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A Message of Hope: Ventura Botanical Gardens will rise again

“Many plants in the VBG collection have evolved with fire and are adapted to survive fire events.”

by Mary Kay Doubek VBG volunteer

One look at the charred hillside above our still-standing City Hall tells one that Ventura Botanical Gardens (VBG) did not escape the destruction of the Thomas Fire as it swept through town beginning December 4. Despite extensive damage, VBG and The City of Ventura have already reaffirmed their partnership and commitment to deliver on the vision for the gardens. “There will be new challenges, of course,” said Joe Cahill, Executive Director of VBG, “but the aftermath of this devastating wildfire also presents new opportunities. We remain optimistic that our circumstances also have potential to benefit the long-term development of Ventura Botanical Gardens.”

VBG wasted no time, surveying the damage to the gardens soon after the fire was extinguished. Along with the destruction, Cahill reported that most of the skeletal infrastructure is intact. “Starting in 2012, our volunteers, the Conservation Corp, and the City of Ventura steadily added structural support and stone retaining walls to the planting areas and garden trail over a 30 acre area. That newer work held up well, but we will need to do minor repairs and replacement to make the trail safe again for visitors. For example, an old clay drainage pipe collapsed and caused the section of trail above it to cave in. In another section of trail, a 10-foot-long wooden retaining wall burned. Amazingly, the wooden bridge under construction in the Fynbos garden remains untouched, but on the other hand, several new educational signs and plant specimen labels melted.”

VBG has already engaged contractors to proceed with the repairs. Other plans underway include reseeding of the hillsides adjacent to developed garden areas to protect and mitigate erosion from winter rains. Depending on the availability of financial resources, the gardens will utilize technical products, such as fiber coating, in areas with severe or unstable slopes. These are protective and proactive measures the gardens can put to use, if they can be funded.

As far as vegetation is concerned, the worst devastation occurred in areas were where dead brush had built up since the last major fire in Grant Park in 1970. The garden planting areas fared somewhat better, but it will take months to complete the evaluation of the 700 specimen plant collection from Mediterranean climate regions of the world. However there is good reason to be optimistic. According to Cahill, “Many plants in the VBG collection have evolved with fire and are adapted to survive fire events. The main areas already planted in VBG stand in contrast to the old brush areas of Grant Park. The newly planted areas also survived well because volunteers had cleared dead brush so there was a lack of fuel. And since the fire, VBG has been watering the planting areas. Miraculously, some plants already have new leaf buds forming. Time will tell what the ultimate survival rate is, but we are keeping a positive outlook!”

Joe had more good news about the gardens’ water tanks and old stone walls. “The 10,000 gallon water tanks installed two years ago are intact, affording us a great opportunity to accelerate expansion of our irrigation system, and thus, to plant and restore larger areas of the garden. Also, the fire exposed more historic stone walls that were agricultural terraces, perhaps 50 sections of wall. There are also many remnants of an old trail system in the ravine to the west of the existing trail complete with mortared stone steps, mortared stone walls and switchbacks. These newly discovered features may make it more feasible and cost effective to add new trails, by simply rehabilitating very old trails. VBG is working with Sean Anderson from CSCI ESRM field crew GIS group to map these features so they can be incorporated into future planning.

Rosa Lee Measures, one of VBG’s founders has offered these words of hope to all, “With heavy heart, I mourn the losses of so many homes and precious keepsakes, of our dear friends. Grateful their lives were spared, as homes can be rebuilt.”

I fully believe that many of our precious plants will be resurrected, and maybe stronger out of the ashes. Hopefully, rejuvenating the Ventura Botanical Gardens will be therapeutic, and further reunite our community. “It is important to remember that fire is a natural process in California and in other Mediterranean climate regions of the world. It may look devastating, but periodic fire rejuvenates the landscape. Almost always there are spectacular spring wildflowers in the years following a fire and there will be other silver linings for VBG as we continue to develop the garden with support from the community.” said Joe Cahill, executive director of VBG.

The gardens and trail will remain closed while repairs are underway. Please respect the “No trespassing” warnings and wait for the public announcement that VBG is once again safe for visitors. Also, be on the lookout for VBG announcements for additional volunteer days so that the public can help with the recovery effort.

It was odd for her to call that late

by Barbara Brown

On Monday around ten, my neighbor Lauren called. It was odd for her to call that late… her voice was tense. She relayed news from her husband Tom Lanski, a Ventura County Fire Captain— the fire in Wheeler Canyon was moving toward Ondulando and she should, precautionarily, pack.

Alerting our neighbors, we moved from house to house knocking and shouting as the horizon changed from amber to brilliant red. Then we heard the evacuation announcement and as quickly as possible, we left.

Driving across town to our son’s house, we watched the fire parallel us through the city. It was terrifying to see how swiftly it moved, and how high the flames were. When we curved the 33, the Avenue hillside was ablaze. Seeing that, I had a bad feeling about the botanical Gardens.

Soon after arriving at my son’s house, the flames breached his hillside and we had to leave. I began to call hotels; they were booked. It was hard to breathe in the smoke, it was dark and everywhere there were flames.

Finally, friends offered to let us crash in their room at the Crowne—a huge relief. We arrived smoky, disheveled and in shock.

One of our retired firefighter friends, Tom Retan, who was listening to dispatch, began texting updates. That was comforting. He was with us remotely hour by painful hour.

From our hotel window, we could only see the east side of the city and not much of it. We looked for a better vantage point and finally found a city-facing window in a stairwell. In horror, I watched the Gardens burn. My heart broke. This city jewel was torched. I didn’t sleep that night.

Finally, in the morning, I called Lauren; in tears she spoke, “we’ve lost our home”. My heart dropped, she’d gotten us out, but she’d lost everything. I cannot describe how that felt.

News was spotty on Tuesday; I focused on the Gardens. Then, I saw a text. Susan and Greg’s home had survived (our friends at the Crowne). I texted, “Could you check ours?” and heard nothing for a long, long time. As the minutes dragged on, anxiety crept in. Then the phone rang. As his own voice broke, our friend Mark explained our home was gone.

My heart actually hurt… it still does… when I think about it.

The first days after learning our home had fallen were surreal. We handled it well enough; friends and family were so supportive. The realization that we had nothing but four boxes of photos and our pajamas was bizarre, but we had each other and citywide, there were no fire casualties. That was a miracle.

Wednesday, we hiked to see our home or, what was left of it. Standing with my husband, son and daughter-in-law, viewing the ash and debris, a sense of profound and irreparable loss set in—the deep and painful realization that our lives had forever changed.
We’re still not out of it; the song “Vagabond Blues” keeps running through my head, but we’ve reconnected with our neighbors and they are alive and well.

I have to say, we are so lucky to be a part of a community that comes together in crisis. So many homes were lost. The next two years are going to be difficult, but we’re optimistic, we love this city and we’re planning to rebuild. We’re deeply grateful for the support of friends and family, the commitment of our community leaders and lastly, the first responders who worked so hard to save homes in desperately dangerous conditions, despite their own profound losses.

Thomas Fire incident community meeting at Buena High School

Over one thousand attended the public meeting.
by Richard Lieberman

Saturday, Dec. 9 a public meeting to discuss the on-going Thomas Fire was held at Buena High School auditorium. The meeting was called to alert residents of the latest developments of the Thomas Fire. Following the meeting the cafeteria was utilized to present several city, county, private and other public agencies, each working from tables set-up in the cafeteria to provide vital information about services available to affected residents.

Matt Lavere Deputy Mayor began the meeting with comments about the situation as of Dec. 9th. “This is the worst natural disaster in the 170-year history of our city”, said Lavere. He also commented about three Ventura restaurants where patrons gave a standing ovation to first responders dining at these restaurants.

Steve Bennett, County Supervisor 1st district was next up and said “I am truly humbled as I watch the progress of firefighters and other first responders” He added “We will continue to fight this disaster and we will get answers on how the fires started and progressed so quickly.”

Mark Watkins, City Manager was next to speak and he was blunt and to the point “This fire is still active, and will take a long time to get it under control”, he said.

Next speaker David Endaya, Fire Chief City of Ventura, said “Our department was able to evacuate 27,000 people in less than an hour.” He also added “This fire came through the city faster than any we have ever seen.”

Other speakers representing emergency services in the city were CAL Fire, City of Ventura Police Chief Ken Corney, Dr. Levin, Public Health Medical Director, Chris Stephens, Director of Resource Management Agency, and Terri Ynez, Deputy Director of Behavioral Health.

Informational table representatives included: Ventura County Recorder’s Office, Red Cross, Ventura County Health Care Agency, Ventura County Consumer Rights and Protection, Ventura Unified School District, Ventura County Tax Assessor, Ventura County Human Services Agency, Ventura County Resource Management Agency, Southern California Gas, Southern California Edison, City of Ventura Community Development, Ventura City Fire, Ventura Water, Ventura Police Department, United States Post Office, and the Department of Insurance.

While at the gathering we were able to talk with a Sacramento Fire Fighter here as a member of Cal Fire Response Team, his journey to Ventura was typical of out of area firefighters responding to the disaster. “Each night we are here we sleep at different locations, the first night I slept in my car no other lodging was available” he said. One night I slept in my sleeping bag on the ground,” he added. Sacramento area responders numbered about one hundred, which included 4 engine companies. These out of area fire fighters are working 24 hour shifts (24 hours on and 24 hours off), and sometimes , because of the severity of the fires they will work 36 to 48 hour shifts.

Here at the Breeze we welcome the generosity and commitment of fire service personnel from all over the Western United States. Thank you all.

Another such meeting was held at Buena High on Dec.16.

Cabrillo’s fire response: Supporting our residents and neighbors

by Margarita H. de Escontrias, Chief Executive Officer

The Thomas Fire has spread quickly across Ventura County.

Our Property Management Department, including our maintenance technicians, have been involved with evacuations and safety checks on our affordable housing communities. Those in property management may want to consider using something like this integrated workplace management system to help schedule important maintenance activities as well as assist in other areas like asset management, finances, and accounting. This can benefit commercial tenants and property managers and residential property managers. We will remain on “HIGH ALERT” to assist. Our residents to ensure their health and safety, which continues to be our highest priority.

Many of our county’s residents will need our support and resources. United Way of Ventura County, working with the Office of Emergency Services and many other organizations, will designate a disaster relief fund. Cabrillo will be working closely with United Way to determine how best to support an emergency response to our neighbors.

In the interim, you can make a donation to the United Way relief effort by sending a check to Cabrillo. Please make it payable to United Way and we will ensure they receive your donations. Please note, “Thomas Fire Fund” in the memo.

As we are all painfully aware, the fires have affected us all. Like you, I hope and pray that personal injuries and loss of life is minimal. We have successfully relocated our residents at three of our properties and will continue to monitor three other properties, two of which include many of our seniors who are confined to wheel chairs.

Cabrillo Economic Development Corp, 702 County Square Dr, Ventura, CA 93003

Vol. 11, No. 6 – Dec 20, 2017 – Jan 2, 2018 – Opinion/Editorial

First off, I want to thank the amazing Ventura Breeze writers for working their fingers off to make this wonderful issue happen. Much research and thought went into their articles. I’m very proud of this issue.

On Dec. 4, when we heard a fire started in Santa Paula, never did we ever imagine that it would completely burn over 600 structures in Ventura and become one of the largest fires in California history (maybe the largest eventually)?

It is called the Thomas Fire because of its proximity to Thomas Aquinas College. Perhaps it should have been call the Santa Fire because of Santa Paula and the time of year.

I certainly appreciate the amazing job the now over 8,000 firefighters (fighting the Thomas Fire)and the first responders have been doing to save structures and to try to limit the scope of the fire. But, the reality is that the 50 MPH winds, low humidity, and plenty of fuel made that virtually impossible.

Amazing to me, though, is how so many neighbors spontaneously pitched in to help each other.

One example is the street my son lives on. The hills on both sides of the street always burn when we have fires. He, and I, along with a few other neighbors, spent that first night patrolling his block and putting out small fires that would have become big fires. All through the night, cars would stop and men and women would jump out with shovels to help. People all over were driving around that to see how they could help. We have a few heroes in this issue, and we thank them all.

I got home at 5am in the morning, slept for a few hours and then went back out. I slept for 13 hours the next night, which I haven’t done since I was six months old.

And, the people volunteering at the Fairgrounds, helping the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, the churches, distribution centers and more to organize and distribute clothes, food and other essential goods are to be appreciated. Many of them came here from other states and towns in California.

It is wonderful that no one has been killed in Ventura (and only two people, thus far, one being a firefighter). Our hearts go out to the families of both. I attribute this to the quick actions of our police and fire departments in alerting people to evacuate their homes on that Monday evening. And to folks heeding their warnings and leaving their homes in a timely manner.

By the way, if you’d like to contribute to the fallen firefighter’s family (Corey Iverson), a GoFundMe page has been set or you can contribute through CalFire, San Diego.

The County was great organizing several meetings to inform us about the conditions of the fire and setting up an assistance center at Poinsettia Pavilion. They brought together city, county, state and government agencies to answer questions and give citizens direction on what to do next.

One thing that has irritated me is listening to people complaining about innocuous things such as their driveways are full of ash, or they lost some food because there wasn’t electricity. None of this means anything if you still have your home.

And, of course, the deplorable thieves who take advantage of others misfortunes and break into evacuated homes. These are horrible people.

The attitude of many of the people who have lost their homes has been just amazing. In some cases they have tried to cheer me up.

Amazing how random fire is. I was on streets where only one house burned, and on both sides of the street. Flying embers are what caused a large percentage of the fires not because they were in the burning hills.

Now, what happens to those who lost their homes and apartments? Ventura has a very low vacancy factor so many will need to leave Ventura, and it will take several years to rebuild their homes and apartments. Will they return? What will this do to our economy? Several weeks of no income could put small merchants out of business.

In a few years, when there is a large amount of construction, our economy will be booming but tough times ahead for a lot of people that will last for a long time.

There have been some complaints about price gouging for housing and gas but, generally, very little of this has occurred. A phone line is devoted to handling calls about gouging at 662-1728.

Unlicensed or unscrupulous contractors may try to scam you. The Contractor’s State License Board has a disaster hotline 800-962-1125 or visit www.cslb.ca.gov for information. And don’t assume just because a person is licensed that they are honest. There are also licensed crooks, so check local references very carefully. And talk to them in person, if possible.

Ventura Fire Chief David Endaya stated that the still-growing fire is of a magnitude that he had never seen. And is “the most important evacuation we’ve ever done.”

The Ondulando neighborhood was especially hard hit by the Thomas Fire with rows of homes gone. It is hard for me to imagine losing my home and all its contents. Even the homeowners weren’t allowed back in their neighborhoods for several days in the mandatory evacuation areas.

The lack of water pressure in our hydrants is a huge concern that will need to be addressed in the future. I was standing with firefighters watching homes burn to the ground because they didn’t have water. Had to be very frustrating to them and counter to their training.

The Ventura County Board of Supervisors approved $500,000 to help low-and middle-income families with short-term rental assistance.

The Ventura City Council voted to declare a local emergency and approved an ordinance that suspends deadlines associated with “routine” land use, subdivision and zoning applications. That allows planning staff to focus on projects related to the disaster.

It’s a “temporary measure to protect against unintended consequences” that can happen when a deadline is missed, City Attorney Gregory Diaz said. Still, the time to prepare new building plans, secure planning and building department approvals will be very lengthy. Our departments will be overwhelmed with new projects. And, it is very likely that many homes will require changes during the rebuild process due to ever changing building and planning requirements and codes.

Downtown Ventura’s new Candy Cane Forest winter tradition

Photo by Deena Gledhill

In spite of threatening fire and awful air Downtown Ventura is starting a new winter tradition the Candy Cane Forest in Ventura’s Plaza Park. Fresh cut trees were sponsored and decorated by local businesses, nonprofits, and families around Ventura for the holidays. This completely free, family-friendly, all-faiths festival will last until January 2nd. Sadly, due to the fires many of the planned events have been cancelled but you can still enjoy the beautifully decorated trees. For more information visit holidaysattheplaza.com.

 

Vol. 11, No. 6 – Dec 20, 2017 – Jan 2, 2018 – Ventura Music Scene

by Pam Baumgardner
VenturaRocks.com

I’m not going to lie, this is awkward. How does one write about promoting a music scene while so many around us are suffering major loses? We’re suppose to be celebrating the most joyous time of the year and we find ourselves affected by one of the worst disasters our City has ever had to endure. I’m a firm believer that music helps to heal, and thankfully we have a community of artists, venues and music supporters who have been rallying to help others. That is what I plan to take from this catastrophic event. The fundraisers, the donations of one’s tip jar, bands playing for free, venues offering their facilities, and the dozens and dozens in our community planning, creating, and supporting all these efforts. Yes, Ventura does and will continue to rock.

Here now, as promised, New Year’s Eve parties around town. Please contact the venues for ticket pricing and amenities and be sure the event has not sold out. Grapes and Hops will be hosting a Speakeasy themed party with the Barrelhouse Wailers; Discovery has Hirie in the house; The Tavern offers a dress-up black and white themed event with DJ Aycer; the Hong Kong Inn has the Misunderstood band; the Star Lounge snagged Alastair Greene for their party; The Greek at the Harbor has an “Under the Sea” themed soiree with the band Awesome Sauce; Café Fiore has Young Dempsey up front and Big Adventure in the Tree House; you can party at the Copa Cubana with the Brandon Ragan Project; you’ll find What the Funk at Gigi’s; Crosscut will be at the Keynote Lounge; the House Arrest band will be at the Moose Lodge; and there’ll be plenty of dancing with DJs at Bombay’s and Sans Souci.

Quick notes: Tilford Jackson’s Christmas special will be held on Thursday, December 21, at Squashed Grapes; Smash Mouth plays Discovery on Friday, December 22; the Ventura Theater 5th annual Holiday Sing-along has been rescheduled for Friday, December 22; Hi Hat Entertainment presents James Intveld and Elvis Blue Christmas on Friday, December 22, at the Hong Kong Inn; Shaky Feelin’ is hosting a Christmas show on Saturday, December 23, at Bombay’s; there’s a Ventura Strong community holiday party on Saturday, December 23, at the Ventura Beach Club with Hard Six, Raging Arb and the Redheads, Laura Ruth Ward, and DjPj; and just a reminder, Chopper Fest was postponed, new date is February 4.

And I just got the press release that Night Demon has announced Frost and Fire has gone global with their next event to be held in London over two days, May 11 and 12, 2018. Headlining will be Cirth Ungol. Way to go boys.

I’m wishing a safe, prosperous and harmonious year for one and all.

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.

Vol. 11, No. 6 – Dec 20, 2017 – Jan 2, 2018 – Movie Review

Coco
Review: 4 Palm Trees out of 4

by Manuel Reynoso

Coco is a 2017 musical, family film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Based on an original idea by Lee Unkrich, it is directed by Unkrich and co-directed by Adrian Molina.

For me, representation is lot more than just seeing someone with the same complexion as me on screen. It’s the embrace of what makes my culture unique and irreplaceable. It’s seeing our stories, our music, and our life up on the silver screen for all to enjoy, and I got that with Coco. The worldwide success and admiration for Coco is a victory for Mexican representation in Hollywood, and being able to see Coco at our local theater playing in Spanish is a small step in validating the Chicana/o people here in Ventura County. For me personally, it brought tears to my eyes. To see a film so meticulously exhibit the values and culture of a people, and move them to tears is what film inspires to be.

Coco’s ability to capture a people was the single most gratifying part of the movie. When I saw Coco on screen, I saw my abuelita. Then I saw my brother, my cousins, my uncles and so on. I saw what so many have tried and failed to do, and that was bringing the Mexican family to the big screen. The writing of these characters was genuine and natural. The world of the dead Pixar created was original and stunningly beautiful. So much care and craft went into the production of Coco and it shows from beginning to end.

The themes of family and death were heavily present during this film but treated with a lot of care. Death has always been an important matter in Mexican culture, and I believe Coco showed how our people handle it. The day of the dead aesthetic tends to serve as little more than window dressing, so seeing it used well aesthetically and in writing was great. While the writing may at times come off as predictable, it’s so well executed I found little issue with it. The biggest star attraction was the music. The familiar rhythms I’ve heard in Mexican music was used so effectively. It felt both nostalgic and fresh listening to the soundtrack on the way home from the theater.

Coco is going to be a film that stays near and dear to my heart for a long time. I think it’s a must watch for families of all cultures. While there’s a lot of fun and great music to enjoy, Coco will be a tear jerker for even the toughest of us. PG 1h49m