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15th Annual Mayor’s Arts Awards accepting nominations

The 15th annual Mayor’s Arts Awards nomination forms are now available online at www.cityofventura.ca.gov/maa. The deadline to submit a nomination is Friday, September 6, 2019 at 5:00 pm. These awards recognize the artistic achievements and contributions to the cultural community of Ventura residents in seven categories:

Arts Patron, a business or individual whose strong support of the arts has been ongoing through philanthropic and/or volunteer service

Artist in the Community, an established individual artist in any discipline for artistic excellence and singular efforts in contributing to Ventura’s cultural vitality

Creative Entrepreneur, a locally owned for-profit business which exemplifies the impact and vitality of Ventura’s creative economy

Arts Leader, a nonprofit arts professional who has demonstrated outstanding leadership, organizational stewardship, and partnership within the arts community

Arts Educator, an individual or organization whose achievements and contributions to arts education have been significant and far-reaching

Emerging Artist, a working artist under 40 who has demonstrated outstanding promise and commitment to Ventura’s arts community (students are ineligible)

Student Artist, an active student artist in any discipline under the age of 19 who has demonstrated outstanding promise and commitment to the arts

In September, a panel of community members representing the arts and business worlds, will review applications based on: the significance and magnitude of the nominee’s contributions; leadership in the arts community and commitment to service to the arts; benefit and impact of the nominee’s contribution to the citizens of the City of Ventura; and potential contribution to the arts in the emerging artist and student artist categories. The panel’s selections will be presented to the Cultural Affairs Commission who will make recommendations for the Mayor to approve.

The Mayor will announce honorees on October 7, 2019 and present each recipient with an award at a reception on November 15, 2019 at the Museum of Ventura County. The awards are presented as a joint project of the City Manager’s Office and the Community Partnerships Division.

Ventura College Foundation adds two board members

The new members are Stephen Kipp and Nuris Dante.

The Ventura College Foundation Board of Directors approved two new board members at its June 26 meeting. The new members are Stephen Kipp and Nuris Dante.

Kipp, president and CEO of Kipp Financial Group before retiring last year, previously served on the foundation board. His firm was the prior investment management advisor for the Ventura College Foundation’s scholarship endowment funds before joining the board.

Kipp also was an adjunct professor at Ventura College for 10 years, teaching night classes in financial education. “Teaching gave me an appreciation of students who are motivated to excel in school to further their careers and succeed at life. Many students must balance school, work and family so it’s a constant struggle,” said Kipp. “I’m once again honored to serve on the foundation board and help these committed students pursue their college and life goals.”

Dante is principal/owner of SC Lending Group based in Oxnard. “Many kids are on the fence about whether to go to college. As a board member, I want to show them how education can make a difference in their lives,” sans Dante. “Getting a solid education was very important to me. I started in a community college before transferring to UCLA and then to USC’s MBA program. Community colleges provide a doable path to a four-year university. The Ventura College Foundation with its tuition-free Promise program provides students, their families and the community great benefits now and in the future.”

“The years of financial expertise and work/life experiences that Stephen and Nuris bring to the board will be a tremendous asset to the foundation,” says Rob van Nieuwburg, Ventura College Foundation board chair. “We are very pleased to have Stephen returning to the board and look forward to both Stephen and Nuris’ financial insights and their input to help our students thrive.”

Established in 1983, the Ventura College Foundation provides financial support to the students and the programs of Ventura College to facilitate student success and grow the impact and legacy of Ventura College as a vital community asset. The Foundation also hosts the Ventura College Foundation Marketplace; an outdoor shopping experience held every weekend on the Ventura College campus east parking lot. For more information, contact Julie Harvey at (805) 289-6502 or [email protected] or visit www.VCgiving.org.

Ruthanne Tudball Ceramic Demonstration and Talk Friday, Aug. 30

Ruthanne Tudball Ceramic Demonstration and Talk on Friday, August 30th, 6pm.
Santa Paula Museum of Art, Cole Creativity Center

123 North 10th St.
Directions: Route 126 to 10th Street exit, building on the left with parking in the rear.

Members of the Guild, interested artists, and public are invited to join for a very special free 2-hour demonstration and talk by internationally known ceramic artist Rutanne Tudball.

Tudball has developed a technique in which, as an example, a tea pot is thrown, manipulated, altered and assembled while on the wheel. The primal connections to such physical elements as the mountains, sea and desert have formed and been essential to the inspiration for her making pots. In1989 she graduated with a Commendation and two years’ worth of research into soda glazing from Goldsmith’s. This led to writing a book Soda Glazing published by A&C Black in 1995. She now lives in England. https://www.ruthannetudball.com/

Ruthanne will also be holding a full-day, hands-on workshop on 8/31 and 9/1.
Please contact B. Burgess for information at [email protected]. Deadline for registration is 8/28/19.

Ventura Mayor Matt LaVere announces campaign for Ventura County Supervisor, District 1

A formal campaign kick-off event is scheduled for early September.

Ventura Mayor Matt LaVere has publicly announced his candidacy for the Ventura County Board of Supervisors, District 1. With deep roots in both Ventura and the Ojai Valley, an impressive record of leadership on Ventura’s City Council and a lengthy, diverse group of endorsements, Mayor LaVere is excited to kick-off his campaign for County Supervisor.

“I am running for Ventura County Supervisor for a simple reason: I want to continue working to ensure that the Ventura County my young daughters inherit in 20 years is even better than the Ventura County we know today” stated Mayor LaVere. “That means balancing respect for the County’s unique history, while also having a bold vision for its future. We need to be aggressive in creating and attracting jobs that pay a living wage. We need to build more affordable housing, not by paving over our precious open spaces but rather through redevelopment of blighted properties. We need to plan for a sustainable future by protecting our water sources, agricultural land, hills and beaches. We need to address the local homeless and mental health crisis. These are the issues that will determine the future of Ventura County and will be my top priorities as Supervisor.”

Mayor LaVere’s campaign for County Supervisor has been bolstered by significant support and enthusiasm in the community. He has received over $120,000 in campaign contributions from more than 300 unique donors. He is proud to have earned the endorsements of local elected leaders like Ventura City Councilmember (and former Mayor) Cheryl Heitmann, Ventura City Councilmember (and former Mayor) Erik Nasarenko, Ventura City Councilmember (and former Mayor) Jim Friedman, Ventura City Councilmember Lorrie Brown, former Mayor of Oxnard Dr. Manuel Lopez, VUSD Board of Trustees President Sabrena Rodriguez, VUSD Board of Trustees Vice-President Jackie Moran, VUSD Trustee (and former President) Velma Lomax, and VUSD Trustee Matt Almarez.

“I am proud to endorse Matt in his campaign for County Supervisor. His work ethic and community engagement has been a huge asset to the Ventura City Council, and I know he will serve the residents of Ventura County incredibly well as the next Supervisor for District 1” said former Mayor and current City of Ventura councilmember Cheryl Heitmann.

Mayor LaVere has also earned the support of the Ventura County Deputy Sheriff’s Association, the Ventura County Professional Firefighters Association, the City of Ventura Firefighters Association, the City of Ventura Police Officers Association, the Central Coast Labor Council, the Ventura Chamber of Commerce political action committee, IBEW Local 952, SEIU Local 721, the Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters, UFCW Local 770, Laborers Local 585 (LiUNA), and the Tri-Counties Building & Construction Trades Council.

“Mayor LaVere has an exemplary record of serving the residents of Ventura, even in the most difficult of times following the Thomas Fire. He has proven himself to be an incredibly effective and innovative leader while advocating for public safety, economic development and the sustainability of Ventura’s future” said Kevin Aguayo, President of the Ventura County Professional Firefighters Association. “We believe a leader like Mayor LaVere will be a great addition to the Ventura County Board of Supervisors and we are proud to support his campaign.”

Matt LaVere was elected to the Ventura City Council in November 2016 as the top vote-getter. After serving for one year as Deputy Mayor, he now serves as Ventura’s Mayor. He has also served on the Ventura City Council’s Economic Development subcommittee, Homeless & Affordable Housing subcommittee and the Finance & Budget subcommittee. He has also represented the City Council on the Ventura Chamber of Commerce’s Economic Development subcommittee, the Ventura Council of Governments (VCOG), the Association of Water Agencies (AWA), the Regional Defense Partnership for the 21st Century (RDP-21) and as the City Council’s liaison to the Casitas Water District board.

Neal Andrews, Ventura councilman and past mayor, dies

Andrews ran and won a seat on the city council in 2001.

by Richard Lieberman

Neal Andrews long term Ventura councilman and past mayor has died. Neal died on Sunday, August 4, 2019 following a protracted illness. He served his last year on the council as mayor a position he coveted.

Andrews ran and won a seat on the city council in 2001. His election changed the dynamics of the council at that time. His election and subsequent actions led to the changing of city managers in 2004. Neal was a conservative and used his conservative voice for what he believed to be a fiscally conservative approach to city government.

He was a minority on the council but was still able to implement requirements for individual water meters on multi-family housing projects. He also was an ardent supporter of the WAV artist housing project and he sponsored and supported the use of “seed” money for incubator businesses directly leading to the establishment of the Trade Desk.

Neal was instrumental in bringing the Highland Games to the city in 2003. He was a tireless advocate for the homeless and worked to get a permanent shelter established in the city. He was successful in this effort and saw his efforts rewarded shortly after leaving office when the council approved a year-round shelter(which will be coming soon). During his term in office he also was responsible for dealing with and managing the devastation after the Thomas fire. He also hosted a weekly show on CAPS-TV “Conversations with Neal Andrews.”

Andrews was elected mayor on the night the Thomas Fire started in December 2017.

Funeral services were held at the Ted Mayr Funeral Home.

Addressing homelessness in Ventura: City’s Safe & Clean Team works to address concerns

Learn more about the Safe and Clean program and how you can get involved.

by Meredith Hart

What is the City of Ventura doing to address homelessness? This is a frequently asked question. The City of Ventura works closely with local social service providers and the County of Ventura to support programs for long terms solutions for homeless individuals. The Safe and Clean Program is a City led effort to make substantial impacts on homelessness in our community. Here are a few ways the City is working with community partners to address this issue in Ventura:

1) Program Management: The City hired a Homelessness Manager in 2018.

2) Public Safety: The Ventura Police Department is engaged in what’s called restorative policing, or street outreach. This means that officers are working with chronic offenders, by conducting enforcement, uniting them with family or friends if they desire or getting individuals the appropriate medical attention that they need to get off the streets. Embedded within the unit is a mental health technician who assists in evaluating individuals and connecting them to resources for long term solutions. The Patrol Task Force works closely with the Safe and Clean Team to address concerns in Ventura. There is currently one Sergeant, two Corporals and three officers. An additional officer will join near the end of the year, making it an eight-person team.

3) Homeless Shelter: Construction is under way for the first year-round 24/7 shelter opening in early January 2020. The shelter will have 55 beds, with the main goal of moving individuals into permanent housing. This is an important part of a multi-pronged approach to make an impact in our homeless population.

4) Safe Sleep Program: This program, managed by the Salvation Army, has doubled in size. This is where individuals who are sleeping in their cars can park in specific lots from 7pm-7am. When they enter the program, they are case managed for an hour a week with the end goal being housing.

5) Transitional Living: River Haven is a transitional living center made up of tiny homes and managed by the Turning Point Foundation. This center continues to be funded and supports those who are moving out of homelessness but are not ready to enter traditional housing.

6) Trash Removal: The newly created Trash Removal Program in the Santa Clara River Bottom provides outreach in the river bottom area. Twice a month the Ventura Police Patrol Task Force and the Safe and Clean Team go into the Santa Clara River Bottom and remove trash bags that are brought to the trail. Homeless individuals are encouraged to bag their own trash. This helps alleviate the amount of larger encampment clean ups, helps build relationships and helps connect individuals to services when they will accept them. This program will end when the shelter opens.
7) Safe and Clean Hotline: Created to make reporting issues easier. Please call 805-677-3900 to report debris in public spaces, parks/public bathroom issues, graffiti, potholes and code violations

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8) Safe and Clean Team: The four-person team works proactively to address visible blight associated with homelessness, as well as general debris removal from public spaces throughout the City. In addition to removing debris, abandoned camps are cleaned-up in coordination with other partners such as the Patrol Task Force, Public Works, State Parks and Caltrans. The team is on duty 7 days-a-week.

9) Park Safety Ambassador Program: Downtown Ventura Partners contracts with Block by Block to offer a Park Ambassador program in Downtown’s public spaces and historic core. This includes in and around Mission Park, Plaza Park, the Promenade and bike path, as well as Kellogg Park along the Ventura Avenue. They help mitigate negative behaviors in public spaces. You’ll see them riding bikes around the Downtown Area wearing red shirts.

These are just a few of the ways the City of Ventura is working to address homelessness. Have questions? Learn more about the Safe and Clean program and how you can get involved by visiting www.cityofventura.ca.gov or by calling Safe and Clean Program Manager Meredith Hart at 805-658-4735.

County CEO delivers State of the County address

County Executive Officer Mike Powers delivers the State of the County report at the Ventura County Taxpayers Association.

County Executive Officer Mike Powers presented his State of the County report to a sold out crowd of about 300 at the Ventura County Taxpayers Association summer luncheon on August 1st. The title of the presentation was “Connecting our Region to Collectively Strengthen our Community.” The event, co-sponsored by the Conejo Valley, Ventura, Oxnard and Camarillo Chambers of Commerce, brought together the east, central and western areas of the County.

Powers discussed the County, city and community response and recovery efforts to the Thomas Fire, the Borderline shooting, and the Hill and Woolsey fires. He stressed the cooperative relationships between County, state, federal government, the cities of Ventura and Thousand Oaks, and community organizations and businesses that facilitated debris removal, assistance programs and permitting.

“What we have seen this year is when we focus priorities and work together collectively, great things can happen,” said Powers. “We’ve seen it in our disaster recovery efforts. We’ve seen it with our new economic and energy initiatives, and we’ve seen it with our growing response to the homeless crisis. Public, community and private partnerships work. Look what we can get done. Let’s highlight areas where we can apply this collective effort going forward.”

He also mentioned how organizations such as the Ventura County Community Foundation worked collaboratively with local government and many others to aid victims by working as a trusted clearinghouse for donations.

Economic vitality was a key focus of the presentation. Powers noted the force multiplier effect of new connections formed as a result of the County’s Economic Vitality Strategic Plan actions; citing the new strides made in housing vouchers for the disabled through connecting the housing authorities across the cities. He also shared the new business opportunities being generated through the innovation collaborative formed by the Economic Development Collaborative, Port of Hueneme, U. S. Navy and the Went brothers from Matter Labs, further emphasizing the power of public-private partnerships. Powers highlighted the startup culture in the region spotlighting the venture capital firm BioPartners who are bringing $300 million in BioTech startup funding. He reflected the importance of fostering the startup culture in the County. He highlighted the county’s 9th place ranking in a recent study of the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem as a reflection of the good work of the chambers, education system, cities as well as the County and that the County is a strong supporter of the Startup Weekend program with the Camarillo Chamber of Commerce. The Startup Weekend program facilitates new startup businesses in the areas of Information Technology, Health Care and Agriculture and provides funding and startup office space at the County’s Camarillo Airport.

The hour-long presentation also touched on the County’s highest possible long-term credit rating; health care; multiple efforts to improve financial operations at VCMC, libraries; public safety; social services; agriculture; pensions; and the upcoming census, adding that eight of ten cities in the County are at high risk for an under-count and that each person not counted in the census results in a loss of $2,000 annually in federal funding for things like education, roads, health care and more.

25 dancers performed the Argentinian tango

Yazmin Carrera and Panos Kontakos (that’s them in the center) perform Argentinian tango with their fellow dancers at the Tango in the Park event.

by Amy Brown

It can take more than two to tango. At least, that was the idea with the recent Tango in the Park event held recently by members of House of Dance in downtown Ventura. 25 dancers performed the Argentinian tango on a stage in the park next to Café Fiore, providing a romantic Latin American flare on a Sunday afternoon. According to Cliff Housego, one of the organizers and performers, the event was created to provide an open forum for local dancers to demonstrate the elegant dance form to the Ventura community. Housego has been teaching West Coast Swing dancing at the Borderline in Thousand Oaks since the early 90s (presently closed due to the Nov. 7, 2018 shooting tragedy), and now takes tango lessons every Wednesday at the House Of Dance in Ventura. “Tango is romantic, connected, sexy and awe inspiring,” said Housego. “One thing I found attractive was the lead and follow, which is so very important, in that it’s not my arms moving you, it’s my body moving you, my core moving your core—it’s really two people dancing as one.”

Renowned choreographer Bob Fosse famously once said “Dance like nobody’s watching,” but Argentinian tango seems made for an audience, filled with dramatic improvised moves, flourishes, and close embraces. This style of tango developed in the 1880s in Buenos Aires, and is an improvisational dance (unlike the far more structured ballroom styles) performed to a wide variety of music: slow, or with staccato beat, or very fast. Not unexpectedly, an intense and beautiful style of dance like this can lead to deeper connections—Ventura residents Yazmin Carrera and Panos Kontakos first met at a tango dance class and are now a couple on the dance floor and off. Carrera is originally from Mexico, and Kontakos from Greece, and are now active members of the flourishing tango community in the county. “The Ventura tango community is very friendly and inclusive, and that it’s not only about dancing, it’s about connecting with people. Tango is very graceful and intuitive, it’s about feeling—and I feel like it’s a heart dance,” said Carrera.

This was the first time an event like this had been held by the group in Ventura, and it was very well received. “The event was a refreshing success. We had couples come up on the stage and dance and many people walking stop, watch and take pictures and videos,” said Housego. He encourages patience when learning tango—and pointed out that there is a longer, deeper learning curve to it, and that while he has been dancing tango for the last five years, he still essentially considerers himself a beginner. “It can really be a 10 to 12 year process to master, but it’s a journey in which you can really enjoy the process,” he said. “Argentinian tango is very versatile, and the style is changing. I’m enjoying my journey.”

Ventura County Homeless Veterans Stand Down

On the last day, all of the Veterans gathered in a circle.

The Ventura County Homeless Veterans Stand Down was held on July 28th.

Approximately 200 homeless Veterans were bused into the Ventura National Guard Armory. The Sea Bees from Camp Point Hueneme set up tents for them to sleep. They were not only provided three meals a day, a place to sleep, and showers but also received haircuts, dentistry care, medical attention and legal help was available. It was truly a remarkable weekend for the Veterans and all those who assisted in the event.

On the last day, all of the Veterans gathered in a circle, holding hands and arms stretched high with the flags of all the branches of service flying next to the greatest, most beautiful flag of all; the American Flag. With its beautiful red, white and blue stars and stripes gently waving in the breeze above them; as if to bless each and every Veteran for fighting for our freedom and giving so much of themselves. The Lee Greenwood song, ‘Proud To Be An American’ played loudly for all to hear.

The Elks mission, “So long as there are Veterans, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks will never forget them”. The Elks Lodges of Ventura County; Simi Valley #2492, Thousand Oaks #2477, Ventura #1430 and Oxnard #1433; purchased and prepared a box lunch for each Veteran to take home. The boxes were insulated to keep water, sodas, sandwiches and fruit cold. They were also presented with back packs, duffle bags, blankets and medical supplies.

And Elks don’t stop there. They take pride in hosting events in their honor. All states have different programs. They visit them in hospitals and remember them at the holidays. If you are interested in helping Veterans or being a part of your community programs, please call your local Elks Lodge.