Hi: I’m Rosco a 9-year dingo. I love to play ball and walk on the beach
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Vol. 9, No. 10 – February 17 – March 2, 2016 – Professor Scamp
• Sharing a few happy stories. The world certainly needs them.
Kramer, Nik Glaser’s proclaimed noodle-loving golden doodle, disappeared from his Venice, Los Angeles apartment over the holiday break under suspicious circumstances.
For the past nearly 2 months, Glaser launched a ferocious campaign by foot, flier and social media to find his missing service dog that treats his anxiety.
Glaser also filed a police report and set up an anonymous tip line, begging for the safe return of his dog, no questions asked.
The tips poured in, ranging from claims of witnesses seeing the dog being sold on Craig’s List to sightings everywhere from Runyon Canyon to South Los Angeles. Glaser would get his hopes up as he chased down each lead, the heartbreak mounting.
Yesterday a woman named Linda Zlot Pearson posted a message on the Bring Kramer Home Facebook page asking “Could this be your Kramer at the South L.A. Shelter?”
A few hours later, Glaser was on a plane from Seattle, where he has since relocated to accept a new job, and from where he had been making trips down in his continued desperate search to find Kramer.
This time, the identification was pawsitive.
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, their reunion was nothing short of the epic love fest you’d expect – check out the adorable video here at https://www.facebook.com/BringKramerHome13/
From a previous column “My name is Buddy. I am a golden tan American Staffie/lab mix, weighing about seventy pounds and about ten years old. People say I act more like a well-behaved four-year-old and am the life of the party wherever I go. I have become a self-made therapy dog since I ended up at Ventura County Animal Shelter in July after my soul mate person of many years, a Vietnam War Veteran, became ill and was taken to the VA Hospital in Los Angeles.”
“To provide an outing for me and give me opportunity to spread a little cheer, on December 16, my handler Jerry Dulek and I dropped by to visit my friends at the Coastal View Healthcare Center.”
“When my visit is over, routine resident life continues. And it’s back to shelter life for me. Living a life behind bars, my heart aches even though staff love me, friends visit me, I have good food, a good bed, and as much attention as possible. But after my last visit to Coastal View, suddenly wow, wham, bang! Less than two full days later, my life changes forever. Late in the day on December 18, I left the shelter for the last time and am now living in my forever home with the most wonderful family on the face of the earth.”
Reader Betty Okrent sent me this.
“I did hear from Buddy’s new family that they all enjoyed the Buddy article very much. Buddy’s “new mommy” told me. And Buddy seems to be doing great—fits in well, gives and receives much loving, has a snoring contest with her husband on the sofa every night. And sleeps on the sofa after the family has gone to bed—so they have given in and forgotten the “no sofa” rule. He also loves his sister Pittie—they share a bed and look out the window at the world passing by. Thank you Scamp.”
“I sent a copy of the article to a dog sitter I used when I lived in CT– she emailed me to let me know she had read the entire Scamp page several times—and enjoyed all the news about animals. So thanks, again.”
“Take care—Please know you certainly have the best, most thorough newspaper in Ventura.” (this has nothing to do with Buddy but made me feel good).
• Paw’s Corner By Sam Mazzotta Dog Is Afraid of Cats
Dear Paw’s Corner: My mixed breed dog, “Jessup,” is absolutely terrified of my two cats. As soon as he notices both of them in the room with him, he yelps and runs off to another room with his tail between his legs. I have never seen any other interaction between them, good or bad. Jessup is a rescue dog, and I wonder if something in his past is causing this. Is there any way to get him past his fear of cats? — Jamie in Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Dear Jamie: I suspect the same thing: Jessup had a bad experience with a cat in the past, and the memory still brings up fear. I don’t know that he can ever completely get past that fear, but perhaps you can reduce his flight reaction. If the cats aren’t at all bothered by his presence and are generally pretty mellow (for cats, anyway), you can try to desensitize Jessup somewhat. Do this by gradually reintroducing all the pets into one room. You’ll need a helper for this. First, bring in Jessup and command him to sit or lie down and stay next to you. Keep a supply of treats in your pocket. Next, have your helper bring in one of the cats, cradled in their arms or, if necessary, in a carrier. They should sit down across the room where Jessup can see them. If and when Jessup begins to react, tell him to sit and stay. Give him a treat if he obeys. Do this for only a minute or so at first, and gradually extend the time each day. Avoid getting frustrated. If you can get Jessup to stay just a short time by your side and then calmly leave the room, that would be a big victory.
Get involved at CAPS
Manny Reynoso and Jairo Brito on location at the 2015 St. Patrick’s Day parade.
By Elizabeth Rodeno
Our new board president, Cliff Rodrigues is a long time resident of Ventura who has taken the mantle of board chair of CAPS Media. Along with the rest of the board, he is devoted to CAPS Media and our mission. Cliff’s career as an educator, first at Cabrillo Jr. High, then with the Ventura County Office of Education in charge of bi-lingual education and then on the board of the VUSD, offers years of experience in what we consider one of the primary missions of CAPS, educating. As Cliff says “Being part of the CAPS Media board for the last couple of years has shown me that having public access channels is the perfect vehicle for keeping the community involved and up-to-date on what is happening in local government. It is also the perfect platform for the public to produce programs that reflect what is going on in the community.”
So what is going on in the community? Just recently our El Camino Television student producers had the opportunity to cover the Social Awareness conference hosted by El Camino High School at the Wright Event Center. Field production, with its audio and lighting challenges, provide these students even more experience. This is one more step on the journey to becoming professional news journalists.
It’s around this time that our calendar begins to fill up, as if we have not been busy. Just around the corner is The Festival of Talent, a grand event featuring the talented youth of Ventura. CAPS Media has long been a supporter of the event; recording, editing and broadcasting the entire show. Our full production crew features the committed students and volunteers honing their production skills. Go to our website to get a behind the scenes peak at the event and we will see you there on February 27.
On March the fifth, head to Westpark, the City’s oldest park for an open house. Westpark, an important feature on the Westside has undergone recent upgrades and included a full roster of community classes and events. Come out and enjoy the fun, with games, activities and tours. We will be out there filming and taking in some of the festivities.
March the 12 is the annual St. Patrick’s Day parade, broadcast live on channel 6. This year in celebration of the 150th Anniversary, the Grand Marshalls will include some of the first families of Ventura. This event has it all, dancers, marching bands, important politicians, and of course the big green pig. As always we’ll get you up close to the festivities and you can re-live it on channel 6 after the big day.
Check out our new website with all the info you need to sign up, reserve your space in a class and catch not only the CAPS Media productions on Vimeo but watch the channels live streaming from your computer. Go to www.CAPSMedia.org. Thanks to Donald who has work diligently to create the new website. Driving down Day Road you’ll catch sight of our sign and that means you need to drop in and say hello.
Vol. 9, No. 10 – February 17 – March 2, 2016 – Opinion/Editorial
• Congratulations to Ventura Breeze Senior Account Executive Breezy Gledhill who is celebrating her 6-year anniversary with us. I knew she’d be a wonderful addition when she told me that her nickname has been “Breezy” her entire life. I didn’t make her change it as some have thought.
• This November’s elections is shaping up to be a very busy one for Ventura voters; if all of things in the works end up on the ballot. National elections of course, revisions to our city charter, a possible sales tax increase and voting for three city council members.
There are many charter revisions that have been suggested to our city council for consideration by a Charter Review Committee. Selected by the council, a group of concerned Ventura residents spent more than a year studying various options for changing the way our government operates. The council has voted to have city staff draft language for a charter initiative that could appear on the November ballot.
The council can’t directly alter the charter, but can bring proposed changes to the electorate for a vote.
There are too many revisions to consider at one time, so only some of them will be included on the ballot.
They may consist of:
- City Council members have received the same monthly pay for the last 30 years. $600 plus an additional $100 for the mayor.
The Committee recommends raising the pay of council members from $600 to $1,200 and the mayor from $700 to $1,500 with automatic increases tied to an as-of-yet undetermined index.
The council has concerns about including a pay increase on the ballot at the same time a sales tax increase may be proposed. I think that an increase in their compensation is long overdue. Altruism is nice, but a dedicated council member puts in at least 30-hours of work per week.
- Eliminating the current at large voting system to be replaced by designated council districts. I am in favor of this but think that there should be four members from specific districts and three at large members that represent the entire city. Our city attorney would need to be very involved in this because lawsuits under the California Voting Rights Act have occurred in other cities. Cities with significant minority populations that lack proper council representation have proved especially vulnerable.
Ventura has a large Latino population and the council members are all non-Hispanic whites.
- A law limiting council members to three consecutive terms, followed by a four-year break before being able to run again. I am very much in favor of this. New blood brings new ideas.
Other amendments discussed would be to hold a direct election for our Mayor. Currently, our Mayor is selected by other council members from a sitting council member. I’m sure that this proposed revision will not be considered by the council as they feel that the current system has served Ventura well. I agree with them.
The City staff will return with a final proposed list to be considered by the council to be voted on by Venturans.
• Speaking of the presidential election, if a Democrat wins, the new president would be either our first female President or first Jewish President.
• Cities in California have been hastily passing new marijuana ordinances. The State had mistakenly passed legislation that set a March 1 deadline for cities to either adopt their own regulations or comply with new state regulations that may have been more lenient than cities would have wanted. To rectify this, Governor Brown has given cities more time to develop their local regulations on the commercial selling and distribution of medical marijuana.
Included in the regulations, and approved by the City Council, was to disallow the delivery of medical marijuana in Ventura. I am opposed to this (as were some City Council members), and I hope that they will revisit this restriction. In addition to being unfair, it is just not enforceable by our police department and would be a waste of their time.
• I’m disappointed that on First Fridays (when our many art galleries hold open houses) the only WAV (Working Artists Ventura) studio open is that of St. Pierre. During the last First Friday, a young lady, Marianne Turner, walked in with a guitar and was asked to play. She gave a wonderful short concert, and St. Pierre also played.
• This was one of the funniest real estate ad I’ve seen (was in a local paper). Below a photo of a kitchen it stated, “Kitchen includes a basic set of appliances including refrigerator and stove.” Wow, I’m sure people are lining up to buy a house that includes a refrigerator and a stove in the kitchen. It didn’t say anything about a sink, so I hope that’s included as well.
• Recently, the Ventura Police Department made a presentation to the City Council regarding gang membership in Ventura. This raised concerns from many people who didn’t realize that we had so much gang activity here. The presentation might have made gang activity seem worse than it actually is, so in a future issue we will include an article from the VPD discussing this situation.
• I have always been against vaping and assumed that it would be a gateway drug to cigarette smoking. New studies show that I was correct. Teens who said that they have “Vaped” are far more likely to try regular cigarettes than those that didn’t.
• I have always wondered why fast food restaurants (other than Wienerschnitzel) don’t sell hotdogs. That will soon change, as Burger King will begin selling them. I’m sure if they are successful other fast food outlets will also give it a try.
Additional funds received for Harbor dredging
Dredging at Harbor will remove almost a million cubic yards of dirt. Photo by George Robertson.
The government FY16 Work Plan has been released and Ventura Harbor received an additional $2.5 million for the dredging of the Harbor federal entrance channel. This brings the total available money for dredging this winter to $7.3 million, which will enable the Army Corps of Engineers to dredge about 850,000 cubic yards of sand. This will put the Harbor in great shape again so boats can safely navigate the Harbor entrance. Storms and strong ocean currents could delay the dredging, though this is not expected to occur.
Harbor merchants and commercial fishing vessels have been hurt financially by the closing of the Harbor entrance and pleasure boats have been inconvenienced.
The Ventura Harbor Patrol has been escorting some essential boats in and out of the Harbor, and some pleasure boats that shouldn’t have been sailing out of the Harbor have been escorted back in by the Patrol.
The Harbor entrance became un-passable when a large amount of sand blocked its entrance due to large swells. It was closed on January 22 as a result.
A network of pipes will carry the removed sand to some local beaches which were eroded by the same winter storms that closed the Harbor.
Construction to begin this month
Bridge to link promenade to downtown.
The City of Ventura’s California Street Bridge Pedestrian Project will begin construction this month. Enhancements include new lighting, decorative railings and sidewalk treatments which will 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.
It will also make walking across to the promenade much safer and people friendly.
“This project connects two of Ventura’s greatest assets and economic drivers, our Historic Downtown and the Pacific Ocean. Creating a more walkable environment encourages pedestrians to explore Downtown and patronize businesses,” said Mayor Erik Nasarenko.
Construction is expected to be completed in August. Access may be restricted during construction work; detours will help guide pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists safely across the California Street Bridge through the project area. This project will require occasional northbound and/or southbound Hwy 101 night closures at the California Street Bridge; detours will route motorists around the construction. Every effort has been made by the construction company to make the work safe and efficient. There are numerous safety procedures and products being used, such as an modular aluminium trench box, to ensure that the utility workers are kept safe.
“Tens of thousands of people cross this highly visible pedestrian path between downtown and the beachfront every year,” said Kevin Clerici, director of the Downtown Ventura Partners business improvement district. “The taller railing, overhead lighting and art elements will go a long way to improve and beautify what is now a pretty inelegant walkway. We are grateful to see these long-awaited improvements completed.”
Auxiliary members donate their time and talent
On Feb. 5, the Community Memorial Auxiliary held their annual awards lunch at the 4 Four Points Sheraton. At that meeting, Sandy Frandsen, Auxiliary President, and Norma Taylor, Treasurer, presented CMH President Gary Wilde a donation from the CMH Auxiliary for $125,000 to be used by the building fund.
Founded on a tradition of service, the CMH Auxiliary is an organization whose mission is to augment the programs and services of Community Memorial Hospital, a not-for-profit facility.
Auxiliary volunteers are men, women and students, from varied backgrounds, who share a common interest in helping others and providing comfort and assistance to patients and their families.
Auxiliary members donate their time and talents to many areas of the hospital. Their contributions, far-reaching and diverse, are vital for the efficient care of patients and guests. All auxiliary members commit to at least a year of service.
Profits from the gift shop, sales of souvenir birth certificates, and special events such as the book sale and fine jewelry sale, add to their annual monetary gift presented to the hospital.
New members receive individual training and complete a three-month probationary period.
Tickets going fast to Ventura Hillsides Conservancy’s 7th Annual Wild and Scenic Film Festival
On Friday and Saturday, March 4 & 5, 2016, the Ventura Hillsides Conservancy (VHC) will present the 2016 Wild and Scenic Film Festival (WSFF) at Ventura’s Poinsettia Pavilion, 3451 Foothill Road. Now in its 7th year, the Wild and Scenic Film Festival offers audiences the chance to enjoy a series of inspirational award-winning short films that celebrate the beauty and bounty of our natural world.
This popular festival, which includes a different line up of approximately 10 films each night, helps to connect the Conservancy’s work to similar environmental efforts around the globe. In addition to viewing films, attendees also enjoy popcorn, food, beer, wine and the chance to win high-end items in a raffle that includes original artwork, outdoor gear, dining-out certificates and much more.
“This year’s Wild and Scenic Film Festival line-up is one of our best yet,” said Derek Poultney, VHC Executive Director. “Audiences can experience the excitement of rowing down the Colorado River in a wooden dory, the expansiveness of flying over Baja California with National Geographic photographers and the beauty of exploring underground caves rarely seen by man.”
Ticket prices for VHC members are for $15 for General Admission or $25 for “Silver Circle” seats. Silver Circle tickets include reserved seating + one drink ticket for a glass of beer or wine. Non -VHC Member ticket prices are $20 for General Admission or $30 for Silver Circle Tickets. The event has grown in popularity to the point that tickets sell out each year.
The Wild and Scenic Film Festival, which also serves as a membership drive for VHC, is supported by donations from several local businesses and community organizations. The Ventura County Credit Union is the 2016 Presenting Sponsor. Other sponsors include: Castoro Cellars, City of Ventura Environmental Sustainability, County Commerce Bank, For Your Home Furniture, Great Pacific Iron Works, Patagonia, Poseidon Brewing Co., Two Trees Brewing Co., REI, Ventura Water and Whole Foods.
To purchase tickets, visit www.venturahillsides.org and click on the Events tab. To become a member of VHC, click on the “Donate Today” button on the website’s home page. For more information on tickets or sponsorship opportunities, call VHC at 643-8044.
The Ventura Hillsides Conservancy, founded in 2003, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and providing access to Ventura’s hillsides and the Ventura River. The organization is supported by over 400 members, local business and government partners.
