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Focus on the Masters is on the move and needs the community’s help to find a permanent home

FOTM’s collection of artist biographies is a living time capsule, they need a new home.

Focus on the Masters (FOTM) Archive & Library is about to embark on one of the most challenging chapters in their 24-year history and needs the community’s support. FOTM is looking for a new home. They are asking for your help in their search for a donated building or location to lease to own that can not only accommodate the extensive FOTM Archive & Library, but includes a space for exhibitions and a gathering place where they can increase their community outreach.

The ideal location would be in a high-profile area with lots of foot traffic to increase their interaction with the public. The Archive & Library needs about 3,000 square feet to accommodate the historic collection, the staff and volunteer offices, research facility and community gathering space. Ideally, the new FOTM Archive & Library will be a hub of activity celebrating the arts through exhibitions, arts education and scholarship. The goal is to have a facility that will allow FOTM to showcase their unique cultural assets and enrich our thriving art community. The vision is a new age Archive & Library with a focus on the arts.

FOTM is one of the most unique non-profit organizations in California. Its collection of artist biographies, oral histories, digital library of artists work, publications, video recordings and ephemera is a living time capsule that continues to document our shared humanity daily. Its extensive community outreach stems from the artists in the archive including their popular Artist Spotlight monthly meet-the-artist interview series and their Learning to See Outreach – an 8-week cross curricular in-school, hands-on art program teaching about the artists who live and work in our community. FOTM mounts student exhibitions throughout the year in the communities in which the students live. Class locations include Ventura County school districts, Turning Point Foundation (serving adults with mental illness), community centers and youth organizations.

The fall of the economy in 2008/09 hit FOTM very hard. All income streams were reduced and expenses were cut in every capacity. To stabilize and restructure, FOTM moved into a vacant building in 2010, located at 505 Poli St., behind Ventura City Hall. FOTM leased a 2,000-square foot facility in the City of Ventura’s newly established Non-Profit Sustainability Center (NPSC). The stability of the NPSC has allowed FOTM (and many other non-profits) the opportunity to stabilize and continue to serve our community. As a result of their restructuring, FOTM hired a new Education Director, Aimee French, and three Learning to See instructors to teach in the Ventura County schools.

In 2016, when the City of Ventura allowed Brooks Institute to displace the NPSC, FOTM moved the collection to two small offices suites on third floor of the 505 Poli building. With city plans to develop the 505 Poli building soon, FOTM needs the stability of a permanent home. Please contact Donna Granata at [email protected] or call 653.2501 with any leads you may have. Thank you. To learn more about FOTM please visit www.FocusOnTheMasters.com.

The “Li’l Circus the Could” brings Circus Arts & interactive Fun to kids of all ages!

Artists Lynne Okun and Michelle Foster will host two Saturday morning workshops and a “First Friday” interactive event featuring the “Li’l Circus that Could” at Bell Arts Factory. Living Dream Arts (https://www.livingdreamarts.org/) of SF Bay Area is sponsoring.

The Li’l Circus that could will bring Circus Arts & interactive Fun to kids of all ages! You don’t have to run away to join the circus, we are the circus!

Saturday mornings April 21 and 28th from 10am-12 noon and First Friday, May 4th from 5-8pm Li’l Circus premier interactive performance at Bell Arts Factory, 432 N. Ventura Ave.

In the spirit of keeping Ventura Strong we invite the community to participate in the innovative art of Circus, a fun and open-hearted inter-activity that builds community and ignites the spirit of play in people of all ages. No previous circus arts experience is necessary!

Be a part of the greatest show on earth! Stretch yourself silly, learn the art of juggling, hula hoop, human mandalas, pyramids, and more! Circus arts inspires self-confidence, inner strength, concentration, creativity, and collaboration!

The innovative art of Circus is a fun and open-hearted inter-activity that builds community and ignites the spirit of play in people of all ages.

Mitz-Khan-A-Khan DAR Chapter unveils California Historical Landmark No. 310 at Mission San Buenaventura

Photo by Stephen Adams

The Mitz-Khan-A-Khan Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) unveiled a 24”x 24” bronze marker of California Historical Landmark No. 310 that was placed on the front of Mission San Buenaventura on March 31. Present were the Daughters of the American Revolution Ventura Chapter Mitz-Khan-A-Khan, along with other statewide California DAR chapter members and Fr. Tom Elewaut, Pastor, at San Buenaventura Mission.

The Mitz-Khan-A-Khan Chapter of the NSDAR was organized February 20, 1931, and is named for the Chumash Native American village of Mitsquanaqa’n, where the Mission San Buenaventura was founded.

Ground broken on the Rancho Verde Apartments

The HACSB is the largest residential landlord in the City of Ventura. Photo by Michael Gordon

On Wednesday, Mar. 28, ground was broken on the Rancho Verde Apartments, the first USDA Section 514 rental housing property to be developed by the Housing Authority of the City of San Buenaventura (HACSB). It will be the first net zero energy multifamily residential property in the City of Ventura.

In this new development, 24 USDA Rural Housing units will be constructed as a multi-family site for farmworker households. Rancho Verde Ventura LP, a limited partnership affiliated with the Housing Authority of the City of San Buenaventura, is the owner and the Housing Authority of the City of San Buenaventura will be property manager. It is located at S. Saticoy Avenue and Blackburn Rd.

The project has been designed to achieve the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED for Homes Platinum Certification. The landscaping will be irrigated by an onsite greywater facility. The architect is Mainstreet Architects + Planners, Inc., and the general contractor is Ashwood Construction, Inc.

Helping with the first shovel full were Denise Wise, Chief Executive Officer HACSB,Jim White, Vice Chair, HACSB Board of Commissioners,Bret Helgren, Multi-Family Housing Coordinator, United States Department of Agriculture,John Polanskey, Chair, HACSB Board of Commissioners,Veronica Garcia, Deputy Director of Real Estate Development, HACSB and Christian M. von Merkatz, Vice President – Relationship Manager, Community Lending & Investment, Wells Fargo.

The HACSB is the largest residential landlord in the City of Ventura, with over 300 public housing units, more than 1,500 Section 8 vouchers, and over 500 non-profit affordable rental units. The agency is actively working to increase the supply of affordable housing and to improve the quality of life for hundreds more of the low-income residents throughout the City of Ventura.

The 1st Annual Ventura Unified School All-District Art Show

Sophia Munoz, a Ventura High School freshman, is another talented artist whose artwork is featured on the district poster. Sophia looks forward to a lifelong career as an artist.

The first annual VUSD student art show will be held at the Museum of Ventura County, through the efforts of the Ventura Arts Collaborative, a cooperative program of Ventura Unified School District, the City of Ventura and the Ventura Education Partnership. The juried show will highlight incredibly talented high school, middle school and elementary school student artists.  In total, over 50 works have been selected from hundreds of submitted pieces – including watercolors, photography, acrylic paintings, mixed media and pencil drawings.

According to Elena Brokaw, Executive Director of the Museum of Ventura County, “This partnership between the school district and the museum is a direct result of our community’s commitment to the Arts.  Ventura is a city where art and artists are celebrated and welcome. We are proud to be a part of this new annual tradition.”

On Thursday, April 19 from 5:00-6:30 pm there will be a VIP Reception. This event will be followed by a $25.00 ticketed fundraising event (6:30-8pm) and student awards will be presented at 7:00 pm. All proceeds from this event support VUSD’s art programs.  The art show is open to the public on Saturday, April 21st from 11:00 am-5:00pm. Admission is free. In addition to viewing artwork, student musicians will be performing throughout the day and local food trucks will be on site.

Museum of Ventura County, 100 East Main St.

Vol. 11, No. 14 – Apr 11 – Apr 24, 2018 – Tech Today with Ken May

Stingrays in DC?

The federal government has formally acknowledged for the first time that it has located suspected and unauthorized cell-site simulators in various parts of Washington, DC.

The revelation, which was reported for the first time by the Associated Press, was described in a letter recently released from the Department of Homeland Security to the offices of Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Oregon).

“Overall, [DHS’ National Protection and Programs Directorate] believes the malicious use of IMSI catchers is a real and growing risk,” wrote Christopher Krebs, DHS’ acting undersecretary, in a March 26, 2018 letter to Wyden.

The letter and attached questionnaire say that DHS had not determined who is operating the simulators, how many it found, or where they were located.

DHS also said that its NPPD is “not aware of any current DHS technical capability to detect IMSI catchers.” The agency did not explain precisely how it was able to observe “anomalous activity” that “appears to be consistent” with cell-site simulators.

The devices, which are also known as ‘stingrays’ or IMSI catchers, are commonly used by domestic law enforcement nationwide to locate a particular phone. Sometimes, they can also be used to intercept text messages and phone calls. Stingrays act as a fake cell tower and effectively trick a cell phone into transmitting to it, which gives up the phone’s location.

Given that cell-site simulators have been used for years at home, it would be naive to think that malevolent actors, including criminals and foreign governments, would not attempt to set up stingrays in major American cities, particularly the capital.

DHS’ answers also say that the agency is “aware” of the use of stingrays in other US cities, although it did not name them.

“NPPD is aware of anomalous activity outside the [National Capital Region] that appears to be consistent with IMSI catchers,” Krebs also wrote. “NPPD has not validated or attributed this activity to specific entities or devices. However, NPPD has shared this information with Federal partners.”

In 2015, various federal law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, said that, in most circumstances, they will require a warrant when they use a stingray. Some states also impose similar requirements.

In 2014, the Federal Communications Commission began a task force into the “illicit” use of stingrays in America, but the investigation doesn’t appear to have produced any public reports or taken any meaningful actions.

There is currently no way for regular cellphone users to tell if their calls are being intercepted by one of these stingrays.

Volunteers hand out over 80 donated sleeping bags to homeless

Before sunrise on a cold Easter Sunday, good Samaritans Roy Foster and Kathy Powell, along with a few other dedicated volunteers, handed out over 80 donated sleeping bags to the homeless at the Armory in Ventura. These bags have been donated by neighbors and friends and collected by Roy and Kathy. The Armory, which is used as a winter shelter for homeless people, was being closed for the season. Roy stated ”It makes me feel wonderful when I see some homeless in Ventura in possession of the sleeping bags that they were given. This will keep them much more comfortable during the cold nights.”

Photos by Bernie Goldstein (our hero for being there at 5:30am)

Award-winning fish taco eatery to open second location

Ventura favorite Spencer Makenzie’s Fish Co. is opening their long-anticipated second location in Camarillo next month. The original is a beloved coastal institution. They’ve racked 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 will be at 311 Carmen Drive, and will open in early May. The new restaurant features a large outdoor patio, tailor-made for enjoying idyllic California evenings.

Spencer Makenzie’s entire line of sought-after sauces will be available for purchase at the Camarillo location, including Caribbean Blaze and Little Sweet, Lotta Heat. Fifty cents from the sale of each of its famous Sweet Chili Fire sauce will go to the family of fallen firefighter Cory Iverson, who lost his life fighting the Thomas Fire.

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

Ventura’s Spencer Makenzie’s Fish Co. is located at 806 East Thompson Blvd. For more information, please visit www.spencermakenzies.com.