OFI Management has just signed a lease with Finney’s Crafthouse and Kitchen opening in the summer of 2019. The restaurant will be taking over the first floor of the Stanley Gardner Building located at the corner of California and Main Street.  Jim DeArkland, a local developer and owner of the Stanley Gardner building, purchased the building in 2015 and conducted extensive research on both the interior and exterior character defining elements and employed a preservation company who meticulously restored the original terra cotta exterior. He wanted to revitalize the rich history of the building on such an iconic corner of Ventura. Locally called “The Gardner Building” after the late Erle Stanley Gardner, a local lawyer who in his spare time became one of Ventura’s most well-known authors; his office was located on the 3rd floor of the building where he wrote his first Perry Mason Series, bits of Ventura found their way into his books and stories.

Finney’s Crafthouse & Kitchen is a locally owned and operated restaurant and bar that is committed to supporting local businesses by offering 30 local craft beers on tap, a local wine list, and hand-crafted cocktails using local spirits.  Finney’s is thrilled to be opening in the iconic Earl Stanley Gardner building in Downtown Ventura.

“We couldn’t be happier to have Finney’s coming to downtown Ventura. We think they are going to be a great addition to the downtown Ventura beach vibe and local business economy.” said Mr. DeArkland

by Oscar Peña, General Manager

On September 26, 2018 at 7pm the Ventura Port District Board of Port Commissioners will convene in Open Session at the Four Point Sheraton Ballroom, 1050 Schooner Drive, for its Regular Meeting.

The Board of Port Commissioners will authorize the General Manager to:

Prepare and submit a permit application to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) for use of 2,000 acres of sea water bottom in federal waters near Ventura Harbor in Block 664 and 665, the area generally depicted and described as CASS Report Alternative 1 for the Ventura Shellfish Enterprise (VSE) project:

Prepare and submit all other applications to local, state and federal agencies as required for the VSE project including the California Coastal Commission;

Prepare all necessary surveys, studies, reports and federal environmental review documents as directed by local, state and federal agencies as required for the VSE project;

Return to the Board if there are any material changes to the proposed locations for federal permits for the VSE project resulting from the permitting and/or environmental review processes.

The proposed site for the Ventura Shellfish Enterprise project is in federal waters approximately 3.53 miles from shore, northwest of the Ventura Harbor in the Santa Barbara Channel.

This agenda item will be on the District’s website for your review at www.venturaharbor.com.

Objectives of the proposed project are:

To increase the supply of safe, sustainably produced, and locally grown shellfish;

To enhance and sustain Ventura Harbor as a major west coast fishing port and support the local economy;

To provide economies of scale, pre-approved growing areas, and technical support to include small local producers who would not otherwise be able to participate in shellfish aquaculture;

To provide an entitlement and permitting template for aquaculture projects state-wide;

To enhance public knowledge and understanding of sustainable shellfish farming practices and promote community collaboration;

To advance scientific knowledge and state of the art aquaculture practices through research and innovation. VSE Organization and Governance

Ventura Port District proposes to make mussel growing areas available to a variety of grower/producers, anticipated to include existing commercial fishermen, existing commercial shellfish businesses, and startups that otherwise would be disinclined to embark on the lengthy and expensive mandatory regulatory pathway.

Ventura resident Linda Freeny, who has two very well reviewed crime mysteries, changes course in this story of a third unnamed arm of the political system, too blind or biased, to recognize a plot to take over the USA from within by Russians planted here a long time ago. She researched the material to make the story believable for two years before putting a word on paper. She still likes her crime/mystery stories with another coming out later this year, but this one just begged to be written.

The Dogs Of Lenin   involves the story of the doomed love affair of Lisa Danton and Grant Chandler. From the moment they met they knew that each would follow a different path but tried to keep it together because their love was real and obsessive. They spoiled themselves to ever love anyone again. Lisa wanted to be a journalist, net work TV her goal. Grant, an activist, hated the media and its biases and the fact that they were unwittingly helping the Russians take America without a shot or a missile.

It takes place in the sixties and ends in the nineties, for this is where media bias truly began, not recently as so many believe. While Lisa climbs in her chosen field, Grant joins an underground group whose ideals and beliefs are the same as his own. Through them he meets a secret government organization of patriots, left over from the last administrations that were never disbanded.

He helps a Russian escape from East Berlin, the key to all the Russians planted here ever after WW2 ended.  He has the names of all the Russian plants, most of them in very important positions including Lisa’s own network. With all the information in hand now, and ready to reveal it to the American public, the organization needs a conduit to expose it. This is where Lisa comes in because of her past association with Grant. But will she help them and can she be trusted, because she is now one of them.

The Dogs Of Lenin can be bought online at Amazon or Barnes and Noble. Linda will sign books upon request.

Linda Freeny [email protected]

Assistant Professor of Environmental Science and Resource Management Dan Reineman will visit the Ojai Library at1 p.m. on Saturday, October 6, and the E.P. Foster Library at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, October 10, to deliver a presentation “Managing (the Waves on) Our Coasts.” Reineman comes from CSU Channel Islands (CI) and is presenting as part of the Ventura County Library’s One County, One Book program.

California’s coast is full of important resources, from fisheries and oil to tourism destinations like the Channel Islands. To manage any resource well, we need information—data—about it. Waves for surfing are among the most important resources in coastal California. They support the recreation of millions and shape the economies and cultures of many coastal communities; surfing is now our official state sport.

But where will we get the data we need to ensure that waves and surfing can continue on our coasts? In this talk, Reineman will expand on some of the key themes William Finnegan develops in Barbarian Days and connect them directly to contemporary coastal management challenges in California and right here in Ventura. Surfers might be at the heart of the issue, but they share that space with anyone else who enjoys visiting the coast in California.

This event is free and open to the public. For additional information, contact Ron Solórzano, Regional Librarian, at (805) 218-9146, or Irma Morales, Senior City Librarian, at (805) 648-2716.

The Ojai Library is located at 111 East Ojai Avenue in Ojai. Hours of service are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Friday through Sunday.

The E.P. Foster Library is located at 651 East Main St. Hours of service are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

The Ventura County Library is available 24/7 at www.vencolibrary.org.

Can’t remember which trash cans to put out? A good way to remember which trash cans go out on trash day is to simply always move the next two that go out either on the left or right.