Dr. Roger Rice, Superintendent of the Ventura Unified School District (VUSD) has been awarded the 2022 Superintendent of the Year Award by Region 13 of the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA).

In addition, Dr. Soledad Molinar, VUSD’s Director of Multilingual & Multicultural Education is being honored with the 2022 Valuing Diversity Award and Dr. Lorelle Dawes, Principal of Cabrillo Middle School is being awarded the 2022 Middle Grades Principal of the Year both by ACSA’s Region 13. Last but certainly not least, VUSD’s Director of Risk Management, Mr. Eric Reynolds is being recognized by ACSA’s North Ventura Charter as the Charter’s 2022 Central Office Administrator of the Year. 

Superintendent Rice, is being honored for his unwavering passion and dedication to ensuring that all students receive the very best education and graduate college and career ready. Dr. Rice models a personal code of ethics in everything he says and does; he is known across the state for his integrity and for making difficult decisions for the benefit of students. He is known throughout the county for challenging assumptions and helping change paradigms. He holds himself and those around him to high expectations in support of a vision focused on student success and wellbeing.

Dr. Soledad Molinar, is being recognized for her tireless efforts in ensuring that students with the greatest needs receive the most services and that schools are places where students feel safe, valued, and nurtured to thrive. Dr. Molinar is an exemplary educator who has tremendous integrity. Her deep dedication to all stakeholders is evident in her positive communications and interactions. 

Dr. Lorelle Dawes is being recognized for leading her school community through a lens of equity and nurturing her middle school students emotionally, socially, and academically. She is a champion of restorative practices and promotes family-school partnerships that aim to increase the voices of historically underserved families. Dr. Dawes is an exceptional school site leader who brings innovative ideas and programs to her site and our District. 

Mr. Eric Reynolds has been an exemplary leader since he started in VUSD in 2007. He has always been proactive about providing safe and healthy learning environments for our students and staff as well as overseeing everything relating to insurance, accidents, and other aspects of Risk Management. Since the pandemic started, he has been responsible for coordinating with public health, communicating with sites and every employee who showed symptoms of COVID-19, and being at the forefront of leadership through the pandemic. 

“The VUSD team has worked harder than ever since the pandemic began. We want to congratulate our colleagues on their well-deserved recognition. We could not think of a more appropriate way to honor the dedication they put into their work every single day,” stated Communications Director, Marieanne Quiroz.

ACSA Region 13 includes Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties. Dr. Molinar, Dr. Dawes and Dr. Rice will receive their awards at an event to be held in Solvang in May and all three are now in the running to receive the award at the state level.

The Ventura Unified School District (VUSD) Board of Education, in their January 25 regularly scheduled Board meeting, voted to hire Ms. Gina Wolowicz as the new Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources. Ms. Wolowicz will be replacing Mr. Brett Taylor, who recently resigned from his position to move to educational site-based leadership.   

Ms. Wolowicz brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise that will serve her well in this position. She has worked in the field of education for more than 20 years, most recently as the Director of Curriculum & Instruction for TK-5. She began her career at VUSD in 1997. She has held several key positions in the District, including interim Co-Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services, Principal at Juanamaria Elementary, Assistant Principal at DATA Middle School, and as a bilingual teacher. 

The Museum of Ventura County announces the return of the Bonita C. McFarland Visual Arts Scholarship. Named after a generous benefactor to the arts in Ventura County, the total amount awarded will be $17,500, with individual awards of $500 or more dependent on need and number of scholarships awarded. Awards will be based on artistic merit and commitment as demonstrated by the requirements.

The scholarship is available to any high school senior or college level student of the visual arts, who is also a Ventura County resident. Applicants must complete the application online, along with a 400-word essay about their art and education/career goals, letter of recommendation from a teacher or instructor, 10 images of artwork and/or projects (8MB maximum size per image) by the February 28, 2022 deadline.

Applications are open online at venturamuseum.org/bonita-c-mcfarland.

Housing Trust Fund Ventura County (Housing Trust Fund VC) will host their 2022 Compassion Campaign on May 12, 2022, from 5PM-9PM, in-person at Maravilla Gardens in Camarillo. Sponsored in part by City National Bank, this unique evening invites guests into an immersive experience highlighting that all lives are connected through one common need – safe and secure housing. For tickets and sponsorship opportunities, please visit:
www.housingtrustfundvc.org/compassioncampaign2022.

Housing Trust Fund VC’s Compassion Campaign invites guests on an unforgettable and deeply moving immersive journey, amplifying its message that, “Everyone deserves a home.” Inspired by immersive experiences offered by the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles and the Titanic Artifact Exhibition in Las Vegas, Compassion Campaign guests will assume the role of individual characters as they are immersed within connected lives on a journey through housing insecurity. From the opening reception through dinner and during the insightful program, participants will meet and become — Jeff and his family, struggling college student and barista Javier, high school teacher Ms. Jasmine and her students Daniella and Cassie, foster youth Carla, veteran Ted, recently widowed Rosa, and cognitively impaired Jason.

“We’re pleased to be gathering once again, safely outdoors and in person for our annual fundraiser,” stated Housing Trust Fund VC CEO, Linda Braunschweiger. “This new, one-of-a-kind immersive experience centered on housing equity will be both engaging and memorable as we illustrate how it truly feels to experience housing insecurity, and how the need for affordable housing touches our daily lives, sometimes when and where we least expect it.”

Housing Trust Fund VC’s annual Compassion Campaign draws a diverse crowd of decision makers, community leaders, change makers and advocates for housing, mental health, homelessness, farm workers, foster youth, the disabled community, seniors, and more. This year’s unique immersive experience is certain to sell-out and sponsorship provides businesses and companies an opportunity to be seen as active leaders in strengthening our community, by positively impacting lives through supporting the development of safe and equitable homes in Ventura County. Sponsors like City National Bank, and CIT Bank, play an integral role in supporting our community promise of funding affordable housing solutions. For more information on how to become a Compassion Campaign sponsor visit, www.housingtrustfundvc.org/compassioncampaign2022.

Launched as a 501c3 nonprofit corporation in 2011, Housing Trust Fund VC is the local trusted leader in helping to increase affordable housing options throughout Ventura County by leveraging public-private partnerships to provide low-cost, flexible loans early in the housing development cycle. As of November 2021, Housing Trust Fund VC has invested over $18.7 million through its revolving loan fund, creating 847 affordable apartments and homes for verylow, low- and middle-income employees, transitional age foster youth, veterans, farm workers, and the homeless.

by Mike Johnson, Ventura City Council District 3 

Every year, cities and counties across the US count their unsheltered residents and report the data to the federal government. The snapshot census results help determine crucial state and federal funding for local programs. The next count is coming up, and the County’s Continuum of Care needs volunteers.

The count will take place Wednesday, February 23, from 6am to noon. Volunteers will serve at least one two-hour shift.

Volunteers will be trained in mid-February. They’ll be partnered up and assigned a specific area to canvass, using a cell phone or tablet to collect survey data. Volunteers need to be 18, and able to walk for a couple hours. Learn more or sign up at http://MikeForVentura.com.

Some of the most valuable data is about the subpopulations, grouped by age, race, ethnicity, or gender. If comfortable, canvassers also ask survey questions to learn more about the person they’re interviewing, and the problems they face. 

For example, the community-minded volunteers in 2020 were able to conduct 269 surveys in Ventura. 38 respondents were current or former foster youth; 59 had pets; 29 were fleeing violence or sexual assault. 10 were retired; 54 had been homeless for less than a year; 20 had lost their home to a wildfire or natural disaster. 86 had been in custody during the past twelve months. 19 were veterans.

Knowing this data also helps the city and county better understand the problems we’re working to solve. Comparing data across the county allows the county to shift resources to be most effective. Tracking the data year after year lets us see trends, so we can work proactively. This data also helps us access federal and state grant funding to address homelessness.

In 2020, Ventura’s homeless population – sheltered, unsheltered, or in transitional housing – was 531. We all know the real number is higher – it’s not easy finding every unsheltered person in the city on one winter morning. But by performing the count year after year, we see the trends.

Our highest count was 701, in 2012. Then it dropped steadily until 2016, when we hit 300, our lowest recorded number. As everybody knows, homelessness has grown since then, and not just here. The increases since 2016 in both Ventura and Ventura County follow pretty closely the percentage increases across Los Angeles County.

The city has partnered with the county to address homelessness, because regional problems require regional solutions. The recently completed ARCH shelter is funded 50-50 by the city and the county. So are two social workers who perform street outreach within the city and connect people experiencing homelessness to local resources for housing and shelter. Our partnership with the County’s Continuum of Care has been invaluable.

We have to do more, in Ventura, in the County, in the state. The housing market is in crisis after decades of building very little new housing to accommodate population growth. The best predictor of homelessness in a city our size is median rent, and rent’s ridiculously high in Ventura. The ranks of unsheltered residents are swelling with people who’ve never experienced homelessness before.

Every unhoused person’s path is unique, but illness, disability, substance abuse, trauma and poverty can all push a person into homelessness. Once someone is unsheltered, those problems can get worse. Some people aren’t sick, traumatized, or abusing drugs until after they’ve had to live unsheltered.

In Ventura, with public and non-profit services, we have programs for those who have turned down shelter and services before. We have programs for those who are looking for a dry bed on a rainy night, or a bed of their own. We have programs to help veterans, families, women fleeing abuse, pet owners. We have programs to help people who are on the cusp of losing their home. Call 2-1-1 to connect to services.

We are also committed to adding new housing, both affordable and market rate, to help get California back on track. It will take governments and nonprofits and churches and civic-minded folks working together to find solutions to the many problems that contribute to homelessness. We need your help.

The Ventura Port District has received the District Transparency Certificate of Excellence by the Special District Leadership Foundation (SDLF) in recognition of its outstanding efforts to promote transparency and good governance. Ventura Port District oversees management of both the Ventura Harbor and the Ventura Harbor Village. It joins the ranks of 15 other Special Districts in California that have earned the Certificate of Excellence in the past year.  

“This award is a testament to the Ventura Port District’s commitment to open government,” said, Brian Pendleton, General Manager. “Our staff is to be commended for their contributions that empower the public with information and facilitate engagement and oversight.” 

To receive the award, the Ventura Port District demonstrated the completion of essential governance transparency requirements, including conducting ethics training for all board members, properly conducting open and public meetings, and filing financial transactions and compensation reports to the State Controller in a timely manner. 

SDLF is an independent, non-profit organization formed to promote good governance and best practices among California’s Special Districts through certification, accreditation, and other recognition programs. 

Special Districts are independent public agencies that deliver core local services to communities, such as water, wastewater treatment, fire protection, parks and recreation, healthcare, sanitation, mosquito abatement, ports, libraries, public cemeteries and more.  Districts are established by voters and their funding is approved by voters to meet specific needs through focused service.  They can be specially molded to serve large regions or small neighborhoods depending on the need. 

For information on Harbor amenities, Port District meetings, and happenings visit VenturaHarbor.com.