Photos by Michael Gordon

by Visit Ventura

If you live in Ventura you know the Trees. Many still call them Two Trees, no matter that Trees come and go. They are simply called Two Trees because we are a town without pretension. Paris has The Eiffel Tower. New York has the Statue of Liberty. Sydney, the Opera House. San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge.

For Ventura, Trees are enough.

Like so many seemingly innocuous things, our Trees are fascinating. Some say they were planted as a beacon for seagoing ships, to aid captains in making Ventura landfall. It is said that on certain sailing charts you can still find the Hill of the Trees, marking Ventura. Either way, it is a nice story. Ships ferry romance, and in this day and age of Google Earth the thought of scanning the horizon for trees has a lovely charm.

The Trees’ real story is fascinating, too. In 1898 Joseph Sexton, a horticulturist of note, planted 13 Blue Gum Eucalyptus saplings atop the hill. It’s said he did this for the best of reasons; because he thought they would look nice. Mr. Sexton had an eye for beauty. He had good sense, too. He hired his neighbor Owen Marron to do the planting and subsequent caretaking. In 1898 it was a hellish business hauling water, by horseback and burro, up the steep hillside.

On again and off again, the Trees have been part of Ventura’s story. One year, for their senior prank, the seniors at Ventura High School moved an entire classroom of desks up to Two Trees. One must salute such creativity.

People are drawn to our Trees, though not everyone brings their desk. Our Trees have a hypnotic quality, a far-reaching siren call. Once, after the Trees skirted a fiery disaster, our local paper printed a letter from a woman immensely relieved that the Trees were still there. “I scan the horizon so avidly that my eyes are nearly popping out of their sockets until I finally sight my favorite view …” the woman wrote from her home in Florida.

Trees come and go. This piece was first written when there were indeed Two Trees. But, regardless of number, our Trees remain Ventura’s icon.

Because, regardless of number, their whisper is the same.

It is a special town where the icon dissolves with the sunset.

ECTV in the studio with Lorie Brown.

Recently students at El Camino High School, known as the ECTV crew, produced an engaging and informative discussion with Ventura City Councilmember Lorrie Brown and Dr. Raquel Baker, Assistant Professor at Cal State Channel Islands.  The program is part of an ongoing series on Black Culture.  ECTV crew members attend school at El Camino High School and Ventura College.  El Camino is located on the college campus next to the CAPS Media Center.

The students sit in during the pre-interview meeting between Councilmember Brown and Dr. Baker. The ECTV crew handles the production and post production aspects of the show. After the interview there is an informal discussion on the set with Dr. Baker and Councilmember Brown, for feedback and questions from the students. So far, the show has featured Julius Sokenu, the President of Moorpark College, and Joelle Hannah, a Professor at Moorpark College. Lynne Thompson, the current Los Angeles Poet Laureate, is to be interviewed next.

The Baker-Brown interview was conducted in the CAPS Media Center Studio which was the first time in nearly 18 months that ECTV crews have been able to conduct in-studio interviews because of COVID-19 precautions.  Despite the restrictions, the resourceful ECTV students haven’t missed a beat and have continued producing informative and engaging programs throughout the pandemic.

ECTV (El Camino Television) is part of the Ventura Unified School District’s career pathways initiative.  Under the direction of media guru Phil Taggart, ECTV has evolved into an award-winning media education program.  In weekly immersive workshops students utilize the resources of the CAPS Media Center including cameras, editing equipment and the studio, and benefit from the media, journalism and storytelling expertise from Taggart and others on the CAPS staff.

ECTV Students work collaboratively to identify, write, produce, direct, record and edit projects of interest to themselves, the greater youth culture, and the community.  In the past few years ECTV crews have been recognized with numerous local, regional, and national awards for their innovative, thought provoking and informative productions.

In other CAPS Media news, in the coming weeks CAPS crews will cover, broadcast and live stream high school graduation ceremonies for Buena, El Camino, Foothill, Pacific, Ventura and VACE (Ventura Adult and Continuing Education) from multiple locations throughout the city. The specific dates and times can be found on the VUSD website – https://www.venturausd.org

Due to the COVID-19 emergency the CAPS Media Center is closed to Members and the public until further notice. CAPS is continuing to play it safe, follow sensible guidelines, and therefore will remain closed to the public for the near term. The CAPS goal is for the community to reach the benchmark of herd immunity before reopening (approx. 85% of the public being fully vaccinated). All of us at CAPS Media hope everyone stays Safe, Strong, Socially Distant and Healthy during these very challenging times.

Casitas Rowing is offering free Summer Rowing Camps this summer for all kids 6th-12th grade from the Ojai and Ventura area. To register go to https://www.casitasrowing.org/2021-junior-rowing-camps and send in your information.

by Patrick Davidson

CAPS Media’s award-winning radio station, KPPQ-LP, hasn’t missed a beat during the past year’s pandemic. Launched in 2017 the station is still going strong delivering engaging, locally focused programming every day 24/7. Despite the fact that the KPPQ Radio studio in the CAPS Media Center is still closed to the public during the pandemic, the dedicated CAPS Media/KPPQ Member DJs and Hosts, consistently create innovative, engaging and entertaining programs in their homes for airing on 104.1fm in Ventura and streaming worldwide on myTunerRadio and on capsmedia.org.

The range of KPPQ programming is as diverse and interesting as the Ventura community itself. KPPQ music includes The Pam Baumgardner Music Hour, The Pure Rock Show, Oldies with Double K, Doc’s Delta Blues Lounge, Ojai Dream, NAMBA Performances and more, including everything from rock to bluegrass, psychedelic, hip hop and oldies, plus local artists from ska to jazz to rock and roll.

In the past few months a wide variety of individual and community topics have been explored in the locally produced and curated KPPQ programs including Ventura Vibe!, In The Women’s Room with Kathleen Good, ECTV produced by students from El Camino High, Teen Centric, Creative Community, Women of A Certain Age, Attainable, and Fireside Tailes with Wolfgang, plus Ventura Library programs for kids and the elderly, the YMCA’s commitment to health and fitness, the Ventura Botanical Gardens offerings, the Surfrider Foundation initiatives and more.

Other KPPQ engaging discussions addressed women’s health and fitness programs, zero waste and composting, personal growth and career planning, while socially conscious and political discussions centered on Black Lives Matter, Stand Up for Racial Justice, Stem education in schools, Democracy in Danger and much more.

Despite the fact that the KPPQ Radio studio at the CAPS Media Center is still closed to the public, innovative and creative DJs and hosts are continually producing outstanding radio programs in their homes.

To learn more about KPPQ and to join the Radio team contact Elizabeth at [email protected]. Elizabeth will get you the info you need to know and set up a time for online training to get you on the air on KPPQ-LP Ventura.

In addition to the outstanding productions by KPPQ DJs, CAPS Media crew members have stayed very active throughout the pandemic facilitating City meetings and producing informative videos for the City and County. Every week CAPS team members coordinate, broadcast and stream multiple City meetings including City Council meetings, committee meetings and more.

CAPS crews working on the CAPS studio soundstage record monthly updates by Ventura City Mayor Sofia Rubalcava’s. The mayor’s engaging reports provide the community with valuable information including her insights on city government and the community.

In addition, every week throughout the pandemic CAPS Media crews facilitated the County’s COVID updates with county officials from the County government center and locations throughout the community.

During the shutdown, CAPS Member/Producers can submit programming via the online portal at capsmedia.org for broadcast and streaming on CAPS public access television Channel 6 and on CAPS Radio KPPQ 104.1FM. All of us at CAPS Media hope everyone stays Safe, Strong, Socially Distant and Healthy during these very challenging times. We encourage everyone to continue getting tested and get vaccinated. Thanks again for the continuing community effort to Stay Strong during these challenging times.

Demonstration by residents held in opposition to development. Photo by Richard Lieberman

by: Richard Lieberman

A recent demonstration by residents who live around and near the proposed Haley Point housing project marched from California and Main to City Hall. The protesters have organized, set up a GoFundMe page and are asking the city to hear their concerns about the proposed project. The proposed development by Warmington Residential is slated for 72-unit condominium project and of those 72 units 14 units, or 20% will be offered below market rate for moderate income households. Each unit will have a two-car garage.

The group now known as Midtown Ventura Coalition has grown using social media to get their message out to residents. “We were notified in August about a zoom meeting with the developer Warmington Residential who wants to build seventy-two townhouses on a 4.2-acre plot near the end of Channel Island Drive where it meets Seaward Ave, we looked at the design and the design is pretty and we liked the way it looked, everyone of us wants to see more housing in Ventura,” said Jim Gibson, a sixteen-year resident of Rancho Drive. “The problem is this is on what is almost a cul-de-sac the far end of a low-density neighborhood where peoples children are playing in the streets,” he added. Gibson also added that the group has reached out to city officials and the developer to express concerns about increases in traffic density and how the city is handling the developer’s requested variances, combining requests for smaller setbacks and fewer parking spaces into one request.

If the decision is not what the neighbors want or if the decision is not what the developer wants it will be appealed. “We fully expect it to be appealed,” said Peter Gilli, community development director for the city. In May 2020, the City Council passed a measure to facilitate processing projects dubbed an Emergency Streamlining Ordinance (EMSO). The EMSO made two changes, according to Gilli, One, a project will still have multiple hearings, with recommendations coming from those boards. But the last hearing body, determined by Gilli according to the ordinance, will “make a final decision on the project” The final decision is also subject to an appeal which puts the project before the city council for a final non-appealable finding.

“Zoning says that the developer has to have a twenty-foot set back, they are trying to bring it down to thirteen, which is a 35% reduction of what’s required in that neighborhood” said Miles Glazner spokesperson for the group. “They are trying to put two variances together, they are trying to put the rear set-back which they want to do 17.8 and the from one they want to bring down to thirteen feet they want to combine those two variances saying that is just one,” added Glen Overly “We are in favor of the kind of development that will provide the housing we need,” he added.

State law prohibits the city from changing plans when it comes to modifying density or not approving housing developments. “The general plan designation for this site allows more housing than the developer has proposed. That is state law now. Five years ago, it was different. Now if a project complies with the density range of the General plan, then our ability to shrink or deny the project has been eliminated, added Gilli. Before the current plan it was commonplace for the city to demand fewer units even under allowable densities and impose that on the development. “The city can’t do that anymore, the states emphasis is on the housing crisis has taken that away and limited the city’s ability to do things like that,” he said. Adding Gilli said “Our residents have not wanted to hear that answer,” Currently Ventura is in the planning stages of an update covering the existing General Plan. With the update and state law, the city is mandated to approve housing projects that do not conflict with the General Plan.

Haley Point, for the most part, complies with state law and complies with city rules. State law puts the city in a position where they must comply and to grant what the developers are asking for.

WEV will present the 2021 Rock Star: Lifetime Achievement Award to Lupe Anguiano.

Women’s Economic Ventures (WEV) is proud to announce the 30 finalists for the 11th annual Spirit of Entrepreneurship Awards (SOE) to be held virtually on May 21, from 12noon -1:30pm. The SOE Awards celebrate outstanding women business owners from Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties in ten industry categories. Community members are invited to attend the free, online event; register at Spirit of Entrepreneurship Awards.

A panel of independent judges, who all live outside the tri-county area, selected the finalists from an impressive group of applicants throughout Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties. This year, the judges also took into consideration the impact the businesses make in their community and the entrepreneurs’ resiliency to the challenges presented by the global pandemic.

Alison Kenis, Lynette Coverly and JoAnne Hadley are finalists to receive awards.

Stacy Harris, a judge from Phoenix, Arizona, said the finalists are “an impressive class of driven female entrepreneurs adapting to an unpredictable environment during the pandemic in support of community and creative services and products.”

“We are thrilled to honor these incredible women who have shown strength and creativity in keeping their businesses going through a tough year,” said Kathy Odell, WEV CEO. “It’s important to take the time to stop and celebrate these accomplishments not only to recognize the winners but so we can all be inspired by them.”

Along with the 10 category winners, WEV will present the 2021 Rock Star: Lifetime Achievement Award to Lupe Anguiano, an entrepreneur and activist known for her work on women’s rights, the rights of the poor, and the protection of the environment who has founded two impactful nonprofits.

World-renowned political activist and feminist organizer Gloria Steinem told WEV, “I’m so glad that you are honoring my longtime friend, Lupe Anguiano. She has been my trusted leader, from the farm worker struggle to today’s understanding that as human beings, we are linked, not ranked. She always has been ahead of me on the path, and she lights the way ahead.”

Major sponsors of the 2021 Spirit of Entrepreneurship Awards include American Riviera Bank, City National Bank, Cox, County of Ventura, JPMorgan Chase & Co, La Arcada, LinkedIn, and Ventura County Credit Union.

Women’s Economic Ventures is dedicated to creating an equitable and just society through the economic empowerment of women. WEV is a business resource network for anyone looking to start a business, grow a local business, or improve their business skills. WEV provides small business training, advisory services, financial literacy programs and small business loans in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. While WEV’s focus is on women, it welcomes people of all gender identities into the WEV community. Business courses, programs and loans are provided in both English and Spanish.

Since 1991, WEV has provided business training and small business advisory services to more than 19,000 people throughout Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. WEV has made more than $6.4 million in small business loans and helped more than 5,000 local businesses start or expand, generating an estimated $770 million in annual sales and creating nearly 12,000 local jobs. WEV is a U.S. Small Business Administration’s Women’s Business Center and Microlender, as well as a certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI).

SEEAG teaches kids how to grow vegetables while learning healthy eating habits.

For the second year, Students for Eco-Education and Agriculture (SEEAG) is hosting its “Let’s Grow A Garden”–an at-home garden program for students in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties that teaches kids how to grow vegetables while learning healthy eating habits and proper nutrition.

“A garden gives kids a sense of accomplishment as they care for their plants and then harvest their crops. They also come to appreciate the role of our local farmers and the importance of eating healthy,” says Mary Maranville, SEEAG’s founder and CEO.

To help start their gardens, Agromin, an Oxnard-based manufacturer of earth-friendly soil products, composts and mulches made from recycled organic materials, is giving away 4-quart bags of potting soil to Let’s Grow A Garden participants. The bags (one per child) are available at Agromin (201 Kinetic Drive, Oxnard) April 19 through Aprils 23, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the Agromin parking lot.

Plantel Nurseries will be giving away vegetable seedlings on Earth Day (April 22) at Agromin as well. When picking up soil and seeds, follow all social distancing and other rules posted on site.

Nutrition and agriculture program lessons are on SEEAG’s website with new lessons posted every Monday beginning May 3. Also on the site is Information about local agriculture and links to where families can order seeds and gardening materials online.

A Let’s Grow A Garden e-newsletter with product giveaway details and more “ag-tivities” is sent out weekly through August. E-newsletter article topics include how to plant vegetables from seed, container gardening for small spaces, and selecting the right plants and soil. Register to receive the newsletter by going to www.seeag.org/signup.

The program will also feature a weekly garden photo contest where students submit photos (#letsgrowagarden2021) of their gardens with the chance to win garden-themed prizes.

No registration is required. Let’s Grow a Garden is for elementary school teachers, students and their families. For more, go to www.seeag.org/letsgrowagarden2021. To learn about SEEAG, go to www.SEEAG.org.

Founded in 2008, Students for Eco-Education and Agriculture (SEEAG) is a nonprofit organization that aims to help young students understand the origins of their food by bridging the gap between agriculture and consumption through its agricultural education programming. SEEAG’s “The Farm Lab” program based in Ventura County teaches schoolchildren about the origins of their food and the importance of local farmland by providing schools with classroom agricultural education and free field trips to farms. Its Child Wellness Initiative in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties educates, inspires and empowers children to eat healthy by adding locally grown fruits and vegetables to their diet to help ward off childhood obesity that could lead to diabetes. Through these and other SEEAG programs, over 60,000 elementary school students in Central and Southern California have increased their understanding of the food journey. For more information, visit www.seeag.org or email Mary Maranville at [email protected].

“Our classified employees often work behind the scenes”

With his trademark “Ask Me” button showcasing his helpful attitude, Ventura College’s Alwin Sauers Jr. has been named the 2021 Ventura County Community College District Classified Employee of the Year. The VCCCD bestows this honor in accordance with the California Community Colleges (CCC) Board of Governors, who will now consider Sauers for the CCC statewide award. The award recognizes classified professionals who positively influence countless lives by showing the utmost commitment to our community colleges, by upholding professional ethics and standards and by serving the community with purpose and passion. They embody the best of California’s community colleges.

Fellow VCCCD Classified Employee of the Year nominees included Thomas “Tommy” Arellano of Moorpark College, and Gabriela Rodriguez of Oxnard College.

“Our classified employees often work behind the scenes, yet they play a critical role in helping VCCCD students achieve their academic and professional goals,” said Board Chair Joshua Chancer. “All three candidates are outstanding employees who reflect the District’s focus on serving students, and we are thrilled to have Alwin represent the District at the state level.”

Arellano is the athletic equipment manager at Moorpark College. He is known for his unlimited skills and contributions to the athletic department during his 39 years with the District.

Rodriguez is the student activities specialist for Oxnard College. For the past five years, she has served students and staff with a passion that is imperative to maintaining OC’s high-quality enrichment and academic offerings.

“Gaby focuses on students with every breath she takes. In all her interactions at the college, Gaby is conscientious, strives for success and is fired up to participate. … She does all of this with her characteristic boundless energy and drive to make OC a special place to study and work for everyone,” noted Dr. Oscar Cobain, vice president of student development, in the nomination.

Sauers is a custodian at Ventura College and Ventura College East Campus, where his focus for over seven years has been on serving students. Sauers is an ever-present fixture on the campuses, making him a VC and VCEC ambassador available to help students. With his “Ask Me” button and gentle demeanor, every student feels comfortable asking him for assistance. As an essential worker, Sauers takes special care in guaranteeing the cleanliness of the campuses during the pandemic and always.

“Alwin Sauers Jr. is special. He is a mensch, a good man, who does his job and then some with a true commitment to all the students that we serve. When his name comes up in a discussion or meeting, the response from everyone is always the same: we smile and sing his praises. Alwin is truly deserving of this honor,” wrote Susan Royer, college services supervisor, in Sauers’ nomination.

Up to six recipients will be honored as California Community Colleges Classified Employee of the Year at the May 2021 Board of Governors meeting, where they will receive a $750 cash award and a plaque.