Category Archives: News and Notes

Three Ventura clubs join forces to sponsor Rotary Plaza at Ventura Botanical Gardens

Over thirty conference-goers took a lunch excursion to the Ventura Botanical Gardens.

Recently the City of Ventura hosted representatives from 73 Rotary clubs in the organization’s Central California district. Ventura’s three clubs are part of Central coast.

“It was a great opportunity to showcase Ventura as a place for business and pleasure”, said Mario De La Piedra, the event organizer and Past President of Downtown Rotary.

Under sunny, clear skies, over thirty conference-goers took a lunch excursion to Ventura Botanical Gardens above City Hall. Bruce McGee, past President of Ventura East Rotary Club, arranged the trip.

“We wanted to share the unique joint investment our three Ventura clubs are making in the Gardens, a spectacular viewpoint to be called Rotary Plaza. It is situated at the heart of VBG, where the trail crosses Summit Drive. Rotary parks dot 200 towns across the U.S., but we have none in Ventura. We wanted to deliver something of lasting impact to the community and we knew this was the right project for us.”

Visitors learned about Rotary’s values, history, global and local projects, and membership information via the mobile app that VBG is installing.

Bruce added, “Rotary Plaza is our public endorsement of Ventura Botanical Gardens, a decades-long project that has the power to transform our city. This world-class destination in the making for Ventura County is expected to bring millions in new tourist revenue for hotels, restaurants, and other services. We are proud to be among their first large investors, raising $250,000 to build Rotary Plaza. We are past the halfway mark and are looking for additional Rotarians or other donors who believe in this legacy project. Groundbreaking for Rotary Plaza is anticipated next spring with completion by year end 2018.”

Ventura City Firefighters respond to jack knifed semi-truck and full size pickup truck accident

On Oct.19, at 6:57pm Ventura City Firefighters were called to the scene of a vehicle collision on the eastbound126 freeway, east of Kimball road. Upon arrival firefighters discovered a jack knifed semi-truck off the roadway, a full size pickup truck wrapped around a eucalyptus tree and a passenger sedan in the freeway median. Two adult males were trapped in the trucks, one was pronounced dead at the scene, the other had life threatening injuries. Firefighters using hydraulic extrication tools were able to free the trapped victim, who was in serious condition, from the semi-truck.

Salvation Army Kettle Kick-off Holiday Gala Dinner Buffet and Dance Dec. 9

Kettle season is just one of the many ways the Salvation Army serves the community.

The Salvation Army of Ventura County invites you to the Kettle Kick- of Holiday Gala Dinner Buffet and Dancing! Music and Dancing with the Barrelhouse Wailers at the Pierpont Inn, 550 Sanjon Rd, Ventura.

Saturday, December 9, Cocktails 5:30 – 6:30 PM. Dinner and Dancing 6:30 – 11:00 PM

Table of 8 $350.00. Table of 10 $400.00

Individuals tickets $50.00

Visit salar.my/kettlekickoff to purshase tickets online.

Kettle season will be opportunity to support The Salvation Army programs. All funds raised during the annual Red Kettle campaign helps provide food ,shelter for needy county families , restocking food pantries, and supports Salvation Army social services and youth programs throughout the year.

The goal for this kettle season is to have 25% more volunteers than last year. They encouraged groups, such as churches and civic organizations, to join in.

The Salvation Army believes that kettles located at local business will add to their customers experience by spreading holiday cheer and warm wishes to all.

The Angel Tree program is different from other holiday assistance programs because a sponsor is able to feel a special connection with his/her “adopted” child. The sponsor receives the child’s first name and a personalized needs and wish list for the child. The wish list given to the sponsor Is thoughtfully prepared by the child’s parents so the sponsor knows that he/she is buying something the child needed.

Much of the support of Angel Tree comes from local businesses and organizations that adopt multiple angels as a way to give back to people in their community.

Whether you want to adopt 5 Angels or 50, this support makes Angel Tree possible. If you are interested in adopting Angels this Christmas, check back soon and make your angel tag request before the rush!

Contact Silvia Simoes, Lieutenant Corps Officer at (310) 308-0691 or [email protected] for more information.

Ventura Unified School District high school countdown!

Enrollment at Pacific is 150-200.

by Jennifer Tipton

Pacific High School.

Originally Mar Vista, the school’s name was changed to Pacific in 1990. Located at 501 College Drive, Pacific High School offers grades 9-12 and is based on a philosophy of individual accountability and responsibility, coupled with a commitment to maintain an atmosphere where students can feel secure, accepted, and challenged. According to Principal Diedre Monarres, “we cater to the students who have not been successful in the larger, traditional academic setting.”

Enrollment at Pacific is 150-200, student population fluctuates more than at the traditional high schools because students from other high schools that are credit deficient may come to Pacific to get caught up and then return to their own school or chose to stay and graduate from Pacific.

School hours are 8:10-12:42 with a lunch break of 18 minutes.

After 12:42, students have the opportunity to attend an after school program, do credit recovery or get a job. I’m told there is no traditional homework, only credit recovery and another unique feature is onsite daycare (First Steps Center). Principal Monarres tells me, “there is a lot of flexibility and opportunity here.”

Pacific High offers students the chance to acquire “21st Century Skills” (critical thinking, collaboration, communication and creativity), all needed to be successful in a workplace or college.

The school mascot is the shark and although Pacific does not have a competitive athletics program, the students do compete in small events with other continuation high schools such as flag football and basketball with soccer on the horizon.

Pacific utilizes “PLAYA” which is project, learning and youth activities, a teaching method in which students gain knowledge and skills by working for an extended period to investigate and respond to a complex question, problem or challenge. It is believed that this exemplifies the school’s commitment to providing a different, more engaging learning curriculum.

The climate at Pacific High is designed to foster a sense of community and provide students with personal recognition and academic success in a structured yet flexible setting.

Successful alumni include Sam Cicero, a stand out graduate currently working in the music industry, playing and arranging concerts at the Ventura Theater, Jonathan Pu’u who now owns his own martial arts studio, Gillian Gilbert who went on to get her BA and Masters and is now a counselor at public schools and Dr. Trudy Arriaga who helped start the Hope Center (the school’s counseling center), bus transportation and the First Steps Center.

Principal Monarres shares, “Pacific is a gem of Ventura Unified!”

For more information visit venturausd.org/pacific.

Locals speak out on pot laws – Part 2 of 2

by Paul Peterson

Ventura citizens filled the Community Meeting Room in City Hall on September 28 to express their views on the pending cannabis regulations.

The unity in the room was palpable as numerous personal stories were presented in favor of the need for easier access to medical cannabis, delivery services, convenient storefronts and growing pot, indoors and out. Responsible suggestions and positions in favor of these issues were offered. Several seriously ill patients expressed the difficulty of traveling outside the county to get medication such as cbd honey sticks due to our local restrictions. The overall message to the council was clear, that citizens want and expect our city to respond to the will of the people. It seemed the questions waiting for the council’s answers at the October 9th meeting was not if but when and how fast to move.

“I’m glad we had the opportunity to hear from the community regarding the City’s policy on marijuana/cannabis. We will be providing the City Council their options and recommendation at the October 9th City Council meeting”, reported Jeffrey Lambert, Community Development Director.

It is expected that the recommendation will only include medical marijuana deliveries within the city and nothing for recreational access.

There is a great potential income to the city coffers, in addition to making sure citizens have safe access to what they have voted for, which includes the right to own and cultivate small amounts of marijuana. There are also jobs at stake. There have been a number of high profile conventions in the LA area catering to various elements of this budding new industry.

The Emerald Exchange, held in Thousand Oaks in August was a Renaissance Faire-like presentation of growers, collectives and new cannabis related products that have sprouted up around them. “We had over 1,000 attendees and over 50 brands represented”, reported event organizer Michael Katz (emeraldexchange.com). It was the ancillary products that carried the day. Offerings of new derivatives from the cannabis plant including extracts, such as venom shatter used as medicine, tinctures and infusion into foods were dominant. There were seminars on the use of cannabis for treatment of PTSD, seizures and chronic pain. Celebrity stoner Tommy Chong of the comedy duo Cheech & Chong was on hand to represent his latest line of pipes. But the main focus was on multi-course meals specially prepared with varying levels of cannabis infused. Other companies offered baked goods from cookies to brownies but now extending to juices, teas, coffees, soda, beer, sweet leaf concentrates, chocolates and desserts. The future of the pot industry seems to not only be healthy and smell good, but taste good too. Which is fantastic news again, perhaps eventually the rest of the world will slowly follow suit, for now the UK only has CBD legalized, Visit HerbMighty for the best CBD oils in UK if you’d like to start medicating.

Those interested in investing in this blossoming industry gathered at the MJAC Conference September 1 and 2 in downtown LA to bring cannabis product entrepreneurs together with investors. It was a Shark Tank for pot related products and services. A panel of judges awarded cash on the spot to lucky entrepreneurs. Among those were CBD pills that extract only pot’s pain relieving qualities, not the psychoactive qualities and could soon be available as a supplement over the counter. There was a stylish, odorless humidifier for home pot storage and a line of luxury aroma free purses and handbags to carry your stash to the girl’s night out. “We aren’t guilty teenagers anymore, it’s a new cannabis culture” declared the creator.

Business was also brisk at the Cannabis World Conference at the LA Convention Center September 13-15. The Reverend Al Sharpton delivered a spirited keynote address calling for legalization with diversity and fairness in the new industry. “This can’t be an industry where blacks go to jail and whites go to the bank”, he stated. Opportunity for all was the message. The presence of larger manufacturing companies bringing their expertise to the business was also apparent as the level of industry acumen rises to meet the massive pending demand. Those looking to start large or small grow farms, collectives, pot shops and related items found everything they needed to open their storefronts from products to packaging to promotion to navigating the legal hurdles. It is those legal ground rules that are the most complex, depending on where you are in the state.

That brings us back to the Ventura City Council and how they will rule and what guidelines will be set after considering their citizen’s input.

Editor: We would love to hear your thoughts on this very important issue. [email protected]

What is a VPD VIP?

Jerry Mendelson and Paul Magie will do vacation checks on your home while you’re away.

by Jerry Mendelsohn

Ventura Police Department Volunteer

What is a VIP? Well, other than a shortcut to a definition of Very Important Person, the Ventura Police Department uses the abbreviation to identify a successful program it implemented over a decade ago–Volunteers In Policing.

Who are these people, and what do they do? Having been one for almost 7 years, allow me to simply say that each person is someone who wants to “pay it forward” by giving back to the community, has some time to volunteer, and believes in the merits of law and order.

Both men and women participate. Though most are retired, their backgrounds show talents as teachers , school administrators, corporate positions, business owners, law enforcement, and so on. Stringent background checks precede an invitation to a police “aca demy, ” and, upon graduation, it is suggested that a volunteer attempt to give a minimum of 16 hours or more of service per month .

You have probably seen VIPs around town in marked white vehicles, either vans or SUVs. They are radio-e quipped so VIPs can be in touch with the police station’s “comcenter”- -dispatch–and vice versa, for assignments and anything else with which VIPs can help. VIPs typically patrol in pairs.

The primary purpose of the VIP is to be a “visible presence” in the community and to aid the regular , sworn officers as needed, primarily to relieve them of some of the duties that might occupy their time when they could be better utilized as crime fighters involved with more serious issues that , unfortunately, impact every community .

VIPs commonly do traffic control when needed. They are permitted to issue some citations for non-moving violations, such as parking illegally, etc . Indeed , Ventura had a fairly frequent problem of people parking in designated handicapped spots but with no displayed placard.

Partially through a concerted, continual effort by the VIPs, handicapped parking violations have diminished dramatically .

VIPs often will take written reports of non-injury accidents, interacting with the victims, calling for back-up of an officer if needed, and then entering said reports into the police system, typically for insurance companies. Further, VIPs will assist officers with transportation of personal property of vagrants and others who the officers may need to take to a hospital or jail.

VIPs are called to residences to, again, take written reports on home and auto burglaries. While city resident s are invited to file online reports, many do not or are uncomfortable with doing so, so VIPs assist .

As a community service, VIPs will do vacation checks on your home while you’re away, walking

your property to verify doors and windows are secure, that there appears to be no break-in attempts, and

that your property seems OK until you return. Visible signs of an owner being away, such as door-hangers and newspapers, or trash cans left out, may be picked up and/or put away as is feasible.

The VIP may patrol school zones, with a keen eye out for suspicious loiterers or people perhaps sitting in cars who don’t belong there or are acting strangely.

Other tasks also fill up VIP shifts, but I’ve tried to identify some of the more frequent ones. Should you have any questions, comments, or concerns, you may contact the Ventura Police Department Civic Engagement Specialist at 339-4317.

Impact of domestic violence on homelessness

A program serving homeless children and families in Ventura will be hosting their third annual event highlighting the connection and impact of domestic violence on homelessness.

Team Up Against Domestic Violence is being hosted by The City Center Transitional Living and will take place on Thursday, October 12 from 6 to 8pm at The River Community Church, 889 East Santa Clara St. Tickets are available at www.teamupagainstdv.eventbrite.com.

“Most people are shocked when they hear me say that more than a third of homeless children and families in Ventura are escaping domestic abuse in their homes,” says Jim Duran, The City Center Executive Director. “Domestic violence has a direct and tragic effect on the lives of vulnerable children and families in Ventura. And The City Center is on the front lines of this issue.”

Guest speakers will include domestic violence survivor Ericka King, Ventura City Council member Mike Tracy, Ventura County Assistant Sheriff William Ayub, radio celebrity Tom Spence as well as additional powerful testimonies from current residents of The City Center. Kris Simeon, Jermarie Dizon, Monse Casmiro, Unko Henry, and Charleen Morla of Dirty Rice will provide special musical performances.

The City Center helps homeless families by providing a temporary, safe place to call home. During their residency, clients find stability so they can focus on getting their life under control and obtaining the help and necessary skills they need to get back on their feet.

The City Center’s transitional housing program includes a high level of accountability with the goal of transitioning clients into long-term housing within one year. Clients contribute 30% of their income for housing and services while 20% is saved for future financial stability. Clients must also be employed or actively engaged in seeking employment. Services include comprehensive professional case management, spiritual and life mentoring, job placement services, and other critical needs.

“The board, staff and volunteers at The City Center are pleased to share the stories of hope and restoration made possible because of the courage of our residents,” says Duran.

Two talented ladies honored for their contributions to the arts

Mayor Erik Nasarenko honored two distinguished artists at the Museum

On Wednesday, Oct. 4 the 2017 ArtWalk Collectors Reception was held at the Museum of Ventura County. Ventura Mayor Erik Nasarenko honored the two “Distinguished Artists.” Honored were Artist of Distinction Maribel Hernandez and Global Artist of Distinction Shamsia Hassani.

A sampling of the juried works by 2017 ArtWalk featured artists was also on display. ArtWalk was held in Ventura on Oct.7&8.

The well attended event was hosted by the City of Ventura and the Museum of Ventura County

in the Smith Pavilion . The evening included music, hors d’oeuvres and a no-host beer and wine bar.

Maribel Hernandez is a native of Michoacan, Mexico who moved to California in 1988 at the age of 18. Her first art classes were at Ventura College where she found a love for creating wonderful art. Her working studio is located at the Bell Arts Factory located on Ventura Ave. where her diverse and colorful artwork can be seen.

Global Artist of Distinction Shamsia Hassani traveled from Kabul, Afghanistan, to take part in ArtWalk. Her murals depict the hardships of her hometown. She was born in Tehran in 1988 to Afghan parents and is a fine-art lecturer at Kabul University. Recently she completed a residence at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles where she was brought to the attention of ArtWalk.

VLT Rebranding Party

Executive Director Derek Poultney ,Ventura Mayor Erik Nasarenko and Board President Paul Meehan welcomed those attending name change.

by John Hankins- Trustee for the VLT

The Ventura Hillsides Conservancy is now called the Ventura Land Trust (VLT), a name change driven by significant opportunities for public recreation and land restoration, more members, business partners and funding.

“This is a very important evolution in our history,” said Executive Director Derek Poultney at the rebranding party Oct. 5 at Ventura City Hall. “This is a formal excuse to share with you that we have a much bigger vision and are on the cusp of something huge.”

That ‘something’ is the likelihood for permanent public access into about more than 2,000 acres of now-private lands along the rivers, hills and valleys often visible and inviting, but no trespassing is allowed.

“That is exciting,” Ventura city Mayor Eric Nasarenko said to cheers and applause. “It will bring economic vitality, open up the tourist market and showcase what makes Ventura so special.”

Poultney noted that, “for decades we’ve had to go to Ojai, Santa Monica Mountains and Santa Barbara to have the outdoor experience.” This “gift to the community” is permanent, he stressed, as even National Parks can be taken away by political action.

The Hillsides Conservancy formed in 2003 when a group of citizens rallied together to monitor housing projects encroaching on Ventura’s natural background. It became well-known for its success by attracting thousands of volunteers for education programs, hands-on restoration, and the popular Wild and Scenic Film Festival.

It already has two properties along the Ventura River, transforming the landscape to its natural state, along with habitat stewardship throughout the county. VLT is negotiating for 2,100 acres of prime open space in the hills above Ventura to provide miles of nature trails for hiking, biking, and simple enjoyment.

“The time is right to update our name and look,” Poultney said, emphasizing that Ventura has waited generations for owners willing to sell properties that are so near, yet so far away for public access.

The rebranding party attracted local politicians or their reps, businesses, volunteers and members. Most of all, credit was given to the “insane amount of work” by VLT’s staff and by its board of trustees.

To leap forward, “we need everybody’s skin in the game,” he concluded and urged the public and businesses to help support what is a “game-changer for Ventura.”

To join, volunteer or sponsor events, call the VLT at 643-8044 or visit: www.VenturaLandTrust.org