Category Archives: Featured News

City of Ventura completes new sewer interconnect project, marking continued progress toward commercial development project

The City of Ventura recently finished a significant step in completing the needed infrastructure for a high priority project known as Focus Area One which includes the Ventura Auto Center and Olivas Park, a future development project. The Olivas Park Drive Sewer Interconnect project includes installation of a new sewer pipeline that will bypass the decommissioned Montalvo wastewater plant and redirect sewage into the city’s system. Focus Area One is slated to become a regional retail destination and is one of the Ventura City Council’s top priorities of economic development.

The more than 100-acre Focus Area One project will significantly improve the area’s transportation network with the extension of Olivas Park Drive to connect to Johnson Drive.  Additionally, construction of an earthen levee will protect the project site from the adjacent Santa Clara River and allow for new construction. Connecting Olivas Park Drive to Auto Center Drive and Johnson Drive greatly improves access from the 101 freeway to the Ventura Auto Center which generates approximately $3.76M annually to the General Fund. The road and levee are in design now and the project is anticipated to begin construction by early 2017.

“The physical improvements will provide access to currently vacant land for economic growth in this area,” said City Manager Mark Watkins. “We are making important progress.”

The Montalvo Community Services District’s (MCSD) wastewater plant is being decommissioned and will eventually be demolished.  Originally built in 1954, it provided sewage treatment for Montalvo properties north of Hwy 101 that will now become Ventura Water customers. Approximately 200,000 gallons a day from the former MCSD will be treated at the city’s reclamation facility generating significant environmental benefits to the estuary and ocean.

“I shoot dead people”

Photos of military heroes shot by local photographer at Arlington National Cemetery.

By Richard Lieberman

Don Harper a local photographer has been quietly shooting the last photos of our nation’s military heroes. Don, a military veteran has been shooting the funerals at Arlington National Cemetery since the 1980’s. Starting in 1985 while attending a series of seminars at the Washington School of Photography in Washington D.C. Harper was approached by a fellow student who was a White House photographer for Bill Clinton. Taking notice of Harpers photography work, he encouraged Harper to promote his work professionally. “I had always told people not to mix a photography hobby with making a living in life, but he convinced me otherwise” said Harper.

Encouraged to attend a professional photography conference and find the photographers whose styles and work he liked and then finding one or more to mentor with. Harper spent the next two years mentoring with people whose photography and personality he liked.  “When I started to do photography professionally, I started with the intention of doing weddings, bridal portraits, and High School senior photos, and that’s what I concentrated on first” added Harper. Wedding photography became Harpers main area of business, and in Northern Virginia business was good. In addition there were several networking groups that he hooked up with. “One of the people I networked with was a bagpipe player, we became good friends and one day he said to me you need to come to Arlington National Cemetery. “I said why would I need to do that?” Harper’s friend told him he was playing the bagpipe at Arlington funerals and that there were several photographers present, but didn’t feel they were doing a decent enough job and that the people deserved better. Most of the photography done at the time was of the “snapshot” variety. “I went to a funeral there with him and photographed it, and then went to a couple more, and finally got enough material to set up a web site” he said. Networking with funeral homes and others, the business took off from there.

Funerals at Arlington are a big event. “For an officer’s funeral there is a marching band, the horse drawn caisson, the firing party, and if it is a General they have the cannon volleys as well as the rifle volleys” said Harper. Harper was fascinated by the histories of the deceased. “Most of what I have done is with older people who have lived a long, productive life and served a distinguished military career. Occasionally there have been KIA, but fortunately they have really dropped off dramatically.” He added. Harper also added “It usually takes about three months for internment, so some of the grief has subsided, until taps is played which is a tough one for families”

Harper flies to Washington D.C two or three times a month photographing funerals, and depending on circumstance like a morning funeral he will fly back to California the same day. Afternoon funerals requires him to stay for two or three days.

Don, who is now  semi-retired lives with his wife in a fifth wheel RV and travels around the country spending much of their time living beachside in Ventura and enjoying million dollar views, and oceanfront living.

The Community Academy is scheduled to begin March 22

Learn how the VPD caught these bad guys.   

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. They will answer your questions and give you an in-depth behind the scenes look at police operations.

Classes will be held at the Ventura Police Department located at 1425 Dowell Dr. (the May 3 class meets in Camarillo at the Criminal Justice Training Center).

Community Academy participants are selected by the Ventura Police Department through an application process. Applications are available from the Department or online at www.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, visit the website or contact Civic Engagement Specialist Ashley Bautista at 339-4317.

 

Ventura’s fight to remain graffiti-free

Graffiti seen from trains passing through Ventura. Photo by Daniel Ingram

By Amber Hansen

In today’s world, vandalism is rampant. It’s not uncommon to see graffiti on nearly every block in some cities. While Ventura isn’t covered in garish spray paint, it doesn’t take a detective to find vandalism on both public and private properties in Ventura. Whether the graffiti is an artistic endeavor or gang-affiliated tagging, it’s an eye sore that Ventura residents want removed.

Many Ventura residents are unfamiliar with the process of graffiti removal. There are, in fact, a few ways that vandalism can be reported and removed. The first step is to identify whether the vandalism is on private property or city property. If the graffiti is in a park or similar city properties, it can be reported to the City of Ventura Parks and Recreation Department. The Department will promptly send out a worker to remove the graffiti.

If the graffiti is on private property, it can be reported to the City of Ventura Streets Department. The department will send out a notice to the owner, stating that the graffiti must be removed within 24 hours. If the property owner does not have the means to remove it, the City will work with them to clean it off and paint over it.

Whether the graffiti is on city or private property, it is necessary to provide the building’s address when reporting the vandalism. If the address isn’t visible for any reason, using Google Maps can help identify the exact location.

The Graffiti Hotline reaches both departments, and is the easiest way for Ventura residents to report graffiti. In the past year alone, the City of Ventura has taken 2,000 reports of graffiti.

With this information, Ventura residents can help keep the City of Ventura graffiti free. Please report vandalism to City of Ventura graffiti hotline 654-7805.

Mayor makes case for tax increase to two “juries”

Erik Nasarenko was selected as Mayor by the City Council in December, 2015.

Mayor Erik Nasarenko, who is a deputy district attorney for Ventura County, was right at home making his case before a City Council meeting at his first State of the City address, and at the annual Ventura Chamber of Commerce’s State of the City Breakfast held on Thursday, March 10 at the Crowne Plaza Ventura Beach.

The mayor’s  “Invest in Ventura, Now and for a Strong Tomorrow” theme discussed the present and future of Ventura and laid out a case for a one-half sales tax increase in Ventura.

city mayor inset“The State of the City address is the perfect opportunity for the business community to engage with City Hall and hear directly from the Mayor about his priorities and vision for the coming year,” said Stephanie Caldwell, President and CEO for the Chamber.

In his State of the City presentations, Mayor Nasarenko gave credit to each council member for their contributions to Ventura.

He pointed out that an independent auditor gave Ventura a “clean” opinion for the fiscal year that ended June 30, and to balance the budget, the city no longer transfers money from internal accounts to the general fund.

“We are indeed managing our money wisely,” he said. “The city’s main source of income is from sales and property tax collections. But once the state and others get their share, Ventura is left with 13 cents on the dollar from the sales tax and only 16 cents for every dollar in property taxes.”

He stated that Ventura has greatly reduced the number of employees necessary to balance the budget, but said more money is needed for many things including:

Infrastructure – sidewalks, streets, underground utilities – that are in need of major repair.

The need for a new library to replace Wright Library that was closed several years ago.

More police officers are needed to control the 1,000 known gang members from the 100 known gangs in Ventura. Gang intervention officers were reduced from 7 to 2 in our current budget.

The fire department needs more funding to keep all of its stations open, especially Fire Station 4 that requires funds from outside sources to remain open.

Last fall, the City Council voted to spend up to $80,000 on a campaign to get public support for a sales-tax measure. The Council will likely vote in June to officially get it included on the November ballot. Most council members have already expressed their support for the measure.

Ventura’s current sales tax is 7.5 percent. In recent years, Venturan’s have twice rejected a sales tax increase.

In conclusion, Nasarenko said, “Invest in Ventura, join us. We are going to pass this. We’re going to get this on the ballot.”

 

Betsy Blanchard Chess selected as Director of Fund Development

Betsy has worked with numerous arts organizations including the Rubicon Theatre.

The Museum of Ventura County is pleased to announce the hiring of Betsy Blanchard Chess as its new Director of Development. Ms. Chess will help lead the organization in its efforts to sustain its two locations-the second site being the Museum of Ventura Agriculture Museum in Santa Paula-and to build an endowment.

Betsy attended high school in La Jolla and did both graduate and postgraduate work at the University of Southern California, earning a Masters of Arts degree in Modern European History.

In 1988 she became editor and publisher of The Broadcaster Magazine for the Farm Bureau of Ventura County. She retired from the magazine in 2013.

In 1994, she briefly served in a professional capacity as Executive Director for the Ventura County Symphony . She returned to the board as a volunteer and helped to oversee the birth of the New West Symphony in 1995. In 1998 she was hired as Executive Director of New West, a position she held until 2002.

In 2002, Betsy was named president of the San Buenaventura Foundation for the Arts where she worked to realize the Foundation’s dream of building the Cultural Arts Center in Ventura.She was chairman of the Arts Showcase for the Ventura Unified School District in 2005. She also serves on the board of advisors for Women’s Economic Ventures and the Board of Advisors for New West Symphony.  She is a member of Ventura Rotary of which she will be president July 1, 2016- June 30, 2017.

Ventura Interface Ministerial Association as a 2005 Woman of Vision, three times by the Ventura Rotary Club with Paul Harris Fellowships and by the Ventura County Arts Council with their first ever Arts Stars Award for her work in arts education. In 2011 She was named to the Cultural Affairs Commission of the City of Ventura. In 2012, Women’s Economic Ventures of Ventura, San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties named Betsy one of five business trailblazers. The Association of Fundraising Professionals named her Volunteer of the Year for Ventura County in 2014.