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Art Ventures Bus Tours

Join other art lovers on rides to cultural adventures at surprising, landmark and emerging SoCal destinations. Artists Maryanne Irving or Mary Neville lead most tours and host discussions on the way there and on the way home about your fascinating art encounters. Explore venues with them, docents or on your own as sites permit.

All-day trips include a meal stop, not included in the price unless explicitly stated. Tours are open to adults and teens under 18 accompanied by an adult, unless stated otherwise. Park your car for free in the parking lot behind City Hall where you’ll meet your tour guide and the air-conditioned bus, equipped with wheelchair lift but no restroom. Please mention any mobility or ADA issues when registering online, at Ventura City Hall (501 Poli Street, Room 226) or at 658-4726 (M-F- 8-5, closed alternate Fridays). To sign up online visit www.cityofventura.net/register and enter “6679” on the search bar.

On August 17 the tour featured the Hammer Museum exhibit “Made in LA” and UCLA Sculpture Garden. They explored the work of 26 recognized and emerging LA artists in dance, fashion, literature, music, film, and performance at the Hammer Museum’s third biennial exhibition, “Made in LA,” with artist Maryanne Irving as the tour guide .

Marilee Stockman presents “Personalities On Exhibit” Sept. 1-30 at Trinity Lutheran Church

Marilee Stockman presents “Personalities On Exhibit”, a solo exhibit on display September 1 to September 30 at Trinity Lutheran Church, 196 N. Ashwood Ave.

The exhibit features oil portraits, bronze portraits, clay figures and portraits in cast paper sculpture.

Stockman’s passions for life and art are evident in her sculptures and paintings. The feeling for the forms and shapes of nature is the inspiration for both her abstract and figurative works. She relates all of her work to the figure and its relationship to its environmental surroundings.

The church is open Tuesday through Friday 9am – 5pm or by appointment. The exhibit is located in the church’s Library

Living Sculpture by Ventura Breeze contributing writer Karen Helen Szatkowski at a gallery showing

Ventura Art & Street Painting Festival to be at Ventura Harbor Village

The iconic Ventura Harbor Village will once again serve as the seaside backdrop for the 8th annual Ventura Art & Street Painting Festival to benefit FOOD Share, Ventura County’s regional food bank. On Saturday Sept. 10 and Sunday Sept. 11 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., the waterfront promenade will be transformed into a working street art gallery and fine artisan marketplace. The non-profit event which has donated over $32,000 to FOOD Share since 2011, is the only street painting festival in Ventura County and draws artists from across Southern California.

Considered by many to be a performance art, street painting draws attendees into the creation of the work by allowing them to experience the process with the artist as they paint. The Ventura Art & Street Painting Festival will feature 40 such chalk artists creating vivid “living” murals. 50 fine artisan vendors such as painters, photographers, jewelry makers, potters and craft designers will also be displaying and selling their works throughout the weekend.

“People will be amazed at what they see on the sidewalk,” said Barbara Hinton, Founder and Executive Director of the festival. “It is rare that the public sees the creative process take place, but at this event they get to be part of it. Families can really make a whole day out at this event; watching the chalk artists, browsing the various booths, buying art and even taking a walk on the beach.”

Award winning chalk artist, Willie Zin, will make his return to the Ventura Art & Street Painting Festival to share his love of chalk drawings with event attendees. Zin has been a Featured Artist at several festivals while earning numerous awards, including Best In Show.

Kids will also get a chance to show off their talent by creating beautiful works of art. With the purchase of a box of chalk, each child will receive a square to create their own masterpiece.

A limited number of chalk art squares are available for sponsorship by companies or individuals and will feature the sponsor’s name. Sponsorships can be purchased through Ventura County Art Events.

The Ventura Harbor Village has free admission, complimentary parking, and over 30 seaside restaurants and boutiques and several local artist galleries to enjoy during the two day festival. For artist application or sponsorship information, please contact Executive Director Barbara Hinton at 650-9858 or visit venturaartfestival.com.

Debate to be held on two competing open space measures

Voters can learn about two competing countywide land-use measures on the ballot in November—Save Open-Space and Agricultural Resources (SOAR) and SUSTAIN VC. One representative from each measure will explain how each will affect Ventura County’s General Plan land use designations, goals and policies for open space, and agricultural and rural lands in unincorporated areas.

The event, hosted by the Ventura County Bar’s Natural Resources Section, will be held from noon to 1:30 p.m., Aug 24 at the Ventura County Bar Association, 4475 Market St., Suite B. Tickets are $30 for section members and $40 for non-members and the public. Lunch will be provided.

Both initiatives relate to land-use decisions that are critically important to the County. Agricultural lands comprise more than 200,000 acres—or 18%—of total County lands. Both initiatives claim to protect agriculture and open space, as well as the environment and the economic viability of agricultural land.

Richard Francis, former mayor of Ventura and longtime litigator in Ventura County, will discuss the SOAR initiative, which if passed would extend the existing law to 2050. Mr. Francis was a key figure in passing the original SOAR measure, which regulates agricultural development. At the event he will explain how the updated SOAR measure will impact the county.

Lynn Jensen is executive director of the Coalition of Labor, Agriculture and Business Ventura County (CoLab VC). CoLab has been a consultant to the farmers who wrote the SUSTAIN VC ballot measure, as an alternative to the SOAR measure. The SUSTAIN VC measure will also require a public vote for changes in urban limit lines while updating agricultural policies in the County’s General Plan to sustain agriculture through 2036.

To register, visit www.vcba.org/calendar, email [email protected] or call 650-7599.

Reyna Chavez, “Scrubs on the Run”

Reyna Chavez was working in the Emergency Room at VCMC.

by Jill Forman

2016 Business of the Year, Women’s Economic Ventures.

2015 Latino Business Award, Small Business Category, Pacific Coast Business Times.

These accolades were won by an Oxnard native with no business experience, who had never even thought of owning her own company until 2011.

Reyna Chavez was working in the Emergency Room at VCMC as Clerical Supervisor, and needed uniforms. With a growing family and a full-time job, she had little time to shop; with $200 in her pocket she tried local stores but couldn’t find good quality at a reasonable price.

One day she drove back to her office and had a brainstorm: many local professionals must have the same problem. Aha, she thought, someone could go out to the clinics, and have mobile uniform sales for the staff. And she knew just the person to do it.

She called her husband, “I’m opening a business.” She didn’t have capital or a business plan, but did have excellent credit, and started in January 2012. Every month she took a vacation day and went to different clinics, loading bins of uniforms and folding racks into her SUV. She continually needed to bring more, as people asked for specific items and the inventory kept growing.

One day she was driving past an existing scrub store near the Ventura hospitals and saw a “Store Closing” sign. She called the owner, bought all her fixtures and subsequently rented the location. In September of 2012 she opened “Scrubs on the Run.” Her biggest goal is “to work with the community:” clinics, schools, any local organization needing uniforms.

A year later, she needed more capital. Traditional banks wouldn’t loan to her, so she turned to Women’s Economic Ventures(WEV), a nonprofit which gives loans to small businesses and helps with professional consultations.

Four years after opening Reyna won the WEV award and spoke at a ceremony with 300 people. She has been interviewed on the radio as a local success story.

And speaking of success, she is expanding. A second location, in Thousand Oaks, is opening with an anticipated date in October.

The store is bright and colorful, with so many choices it’s helpful to have experienced salespeople to. On a recent afternoon, a very tall gentleman comes in, “Do you have anything for me?” A woman says, “I want something in every color.” Another woman is looking for something in OR green that is comfortable and “not unisex,” since she is in surgery all day and tired of in ill-filling scrubs. Everybody found what they wanted.

Scrubs on the Run
2542 East Main Street
652-2175
scrubsontherununiforms.com

Vol. 9, No. 23 – August 17 – August 30, 2016 – Opinion/Editorial

• Very sad, but not at all surprising, Brooks Institute is closing down. The City and building landlords might have gotten overly excited that Brooks was moving downtown. A closer examination, though, would have shown that Brooks has been in serious condition for several years with a declining student enrollment that could hardly support what they were attempting to do.

The handwriting was on the wall a few weeks ago when the president of Brooks, Edward Clift, was fired and the majority of the board of trustees resigned.

Not sure who to feel the most sorry for here. Perhaps the students (some from China and Europe) that have likely lost considerable money and possibly college credits. Not to mention city officials, property owners (who will have liens placed on their buildings) and downtown merchants who have been eagerly anticipating Brooks’ arrival and certainly the wonderful faculty who will be out of a jobs very shortly. There were also many construction workers involved as well – I would guess not all payments have been made. I’m sure lawsuits will follow next.

• Turning to politics, in this issue we have articles about City Council Member’s Neal Andrews and Carl Morehouse. Carl has decided that he will not be running again after first winning a seat in 1999. This will mean at least one new member of the council will be joining the council in November, which I believe will be good for the Council and Ventura. There are several very qualified candidates running.

Regarding Neil, he has announced that he has resigned from the Ventura County Republican Central Committee. I applaud him for having the courage of his convictions and for making what was, I’m sure, a difficult personal decision.

• Some of the questions that commentator’s ask at the Olympics are really stupid – , would love the athletes to give the answers that they would like to. For instance, after winning a swimming event, the question was, “How do you think that you did that?” Answer should have been, “I swam fast!”

• I have finally figured out Trump. He is senile and delusional and doesn’t realize that he is actually running for president. Seems like he believes that the race is a reality show and the more outrageous he is (like Howard Stern) the better the ratings will be for the show. And Russian President Vladimir Putin has dismissed several of his staff members, hmm, apparently making room for Trump.

• Someday, I will finally learn to use the words “than” and “then” correctly in sentences, but in the meantime, keep correcting me – I can take it.

• As goes massage parlors and strip clubs, goes Ventura. Ventura is updating its ordinance regulating adult businesses and is using an outside firm to update the zoning code. The City will spend around $211,000 to develop the ordinance.

Officials will be meeting with business owners of “legitimate businesses” to make sure that new regulations don’t unnecessarily hinder their operations. Several massage operators are concerned that it could hurt their practices, while doing little to curb human trafficking and prostitution.

The need to update the current ordinance is a result of the myriad of massage parlors that have opened up in the last few years, and Agassi Halajyan’s proposal to open up a strip club at 4721 Market Street. Ventura’s entertainment ordinance has not been updated in more than 20 years.

Officials initially tried to block the business by saying that the club might be near a school, which turned out to be unfounded. When this tactic didn’t work, the Council passed an “urgency ordinance” that included regulations that the club be a “no touch” business, offered no lap dances, closed at 2 a.m. and had strict interior and exterior lighting requirements.

Halajyan hasn’t initiated any processes with the city since the passing of the emergency ordinance, so perhaps the restrictions are too prohibitive. The fact that alcohol could not be served there would certainly reduce its potential income.

• It’s just the beginning of the official fire season in California and yet almost 225,000 acres have burned so far – 16 times the size of Ventura.

• In order to promote low-income housing, the City Council voted 7-0 to rezone 691 Riverside St. from industrial to dense residential. The vote clears the way for a 23-unit residential development.

The planning staff’s report stated “This is a 100 percent affordable-housing project for persons of low/very low/extremely low income levels, which are the greatest affordability level needs in the city’s designated Regional Housing Element Need.”

This area is mostly residential now and is an appropriate use of that property. The development will include 15 two-bedroom and eight three-bedroom units on just under an acre.

As part of the action, the council also waived $25,000 in fees for the developer, which will come from the general fund contingency.

I like to see the city help support/promote this type of housing. I wish they would proactively support other types of developments, as it can take up to 10-years from initial submittals to a project being built here. As a result, some developers run screaming out of Ventura. Look at all the empty dirt lots we have here.

• In South Sudan, a price for a bride (some as young as 12) is 20-40 cows. A girl who is seen as beautiful, fertile and of high social rank can be worth as much as 200 cows. It is rumored that a beautiful American movie star can be worth 10,000 cows with a few goats thrown in to seal the deal.

What exercises can I do without leaving my home?

“This is good exercise but maybe my living room isn’t big enough?”

You don’t need to leave the house to be physically active. When the weather is too hot or too cold, or you don’t feel like getting dressed to go out, there are ways you can exercise right in your own home.

You can:

dance to music on the radio or a CD (if you take it seriously enough you could invest in a portable dance floor)
lift hand weights, soup cans, water bottles, or resistance bands while watching TV
do floor exercises like thigh stretches and hip stretches
do leg lifts while holding on to a sturdy chair, counter or wall for support
march in place or walk around the room while talking on the telephone
take a few extra trips up and down the steps at home to strengthen your legs and build endurance
work out with an exercise DVD. Get “Everyday Exercises,” the free exercise DVD from the National Institute on Aging (NIA)
while putting your groceries away, strengthen your arms by lifting the milk carton or a 1-pound can a few times
walk on the treadmill, ride the stationary bike, or use the rowing machine that’s gathering dust in your bedroom or basement
vacuum, mop, sweep, or dust those hard-to-reach areas
play ping pong with the grandkids (they might beat you)
take advantage of small bits of “down time” to do an exercise or two. For example, while you’re waiting for the coffee to brew or for your spouse to get ready to go out, do a few wall push-ups or calf stretches

Philanthropist Howard Boroughs will always be remembered

Gary Best was Howard’s CAREGIVERS Volunteer companion and “best friend”.

Just a few weeks shy of his 103rd birthday former biochemist, Howard Boroughs passed away.

Howard Boroughs, came to Ventura in 1979 with his beloved wife Evelyn and their canine companion, Daisy. Thanks to their generosity, we have The Evelyn and Howard Boroughs Library at Ventura College and the dog park at Camino Real Park that allows canines and their human companions to romp unleashed. And many other things in our community.

Behind the Museum of Ventura County is the Evelyn and Howard Boroughs Children’s Garden with a 4 foot bronze turtle for the children to play on that Howard commissioned.

Because of their love of dogs, Evelyn and Howard also created an endowment for those in Ventura who breed Guide Dogs for the Blind. Additionally, Howard, a major contributor to the Ventura Music Festival, sponsored the Rising Stars program and is a cornerstone sponsor for The Rubicon Theatre.

After serving in the Navy from 1942 to 1945, Boroughs earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Biochemistry from the University of Southern California in 1949 and a doctorate from California Institute of Technology a few years later.

He eventually became director of research at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and retired in 1975.

Having sat on both the Board and Advisory Board of CAREGIVERS (Volunteers Assisting the Elderly), each year Howard has donated scholarships that are given to outstanding student volunteers.

And, when Phase Two of the Museum of Ventura County is finished, the large gallery will be renamed the Evelyn and Howard Boroughs Great Hall thanks to his help and participation in making this a reality for Ventura.

When asked about his life while having his portrait painted by Johanna Spinks he stated “I’m a very fortunate man, I’ve traveled and learned, I’ve lived in exotic places from Hawaii, to Costa Rica, to Paris, and now and for many years Ventura has been my home where I am very happy and content. I believe in giving back to my community. Most important, I had the good fortune to spend 66 years married to the woman of my dreams and share our love of people and cultures, art, life-long learning, and literature.”

The Breeze asked him what do you like most about Ventura?

“We had family living in the Valley and wanted to be close to them, but as travelers of the world we still wanted to be near the ocean in a setting more befitting our “eclectic nature.” Ventura seemed (and turned out to be) the ideal place to settle. We quickly grew to love our new home and became active in the community. Also, I find that in Ventura there is more interest in the arts.”

In remembering Howard CAREGIVERS Executive Director Tammy I. Glenn, MBA said

“Howard was a dear part of the family, having worn many hats with us. At 93, he first came to us as a frail senior who wanted someone to call every morning and make sure he was out of bed and on the go. Those calls were so effective, he joined our advisory board and our golf tournament committee for half a dozen years. In 2006, CAREGIVERS introduced him to Volunteer Gary Best who kept a regular eye on Howard week-after-week these last 10 years. Gary was The Volunteer and Howard would say his “best friend!” Definitely a success story for Howard. Howard will be deeply missed.”

A celebration of his life will be held tonight at 6 p.m. at the Rubicon Theatre.

Causes and prevention of hearing loss

“I heard what you said about me, I’m not deaf ya know.”

Hearing loss happens for many reasons. Some people lose their hearing slowly as they age. This condition is called presbycusis. Doctors do not know why presbycusis happens, but it seems to run in families.

Another cause is the ear infection otitis media, which can lead to long-term hearing loss if it is not treated.

Hearing loss can also result from taking certain medications. “Ototoxic” medications damage the inner ear, sometimes permanently. Some antibiotics are ototoxic. Even aspirin at some dosages can cause problems, but they are temporary. Check with your doctor if you notice a problem while taking a medication.

Heredity can cause hearing loss, but not all inherited forms of hearing loss take place at birth. Some forms can show up later in life. In otosclerosis, which is thought to be a hereditary disease, an abnormal growth of bone prevents structures within the ear from working properly.

One of the most common causes of hearing loss is loud noise. Loud noise can permanently damage the inner ear. Loud noise also contributes to tinnitus, which is a ringing, roaring, clicking, hissing, or buzzing sound in the ears.

Noise-induced hearing loss is 100 percent preventable. You can protect your hearing by avoiding noises at or above 85 decibels in loudness, which can damage your inner ear.

Lower the volume on personal stereo systems and televisions. When you are involved in a loud activity, wear earplugs or other hearing protective devices.

There are other ways to prevent hearing loss.

If earwax blockage is a problem for you, ask your doctor about treatments you can use at home such as mineral oil, baby oil, glycerin, or commercial ear drops to soften earwax.

If you suspect that you may have a hole in your eardrum, you should consult a doctor before using such products. A hole in the eardrum can result in hearing loss and fluid discharge.

The ear infection otitis media is most common in children, but adults can get it, too. You can help prevent upper respiratory infections — and a resulting ear infection — by washing your hands frequently.

Ask your doctor about how to help prevent flu-related ear infections. If you still get an ear infection, see a doctor immediately before it becomes more serious.

If you take medications, ask your doctor if your medication is ototoxic, or potentially damaging to the ear. Ask if other medications can be used instead. If not, ask if the dosage can be safely reduced. Sometimes it cannot. However, your doctor should help you get the medication you need while trying to reduce unwanted side effects.

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