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Ventura Harbor’s 40th Annual Parade of Lights & Fireworks

Photo by Michael Gordon

Ventura Harbor’s 40th Annual Parade of Lights & Fireworks celebrated 100 years of our National Parks with the theme “Parks on Parade.” Planned to be held on Dec.16 &17 the Dec.16 date was cancelled because of the high winds but the fireworks still went on both nights. Spectators  arrived early to enjoy Ventura Harbor Village’s Winter Wonderland & Holiday Marketplace with festive carolers, photos with Santa & Mrs. Claus, live reindeer, faux snowfall, holiday gift shopping, European Christmas Marketplace with artisans, and more!

 

Ventura College Foundation Board expands with Elena Brokaw

Ventura College Foundation is pleased to announce the appointment of Elena Brokaw to its board of directors. As lead consultant at Brokaw Jackson Consulting, Brokaw has extensive experience providing strategic planning, fundraising, board training and facilitation to non-profits, government agencies and for-profit businesses going through transition.

“We are excited to have Elena join our board. Her impressive leadership skills have been instrumental in raising funds for many major community initiatives both locally and on a state and federal level,” said Norbert Tan, Ventura College Foundation executive director. “Her extensive background working as a cultural consultant for communities and organizations is an asset to our outreach partnerships.”

Prior to her current position with Brokaw Jackson Consulting, Brokaw served as director of the Parks, Recreation, and Community Partnerships department at the city of Ventura, where she managed the provision of programs and services for the community, and created both the Cultural Funding Program and the Technical Assistance Program, which provide grants and capacity development services for local non-profits. She also served as the city liaison for the nationally-acclaimed artists’ work-live space in Ventura, the WAV.

Brokaw currently serves as interim director at the Museum of Ventura County. In addition to VCF, Elena has served on the board of directors of the Santa Barbara-based Women’s Economic Ventures and the national arts agency Americans for the Arts. She has conducted strategic planning processes for numerous non-profit agencies, and has developed community cultural plans for cities including San Diego and Minneapolis. Brokaw earned her bachelor’s degree in art history at Harvard University.

The Ventura College Foundation’s board of directors is led by Rob van Nieuwburg, chair; Ruth Hemming, vice-chair; Alex Kolesnik, treasurer; Mike Montoya, secretary; Greg Gillespie, Ventura College president; and Norbert Tan, executive director.

Established in 1983, the Ventura College Foundation provides financial support to the students and the programs of Ventura College to facilitate student success and grow the impact and legacy of Ventura College as a vital community asset. The Foundation also hosts the Ventura College Foundation Marketplace, an outdoor shopping experience held every weekend on the Ventura College campus east parking lot. For more information, contact Norbert Tan at  289-6160 or [email protected]. Or visit www.venturacollege.edu/foundation.

 

Want to know about the Ventura County Civil Grand Jury?

Is your organization interested in learning about the local civil Grand Jury?  There is a Speakers Bureau available to educate the public on what the Grand Jury does and how to become a member. Foreperson Pam Riss is also available to give radio or television interviews. To learn more, or to book a speaker, please call the Grand Jury at 477-1600.  For additional information, refer to: www.ventura.org/grand-jury

Vol. 10, No. 7 – January 4 – January 17, 2017 – Movie Review

Passengers an ambitious attempt but fails to deliver (3 palm trees)
by Richard Lieberman

Latest science fiction movie with a blockbuster budget, and starring two of the biggest names in Hollywood, Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt. Not just about a space romance, but a movie that tries to challenge you, and does at first only to sink into more predictable, safe version of Hollywood’s vision of the space genre.

Written by Jon Spaihts and directed by Morten Tyldum, Passengers is about 5000 humans traveling from Earth to a new planet, a trip that will take 120 years of space travel. Something goes wrong and only 30 years into the journey one of the suspended animation pods mysteriously opens, condemning Jim (Chris Pratt) with 90 years of space travel and no way to re-enter suspended animation. He can’t go back to sleep, there is no help available and he will die long before the ship reaches its destination.

That is the first engaging dilemma Passengers  hits us with. How would you handle this?, How would you spend the time?,  Could you adjust to the  inevitability of spending the rest of your life alone, on a sterile ship. Would you make the same decision Jim does?

After a year on the ship after awakening exhausting every available option, Jim becomes so lonely he decides to awaken another passenger. The passenger a young woman he has been obsessing about for some time named Aurora, played by Jennifer Lawrence. Waking Aurora is the same as murdering her, already in her 30s, she won’t live another 90 years until they reach their destination. Jim is aware of this, but wakes her anyway. After waking her he lies to her claiming it was a malfunction of the suspended animation pod.

All this occurs in the first act of the movie so I am not spilling all the beans. This decision however is the core of the movies premise. It is a selfish act, and now he has condemned Aurora because of his loneliness.

Whatever you feel about so horrible an act Passengers is centered on this cruelty. The fact that the movie so early on centers on this cruel act almost makes the movie interesting on its own. Few Hollywood movies of this size and scope would ever touch a moral dilemma like this.

The problems with Passengers begins almost at the moment he wakes her up, the film wants us to root for the couple to be together. Jim’s lie should have cast a bigger shadow over his and Auroras relationship, but it doesn’t. It just feels all kind of wrong when you already know what Jim has done. His action gets a big moment, but then just forgotten.

Disappointing and swaying from the original premise the film does not explore the fascinating facts about 5000 fellow human beings who have embarked a vast journey. We are left with no in depth knowledge about the how’s and whys of such a journey. What is their plan? Unfortunately we never really find out. rated PG13

 

Vol. 10, No. 7 – January 4 – January 17, 2017 – Opinion/Editorial

• Just a few of the more notable Ventura events in 2016. There were certainly a lot more, so sorry if I missed some of the more important ones.

  • Museum of Ventura County temporally closes galleries (will re-open in a few days)
  • Ventura County Fair has record attendance
  • Midtown parking structure completed by the new CMH under construction
  • Professor Scamp becomes write-in presidential candidate (another dog won)
  • There was an oil spill in Hall Canyon
  • Ventura Breeze goes all color and begins 10th year of publication
  • There was a ground breaking for Kellogg Park in West Ventura
  • Ventura Park Ambassadors started working with the homeless in city parks and the Promenade
  • Carl Morehouse announced he wasn’t running for another term on City Council (served 17 years)
  • Matt LaVere elected to City Council to replace Carl
  • Venturans approve 4 city ballot measures including a tax increase
  • Sondermann Ring large development project located at Harbor breaks ground after 16-years
  • Ventura celebrates 150th anniversary
  • Construction on California Street Bridge Pedestrian Project starts(will be completed any day now)
  • Brooks Institute announces plan to move into downtown Ventura including behind City Hall
  • Brooks Institute closing leaving many in shock
  • Ventura Pier re-opens after repair to damage caused by large waves
  • City buys Harbor Community Church for $2.3 million
  • Venturan’s approve State new marijuana laws by 59%
  • There were 2 murders on Dec.4. The probable suspects in both cases have been identified and arrested

Several notable Venturan’s passed away. These are just a few of the people who made a large contribution to Ventura:

  • Sandra Laby
  • Howard Boroughs
  • Don Haskell
  • Ed Warren
  • Jim Spencer
  • Linda Elder
  • Warren Gavin
  • Lynn Jacobs
  • Jim Mangis

• Two new super markets are coming to Ventura. Not the usual ones that you might familiar with. Grocery Outlet Bargain Market will be located where Ralphs was previously at 9300 Telephone and Sprouts Farmers Market is coming at the shuttered Sports Authority space at 4870 Telephone Rd. (in the Kohls/Barnes & Noble shopping center).

• In a complaint filed in 2013, Jarrod Matthew Wilfert claimed he was terminated without warning on March 13, 2012 by the Oxnard Police Department as a direct result of comments made by officials and officers from the Ventura Police Department. Wilfert had been a VPD officer for nearly four years.

He claimed that officers at the Ventura Police Department made untruthful and disparaging remarks about him which resulted in Oxnard firing him.

He hired an attorney for wrongful termination and sued the City, a jury trial was set for Dec. 2016. Ventura and Wilfert have agreed to settle the wrongful termination suit for $25,000 avoiding the jury trial. This amount is much less than the City would have spent on outside legal fees.

The City is still involved in a legal case involving former Ventura Risk Manager Ellis Green, who was let go in July 2015. Green is suing the city also alleging wrongful termination, saying he was subjected to discrimination for his age, gender, race and disability. He claims the City failed to make reasonable accommodations for his end-stage renal disease.

The City disputes Green’s claims, alleging he was “unable to perform the essential functions of the position” with or without reasonable accommodations.

Green worked for the city for 15 years and served one term on the Port Hueneme city council.

• As you know, we have a feature in the paper called Answer In A Breeze. To this point, we have been able to answer reader’s question – until this time.

A while back Jaime Baker (reader and Breeze employee) asked us (in part), “See if you can find out anything from the city about the spraying of toxic chemicals in a field near Wells and Darling. This is a very bad situation and anyone who lives in the area should be very concerned. The workers who sprayed the field were wearing hazmat suits and gas masks. The smell was so intense that for 2 days we really didn’t want to go outside.”

We contacted Ventura City Manager Mark Watkins to help with this question. He replied, “I drive by the parcel and noticed the mustard and when it was gone but was not aware of any spraying. The parcel is owned by the Broome family, and it is outside city limits in unincorporated area. They are represented by Kioren Moss, Real Estate Appraisers & Advisors perhaps you should contact them.”

We contacted Kioren Moss but never received an answer to our inquiry. Perhaps this mention will get us an answer.

• The average temperature in 2015 was 1.62 degrees higher than the 20th century average, and 2016 will break that record.

• Beginning January 1, 2017 you will be breaking the law if you’re caught holding a cellphone or other electronic device while driving in California.

Assembly Bill 1785 requires those who use a cellphone while driving to either place it in a 7-square-inch (that’s about 3”x2.33”) lower area of the windshield farthest from the driver or a 5-square-inch space in the lower windshield corner nearest them. Drivers also will be able to put the phone on the dashboard, provided it doesn’t block their view of the road or keep an airbag from deploying (time to find out where and how your airbag deploys).

So if you are pulled over by a police officer and he is caring a tape measure you might be in trouble. You should also carry your own tape measure so you can dispute the officer’s measurements if necessary.

Alzheimer’s disease or related dementia information at two events

Help and Hope is a program for people in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease or related dementia and their partners, providing essential information to promote quality of life and family health. Help and Hope offers four modules over a two-day program (Feb.25 and March 25 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.), delivered in a combination of presentations from experts, handouts, Q&A, discussions and exercises.

Topics include overview of diagnosis, communication strategies, legal and financial planning, treatment options, community resources and stress-relieving strategies. There is no charge for participation. Registration is required. For more information, please contact Monica Schrader at 494.5200, Ext. 101 or [email protected]. A program of the Alzheimer’s Association California Central Chapter, co- sponsored by and presented at the Camarillo Library.

Also on Saturday, February 4th  from 10:00 a.m.—noon at  St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church located at 5575 Santa Rosa Road, Camarillo. There will be a special presentation about Alzheimer’s disease. Learn about the difference between normal aging and Alzheimer’s. What to do if you suspect memory loss and how to maneuver through the disease. Presented by Monica Schrader from the Alzheimer’s Association and a guest panel (two physicians, one pharmacist, and a caregiver). Refreshments provided. Free event. Call  494-5200 to RSVP by February 1st.