The Board of Directors of Rubicon Theatre of Ventura has appointed Ovation, NAACP and Garland Award-Winner Chris Butler as the company’s new Associate Artistic Director.

Butler returns to Rubicon having previously received acclaim for his portrayals of Caesar Wilkes in August Wilson’s Gem of the Ocean and Randle P. McMurphy in Dale Wasserman’s adaptation of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Most recently, he helped narrate and performed in the company’s livestream presentation of “Voices of America: Songs and Stories of Conflict, Crisis, Hope and Healing.”

Born and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina, Butler received his B.A. in Dramatic Arts from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his M.F.A. in Acting from the University of California, San Diego.

Upon graduation, Butler move to Los Angeles where he began working as an actor in television, film and theatre. He has appeared in nearly 50 films and television series. He had a recurring role on all seven seasons of CBS’s “The Good Wife” as well as its spin off “The Good Fight,” “Designated Survivor,” “True Blood,” “Major Crimes” and “24.” He has also been a series regular on TNT’s “King and Maxwell” and several pilots. Butler has guest-starred recently on “Law & Order SVU,” “NCIS Los Angeles” and “Modern Family.”

On Broadway, Butler played Noah in the Tony nominated production of 110 in the Shade starring Audra McDonald. He won Ovation, NAACP and Garland Awards in Los Angeles for his work in Yellowman at The Fountain Theatre and Stick Fly at the Matrix Theatre. Butler spent four seasons with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival where he played the title role in Othello and Walter Lee in A Raisin in the Sun, among many others.

In addition to Associate Artistic Director duties in the areas of play selection, casting, production oversight, acting, directing and community relations, Butler will also be responsible for new play development and guiding the company’s renewed and expanded commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion.

Says Butler, “Over the years I have admired Rubicon’s dedication to sharing diverse stories and making thought-provoking program choices. And I have experienced, first-hand, the company’s expansive casting practices.”

According to Producing Artistic Director Karyl Lynn Burns, “Our very first statement of vision and goals more than 20 years ago expressed the founding board’s commitment to artists of different cultures, backgrounds, beliefs and abilities; and to producing works by underrepresented playwrights. The intent was conveyed through reinvented, reimagined productions of classics that address current issues; 20th century plays such as Gem of the Ocean, Driving Miss Daisy and Master Harold…and the Boys;” and premieres like The Baby Dance: Mixed, La Razón Blindada, eXtras, and Women Beyond Borders.”

“We know these productions have engendered meaningful dialogue and have helped create greater understanding and compassion in our region,” continues Burns. “But in these troubled and tumultuous times, we know, too, that we can and mustdo more – to actively fight racism and to inspire change – in ourselves, our community, and our world.”

“Change starts with leadership,” says Burns, “and Chris is a person of great strength and integrity. We are incredibly fortunate to have him at the helm of this effort.”

Says Butler, “I look forward to interfacing between artists, audiences, donors and board members to build and implement a plan and hope to take the organization to new and exciting places.”

Residents across the country have been receiving unsolicited and mysterious seeds shipped from China. The seeds are arriving in small mailer envelopes labeled with descriptions such as “stud earrings”, “jewelry”, “handmade flowers”, and “wire connectors”. Since it is illegal to ship seeds unless they meet the import requirements of the United States – including proper labeling with the name of the shipper, the type of seed, and certification where required – the small packets are sent mislabeled in order to pass through Customs undetected.

“There is concern that these seeds may be invasive species or can carry plant diseases,” said Ed Williams, Agricultural Commissioner. “We have already been contacted by a number of residents who have turned in the seeds they received to our office. We want to work with the community to ensure that none of these seeds present a problem for our native plants and agriculture and we thank everyone in advance for their cooperation.”

Any Ventura County residents who may have received packets such as these are asked to hold on to them and contact the Ventura County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office at (805) 388-4222 in Camarillo, or (805) 933-2926 in Santa Paula. Residents should not dispose of the seeds in the trash due to the risk of the seeds sprouting in the landfill. Staff with the Agricultural Commissioner’s Office will arrange for the seeds to either be picked up or will provide drop-off instructions.

For community members who may have already planted the seeds they received, the Agricultural Commissioner is also asking that they contact the office. Arrangements can be made to remove the seeds that were planted.

by Richard Senate

Will the removal of Fr. Junipero Serra from the pedestal in front of City Hall the debate is now who or what should replace him. It should be someone with links to our city, someone who deserves the recognition of a statue. I would like to suggest a Native American woman, a leader of her people. Her name was Candalaria Valenzula. No one knows exactly when she was born, it is estimated it was sometime around 1838 in the Sespi district of Ventura County. We know she spent much of her life in and around the village of Saticoy, just east of Ventura. She was a mission neophyte and a life-long Roman Catholic, like many of her people. She lived, in her long life to see California pass from Imperial Spain to Mexico and then become part of the United States.

Her grave was believed lost but rediscovered and is now marked, a simple plaque that proclaims her as a Chumash Native American. Candalaria is perhaps the best known of all of the Chumash People. She was a major informant to Smithsonian ethnographer John Harrington with her accounts of Chumash life and beliefs. Much of what we know about the tribe and its customs comes from her interviews.

She was born in the Sespe region of Ventura County and grew up at the Mission San Buenaventura. She was part of the household of Chumash leader Captain Luis Francisco who operated a restaurant/saloon in Saticoy. He did all he could to keep alive Native American traditions and customs. She was known for her fine baskets, and her knowledge of herbs. Candalaria was, by all accounts, a very beautiful woman in her youth.

She was married three times. She was married to Jose del Rios and this union produced a son named Teen. By the 1870s she was working as a cook at the home of the Olivas Family and here she had a long term relationship with Jose Delores Olivas that produced two children. When Jose married a “respectable” woman she left the rancho and left behind the two children who were recognized as members of the Olivas Family. They were taken in and given a good education.

After the family lost their wealth in the 1890s, Candalaria returned to help the Olivas Family. She took care of the sick and elderly mother Teodora and helped to raise Rebecca Olivas DeLa Riva’s children. Years afterward the children remembered her making dolls for them out of scraps and her huge tortillas so large they filled the whole top of the wood stove. She only moved on after the death of Teodora Olivas, and the family sold the two-story adobe home. She then married Jose Valenzuela of Sonora, Mexico.

She was working as a cook on a ranch where Lake Casitas is today. In 1917 she was badly burned when a gasoline stove she was using exploded. She died of her injuries in Ventura. She was, it is believed, 81 years old. She witnessed many changes in her long life from the days of the Missions to Ventura becoming a modern city.

She should be honored for all she did with a statue in Ventura. Before her death she told Mr. Harrington about the beliefs of her people and even recorded her voice singing the ancient songs in the Chumash Language onto wax cylinders. These crude recording still exist and are preserved and transferred to modern recording systems. Her voice is a time machine back to the days when the Chumash. She would be a perfect statue to represent Ventura.

United Way of Ventura County has successfully met the Amgen Foundation $100,000 challenge grant to launch a Landlord Engagement Program thanks to the generosity of six founding local funders. The goal of the program is to increase housing stock and utilize existing housing vouchers and housing subsidies provided by local jurisdictions and community partners to prevent and end homelessness. The challenge grant provided the foundation for a new funding mechanism designed to generate permanent supportive housing for chronic homeless individuals through a streamlined, one-stop funding collaborative comprised of public and private funders dedicated to ending homelessness.

“Homelessness continues to plague so many communities around the nation, including our own. It is inspiring to see how Ventura County has come together to support the Landlord Engagement Program,” said Eduardo Cetlin, president, Amgen Foundation. “Our fellow funders have recognized the tangible impact this program is having, and we are proud to stand with them to help end homelessness in Ventura County.”

The funds will further leverage public support provided by a Homeless Emergency Aid Program (HEAP) grant in the amount of $200,000 by the Ventura County Continuum of Care for United Way’s Landlord Engagement Program.

Since United Way launched the Landlord Engagement Program in December 2019, 18 unsheltered homeless households including seniors, veterans, individuals, and families have been permanently housed. As a rapid response to the COVID-19 pandemic in mid-March, United Way has helped 29 unsheltered veterans and family members by securing temporary housing in a motel and providing daily food service. Through a partnership with Salvation Army’s Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF), the program will be extended through July 2020 as United Way seeks permanent housing solutions for those veterans and their families. Additionally, United Way provided 2,000 Rapid Response Homeless Care Kits which were distributed by the Ventura County Healthcare for the Homeless Backpack Medicine team.

“We are grateful to the Amgen Foundation for leading the way with this generous challenge grant and the six founding funders who have joined the cause to bring an end to homelessness in Ventura County,” said Eric Harrison, president and CEO. “Permanent supportive housing enables Ventura County’s most vulnerable individuals, families, and veterans to thrive at a much higher rate than short term shelters and we are encouraged by our success rate to date with this program.”

To become a member of the funding collaborative, please email [email protected]. Landlords interested in becoming a member of the program, please email [email protected].

To make a donation, visit http://igfn.us/form/hEGFmg

The Amgen Foundation seeks to advance excellence in science education to inspire the next generation of innovators, and invest in strengthening communities where Amgen staff members live and work. To date, the Foundation has donated more than $325 million to local, regional, and international non-profit organizations that impact society in inspiring and innovative ways. The Amgen Foundation brings the excitement of discovery to the scientists of tomorrow through several signature programs, including Amgen Scholars, Amgen Biotech Experience, and LabXchange. For more information, visit www.amgeninspires.com and follow us on Twitter @AmgenFoundation.

Since 1945, United Way of Ventura County has advanced the common good by creating opportunities for a better life for all. United Way identifies the root causes of poverty and works strategically to solve them by building alliances across all sectors, funding targeted programs and advocating for change. When we work together in common purpose, we LIVE UNITED. For more information about United Way of Ventura County, visit www.vcunitedway.org.