• I want to thank all of the candidates that ran for the Ventura City Council and Ventura School Board. Wanting to serve in these positions is based upon making a contribution to Ventura and certainly not motivated by the small “salaries” that they receive. The election results were too late for this issue but can be seen at www.venturabreeze.com.
Thank goodness the elections are over, hopefully the country can get back to “normal”.
• Based upon a recent survey taken in Los Angeles County this is the breakdown of their homeless population.
- Mentally ill 30%
- Substance abuse 23%
- Experienced domestic violence 18%
- Physically disabled 17%
- Unknown 12%
For those of you who think that the homeless are just a bunch of bums that don’t want to work consider the situations that have led to them to homelessness.
I certainly agree that Ventura has a homeless problem but complaining about it really won’t solve the problem. What is needed is some type of housing even if as basic as a well maintained tent city with portable toilets. Refugee camps in Europe are providing this for the immigrant displaced. We should be able to at least provide this.
I am especially concerned about the mentally ill homeless population. Many of them are too ill to understand what help is available for them or are too paranoid to accept any help at all.
I’m also concerned about the number of the mentally ill people who are being killed by police officers. Mentally ill lives matter also and perhaps even more so than other populations. Because they don’t always understand their situations and have little control over it.
Police departments and policymakers around the country are grappling with how to bolster training for police officers on mental health issues. This is because of a string of high-profile fatal incidents involving suspects believed to be in the throes of mental breakdowns.
• It’s absurd how long it is taking to complete the California Street Bridge Pedestrian Project.
“The California Street Bridge enhancement project includes replacing the existing low-height pedestrian railing along the bridge with a six-foot high 250-foot long decorative railing, adding eight decorative pedestrian lighting fixtures, and resurfacing the sidewalk area to create a safer environment for pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists crossing the bridge and will help visually distinguish the California Street off-ramp as the entry to our historic downtown.”
• On September 12, 1949, the Ventura City Council passed Resolution No. 3191 creating the Housing Authority of the City of San Buenaventura. On December 1, 1949, the first regular meeting of the Housing Authority was held. The City of Ventura provided desk space, and clerical help with the City Clerk acting as treasurer of the Authority. On July 1, 1950 a secretary was employed and the Housing Authority had its first full-time paid employee.
Recently, the City Council adopted a Resolution approving issuance by the Housing Authority of the City of San Buenaventura of tax-exempt obligations not to exceed $15,000,000. This is to assist Cabrillo Economic Development Corporation ( CEDC) in the new construction of 22 apartments located at 1031, 1019, 1007, 995 and 1013 Los Angeles Avenue.
A yet-to-be-formed California limited partnership will be the owner of the development, with the general partner including a CEDC affiliate and a tax credit investor limited partner.
I’m really not sure whose money this is and don’t completely understand the process, but doing the simple math that amounts to $681,000 per unit. For that kind of money (2) 3-bedroom homes could be purchased in that area which would provide 6 bedrooms. Living in private homes would also provide privacy (a backyard), the pride of living in a home (which some of the residents will never get to do) and interaction with neighbors and their families.
What am I missing?
• Could millions of connected devices like cameras, thermostats, DVDs, home surveillance cameras, kids’ toys and the increasing amount of internet household devices and appliances (13 in the average home already) bring the Internet (and the world) to its knees. Is cyberwar coming?
Recently huge cyberattacks crippled a major internet firm that sends information to many popular websites across the United States (did you lose your Netflix connection and have nothing to do)? The hacker group that is claiming responsibility for this has stated that this was just practice and that their eventual target is Russia in retaliation for what appears to be Russian hacking in the United States.
• Nice to see what was called the Sonderman-Ring project by the Harbor moving along (and only after about 10-years and the death of one of the partners).
Development is in their 3rd plan-check review submittal with Building and Safety, and is nearing a final building permit approval. It will include 300 residential units, 21,000 square feet of commercial space, 107 boating slips, a 2.44 acre waterfront park and a public promenade extending 1,650 linear feet. The project will include 2, 2-story parking garages.
It will be nice if the commercial space includes a mini-mart so that the residents of the mobile home park across the street could just walk to get some of their groceries and staples.
