Starting July 1, 2021, food providers in the City of Ventura will be banned from distributing expanded polystyrene (EPS) food and beverage containers.
EPS is commonly known as “Styrofoam”, is commonly found as litter on our beaches and other open spaces, where it is difficult to clean up because it breaks into small pieces and is easily moved by the wind.
Food providers include any person or business located within the City that provides prepared food or beverages for public consumption including, but not limited to, any store, supermarket, delicatessen, restaurant, shop, caterer, or mobile food vendor. Food and beverage containers include but are not limited to: cups, plates, bowls, meat trays, clamshells, and coolers that are not wholly encapsulated by another material.
There are exemptions for products that are packaged outside the city, such as EPS egg cartons. Additionally, there is a one-year financial hardship or practical difficulty exemption which can be found at www.cityofventura.ca.gov/EPSBan
City staff is available to answer questions and to help you navigate this change. There are ways to switch to non-EPS products at no cost, including partnering with Plastic Free Restaurants, an organization that subsidized the cost to switch to 100% compostable food and beverage containers.
Email [email protected] for more information, and to receive assistance from City staff. For the complete ordinance text, visit: http://bit.ly/EPSmunicode.
The Ventura Friends of the Library had its first in-person book sale of the year on April 17, in the E.P. Foster Library parking lot. Volunteers filled their cars and trucks, and displayed the books on tables and in their trunks and hatchbacks, sorted by genre. COVID protocols were observed.
There was a line of eager booklovers waiting before the opening at 9 a.m. Hundreds of community members came, browsed, and left with bags full of books. Over $1600 was raised for the libraries.
Thanks to all the volunteers, the buyers, and Boy Scout Troop 155 for making the sale a success.
VCLSA Tutoring program – “Change a Life; It Might Be Your Own”
The READ Adult Literacy program is a vibrant and valuable tool for assisting the community; one that many citizens are not aware of. Adults who wish to improve their literacy skills are teamed with community members who receive training through the library and then are paired with a learner. Traditionally, this has been done face-to-face.
Carol Chapman, in her 18th year as READ Program Director, has this to say about the impact of COVID on her program participants. “The COVID pandemic has been a challenge for the READ program, as it has been for everyone. However, many READ tutors and learners have remained active during stay-at-home sheltering. Some have read to each other over the telephone.
Others have learned to use ZOOM, SKYPE, TEAMS or other internet conferencing sites to meet “face-to-face remotely” and continue their tutoring sessions; often using the program’s popular online “News For You” newspaper.
In addition, numerous tutoring partners took “leave” from their tutoring sessions, some by necessity and others choice, and are eagerly waiting to return to work together again when the libraries open fully.”
About the program in general, she adds, “So many adults grew up struggling with reading all the way through school, and now READ has programs designed to make reading easier for them. When we match a struggling-reader with one of these programs and their own personal tutor — magic begins to happen! I wish more adults would give READ a chance to help. It generally makes their lives much easier.”
Charles McDermott, tutor, says about his experiences, “I have been involved with adult literacy programs since my retirement as a teacher, and it has proven to be the most fulfilling activity I have ever undertaken. Take Jose for example who came to the Oxnard Library Literacy office after lasting 20 minutes in his first college English class. It took us five years of working together but I will remember forever the sight of him dancing off with his daughter after his graduation from Ventura College! Or Julio who wanted to be an American citizen. After struggling for months with the rigorous demands of test preparation, I will never forget that phone call: ‘Mr. Charles I have bad news for you, I’m going to be voting in November!’ Satisfaction indeed!”
Getting a precise knee implant fit is important for both comfort and functionality but achieving the perfect fit is a challenge because each person’s anatomy is unique. The ROSA Knee System brings together robotic technology and industry-leading knee implants to help surgeons personalize surgical procedures, achieve greater precision, and carefully tailor the knee implant’s placement.
Find out if ROSA Knee is right for you at a free online event that takes place from 6-7 p.m. on Wednesday, May 12. To RSVP, visit www.cmhshealth.org/RSVP. This event is hosted by Community Memorial Health System as part of its 2021 Speaker Series Online.
The ROSA® Knee System is a robotically assisted surgical system that includes features to assist with bone resections and assessing the state of soft tissues to facilitate implant positioning intraoperatively. Data provided by ROSA allows surgeons to use computer and software technology to control and move surgical instruments, allowing for greater precision and flexibility during procedures.
The webinar presenter is Dr. John Ross Burge, a hip and knee reconstruction specialist with
extensive joint reconstruction training. His expertise includes robotic-assisted joint replacement, computer navigation joint replacement, revision hip and knee construction, minimally invasive surgery, partial knee replacement, and anterior and posterior hip reconstruction.
Community Memorial Health System is a not-for-profit health system that comprises Community Memorial Hospital, Ojai Valley Community Hospital, a skilled nursing facility, and several primary and specialty care clinics that serve communities throughout Ventura County, California.
Now in its ninth year, the goal of the Ventura County Charity Golf Tournament (VCCGT) remains the same, to be… “Fun, Affordable & For a Good Cause”. This annual event was founded by two Ventura County professionals, RJ Cutting and Robert Clark, both assisting Ventura County residents through the various stages of the home buying and lending process. Each year since 2012 (minus the COVID-19 hiatus of 2020), VCCGT has benefited numerous Ventura County based non-profit organizations, raising an estimated $100,000 to date. All funds raised have gone back to serve organizations in the Ventura County community.
VCCGT has selected Kids & Families Together (K&FT) to be the charity of choice for 2021’s event. Now in its 21st year, K&FT is a nonprofit that has been serving foster/resource, adoptive, kinship, and birth families throughout Ventura County since 2000. K&FT works with children who have experienced trauma, abuse, neglect, loss, and multiple placements. K&FT also works with caregivers who need specialized education, support, and strategies to help raise safe, healthy, nurtured children that thrive.
This year’s event will take place on Friday, May 14th, 2021 at Sterling Hills Golf Club in Camarillo, beginning with a 9am shotgun start. Sign up for yourself and your team now, as space will be limited to 144 golfers (36 teams of 4 golfers). Included in the event for all golfers will be a box lunch and drinks. Prizes, raffle and Hors d’oeuvre will follow at the conclusion of the tournament.
There are many ways available for you to support this event, even if you are not a golfer. Donate a raffle item, or become an event sponsor! There is a range of sponsorships levels available. Can you or your business become a “Presenting Sponsor”? Tee Sign sponsorships start as low as $135 or two for $200! Below is the event poster and sponsorship form highlighting all the details. Join us this year in bringing back an event that has supported so many!
Call today to reserve your spot or to become an Event Sponsor! RJ Cutting (805)279-9579
Mary Haffner, who served on the Behavioral Health Advisory Board for the past six years, says that, “Ventura County is not the only California county dealing with the societal, economic, and human health costs associated with our society’s collective failure to provide a continuum of care for those with severe mental health issues. While serving on the board, I was able to get a close look at Ventura County’s mental healthcare system as it relates to people with the most serious mental illnesses like schizophrenia, bi-polar disorder, and major depressive disorder. The needs of this population are far different from those who have mild to moderate mental health challenges and they require a specific set of treatment protocols and post-discharge supports. The good news is that these illnesses are highly treatable and people can do well given prompt and effective treatment.”
In a letter dated, October 29, 2019, to the Ventura County Board of Supervisors, from Haffner, while on the Behavioral Health Advisory Board, that concerned, ‘The Continuum of Care for the Seriously Mentally Ill in Ventura County,’ she stated: “Ventura County does not provide a full continuum of coordinated mental health care for the seriously mentally ill. Others with (physical) illnesses receive prompt and effective science-based treatment and follow-up supports to realize recovery. Investing in the continuum of care for those living with serious mental illness can alleviate stress on numerous agencies and begin to tackle the cycle of hospitalizations, incarceration, and homelessness.”
According to a letter to the Ventura County Board of Supervisors, from the Behavioral Health Advisory Board, on February 22, 2021, regarding the ‘Lanterman-Petrus-Short (LPS) Reform Workgroup Report’: “There was a need to reform provisions of the LPS Act.” However, “It was the County Counsel’s opinion that the Welfare and Institution code did not give the Behavioral Health Advisory Board the ability to engage in legislative matters or to advocate in support of legislation, even though members of the board strongly believed that behavioral health legislation was to be an integral part of its ability to address and work to resolve the needs of the behavioral health system of care in Ventura County.”
According to Haffner, “Providing treatment now requires adequate infrastructure, to include acute inpatient beds, appropriate step-down facilities, wrap-around post discharge supports, and supportive housing. Ventura’s crisis bed capacity is lower than counties similar in size. We do not have a facility that can directly accept psychiatric emergencies, necessitating long waits in hospital emergency rooms. Because people with serious mental illness often interface with numerous departments and agencies in a county system (hospital, jails, probation, behavior health, courts, homeless services), the most efficient way to utilize scarce resource is to look at the entire system, fortify communication between agencies, and to find ways to leverage resource to provide upstream treatment and supports. San Diego, Orange, and Los Angeles counties have all created templates for whole-systems approaches to provide treatment and supports for this population. And, other counties have used the Mental Health Services Act funding to partner with private entities to provide Crisis Stabilization Units and other crisis facilities.”
“Understanding the dire lack of crisis services and need for prompt and effective treatment,” according to Haffner, “the Behavioral Health Advisory Board recently prepared a report with recommendations for the Ventura County Board of Supervisors. Among these recommendations is a 30-day extension of hospitalization for individuals deemed gravely disabled in order to provide better care and stabilization and to avoid the need for Conservatorship. The reality of serious mental illness is that people need to receive treatment for longer than 3 days.”
Haffner believes that, “We don’t do more to help these people because I believe that discrimination and stigma play a big role in our society’s failure to provide treatment. We have normalized the jailing of people with mental illness and we have too many people who don’t want any treatment facilities in their communities. That is why leadership is so important. We need leader who understand the illness and who are willing to educate the public and work toward solutions.”
More venues are offering more live music as we transition gently back towards normalcy. I’m grateful to see strict Covid guidelines in place at the venues I’ve frequented the past couple of weeks. I’m hearing Winchesters will be offering live music on Thursdays (along with Fridays and Saturdays), the Raven Tavern in Oxnard now has live music on the weekends, Pierano’s has been ramping up their live music roster, and more and more artists are reaching out to me sharing their live music schedules which can be found at VenturaRocks.com. You can find the week’s listing on the Ventura Weekly Music Calendar link and the current day’s line up on the homepage.
Tom Buenger grew up in the 805 and has always been around music one way or another.
In this issue of the Breeze, I have a Q&A with local artist Tom Buenger, He first landed on my radar performing as Tom & Milo around town a few years ago. Tom has been working on original music which always warms my heart. He has his debut release Suburban Gospel this month so I thought I’d reach out and get the community acquainted with Tom Buenger.
Pam: How long have you been playing live music in the 805?
Tom Buenger: I grew up in the 805 and have always been around music one way or another. But after I left the military and settled into Ventura County in 2014, I quickly met Milo Sledge. Milo and I played a few times a week at venues between Goleta, Oxnard, Ventura, and Camarillo. One New Year’s, (2017 I think), I picked up a gig, and Milo was unavailable. I asked Teresa Russell if she would play the gig with me, and we instantly hit it off. She and I then played at least weekly until 2020 or so.
Give me the background on your musical journey.
Tom: I grew up singing. My mom has the most beautiful voice, and I was raised with her constantly singing to me. Singing, melody…just a sort of melodic communication…is even more engrained into my brain than the English language. I did not pick up an instrument until I turned 21. While in the Air Force I went to this Blues Club (Blues Central) for my 21st, while I was stationed in Alaska. There was a man playing wonderful boogie woogie blues on the piano, and I eventually asked if he would teach me a thing or two. He taught me the Nashville system, and it was downhill from there. I obsessed over piano, locking myself in my apartment on my days off until I had the basic skill (and courage) to play at a local blues jam. I got up, played my one song, it was absolutely terrible, but I loved it. I was obsessive about it and practiced not to memorize, but to understand the language of it all.
Eventually I fell in love with the Hammond organ sound; I saved and bought a Hammond B3, and played in a classic rock band while I was at the Air Force Academy where I learned how to be a good band-member and musician. After a while, I got tired of lugging a 350-lb organ everywhere, and looked for the smallest instrument I could find…the harmonica. Similarly, to piano, I obsessed, keeping a few in my car, playing and practicing harmonica for hours while in traffic and on road trips.
Then a couple years ago, I turned my time and attention to the guitar, which has been the hardest instrument for me, by far. However, it’s opened up a whole new level of understanding and satisfaction, and it really opened the door to allowing me to (1) play extended solo gigs, and (2) write my own music.
What music most influenced you growing up?
All the great music my mom and dad listened to. We would go on camping trips, and the playlist had everything from Elton John to Earth Wind and Fire, to Clapton, and so on. In high school, I discovered jazz, which led me to the blues, which brought me to gospel (sort of backwards!). And I fell in love with the gospel sound. All that said, I spent many hours listening to Ray Charles, Nat King Cole, and funny enough, Bradley Nowell from Sublime. I tried hard to emulate their voices as a kid before finding my own.
How is it you landed back in the 805?
After leaving the military, I wanted to come back to where I grew up, which is Oxnard and Ventura. It’s a pretty magical place.
Where are a few of your favorite places to play?
I cut my teeth locally, at The Waterside Restaurant in the Channel Islands Harbor. However, some venues that have been particularly good to me (while playing with Milo and Teresa) are The Red Piano in Santa Barbara, Captain Fatty’s in Goleta, and Madwest now and again. These days, I split my time playing between Oxnard/Ventura with Milo or Teresa, and solo gigs around Seattle.
When did you first start writing original tunes?
I started writing original tunes about a year ago. Until that time, I felt like I had always had some mental block, keeping me from writing original music. With COVID slowing the world down, coming through a tough personal time in life, and then finding new love, I learned that writing (for me) is all about head-space….open space, mentally, to allow my brain and body to communicate feelings I hadn’t quite understood before.
Suburban Gospel is your first release as a solo artist?
Suburban Gospel is my first release. I’m not typically one who is good at self-promotion or shouting about my successes, but I will say that I’d put the music on Suburban Gospel up against anyone’s; it’s a great album for which I’m incredibly proud. I also have another 15 songs just about complete for album number two.
What does the title suggest?
I grew up in the church, and I love the gospel sound. I’m also a middle-class white guy who loves the blues, soul…all of it. I thought Suburban Gospel sort of fit what I was going for. For some songs, I get a bit up onto my soapbox (or pulpit), while others are more songs of hope, and then others are love songs. I’m not sure what genre this album is…It’s certainly blues and gospel influenced, but I truly believe I’ve created something uniquely me. It breaks the mold of a “blues” album in too many ways to be considered blues.
What kind of plans do you have in motion to help get the word out?
I will probably hire some marketing or push toward a label. As of now, I’m hopeful the music will speak for itself, once it comes available May 14.
Where can people find out more?
Tom: Follow me on Instagram @tombuengermusic, or on my website www.thomasbmusic.com
Closing words?
Tom: Suburban Gospel is available everywhere, beginning May 14. I have a bunch of collaborations in work, and I’m excited to share more music with the world!
Don’t forget to tune into the Pam Baumgardner Music Hour on KPPQ-LP out of CAPS Media at 104.1 FM here in Ventura where you can hear Tom Buenger’s single, “Butter my Bread” off of Suburban Gospel. My show airs Tuesdays at 5 pm with repeats on Fridays at 5 pm and Sundays at noon. You can also listen via the MyTuner app on your smart device or online at CapsMedia.org/radio.
Do you have any music-related news or upcoming shows you want help publicizing? Please send all information short or long to [email protected], and for updated music listings daily, go to www.VenturaRocks.com.
Treating people in early adulthood for cardiovascular risk could preserve their ability to think clearly, learn, and remember as they age, a new study pooling large sets of population data suggests. The findings showed that risk factors such as elevated body mass index, fasting glucose, and systolic blood pressure were associated with worse cognitive health later in life. Funded in part by NIA, the research was published in the March 17 online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Researcher measuring breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure of participant while walking on a treadmill, results appear on a computer screen. Existing evidence suggests that maintaining heart health, in particular blood pressure control, may slow cognitive decline. Yet research to date on delaying cognitive decline has focused on reducing cardiovascular risk during midlife. To address this gap, researchers compiled data from different groups and measured the association of early adult, midlife, and late-life cardiovascular risk with late-life cognitive decline.
The research team found that across the adult life course, elevated cardiovascular risk factors, including elevated body mass index, fasting glucose, and systolic blood pressure, but not total cholesterol, were associated with greater cognitive decline in late life. Lead author Kristine Yaffe, MD, from the University of California San Francisco, noted that the findings are particularly noteworthy because they show cardiovascular risk exposures in early life in particular are associated with late-life cognitive change, even after accounting for risk exposures in mid- and late-life.
To get a full adult life-course perspective on cardiovascular risk factors and cognitive decline, the research team combined data from four NIH-funded studies: Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA), Multi Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA), Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS), and Health, Aging and Body Composition (Health ABC). CARDIA included data of young to middle-aged adults, MESA of middle-aged to older adults, and the CHS and Health ABC studies of older adults. This pooled cohort included Black and white adult participants ages 18 to 95 years old at enrollment. The researchers assigned values over time for body mass index, fasting glucose, systolic blood pressure, and total cholesterol for 15,001 adults.
Yaffe, who recently described the importance of this kind of population-based evidence in an NIH lecture, “Epidemiology of Cognitive Aging: Why Observational Studies Still Matter,” noted a strength of this study is its large sample size and ability to study exposures over the adult life course. Limitations described include that the missing measures of early- and mid-life cardiovascular risk were imputed and these values tended toward average levels, thereby lessening the strength of the associations with cognitive decline. However, the analysis suggests that absence of cardiovascular risk factors in early adulthood is associated with better cognitive health in old age, even when midlife and late life cardiovascular factors are taken into account. Next steps in this area of research would be to determine if treating early-life cardiovascular risk factors has an effect on cognition in late-life.
This research was supported by NIA grants 1RF1AG054443 and K01AG047273.
Staying in your own home as you get older is called “aging in place.” With the right help, you might be able to do just that. These three tips can help you age in place:
Reach out to people you know. Family, friends, and neighbors are the biggest source of help for many older people. Talk with those close to you about the best way to get what you need. If you are physically able, think about trading services with a friend or neighbor. For example, one could do the grocery shopping, and the other could cook dinner.
Talk to geriatric care managers. These specially trained professionals can help find resources to make your daily life easier. They will work with you to form a long-term care plan and find the services you need. Geriatric care managers can be especially helpful when family members live far apart.
Learn about community and local government resources. Health care providers and social workers may have suggestions for services in your community. The local Area Agency on Aging, local and state offices on aging or social services, and your tribal organization may have lists of services. If you belong to a religious group, talk with the clergy, or check with its local office about any services they offer for older adults.
A virtual event full of community, celebration, and fun.
Back by popular demand, hosts Curtis Knight, CalTrout executive director, and George Revel, CalTrout board member and owner of Lost Coast Outfitters, will entertain and inspire. Plus, live special reports from CalTrout member Sydnie Kohara.
The 2021 Trout Camp Gala will celebrate 50 years of taking action for California’s fish, water, and people – a milestone success made possible by partners and members like you. Tune in for a high-energy virtual showcase of innovative conservation work across the state, cameos from CalTrout staff, and more!
Denis O’Leary, a prolific writer an Illustrator, became an advocate and spokesperson for many in the Latino community. Denis took leadership roles in organizations such as the California Association for Bilingual Education, the League of United Latin American Citizens and the United Farm Workers.
He served 17 years as a School Board Trustee of the Oxnard School District. Denis has worked to better represent Latino families in their efforts to improve the lives of their next generation. Today, Denis O’Leary often receives calls for help from organizations, law enforcement and foreign governments to assist in issues of education and human rights.
