of humor.

Malaysia’s Ministry for Women, Family and Community Development issued a series of online posters on Facebook and Instagram with the hashtag #WomenPreventCOVID19. It advised the nation’s women to help with the country’s partial lockdown by not nagging their husbands.

The ministry also advised women to refrain from being “sarcastic” if they are asked for help with household chores. And it urged women working from home to dress up and wear makeup.

∙As you might know, the Breeze (and all newspapers) is really suffering financially during these troubled times with a lack of advertising, so we are asking our readers to consider helping. More about this on page xx.

Even though we appreciate any help we can get, I found a few emails from Trump fans very disturbing. They basically said that if I stop commenting about Trump and stop including readers negative emails about him, that they would contribute financially to the paper.

This is a new way of shutting down the freedom of the press…….. bribery. Not even Trump has tried that. One of the stalwarts of a democracy is complete freedom of the media, newspapers, internet and television. Without these freedoms we are no different than China.

Once again, I ask Trump fans to send in opinions about why they support Trump. All we ever get are emails telling me to shut up and criticizing our readers. I am happy to publish letters supporting Trump, but we just don’t get any. They can be as simple as, “I think Trump is a great president.” Let’s hear from Trump supporters.

∙At a recent White House briefing, Jonathan Karl asked the president what he regarded to be a fundamental question about the coronavirus pandemic. The question…., “And everybody who needs one will be able to get a ventilator?”

Donald Trump’s reply was probably the strangest ABC News’ chief White House correspondent has ever had from a US president.

“Look,” he said. “Don’t be a cutie pie. OK?” Trump went on. Karl, he said, was “a wise guy” too.

Trump said of the coronavirus: “You can call it a germ, you can call it a flu, you can call it a virus, you know you can call it many different names. I’m not sure anybody even knows what it is.”

Trump said he instructed Vice President Mike Pence not to reach out to governors who aren’t “appreciative” of his administration’s efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus in their states. In other words, if they aren’t really nice to him he is willing to let American’s die. Reminds me of Eric Cartman on South Park when his friends aren’t nice to him, he says, “Screw you guys, I’m going home.”

∙The Florida megachurch pastor who made national headlines for holding crowded services has been arrested for defying government orders amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Rodney Howard-Browne, the pastor of The River at Tampa Bay Church, argued his congregation was essential, on par with Walmart. However, law enforcement officials who said they tried to reason with him, disagreed, charging him with “unlawful assembly” and “violation of public health emergency order.”

At least bishops in New Jersey and Massachusetts have granted permission for Catholics to eat meat during the remaining Fridays of Lent.

∙ According to a poll conducted March 25-28 by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and MetLife released on Friday, 24% of small businesses say they will close permanently within two months or less due to the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic.

Eleven percent of small businesses say they will close within one month and 24% percent of small businesses are already shut down on a temporary basis.

The poll found that it is likely that 54 percent of all small businesses will close temporarily in the next 14 days – 40% of businesses surveyed that have not yet temporarily closed are expecting to do so in that time frame.

Hopefully Ventura businesses can get financial help and will re-open when all this is over. The reality is many mom and pop businesses always struggle to stay open during good times. This is catastrophic – is the government actually doing enough?

Cancel, cancel, cancel. Stay at home. Don’t hug when we need them most. What awful tough times for us all.

∙This is a very different issue of the Breeze than usual. Almost no events (including art) as Ventura shuts down. Several Coronavirus articles as well – not our usual Ventura news, but important for our readers.

If you are reading this, you were obviously able to find a copy of the Breeze. Many of the businesses that carry the Breeze are closed.

First, I want to thank and compliment the amazing Ventura Breeze staff for getting this issue out and still managing to get it into racks and businesses that are still open.

I hear so much about government taking care of hourly workers that need financial help, but it goes way beyond hourly workers. There are so many small businesses that were just managing to stay open as it is, especially mom and pop restaurants, that will probably never open again. And they employ people.

Even the Ventura Breeze is struggling. This issue has a very small amount of ads. Many of our advertisers are holding off right now until they can evaluate what the future holds for their businesses, or they are closed right now. If they are open, and you can afford to do so, please continue to buy from them.

Many newspapers, large and small, are struggling and suspending their print editions. The economic forecast for local papers was not very strong even before this pandemic so it has just been exacerbated by this. Even a London-based newspaper is shutting down its print edition.

Many small local papers have asked their readers for donations to keep printing (kind of like art patrons). So, let me ask you, our readers, would you be willing to contribute financially to the Ventura Breeze in order for us to keep printing? Let me know your thoughts and suggestions at [email protected].

During these stressful times we all need to take care of our mental health also. We all have feelings of depression and anxiety. Some finding working at home, and the feeling of isolation, very alarming. So, take some very deep breaths and try to relax. Maybe it’s time to take care of all the little jobs that need doing around the house. Marking off your “to do” list can be very satisfying.

∙ The LA Time’s coverage is 95% about Coronavirus. I wonder what happens to all of the other events making news that we know nothing about except, perhaps, online?

∙ While a national emergency like this brings out the best in people who are doing wonderful things for each other, it also brings out the very worse in some. The most terrible being scammers taking advantage of seniors. Even a leading TV televangelist recently promoted his “Silver Solution” suggesting the formula could boost the immune system and kill the virus withing 12 hours. Thankfully the government shut that down.

Phony products are being sold on Facebook and Craigslist. There is no pill, or supplement that can prevent or cure the virus.

∙The Ventura Unified School District closed all schools on Monday, March 16 through Friday, April 10 due to coronavirus concerns. There is the strong possibility that schools will not open again until after summer. So tough on families that need to go to work while their kids are in school.

∙My condolences, pain and thoughts go out to the family, friends and school mates of 16-year-old Austin Gambill who died from injuries he suffered after he was hit by a truck along Seaward Avenue last week. Gambill was a sophomore at Ventura High School where he was a member of the school’s cross-country team. The driver of the truck remained on the scene and cooperated with the police. Apparently, drugs and alcohol were not a factor in the crash just one of those awful things that can happen in life. I also feel for the truck driver who will live with that image for the rest of his life.

And Mother’s Day is not that far way. It will be a lonesome one for most people being isolated from each other.

Really odd to me we are told to keep social distancing and at the White House Coronavirus Task Force meeting speakers stand shoulder to shoulder.

∙Some desperate people have resorted to using other papers and cloth in the absence of toilet paper which is resulting in the stoppage of sewer lines. So, please don’t use the Ventura Breeze as toilet paper. Besides being too rough, we don’t want to be the cause of clogging up your sewer lines.

∙It is beyond my belief but there are still some Americans that believe that the virus is the Democrat’s way of getting rid of Trump. Italians ignored all the recommendations to prevent the virus spread and their death toll is more than the Chinese, over 4,000. We must do what we are being told to stop this awful virus from spreading. The number of deaths caused by the coronavirus worldwide has reached at least 13,000, including almost 400 in the U.S.

∙ Ralph Charette, 71, said he bought a rifle and ammunition on Saturday to protect himself and his family as a wave of coronavirus panic sweeps across the country. Charette, a military veteran, spent $1,500 at a gun shop in Germantown, Wisconsin, after encountering aggressive shoppers and empty shelves at local grocery stores. Now, if looters come knocking, he’ll be ready, he said.

As hysteria surrounding the illness drives some to stockpile groceries and toilet paper it’s also causing many to worry about a shortage of gun supplies, which is driving up demand and leading to long lines. I find this to be very disturbing. Especially in times like this when people are anxious and very up tight. Some are even suicidal. Some of these guns will be used for that purpose.

For instance, seven members of the same family were fatally shot recently in North Carolina. The suspect is among the dead. The incident is a suspected murder-suicide.

Take care of each other, and be kind.

∙The Breeze has never received as many negative emails and phone calls regarding any subject (even Trump) as has been sent to us regarding Scientology. Emails that I won’t even print. I have been accused of awful things because of the article and my comments regarding Scientology.

Please understand that I (and the Breeze) are not supporting or recommending Scientology or any other religion. Personally, I will wait to evaluate what type of neighbors they are and not because people tell me how awful they are. Lots of people think all religions are bad, and there are books condemning all religions.

Let’s say I have a new neighbor, let’s call him Charlie, and people tell me that he is an awful person. I won’t pre-judge Charlie, I will evaluate him after a few months and see how he is. If he is a bad neighbor, I will condemn him, if a good neighbor I will be his friend if he brings no harm to me or the community.

As you know, they released hundreds of balloons at their grand opening ceremony. I was there and said to myself, “Holy s—, that was a big mistake.” It was stupid but not the incredible crime that so many are accusing them of.

They don’t advocate the death of the first born (Exodus 12:29 as called for in the Bible), and I have never heard folks getting upset with that.

I know, and have now met, a few Scientologists, and they seem to be very fine people.

Some say that Scientology isn’t a “true” religion, as they are deemed, so they shouldn’t have tax exempt status. I don’t think any religion should be tax exempt, especially the TV preachers who make millions of dollars.

Readers have asked why the city would allow them here?  The city can’t just arbitrarily decide which legal entity can occupy a building if it is zoned for that use. This might work in a dictatorial country, but certainly not in the U.S. (or at least not yet).

They say that they will clean up our beaches and welcome us to use their facilities. Let’s wait to see if that is true, and that they aren’t just going to try to proselytize us.

It was also suggested that a petition be started to require them to remove their signs. They submitted sign designs to the city and complied with the necessary requirements.

Debbie Cregan, the president of the Church of Scientology in Ventura, did apologize to the City Council for the balloon mix-up. “This is not the way we wanted to introduce ourselves to the community,” Cregan said. “We are here to apologize.…we have been doing beach cleanups and starting tomorrow we will be doing daily beach cleanups.”

∙Congratulations to Ventura Assistant Police Chief Darin Schindler who was selected to lead the department as the new chief following the retirement of Chief Ken Corney. I like the fact that a member of the Ventura Police Department was selected. He will do an outstanding job.

∙Congratulations also to Mayor Matt LaVere who has been elected to serve on the Ventura County Board of Supervisors. Sorry to see him leave Ventura City Council – he followed in the footsteps of Steve Bennett. District 1 Ventura, the Ojai Valley and northern Oxnard.

Regarding Bennett, who ran for the 37th Assembly District there will two candidates, one Republican from Santa Barbara and one Democrat from Ventura, there will be a November runoff. According to results from the Secretary of State, Cole had 28,234 votes or 32.1% while Bennett had 21,004 votes or 23.9%, neither achieved a required majority to win.

∙The City Council hasn’t decided whether to eliminate the Design Review Committee but voted last year to eliminate the Historic Preservation Committee.

The two committees are each filled by five volunteer members appointed by the City Council. They hold public hearings on some (not all) development proposals. To replace them the city would hire outside firms to help evaluate development projects and many of the decisions would be performed by the Planning Commission, and in some cases the City Council.

Director of Community Development Peter Gilli stated that eliminating the two committees could make the process of approving or denying development proposals more efficient and shorter.

After decades of complaints from business owners and developers about how hard and time-consuming it is to get anything built in Ventura, streamlining the process has always been a top priority of the City Council.

Also, the city plans to consolidate its permit operations into a “one-stop shop”, so a property owner or developer will no longer have to wait sometimes up to 10-15 years to have a project approved. The approval process should not be a way of discouraging construction and development. I am all for simplifying and speeding up the permit process.

∙I’m sorry I just can’t control myself. Making a speech regarding the terrible virus that is killing people everywhere in the world including in the U.S., Trump was wearing his “Keep America Great” re-election red campaign hat. Good grief, what do people throughout the world think? I am, personally very embarrassed.

President Donald Trump sought to lay blame on the Obama administration for slowing down new diagnostic testing, but a Republican senator’s office and a lab association said this is not correct.

An aide to Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, said the Obama administration made no such rule change.

Trump used a freewheeling press conference, intended to provide updates on the coronavirus, as an opportunity to attack Democrats, praise his own intelligence, lash out at CNN and spread false and misleading information about the status of the outbreak.

The president went on a rant criticizing Washington state’s governor, Jay Inslee, as a “snake” and saying he disagreed with his vice-president’s complimentary remarks toward the Democrat.

In a moment that some commentators have called one of the most “disturbing” and “frightening” remarks of Trump’s response to the public health crisis, he said he would prefer that cruise ship passengers exposed to the virus be left aboard so that they don’t add to the number of total infections in the US.

“I like the numbers being where they are,” said Trump, who appeared to be explicitly acknowledging his political concerns about the outbreak: “I don’t need to have the numbers double because of one ship that wasn’t our fault.”

∙As reported in this issue, Ben Bunji Namba passed away on February 26. He is just another wonderful supporter of the arts in Ventura to pass away in the last few years. Hopefully others will pick up where he, and the other great benefactors, left off.

∙A reader sent me an article regarding carbon dioxide disputing the CNN statement that I quoted in the last issue(Among greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide is the most significant contributor to global warming). The information he sent came from Range Magazine, Spring 2020, page 57. If you would like to read it http://rangemagazine.com. It is an excerpt from Jim Hollingworth’s new book “Climate Change: A Convenient Truth.”

∙Watching the first of the Las Vegas Democratic Townhall presentations made me very proud to be an American. A Jew, a gay person and a woman were being interviewed as potential presidential candidates. This is what will make America great again, and me proud again.

∙The Church of Scientology has moved into their new facility located on Alessandro (right off the 101 freeway between Seaward and San Jon). Some folks have been expressing words like “anger” and “being scared” that they are located there. I think that is nonsense.

Revelations of the sexual abuse of children by priests continue to rock the Catholic Church in the United States more than 15 years after clerical abuse and its cover-up became a national scandal. The recent Boy Scouts of America’s bankruptcy filing puts it into similar company as almost two dozen US Catholic dioceses and USA Gymnastics.

Would neighbors be upset if the Boy Scouts or a Catholic Church opened there? I don’t think so.

People who don’t like Scientology say that they are science-fiction based. Isn’t the following from the bible science fiction?

Jonah was swallowed by a fish and yet remained alive in its belly for three days. A 640-year old man built a 400 ft. long 3-story boat and then had all animal species get onboard – lions standing next to animals that they typically eat for.

People who convert to Scientology aren’t hypnotized or have guns held to their heads. They study it and decide this is what they want to follow. Few people ever actually do that. Most are born into a religion and that determines their religious beliefs. They don’t study all available religions and decide which to follow (except in some rare occasions).

Of course, there are some things about Scientology that many people would disagree with, but these things exist in all religions so just relax and let them be. They are not hurting you or me.

Doesn’t your religion preach tolerance? Religious tolerance assumes that a person does not discriminate against another person’s religious beliefs, even if they think that the person’s beliefs are wrong.

I was invited to the grand opening of the new church and was very impressed with the speakers. Five who spoke about thangs such as saving the environment, a drug free world and peace. Nothing about the super-natural. If a person just listened would not even know that it was the dedication of a church. The interior of the building was just as impressive (no, I’m not becoming a Scientology).

∙Sorry to see the passing of one of the greatest jazz fans there ever was, Ventura local, Ken Winter (Old Man Jazz).  I considered him a friend, even though I only saw him at jazz events. Our love of jazz was enough to consider him to be a friend.

∙After months of uncertainty, the Oxnard City Council has approved a new contract which means the Oxnard Performing Arts and Convention Center is open for business.

Once scheduled to close due to budget cuts, the Center will now be operated by Sterling Venue Ventures. Sterling owns or operates eight concert venues in Southern California, including The Canyon in Agoura Hills and Libbey Bowl in Ojai. Under the agreement, the city will not subsidize the center.

Happy to say the new operator plans to book 52 events in the first year. Always fun to go there and enjoy the events.

∙ (CNN) Among greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide is the most significant contributor to global warming and therefore, public enemy No. 1 when it comes to stopping the climate crisis. Methane is a close second. Scientists say that atmospheric methane is now responsible for about 25% of the human-caused warming. A new study finds that methane emissions from fossil fuels are between 25% and 40% larger than past research had estimated, revealing that oil and gas production is contributing far more to warming the planet than previously thought.

The study, published in the scientific journal Nature, sheds new light on just how much fossil fuel production and use is changing the atmosphere and is warming the planet. Of course, we all know it is a hoax, right?

∙Maybe folks who want to sneak into the U.S. are smarter than us. Smugglers in Juárez, Mexico have been using ladders made from rebar to scale President Donald Trump’s border wall and enter the U.S. according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Because their color scheme matches the wall, the ladders are difficult to detect. Border patrol agents have found a number of them in the El Paso,Texas portion of the border. Perhaps the walls could be painted pink so that the rebar stands out. $50 worth of rebar to scale multimillion-dollar walls.

And U.S. authorities discovered the longest smuggling tunnel ever found along the southwest border. The tunnel originates in Tijuana and extends a total of 4,309 feet – more than three-quarters of a mile. The next longest tunnel in the U.S., discovered in San Diego in 2014, was 2,966 feet long.

∙Very unfortunate that another Proposition 13 is going to be on the ballot, and it has nothing to do with the original Prop. 13 from 1978. This one is all about bond money for schools. Couldn’t they have named it something else?

∙NASA is planning a Mars landing, and research, that will cost billions of dollars. At its closest, Mars is 35 million miles away from Earth and would take nine months (time to have a baby) to get there, and then we can’t even breath the air there. Hope when we finally settle, there will be apartments to rent and not just condos. Would children born there automatically be Mar’s citizens?

∙The public is invited to provide input for the oil and gas industry at a series of workshops around the state, including one in Oxnard, as the Department of Conservation develops new health and safety regulations.  In November, California announced several oil and gas initiatives to safeguard public health and the environment, advance California’s goal to become carbon-neutral by 2045 and manage the decline of oil production and consumption in the state. Among those initiatives are new regulations to strengthen protections for public health and safety. The first step in this process is pre-rulemaking workshops to receive input from interested parties including residents, industry groups, environmental and public health advocates, and public health authorities.

The meeting will be held on March 18, from 6-8 p.m. in the Pacifica High School Cafeteria, 600 East Gonzales Road, Oxnard.

∙ I am supporting Ventura Mayor Matt LaVere for the Ventura County Board of Supervisors in the March 3 elections. I would love to see him follow in the footsteps of Steve Bennett (who also started out as a Ventura city council member) prior to becoming a supervisor.

Matt is young (but not too young), intelligent, a Venturan and has 2 small children which will ensure that he continues to care for Ventura. Having 2 very locals on the Board can only help Ventura.

Also, speaking about Steve Bennett, he is running for Ventura County Supervisor in the March primary. He is seeking the seat that incumbent Monique Limón is vacating in the 37th District seat that Limón, D-Santa Barbara, is leaving to run for the state Senate, which is currently held by Hannah-Beth Jackson in the state Assembly – can you follow that?

∙ There are no confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Ventura County (rumor has said differently). There have been reports of two possible cases in the County, but both have been negative. Samples were taken from both patients and sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Stated Doctor Robert Levin, Ventura County Public Health Medical Director, “At this time the chances that someone will encounter a person infected with this new coronavirus in Ventura County are very small. Public Health monitoring is ongoing and thorough. We will inform the public if the situation changes.”

Certainly, a major concern. We can only hope it doesn’t show up here.

∙What’s in a name? Apparently, a lot. I had an NFL championship football party, and no one showed up. A friend had a Superbowl Party and 50 people showed up. And I had better food.

∙Ventura’s voters will decide in November if Ventura’s City Council will consider allowing marijuana stores and other cannabis businesses by voting to allow the city to tax these type businesses when they do open.

The City Council voted unanimously to put a measure on the November ballot that will establish city-based taxes on cannabis businesses. And, on a 5-2 vote, the council decided that if the tax measure passes, the city will issue permits for business that could include retail sales, distribution and testing, but not commercial growing in Ventura. Members Christy Weir and Cheryl Heitman were the two no votes.

If Ventura does decide to allow cannabis businesses, it would be the fifth city in Ventura County to allow them. Both Ojai and Port Hueneme have storefront dispensaries for recreational sales. Until now, the Ventura City Council has declined to allow any cannabis businesses to operate in the city.

The vote won’t by itself permit any stores or other businesses but would tell the Council what Venturan’s think about these businesses and guide their future thinking and approvals.

Cannabis taxes in other cities in Ventura County have easily passed. In Thousand Oaks with 76% of the vote, and one in Oxnard, with 80% of the vote.

Cities in the county with legal marijuana sales have put limits on how many stores they allow and where they can be located, with buffers required around schools and parks. They also require security on the premises, and no one under the age of 21 may enter the stores.

While the City Council was unanimous in its support for putting cannabis taxes on the ballot, there was still some debate about whether to permit cannabis businesses if the tax passes.

So, if we approve taxes but not allow the businesses, we tax nothing and get nothing! I don’t think that legal marijuana stores in Ventura will be detrimental in any way and we are losing lots of tax money. Why should Venturan’s need to leave the city in order to buy cannabis and just bring it back here to use?

∙Utah is now the 19th state to outlaw conversion therapy for minors after a new rule from its governor went into effect. The ban issued by Gov. Gary Herbert, a Republican, comes a year after an effort to end conversion therapy which is an attempt to forcibly change someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity. It does not work and puts them at a greater risk of depression and suicide. Just let people be what the choose to be as long as it doesn’t harm others.

∙Newly installed walls on the US border wall recently fell over in high winds landing on trees on the Mexican side of the border. The sections that gave way had recently been set in a new concrete foundation in Calexico, California. The concrete had not yet cured so the wall panels were unable to withstand the windy conditions. They were obviously built poorly on purpose and meant to fall into Mexico so that Mexico would need to build them correctly. I would say very clever.

∙The LA Times had an article (“To be lonely no more”) suggesting several ways for people to actually do things together in person.

Eventually it won’t be necessary to leave our homes for anything or speak to anyone. Maybe that time has arrived.

These are a few of them:

HIT THE TRAILS (see events for Ventura hiking group)

HOST A POTLUCK OR DINNER PARTY (and invite me)

EVERYBODY DANCE NOW

VOLUNTEER

HOST A BACKYARD MOVIE NIGHT

TRIVIA AND GAME NIGHTS

GET INVOLVED IN THE 2020 ELECTION (no comment)

Reminds me of a grandson saying, “I just spoke with grandma.”

“How did she sound, asked dad?” “I don’t know I texted her.”

∙A Public Policy Institute of California poll found that homelessness is one of Californian’s biggest concerns with over 80% seeing it as a problem. Concerns include compassion for the homeless and revulsion that they are living on our sidewalks and parks (which they can legally do in most cases).

The solutions are so very complicated. Some major companies, Microsoft, for example, has pledged over $800 million toward affordable housing in Seattle. Alphabet, Facebook and Apple have also pledged billions of dollars toward easing the situation in California.

∙Aren’t you proud of me a whole article and I didn’t mention Trump? Oops, I just did. You can make up what I would have said (and send it to me).

∙We have a cover article about the new wonderful homeless facility called the ARCH. I attended the ribbon cutting and was impressed with the very large gathering, which included many Ventura city and county dignitaries. It is a joint venture between the city and county. I love the fact that residents can bring their dogs – there is a nice fenced dog area. The facility houses only 55 people, but a suggestion was made to set up tents in the large parking area when it’s raining so more people can at least keep dry during bad weather.

Mention was made of council member Neal Andrews who passed away before he could see his dream of a shelter come to fruition. He was constantly trying to provide for the homeless.

I have heard some say, “Why should I work to live inside, and they don’t need to?” These are the same people that say, “Get those bums off of our sidewalks and parks.” We can’t have it both ways. A country like this shouldn’t have people sleeping like dogs.

∙I’m certainly sorry to see our first murder in Ventura. The alleged murderer was from Santa Paula. Certainly not happy to see gang members coming here, as has been stated.

What I don’t understand is that I thought that there was a three-time strike rule that kept people in prison who commit many crimes.

The Ventura County Superior Court records shows that the murder suspect, Raymond Bolanos has prior convictions for carrying a concealed firearm, gang enhancement and a hit and run.

I thought that there was a three-time strike rule that kept people in prison who commit many crimes.

Another suspect, Julian Nunez, was arrested for a parole violation warrant and has prior convictions for carrying a concealed weapon, possession of a firearm by a felon and battery with serious injury. And a third suspect, Stephanie Sanchez, has a prior conviction for possession of a loaded firearm.

And in another case (see police reports), suspect Flores was arrested for burglary, possession of stolen property, and felon in possession of ammunition. Flores has been convicted of narcotics offenses, theft, forgery, burglary, vehicle theft, possession of a stolen vehicle, assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer, and felony resisting arrest.

∙Freelance writers and newspaper carriers (that might be me) would be exempted from a broad new California labor law that aims to give wage and benefit protections to people who work as independent contractors (the law requires that many workers be treated as employees rather than independent contractors).

The measures face an uphill battle in part because they were introduced by a Republican, Sen. Patricia Bates of Laguna Niguel, in a legislature dominated by Democrats who support the labor law, and because the law’s author opposes at least one of the rollbacks.

∙Per the CAPS Media Center’s article in this issue, the local community radio station KPPQ-LP is celebrating its third birthday. I previously hosted a program on the station, but time would not allow me to continue with it in a manner that I wished. It was great fun, and I recommend you should consider pursuing your own show. On Sunday, February 9, the station they will have an Open House where you can tour the facility and learn more about starting a show (along with saying hi to me).

∙According to a report presented to the City Council, the city is expecting a surplus of about $200,000 in its $120 million general fund for the 2019-20 fiscal year. This isn’t much surplus so the city must balance its budget. The council will have to decide on some combination of spending cuts, revenue increases and money out of reserves before the new fiscal year starts on July 1.

City Manager Alex McIntyre told the council, “Some level of cuts to city spending and services seems likely. The city’s ability to raise revenue quickly is limited, and spending from reserves should be a last resort, undertaken only when there’s a clear path out of using reserves.”

∙The world experienced near-record global temperatures in 2019, federal climate scientists said. The year capped what the scientists said was the warmest decade in modern times.

∙How ironic – a 4-year-old Indiana boy died after he was accidentally shot with his father’s gun while the two were play wrestling. The child, Tripp Shaw, and his father were playing on a bed. The handgun, which had been concealed on the small of the father’s back, fell and discharged one bullet.

∙Just imagine that you have a 16-year daughter who is so amazing that Time magazine named her (Greta Thunberg) their “Person of the Year.” And then, your president, a climate change skeptic who has claimed it is a “hoax,” texted it was “so ridiculous” that Time named Thunberg their “Person of the Year.” Greta must work on her Anger Management problem, then go to a good old-fashioned movie with a friend. “Chill Greta, Chill!” I think that he is the one that should chill since a 16-year old can disturb him this much.

Trump also said to cheers from the crowd, “I’m also approving new dishwashers that give you more water so you can actually wash and rinse your dishes without having to do it 10 times — five, six, seven, eight, nine, 10. Anybody have a new dishwasher? I’m sorry for that. I’m sorry for that, it’s worthless. They give you so little water. You ever see it? Air comes out. So little water.” He claimed that people are forced to take plates out and wash them “the old-fashioned way.”

Good grief. Is this really an issue that the President of the United States should be concerned with. Wonder when the last time was that he actually ran a dishwasher?