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Vol. 11, No. 17 – May 23 – June 5, 2018 – Mailbox

Dear Sheldon:

I read with interest your opinion and Christy Weir’s article in the Breeze edition May 9, 2018 and have a few comments. First thank you both for your common sense approach and “calming” influence. Second, Ms. Weir’s warning about not giving cash to panhandlers is supported by experts in mental health and community support activists.

When we started the St. Vincent DePaul chapter at OLA church several years ago we investigated this issue and found out that since we were vetting the families that we could help it would be better to direct those panhandlers to the nonprofit that was already set up. Therefore we reached the conclusion that it is better to donate to the charity of your choice ( in this case the St. Vincent de Paul Society) rather than take a chance that your well-meaning cash would be misused. Instead give the panhandler a card or letter or otherwise notice ( in our case we handed out cards) informing them where to get help. I will leave it to another article to show where they can get help but for now this simple solution should work.

Lou Vigorita Ventura

Sheldon:

Beautiful column in the issue about the homeless issue. I found it both heartfelt and well thought-out. Thank you.

Tom Jacobs Ventura Keys resident
Senior Staff Writer, www.psmag.com

Sheldon :

How can we best address the needs of those in our community who are without proper housing?

Allow me to suggest something that will not appear in cell in a spreadsheet or in an Outcomes-Based Evaluation report.

I am convinced love for others is the key element. and as we are involved with this action and that action it is important that from time to time we check back that love is our primary motivation – that which what leads us.

Mahatma Gandhi said “Love is the strongest force the world possesses and yet it is the humblest imaginable.” –

I say this as I am aware of instances where I shifted from love being the primary to correcting or fixing others or changing others taking the lead. Are there times we can correct others? Certainly – and if in loving others we correct them or assist them in making change where needed that’s fine – but let’s allow love to be the primary.

And I would not limit this love to only those who need assistance/help in addressing their lack of housing. I must be open to extending love to those who may have a drastically different viewpoint on those experiencing homelessness than myself. This would certainly include those who speak before City Council, with a great deal of heartfelt passion related to their personal experiences. For I must not return anger for passion – I must return love, and encourage that passion be channeled in a manner that uplifts our entire community.

And love and appreciation for others certainly includes our City Council and our Police Department.

We should avoid relegating the responsibility to only our City Council or only our Police Department or our community’s homeless service providers but rather recognizing that all us can contribute to concerns raised. Addressing housing needs and ensuring public safety are not contradictory objectives.

John Sanders Jones

The history of the planet is a history of idiocy highlighted by a few morons who stand out as comparative geniuses.
~ William S. Burroughs

A family affair three generations of family open consignment shop in Ventura

Daughter Indiana Wilson, mom Lynn and grandma Sharon Chase are all smiles as they greet you.

by Richard Lieberman

Lynn Dralle originally from Bellingham, Washington has opened Lynn’s Consignment Shop, 1975 East Main St. With her mom and daughter working together the family has put together an impressive site. Specializing in antiques, collectables and a wide variety of consignment pieces.

Lynn a talented author has penned several instructional books about selling on eBay, some of the titles include “The 100 Best Things I’ve Sold on eBay”, “Money Making Madness”, The 3rd 100 Best Things I have Sold on eBay, and “The 4th Best Things I’ve Sold on eBay”.

Lynn’s saga begins with her late grandmother Cheryl Leaf who was running an antiques business from her home starting in 1950. “I learned about business and life from her” said Dralle. “I went to antique shows and sometimes even missed school.” added Dralle. Dralle has earned a BS in Business Administration from USC, and later earned an MBA from USC.

A first time visit to Ventura convinced her she found the right place to live and open her business. “I fell in love with Main Street, I knew this was right” she said. Clean, classy and well-priced this new Ventura business is a great addition to the midtown area. “ I am so happy I found this place.” She said.

The store opened on March 1st and has already exceed their monthly cash flow projections by 25%.

“My location at 1975 E. Main Street is the perfect place to start and may be all I need if I can turn my inventory as fast as I think I can”, Lynn added.

“Our marketing plan includes advertising in the Ventura Breeze, and word of mouth which is so important in a city like Ventura.”

We welcome Lynn and her family to Ventura. Stop by and see this beautifully arranged store, and browse some of Lynn’s treasures.

Award-winning fish taco eatery second location now open

Ventura favorite Spencer Makenzie’s Fish Co. has opened their long-anticipated second location in Camarillo. The original is a beloved Ventura institution racking up national accolades from FiveThirtyEight, Business Insider, the Chive and Foursquare, amongst others, for their delicious, hand-crafted fish tacos, burritos, ‘sushi grade’ ahi tuna burgers, and more.

The new location is at 311 Carmen Drive, Camarillo. The new location features a large outdoor patio. Sporting the same beachy-themed decor of the original, but with more square-footage, the main dining room will feature a variety of seating arrangements.

Spencer Makenzie’s is also nationally famous for its annual End of Summer Block Party and “Throw Down” cornhole tournament.

Originally founded in 2007 by John Karayan and his wife Jennifer as a festival concession, the Karayan’s named their award-winning restaurant after two of their children – their son Spencer and their daughter Makenzie.

During that time, they perfected such signature dishes as Giant Fish Tacos, Clam Chowder, and Shrimp & Fish Ceviche and into unique recipes that provide a tastier, healthier and delicious alternative to typical “Fast Food”. Everything is made to order, they only use sushi grade fish, produce is purchased from local vendors and 100% of their famous sauces are homemade.

The original Spencer Makenzie’s Fish Co. is located at 806 East Thompson Blvd. The Camarillo location is at 311 Carmen Drive. For more information, please visit www.spencermakenzies.com.

Vol. 11, No. 17 – May 23 – June 5, 2018 – Opinion/Editorial

• Hopefully the Amgen bike tour that went through Ventura brought us some positive publicity. I don’t watch channels 2-13, or listen to KFI, but I hope that those who jumped on the bandwagon to talk about how dangerous Ventura is, also informed these media outlets that they should cover this wonderful event. Media should also shine a light on the thousands of Venturans who came out to support it and who volunteered their services.

Should we have a painting party?

•In the past, I have commented on the horrible workmanship performed on the pedestrian crossing bridge that runs over the freeway to the promenade.

This is what the work consisted of per the Department of Transportation(DOT): “The department is working with the City of Ventura to provide for a safe and accessible pedestrian overcrossing that gives access to people shopping, recreating and living in the area. This polyester concrete overlay will improve the surface and the replaced handrail will provide comfort and safety for users.”

Even though painting was not in the contract for Guills, Inc. of Pasadena, I would think that for almost $400,000 they could have taken a little pride in their work and spent a day painting it.

I have contacted the DOT suggesting that they do the painting. If they won’t, perhaps Ventura could paint it (it reflects upon us) or the Ventura Breeze could have a painting party and we can all paint it. Of course, we would need permission from the DOT and probably need to provide a million-dollar liability insurance policy.

•Fire related debris removal has basically been completed. The debris removal process was performed by the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery for a cost of about $67 million. About 670 properties were enrolled in the CalRecycle debris removal program and over 250,000 tons of debris has been removed.

Some properties still require soil samples to pass tests or need erosion control assessments. Others are ready (after permits) to start building, but I see more and more lots for sale as owners (some elderly) just aren’t willing to go through the re-building process.

•Even without the help of El Nino, 2017 was the third hottest year on record just slightly below the record high temperatures of 2016.

•Homelessness is certainly not unique to Ventura as some may think. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has increased spending to address homelessness. Their new budget calls for $402 million to spend on programs that include homelessness prevention, rent subsidies, outreach, preservation of affordable housing, employment services and shelters. It’s all about the money.

•A judge has suspended the criminal case against Jamal Jackson, who was charged with premeditated first-degree murder for the April 18 attack that left Anthony Mele dead, ordering the defendant to undergo a mental health evaluation. The ruling came after Jamal Jackson’s public defender expressed doubt as to whether the man’s mental competency allows him to be judged at this time.

Jackson is due back in court on June 14 for a mental health competency hearing where results of his evaluation will be heard to determine if he will be able to stand trial.

• At a recent City Council meeting, a group of residents attended with a different message, the kind that we need. They held up signs that read, “Don’t use tragedy to spread hate” and spoke of a need to work together on solutions to address homelessness, as criminalizing the issue is not the solution.

Interim City Manager Dan Paranick asked residents who have possible solutions to share them with city officials. He said city staff was looking at the issue from all directions and taking into account everyone’s opinions and ideas to help solve the situation.

The city is working with the county to identify a site appropriate for a year-round shelter with necessary services. The goal is for a shelter to open in both Ventura and Oxnard and ideally be run by the same operator.

•Congratulations to Fox Jewelry (article in last issue) for raising almost $60,000 to be used by fire victims. Wonderful how most of the community has come together to help so many in need.

•Perhaps it is too easy to run for office in California. There are 28 candidates running for governor and 32 for senator. Want to run? Get 10 friends to support you and send in your $25.

•Recently Trump had the nerve to tell the French that the reason they had a mass killing is that they don’t own enough guns like we do. This statement suggests that we are much safer than the French because we own more guns, so I decided to look at the facts.

Gun ownership: France has 2.83 guns per 100,000 residents. USA citizens own 11.96 guns per 100,000 people. That means USA residents own 4.2 times more guns than the French.

Gun related deaths: France 14.96 per 100, USA 101.05 per 100. Almost 7 times more gun deaths in the USA than France.

The recent killing of 10 high school students in Texas, where everyone (I think you need to be over 6 years old) is allowed to carry a gun, didn’t stop that awful tragedy.

•The City Council has approved an ordinance that sets rules for those wishing to rebuild following the Thomas Fire. It is rather complicated but has good intentions and will expedite the process. The council listened to architect’s suggestions and concerns to help them make the guidelines.

•Joseph James DeAngelo, 72, the man suspected to be the Golden State Killer, was charged with murder in the bludgeoning deaths of Lyman and Charlene Smith in their Ventura home in March 1980, along with at least 10 other deaths. An ex-police officer, his list of crimes and murders is on-going.

I can imagine the euphoria of the police personnel who worked on this case for almost 40 years and the moment current investigators realized they had solved it (because of DNA). “We have found the needle in the haystack,” Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert said at a news conference.

•As you know (I hope), we recently held an un-official naming of the St. Pats parade green pig. Hamlet was selected as the winner. It was suggested that we print a few of the other suggested names, so here they are; Greasy, Erin Go Oink, Darby O’portchop, Megan O’ Piggy, Sean O’ Bacon , Hamschock, Piggly-Wiggly, Pigasso , Ham L. Ton, Harley Hog, Iggy Piggy, Ham Solo, Cris P. Bacon, Pig A Choo, Albert Einswine and Chubby Buns.

Perhaps Green Eggs and Hamlet (thanks to Dr. Seuss) would be good. And next year at the parade, the pig might still be named Bacon. We were just having fun.

Benton, Orr, Duval & Buckingham storied Ventura law firm

Attorney Thomas E. Olson has been at the firm since 1978 and is managing director.

by Richard Lieberman

The law firm of Benton, Orr, Duval & Buckingham has served Ventura since 1882. Moving to their current location at 39 North California Street in 1960 the firm has been in continuous service for many years. The firm in the 1950’s employed Erle Stanley Gardner attorney and prolific writer. He penned the well-known Perry Mason series of detective and attorney stories.

One long term attorney at the firm, Thomas E. Olson, has been at the firm since graduating from U.C. Davis in 1978. Occupying the same space since 1986 Olson said “you can tell I like change, 32 years in the same office” he stated.

Olson added, “the bulk of my practice consists of estate planning, probate, trust, and litigation. I have a good aptitude for numbers, so I know how to do accounting, there are a lot of attorneys I know that is an Achilles heel for them they don’t understand numbers really well.” “That is how my practice has grown through the years. Probate Court is the area I live in.”

“The firm since I started has always had a major litigation component.” The firm’s litigation department has for many years done work for Ventura City, County of Ventura, and various other entities. The firm has also done considerable amount of Pro-Bono work for various Ventura non-profits.

Since 1998 Olson has had responsibility as managing director handling the business side of the firm. Currently the firm has 7 attorneys working on various aspects of the business. Olson also reports his most interesting case goes back 60 years. “It’s a case where I got my best result ever” he said.” The case concerned real estate and probate over an extended period. Eventually winning the case and having property in question returned to a legal heir.

Here at the Breeze we celebrate and appreciate a firm with such a long term relationship of trust and reliability for the Ventura community.

(805)648-5111 www.bentonorr.com

Vol. 11, No. 17 – May 23 – June 5, 2018 – Events

Events by Ana Baker

Ventura Poinsettia Dance Club Monday nights 7:30 – 9:45p.m. Poinsettia Pavilion. Ballroom, swing, Latin and line dancing. $10 members, $12 non-members. Dance lessons 6:45 – 7:15 $5 for couple $3 for single. Call Rick 415-8842 for more information.

There will be a regular Ventura Discussion Group meeting at Main Street Restaurant 3159 Main St., Wednesday from 4 – 5:45 p.m. Bring an interesting topic to discuss if you can. Start discussing the July 5 ballot measures and candidates.

May 23 – Prop 69, Transportation taxes only used for transportation

Prop 71, Date for ballot measures to take effect

Prop 72, Rain capture systems exemption from property tax

May 30 – Prop 68, $4B bond fund for natural resources

Prop 70, Supermajority for cap-and-trade funds

Ventura’s ACBL Duplicate Bridge Club offers games for all levels of play.  Learn the game, play with your peers, and earn master points while you are having fun.  There is a game every day of the week.  Check out their website at www.vcbridge.org

The Ventura Retired Men’s Group welcomes interested men to their semi-monthly Tuesday lunch ($15) meetings at the Ventura Elks lodge. This regular congenial social event, besides a healthy, satisfying meal, supplies a welcome atmosphere to talk and joke, hear a speaker on a variety of relevant topics. Hear more from Steve at 642-1359

Country Western Line Dancing every Tuesday 7 – 9 p.m. Instruction every night. Located at the Moose lodge, 10269 Telephone Road. More information at countrylovers.com.

 

The Ventura County Philatelic Society meets on the first and third Mondays each month at 7:30 p.m. at the Church of the Foothills, 6279 Foothill Rd. Admission and parking are free. Come for a great evening.

Contact Bill Garner 320-1601 or [email protected].

Mended Hearts of Ventura. Come share if you have had heart surgery or stent implant. Group meets the first Tuesday each month at noon at Lemon Wood Mobile Homes, 850 Johnson Dr. Excellent speakers leading Cardiologists, Nutritionists, and Dietitians etc. from our area.

Contact Richard Hatcher at 644-2733.

Letters for the Lost, an exhibit marking the 90th anniversary of the St. Francis Dam Disaster, commemorates the lives lost during one of America’s worst civil engineering disasters of the 20th century. At the Agriculture Museum in Santa Paula. The exhibit runs through July 16. Located at 26 Railroad Avenue, Santa Paula open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday. For more information venturamuseum.org or call 525-3100.

First Wednesday, of each month, 6-10 p.m., Gold Coast Modular Railroad Club meets at the Murphy Auto Museum. Now exhibiting Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, 10-4 p.m. Visitors and new members are welcome. 2230 Statham Blvd., Oxnard. www.gemre.com or 229- 74294 for more information

Cross Town Hikers, Join in on Wednesday nights for a moderate-paced hike that includes views of Ventura from the cross, a walk out to the end of the pier, and a stroll along the Promenade back to the Museum. Four miles with an 800-foot elevation gain. Meet at 7 p.m. sharp at the fountain across the street from the Mission. Facebook for more information: https://www.facebook.com/groups/800215670039426/

May 23: The College Area Community Council Wednesday, at 7 p.m. A representative from the Public Works Department and the police department will give brief updates and answer questions. A final vote will be taken on the proposed boundary change for the CACC. Wright Event Center at 57 Day Rd. Free parking is available adjacent to the Event Center. 644-8695 for more information.

May 24: Portuguese Fraternal Society of America – The local chapter of PFSA (Council #128. This meeting is open to any person of Portuguese descent, or, interested in the Portuguese culture. Marie Callendars Restaurant, 1295 S. Victoria. 11:30 a.m. for a 12 p.m. no host luncheon/meeting. For more information and a reservation, please call Cora Corella at 483-6285.

May 24: Patrice Lambourne, from Ventura Modern Quilt and Camarillo Quilt Guild, will speak about quilting at the Friendship Connection 08 ‘s monthly luncheon at Marie Callendar’s Restaurant at 11:30 am. The Friendship Connection is a group of retired ladies. Prospective members are welcome to attend. For more information, call 644-3172.

May 24: The County of Ventura Human Resources Department will host its annual Family Care and Volunteer Resource Fair on Thursday, from 10 – 1 p.m. Main courtyard at the County Government Center, 800 S. Victoria Ave. Visitors to the fair can receive information and resources on family care – including child care, elder care and senior services. The event is hosted by Work Life Program of the County of Ventura. Both the event and parking are free.

May 25: Percussionist Extraordinaire C.G. Ryche brings his massive drum set to the Namba stage on Friday, at 8 p.m. for performance you’ll feel in your bones. C.G. Ryche is the ultimate showman with a long and distinguished career as an entertainer. Within this multimedia presentation is candid conversation on how never giving up on your creative dreams is critical to long term success. Tickets are $20 and available at https://nambaarts.com/upcoming-events/. More about C.G. Ryche at https://www.cgryche.com

May 26: The Ventura Tennis Club, in partnership with the Ventura Recreation and Community

Services, are hosting a bi-annual Ventura Tennis Day on Saturday, from 9 – 3 p.m.

at the Camino Real Tennis Park. Clinics for adults and kids from 9 – 12 p.m. with pro Hoss Salehi and staff. After a break for refreshments, raffle and announcements there will be organized doubles play in the afternoon. The Ventura Tennis Club is a non-profit community based club bringing tennis enthusiasts of all ages and abilities together for social and competitive play.

Information http://www.venturatennisclub.com and Facebook.

May 26: Volunteers needed for Ormond Beach/Wetland clean up, Saturday, 9-11 a.m. The Nature Conservancy is hosting a clean-up of the wetland and beach area of Ormond Beach at the end of McWane Blvd. Clean up supplies will be provided. Please wear durable shoes and note that there are no facilities at this location. A naturalist will be on site to provide information on the natural history of the area. Please contact Amy Davis at [email protected] or 770-853-4715.

June 1, 2: Gold Coast Concert Chorus concert will feature the best of their last 30 years. They will feature their favorite songs and share them with you, along with their memories and the joy they find in making music with each other and for the audience. They look forward to singing for you for many more years! Friday June 1st at 8 p.m. and Saturday June 2nd at 2 p.m. St. John’s Lutheran Church – 1500 North C St., Oxnard. Tickets: Adults $18, Senior /Student $15, Child under 12 $5.

For more info call 616-7269 or [email protected]

June 2: NAMBA Performing Arts Space step into summer with a sizzling Flamenco music and dance event at 7.p.m. Experience the pure essence of Andalusian song, the strumming of the guitar and the heart palpitating rhythms created by dancers striking the stage with thundering footwork. Spanish Wine will be available for purchase. 47 So. Oak Street

June 3: Old-Time Country Bluegrass Gospel Music Assoc. meeting will be Sunday from 2:30-4:30 p.m.

at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 36 Figueroa. Free admission, stage music and jamming, free parking in the rear, Open to Public. For more information 517-1131 or Facebook: OTCBGMA

June 3: Docent-led tours of the Dudley Historic House Museum, and an orchid sale. From 1 to 4 p.m. and admission is free. Located at the corner of Loma Vista and Ashwood . For information 642-3345 or www.dudleyhouse.org.

June 8: Prism of Thought. An artistic exploration of LGBTQ mental health and opinion. Join NAMI Ventura, Diversity Collective VC, and Each Mind Matters for a special free event on Friday, from 5:30 – 8 p.m. Feature special speakers will have a conversation focused on the mental health needs of the LGBTQ community. Food provided by Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar and music provided by DJ Vince Franco at Diversity Collective VC’s Community Resource Center 2471 Portola Road Suite 100.

Shawn McCarthy

Rest In peace Shawn.

On May 18th, Shawn McCarthy lost his long battle with cancer. He and wife Linda are franchise owners BNI Business Network. He would have been 64 in December.

Shawn never stopped smiling and reaching out to all that were in his presence. Being with him was a joy. He will be sorely missed by all that knew him.

Even in his last days he reached out to his many friends by sharing “No words can express the gratitude that I feel for the amount of support I’ve rec’d during this cancer journey. Way too many people to thank, so this will have to be enough. I have been truly humbled to hear how so many of you share that I have impacted your life…it was an honor and pleasure to do so. And you need to know that you’ve impacted my life even more. I’ve lived thru a really great life and marriage and I hope that inspired you too.”

Linda said “He has had the rare opportunity to live to see and hear his celebration of life…thanks for the multitude that helped contribute to it.”

Vol. 11, No. 17 – May 23 – June 5, 2018 – Ventura Music Scene

by Pam Baumgardner
VenturaRocks.com

One of the highlights we Venturans (Venturians? Venturanites?) look for every summer is the release of the Ventura County Fair music schedule. The fair has updated their website and once again it’s a well-rounded musical roster from Reggae to Country and most points in between. Of course, the biggest perk has always been that the grandstand entertainment is included in the price of admission.

Let’s get to it, the Ventura County Fair music schedule kicks off on the second night (Motor sports on the first night), with UB40 featuring Ali, Astro and Mickey on Thursday, August 2; the Plain White T’s return on Friday, August 3; it’s LeAnn Rimes on Saturday, August 4; there’s a full afternoon for your Sunday with what they’re calling Dia de la Familia concert, though the performers have not been named yet; on Monday, August 6, it’s Sublime with Rome (a musical collaboration between Eric Wilson formerly of the band Sublime and singer Rome Ramirez); there are two shows on Tuesday with The 5th Dimension at 1 pm and Frankie Vallie & the Four Seasons at 7:30; Boyz II Men perform on Wednesday, August 8, and we’ll most likely be hearing new music off their upcoming October release called Under the Streetlight; it’s country artist, Hunter Hayes performing on Thursday, August 9; and rounding up the music lineup will be Creedence Clearwater Revisited featuring two members from the original line up of CCR, with bassist, Stu Cook, and drummer, Doug Clifford, on Friday, August 10. There will be a professional rodeo over the final weekend in the grandstand arena.

Unfortunately, it happens every now and then that a band has to cancel due to illness, and so it went with Billy Vera and the Beaters Hi Hat Entertainment show on May 11, but they have rescheduled, so go ahead it mark it down for Friday, June 29, at the Hong Kong Inn.

Quick notes: Cubensis returns to Discovery for a show on Saturday, May 26; hip hop recording artist Antwon King has his album release party at Discovery Sunday, May 27; the Star Lounge continues with their Reggae Sunday afternoons with The Question, on May 27 and Bomba Fiya on June 3; Winchesters continues with live music over the weekend including Sunday afternoons now; and Jill Martini and the ShrinkenHeads perform island styled music at the Harbor Cove Café on the first and third Fridays of the month down towards the end of Spinnaker Drive in the Ventura Harbor.

And finally, don’t forget to tune in for my local radio show gone worldwide, I call it The Pam Baumgardner Music Hour and it features mostly local artists out of the 805. It airs Tuesdays and Fridays at 5 pm and Sundays at noon on KPPQ-LP, 104.1 FM here in Ventura and on the internet at www.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.

Ventura Chamber ribbon cuttings

Recently Ventura Chamber ribbon cuttings were held at the following businesses. Photos by Michael Gordon

The Vent: Human Performance Center , 4013 Main St. 995-9030.

Dena Rogers State Farm® Insurance Agent , 970 S. Petit Ave. 642-9715

Ventura Bike HUB , 490 N. Ventura Ave. 641-2665

Ambrosia by Caffrodite ,1987 E Main Street 628.9289