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Reception held at the Rubicon’s Sandra and Jordan Laby Hall

The visual arts to play a new and substantive role at the Rubicon. Photos by Patricia Schallert

On July 21, the Rubicon Theatre Company, Ventura’s non-profit professional theatre company held an opening reception for the transformation of the Sandra and Jordan Laby Hall. As part of the re-envisioning, the downstairs hall has been fitted out with an industry-standard gallery hanging system, offering an opportunity for visual arts to play a new and substantive role at the Rubicon along with their wonderful performances. Piano music, wine, and light snacks were provided to fill out the wonderful evening.

It is to be called “The Rose Room” in honor of Ojai residents Amanda McBroom (Golden Globe Award-winning creator of the song “The Rose”) and George Ball. The two have been an integral part of Rubicon’s artistic history.

McBroom and Ball shared a statement, “The pre-christening of the Rose Room at the Rubicon and the unveiling of that glorious mural by Michael O’Kelly was an astounding moment for both of us. We were amazed by the beauty of the mural. And by the reality of such a splendid and intimate new space for art and music. We both love the Rubicon and our friends Karyl Lynn Burns, Jim O’Neil, and Bev and Kirby Ward.

The staff and Board selected internationally renowned local artist Michael O’Kelly to assist in the remodel. The result of the partnership is a showing of 24 pieces by O’Kelly (plus new murals by him featured on page 17). The show is entitled, “An Historical Eye” includes oil paintings, dye sublimations, and gold-leaf prints. O’Kelly was on hand to greet visitors and discuss his art (all of which is for sale).

This collaboration between one of the largest arts organizations in Ventura and a local artist is an example of how the 24-year-old Ventura institution reimagines its place in the community in the wake of the pandemic. O’Kelly has a long and storied history in the art world. A prodigy, Michael sold his first work of art at the age of nine.

Karyl Lynn Burns, Co-Founder and Producing Artistic Director at Rubicon, sums up the idea of the arts sector coming together, “There is enormous undeveloped potential in Ventura. We must think big and find innovative ways to strengthen our creative economy. The status quo won’t do.”

At the event, Rubicon Director of Outreach Beverly Ward also unveiled the partially painted mural by Michael O’Kelly which, when complete, will become a focal point for the room and a further reason for local residents from visitors throughout the world to come to Rubicon. The mural is the largest ever conceived by O’Kelly, with McBroom and Ball at the center (see page 17 to find out how you can be added to the mural).

Rubicon Theatre Company – Sandra and Jordan Laby Hall
1006 E. Main St. Ventura
Admission is free

Son of Ventura Councilwoman Lorrie Brown dies in carjacking and homicide

The 22-year-old son of Ventura Councilwoman Lorrie Brown died on Thursday, July 22, in Florida. Jeremiah Emmanuel Jordan Brown died of an apparent carjacking and homicide. The exact facts of his murder are still being investigated as Osceola County detectives continue to work on the case.

Jeremiah Brown was born and raised in Ventura and went to Montalvo Elementary, Anacapa Middle and Buena High schools. He was on vacation with his family, staying in an Airbnb in Davenport, Florida. They were celebrating an important time in his girlfriend’s nursing program.

His death was reported to Lorrie by Ventura police officers that evening.
who had been contacted by detectives from the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office.

Lorrie Brown was elected to the Ventura City Council in November, 2018.

Vehicle collides into tree on Harbor Blvd

On July 22,at 7:16am, the Ventura Police Department Command Center received a call of a vehicle into a tree on Harbor Blvd. near the intersection of Schooner Drive. The driver and sole occupant was pronounced deceased at the scene by the Ventura Fire Department.

At this time, traffic collision investigators believe the vehicle was driving at a high rate of speed and swerved to avoid colliding with the vehicle in front of it. The vehicle lost control and collided with a tree, fatally injuring the driver.

This investigation is ongoing and there was nothing at the scene that would indicate the driver was impaired. The name of the driver is being withheld pending next of kin notification by the Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Any witnesses to the collision are asked to contact Traffic Collision Investigator Mercado at 805-3394306.

Ventura County Fair poster contest winners

Vita Jolie Vasquez

Photos by Patricia Schallert

The winners of the Ventura County Fair poster contest were unveiled by James Lockwood at a presentation at the fairgrounds.

First place went to 12-year-old Vita Jolie Vasquez from Fillmore. Who stated “I’ve always been interested in art in the different forms of it, including the process and stages. That includes drawing and painting, video games and fashion. My ultimate goal would be to make a living out of my art. I’ve been drawing ever since I could hold a pen which was before I could walk.

The second place winner is 17-year-old Amy Midence from Oxnard. Who said “I’m an incoming senior at Channel Islands High School. I would like to become an orthodontist. My interests are painting, drawing, crafting, baking and cooking and taking my dogs on walks. This was my first time entering the poster contest. On my poster I used acrylic paint and paint markers.

Amy Midence

Music Under the Stars returns to Olivas Adobe

The good news is the wonderful Music Under the Stars has returned to the Olivas Adobe Historical Park for another summer of wonderful music, dancing and eating. The bad news (unless you have tickets) is that the eight outdoor concerts are sold out. The historical adobe is also open for viewing and docents (lead by docent president Mary Thompson) are there to give you a history lesson of the adobe and its occupants.

The City Center is a bridge between homelessness and success for families with children

The City Center’s Year 2 fundraising drive is about to kick off. They must continue raising funds for The City Center to purchase their own home. Historically, 53% of their monthly costs were for rent, so buying the converted motel in downtown Ventura has been a big priority. Board member and longtime supporter of The City Center, John Exell, said, “The City Center program has proven success – we have seven years of not one graduate of our program returning to homelessness, a testament to our unique program. Our program is difficult, with many tough goals set, but we provide mentoring and counseling to help our residents become self-sufficient and thrive”.

The requirements for graduation from The City Center are:
– Be completely off government subsistence programs
– Have a full-time income-generating job
– Have a savings account
– Reliable transportation
– Be 100% debt free

Jim Duran, Executive Director of The City Center says, “The City Center goal-based program keeps our residents and children on track. They all have a “tiny home” or room just for them and their children, which allows the family to stay together. Being unhoused is a difficult path for anyone to take, but for homeless moms, dads, with children, it is horrible. No child should be homeless. The residents in our bridge program, which transitions folks to a healthy, supportive lifestyle, often go on to be counselors and help others. We are so proud of all of them.”

They recently held  The CAKE event which was a day of photos, filming residents and their children, and discussing The City Center’s impact on their lives. In addition, there was a giant cake for the families to celebrate Year One’s fundraising result and gratitude for the Ventura County community stepping up to help.

Coming up on August 18, at 5:30pm, is a rare opportunity to see The City Center, meet families and talk with them at a “sponsor a room” event, which asks community members, faith-based organizations, and businesses to help.  To help house more homeless families and children please donate by visiting  https://www.gofundme.com/f/TheCityCenter

Photographers explore Ventura Botanical Gardens

Adela Lisanti

Winners of the 2022 VBG in Bloom Photo Contest highlighted the variety of colors, textures, views and other delights found in the continually expanding botanical gardens above City Hall.

Ten winning entries, the “Judges’ Choice”, were chosen by a panel of local photography professionals and three entries, the “Peoples’ Choice”, were chosen by open voting on the Ventura Botanical Gardens Facebook page.

The contest judges again this year were former commercial photographer and photography instructor Phil Ranger; Dexter’s Camera owner and photographer Greg Montana; and architectural photographer Stephen Schafer (AKA Schäf), who specializes in HABS, HAER, HALS formats to support preservation of architectural, engineering and landscape resources.

More than 150 photos from 81 entrants were placed into four categories: Botanical Detail; Color and Texture; Seen in the Garden; and View/Scenes. Judges chose winners in each category. No categories were used in open voting and selection was based on most “likes”.

The judges noted the increased number of entries this year as an endorsement of the growing popularity of Ventura Botanical Gardens as a special place for photographers of all experience levels.

Winners in the Judges’ Choice by category were:

Botanical Detail:
Sylvia Gabrie (1st), Johanna Washington (2nd), and Jacqueline Counter (3rd)
Color and Texture:
Sarah Dillon (1st), Becky Clearwater (2nd) and Sean Doll (3rd)
Seen in the Garden:
Sarah Dillion (1st)
Views/Scenes:
Kelly Nakamaru (1st)), Nicky Diaz(2nd) and Damian Merritt (3rd)

Winners in the Peoples’ Choice were:
Adela Lisanti (1st and 2nd) and Sarah Dillion (3rd)

Damian Merritt

Vol. 15, No. 22 – July 27 – Aug 9, 2022 – Movie Review

Streaming Spotlight by Cindy Summers
Jerry & Marge Go Large – Paramount +

Jerry Selbee (Bryan Cranston) had worked at the same cereal factory for 42 years until changes forced him into retirement, which was not a lifestyle he was comfortable with as he was a math genius and big picture problem solver. He felt his talents would go to waste until the day he stopped in his local quick stop for his regular cup of coffee and decided to check out the odds of his local lottery. Scribbling the math on a napkin, Jerry realized that to his surprise the odds were in favor of the players when the Windfall was triggered, where if no one won and the jackpot went above $2 million that it would drop down to increase the lesser winning number tickets.

Jerry tested his theory with $8,000, all the savings he and his wife Marge (Annette Bening) had, and didn’t tell her his plan but won $15,000 which he hid in a cereal box in the pantry. Jerry finally told Marge, who surprisingly was excited and supportive of his new idea. The Michigan lottery canceled their Windfall game, but Massachusetts still had Windfall and was only 10 hours away so they booked a motel in a tiny town where the spent the day printing tickets at the local market and the night separating the winning tickets that totaled over $21,000.

Marge helped Jerry realize that if he shared what he knew he could help the town and the people, especially due to the fact that the more money they bet the more they win with Windfall. Jerry decided to start a legit corporation where his friends could buy in for $500 a share and earn an equal percentage of the profits. Jerry and Marge’s winnings and the group investment totaled just over $40,000 and ended up winning $82,000.

Shortly after their first big win a Harvard student named Tyler was doing his thesis on the odds of winning POWERBALL vs MEGAMillions, and in checking smaller games for comparison discovered the same loophole Jerry discovered with Windfall. Tyler organized a student group to buy tickets but felt their winnings were too low, and they determined after hacking into the lottery there was another group. Tyler tried a couple of times to get Jerry’s group out of the game, but was never successful as while Tyler was in it to get rich, Jerry was in it to help his community.

A reporter named Maya from the Boston Globe was doing a story on the lottery, and after getting a long awaited report from the lottery office found Jerry and Tyler’s names repeatedly in the payouts. She decided visit Jerry to see what was happening, but Jerry had nothing to hide as he wasn’t cheating was up to printing tickets for eleven days to cover their investors buyins. Maya’s interview with Tyler showed their differing reasons for playing, and she felt compassion for Jerry.

Maya decided to print the article featuring Tyler and the Harvard group, basically leaving Jerry out of it, and the lottery immediately removed their machines and canceled the game so Jerry had to tell the group it was all over. Unbeknownst to Jerry and Marge the group got together and played the last Windfall, going to stores all across the state and even organizing a bus for the townspeople to buy the thousands of tickets. They brought the tickets back on a flatbed for Jerry and Marge to count, understanding how much the whole experience meant to them.

Jerry’s winnings totaled $27 million, and Jerry and Marge took their winnings and started a construction loan company for Evart, and like many of their friends and neighbors put their children and grandchildren through school. Bryan Cranston and Annette Bening are perfectly cast in their roles and to learn more about this incredible true story, here’s a link to the 60 Minutes interview from 2019 with the real Jerry and Marge Selbee: https://youtu.be/TTYnHr_-wcY

Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 1h 30m

Vol. 15, No. 22 – July 27 – Aug 9, 2022 – Community Events

Events by Ana Baker

If you have experienced the loss of a loved one due to suicide, do not hesitate to join our Survivors of Suicide Loss grief support group. Livingston’s Grief and Bereavement Program are committed to maintaining an open, accepting, confidential atmosphere. All free of charge. Survivors of Suicide Loss meets the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of every month from 6:30- 8 p.m. If you would like to register for a support group, please contact Stacia Sickle at 805-389-6870 x452 or at [email protected]. Visit www.LMVNA.org for more information.

The Ventura Senior Men’s Group meet for a social lunch and program at the Poinsettia Pavilion, on the first and third Tuesday each month. Men of all descriptions are always welcomed to stop in to sample our shenanigans. Bob Likins at 805-587-1233 or Rick Follenweider at 650-520-1098 can supply details.

Want to play Bridge? Join us for ACBL sanctioned duplicate bridge games
every Tues., Wed., and Thurs. at 12:30 p.m. Open to all levels of play and we
will guarantee to have a partner for you if you need one. Lessons are
available. Contact: Richard 805-850-8011 or Rose 805-659-9223 or
[email protected]. All are welcome.

July 27: The College Area Community Council’s zoom meeting will be Wednesday at 7 p.m. A representative from the Ventura Water Department will discuss the new water rate plan and city water projects. Council meetings include speakers and discussion on topics of neighborhood and community interest, including public safety and economic development. An invitation and link is sent to everyone on the CACC mailing list. Visit caccVentura.com to learn more, to be added to the mailing list or to access a link to the Zoom meeting.”

August 3, 17: Parent grief support group. The Compassionate Friends (TCF) of West Ventura County provides free grief support for families after the death of a child. Parents, grandparents and siblings over 16 are welcome to join us on the first and third Wednesdays of every month from 7-8:30 p.m. via ZOOM. First-time attendees join the call at 6:45 pm. We provide peer-led support where you can openly grieve without judgement. If interested, please contact (805) 835-9100 and leave your email address so we can forward the ZOOM link via email a few days before the scheduled call. For more information, visit TCFVentura.org. To speak with the TCF Chapter Leader in Ventura, contact Laura Lindsay at (914) 610-8918. We welcome you to this club no one ever wants to join. We understand grief and are here to help you take the next step in your healing journey.

August 3: BCNN will meet at the Ventura Yacht Club Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. The speaker will be the Executive Director of the Ventura Botanical Gardens, Joseph Cahill, PH.D., J.D. He will be discussing the progress and exploration of the Ventura Botanical Gardens.” BCNN (Beach Cities Neighbors and Newcomers) is a social organization for women from Ventura, Oxnard and

Port Hueneme. Nonmembers are welcome to attend at no cost to get to know us and see if they are interested in our monthly coffee meetings and the many small group activities, we sponsor. On the web at www.BCNNwomensclub.org

August 7: Open house tours of the 1892 Dudley Historic House Museum will take place on Sunday, from 1- 4 p.m. Admission is free. The museum is located at the corner of Loma Vista and Ashwood Streets (197 N. Ashwood) in Ventura. For information, please call (805) 642-3345 or visit the website at dudleyhouse.org.

August 9: The Ventura County Writers Club is hosting a free workshop at Pleasant Valley Parks and Rec Center, 1605 Burnley in Camarillo. Greg Elliot, television writer for Star Trek: Voyager, story editor for Savannah and Charmed will speak on Drilling Down on Dialogue: The mother lode. Learn: two things all dialogue must do; the trap of writing the way people talk; dialogue motivated by what characters want, not what you want; accents, idioms, and expressions, you know; and when writing less sounds right. Greg also wrote for the Disney Channel series In a Heartbeat. Call 805.300.1365 for more information.

Vol. 15, No. 22 – July 27 – Aug 9, 2022 – Harbor Patrol Blotter

Tuesday 7/05	7:53pm, while on patrol in the Fireboat, observed Standup Paddlers without lifejackets and navigation lights. Issued warnings for violations.
Wednes 7/06	3:21am, received lost/stolen property, a portable air compressor from 4points hotel security. A few transients left it at the hotel lobby. 11:04am, dispatched to a broken arm and stingray strike. Officers responded with VFD/AMR and treated the broken arm for transport. Hot water applied to the stingray strike victim, waited for parents to transport. While waiting, a third patient found with a stingray strike. Treated with hot water and released.
Thursday 7/07	4:00am, contacted a female transient camping in the Port District lot. She declined to leave and stated she was on the run from a hobo gang all the way from Arkansas. The gang is after her because of comments made on a pod cast.
Friday 7/08	11:11am, dispatched to a fall victim in the Ventura Marina Community. Officers responded with VFD/AMR, patient transported, on the floor for days. 5:10pm, observed group of juveniles attempting to jump off fish offloading pier. Halted group, issued warnings for violation and advised of poor water quality.
Saturday 7/09	6:21am, received report of two males fishing at the pond inside the Ventura Marina Community. Officers responded and removed the pair with warnings.

Wednes 7/13	2:38am, dispatched to a cardiac full arrest in the Ventura Marina Community. Officers responded with VFD/AMR to a 70 y/o female unresponsive, no pulse. All resuscitation efforts and devices were utilized, including AED and a Lucas machine, but unfortunately rescuers were unable to revive the patient. 3:45pm, dispatched to a stingray strike at Harbor Cove. Officers responded with hot water to treat the injury.
Thursday 7/14	10:47am, assisted Tow Boat US with traffic control while they tow a 65ft fishing vessel into the harbor and then to the boatyard for haulout. 4:25pm, observed a rental electric boat disabled in the turning basin. Officers responded in Fireboat, towed the vessel back to the rental dock in the village.
Friday 7/15	5:00pm, received a report of a disabled Personal Watercraft South of the Harbor. Officers responded in Rescue Boat 19, but while en route passed the rescue to Tow Boat US because the vessel was 7 miles South of the Harbor.
Saturday 7/16	12:39pm, dispatched to a diabetic patient having a seizure at Harbor Cove. Officers responded with VFD/AMR and treated with oxygen and monitored blood Oxy until medics arrived and eventually transported to hospital. 6:55pm, while on patrol in Fireboat, observed a few Standup paddle boards extending into the navigable channel in the A-Basin. Officers issued warning.
Sunday 7/17	11:30am, monitoring start of the Ventura Yacht Club regatta from the Fireboat. The start was delayed by fog, but it quickly cleared and race began. 4:35pm, received request to tow a large plastic water toy that sank in the keys. Officers responded in Fireboat, were able to dewater, then tow the toy to its dock
Monday 7/18	11:45am, issued warning to operator of a 20ft whaler in violation of speed and wake ordinance in the main channel while on patrol in Rescue Boat 19. 2:26pm, dispatched to a fall victim in front of the Water’s Edge Restaurant. Officers responded with AMR/VFD, patient transported to hospital.

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