• The Public is Invited to meet Ventura Water’s new General Manager Kevin Brown on Nov. 2, 5:30- 6:30 p.m. in the Community Meeting Room at Ventura City Hall, 501 Poli St. An opportunity to learn more about our water situation and plans for the future.
Lake Casitas, which supplies water to the Ojai Valley and parts of Ventura, dropped to 38% capacity recently. That’s a little higher than this time last year, but not enough to get us out of our water shortage so drink gin and tonic instead of water (and bathe with a friend).
•My radio show (and that of Ventura Breeze music writer Pam Baumgardner and others ) on KPPQLP104.1FM can now be heard on computer, etc. even when you are in Paris. CAPS Radio, KPPQ 104.1 FM has joined CAPS Television (Channel 6 & 15) by streaming programming on the web 24×7. Station is a little difficult to pick up because it is low wattage but is very clear this way.
My show(13 so far) is on Mon., Wed. and Sat. at 10am and some other undisclosed times. CAPS is always looking for folks to start their own TV or radio show so go to CAPSMEDIA to find out more details. Not as intimidating as it seems and they teach you how to do it.
• The City Council has ratified the re-appointments of City’s representatives, Suz Montgomery and Lori Harasta, to the Ventura County Area Agency on Aging Advisory Council. Proud of them, both contributors to the Breeze.
•Consortium Media + Public Relations has announced that Lysa Urban has joined them (see article in this issue). Lysa spent many years with the city. Wish her all the best in her new position (and keep sending us ads).
• Ventura County’s Treasurer-Tax Collector, Steven Hintz, has announced that his office has concluded negotiations with ACI/OPAY, the County’s on-line and credit card processor that reduces the cost to taxpayers who use a credit card or an electronic check to make payments to his office. The new rate for electronic checks is $1.50, down from $2.00. Now the question is where to spend the extra 50c?
• The Ventura Unified School District and its teacher and support staff unions could not come to an agreement on salary increases. Now a state mediator will be brought in to come up with a solution.
What I have never understood is where does the zillions of dollars brought in by the state lottery, and the school fees paid for every building permit in California go? Why do teachers still need to pay for some of their own classroom supplies?
• In this issue we have an article regarding the state’s mandate that Ventura must select council members by council districts and not at-large.
Councilmember Christy Weir said “The council had little choice but to move to districts unless we want to spend a lot of taxpayer money fighting something we probably will lose.” City Attorney Gregory Diaz stated the same thing at the recent council meeting.
Weir said moving to districts translated to people giving up rights, rather than gaining them. Instead of voting for all seven council members, now people would only get to vote for one council member every four years, she said.
Personally I am against all seven councilmembers having to live in seven different districts in Ventura. If acceptable to the state I think four by district and three at-large makes more sense.
We would not have some excellent councilmembers that would be excluded from the council because they live in what will become the same district. Some districts may not have qualified candidates that will end up on the City Council.
In September 2014, the City Council appointed a citizens Charter Review Committee and the charge to the Committee included reviewing district-based elections. This would need to be approved by Ventura’s voting. It was determined at that time that other charter revisions were more important to be on the ballot which were approved.
The direct voting for a mayor was also considered but not placed on the ballot. On page 23 we have some opinions regarding this, would love to hear yours.
•Speaking of the City Council, I wish to thank Councilmember Mike Tracy for his kind words in congratulating the Ventura Breeze on our 10th anniversary at a recent City Council meeting. Always with his great sense of humor. Who would have thought that an ex-chief of police could be so funny.
• Trumpism (I’m sorry I just can’t help myself). Regarding Puerto Rico. “Only 16 have died (up to 50 and more coming). You are very lucky it could have been much worse.” Puerto Rico father “My wife and two daughters died but I feel much better now knowing that it could have been much worse.”
• ”Hypocrisy” you don’t need to look it up, here it is.
Pennsylvania Republican antiabortion congressman Tim Murphy had engaged in an extramarital affair. When he found out that she might be pregnant he told her to get an abortion.
He has previously stated “I am so proud the House passed this important bill to clearly stand for the dignity and value of all human life, both the born and the unborn. We will once again be a nation committed to honoring life from the moment of conception onward and ensuring American taxpayer dollars are never spent to end a life before it even begins.”
I guess he thought it was okay because it was his dollars and not taxpayer’s.
• There is a fear of everything and a word to describe it. Triskaidekaphobia is fear or avoidance of the number 13. It is also a reason for the fear of Friday the 13th, called paraskevidekatriaphobia or friggatriskaidekaphobia. The term was used as early as in 1910 by Isador Coriat in Abnormal Psychology.
• The public can report damage from graffiti by leaving a message on the City of Ventura’s Graffiti Removal Hotline number at 654-7805.
