Painting project now underway at Ventura Harbor Village.

The Ventura Port District is pleased to announce the recent ReFresh Painting Project at Ventura Harbor Village that is now underway with a scheduled completion date between eight and ten months, dependent on winter and spring weather. All businesses will remain open during the enhancement project, according to Ventura Port District’s General Manager Brian Pendleton of the Port District.

The new 2020 painting project will encompass all of Ventura Harbor Village’s exterior buildings as well as two additional buildings which house Island Packers and the offices with the Channel Islands National Park. Contracted to complete the approximate $1.2 million Ventura Harbor Village Refresh Painting Project is prime contractor Garland/DBS whose mission is to provide each client with personalized management for long-term project success. Ventura Board of Port Commissioners and the City of Ventura Design Review Board also approved the paint pallet as prepared by Coastal Architects. The firm was commissioned by the Port District to integrate colors that reflect the sea-inspired hues that are predominant of the seaside enclave and is consistent with the new Portside Ventura Harbor development.

“The Ventura Port District is committed to continuous improvement with multi-phases of enhancement set for 2020 that will make Ventura Harbor an even more attractive, pedestrian-friendly destination for boating, and leisure recreation that encompasses dining, shopping and coastal attractions,” states Pendleton.

In addition to the first and second quarter Ventura Harbor Village Refresh Painting Project, Ventura Port District welcomes the opening of the newly constructed $200 million Portside Ventura Harbor, Southern California’s premier mixed-use development and Ventura’s newest oceanfront community.

In keeping with Ventura Port District’s goal of continuous improvement of Ventura Harbor, in 2019, Ventura Harbor completed a $4.5 million Ventura Harbor Village Marina Dock Improvement Project aimed at greatly bolstering the Harbor’s commercial fishing industry as one of the largest commercial marinas on the West Coast. On the heels of this project, Ventura Harbor invested $61,000 in reopening the Harbor’s Dry Boat Storage that was resurfaced with 88 dry storage spaces accommodating 14 to 43-foot size boats year-round.

“The Ventura Port District revitalization projects now provide a greater sense of place to stimulate future economic growth for the benefit of our tenants, visitors, fishermen, residents, and the local community,” says Pendleton.

In addition, Ventura Harbor Village’s revitalization and beautification project completed in 2018 has further established the Ventura Port District’s visitor-appeal. The beautification project now highlights a Channel Islands Plaza, a Kelp Corridor, a waterfront Promenade Stage area, and a seaside fire pit as the ‘front door’ of the bustling Harbor Village that saw more than 1.5 million pedestrian visitors in 2019.

Rich in details, the project included award-winning decorative concrete finishes with more than 68 feet of giant sea kelp. The project features color-changing LED lights, a 70-foot inlay of the Channel Islands National Park’s five islands, 6 kelp sculptures,new landscape and palm trees, and sea-themed decorative elements along the meandering pathways which adorn the entrances to the many Harbor Village boutiques and galleries.

Future projects identified in the master plan include areas for public art, improved outdoor patios, informational signage, family elements, and a series of upgrades to paseos throughout the five-acre Harbor Village. Live music on the seaside Harbor Village Promenade stage entertains guests on weekends throughout the year.

by Council Member Christy Weir

Approximately 20% of Ventura’s municipal water comes from the Ventura River. Over the past 20 years, Ventura has decreased the amount of water taken from the river.

In 2014, Santa Barbara Channelkeepers, an environmental non-profit, alleged that the city’s use of the river water was unreasonable and harmful to the steelhead fish. The city agreed that the fishery was suffering, but proposed that the city alone could not solve the problem. Many other water users upstream impact the river, as well as the Matilija Dam, invasive plant species such as arundo that use lots of water and prevent fish passage, invasive fish species, and continuing drought.

The city is committed to working with other stakeholders in the watershed to address these impacts affecting steelhead, while aggressively implementing water conservation measures in Ventura. We are currently working with large water users to implement physical solutions such as arundo removal, new river gauges, and seasonal passage monitoring. Our partners are the Casitas Municipal Water District, Meiners Oaks Water District, Ventura River Water District and Rancho Matilija Mutual Water Company, as well as Taylor Ranch, Friends Ranches and Thacher School.

As part of the Channelkeepers lawsuit, the city was required by a judge to notify all of the users of river water, including residents of the Ojai valley, about the ongoing litigation, to provide them the opportunity to participate. Over 14,000 notices were sent to property owners who reside in the affected groundwater basins. Property owners who do not have a well are not required to participate in the lawsuit—they may ignore their notice. People who do have a well may choose to enter the case and collaborate to protect their rights by filing an answer to the notice, sometime in the next 6 months.

The goal of the City of Ventura is to work with other affected parties to protect all of our water rights, while taking steps to preserve the health and sustainability of the river and the fish.

Murder suspect, 24-year-old Raymond Bolanos remains in jail.

On January 18, a deadly shooting occurred in the public parking structure on Harbor Blvd. and California, resulting in the death of 21-year-old Alejandro Hernandez of Ventura. This is Ventura’s first murder in 2020, and police say the motive appears to be gang related.

At approximately 2:45am, a 911 call was received regarding a shooting victim at the top level of the parking structure. Patrol officers responded and located one victim suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. The victim was treated by Ventura City Fire and transported to the Ventura County Medical Center where he later succumbed to his injuries.

Police said the crime occurred when one group – standing outside of their red Ford Mustang, was approached by the second group of people in a white sedan. The two groups started fighting when one person inside the vehicle shot at the group outside.

The Mustang fled the scene and ended up in Oxnard where the driver lost control of the vehicle and ran off the road by Victoria Ave. and Nantucket Parkway. CHP and Ventura police detained three of the vehicle’s occupants. One person fled the scene and was later apprehended.

The murder suspect, 24-year-old Raymond Bolanos, was arrested and booked into the Ventura County Jail for murder and gang enhancement.  A review of the Ventura County Superior Court website shows Bolanos has prior convictions for carrying a concealed firearm, gang enhancement and a hit and run.

Twenty-six-year old Julian Nunez was arrested for a parole violation warrant and has prior convictions for carrying a concealed weapon, possession of a firearm by a felon and battery with serious injury, and twenty-three-year old Stephanie Sanchez was arrested for a misdemeanor warrant. She has a prior conviction for possession of a loaded firearm.

Bolanos and Nuñez appeared in Ventura County Superior Court for an arraignment hearing. Bolanos was charged with murder, attempted murder and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Nuñez is accused of assault with a semi-automatic firearm as well as being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The Ventura County Public Defender’s Office was appointed to represent Bolanos, with an attorney from Conflict Defense Associates appointed in Nuñez’s case. CDA provides a legal defense for indigent defendants when cases conflict in the public defender’s office.

Both men also face allegations related to prior felonies and are accused of committing the alleged crimes for the benefit of a Santa Paula street gang.

Nuñez and Bolanos remain in Ventura County jail. Nuñez’s bail was set at $290,000 and Bolanos’ bail was set at $1.43 million. Both men are due back in court for a continued arraignment hearing on Feb. 20.

Facility will provide shelter, social services and mental health counseling.

By Shirley Lorraine

At long last, Ventura County’s first government-funded and led permanent, year-round homeless shelter is finally ready to open. The ARCH celebrated its grand opening with a ribbon cutting on Monday, January 27. ARCH is an acronym for “All Roads Connect to Housing.”

A joint project between the city and county of Ventura, the 55-bed converted county-owned facility will provide shelter, social services and mental health counseling in addition to job assistance, benefits navigation and other educational programs.

The shelter, located at 2323 Knoll Drive in Ventura, will be operated by Orange County based Mercy House who will take and process referrals. Administration and 24/7 staffing will be done by Mercy House. Occupancy is by referral, and each applicant screened for suitability. According to one staffer, enough referrals have already come through to fill the facility from the get-go. No walk-in services are provided. Ventura’s facility will accommodate 17 single women and 38 single men. And dogs. And cats.

The Mercy House model is “housing first”, which focuses on aiding those in need find stable housing as a primary step toward re-integration into society. Participants will be required to work on a plan to find suitable housing. Case managers will be looking at ways to reduce the barriers between resident’s current situation and permanent housing. However, according to Judy Alexandre, chair of the Ventura Social Services Task Force, finding affordable housing in Ventura County is a continuing challenge.

Ventura Mayor Matt LaVere stated, “This shelter is going to change lives.” He lauded the years of hard work and commitment that have made this achievement a reality and recognized those who have helped lay groundwork for this project. “This is what happens when communities work together.”

Supervisor Steve Bennett added “This shows how our culture and politics have changed over the last 20 years. We are so proud to be the first city in Ventura County to step forward for this project.” He urged everyone to continue to support the next phases of the project.

City Manager Alex McIntyre noted that the “city has made a long-term commitment in this journey toward success.”

Members of the San Buenaventura Women’s Club made and donated 80 blankets for the facility in December. President Rosemary Wilde and several members were present at the opening, presenting a donation of toiletry items, socks and personal care items for the new residents. Oak View Women’s Club and Ojai Women’s Club also donated blankets. Donations from many sources piled about five feet high in the entrance, with more to come.

Volunteers are a key component to the success of the program. To explore volunteer opportunities, contact Anabel Garcia, Volunteer Associate at [email protected] or (714) 836-7188 ext.197. Volunteers are needed for all shifts, all days.

How else can you help? Call (714) 836-7188 or go to www.mercyhouse.net – click on programs, shelters, the Arch. There is a link to their Amazon wish list. Purchases can be made and delivered directly to the facility. Of course, monetary donations are always accepted too.

For more information also visit www.cityofventura.ca.gov/homelessefforts.

Don’t give your credit card information to someone pretending to be your grandchild.

Residents are advised that phone scammers have been targeting residents impersonating Ventura Police Employees. The scammers are using a device that makes it appear to the victim that the phone call is coming from the Ventura Police business line of 805-339-4400. The scammer is telling residents that they have an out of county warrant and need to pay a fee or face arrest. Please be advised that the Ventura Police Department does not request personal information over the phone and would not solicit this type of information.

The community is urged to be vigilant and aware of these scams to avoid falling victim. Never follow directions from someone on the phone that requests personal information or money.  If you believe you have been the victim of a scam in which you have suffered financial loss, contact the Ventura Police Department at 805-339-4400. If you have not suffered financial loss and you have not provided any personal information by phone, please report the call to the Federal Trade Commission at 1-877-FTC-HELP or visit ftc.gov/complaint.

The community is also advised to be aware of additional phone scams that have impacted residents:

IRS Scam: The scammer says money is owed and must be paid immediately by phone.

Edison/Gas Scam: The scammer says money is owed and if not paid immediately the service will be turned off.

Jury Duty Scam: The scammer says money is owed for not showing up to jury duty and if not paid jail time will occur.

Social Security/Medicare Scam: The scammer says they are an officer with the social security office or with Medicare. They say your account has been hacked and then they proceed to ask for personal information.

“Can You Hear Me” Scam: Scammers are calling victims hoping to get them to say the word “yes” during the conversation that’s being recorded. The scammer will later use the recording of the victim saying yes to authorize unwanted charges on the victim’s utility or credit card account.

Text Message Phishing Scam: Scammers are using a new texting scam and spoofing banks’ phone numbers and sending text messages to customers. A spoofed phone number hides the actual number the text is coming from and displays a number from a trusted source, like your bank. The text claims that your debit card has been used to make a purchase and if you do not recognize the transaction, you need to call their fraud prevention helpline. A phone number is provided for you to call. Because the incoming text looks like it’s from your bank, people are falling for this. If you do call the number provided in the text, the fraudster will answer the phone. They will then ask you to confirm your sensitive banking details. This would allow the scammer to steal money from your account.

Grandparent Scam: A scammer poses as a grandchild and claims to be in jail and in need of money for bail. These imposters claim they are in another state or out of the country and need money wired to help bail them out of jail.

Ventura dignitaries were on hand to pick up the bus.

Gold Coast Transit District (GCTD) has donated a paratransit vehicle to the City of Ventura homeless shelter, operated by Mercy House, to facilitate mobility options for its residents.

The District retired a few cutaway-style vehicles that had reached the end of their fleet service life. They kept a few vehicles to refurbish and donate. Ventura City worked through a few details of owning one and gladly accepted the gift.

The donated vehicle features a mobility lift that serves riders with mobility devices, such as wheelchairs, scooters and walkers. It is also environmentally friendly, as it is powered by compressed natural gas (CNG).

James Brook, the Orange County Programs Director of Emergency Services for Mercy House picked up the vehicle. He was joined by City of Ventura Councilmember and GCTD Board Chair, Cheryl Heitmann, Ventura City Manager Alex McIntyre, and Deputy City Manager Barry Fisher.