All posts by admin

California needs action on flood insurance reforms

Guest Columnist
by Steve Ellis vice president of Taxpayers for Common Sense and a member of the SmarterSafer coalition

The record-breaking floodwaters that recently soaked Ventura County should serve as the latest warning that unless Congress reforms and renews the nation�s debt-ridden flood insurance program, more than 238,900 residents across California may be unable to rebuild after the next storm strikes.

The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), which provides flood coverage to more than 22,000 communities across the country, expired last fall and is billions of dollars in debt to U.S. taxpayers. Due to inaction in the Senate, lawmakers have been forced to issue a series of short-term extensions to keep the broken program afloat. But with the next deadline approaching in four short months, the Senate must act now to address the NFIP�s mounting debt and ensure it is sustainable in the future.

The Senate can start by passing a legislative package similar to the 21st Century Flood Reform Act, a bill that passed the House of Representatives last fall and includes several significant reforms that address the program�s mounting debt.

One important aspect of the bill would clarify that property owners in flood zones can use private flood insurance to satisfy the federal lending requirement.

Even with more than 238,900 NFIP policies, too few California residents have purchased flood insurance. Some residents may avoid the NFIP because the one-size-fits-all policy fails to provide homeowners with the coverage they need at a price they can afford. Expanding the flood insurance market with more private insurance options would encourage more residents to purchase flood coverage, since policies could be tailored to individual properties.

There are several other reforms that the Senate should pursue to help better protect people and property at risk of severe storms� several of which were included in the House legislation.

One desperately needed reform is to update FEMA�s flood maps so they use the most accurate risk-assessment tools and modern technologies. Updated flood maps would give property owners an accurate picture of how vulnerable their property is to flooding and would help them take the appropriate measures to prepare for future storms. It would also help ensure that rates more accurately reflect the risk a property faces.

Floods have hit California hard in the past, and unfortunately, major storms will likely continue to hammer the state and rest of the country for the foreseeable future. The time has come for the Senate to tackle these NFIP reforms to ensure homeowners suffering from flood damage are not left hanging out to dry.

Spring Carnival Business Expo

Photo by Michael Gordon

The Ventura Chamber of Commerce held its Spring Carnival Business Expo on May 17 at the Four Points by Sheraton Ventura Harbor Resort. The Expo presented over 80 exhibitors, wonderful food, prizes and the Ventura Breeze. Making sure no one kidnapped the Breeze publisher were Jaime Baker, Ana Baker, Karen Leslie and James Francis Gray who really didn’t care.

 

Ventura’s Footworks Youth Ballet delights with dance

With Ventura’s Footworks Youth Ballet, students and audiences alike get to experience the utmost in classical ballet repertoire. Students fill lead roles whenever possible in productions like The Nutcracker every December, or Cinderella, Snow White, Swan Lake, and others every spring. “Our overall goal is to share the experience of quality classical ballet through the performances for all of our dancers, at all levels, and also for our entire community,” shares Kirsten Oakley, Artistic Director of Footworks Youth Ballet.

“This spring, we are especially thrilled to present three ballets almost completely cast with our students,” she continues. “Most students dance for the joy of dance and for the positive experience of participating in the production. Others have studied seriously for many years and are headed to prestigious summer programs and, eventually, to a professional career in dance. We encourage and nurture all levels.”

On Saturday, June 2nd, Footworks brings Giselle to the stage for a matinee (2 pm) as well as an evening performance (7 pm) at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center. Giselle is the epitome of Romantic ballet. First performed in 1841 to the music of French composer Adolphe Adam, it is the story of love lost, remorse, and forgiveness. Not often performed, Giselle will offer Ventura County residents a special opportunity to experience a ballet that is often dubbed as moody and ethereal with a touch of the supernatural.

Footworks Youth Ballet will also feature a different production on Sunday, June 3rd (2 pm), with the matinee performance of the well-known children’s classic, Peter and the Wolf by Sergei Prokofiev. “In our version of Peter and The Wolf, we include original and fun variations. Of course, you will see your old favorites, including the Wolf, Peter, Grandfather, the Bird, Cat and Ducks—but we will also feature lively performances by leaping Frogs, Villagers, Squirrels and Hunters, and an additional dream sequence for the Wolf,” says Laurin Boland, Director of the Children’s Division. “Kirsten always adds wonderful twists to the story, making our audience laugh while allowing more artistry for our dancers.”

Since the story ballet Peter and the Wolf is only a one-act production, Kirsten Oakley has added yet another genre of dance to the mix: Prokofiev’s Classical Symphony, a George Balanchine-inspired ballet choreographed in the neoclassical style. A more sleek and modern style, it features classical ballet movements but with increased energy and speed, pared-down sets and costumes, and without any reliance on a narrative.

Footworks Youth Ballet is a nonprofit ballet company located in Ventura, California, whose purpose is to provide educational opportunities to young people and the community through the art of ballet. Each season, Footworks Youth Ballet coordinates Outreach events for school children, which occur this year on June 1st. The events are completely filled, allowing over 3,000 school children to experience the high-quality artistry of young dancers, ages 5 to 17, in a production that includes professionally created costumes, lighting and sets.

Oxnard Performing Arts Center

June 2nd: Giselle, 2 pm and 7 pm

June 3rd: Classical Symphony and Peter and the Wolf, 2 pm

Tickets: $14/$18/$22

For info/tickets: www.footworksyouthballet.org, or call 486-2424.

Complexities, combinations of age-related brain conditions are a challenge

“Painting as therapy keeps our brains sharp.”

by National Institute on Aging

The decline of cognitive functioning—thinking, remembering, learning and reasoning—involves a complicated mix of different disease processes in the brain. A study by NIA-funded researchers has shown that common brain diseases often overlap but impact cognitive impairment differently for different people. The findings, published online Dec. 15, 2017 in the journal Annals of Neurology, the authors say, point to the importance of developing therapies that seek to treat the broader complexity of cognitive decline.

A research team from the NIA-funded Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center, Chicago, looked at cases of more than 1,000 older people who took detailed cognitive tests annually for many years and whose brains were donated and examined after death. The researchers measured nine disease characteristics in the brain, called neuropathologies, known to relate to cognitive decline and dementia. The neuropathologies included plaques and tangles associated with Alzheimer’s disease and indicators of Lewy body dementia, a disease associated with abnormal deposits in the brain of a protein called alpha-synuclein.

The researchers found that over 94 percent of the participants had at least one known neuropathology. Dr. Patricia Boyle, Professor at the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center, who led the study, explained that of those participants who had at least one neuropathology, 78 percent had two or more, 58 percent had three or more, and 35 percent had four or more. The researchers were surprised to find nearly 250 unique combinations of neuropathologies. “And there’s not a particularly common pattern,” Boyle noted.

The study also evaluated the nine neuropathologies for their relative impact on cognition. For example, the study found that neuropathologies associated with Alzheimer’s disease were both the most frequent (65 percent) and the most often associated with cognitive decline (about 50 percent on average). But, the degree to which Alzheimer’s disease neuropathologies contributed to cognitive changes varied greatly from person to person—with anywhere from 20 to 100 percent of the cognitive change accounted for by Alzheimer’s disease neuropathologies, depending on the others that were present. In other words, the impact of any given neuropathology differed dramatically depending on the other neuropathologies present.

While the sample in this study differs slightly from the general population, Boyle explained that the results build on earlier studies. “Most people who live to be in their 80s will have some combination of neuropathologies in the brain,” she said. “We need to understand how these neuropathologies work together to impair cognition in order to develop effective interventions to prevent cognitive decline in old age. We looked at the nine neuropathologies that we currently quantify in the brain, but there are others that we are just beginning to study and some we probably haven’t identified yet,” she added.

In addition to helping advance understanding of the complex brain changes that can happen in aging, this study demonstrates the importance of volunteers both participating in research over many years and donating their brains. This research used the infrastructure available across the country at the Alzheimer’s Disease Centers to generate knowledge that is a necessary step to eventually developing treatments.

Families must feel safe in their neighborhoods

by City Council Member Christy Weir

The recent killing of Anthony Mele was a tragic event that has left many of us struggling to find ways to more effectively prevent acts of violence. We have heard ideas from residents by email, social media and at City Council meetings. Our community has expressed their sadness and anger through marches, radio and online, and shown support for the Mele family with fundraisers and heartfelt expressions of sympathy.

Ventura is a community that cares, and comes together to problem-solve. Our Police Department works hard every day to make our City safe and is committed to stepping up patrols and enforcement to diminish vagrancy-related crimes. Additional Police officers have been hired and more will soon be joining the force. Our downtown Ambassador program will be expanding to include other impacted areas. There are many contributing factors that we need to be examining— two methadone clinics, ineffective treatment for mental illness, inmates being released from jail in Ventura, state laws that have negatively impacted criminal sentencing, huge encampments in our river bottoms and panhandling.

The public can help us in several ways: volunteer for clean-up and other community improvement projects, report suspicious or threatening behavior and do not give money to panhandlers. A leader of a local non-profit once told us that each dollar given to a panhandler is like another nail in their coffin. That sounds dramatic, but he explained that when people are receiving cash to feed their harmful habits, they are less motivated to accept help for their addictions. That cash can also be a contributor to drug-related crimes. Please donate to service agencies that can provide lasting care that saves lives.

Families must feel safe in their neighborhoods and in our parks and beachfront areas. Crime and threatening behavior in our public spaces cannot be tolerated. I look forward to partnering with our residents, businesses, service organizations and City and County government to ensure a safe and clean Ventura.

Fox Fine Jewelry presents check to United Way

George and Debbie Fox presenting “big” check to Eric Harrison.

by Jennifer Tipton

Thursday May 3rd, George and Debbie Fox presented United Way of Ventura County a check for $60,900.

When asked how this project came about, Debbie Fox explained, “the Thomas Fires occurred on Monday and by Thursday we decided we had to do something!”.

George and Debbie Fox, owners of Fox Fine Jewelry located at 560 East Main did just that. At first, when they decided to give necklaces to the fire victims, they thought it would be about 150 and “that’s not so many”, George said. But that number quickly jumped to 400 and to date they have given away 601 necklaces! Following the original “Ventura” design, they added an “805” design and then another for Ojai, but when disaster hit Montecito it seemed somehow “inappropriate”, because of the loss of life however, “people asked for them” and they were created too.

According to Debbie, “it was never meant as a fundraiser, but then people wanted to BUY them, and we really weren’t prepared for that!”. She described how difficult the first week was and emphasized that ALL the staff at Fox were part of the project, each working hard on the necklace production and distribution but most of all Debbie said, “we were like grief counselors”, hearing so many heartbreaking stories from those whose lives were changed forever by the fires and floods.

250 necklaces had to be wrapped and ready before Christmas resulting in an assembly line for the Fox family and staff. All three of George and Debbie’s daughters: Niki, Charlotte and Karen joined in and somehow, in all the rush one of the girls confessed she thought she may have wrapped an empty box, the same brave gal offered to stay and unwrap the sea of packages until she found the empty one! It took two full nights to complete, but the operation was a success and many more necklaces followed.

Along with the very generous “gift of compassion”, as Debbie calls the diamond necklaces, the check for $60,900 was received by Eric Harrison, C.E.O. and President for the United Way of Ventura County along with Vicki Raven, the Vice President for Resource Development and Marketing.

The check presentation took place at Fox Fine Jewelry and Eric from United Way stated, “today’s a celebration”. CAPS Media filmed the event and the Fox’s provided large trays of sandwiches from Jimmy’s Slice along with cookies for their guests.

Coincidentally, May 4th was the 26th wedding anniversary for George and Debbie Fox!

Local teacher explores homelessness through poetry

Many people think they know the reasons for homelessness.

by Jill Forman

Mental illness. Drugs. Laziness. High rents. Underemployment. Many people think they know the reasons for homelessness. And others know the solutions: treatment, jail, more jobs, subsidized housing, more services, fewer services.

But as local teacher Brian Galetto knows, it is “Not So Simple.” A multifaceted situation with multiple root causes and no easy answers calls for careful thought and a big dose of empathy.

How to accomplish this? “Everybody loves a story,” he says. Poetry is “…telling a story with rhythm.” He was teaching poetry and liked its conciseness, “…a way to get people to listen.”

His sign screamed

HUNGRY!

I had pizza for later

But later for me

Was present for him.

So he started writing “Not So Simple” in 2015, and it was published in February of this year. He has two themes: just trying to get by, and it’s never simple. “I’m trying to show what it means to be a community.”

Brian came to California with his degrees in English and a desire to make the world better as a teacher. Villanova was revamping their speech program and he had a chance to design a communications curriculum that teaches, along with grammar, writing and speaking skills, Brian’s core values: empathy, compassion, gratitude.

Living in downtown Ventura, he sees the homeless daily; “…I was curious…” and started to talk to them and find out about their lives. For a while he was giving out food and “care packages” in the parks, until the city put a stop to that. At Villanova he initiated their version of “Socktober,” collecting clothes and toiletries; he works with HELP of Ojai, local churches, and Project Understanding.

To increase his community involvement, and get other perspectives on the problems, he goes to community council meetings. He even went to the rally at City Hall even though “I was scared…it felt like a mob mentality…I understand why people are angry, but we need to channel that energy into solutions.”

His students learn about the subject starting with conversation, then seeing videos and learning stories. “It breaks down preconceived notions that they didn’t even know they had.” They go on to do service-based projects, not only on homelessness but others that expand the concepts they have learned in his class.

“Not So Simple” has been well-received so far. He has had four public readings, at libraries and bookstores in addition to his book release party at a local restaurant. It has sold 500 copies, more than he expected; he goes back to his refrain of “…at the end of the day, we all love stories.” With these stories, he hopes to “…change how others think about some things.”

The streets can do that to a man

The mentality it must take to survive,

Convince your body not to give in

To hunger

To demons

To death

How would you keep your soul alive outside?

All proceeds from sales of the book go to Project Understanding. They are available at Bookends Bookstore, Palermo Coffee Shop, and Bank of Books. Brian’s email is [email protected].

Reaching future Ventura Breeze readers

Ventura Police Commander Rick Murray reading to kids at the Take 5 event at police headquarters. Photo by Michael Gordon

Take 5 and Read to Kids! is an annual effort by First 5 Ventura County to raise awareness about the importance of early childhood literacy.

On Friday, May 4, more than 55 celebrity readers read to young children throughout Ventura County to kick off the Take 5 and Read to Kids campaign! This year the Ventura Police Department hosted the effort at Police/Fire Headquarters. Police Officers and Firefighters took time to read and share important safety tips with local families.

· Take 5 encourages parents and caregivers to talk, read, and sing with young children ages 1-5 to support their early language and literacy development.

· Reading aloud, telling stories, and even singing builds pathways in the brain that will later be used to learn letters, read, and to think critically.

· Being introduced to books in the home and reading to a child before they enter school has been shown to be the strongest predictor of school success, especially for students at the greatest risk of falling behind.

That’s what Take 5 is about – take 5 minutes today for a child’s future.

A tour of the facility was also given.

The impressive lineup of readers in Ventura County to promote the importance of reading early to young children included Congresswoman Julia Brownley, Assembly member Dante Acosta, Supervisor Kelly Long, County Executive Officer Mike Powers, Ventura County Fire Chief Mark Lorenzen, Sheriff Geoff Dean, Ventura County Superintendent of Schools Stan Mantooth, CSUCI President Erika Beck and many more.

“For young children, early exposure to books – including being read aloud to each day – is critical for long-term academic success,” said First 5 Ventura County Executive Director Petra Puls. “And yet, in Ventura County, only 58% of children are read to daily.”

Parkinson’s Disease Support Group hosts Michael J. Fox Foundation May 9 at 1pm

Michael J. Fox has done much to support Parkinson’s disease research.

The Ventura Parkinson’s Disease Support Group invites their members and care-partners, visitors and new friends who find themselves navigating Parkinson’s disease to join them on Wednesday, May 9 from 1-3pm for a special presentation to be held at Lexington Assisted Living, 5440 Ralston St.

Advancement Officer Mary McQuillen of The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) will present an overview of MJFF’s mission; an update on promising Parkinson’s disease research; the latest legislation that impacts the lives of people with Parkinson‘s; priority areas for Parkinson’s policy work; and information on how to get involved with clinical research through Fox Trial Finder and Fox Insight.

The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research is dedicated to finding a cure for Parkinson’s disease through an aggressively funded research agenda and to ensuring the development of improved therapies for those living with Parkinson’s today. Since inception in 2000, 89 cents of every dollar spent by MJFF has gone straight to grants and initiatives to speed a cure for Parkinson’s. To date, the Foundation has funded more than $800 million in research to bring an end to Parkinson’s disease. For more information, visit www.michaeljfox.org.

For those interested in attending the event, there is a drop-off/loading and unloading driveway in the front of the Lexington building. Extra parking is graciously available across the street in the Baptist Church parking lot. Reservations are not required. Attendees are invited to check in at the front desk for directions to the 3rd floor and sign-in at the meeting so we can keep in touch with you. For more information, call Patty at 766-6070.

The Ventura Parkinson’s Disease Support Group is an independent and volunteer-organized group, not affiliated with or a part of any other organization or group. Thanks to the generosity of the Lexington Assisted Living, they host their meetings every second Wednesday of the month.

Vol. 11, No. 16 – May 9 – May 22, 2018 – A View from House Seats

The award-winning professional cast is outstanding at the Rubicon.

Rubicon Delivers in The Baby Dance: Mixed
by Shirley Lorraine

Affordable Broadway is in our own back yard. Continuing their 20th anniversary season with yet another World Premiere production, The Rubicon Theatre Company offers The Baby Dance: Mixed by acclaimed Emmy award-winning author Jane Anderson.

Anderson and frequent Rubicon director Jenny Sullivan have been collaborators since the plays’ conception and infancy. This staging is an updated version of The Baby Dance, brainstormed and brought to the Pasadena Playhouse stage in 1990 directed by Sullivan. Since then the play has been staged in several other countries and a translated version is currently running in France.

Once again, Anderson works with Sullivan who expertly directs this adaptation to include relevant current issues including a mixed-race couple of affluence seeking to adopt an African-American child. Their attorney has engineered an adoption agreement with a less well-off couple who already have four children and may be unable to care for another. The childless couple, an African-American woman and a Jewish Caucasian man, are desperate to adopt the baby when she is born.

The play simmers with highly charged emotion and conflicts from the beginning. The universal message of hope and anguish highlights sensitive situations that are humorous across ethnic and socio-economic lines. Both couples have myriad challenges to overcome and a desire for a “perfect” outcome despite their many differences. However, life has other ideas, as it often does.

The award-winning professional cast delivers warm, strong, engaging and complex characters across the board.

The mixed-race couple is played by Tracey A. Leigh as Regina, the adoptive mother. Her husband, Richard is played by Brian Robert Burns. They become acquainted with Wanda (Krystle Simmons) and Al (Gabriel Lawrence), who have decided that adoption would be the best option for their family’s current circumstances. They are joined by Carl Palmer who plays Ron, the adoption attorney who proves his ability to adapt quickly to any situation.

The across-the-board powerful performances are framed by settings designed by Rubicon technical veteran Thomas Buderwitz. Set dressing is exquisitely detailed by T. Theresa Scarano. The interior of the trailer where Wanda and Al and family live highlights their financial status and make-do creativity.

Stick around during intermission when the entire picture is transformed into a well-appointed hospital room – by itself a production worth watching. Sound is expertly filtered into scenes by Randall Robert Tico to complete the realistic and intricate settings.

The cast was invited by the author as well as the director to offer input into this new version of the play as they rehearsed and traversed the mine field that is involved in subjects of race, status and conscience. Talk-backs with the cast after the next two Wednesday evening performances will undoubtedly be extraordinarily insightful.

The Rubicon Theatre Company consistently provides high quality theatrical experiences. Their 20th anniversary season is proving to be another winner.

The Baby Dance: Mixed plays Wednesdays to Sundays through May 20 at the Rubicon Theatre Company, 1006 E. Main St. (corner of Main and Laurel Streets) in downtown Ventura. Matinees: 2 p.m. Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Evening performances are at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 7 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Wednesday May 9 and 16 performances will be followed by a talk-back session with the cast. Tickets: $30-$55. There is 24-hour ticketing and seat selection online at www.rubicontheatre.org. (805) 667-2900.