Category Archives: City News

Public invited to Ventura 150th “City Hall Open House” on Friday, March 11

Community members of all ages are invited to visit Ventura City Hall, located at 501 Poli Street, for a fun afternoon learning about local government during an Open House celebrating Ventura’s 150th anniversary of cityhood. The free event will be held Friday, March 11, from 1 to 4 pm.

Art and historic tours, music, refreshments, displays, open offices and a mock City Council meeting conducted by VUSD fifth grade school children are all highlights of the afternoon.

FOYER – Meet your guide Glenda Jackson at 1:15 and 3 pm in the first floor Foyer for a tour of the historic building with fascinating stories about its landmark architecture and role as the former county courthouse. At 2:30 pm Community Partnerships Manager Denise Sindelar will guide you through the building’s nationally prominent Municipal Art Collection – a permanent showcase of the county’s finest artists.

ATRIUM – Enjoy live music, refreshments and displays by the Ventura Water, Police and Community Development departments in the first floor Atrium from 1 to 4 pm.

COUNCIL CHAMBERS – Don’t miss the mock City Council Meeting conducted by Ventura Unified School District fifth grade school children at 2 pm in the majestic second floor Council Chambers, once the county’s superior court.

COMMUNITY MEETING ROOM – Explore a century of dramatic historic photos of city history in this former courtroom on the second floor from 1 to 4 pm.

SANTA CRUZ CONFERENCE ROOM – View a 20-minute film celebrating the first century of City Hall in the smallest former courtroom on the second floor 1 to 4 pm.

CITY MANAGER, CITY CLERK & HUMAN RESOURCES OFFICES – Meet city officials and explore the offices of government leaders during the open house from 1 to 4 pm.

CITY HALL EAST BACK PARKING LOT – Visit “touch a truck” displays behind the building from Ventura Police, Fire, Public Works and Ventura Water from 1 to 4 pm.

Experience 1840s California at free Olivas’ RANCHO DAYS on March 13

Find out what life was like on a California Rancho over 170 years ago during the “Rancho Days Celebration” on Sunday, March 13, from 11 am to 3 pm at the historic Olivas Adobe, 4200 Olivas Park Drive, near Ventura Harbor.

Step back in time to experience Ventura’s Western heritage-Chumash, Mexican and Cowboy-at California’s only remaining Monterey Style adobe built in the 1840s by a Mexican family on the 4,694-acre cattle-and-crop land grant Rancho San Miguel.

Enjoy great period entertainment and try your hand at a dozen engaging and educational activities for the whole family with Rancho-era workshops led by outreach staff, volunteer experts and heritage services organizations including the Ventura County Hand Weavers & Spinning Guild, Olivas Adobe Historical Interpreters and Channel Islands Woodcarvers.

Make adobe bricks. Grind corn and grill tortillas. Pan for gold. Rope a steer. Try beading, birding and animal tracking. Craft some Mexican paper flowers. Learn more about the Chumash natural and spiritual worlds, the adobe’s barrel organ, Gene West wooden toys, laundry days and Thaumatropes and old gadget guessing games plus watch antique gun demonstrations, tour the historic adobe with costumed docents abd visit the Mexican food truck onsite to purchase authentic refreshments.

ENTERTAINMENT LINEUP

11-12 Mariachi Aguilas de Oxnard

12:05-12:25 Ballet Folklorico de Bell Arts – repeats 1:05-1:20

12:30-1 Professor Tinker’s Magical Medicine Show – repeats 1:25-1:50

2:10-3 California State Old time Fiddlers – Range Riders

The Rancho Days Celebration is an all-free event in celebration of the City of Ventura’s150th anniversary of cityhood thanks to the sponsorship of Olivas family descendants Bill and Elise Kearney.

Ventura Police Department’s Community Academy is coming!

The Ventura Police Department’s Community Academy is coming! Have you ever wanted to know the who, what, when, where, why and how of police operations? Not the ‘TV’ version, but the actual facts? Here’s your chance! The Community Academy will take you on a ride-along with a patrol officer, show you what a SWAT team does, let you experience a simulated firearms training course, give you a look at issues Officers face in our community and much, much more.

The Community Academy is scheduled to begin March 22 and will be held on 9 consecutive Tuesday nights from 6:00- 9:00 p.m. with a final class and graduation on May 17. Each night features a new topic, with speakers, demonstrations, and discussions. We’ll answer your questions and give you an in-depth behind the scenes look at police operations.

Class dates: March 22, March 29, April 5, April 12, April 19, April 26, May 3, May 10 and May 17.

Class Location: Ventura Police Department 1425 Dowell Drive Ventura CA 93003 *May 3 class meets in Camarillo at the Criminal Justice Training Center.

Community Academy participants are selected by the Ventura Police Department through the application process. Applications are available from the Department or through the online web application found at cityofventura.net/pd/community-academy.

Potential candidates must meet the following criteria: minimum age of 18 years, live or work in the City of Ventura, no felony convictions and no misdemeanor convictions within two years of application. A background check is required.

The success of any police department depends largely upon the cooperation and support it receives from the citizens it serves. The Community Academy aims to educate residents on the capacity and operations of the department so that we can work together to make Ventura a better place to live, work and play.

For more information, please contact Civic Engagement Specialist Ashley Bautista 339-4317.

Ask the Chief-Ventura City Police Chief Ken Corney

Q. I’ve heard and read a lot in the news about crime increases throughout California and other public safety issues. What’s happening in Ventura?

A. 2015 was a challenging year for the Police profession nationwide. Changes in the criminal justice system and increased scrutiny across the country of police conduct and the use of force will continue to impact and challenge our profession in 2016. Despite these challenges and concerns, I am proud that our crime fighting team here in Ventura remains extremely capable and competent, with a mission-driven approach of serving and protecting our community.

Like all city departments, we are often asked to do more with less. Our hope is that in 2016 we will see an increase in the resources available to provide the public with the quality service they deserve.

While it is difficult to quantify all the service and results our department provides to our community, one area we can quantify is our crime data from the past year. Arrests were up nearly 17 percent. Reported Violent Crime was up more than 35 percent and the total number of violent crimes (375) increased to a five year high. The largest increases were in Robbery and Aggravated Assaults, up nearly 20 and 35 percent respectively. The number of reported property crimes provides more favorable results. While other jurisdictions experienced an overall increase in property crimes, the city of Ventura remained at about the same level overall as in 2014. One area of success that contributed to this result was with Residential Burglaries, down nearly 30 percent with about 133 less crimes compared to the 440 crimes that occurred in 2014.

We believe our strategy to direct resources to crime “hot spots” where recent residential and auto burglaries have occurred, rather than random patrol activities, contributed significantly to this reduction. Unfortunately with limited resources, a focus to one specific crime problem can lead to increased crime in other areas. In this instance, our Non-Residential (Commercial Business) Burglaries rose to a total of 291 crimes – 68 more than in 2014. In addition, our Violent Gang Crime increased from 13 crimes in 2014 to 32 Violent Gang Crimes in 2015.

Our Ventura police officers do more than fight crime. We responded to more than 93,000 calls for service from the public – almost 1,800 calls a week. The majority of these calls do not end up being criminal acts and result in no arrests. They involve issues with youth at risk, people with mental illness, and situations that impact quality of life such as vagrancy, homelessness and chronic drug abuse. Our approach is often to develop community partnerships and work within this network to provide long term sustainable solutions to these societal challenges.

In 2016, I am confident we are well positioned to achieve success in what will be an eventful and challenging year. This success will not come by chance; it will come from the hard work and dedication of the nearly 200 crime fighters of the Ventura Police Department – sworn, professional staff and volunteers and the support of the community.

We encourage community members to stay informed and get the latest public safety information, tips and alerts at: Facebook.com/venturapd, venturapd.org, VCAlert.org, and Nextdoor.com. Our Ventura Police Department general information phone is 805-339—4400 and our non-emergency phone is 805-650-8010.

Kellogg Park Groundbreaking Ceremony and Concert

Kellogg Park Groundbreaking Ceremony and Concert to be held on March 12, from 2:00-5:00 PM, a free community block party featuring musical performances, dancers, fitness demonstrations, kids’ activities, crafts, and more! It will include a Chumash Blessing for the land, music from DATA middle school, Los Halcones, brightly colored Aztec Dancers and the band, Honey Owl.

Several different participating organizations will bring free family friendly activities including a fitness area with yoga, Capoeira, the “Little Circus that Could” and martial arts. Event attendees will also get to see a K-9 demonstration, “Touch-a-Fire-Truck” and obtain their Ventura library cards. There will also be an interactive kindness tree that will later be planted in the park.

Food trucks will be there and you can work up your appetite and ride your bike to the event, there will be a free bike valet and repair station.

Public Invited to Mayor Erik Nasarenko’s State of the City Address February 29

Ventura Mayor Erik Nasarenko will present the annual State of the City address in Council Chambers at City Hall, 501 Poli Street, on Monday, February 29, 2016 at 6 pm. A brief reception will be held after the address, followed by the regularly scheduled City Council meeting.

The address, titled “Invest in Ventura, Now and For a Strong Tomorrow,” will focus on themes related to investing in our community and a proposed sales tax measure. “The City of Ventura responded early and decisively to the economic downtown by implementing cost-saving measures, eliminating and reducing programs, and deferring much needed maintenance. Protecting our most essential city services like infrastructure, crime prevention and programs for seniors and youth with a stable funding source that is guaranteed to be spent locally will ensure a strong tomorrow for Ventura,” said Mayor Nasarenko.

The public is welcome and encouraged to attend. The State of the City address will be broadcast live on Channel 15 within Ventura city limits, and rebroadcast thereafter. It can also be accessed online by visiting the City’s website at www.cityofventura.net and clicking “Videos.”

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy band members to visit local high school

Buena High School choir and music students, Buena Choir teacher, Kevin Downey, Librarian, Joel Levin and two members of Big Bad Voodoo Daddy Scotty Morris and Andy Rowley at Buena high. Photo by Bernie Goldstein.

On Feb.4 Big Bad Voodoo Daddy band members visited Buena High School to meet choir and music students and to tour the campus recording studio which was funded by the band’s April 2013 local benefit concert presented by Ventura Education Partnership (VEP) and the City of Ventura.

The April 2013 benefit concert, a sold-out event, raised nearly $50,000 in grant funding for Ventura Unified School’s arts and music programs. Grant funds allowed Buena High School to build a mini-recording studio, which is used by music students, the choir program and other students who wish to record songs and make music. Several other VUSD schools received grant funds for art and music projects including new musical instruments, a kiln, microphones, drafting tables, and in-classroom artist programs.

On April 2, in downtown Ventura, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy will perform a benefit concert in celebration of the City of Ventura’s 150th anniversary and again as a fundraiser for art and music programs – choir, jazz, theater, marching band, orchestra, visual and performing arts – for Ventura Unified’s 17,000 elementary, middle and high school students.

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy formed in Ventura in 1989. (Band info: www.bbvd.com)

Tickets for the April 2, 2016 benefit concert are now available online at www.venturaeducationpartnership.org/BBVDbenefit.

Vol. 9, No. 10 – February 17 – March 2, 2016 – City of Ventura Classes

City of Ventura Classes check out hundreds more on our web-site

Call 658-4726 or 654-7552 to register, if you already have an ACTIVENET account online, visit www.cityofventura.net

Classes/Events held the Barranca Vista Center ~ 7050 Ralston Street in Ventura unless otherwise noted

Explore with Me 2.5-5 years
2/19-3/25 Friday 10:30-11 am $60 for one adult & one child #5487
Discover the world of art through the eyes of your child with such hands-on activities as sculpture, painting, collage, drawing and gardening. Instructor Jennifer Benitez

Pottery and Ceramic Hand Building 14 year-adult
2/17-3/23 Thursday 10 am-12 pm $105+$10 materials fee #5566
Students create their own ceramic art as they pinch, coil and use slab construction methods, glaze and decorate. Creativity and self-expression are encouraged. Instructor Kim Clarke.

Mindfulness for Abundant Creativity 18 years-adult
2/18-3/24 Thursday 7-8 pm $85 #5539
Learn Mindfulness meditation and release your inner artist using this open-focused method as you creatively record your experience of each session. Intermediate level prerequisite: experienced concentration meditator.

Drawing & Painting for Youth 8-18 years
2/18-3/17 Thursday 3:30-4:45 pm $64 #5516
Explore relevant artists and their styles to create your own acrylic paintings and pencil and charcoal drawings. Instructor Catherine Broger.

Chakras 101 18 years-adult
2/21 Sunday 1-3 pm $28 #5542
Chakras are energy receivers and givers in your body that greatly effect health, organ functions, emotions and cognitive functioning. Learn the signifi cance of the seven chakras and how to open them more fully. Concludes with a guided charka meditation you can practice at home. No meditation experience is needed.

Canine Body Language Seminar 18 years-adult
2/21 Sunday 10 am-12 pm $20 #5722
Tail wagging doesn’t always mean “happy.” Learn to identify signs of anxiety versus playfulness as you open new lines of communication with your dog. No dogs at seminar, please. Instructor Registered Veterinary Technician Certifi ed Professional Dog Trainer Shannon Coyner. Classes held at the Ventura Pet Wellness Center, 3521 Arundel Cir. #B in Ventura.

The ABCs of Estate Planning 18 years-adult
2/27 Saturday 1-3 pm $25 #5718
Learn about wills, living trusts, planning for incapacity, the probate process and common pitfalls. Instructor Attorney Jef Coyner.

Applications now being accepted for City of Ventura Planning Commission position

City of Ventura residents are encouraged to apply for a vacancy on the Planning Commission that advises the City Council on issues related to planning, development, and beautification of the City. The special recruitment process is now open and applications are available online at www.cityofventura.net/involved/advisory or from the City Clerk’s Office, Ventura City Hall, 501 Poli Street, Room 204. The application deadline is 5:30 p.m. on Monday, February 8.

Qualified applicants will undergo interviews with the City Council Appointments Recommendation Committee in February. The recommended appointee will be considered by the City Council and confirmed in late February. Volunteers must be willing to serve a four-year term.

Applications may be submitted by e-mail to [email protected], by fax to the City Clerk’s Office at 641-1046, by mail to the City Clerk’s Office P.O. Box 99, Ventura, CA 93002, or hand-delivered to the City Clerk’s Office at City Hall.

For more information call the City Clerk’s Office at 658-4787.

Businesses, register your company team for the 2016 Corporate Games

Have fun, build teamwork and boost staff morale – register your company team before Feb.11 for the 2016 Corporate Games, Ventura County’s ultimate sports competition. Register online at www.venturacorporategames.org or call the Corporate Games Hotline at 658-4738. Join thousands of employees representing more than 90 companies in this 6-week business-to-business team-sports competition featuring over 26 different events. Games are held March 19 to May 7.

Corporate Games is the fun way to build your team and provide great health benefits, and this year’s theme is “Teamwork wins!” With a proven track record of building camaraderie through teamwork and lasting relationships among company employees who participate, the games offer a wide variety of events so companies can tailor participation based on staff interests.

Companies may compete in many sports and games such as Basketball, Bowling, Dodge Ball, Horseshoes, Lazertag, MB2 Racing, Paintball, Softball and Texas Hold’em, just to name a few. Employees pursue individual Gold, Silver and Bronze Medals. Company Teams compete for Overall Division Trophies and Team Spirit Awards.

Corporate Games is hosted by the City of Ventura.

For more information about the Corporate Games call 658-4738 or visit www.venturacorporategames.org.

City classes from photography to yoga

City of Ventura Classes check out hundreds more on web-site

Call 658-4726 or 654-7552 to register, if you already have an ACTIVENET account online, visit www.cityofventura.net

Classes/Events held the Barranca Vista Center, 7050 Ralston Street unless otherwise noted.

Carpinteria Seal Rookery Hike 18 years-adult
2/5 Friday 9:10 am-2:45 pm $40+$20 materials fee #5666
Hike along the Coastal Vista Trail in Carpentaria. Stop to plein air sketch the harbor seals and new pups plus incorporate watercolor and ink pen. Meet at Ventura train station (Harbor Boulevard and Figueroa Street) by 9:10 am. Train leaves at 9:30 am. $22 train ticket not included in class fees–purchase online or on the day of at the station kiosk. Lunch (self-paid) at local spot. Leave Carpentaria train station 2:19 pm arrive back in Ventura 2:41 pm.

Learn Digital Photography (Beginning /Intermediate) 16 years-adult
2/6 Saturday 3-6 pm $65 #5479
Build up your understanding of digital photography from basic concepts (first two hours) through advanced techniques (second two hours) including camera use, lenses, equipment, tripods, understanding exposure and composition. Classes held at the Barranca Vista Center, 7050 E Ralston St in Ventura.

Computer Animation Fundamentals with PC 8-12 years
2/8-3/7 Monday 3:45-5:45 pm $125 #5636
In small groups students will focus on learning introductory computer drawing animation techniques and create original characters, voiceovers, speech and short animated stories! Bring pencils, snacks, and USB drive on final day. At Bible fellowship Church, 6950 Ralston St Room 206.

Introduction to Video Game Design 8-12 years
2/9-3/8 Tuesday 3:45-5:45 pm $125 #5563
Beginning Game Developers will work with a partner to conceive, design and build their own original interactive video game, including characters, backgrounds and theme. Students will use creative and critical thinking to complete their games. Bring pencils, snacks, and USB drive on final day.

AM Yoga & Melt for Renewal 16 years-adult
2/9-3/1 Tuesday 8-8:45 am $55 # 5579
The simple and deeply relaxing yoga poses of the Melt Method re-hydrate connective tissue to restore neurological balance, stability, and joint mobility. Bring towel, mat and dress comfortably. Instructor Mary Lincoln.

Sidebar