Category Archives: Featured News

Electric Vehicle Ownership Webinar: Navigating EV Roadblocks

Making the switch to an electric vehicle (EV) can be daunting. Join the Community Environmental Council (CEC) to learn why it’s a great time to lease or purchase an EV. They’ll address the most common concerns that keep people on the fence, including:

  • Navigating incentives and rebates
  • Understanding lease agreements
  • Finding the right charging solution
  • Buying a used EV

This Free webinar is for individuals who understand the basics of driving electric but need more information before taking the leap. CEC’s Electrify Your Life team and community members who drive an EV will be on hand to answer questions and help clarify concerns so you can start saving money and join the movement to reduce carbon emissions. Monday, September 30, 6:00 – 7:00 pm via Zoom. To learn more, visit www.cecsb.org/events/navigating-ev-roadblocks.

The Ventura Art & Chalk Festival 2024 Returns to The Harbor

The Ventura Art & Chalk Festival, a signature event in Ventura County, returns this September with more than 50 talented chalk artists and craftsmen transforming Ventura Harbor Village with vibrant color along the waterfront. Scheduled for September 14-15 from 10 am to 5 pm, this year’s festival promises to be a celebration of art, community, and philanthropy.

Presented by Ventura County Art Events, Inc. & Rotary Club of Ventura, the festival is a family-friendly event that invites visitors to watch as expert chalk artists from across California and beyond create vivid, large-scale murals along a seaside promenade. The chalk art will be sprinkled throughout Ventura Harbor Village, primarily along the walkway from Le Petit Café & Bakery to Island Packers, creating a stunning visual experience for all who attend.

Among the featured artists is Greg Wray, known for his iconic work on the Sonic the Hedgehog video game series. Wray will be crafting a Sonic-themed beach scene, inviting spectators to observe his process and, when appropriate, engage with him during the creation.

Activities & Entertainment

Craftsman’s Marketplace: Discover and purchase original works from California artists, including paintings, ceramics, photography, glasswork, handmade wooden toys, and wearable art. Vendors will be set up on the pavement between Andria’s Seafood Restaurant and Brophy Bros. Restaurant & Clam Bar.

Children’s Art Area: Keep an eye out for a dedicated space for children to express their creativity, inspired by the professional artists at the festival.

Family-Friendly Attractions: Face painting, a variety of unique shops, and dining options at Ventura Harbor Village.

Live Music: Enjoy live musical performances from 1-4 pm, providing a relaxing atmosphere for afternoon festivalgoers.

Community Impact

The Ventura Art & Chalk Festival is not just a celebration of art but also a vital fundraiser for local charities. This year, proceeds will go toward supporting free art projects, scholarships, and various charitable organizations within Ventura County. Over the past decade, Ventura County Art Events, Inc. has donated over $50,000 to VC FOOD Share through this festival.

Tribute to Co-Founder Randy Hinton

This year’s festival is dedicated to Randy Hinton, who recently passed away after a brave battle with cancer. Randy was not only a co-founder of the Ventura Art & Chalk Festival but also a passionate supporter of Ventura County’s charities. His legacy lives on through the continued efforts of the Ventura Rotary Club, whose members have stepped up to serve on the newly restructured Ventura County Art Events, Inc. board, ensuring that the festival remains a cherished community event.

“My favorite part of the Art & Chalk Festival are the awe-struck spectators. Nothing is more magical than watching artists create masterpieces, one stroke at a time,” says one of the festivals key organizers, Board Member of Ventura County Art Events, Inc. Valerie Garbe.

These sponsors makes the Ventura Art & Chalk Festival possible: Mathis Wealth Management-premier sponsor, Crowne Plaza Ventura, Rotary Club of Ventura, Tastes & Tales Hospitality Group, Fastsigns, and Ventura County Art Events inc.

For more information, visit venturaartfestival.com.

 

Juana Maria – What We Now Know About the Lone Woman of San Nicholas Island

by Nella Nelson

The landscape of San Nicholas island is barren and windswept. You’re all alone. You must eat, live, and survive, making clothing for yourself. Enemies pass by or encircle the island at times. Imagine finding yourself in this very situation, but for the next eighteen years of your life. This had been the experience of an actual California native woman who came to be christened by the Spanish as Juana Maria (her native name is unknown). Also historically known as the Lone Woman of San Nicholas Island, Juana Maria’s life inspired the famous Scott O’Dell novel Island of the Blue Dolphins (1960).

Recalling her story from grade school in Ventura, I had until recently assumed Juana Maria to be of Chumash origin, but realized her to be the last surviving member of her tribe, the Nicoleño. As the last speaker of the Nicoleño language, the local Chumash and Tongva were unable to understand her. The Uto-Aztecan language Juana Maria spoke can be traced to north San Diego County, based on four words and two songs recorded from her (a UCLA study by Pam Munro supports this*).

San Nicholas Island remained mostly untouched from the early 1540’s claim of the Spanish by Conquistador, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo. Then, in 1814, the brig Il’mena brought a party of Native Alaskan otter hunters working for the Russian-American Company. They massacred most of the islanders after accusing them of killing one of their hunters. The remaining islanders later got captured by the schooner Peor es Nada (“worse is nothing”), commanded by Charles Hubbard in 1835. Hubbard’s party gathered the islanders and brought them aboard while Juana Maria either hid or swam back from the boat. A strong storm approached and the Peor es Nada hurried away toward the mainland.

For the next eighteen years, Juana Maria existed on shell fish and the fat of seal. She sewed duck’s skins and feathers into clothing. One of her cormorant feather dresses was sent to the Vatican, but appears to have been lost, as noted in Island of the Blue Dolphins.

More of Juana Maria’s artifacts, including a water basket and bone needles, became part of the California Academy of Sciences, but were destroyed in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire. In 1936, archaeologists discovered Juana Maria’s whalebone hut on the northernmost and highest point of San Nicholas Island. Over the next few decades, over 200 artifacts were found, including bird-bone pendants, abalone shell dishes, fish hooks, stone ornaments, Native Alaskan harpoons, and glass projectile points.

Juana Maria’s time to leave the island arrived in 1853 after Santa Barbara fur trappers searched for her in payment from Father Jose Gonzalez Rubio of the Santa Barbara Mission. After several attempts, Carl Dittman of George Nidever’s expedition, noticed footprints on the beach and pieces of seal blubber left out to dry. The lone woman was discovered, dressed in greenish cormorant feathers, in her hut. The Nidever party stayed on the island for a month, hunting and learning her way of life. By signs, she indicated that her baby had been killed by wild dogs which had infested the island. Juana Maria was then taken to the Santa Barbara Mission.

She was reportedly fascinated by her arrival on mainland California, marveling at the horses and European food and clothing. She stayed with Nidever who described her as nearly 50 years old, strong, active, and continually smiling. She drew in curious Santa Barbara residents for whom she sang and danced. Just seven weeks later, Juana Maria died of dysentery. She was buried in an unmarked grave on the Nidever family plot at the Santa Barbara Mission Cemetery, though a plaque now stands with her name. Part of Southern California’s legacy, Juana Maria’s life will always be an intriguing story of simplicity and self-sufficiency interacting within our coastal landscape.

Sources:

https://web.archive.org/web/20150306133039/http://score.rims.k12.ca.us/score_lessons/dolphin/teacher/karanapic.shtml

Munro, P. (1994). Halvorson, WL; Maender, GJ (eds). Fourth Multidisciplinary Channel Islands Symposium. Santa Barbara Natural History Museum 659-668.

O’Dell, Scott. Island of the Blue Dolphins 1960

PBS www.pbssocal.org

View videos and photos of the artifacts at:

https://www.nps.gov/chis/learn/photosmultimedia/california-islands-symposium.htm

Photos:

Illustration of Nicoleño woman, Juana Maria, from James M. Gibbons’s “The Wild Woman of San Nicolas Island”, published in Californian Illustrated Magazine 4, no. 5 (October 1893) James M. Gibbons (presumably) – http://calliope.cse.sc.edu/lonewoman/home/108

The Top Hat Murder: A Landmark Case in California’s Legal History

by Richard Senate

On the morning of February 24, 1988, a woman entered the small Top Hat food stand at 299 East Main Street in Ventura, intent on robbing the place to fund her drug habit. Inside, she encountered 63-year-old George White, a formerly homeless man who had recently found work preparing the grill for the day’s business. She brandished a knife and demanded money. But there was none—the cash box hadn’t yet arrived for the day. A violent struggle ensued in the
cramped space, and she fatally stabbed George White. In his final moments, he managed to grab hold of her long hair, pulling out several strands, which were later found clutched in his lifeless hand.

Two witnesses saw the woman fleeing from the hamburger stand. A tip later revealed that the woman had bragged about the crime, admitting to killing the elderly man. The police arrested
35-year-old Lynda Axell, who worked at a local thrift shop. She had observed the business at the Top Hat stand and decided to rob it, unaware that the cash profits were removed nightly, leaving only the change drawer behind until opening hours.

Initially, Axell recanted her confession, and friends and family retracted their statements. It seemed as though she might escape justice, as there were no direct witnesses to the murder.
However, the district attorney had crucial evidence: the hair samples pulled from the killer’s scalp. At that time, DNA testing, referred to as “genetic fingerprinting,” was in its infancy, with
only a few cases in Europe utilizing it for convictions. This case marked the first time it was used in California. The DNA analysis revealed a one-in-a-billion match to the hair follicles, leading to Axell’s conviction. She was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after seventeen years.

The small Top Hat hamburger stand became the site of a landmark case in California law, setting a precedent for the use of DNA evidence in criminal convictions.

The Museum of Ventura County Welcomes Featured National Geographic Photographer Diego Huerta for August Residency

The Museum of Ventura County (MVC) and Chief Curator Carlos Ortega are thrilled to announce the arrival of internationally known photographer Diego Huerta, whose work has been featured in National Geographic Magazine. Mr. Huerta will be an artist-in-residence at MVC from August 1 to August 31 photographing and creating videos that share the stories, traditions, and art of members of Indigenous groups from Mexico, including Mixtec, Zapotec, Maya, Purépecha, Triqui, Chontal, and more, who now reside in Ventura County.

Mr. Huerta’s photographs and videos will be featured in a highly anticipated exhibition, In Focus: The Mexican Indigenous Diaspora of Ventura County, opening to the public in February 2025 at the Agriculture Museum. For more information about Diego Huerta, www.diegohuerta.com. https://venturamuseum.org.

California Farm Workers Demand Exact Location in Pesticide Regulation

More than 23 members of CAPS 805, the Ventura County branch of Californians for Pesticide Reform (CPR), traveled from Ojai, Ventura, Oxnard, and Port Hueneme to Shafter, CA, to participate in a California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) hearing. They called for growers to disclose the exact location and time of pesticide applications.

The current draft of the “Spray Days” statewide notification program only requires indicating pesticide applications within a 1-square-mile area. Farm workers, addressing an audience of over 140 participants—mostly farm workers from Ventura County and the Central Valley—argued that this plan is insufficient without specifying the exact location of applications.

On July 25, the California Department of Food and Agriculture held a Zoom meeting to gather additional public input on DPR’s plan. The public had until August 1 to submit their concerns. The final regulation is expected to be implemented sometime in 2025, with the exact date yet to be determined.

Farm workers and community members assert that without knowing the precise location of pesticide applications, they are at risk of exposure to toxic chemicals. They emphasize the need for this information to avoid contact with harmful fumes. Conversely, ranchers argue that revealing exact locations could lead to interference from activists and pose privacy issues.

Pesticide Reform Organizer Teresa Gomez stated, “We’ve made the journey to Sacramento many times to advocate for a robust pesticide notification system. Our members have participated in a year-long pilot program in a small part of Ventura County and in two state public hearings in our county. Now, as this is the final hearing in California, we are here to make it clear: It’s not notification without exact location.”

The new regulation will impact all farms in California that use restricted material pesticides and will be crucial in determining whether farmworkers’ rights and health are adequately considered in regulatory decisions.

Ventura Police host community presentation on military equipment use

The Ventura Police Department invites community members to attend a presentation on the Annual Military Equipment Report. This meeting will occur virtually on Tuesday, August 13 at 3:00 p.m. on Zoom. To register, please visit CityofVentura.ca.gov/Transparency.

The presentation will provide an overview of the report, focusing on the specific equipment acquired and its utilization. Department staff will also discuss the policies and procedures that govern the use of military equipment in Ventura, encouraging a dialogue about these valuable community safety tools.

“We recognize the value of keeping communication open and want to reaffirm our commitment to transparency, accountability, and professionalism by providing this information to our community,” said Chief Darin Schindler. “Our goal is to ensure residents are well-informed about how these resources are utilized to protect public safety.”

The term “military equipment” does not necessarily indicate equipment used by the military. It encompasses a variety of tools, including unmanned aerial or ground vehicles, armored vehicles, command and control vehicles, less lethal 40mm projectile launchers, noise flash diversionary devices, and various forms of ammunition.

The equipment used by the Ventura Police Department is common among law enforcement agencies nationwide, enhancing the safety of both residents and officers and helping to resolve incidents that might otherwise necessitate lethal force.

On July 16, 2024, the Ventura City Council received the Annual Military Equipment Report and approved the continued use of the specified equipment.

For questions, please contact Commander Matt Cain at [email protected] or call 805-339-4488.

Limoneira Co. Commits to Protecting Marine Life and Reducing Emissions with New Program

Newest ambassador for Protecting Blue Whales

Santa Paula’s based Limoneira Co. is the newest ambassador for the Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies program. This initiative incentivizes shipping companies to voluntarily reduce their speeds along California’s coast to decrease air pollution, regional greenhouse gas emissions, underwater noise, and fatal ship strikes to endangered whales. It is a collaborative effort among the Ventura County Air Pollution Control District and other air districts, California national marine sanctuaries, the California Marine Sanctuary Foundation, and other nonprofit organizations.

Ambassadors are companies and ports committed to sustainable shipping practices and reducing the negative biodiversity impacts of their supply chains. They receive data on their ocean carriers’ performance in the program and the associated environmental benefits. This data can be used to demonstrate their sustainability commitments to customers and stakeholders and to facilitate more sustainable shipping choices in the future.

“Our commitment to sustainability is deeply embedded in our culture, and we view sustainability as a path toward continued long-term success,” said Limoneira President and CEO Harold Edwards. “We are responsible trustees in the protection and improvement of our environment that align with the goals of the Blue Whales and Blue Skies program.” Limoneira, one of the oldest citrus-growing organizations on the West Coast, is a longtime leader in environmental stewardship and sustainability innovation. The 131-year-old agribusiness is a leading producer of lemons, avocados, and other crops consumed worldwide. It has 10,500 acres of agricultural lands, real estate properties, and water rights in California, Arizona, Chile, and Argentina.

Other program ambassadors include the Port of Hueneme, Sonos, Nomad Goods, Peak Design, Summit Coffee, Way Basics, Santa Cruz Bicycles, Who Gives a Crap, The Block Logistics, and JAS Worldwide. The program helps global shipping companies better understand their environmental impacts and make changes to reduce them by verifying the cooperation of a company’s entire fleet of ships as well as individual ships and transits. In 2023, cooperating shipping companies reduced the risk of lethal ship strikes to whales by 58% and averaged a 5.4-decibel decrease in underwater noise per transit. Since the program’s launch 10 years ago, cooperating vessels have slowed down for more than 1.1 million nautical miles, resulting in reductions of more than 150,000 metric tons of regional greenhouse gases and 4,500 tons of nitrogen oxide emissions. For more information, visit www.bluewhalesblueskies.org.

New Bookmobile to Serve Ventura County Schools

Innovative Project is First of Its Kind in California

A brand-new mobile library will serve local students in Ventura County. The School Mobile Library will travel to schools throughout the county, focusing particularly on those without credentialed librarians on staff.

The School Mobile Library will provide books in multiple formats and languages, STEAM instruction and programs, homework support aligned with school curricula, and access to technology and online resources. While bookmobiles serving the general public are common in California, this is the first to be dedicated specifically to students.

“Nearly 70,000 Ventura County students attend schools that don’t have a professional librarian on staff, and some of these schools lack an on-site library altogether,” said Dr. César Morales, Ventura County Superintendent of Schools. “The new bookmobile will bring library services directly to students where they already are—at school.”

The School Mobile Library will be stocked with $50,000 worth of new books. Staff from the Ventura County Office of Education will lead book discussions and lessons on media literacy, financial literacy, and more. County Library staff will provide STEAM kits and other engaging activities during school visits. The bookmobile will also facilitate student sign-ups for library cards, helping to meet an upcoming state requirement that all students obtain a library card by the third grade.

This project is a collaborative effort between the Ventura County Library and the Ventura County Office of Education. It is funded by a generous $50,000 donation from the Ventura County Library Foundation, Premier America Credit Union, CBC Federal Credit Union, County Schools Federal Credit Union, and Ventura County Credit Union, in addition to a $250,000 Stronger Together: Improving Library Access grant from the California State Library.

The School Mobile Library will start its school visits during the 2024-25 school year.

Ventura Girls Fastpitch: Pacific Coast Region 8U Undefeated Champions!

Right to left: Natalia Hernandez, Alana Barlow, Ellie Vorburger, Madisyn Taminich, Morgan Scarlett, Korie Mulhall, Brooklyn Sheff, Aiyana Kohler, Mallory Van, Camilla Duran, Kylee Martinez

They did it! The Ventura Girls Fastpitch 8U All-Star team is the undefeated State and Western Region Champion. They secured the top spot in California for their age group by winning five tournaments without a loss.

Highlights include:

  • Western District Finalists
  • Undefeated SoCal State Champions
  • Undefeated Western Region Champions
  • Overall Record: 35-4
  • Outscored Opponents: 256-38

Congratulations to the team for their exceptional performance and remarkable achievements!