by Richard Lieberman

During a recent Ventura City Council meeting the council voted unanimously to adopt a provision that will increase your electric bill by 7-9%. The council approved a measure that will put Ventura at the forefront of a measure that will require 100% of Ventura’s electricity be sourced with renewable energy.

In recent years alternative energy providers have emerged shaking up an industry that traditional had no competition.

Last February the Ventura City Council voted to join the Clean Power Alliance. The alliance offers community choice aggregation, which works by allowing cities and counties to buy and invest in renewable energy.

Once it is up and running the, the alliance will be the state’s biggest community choice aggregation provider in terms of members.

Ventura, Camarillo, Moorpark Ojai, Oxnard, Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks and the county have all joined along with Los Angeles County, which gave the alliance a $10 million loan to help with startup cost, and 23 other cities in L.A. County.

Although actual costs are still unknown and will not be fully known until November, cities must set a default rate which is the percentage of renewable energy customers who do nothing are automatically enrolled in.

Electric utility customers who want to stay with Edison or who want a different percentage of renewables can do so, but they must manually opt out or change their default. The change can be accomplished on-line, or by mail. The options that will face Ventura Southern California Edison customers contains three tiers: 36 percent renewables, 50% renewables and 100% renewables.

The alliance predicts savings of from 1-3% for 36% renewables, no change in cost if 50% is selected, and a 7-9% premium cost for opting 100% renewables.

City staff had recommended to the council that Ventura go with the 50% renewable tier, but after several public speakers advanced the 100% alternative as the best, smartest way to face a future of global warming, sea level rise and continuing drought, as an effective way of reducing the city’s carbon footprint the council agreed.

Currently the alliance is projecting savings on Edison base rate in the 36% tier of about 3 percent, 1% or less for the 50% tier and addition costs of up to 9% for the now approved goal of 100% renewables.

Camarillo, Moorpark and Simi Valley have set their rates at the 50% level, while Ojai and the county set their rates at 100% renewables. Oxnard has yet to set a default.

Clean Power Alliance Executive Director Ted Bardacke said he anticipates those rate differentials holding true even with a significant decision made by the California Public Utilities Commission.

The commission voted unanimously to change the way “exit fees” are calculated on community choice aggregation customers who leave investor owned utilities (like Edison). The fees are charged to ensure every customer, whether they are served by a community choice aggregation or an investor owned utility pays for power already purchased on their behalf.

PUC commissioners felt the new exit fees more fairly spread the costs between investor-owned utility customers and community choice customers.

Last year 32 percent of Edison’s energy came from renewable sources, according to Edison also offers customers the option to increase that percentage of renewable energy to 50 and 100 percent at additional cost.

The council also considered and approved to continue with plans for a new parking garage in downtown and the city is soon reviewing architectural plans and drawings.

The council also released Thomas Fire new construction permit numbers and they now stand at 82 permits issued, with more forthcoming.

Council passes a contract for temporary generator rental which will include ten generator rentals for emergency power.

New signalized crossings, traffic striping, and pedestrian-activated flashing beacon crossings have been installed at the Five Points intersection in Midtown to improve safety and access through this intersection located at Thompson Boulevard, Main Street and Telegraph Road. Drivers are advised to take proper safety precautions, yield to pedestrians and bicyclists in the right-of-way and share the traffic lanes in a safe and cohesive manner.

The Five Points intersection improvement project includes the installation of new access curb ramps, sidewalk and passageways through medians, traffic signage and striping, and concrete median islands.  New bike boxes (bright-green box on the road with a white bicycle symbol inside) have been installed on the eastbound and westbound lanes of Main Street at the intersection. As a reminder, drivers should stop behind the white stop line (behind the green box) when the traffic signal is yellow or red; do not stop on top of the bike box. When the traffic light turns green, drivers and cyclists move through the intersection with cyclists going first. Bicyclists should enter the bike box from the green bike lane.

Two new pedestrian-activated flashing beacon crossings have been installed on the eastbound lanes of Thompson Boulevard; at Frances Street, and on the south side of the intersection. Motorists are required to stop for pedestrians however pedestrians should make sure cars are stopped before they begin to cross the street.  These improvements are important to increase motorists’ awareness of pedestrians and bicyclists at intersections especially at multi-lane crossings such as Thompson Boulevard.

The City of Ventura Bicycle Master Plan identified the redesign of the Five Points intersection as an opportunity to improve pedestrian and bicyclists’ access and safety. Last year the City of Ventura was named a Bronze Bicycle Friendly Community by the League of American Bicyclists.

by Richard Lieberman

The Ventura City Council at a recent Monday evening session has approved a plan to join the city of Oxnard for an up-to-six-month “pilot shelter” instead of the traditional foul weather seasonal homeless shelter.

According to the proposed plan, the new 24-hour homeless shelter will offer services to the homeless such as employment help, housing assistance, mental health and substance abuse issues among the homeless population. The proposal will use the Oxnard Armory, owned buy the city of Oxnard to house the proposed year-round shelter.

The city of Oxnard, Ventura and the county would each pay $185,000, with the funding share to possibly be proportioned based on the actual use of the shelter by Ventura and Oxnard persons experiencing homelessness, the staff report states.

Both cities would be using the shelter until they open permanent ones. Oxnard is looking for a site to put a permanent shelter in its community, while Ventura is working on a plan to lease the first floor of a Ventura County building located on Knoll Drive in Ventura.

The Knoll Drive location needs many improvements including sprinklers, bathrooms, showers, and asbestos abatement among just a few. The city is also seeking an operator and has already conducted three interviews of potential operators. The site could potentially be up and running by next winter. Costs are estimated to be in the $2 million for the proposed improvements and $1.2 million to run each year. Half that amount would be the city’s share. “Significant concerns were expressed regarding existing safety concerns and that the shelter will worsen this already challenging environment,” the staff report says in part.

There were also concerns expressed about property values.

Another option would be a shelter that would open just when the weather reaches a certain temperature or rain is predicted at a certain level. Based on the past two years, such a shelter would open approximately 22 days from December through March and cost $15,000 to $20,000.

A location has yet to be identified, but city staff and the Ventura Social Services Task Force identified several faith-based organizations willing to volunteer once a site has been determined. The city already has the cots and linens to use in a temporary space.

The city has also adopted a “declaration of shelter crisis,” which paves the way to get money through the state’s Homeless Emergency Aid Program. The county will receive nearly $4.9 million to distribute early next month. Oxnard, Fillmore, Santa Paula, Simi Valley and the county have already approved the declaration staff reports indicate.

The council also approved a new two-year contract with members of the Service Employees International Union. The contract gives the group a raise of just over 5 percent and a one-time payment of $500 instead of retroactive pay. The previous contract expired on June 30^th.

The new contract runs from July 1^st, 2018 to June 30^th, 2020, and cost is estimated at $1.3 million.

The two-year cost for all labor groups approved so far is $3.8 million. This figure does not include members of the city’s fire two fire unions which have yet to reach an agreement on a new contract.

Ventura Water will start upgrading manually-read meters with new meters that will automatically relay customer’s water usage to the City’s water billing system through a secured network. The project began on October 1, 2018 and will replace water meters for approximately 32,000 Ventura Water customers over a 3-year period.

The new meters will allow customers to track daily water use and be notified of leaks with Home Connect, a new online water tracker.  “Ventura Water relies heavily on accurate and timely data,” said Ventura Water General Manager Kevin Brown. “The meter upgrade project will modernize our system and equip both customers and staff to better manage our water resources through real time water usage data and greatly improved leak detection.”

Customers will receive a notification in the mail 1-2 weeks prior to their scheduled upgrade. The City’s contractor, Professional Meters Inc. (PMI), will be installing the new water meters. Customers do not have to be at home for the replacement to occur.  Once the exchange is complete, customers will receive a door hanger detailing the work performed and additional contact information.

The City asks that customers provide easy access to their water meters by making sure the meters are not blocked by bushes, vines, equipment, or other materials that would prevent PMI personnel from replacing the meter. Meter boxes are typically located near the sidewalk. Customers with a meter behind a locked gate or a meter that is otherwise inaccessible should call PMI at 1-866-965-0657 to schedule an appointment for the new meter installation.

PMI installers will have easily identifiable uniforms and their vehicles will have identifying logos.  If an installer cannot show you an identification badge, or if you have a concern about the identification, please call the PMI call center at 1-866-270-9629 or Ventura Water Customer Care at (805) 667-6500.

For information on Ventura Water’s Meter Upgrade Project and updates visit www.venturawater.net.

by Antoinette Mann – City Clerk, City of Ventura

As the election official for the City of San Buenaventura, I want to remind you that voting is one of the most fundamental rights of democracy. Your vote is your voice, so get out and vote on November 6, 2018!

The City of Ventura will hold its first district-based city council elections on November 6th, for Districts 1, 4, 5 and 6. Voters in Districts 2, 3 and 7, are not voting for a city councilmember this election year, however all registered voters will vote on federal, state and other local items. Even if you do not live in a district that is voting for a councilmember, do your part and participate because elected officials in other positions, as well as ballot measures and propositions, affect our community and YOUR VOTE COUNTS!

Voters can save postage by dropping-off Vote-by-Mail ballots at the City Clerk’s Office at City Hall, Room 204, or at the Ventura County Government Center Administration Building, including their 24-hour drive-up ballot box. You can also drop off Vote-by-Mail ballots at any polling place on November 6. If you are mailing your completed ballot, ensure it is postmarked no later than November 6 (Election Day) and add the correct amount of postage. The last day to request your Vote-by-Mail ballot is October 22 for the November 6th election … so don’t delay!

Unsure of your polling place location? Your polling place location is printed on the back cover of your voter guide. Please note that polling locations adjust periodically. If texting is your preferred means of communication, text “Ventura County” to 28683 to verify that you are a registered voter and to find your polling place. If you’re not registered to vote, you can easily register right from your cell phone via the Ventura County Elections Division website.

Polls are open from 7 a.m. – 8 p.m. and will stay open later than 8 p.m. if you are already in line so that you can VOTE. Stop by the City Clerk’s Office at City Hall to receive a “I VOTED” sticker to wear on Election Day! The City of Ventura City Clerk’s staff can be reached at (805) 658-4787 to assist with any of your election questions. Remember, YOUR VOTE COUNTS!