Ventura City Councilmember Erik Nasarenko was re-elected to the seven-member city council, finishing first among six candidates with 44 percent of the vote. His closest challenger received 24 percent of the vote in a contest that, for the first time in Ventura history, was decided by voters casting ballots in districts rather than at-large. The 48-year-old prosecutor was elected in District 4, which includes the communities of Hidden Valley, Ondulando, Clearpoint, Juanamaria, Hobart Park, Amador, The Farm, and neighborhoods stretching east beyond Wells Road to the county line.

“I am grateful to the voters for re-electing me and eager to get to work in addressing their issues,” said Nasarenko. “Traffic, buckled sidewalks, high water rates and limited shopping opportunities for East End residents were among the issues I heard about the most.”

While more than 100 rebuilding permits have been issued to date, Nasarenko also heard from Thomas Fire victims concerned with the slow pace of obtaining approvals, an area he pledged to work on and address. In October, the City Council allocated more money to hire outside consultants to assist with grading permits, an added resource that will assist the City’s land development section and help to expedite certain rebuilding projects.

Nasarenko’s campaign emphasized the public safety resources he funded during his first term, such as adding more police officers to patrol Ventura streets and the re-establishment of a roving fire engine staffed with licensed paramedics.

“Medic Engine 7 and the nine new police officers that recently graduated from the Academy are already making a positive difference in Ventura, including on the East End,” commented Nasarenko.

He also discussed and campaigned on importing water to Ventura through the State Water Project, a 700-mile system of reservoirs, aqueducts and pumping stations that bring Sierra snowmelt to southern California. The City is currently conducting environmental studies on a 7-mile pipeline between Camarillo and the East End which, once complete, will enable Ventura to receive the new water.

“When we blend imported water with East End groundwater, District 4 residents will receive a higher quality, better tasting product,” said Nasarenko, who added the connection should be completed in 2022.

“I really look forward to working with the new councilmembers, as well as our new city manager,” said Nasarenko. “As they prepare to take the dais, I want to thank Mayor Andrews and Councilmembers Tracy and Monahan, who have given so much to make Ventura a special place. Their positive impacts to Ventura will continue well beyond their years of service to the city.”

Rubicon Theatre’s 20th Anniversary Season culminates with a two-piano version of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s soaring epic South Pacific, helmed by award-winning director Katharine Farmer and featuring a cast of 28 led by Tony honoree Ben Davis (Baz Luhrmann’s La Bohème) and Madison Claire Parks (Luisa in The Fantasticks Off-Broadway).

Based on James Michener’s Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece “Tales of the South Pacific,” the musical is set on an exotic island during World War II. The plot follows two love stories about seeming-opposites brought together by the circumstances of war and torn apart by prejudice and fear.

The timeless score includes beautiful ballads such as “Younger the Springtime” and “Some Enchanted Evening,” exuberant up-tempo songs like “I’m in Love with a Wonderful Guy. Ovation Award-winner Brent Crayon serves as Musical Director and First Keyboard Player, and Lee Martino (multiple Ovation and L.A. Drama Critics Circle Awards) is choreographer.

According to Producing Artistic Director Karyl Lynn Burns, Rubicon’s production of South Pacific will be approached as a play with music, much like Rubicon’s prior productions of Fiddler on the Roof, My Fair Lady and Man of La Mancha. “As a regional theatre company in a small venue, we hope to offer audiences an especially intimate, in-depth connection to the storytelling and the relationships.”

Director Farmer and Mike Billings (Sets, Lights and Multimedia) conceived a set made up of military issue pieces that the ensemble will move to create various locales. “The idea is that we as American military in wartime are trying to maneuver and manage what happens on this little island in a culture that has different values than our own,” says Farmer. “

“The cast members of this South Pacific are also a part of what we believe will make this show different,” says Burns. “Katharine and the team have found artists with gorgeous voices who are also extraordinary actors intent on mining the rich human truths of their characters,” continues Burns.

Ben Davis was a Tony honoree for Baz Luhrmann’s La Bohème, in which he played Marcello. He has also starred on Broadway as Trevor Graydon in Thoroughly Modern Millie, Javert and Enjolras in Les Misérables, the Preacher in Violet, and others.

Madison Claire Parks received critical acclaim this year for her portrayal of Sarah Brown in Guys and Dolls with both Musical Theatre West and Theatre Under the Stars. She is perhaps best known for her more than 400 performances as Luisa in the historic Off-Broadway production of The Fantasticks in

New York.

Rubicon Theatre’s production of South Pacific runs Dec. 5 through 23 at 1006 E. Main Street (the corner of Main and Laurel). The show begins with low-priced previews Wed., Dec. 5 at 7:00 p.m., Thurs., Dec. 6 at 7:00 p.m. and Fri. Dec. 7 at 8:00 p.m. The gala opening is Sat., Dec. 8 at 7:00 p.m., and is followed by a party with the cast and local dignitaries at Aloha Steakhouse For other dates and tickets, go to www.rubicontheatre.org or call 805.667.2900.

Contributed by Alfred J. Lewis

Sustainability Now News
by Maryann Ridini Spencer (@MaryannRidiniSpencer)

“I generally go to a friend’s for Thanksgiving, and one of my favorite tricks for keeping it sustainable is to bring my contribution dish in a container that doubles as a leftover box. This saves a dish from being washed and the host from loaning one of theirs,” said Michelle Stevens, Founder, The Refill Shoppe, a bath body home & clean store located in Downtown Ventura that promotes container reuse.

“Whenever I have friends and family over for Thanksgiving, I always use real plates, silverware, and napkins that I can wash and reuse,” said Kim Pagano, radio host of 1590 KVTA AM’s The Kim Pagano Show. “This helps us do our part to save water.”

“One way I keep sustainable at the holidays is to send electronic invites when I’m hosting an event,” said Diane de Mailly, local business owner, President of DDM Metering Systems and NAWBO Ventura. “This saves on paper and other natural resources.”

Waste in American households increases more than 25% between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Below are additional ideas on how you can join local business owners and residents in helping to contribute to the sustainability of our community.

Make a list and check it twice

Take a tip from good ole Santa and always shop your cabinets and make a list before you leave the house for the market. Bring your reusable bags for grocery transport (and keep some extra in your car’s trunk in case you require additional bags).

Enjoy leftovers in soups, casseroles, smoothies, and other dishes

Thanksgiving wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without the leftovers. “To stay sustainable, I think of creative ways to use leftovers. There is nothing worse than throwing out food,” said Ashley Pope, owner of Downtown Ventura’s Spice-Topia, a specialty spice and tea store. “Flavored olive oil and a nice spice blend can turn leftover meat and veggies into something completely new. There is a lot of great ideas on pinterest.com, too.”

To help avoid contributing to our crowded landfills, enjoy leftovers in sandwiches, omelets, smoothies, soups, and other recipes. You can also freeze items to use for a later date. Put single portions or amounts you know you will use in containers for easy use.

Compost your scraps

Since up to 50% of food in the U.S. goes to waste each year, when it becomes trash it releases methane gas and contributes to global warming. That’s why a viable solution for you and the environment is to compost your leftovers and scraps. Composting also increases the nutrient density of your soil. Compost bins are available in all sizes (to use in your kitchen or yard).

Fill your dishwasher and laundry machine

Run your dishwasher and laundry machines only when they are full. Be sure to scrape food residue (vs. rinse) off your plates before loading them in your machine. The EPA states that running the dishwasher when it’s full can eliminate one load of dishes per week and save the average family nearly 320 gallons of water annually.

Purchase organic goods from a local certified farmer’s market

By choosing locally grown organic foods, you are helping to prevent the usage of millions of pounds of poisonous pesticides and fertilizers and emission of greenhouse gas emissions. Eating fresh and local also tastes better.

by Vitalant

Our hearts go out to those impacted by the tragic shooting in the late hours of November 7th in Thousand Oaks. Vitalant was able to support the blood needs of patients early Thursday morning. There was a tremendous outpouring of support from the local community with potential donors lining up to give blood through the weekend and into the following week. Vitalant was able to extend donation center hours as well as add blood drives in the area to accommodate the community who wanted to donate in honor of those who lost their lives.

The staff at Vitalant remain in awe and thankful for the amazing support by each and every citizen who came out to ensure blood would be on hospitals shelves when needed. In normal circumstances our blood donors are inspiring. In this instance, with grief in their hearts and a major fire breaking out, the folks who donated remained undeterred from their mission of transforming the lives of others with their donation.

It is the blood already donated and tested waiting on hospital shelves that transforms lives. That’s why it’s crucial that donors help to constantly replenish the supply, so we remain ready for tragic situations. Vitalant saw 269 new Ventura County donors in 5 days, with a total of 684 red cell units donated from new and existing donors right here at home. There is a great need for those first-time donors to continue donating. Blood donations are declining nation-wide, with an even greater seasonal decline during the summer months and around holidays and flu season.

If you are interested in donating blood, please take time to search for a convenient blood drive at www.vitalant.org or stop by Vitalant’s donor center in Ventura at 2223 Eastman, Suite A. Walk-ins are welcome, however hours do vary, so appointments are strongly suggested. There are several area blood drives that might interest possible donors. On Tuesday, November 27th Ventura Orthopedics is hosting a blood drive from 11am until 3pm at 2221 Wankle Way in Oxnard. On Sunday, December 2nd Our Lady of the Assumption Church will serve as a donation location from 8:45am until 2:15pm at 3175 Telegraph Road in Ventura.

Conservation groups have scored a key courtroom victory for endangered Southern California steelhead harmed by operation of the Vern Freeman Dam on the Santa Clara River.

In a 152-page decision issued by Honorable Judge David O. Carter, the court found United Water Conservation District violated the federal Endangered Species Act by clearly causing past, ongoing, and future harm to steelhead as a result of the dam’s barrier to fish movement and diversion of water. Finding that United “dragged its feet” on critical solutions, and that “United has proved itself unable and unwilling to tackle the two key problems repeatedly identified as perpetuating harm to steelhead,” Judge Carter ordered measures needed to prevent the harm from continuing and to allow for steelhead recovery.

The 1,200-foot-wide, 25-foot-high Freeman Dam’s ineffective fish ladder, combined with United’s diversion of the Santa Clara River’s flow at the dam, prevent steelhead from returning to their prime upstream spawning habitat in the river and migrating to the ocean.

Southern California steelhead are a federally protected, endangered anadromous fish that mature in the ocean but return inland to spawn in freshwater upstream. The Santa Clara River historically supported thousands of steelhead and is critical for the recovery of steelhead throughout their range.

The court’s ruling requires United to immediately ensure the river has sufficient flows for steelhead to swim the 10.5-mile stretch of river to and from the ocean. In addition, by January 2020, the court’s ruling requires United to fully design both a 400-foot wide notch and a hardened ramp solution to allow fish to migrate past the dam, and to construct the fish passage option acceptable to the National Marine Fisheries Service.

Filed in federal court in June 2016, the lawsuit was decided after an 11-day trial with testimony from some of the most esteemed steelhead and fish passage experts.

The groups were represented at trial by lead counsel Christopher Sproul of Environmental Advocates; Jason Weiner, senior attorney and general counsel of Wishtoyo Foundation; Geneva EB Thompson, staff attorney for Wishtoyo Foundation; and Heather Kryczka of Environmental Advocates.

The Wishtoyo Foundation is a community-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit with over 700 members consisting of Ventura County residents, Chumash Native Americans, and the general public that enjoys, depends on, and visits Ventura County’s inland and coastal waterbodies to protect, preserve, and restore the ecological integrity and water quality of Ventura County’s inland waterbodies, coastal waters, and watersheds. www.wishtoyo.org

The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 1.6 million members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places.

by Mat Almaraz School Board

As a parent volunteer for the past 14 years, and as a 20-year volunteer for American Youth Soccer Organization in this community, I am invested in this School District.

My 2 brothers and 4 sisters had my same experience going thru the same schools I did. I have had the amazing experience of going thru this amazing school system thru Portola, Anacapa and Buena. My passion comes through my volunteer work, my 41-year residency, having attended VUSD schools myself, and for the education of my children, 14 nieces/nephews and my future grandchildren.

My investment in the community:

• Two term PTO President at Mound Elementary.  I assisted in creating a new science technology magnet for the school

• Member of Parent Advisory Committee for Mound Elementary and DATA Middle School

• Member and Membership Chair DATA Middle School PTSA

• School site student representative for Buena High School 1995 and School site member for Mound Elementary

• Member of Inaugural Foothill Technology High School Booster Club

My goal is to give parents a voice on the Board and in the classroom as well as continue the district’s innovative, unique great programs and support for all VUSD students. Also, to look at new ways to insure safety and security for our children.

My experiences through my life, the 9 different VUSD schools my children or my nieces and nephews have attended through VUSD, will guide me in continuing to steer VUSD to a great future. As my statement goes to all parents, Get involved, be involved and stay involved !!

Thank you and as Chris Prewitt would say. “Make it a great day”!!! Miss his inspiration and voice daily. But his love carries this district on. True hero.

Thank you,

Matt Almaraz Area 5 Board Member Trustee

[email protected].