Welcome to a New Decade.  All of us at CAPS Media want to express our sincere thanks for the tremendous support demonstrated by Friends of CAPS who created videos, sent letters, emails and made calls to City Council Members and City staff expressing your appreciation for CAPS.  Your continuous support has been extremely helpful in giving our city officials a better understanding of the depth of services provided by CAPS throughout the community.

This remarkable and effective CAPS’ member based, grass roots campaign is what democracy is all about and exactly what CAPS and public access television is all about.  The First Amendment guarantees every citizen freedom of speech, and thanks to all of you, the public has spoken loud and clear.

Everyone at CAPS is looking forward to 2020 and working with Member/Producers, colleagues and partners to expand our services throughout the community.  All year long the CAPS staff trains new members and mentors existing members in the use of media and storytelling tools to help them create their own programs and projects to air on television and radio and stream online.  CAPS provides a place for Member/Producers to share local news and regional history, in-depth interviews, faith-based programming, community messages, educational information and more.  CAPS Radio – KPPQ, 104.1FM, continues to grow with new local voices and programs developed and broadcast on the airwaves.

For the city, CAPS Media crews record, broadcast and live stream City Council meetings, City Planning, Design Review and other city public meetings as well as create informative and educational segments for the public with the Ventura Police and numerous other departments.  These services are expected to expand in 2020.

CAPS’ community support includes collaboration with the Ventura Unified School District to record, broadcast and stream VUSD Board meetings throughout the year.  In 2019 CAPS’ coverage of Community Council meetings increased to include East Ventura, Ventura College area, MidTown and  Westside Community Councils.  The local Community Council meetings are a great way for Ventura citizens to interact with and receive first-hand reports on City services and plans from City Councilmembers, Ventura Police Department officers, and other officials and leaders in the community.  In addition, numerous faith-based and community organizations recorded and broadcast services and informative programs for the community on Channel 6.

Every month CAPS crews produce Mayor for a Moment profiles featuring outstanding 5th grade students throughout VUSD for recognition at City Council and school board meetings.  And ECTV, the outstanding media education/mentorship program at El Camino High School at Ventura College, continues to produce award winning programs in the CAPS Media studio and in the community.

The start of the New Decade is a great time to become a Member/Producer at CAPS Media.  If you have an interest in community television or radio production, or are just curious, drop by the CAPS Media Center and learn how to become a member of CAPS and join our community of enthusiastic and engaged community of videographers, editors, radio DJs, storytellers and more.  Go to capsmedia.org for more information.

2019 has been a very productive year at CAPS Media.  The entire staff eagerly looks forward to a New Year of community Engagement, Education and Entertainment in 2020.

Kassandra Ramirez

by Mira Reverente

Some families started showing up early, eager and excited for what lays ahead, undeterred by the heavy downpour and gloom on that last Sunday before Christmas.

Hot cider and cookies greeted all the families who came in for the first annual bike give-away for kids at Bike Hub, a one-of-its-kind community bike shop along Ventura Avenue. Raffle tickets were given out to all the kids upon arrival.

Michelle Gerardi of Ojai brought her daughters. The youngest of the three, two-year-old Brighton, immediately had her sights set on a pink Minnie Mouse bike with training wheels, which she won.

It will be the first bike for Brighton, but not for nine-year-old Nani, who has always shared a bike with her 10-year-old sister. “Now we each have a bike and don’t have to wait for our turns,” she says.

Volunteers were on hand to assist and help contain the excitement during the give-away. Ventura resident and avid cyclist Mike Steinbaum was one of them. “It’s nice to help people who need bikes or depend on bikes as their primary mode of transportation,” says Steinbaum, a long-time volunteer.

For $5 an hour, anyone can come in and use the equipment and tools at the shop. Volunteers can get credit for pitching in at the shop, from sweeping the floor to assisting customers. Steinbaum explains, “It’s a collaborative effort vs. a drop-off type of repair shop. There’s always something that we could use help with even for those who are not gandy with bikes.”

Bike Ventura is the parent organization of Bike Hub, a non-profit and grassroots group that actively promotes and advocates for bike safety and education all throughout Ventura County.

“We help fix bikes and provide instruction to people who bring in their bikes for repairs,” says Joey Juhasz-Lukomski, executive director of Bike Ventura. The Bike Hub is open most afternoons except Mondays, from 3:00 to 7:00 pm, with longer hours on Sundays. Says Juhasz-Lukomski, “There’s always someone available to help, whether it’s one of our staff or the countless volunteers we have.”

Deputy Mayor Sofia Rubalcava, donning a Santa hat, also graced the event and mingled with the families.

Leading up to the event, volunteers put in countless hours working on used and donated bikes and ensuring all are safe and road-worthy. Through word-of-mouth, social media and community partnerships, families learned of the local holiday event.

Girardi found out about the event through Facebook but managed to keep it a secret from her daughters until the day of. “I really wanted it to be a surprise,” she says.

Brighton’s big sisters Christabella, 12 and Jazzlyn, 10, also got their first picks. Says Christabella, “We can’t wait till it’s not cold anymore so we can ride our bikes to school.”

Over 30 bikes were up for grabs for the almost 20 kids that were in attendance. Everyone went home with bikes and big smiles.

VENTURA BIKE HUB 490 N. Ventura Avenue
(805) 641-2665. For more information, go to bikeventura.org.

Photos by Bernie Goldstein

Standing Caps staff Jamie Cawelti, Jorge Godinez, Elizabeth Rodeno, Patrick Davidson, Evan Carpenter, Gary Roll and Alex Uvari. Seated Cliff Rodrigues, Donald McConnell, Manny Reynoso and Phil Taggart.

Best wishes for a Joyous Holiday Season and Festive New Year from your CAPS crew. 2019 has been a terrific year at CAPS and we look forward to more great work in 2020.

On Monday, December 9, CAPS Media met with the Ventura City Council to discuss a new contract for 2020 and the future. We thank the Council Members for the thoroughness of their deliberation in reviewing our request. The resolution was to give CAPS a one-month extension, until the end of January, 2020.

Everyone at CAPS greatly appreciates the overwhelming outpouring of support by Friends of CAPS who sent letters, emails and made calls to council members and city staff expressing your support for CAPS and the services we provide to the community. Your support provided the council with a much better appreciation for CAPS’ value and was instrumental in helping us continue.

However, we are asking that the letter writing, emailing and calling continue – keep up the campaign and share our story with others. Also we are adding a companion video and audio component to our efforts.

We offer Friends of CAPS an opportunity to speak directly to City Council Members and staff – on television, radio and through social media, expressing their support of CAPS.

Community supporters can record a message on their smart phone or computer and email it to CAPS at [email protected]. We will air the messages on channel 6, CAPS Radio KPPQ 104.1fm and post them on social media.   For those who prefer to record their message at CAPS, we are scheduling production time in the CAPS studio for our friends to come and record a short message. To schedule a time in the studio send an email to [email protected] and we will contact you to schedule a convenient time.

Last week the CAPS crew had the opportunity to record the last in a series of meetings held by the Senior Strategic Ad-Hoc Committee. The Senior Strategic Plan – Community Vision meeting was held at Avenue Adult Senior Center. With a standing room only crowd, the community shared their ideas and concerns about how to enhance senior recreation services to the consultant hired to explore the programing and gather information to assess the needs of the community. Topics included what types of recreation are available, does the city need another senior center and how to promote and provide information on programs available to the community. With this information collected, a draft of the Strategic plan will be presented to city council in January.

All of us at CAPS look forward to continue to collaborate with our members to create engaging and informative programs for Ventura. Again, best wishes this holiday season from your friends at CAPS Media.

GCTD Board Chair City Council member Cheryl Heitmann cuts the ribbon to officially launch “Elf on the GO” for the 2019 Holiday season.

Ride Gold Coast Transit District’s decorated holiday bus until January 4.

Gold Coast Transit District (GCTD), with support from Montecito Bank and Trust and Rubberneck Signs, is excited to announce the fourth annual appearance of its popular “Elf on the GO” holiday bus.

This year’s “Elf on the GO” holiday bus design is especially timely given the recent snow we are enjoying in the nearby mountains. The snowy “Elf on the GO” village is bustling with activity as jolly elves are happily building toys, wrapping presents and playing in the snow. Onlookers are sure to smile as they see the elves peering out the bus windows as they await the next stop to exit. On board, passengers are embraced with festive decorations and holiday music for a truly memorable experience.

GCTD’s 40-foot holiday bus will appear throughout GCTD’s service area. Passengers are encouraged to take pictures, tag #ElfontheGO and post to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for a chance to win goodies and prizes.

“We are thrilled to once again do our part to spread holiday cheer throughout the communities we serve”, said GCTD General Manager, Steven P. Brown. “It’s something we look forward to each year as it brings joy to the passengers who board and smiles to passersby.”

Sightings of the “Elf on the GO” bus can be tracked by searching #ElfontheGO on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram or by visiting www.GoldCoastTransit.org.

Emma Steiner, 14, as Clara is menaced by Rat Queen Alyssia Troutman, 16 during a rehearsal.

Nearly 400 students from local elementary schools will get a lesson in music, dance and history all rolled into one when they attend a special performance of “The Nutcracker” by Ventura County Ballet on Friday, December 13, at Ventura College Performing Arts Center at 9:30 AM.

The interactive program features the full first act of the beloved holiday tradition, “The Nutcracker,” danced by more than 80 students of Ballet Academy Ventura, the official school of the Ventura County Ballet. The dancers, ranging in age from 6-16, will be accompanied by the Ventura College Symphony Orchestra, giving the young audience a chance to hear a live orchestra as well as see the dancers up close and personal. The sets and backdrops were hand-painted in Russia and are being used for the first time this year by Ventura County Ballet.

Brett Weidlich, globally-renown dancer and choreographer and current faculty member at Ballet Academy Ventura, will emcee the program, which includes opportunities for students to come on stage and even try out some ballet steps. Teachers from participating schools will receive study manuals in advance to round out the experience, which meets California curriculum standards.

Kathleen Noblin, Ventura Country Ballet Executive Director, explains, “It’s our mission to bring world-class ballet to the community and to bring the joy of dance to children who might otherwise not have the opportunity to experience it. We also hope to ignite a love of dance in young people that may one day serve as a springboard to a university dance program or dance company.”

Ventura County Ballet is presenting its 21^st annual Nutcracker this year. Performances are on December 7 and 8 at 2:00 PM at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center and at Ventura College on December 13 at 7:00 PM, December 14 at 2 and 7:00 PM and December 15 at 2:00 PM. The Ventura College Symphony Orchestra accompanies all performances.

The Ventura County Ballet is a non-profit organization bringing world class, professional dance performances to our community. We provide top quality instruction to hundreds of young people as a springboard to universities and dance companies. Through scholarships and outreach, they bring the joy of dance to underserved children throughout our area. https://www.venturacountyballet.com/