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Vol. 14, No. 25 – Sept 8 – Sept 21, 2021 – Opinion/Editorial

∙ Drove to Ojai recently, it was 68 degrees in Ventura and 102 there. So, don’t complain when it gets to be 80 here about it being too hot.

∙ A reader asked about what happened to local radio station KVEN (1450 AM, “SportsRadio 1450”). Truthfully, I didn’t know it existed. Probably because I am not a big sports fan.

Found out that is was a radio station licensed to Ventura, California and had been operating from 1948 to 2021. KVEN last carried sports radio programming from the national CBS Sports Radio network, with no locally originated programming. It was owned by Cumulus Media and broadcast at a power of 1,000 watts.

Cumulus shut down KVEN in July, 2021, and surrendered its license to the Federal Communications Commission. Dodgers’ broadcasts were moved to sister station KVYB on July 23. Nothing about why it shut down but probably because they didn’t generate enough advertising to keep broadcasting.

∙ 5782? Wow, how time goes by it seems as if it was just 5781. Happy New Year!

∙ The California Public Utilities Commission has stopped the upgrades being done at the Ventura gas compressor on the westside while Southern California Gas Company meets the agency’s demands. SoCalGas must also hold future public forums before continuing.

The gas company wants to replace three gas compressors with four new ones. They also want to build a warehouse and office building at the site.

Ventura Unified School District Superintendent Roger Rice has also expressed his opposition to the SoCal plans. He pointed out how close the gas compressor was to E.P. Foster Elementary School and the Boys&Girls Club.

At the moment, however, the Boys&Girls Club has closed after a dispute with the Ventura Unified School District over requirements for state grants. The club’s activities and offerings were deemed not compliant with the California Department of Education after-school program grant requirements.

I certainly hope they can work this out, as the Club provides a great service for the children in the area. It has been there since 1968.

∙ Popstar Britney Spears will not face charges for allegedly striking one of her employees. Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko, an ex-city council member, and now Ventura County District Attorney, announced that Spears would not be charged with any crimes related to an alleged incident involving her housekeeper. Spears was accused by her housekeeper of battery last month at the singer’s home in Ventura County.

”Did you miss me?”

∙ On August 5, in an attempt to restore flows to the Ventura river, the Santa Barbara Channelkeeper’s advocacy for Ventura River reached a monumental moment when the City of Ventura stopped all pumping at its Foster Park well field. Channelkeeper had filed a lawsuit in 2015 to challenge the City for over pumping the area. Their desire is restoring water flow to the parched river ecosystem. The agreement established a minimum river flow threshold that would result in the stopping of pumping, which has already occurred this summer. I hope this doesn’t make our water even more difficult to obtain.

∙ According to Ventura County Supervisor Matt LaVere (another ex-city council member),

the rules that require Rincon Parkway visitors to pull straight into their parking spaces along the seawall have been extended to include a larger area. The straight-in parking area along the Ventura seawall by Solimar Beach will be extended another 1,000 feet. This will allow many more cars to park.

“We have received an overwhelmingly positive response from the community regarding the straight-in parking rules which were implemented over the Fourth of July weekend at Solimar Beach,” stated Levere.

∙ Feb.29, 2020: The Trump administration and the Taliban reach an agreement to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan by May 1, 2021. As part of the agreement the Taliban agreed to cut ties with Al Qaeda and refrain attacking U.S. forces. In response, the US pressured the Afghanistan government to release 5,000 Taliban prisoners.

So, don’t blame Biden for withdrawing U.S. troops after 20 years, it certainly was about time. He can certainly be blamed for the terrible manner in which the evacuation was carried out.

And he was not responsible for the suicide bomber that killed troops and almost 200 Afghanistan’s. Suicide bombers are hard to stop ( remember Kamikaze pilots during World War II.) The Taliban were responsible for making sure a bomber didn’t enter the area but obviously missed this one. There was some speculation that it could have been a female because the Taliban are not allowed to “pat down” women.

This is what made this war so difficult. Because of religious and tribal differences there has been fighting there for hundred of years and (even if we stayed) for hundreds of years to come.

∙ Texas’ new law allowing most people to carry handguns in public without a permit or training came in part from the belief by many that the best way to prevent crime and stop an armed bad guy is to whip out your gun and start firing.

Statistics show that crime actually increases after such laws are implemented. And even some Texas authorities worry that having more people walking around armed will lead to more disagreements being settled through gunfire (the OK Corral returns).

Police in Washington, D.C. were searching for suspects after a Saturday evening shooting that left three people dead and three others wounded in the northwest part of the city.

A former Marine outfitted in body armor fatally shot four people, including a baby, mother and grandmother, at a property outside Lakeland, Florida. The suspect, identified as Brian Riley, 33, then engaged in a firefight with law enforcement officers before surrendering to authorities.

“It’s very frustrating and we’ve been talking about gun violence for a long time,” D.C. police Chief Robert Contee told reporters. “We know this issue is not unique to Washington, D.C., but I think it speaks to the overall sickness that we’re seeing in our community and that sickness being gun violence.”

∙Two weeks after the annual motorcycle rally in Sturgis, South Dakota, reported Covid infections in the state have risen nearly sixfold. South Dakota counted 3,819 new cases in the past two weeks, including seven deaths, up from 644 cases in the 14 days preceding it.

A fallen tree at Mission Park

What is an Armillaria?

On Sunday night, August 29, the City received a call about a downed Brazilian Pepper tree at Mission Park. Upon inspection with our Urban Forestry Team and an independent contractor, the tree failed at the base due to Armillaria root rot. 

What is Armillaria? It’s a fungus that causes disease in many types of trees and shrubs. New infections occur when healthy roots grow close to diseased roots. Unfortunately, there is no treatment for Armillaria root rot. The disease can be managed by the consistent removal of dead trees and infected stumps.

Typically, the trees show signs or symptoms of this disease, which may include honey-colored or brownish-yellow mushrooms in clumps around the base of the tree, shoestring mycelium, mycelial fans, and oozing from the main stem. Unfortunately, there were no visible signs to diagnose with this tree. Staff also found white mycelium inside the center of the stump and roots (see photos). This pathogen can seriously impact the structural integrity of a tree and is what ultimately caused this specific tree to fail.

City staff will continue to monitor this area for the safety of park visitors. For more information, contact the City’s Urban Forestry Division at 805-652-4550 or [email protected].

Visit Ventura finishes in the top three in U.S. Travel Association National Award 

Marlyss Auster Visit Ventura CEO & President and Cheryl Shallanberger Vice President of Sales & Marketing accepting the National Award.

Visit Ventura was chosen as a finalist for a prestigious ESTO Award, finishing in the top three in a nationwide competition between destination marketing organizations across the country in a contest sponsored by the United States Travel Association. 

“We are beyond thrilled and so very proud of our Visit Ventura team,” said Marlyss Auster, Visit Ventura President & CEO.  “Finishing in the top three in a contest of this scope is a first for us, and that makes us proud. But we’re proudest of the program itself, which helped support our local Ventura businesses during a very difficult time. Our aim has always been to do the next right thing to help our community, in both good times and harder times. ”

Winners were announced at ESTO’s Awards Dinner on Tuesday, August 17 in Los Angeles, California. Ventura placed in the top three for their entry “Love, via Beer, in the Time of Covid” in the Virtual Programming category. The entry showcased Visit Ventura’s “Thirsty Thursday” program, an innovative virtual program that, among other things, helped boost both business and morale in the Ventura community during the pandemic.  

The U.S. Travel Association is a national, non-profit organization representing all components of the travel industry. As the united voice of the industry, U.S. Travel prioritizes high-impact issues that matter most, identifying both the travel industry’s biggest opportunities and challenges. ESTO is an acronym for “Educational Seminar for Tourism Organizations.” 

Of late, of course, the biggest challenge has been the pandemic, and Visit Ventura’s “Thirsty Thursday” program addressed those challenges head-on. The program worked with happy simplicity. Each Thursday, a Ventura winery or brewery stepped up to the virtual counter to do a live virtual tasting on Facebook, the Visit Ventura team broadcasting the tasting to its 200,000-plus viewers and beyond. Viewers bought the beer and wine beforehand. During the tasting, the brewers and vintners explained the science-cum-magic behind the tastes while viewers happily sipped and asked questions via chat. The tastings strayed beyond beer and wine, into locally made chocolates and ice cream.

The program didn’t snowball; it galloped out of the gates. The total individual reaches of the live broadcasts ranged from 10,000 to 12,000 viewers. Brewers sold out of beer. The chocolatier sold 200 boxes of chocolates, earning roughly $10,000 at a time when sales were not quite, but very close to, hopeless. 

“We knew we wanted to help our community in the best way we could,” said Auster, who attended the Los Angeles awards ceremony with Visit Ventura Vice President of Sales & Marketing Cheryl Shallanberger. “Without visitors, our local businesses needed help. While we’re proud to be a finalist, what we’re truly proudest of is how the Ventura community stepped up to help keep our businesses in business.”

“It was a really fun program, but, on a serious note, it was something more,” added Shallanberger. “It may have just been beer and wine, but it was also a reminder of the things that matter. A positive attitude and caring. Invincible spirit. How good things always outlast the dark.”

Visit visitventuraca.com/contact/staff to learn more about the Visit Ventura team and how they contribute to driving Ventura’s economy through tourism. 

 

When the well is dry, we learn the worth of water—Benjamin Franklin

Deborah Jordan Ph.D. EPA Deputy Regional Administrator, City Manager Alex McIntyre, Councilman Joe Schroeder, Congresswoman Julia Brownley (D-26th District), EPA Administrator Michael Regan and Ventura Mayor Sofia Rubalcava, and were part of the treatment facility presentation

by Sheli Ellsworth

The Sons of the Pioneers recorded the melodic song “Cool Water” in 1962: All day I face the barren waste without the taste of water, cool water . . . . Seventy-five years later, Ventura will face the same challenge. With the current system, demand will outpace the city’s water supply by 30% as early as 2035.

EPA Administrator Michael Regan and Congresswoman Julia Brownley (D-26th District) answered many questions about the future of water.

A recent press conference and tour of the Ventura Water Treatment Facility with Congresswoman Julia Brownley (D-26th District) and EPA Administrator Michael Regan introduced Ventura Water’s plan for avoiding the upcoming water shortage. “It’s important to get out from behind the desk in Washington, D.C., and see what’s happening on the ground,” Regan said. “And looking at the innovation and the creativity it takes to develop these aged facilities in a way that can withstand some of the pressures we’re facing today.” Ventura Mayor Sofia Rubalcava, City Councilman Joe Schroeder and City Manager Alex McIntyre also attended the event.

The two-part plan includes: tapping into state water and recovering, treating and reusing water that is currently discharged into the Santa Clara River Estuary.

Sound simple? Ventura Water has been planning and researching for over a decade to make the city’s future water usage sustainable, environmentally friendly and regulatory compliant. They have met with over 25 legislators and lobbyist looking for funding. They have operated a demonstration facility for nine months and have made four annual trips to Washington, DC to meet with Congress members and Senators. They have reached out to the community through facility tours, open house events and received national EPA recognition for their efforts.

Climate change and the worsening drought bode poorly for the future of Ventura County. Ventura County is the “fastest-warming county” in the lower 48 states, Brownley said, referring to a 2019 survey by the Washington Post. August 19 maps from the U.S. Drought Monitor show most of Ventura County in exceptional drought—the most severe category.

Since 1971, the city of Ventura has owned the rights to a 10,000 acre foot a year of water (3.259 x109 gallons) via the California State Water Project. The proposed State Water Interconnection Project would improve the movement water from rainfall-rich Northern California to drier local areas. The seven-mile pipeline to deliver water from Calleguas Municipal Water District systems in Camarillo to the City of Ventura will cost approximately $50 million.

Judge water by its quality, not by its history—Ventura Water

he process of recovery, treatment and reusing water is a complex series of filtration. From sewage to potable water is forward-thinking leap of technology known as VenturaWaterPure. The proposed advanced water purification facility (AWPF) would: biofiltrate, ultrafiltrate, reverse osmose, UV and oxidate treat our wastewater then inject it into groundwater basins like the Oxnard Basin. Extractions would occur as needed and extracted water is “conditioned” before being released to the community at drinking water quality standards. Reuse at its best. The advanced water purification facility needs to be implemented in the next six years to meet water supply needs.

The current plant on Spinnaker Drive in the Ventura Harbor, which treats eight to nine million gallons of wastewater per day, was built in 1955 and had has undergone several improvements through the decades. Ventura Water General Manager Susan Rungren said construction on the new facility will begin in November 2023 at a price tag of about $260 million. The Senate-approved trillion-dollar infrastructure bill, which includes funding for water projects, may help fund the project if the House of Representatives passes the legislation.

According to a CNN article by Kieron Monks in 2015, toilet-to-tap is not new although the thought might disgust some. Orange County Water District (OCWD) recycles used water and returns it to the drinking supply and is expanding production to 100 million gallons per day, enough for a third of the population or 850,000 people.

The website southeastasiaglobe.com wrote in 2014 that Singapore began working on recycling water in 2003 and now a third of the waste water produced by its 5.7 million inhabitants is treated. Thirty miles of tunnels transports the sewage from residential areas to huge treatment facilities where about 72,345,000 gallons of “new water” is produced each day.

What about the taste? Researchers at the University of California, Riverside published a study of recycled wastewater in 2018 that focused on the taste. The UCR study asked 143 people to compare treated tap water (IDR) with conventional tap water and commercially bottled water. The waters were presented in similar cups and were unlabeled. After tasting the water, participants ranked the taste, texture, temperature and smell. Mary Gauvain, a professor of psychology at UC Riverside and co-author of the study reported that groundwater-based water was not as well liked as the indirect potable reuse (IDR) or bottled water. “We think that happened because IDR and bottled water go through remarkably similar treatment processes, so they have low levels of the types of tastes people tend to dislike.”

Water is essential for life on earth. Whether or not Ventura is blessed by rain, a sustainable, environmentally friendly way of reclaiming quality water is imperative for each and every citizen.

The time is now.

 

Assess your cancer risk at an online seminar on Aug. 26

Community Memorial Health System is hosting a free online seminar that can help you assess your risk for developing cancer. The free seminar, titled, “Genetic Testing: What it Can Tell You About Your Risk & Prevention of Cancer,” will take place at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 26.

While there is no sure way to prevent cancer, there are things everyone can do to help identify and decrease the risk of developing cancer. In some cases, evaluating your genetic makeup can provide valuable information to help estimate or predict your chance of getting cancer at some point in your lifetime.

To attend, please RSVP at www.cmhshealth.org/RSVP. This event is hosted by Community Memorial Health System as part of its 2021 Speaker Series Online. Leading this seminar are family medicine physician Dr. Allan Wagner and Ember Layton, a licensed and certified genetic counselor.

Ventura County Public Health issues new health order requiring masking indoors

Ventura County Public Health has issued a new health order requiring all individuals, regardless of vaccination status, to wear face coverings when indoors in public settings, with limited exceptions. This order took effect at 11:59 p.m. Friday, August 20, 2021. Businesses and other public entities had until 11:59 p.m. on Monday, August 23, 2021, to comply. The order will be in effect until 11:59 pm on September 19, 2021, or until it is extended, rescinded, superseded, or amended by the Health Officer.

“As of today, we reached a rate of 28 cases per 100,000, a 40% increase. I hope that this order will increase mask usage in Ventura County. I expect that this will have a beneficial effect on the increase in COVID-19 infections we are seeing,” said Public Health Officer Doctor Robert Levin.

The order directs that face coverings must be worn over the mouth and nose – regardless of vaccination status – in all indoor public settings, venues, gatherings, and workplaces, including but not limited to offices, retail stores, restaurants and bars, theaters, family entertainment centers, conference and event centers, and government offices serving the public.

Individuals, businesses, venue operators, hosts, and others responsible for the operation of indoor public settings must:

  • Require all patrons to wear face coverings for all indoor settings, regardless of their vaccination status; and
  • Post clearly visible and easy-to-read signage at all entry points for indoor settings to communicate the masking requirements to all patrons. Signage is provided by Ventura County Public Health at www.vcrecovers.org.

This health order aims to reduce community transmission of COVID-19. Health officials are concerned by the substantial levels of increased community transmission, especially among unvaccinated people. In part, this is due to the widespread COVID-19 Delta variant, which is substantially more transmissible than previous forms of the virus

More information about COVID-19 available at: www.venturacountyrecovers.org.

City of Ventura encourages residents to prepare for the next emergency

Make a Plan, Build a Kit, Stay Informed

The City of Ventura joins the Ready Campaign during National Preparedness Month, an annual opportunity for families and communities to take a proactive approach in personal preparedness.

“Often, friends, and neighbors will be the first ones to take action after a disaster strikes and before first responders arrive,” said Mayor Sofia Rubalcava. “All groups in our community have a responsibility to be prepared. This includes our families, friends, schools, businesses, and community stakeholders.”

The 2021 theme is “Prepare to Protect. Preparing for disasters is protecting everyone you love.” The national Ready Campaign offers a weekly focus and resources on various elements of preparedness, including financial preparedness, making a family emergency plan, building a go-kit, and teaching youth.

“National Preparedness Month is the good reminder for residents to think about emergency risks in Ventura and take meaningful action to ensure that their families and neighborhoods are disaster ready,” said Daniel Wall, Emergency Services Manager for the City of Ventura. “Taking steps to prepare now improves our ability to react, respond, and recover whenever and wherever a disaster occurs.”

The City of Ventura urges everyone to take three important action steps to get prepared:

Make a Plan: Talk with members of your household about what to do during emergencies. Plan what to do in case of separation and choose a two meeting places- one right outside your home in case of a sudden home emergency like a fire, and another outside your neighborhood in case you cannot return home or are asked to evacuate.

Build a Kit: Assemble an easy-to-carry preparedness kit complete with water, non-perishable food, a flashlight, extra batteries, phone chargers, a battery-powered radio, first aid kit, and medications.

Stay Informed: Register for VC Alert, Ventura County’s Emergency Notification System. Call, text, or email to sign-up. Learn more at www.VCAlert.org.

During the month of September, the community is invited to join the City’s Office of Emergency Services at an upcoming Neighborhood Community Council meeting to learn different aspects of preparedness for individuals, families, and communities.

College Area Community Council: Wednesday, August 25, at 7:00 pm.

Westside Community Council: Wednesday, September 1, at 6:30 p.m.

Midtown Community Council: Thursday, September 9, at 7:00 p.m.

East Ventura Community Council: Thursday, September 16, at 7:00 p.m.

Pierpont Bay Community Council: Tuesday, September 21, at 7:00 p.m.

Downtown Ventura Partners: Thursday, September 22, at 8:30 a.m.

For more disaster preparedness information, visit www.CityofVentura.ca.gov/EmergencyPreparedness or

www.ReadyVenturaCounty.org.

Try to keep up with this senior tennis player

Breeze publisher Sheldon (on the right) enjoys playing with John at the court at Portside Ventura Harbor. He hopes to beat him some day.

When not on the tennis courts, John B. Bennett has had a long career in motion picture and television production, and it’s still active in the profession.

He began his tennis career early, at just 10-years-old. He competed on his high school team and played in college for UCLA. John started playing senior tournaments in the 35 division a long time ago. John Bennett played, and won, plenty of tournaments. This is just a few of his most memorable wins and achievements.

2001: Number one ranking in Southern California.

2015: National grass and hardcourt third place in singles and doubles.

Has held a national ranking of number 2 in singles and number 3 in doubles.

Has held an SCTA ranking of number one in singles and number 2 in doubles.

Bennett has whipped juniors into shape in the SCTA Youth vs. Experience matches at the LA Tennis Club. He has also been a strong supporter of local tournament competition, and has been a participant in nearly every Senior Grand Prix championship over the past 33 years.

Marvelous Mug – take 2.

Foto: Why not get two mugs?

Since this is our second Marvelous Mug Marketplace why not get two mugs? The artists at the Ventura Pottery Gallery know how important morning rituals are – Keurig, pour-over, cold brew or green tea – and they are busy throwing or hand-building hundreds of mugs for you to choose your next favorite one. Mugs are lead-free, microwave and dishwasher safe. And if that isn’t enough, the first twenty purchases each day will receive a free cup of coffee from Top This Chocolate, just around the corner from the Gallery. 

We invite you to stop by during the Ventura Art & Street Painting Festival, Saturday, Sept. 11 and Sunday, Sept. 12 from  11–6  each day. Over 30 ceramic artists will be featured in a special outdoor exhibit of just mugs. Throwing and hand-building demonstrations will take place all weekend outside the gallery. Step inside to see a Gallery bursting with functional and sculptural ceramics. 

The Ventura Pottery Gallery is located at 1567 Spinnaker Drive, Suite 105 in Ventura Harbor. The gallery is open seven days a week from 11-6.

The Ventura County Potters’ Guild is non-profit and was founded in 1957 and continues its mission of promoting ceramic arts through the Gallery, workshops, and monthly meetings. The monthly meetings are open to the public and feature ceramic demonstrations or presentations. More information can be found at www.venturapottersguild.org. Can’t make it to the gallery? Please visit our Online Store at www.venturapotteryonline.com.