Two artists join Harbor Village gallery

Homeward, Acrylic on canvas, Judy Suzuki

Buenaventura Art Association, a creative force at Ventura Harbor Village since 2005, is proud to add painter Judy Suzuki and photographer Michael Maloney to the roster of talent at its seaside showcase.

Harbor Village Gallery & Gifts, a BAA member enterprise, welcomes visitors and art lovers at 1559 Spinnaker Drive, Suite 106. The shop, which moved to its current site in 2016, is open 11 a.m.-6 p.m. seven days a week.

Suzuki, a third-generation Japanese American, lives in Ventura and has spent decades immersed in the local arts community as a graphic artist, muralist and teacher.

“By practicing tuning into my intuitions, I think less and follow the creative journey through expressions of the brush and paint,” she said. “Whether it’s people, animals or nature, I love capturing the essence of life.

“My intention as an artist is to continue practicing seeing from my heart, not from my head, and remember to have fun in the creative process,” Suzuki said.

If Ghosts Could Talk, Photography, Michael Maloney

Maloney is a former newsman now living in Woodland Hills who also pursues art by closely observing nature.

“My background is nearly four decades of photojournalism, mostly with the San Francisco Chronicle,” he said. “With the fast-paced, always-a-deadline world of news and sports photography behind me, I am now retired and enjoying the slower pace of nature photography.

“I am self-taught in photography, starting back in the days of film and darkrooms to currently using the latest in digital cameras and photo processing. I believe that printing in itself is an art form and I take pride in the process,” he said.

Maloney added, “With my images, I hope to encourage you to get out and explore this world we live in with a spirit of curiosity, astonishment and hope.”

BAA, an arts cooperative founded in 1954, also operates Studio 99 in Bell Arts Factory, 432 N. Ventura Ave., which is open noon-4 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and has members’ artworks on display at SpiceTopia, a retail store at 576 E. Main St., Ventura, that’s open daily, but hours vary.

To learn more about BAA and its programs, phone the gallery at 805-648-1235 or visit buenaventuraartassociation.org.

Taking down the sound wall

All of this will be removed shortly.

by Patricia Schallert

Exciting news! The time has come to bid farewell to the sound wall at Marina Park. In a momentous decision, the authorities have decided to take down the sound wall to bring back the natural beauty of the park and to restore it to its original state.

Marina Park, known for its stunning waterfront views and vibrant atmosphere, will now undergo a transformation that promises to make it an even more inviting space for all to enjoy. With the removal of the sound wall, visitors will be once again, treated to unobstructed panoramas of the surrounding area, allowing for a blend of nature and recreation.

The removal process will be conducted by a professional team, ensuring safety and efficiency. Their expertise will guarantee that minimal disruptions occur during the final construction phase at the park, allowing everyone to continue their activities at the park with ease.

The decision to take down the sound wall demonstrates a commitment to recreating the open environment at Marina Park. It presents an opportunity for an enhanced visitor experience, providing a greater connection to the beauty of the surroundings and the calming sounds of the nearby ocean. Once the park is restored, there will be no evidence of the activities that took place behind the sound wall.

So, get ready to embrace a revitalized Marina Park, where you can soak in the picturesque views, enjoy recreational activities, and create lasting memories. The removal of the sound wall is a step towards making Marina Park an even more remarkable destination for locals and visitors alike.

Ventura Botanical Gardens Hosts Inaugural Plein Air Event

Spring Walkway Among the Trees by Barbara Brown

“Cross Pollination” is the first annual Plein Air Invitational paint out hosted by the Ventura Botanical Gardens (VBG). Over the weekend of April 6th & 7th, thirteen gifted regional artists will create original artworks depicting the flora, fauna, landforms, and panoramic vistas of the gardens. From the French, en plein air means in the open air. Plein Air painters draw their inspiration by depicting their subject matter in real time, allowing them to better capture the changing details of weather and light on the surrounding landscape.

“The garden color should be spectacular for the painters,” explains Joe Cahill, Executive Director. “There will be so many flowers in bloom including the plants of the California native garden, South African gardens, Chilean garden and the Mediterranean garden. We should also have crystal clear views of the islands as well.”

An artist meet and greet will take place Saturday, April 6th from 9:00-10:30 AM at the Merewether Visitor Center. Garden visitors can meet the artists or hike the trails later to watch the artists at work. This event is free for members and $7 for nonmembers. The Ventura Botanical Gardens is located at 567 Poli St.

Glow San Marcos Pass by Kevin Gleason

Featured artists include: Barbara Brown, Steven Curry, Margaret Garcia, Kevin Gleason, Jeremy Harper, Laura Jespersen, Anette Power, John Robertson, Mary Scott, Doug Singletary, Ruben Zavala, Ron Zolkover, and Kay Zetlmaier.

An exhibit of the finished works will be held in conjunction with an artists and VBG members’ reception on Saturday, May 11th from 2:00-4:00 PM. After the reception the paintings will be exhibited and available for purchase on the VBG website at VenturaBotanicalGardens.com. All proceeds will benefit VBG and the participating artists.

VBG is a public benefit nonprofit organization that is dedicated to creating a world-class botanical garden for the preservation, education, cultural contribution and enhancement of the community. The gardens celebrate the five Mediterranean climate regions. The locale boasts spectacular 180-degree views of the California coast and the Channel Islands. VBG planning includes outdoor opportunities like community gathering spaces, training and research opportunities, and educational programs ranging from horticulture and botany to sustainability. To find out more, visit www.VenturaBotanicalGardens.com and join us on Facebook.

Vol. 17, No. 13 – Mar 20 – April 2, 2024 – The Pet Page

“I have nightmares about having to wag my tail and run over to my human every time I see them.” Cat

•What Do Dogs and Cats Dream About?

Pets can’t report their dreams, but scientists have some evidence about what is happening when Sparky and Mittens sleep

By Meghan Bartels

“I dream about not having to do anything like a cat.” Dog
“I have nightmares about having to wag my tail and run over to my human every time I see them.” Cat

No matter how much trouble your pet gets into when they’re awake, few sights are as peaceful as a dog curled up in their bed or a cat stretched out in the sun, snoring away. But their experience of sleep can feel impenetrable. What fills the dreams of a dog or cat?

That’s a tricky question to answer. Snowball isn’t keeping a dream journal, and there’s no technology yet that can translate the brain activity of even a sleeping human into a secondhand experience of their dream world, much less a sleeping animal. “No one has done research on the content of animals’ dreams,” says Deirdre Barrett, a dream researcher at Harvard University and author of the book The Committee of Sleep.

But Rover’s dreamscape isn’t entirely impenetrable, at least to educated guesses. First of all, Barrett says, only your furrier friends appear to dream. Fish, for example, don’t seem to display rapid eye movement (REM), the phase of sleep during which dreams are most common in humans. “I think it’s a really good guess that they don’t have dreams in the sense of anything like the cognitive activity that we call dreams,” she says.

Whether birds experience REM sleep is less clear, Barrett says. And some marine mammals always keep one side of their brain awake even while the other sleeps, with no or very strange REM sleep involved. That means seals and dolphins likely don’t dream in anything like the way humans do. But the mammals we keep as pets are solidly REM sleepers. “I think it’s a very safe, strong guess that they are having some kind of cognitive brain activity that is as much like our dreams as their waking perceptions are like ours,” she says.

That doesn’t mean that cats and dogs experience humanlike dreams. “It would be a mistake to assume that other animals dream in the same way that we do, just in their nonhuman minds and bodies,” says David Peña-Guzmán, a philosopher at San Francisco State University and author of the book When Animals Dream. For example, humans rarely report scents when recounting dreams; however, we should expect dogs to dream in smells, he says, given that olfaction is so central to their waking experience of the world. “We need to think about what a uniquely canine or uniquely feline dream might be, based on what we know about the experiences of dogs and cats,” Peña-Guzmán says. “They dream on their own terms.”

In addition, Barrett suggests the so-called continuity hypothesis for dreaming might apply to dogs and cats. This idea, which is supported by strong evidence in humans, holds that people’s dreams reflect their daily experiences. (An alternative idea, called the compensatory hypothesis, holds that people’s dreams reflect what they lack in daily life and is less supported, Barrett says.)

“Whatever you can observe dogs being interested in by day is what you would expect to show up in their dreams,” Barrett says. “That’s so much how it works for us that it would be surprising if they somehow did the compensation pattern.” For pet dogs, that likely means dreaming about food, play and yes, beloved owners, she says.

A unique experiment offers a glimpse inside feline dreams. In the late 1970s a neuroscientist tested a theory about which part of the brain prevents the body from acting out what’s happening in a dream. In that study, the late Michel Jouvet, then at the Claude Bernard University Lyon in France, damaged a region called the pons in cats. The cats indeed began moving during REM sleep; in particular, they displayed behavior that scientists interpreted as hunting small prey.

“It’s a very safe assumption that cats dream about stalking and pouncing on prey—stronger than any extrapolation,” Barrett says. She also expects cats’ dreams to follow the continuity hypothesis, although of course your feline’s daily experiences are different from Fido’s. Other cat dreams might include lying in the sun, stretching and playing with toys, she notes.

And are pet cats, like dogs, dreaming about their humans? Yes—in the most feline way, she says. “You would kind of expect that the cats that had a fairly strong attachment to owners would dream about owners some—but probably not as much as dogs.”

•What is socialization?

By AVMA

Socialization is the process of preparing a dog or cat to enjoy interactions and be comfortable with other animals, people, places and activities. Ideally, socialization should begin during the “sensitive period” which is between 3 and 14 weeks of age for puppies, and 3 and 9 weeks of age for kittens.

Adopting a new kitten or puppy is a wonderful and exciting experience. It is also a time where a little extra planning can help a new pet develop the calm and confident temperament that will help them enjoy life to the fullest.

Create a socialization plan specifically for your dog or cat to prepare him or her for life in your household. Plan exposures to the animals, individuals, environments, activities and objects that will be part of his or her new life.

Provide regular positive and diverse experiences to encourage your dog or cat to enjoy new experiences without becoming fearful or aggressive.

Provide praise, play and treats to reward engagement. Allow the dog or cat to withdraw if he or she is uncomfortable. Move at a pace appropriate for your pet’s personality.

Well-managed puppy or kitten socialization classes are a good way to socialize your new pet within the sensitive period.

Puppies or kittens that are not fully vaccinated should not be exposed to unvaccinated animals or places they may have been (such as outdoor parks).

Continue to reward your dog or cat for calm or playful responses to social interactions throughout his or her life.

For dogs or cats with special behavioral needs, develop a plan with your veterinarian and/or another animal behavior expert.

Vol. 17, No. 13 – Mar 20 – April 2, 2024 – As I See It

• Congratulations to our local stars, Supervisor Matt LaVere on winning a strong majority of the votes in the primary. He won’t have to run in the general election this fall. And California State Representative Steve Bennett who will be on the November ballot for a runoff but will certainly win.

• Ventura has been awarded $640,000 for a homelessness prevention pilot program. The city’s new homeless prevention and diversion program will provide rental and utility assistance to residents.

This will help 100 (if not more) eligible households with up to $4,000 in rental and utility assistance so they may keep their housing. The aid is possible through state funding awarded to the city in February for a two-year homelessness pilot program. More than $410,000 will go directly to applicants, and the remaining funds cover administrative and staffing costs and associated taxes and benefits for the program.

The assistance could be for payment for back rent or up to two months of future rent to prevent evictions. It could also cover outstanding utility costs.

The income limit is $74,400 a year or less for a one-person household or $85,000 or less for a two-person household. Perhaps I’m eligible.

To apply for housing help with the city, contact Mercy House at 805-399-9099 ext. 385 or case manager Norberto “Sal” Meza at [email protected].

• The Ventura City Council voted 6-0 (Jim Duran was absent) to hold off on converting some free parking into paid parking until at least January. The city will conduct a study of rates and details that should be complete in November.

The original plan was approved on Nov. 13 in a 6-1 vote, and would have turned hundreds of free spots into paid stalls starting May 1. The change would have included the parking structure on Santa Clara Street and many surface lots downtown.

The additional revenue (if ever implemented) will help pay for a new parking garage planned for downtown, which is very much needed. The preliminary design calls for spending $31.3 million (which will of course cost much more) and provide for 435-spaces at the corner of Santa Clara and Palm.

• The two largest pharmacy chains in the United States will start dispensing the abortion pill Mifepristone this month, a step that could make access easier for some women. At least some of our country makes sense.

Daylight Savings Time (DST) was first implemented in the US with the Standard Time Act of 1918, a wartime measure for seven months during World War I in the interest of adding more daylight hours to conserve energy resources.

In the United States, Arizona (with the exception of the Navajo Nation), Hawaii, and the five populated territories (American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the US Virgin Islands) do not participate in daylight saving time. Indiana only began participating in daylight saving time as recently as 2006. Since 2018, Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio (and others) has repeatedly filed bills to extend daylight saving time permanently into winter, without success.

Apparently, pets’ internal clocks don’t change for daylight savings time. Our cat Savana the cat lets me know at 6:30am that it’s time for breakfast. Now she lets me know at 7:30. They are such odd animals. Some mornings I put the food in her bowl, and she just looks at it and gets back in bed. I think she just likes to let me know that she’s in charge.

• How odd movie ratings are on Spectrum. Mad Max gets 97% and Gone with the Wind 90%. So now Mad Max must be considered one of the best movies of all time.


Is this the one where I get an extra hour of drinking or lose an hour of drinking?
~ Author unknown

Vol. 17, No. 13 – Mar 20 – April 2, 2024 – Mailbox

AN OPINION
by Veterans for Responsible and Efficient Government Editors

The evidence continues to mount, proving a problem exists with Ventura Water, the Water Commission and VenturaWaterPure.

In 2019, the Carollo Report presented several options to Ventura to VenturaWaterPure, many of which were less expensive. However, the Ventura Water Department convinced the City Council to ignore the report’s options.

A September 12, 2019 report titled Ventura Water Supply Projects and Alternatives shows estimated project costs of another $320 million plus annual operating expenses of $29.Million for VenturaWaterPure. Yet, the Carollo Report presented options costing a mere $50 million for the project and operating costs of only $3.9 Million.

Now after five more years of operating without any severe limitations, more damning evidence surfaced this month when Water Commissioner George Amandola resigned from the commission. Mr. Amandola cited various problems he saw within Ventura Water, the Water Commission, and the City Council. Critical points in the resignation letter are a stultified, bureaucratic, autocratic Ventura Water Department. He lacks confidence in the project management and financial planning for VenturaWaterPure. He also felt that Ventura Water had neutered the Water Commission and prevented it from doing its duty.

These are not frivolous accusations made by an outsider. These are observations made by an insider, capable of seeing the entire landscape of what’s happening with VenturaWaterPure.

Meanwhile, the project’s costs mount. Today, they are half a billion dollars, and it is reasonable to believe they will go even higher. With no ceiling on cost increases, Ventura Water ratepayers bear the burden. Soon, the project’s costs will triple the price of water.

What more evidence does the City Council need to finally admit that there are problems with the Water Department and the Water Commission? How long will the city hide its head in the sand before taking action?

City staff often uses the Consent Decree as an obstacle in addressing Ventura’s water problems. This Consent Decree addresses two issues. Part one is cleaning up the estuary. Extracting the wastewater from the estuary is being accomplished.

Part two is developing a practical use for extracted water. Ventura Water has named this Ventura WaterPure. However, nowhere does it say that Ventura WaterPure must be a stand-alone facility. There are also exceptions to allow for an extension of the timeline of the Consent Decree. Conditions to extend providing proper reuse of the extracted water are financial feasibility and proof that there is a sincere effort to comply with the Consent Decree. Ventura can meet both of these standards. An extension is reasonable and justified.

The major cost factor is that Ventura believes it must have a separate, stand-alone facility to treat the extracted water. While nobody says Ventura WaterPure needs to stop, it simply needs to be processed differently.

Oxnard has an underutilized recycling facility. Ventura Water has refused to consider this option, which would cost Ventura over $200 million.

To solve this issue, the City of Ventura must reconsider all options, including treating the wastewater in Oxnard. The city must issue an up-to-date formal Request for Proposal (RFP) to the City of Oxnard and United Water. Oxnard’s and United’s responses must come directly from them (not via a Ventura Water Department Consultant) and be on their letterhead.

If Ventura partners with other agencies, it must demand documentation for those alternatives. Please do not rely on Ventura Water or its consultants’ estimates and projections. Additionally, Ventura must have a cash flow projection that includes timelines, operating, maintenance, and taxpayer fee schedules.

It’s time for the 2024 Ventura City Council to meet its fiduciary duty. The council must force Ventura Water to provide reliable alternatives to VenturaWaterPure. We now know the “cost to go it alone” exceeds the $200 million Ventura Water projected in 2019. Collaborating with other water agencies may be less costly.

Contact your City Council and demand:

Get a new Request for Proposal (RFP) from the City of Oxnard and United Water.

Have Ventura Water produce a cash flow projection analysis.

Install a new Water Commission with the authority to manage this process and make decisions in the rate payer’s best interest.

Vol. 17, No. 13 – Mar 20 – April 2, 2024 – Ventura Music Scene

by Pam Baumgardner
VenturaRocks.com

What a celebration it was for VenturaRocks.com’s 15th anniversary on Sunday, March 17 at Tony’s Pizzeria. Bruce Barrios is the best host anywhere, the band, the Brandon Ragan Project was on fire, and the crowd couldn’t have had more fun dancing and enjoying all the festivities including a few numbers from the Ventura City Firefighters Pipes & Drums (love a man in a kilt!). It was so heartwarming to have so many people stop by to congratulate and share their stories of how much they love and appreciate the website. Many thanks to all who came out including Sheldon Brown, publisher of the Ventura Breeze and his daughter Staci Brown (Editor Emeritus), Kat Merrick of Totally Local VC, Milo Sledge who had a gig up the street at Topa Topa Brewing, Steve and Polly Hoganson (formerly of Zoey’s fame) and so many musicians and lovers of live music and VenturaRocks.com. I kept hearing, “Here’s to another 15,” which makes me wonder if I have 15 more in me or not. We’ll see!

Libbey Bowl’s line up is looking pretty good with most shows through the Canyon Club; make sure you’re getting the best price for your tickets, by going through their website. New dates added to this summer’s calendar include Los Lonely Boys on August 8, Don McLean on August 10, Maxi Priest on August 81, Pablo Cruise with Peter Beckett of Player on August 31 and Judy Collins on September 13. In-between, you’ll find a number of tribute bands as well. Check out the full calendar at LibbeyBowl.org.

In honor of Women’s History Month, the Ojai Underground will have three fantastic singer/songwriters playing in the round, Zoe Fitzgerald Carter, Jess Bush, Natalie Gelman and Arielle Silver. Tickets on sale now for this Friday, March 22 performance at OjaiUndergroundExchange.com.

Surf Rodeo hasn’t listed any bands to date other than they’ll be back this year in a new location at the tip top of Surfers Point where the Ventura County Fairgrounds meets the beach. Dates will be July 5 and 6 which according to my calendar are a Friday and Saturday.

Quick Notes: Moofish Café in the Crowne Plaza will have Dueling Pianos Friday and Saturday nights; All female band playing AC/DC covers, Herway to Hell, will be at Copper Blues on Saturday, March 23; X is at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center on Sunday, March 24; Danny Carrey of Tool will be featured with Doug Webb at the Grape on Saturday, March 30; The Honeysuckle Possums play the Santa Paula Theater Center on Saturday, March 30; RAW record release party will be held at Vaquera y Mar on Saturday, March 30 with Plot and the Hong Kong Frenzy; and The Bone Thugs-n-Harmony show at the Oxnard Performing Arts center is postponed until September 14. If you have tickets, they’ll be honored on new date.

Do you have any music-related news or upcoming shows you want help publicizing? Please send all information short or long to [email protected], and for updated music listings daily, go to www.VenturaRocks.com.