Sheldon:

Like myself, so many people will miss your opinion section in the Breeze, even when you’re not correct, your readers adore you. I hope this monumental change doesn’t cause readership to diminish, like it did when the Reporter sold years ago. Did you sell the Breeze?

Laural Starr

Laural: “When you’re not correct”- When is that? I’m still publisher-editor not going away. So won’t lose readers I’m sure. Actually, might gain a few Trump fans.

Sheldon:

I am going to miss your opinions.

I agree that the Constitution needs major revisions that can be done through Articles and Amendments. In the Article V, of the Constitution, The Congress, whenever two thirds of both Houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose Amendments to this Constitution, or, on the Application of the Legislatures of two thirds of the several States, shall call a Convention for proposing Amendments, which, in either Case,shall be valid to all Intents and Purposes, as Part of this Constitution, when ratified by the Legislatures of three fourth of the several States, or by Conventions in three fourths thereof, as the one or the other Mode of Ratification may be proposed by the Congress; Provided that no Amendment which may be made prior the the Year One thousand eight hundred and eight shall in any Manner affect the first and fourth Clauses in the Ninth Section of the first Article; and that no Sate, with its Consent, shall be deprived of its equal suffrage in the Senate.

For example, the Constitution of the State of California was recently changed to clarify the allowance of abortions.

Diane Garber Ventura

Diane: Thanks for the explanation. Keep sending in your opinions and we won’t need mine.

Ventura Breeze

I will not be supporting Mr. Trump in the Republican primary season. I think we’ll have better choices.

Mike Spence

Sheldon:

In the last issue you stated “Regarding my decision to stop writing my column 87.3% of readers are very upset and 20.2% are very happy. You may be a good writer but a bad mathematician that is 107.5% which is impossible.

Clair Moore Ventura

Clair: I disagree. In high school the top grade is a 4 so a 4 is 100%. But some kids obtain a 4.5 grade which is 1.125%. When I played high school sports the coach said to give 110%. When you but a dozen doughnuts 12 is 100% but they give you 13 which is 1.08%, so I’m correct.

Sincerity is everything. If you can fake that, you’ve got it made.
~ George Burns

Sheldon

Thank you for all you have done.  We gained a number of new members thanks to the info in The Breeze.  I love the Breeze and I think you do a bang up job.

Lauraine Effress BCNN

Breeze:

Several years ago, I met Sheldon Brown and was invited to write for the Ventura Breeze. It’s been a wonderful experience to be a part of our hometown paper. Now, I have finally published my first book Off the Chart: A Nurse’s Journey of Heart and Humor. It’s a memoir of my nursing career here in Ventura; but along with my own stories, I share the stories of some very remarkable co-workers and patients that I’ve met along the way. In fact, it was their stories that drove me to write this book. In the world of nursing, they say if it wasn’t charted (documented) it wasn’t done. These are the stories behind the scenes in healthcare; the ones you’ll never read in a nurse’s notes. The book is not intended to be limited to the medical community; there’s information that should interest everyone from eighteen to eighty-eight! And of course, you can’t write a book about healthcare during a pandemic and not talk about that too.

Available at barnesandnoble.com and amazon.com

I’ve also created a website/blog for nurses to share their off-the-chart stories at nursingoffthechart.com

I’ve done 99 articles for the Ventura Breeze, and (if he’ll still have me), I plan to make number 100 something super special!

Jennifer Tipton

Hi Sheldon

I had a brother who was a quadriplegic in the 80’s and we worked hard developing handicap parking in California along with several paralyzed associations. It was always designed to help people who couldn’t walk. Today, it seems every Dr is willing to issue these plaques if someone has a pimple on their butt. I’m sick of these so called handicap people parking in spaces where real disabled people who can’t walk have their space stolen by one of these “entitled” people park.

Today topped it all. I saw a Harley (2 wheeled) parked in a handicap zone at a restaurant where there was plenty of spots available right next to the spot. I would love to know what others feel about this situation as it has to stop.

Leon Rousso

William Greenberg
What is so funny about triangle shaped bike wheels?
Larry Chiro

Larry:
You will need to Google Pythagoras to figure it out so I won’t tell you.
William

Those who are too smart to engage in politics are punished by being governed by those who are dumber.
~ Plato, ancient Greek Philosopher

Hi Sheldon,

Just a quick note to tell you how much I have enjoyed reading the Breeze during the year and a half since I moved to Ventura.

I never miss scanning the Opinion/Editorial section as I always find it informative, and appreciate your often pithy humor.

Keep up the good work, and don’t let any bad tempered readers get you down!

Sincerely,
Fereva May Lawrence
(Former Editor of the Outlook newspaper in La Canada Flintridge)

To Patricia at the Ventura Breeze

(From Sherry): I wanted to express our appreciation for your helpfulness on Saturday, September 3rd, at the 2022 Aloha Beach Festival. My husband Don, was having trouble getting up and so you and another lady as well as some volunteers helped him out. Also you provided him with bottled water, which was very much appreciated on such a hot morning. I’m not sure of the name of the lady who was with you, also from The Breeze, who was very helpful, too. 

(From both of us): We’ve lived in Ventura for decades and before that we were regular visitors here. We’ve always found it to be the friendliest town out of the various places that we’ve lived. We also wanted to express our condolences to you and your colleagues in regards to the recent passing of your Breeze staff member Breezy Gledhill. It seems that this has been a year  of losses of people who we have heard about like Breezy or others who we knew somewhat like Suz Montgomery. We also lost someone who we knew who was the leader of  the Santa Monica Astronomy Club who recently died of complications from cancer. Your cousin, William Schallert, and his grand nephew sometimes liked to attend the meetings there. We belonged to the Club a long time ago but still keep track of their activities through Zoom.

Again, thanks for your help,

Sincerely,
Donald A. and Sherry L. Berry

Patricia- Thank you for your kind words. The other Breeze staff member was Yana Khiyod.

Breeze:

I am much in favor of education, but in the face of falling enrollment and already high housing prices, it seems wrong to me to be asking the public to support this bond measure which is not an insignificant amount and will add to inflation and increased housing costs when we already have a housing affordability and supply issue. The school district holds so much land, much of which is not in use, and could be sold to finance needed building upgrades. (Do we really need air conditioning in our moderate climate, with school out during summer? I don’t have AC at our home and do ok with just fans)

I am open to other views, but with nearly ½ of our population being renters who unrealistically may expect owners to bear this cost without passing it on, I think renters and policy makers need to consider the ramifications

Now if it were a bond issue to support new housing on school land for teachers or staff , that would be another matter

Mike Merewether

Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.
~ John Lennon

Letter to the Editor

The United Water Conservation District plays an important role in managing sustainable water supplies in Ventura County. Mohammed Hasan serves on the Board of Directors for District 3 representing the Ventura area and is on the ballot for re-election in November. He has been an effective voice on United’s board.

I have known Mohammed for more than 30 years and am well aware of his experience as a civil engineer and water system manager. He has designed water system improvements throughout the County and has been applying his considerable knowledge and experience to United. Besides engineering, his generous public service extends to social, environmental, and educational causes.

His engineering voice on the United board provides an important perspective for their planning and deliberations. Voters in Ventura have the opportunity to re-elect Mohammed Hasan to the United board in November, and should do so.

Phil White
105 Layton St
Ojai
805-804-7625

Dear Ventura,

All is not well in VUSD. Ventura Unified faces a swath of teachers and staff angry at an unfair and dishonorable contract offer.

Responding to students’ needs, teachers and school staff have thrown themselves into the social and emotional well-being of Ventura’s young. They have been mentor and counselor to students, an open ear and heart in the face of fire, pandemic, economic inflation, increasing anxiety, social instability and academic recovery. They have worked overtime, online, in person, facing the perils of infection, the fragility of vulnerable students, and the discontent of society at large. The district has failed to treat teachers and school staff with the level of care that teachers and staff have shown students.

Do not believe VUSD’s Facebook posts, intended to paint a picture that all is well. Had the district turned the camera on August 23rd, their post lauding VUSD’s “Celebrate” rally would have painted a different picture: teachers and school staff, dressed in red, carrying signs and banners, chanting and proclaiming their outrage and disappointment at the district’s failure to honor, appreciate, and respect their work.

Speaker and student, Gino Caceres, understood the situation better than the district, ending his story of resilience by thanking teachers and staff for “taking care of us.” His success was their success. The value and the worth of teachers and school staff continue to fall on deaf ears as the district refuses to expedite negotiations for an expired contract.

Teachers and staff of VUSD ask parents and the community to stand up for their kids by standing by their teachers and school staff. Teachers and staff cannot continue to care for the academic, emotional and social needs of students while facing financial insecurity and emotional distress in their own lives.

Sébastien P. DeClerck
Vice President, Ventura Unified Education Association
Teacher, Pacific High School, Ventura

Editor note: We asked the VUSD to respond to this but they didn’t.

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.
~ Martin Luther King

Mr. Brown,

I was cleaning out my emails and, oh my, I never saw this. My sincere condolences. Breezy was so sweet and helpful to me whenever we interacted. This makes me so sad. Thank you for sharing with me Mr. Brown.

Please take care.

Michelle Michel

Dear Sheldon:

Sending well wishes and peaceful thoughts to you and the Breeze family. Breezy was wonderful.

Lysa Urban

Sheldon:

Thanks for your sponsorship of the 2022 Music Under The Stars Concert Series. The ads helped us sell out the 8 concerts in record time. Thank you for everything.

Kathryn Dippong Lawson- Public Art, Cultural Education & Historic Site Supervisor

Sheldon

Right on about Liz Cheney. Smart, honest and responsible. Exactly what we need in American politics. As for Lindsey Graham and Matt Gaetz, we need them out of office and out of sight.

r.a.lombardi

Our Wooden Pier
The pier is steady below,
For it lifts the high tide.
A pounding of coastal waters,
Against the growl of the sea.

A riptide is stirring below,
While a wooden pier takes on water.
for it holds onto the seashore,
And stables our wooden ship.

All hands-on deck,
“it’s a tempest through.”

by Jeffrey Russell

Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.
~ Marie Curie

Dear Editor:

I was delighted to read the Breeze’s excellent front page coverage of the USL League two final which unfolded with great excitement following a thrilling come from behind victory by our local soccer heroes,  Ventura County Fusion. 

I was there and it was a thriller– and a wonderful boost for local soccer. Well done Fusion.

  As a longtime player, and sport reporter, who has covered several World Cups for CBS radio I however, would like to slightly nitpick over just one line in an otherwise perfect report.  The unnamed reporter writes: “Marley Edwards doubled the Fusion lead in the 83rd minute.” 

Those of us who seek perfection in soccer reportage, would realize that the Fusion wasn’t actually “leading” at that moment: They were tied 1-1.  So, when Marley scored the crucial winning goal–he didn’t actually “double their lead”—because, well: The Fusion only led when his rocket shop bulged in the back of the net!  The goal that gave them the trophy. 

   Otherwise Ventura Breeze, thanks for such great coverage.

  Ivor Davis, Soccer nitpicker in chief

Ivor: Picky, picky. By the way the Fusion wrote this so blame them. The only time I ever saw a soccer match was in the 1984 Olympics in LA. Maybe I’ll go again in a few years when the Olympics return.

Sheldon

Ursula Britton

Imagine my surprise when a notice appeared in my mailbox informing me of a proposed 350-unit apartment complex, 5-6 stories in height, right across the street in my midtown Ventura neighborhood! Known right now as Maple Court Mixed Use (PROJ-22-0121), it is located on Maple Street just east of Mills Road, a site currently consisting of 4 office buildings.

It is insane to even think of such a large project for this neighborhood. The only site access is from Maple Street, which is a busy feeder street during commute hours. The increased traffic from 350 units would have to spill over onto Mills Road, already a congested nightmare, and where emergency vehicles have difficulty navigating a path to the hospitals.

This project will do nothing to address the housing affordability crisis, as 90% of the units will be market-rate, meaning they are unaffordable to all but the affluent.

And where does the water come from?? Aren’t we in a severe drought?

The project has zero aesthetic value. It looks cheap and generic, no style whatsoever. Nothing about it evokes Ventura. It could be anywhere. It is too tall and too massive for the neighborhood; it looms menacingly over Maple Street and the backyards of Wesley Avenue. It is a bully.

The Los Angeles developer, Skya Ventures, has a track record so far of 1) inflicting a 92-unit 7-story apartment building on a residential side street in East Hollywood; and 2) renovating a 60-unit lower income apartment building in Highland Park and then evicting 57 of the 60 tenants.

We don’t need any more of this garbage-type development in Ventura. If you agree, let the City Council know your concerns ([email protected]), and remember you can vote them out in Districts 1, 4, 5, 6 this November.

Editor note: See page X for a rendering of this project

The power of man’s virtue should not be measured by his special efforts, but by his ordinary doings.
~ Blaise Pascal

Towards Inclusion of People with Challenges
by Carol Leish, MA

Even though the Americans with Disability Act of 1990 made many changes for the better for people with disabilities by prohibiting discrimination of people with challenges from public accommodations, transportation, and employment, it is impossible to legislate changes of peoples’ attitudes. General attitudes of excluding those with challenges from various activities and places occurs due to fear and lack of awareness of the various types of disabilities.

Lack of awareness of various types of challenges also causes people to avoid what they don’t know. And, sometimes people are not open to change and learning new things, or accepting different types of people, including people with challenges in their faith-based communities.

It is sad for people with disabilities to be excluded from faith-based community congregations. Anxiety of involving those with learning, physical, or emotional challenges is due to a lack of awareness and understanding of these different types of challenges. It is also due to people without limitations not realizing that people with limitations have capabilities, passions and desires too.

I agree that, “Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference,” as Winston Churchill said. I also believe that it is easier than we think it is to change our attitudes in order to become more inclusive of others, especially in our faith-based communities.

Dear Neighbors and Eco-Friends:

We just received this spectacular notice that the State of California has awarded the Ventura Land Trust $7.2 million to buy 1645 acres of land behind Ventura, from Two Trees west to the Botanical Garden. This adds to the 2100 acres of land conserved in the nearby Harmon Canyon Preserve, also acquired by the Ventura Land Trust.

This has echoes for me and many others of our involvement in local organizations and writing about and arguing for saving this land and trying to get funding for such preservation dating back many years. (That’s a story in itself.) So, a big congratulations to the Ventura Land Trust for pulling it off.

On a personal note, the name Mariano Rancho Preserve likely reflects the use of this land for many years by sheep ranchers in Hall Canyon, mainly by Mariano Erburu, whose residence we bought years ago and historically designated the Mariano Erburu House.

Bob and Paula Chianese

Sheldon,
I am so glad you mentioned taking care of pets in automobiles (Petpage). People sometimes

need to be reminded. Also, good job about plants that are poisonous.

Take Care!
Valerie Bereman SPAN

Editor:

Your last issue had a joke? By Greenberg that I don’t get showing clowns throwing 3.146. Could you explain?

Larry Stern

Larry: Sometimes William gets a little too esoteric. This number represents the math equation PI.

PI is a mathematical constant that is the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter, approximately equal to 3.14159 (it used to be thought to be 3.146). The number (shown as π ) appears in many formulas across mathematics and physics. Swiss researchers at the University of Applied Sciences Graubünden claimed a new world record for calculating the number of digits of PI – a staggering 62.8 trillion figures. Get it, clowns throwing PI?

Opinions:

In response to the letter from J. Grimont about water use at the Olivas Adobe over July 2-4th, I have a different view.  I am a docent at the Adobe, and on Sunday, July 3rd, I was leading visitors on tours through the house and grounds. Nowhere on the rounds did I encounter any sprinkler on or any damp ground or standing water. Again on July 6th, I was at the Adobe for a general membership meeting. Docents were out on the grounds, but noone noticed wet areas that would have been present if the sprinklers had been running for 48 hours. Another docent was working in the herb garden on Thursday, July 7th, and she said the ground was not saturated with water. As J. Grimont mentioned in the letter to the mailbox, the City Parks Department uses only reclaimed water for its parks. 

Since the purpose of the letter was to criticize the City of wasteful use of water, I am confused about how using reclaimed water would be wasteful.  I would consider it recycling, just as I collect water in my shower as it gets hot, so I can use it for my plants.

Patricia McNeese

OOOPS: In our last issue the name of Vita in the article disappeared. Sorry Vita here it is again:
The winners of the Ventura County Fair poster contest were unveiled by James Lockwood at a presentation at the fairgrounds. First place went to 12-year-old Vita Jolie Vasquez from Fillmore.

I asked my son if he understood the meaning of the word “obey.”
He said “Yeah, it’s a place to go shopping on the internet.”
~ Jay Trachman

Breeze

Dogs are not allowed on most beaches in the city of Ventura, yet every day there are dozens of dogs running loose with no consequences. Even on the few small sections of city owned beach where dogs are allowed, dogs must be on a leash at all times. I’ve contacted State Beach officials and Animal Control and they refuse to take any action in enforcing these laws.  Sometimes lifeguards try to enforce the law, but then get verbally abused by the law breakers.  How bad does this problem have to get before anyone does something about this?  Maybe after a big dog attacks and kills another small dog, or maims a young child?

People are coming from all parts of Ventura and beyond to let their dogs run wild on the beach. And with basically unlimited and unregulated vacation rentals all over Pierpont and the rest of Ventura, we have multitudes of out-of-town tourists also bringing their dogs to the beaches.

This is not just a weekend occurrence, it’s seven days a week, from dawn to sunset. There are no more shore birds from Marina Park to the State Beach, the dogs have chased them all away.  I urge you to take a trip to the Pierpont beaches and see what’s happening for yourself.

It would be great to see signs put up on all the beaches with the rules and fines clearly stated for all to see.  Lifeguards can put them up along the shore in the mornings, and permanent signs can be posted at the end of San Pedro, Seaward, New Bedford, Martha’s Vineyard, and Greenock Lanes.  Give people a week to comply, and then start writing tickets and/or impounding animals.

Marc Hoopingarner

Hello Sheldon and Team,

I am reaching out in response to your request in the Opinion/Editorial page in the June 15 to June 28, 2022 issue of the Ventura Breeze for an answer from the Bible regarding its viewpoint on Abortion and Birth control. Please refer to the two attached links where these topics and the Bible principles involved are discussed in detail.

Personally, I love the scripture at Psalms 139:13-16 in which David describes in poetic and beautiful terms how wondrous it was that he was seen by his Creator, when as an embryo in his mothers womb. He had all his parts were down in writing (DNA)! That genetic code is transferred from the parents at conception and thus a new life begins to form. Thank you for the opportunity to share!

Warmest Regards, Mrs. Kristina Kline

https://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/questions/abortion-in-the-bible/

https://www.jw.org/finder?srcid=jwlshare&wtlocale=E&prefer=lang&docid=101993123&par=0

To [email protected]

In regards to the following comment I read in the July 13-July 26, 2022 edition of Ventura Breeze, “Pro Life isn’t even Pro Birth at the root, it’s Anti Sex…”, I would agree that loosely held morals is the root cause or the “Elephant in the Room” that very few people want to address. I also believe that careless, or casual sex outside of the sanctuary of ordained marriage has resulted in the millions of abortions that have been executed in our country.

Peggy Sorkoram

Dear Editor,

I am writing to implore the Ventura City Council not to approve a marijuana store near Ventura High School.

I advise the Ventura City Council not to approve any marijuana stores anywhere in the city, but especially not near a school, bus depot, or other sensitive locations that are used by the sober public.

Again, I strongly caution against all members of the Ventura City Council from approving any marijuana store, anywhere in the city. But approving a marijuana store that is so close to Ventura High….well, it would be a shameful legacy that all members of the Council would have to live with for the rest of their lives.

Respectfully,
Nik Schiffmann

Conscience doesn’t stop you from doing what you shouldn’t,
it just stops you from enjoying it.
~ Cleveland Amory

Dear Janet Friedman and Susanne David – 

I tried to figure out how to track you down so that I could formally thank you for your donation to my go fund me. I imagine you saw it in the Breeze and I just want to thank you both so much for acting on it! 

You have now become part of my healing journey and I thank you both again! Have a wonderful summer!

Much love,
Breezy Deena Gledhill 

Editor:

So, the city of Ventura is asking us to voluntarily reduce our water use by 20%? Let’s practice what we preach fellas. Olivas Adobe Park, which is run through the City Parks Dept. uses reclaimed water for irrigation, which isn’t “free”. A very high-powered sprinkler there has been on for 48 hours, nonstop July 2-4th, 2022.

J. Grimont

Dear Editor,

I was excited to see that cannabis dispensaries will soon become reality in Ventura after a long wait. There is a public hearing on the subject July 18 at City Hall. I was further excited to see that an LA based operation called The Artist Tree is contending for a license in Ventura. I have recently been researching The Artist Tree (TAT Ventura LLC) and their partners for a magazine story. They offer several things of great interest to Ventura. They have five successful dispensaries already open in the LA area and several more around California in the planning stage.

The first unique quality is that they are a functioning art gallery. Hence the name. Local artists are showing and selling their work at all their locations. They are already reaching out to the local art community here. They project $150,000 a year to local projects according to local partner Robert Mulder, longtime Ventura businessman and a former police officer. There are several projects in line to be helped like the Ventura Pier project, “Pier into The Future” and “Mission Fish.” This is what we need in Ventura, a caring, professional, community-oriented establishment.

Paul Peterson

Editor;

“Some anti-abortion organizations say they’re unprepared to provide services for those who need them as Texas braces for a surge of births following the overturning of Roe v. Wade.”

So tell me again how this is all about the “sanctity of life” and not a blatant attempt to rein in sexual freedom, and female sexual freedom in particular? Absolutely anything to force that pregnancy to full term and absolutely nothing for the kid after it’s born.

Pro Life isn’t even Pro Birth at the root, it’s Anti Sex and the baby’s nothing more than a bawling Scarlet Letter on the mother’s chest.

The naked hypocrisy is almost comical. Almost.

Alfred J. Lewis
Ventura

When you don’t know what you’re talking about,
it’s hard to know when you’re finished.
~ Tommy Smothers