Category Archives: News and Notes

DUI Checkpoint nets 2 arrests

Ventura Police Department arrested 1 driver for 23152 (a) CVC (DUI Impaired Alcohol). A total of 1,174 vehicles passed through the checkpoint and 543 vehicles were screened. It should also be noted that 1 drug arrest for 11377 (a) HS was made, along with 1 23222 (a) CVC Possession of an Open Container of alcohol in a motor vehicle and 1 23222 (b)

(1) CVC Open Container of Marijuana.

The checkpoint was located in the 4200 block of E. Main St. between the hours of 8:30 p.m. and 1:45 a.m. In addition, 9 drivers were cited for operating a vehicle unlicensed or with a suspended/revoked license and 2 vehicles were towed.

DUI Checkpoints are placed in locations based on collision statistics and frequency of DUI arrests. Last year the Ventura Police Department investigated several DUI collisions that killed and/or injured people.

Drivers caught driving impaired and charged with DUI can expect the impact of a DUI arrest to be approximately $13,500. This includes fines, fees, DUI classes, license suspension and other expenses not to mention possible jail time.

The Ventura Police Department reminds drivers that “DUI Doesn’t Just Mean Booze.” Prescription drugs, particularly those with a driving or operating machinery warning on the label, can impair and result in a DUI. Marijuana can also be impairing, especially in combination with alcohol or other drugs.

The Ventura Police Department will be conducting another DUI/Driver’s License Checkpoint and/or DUI Saturation Patrol on an ongoing commitment to take suspected impaired drivers off our streets and highways, ultimately lowering the risk for deaths and injuries.

Funding for this checkpoint was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

County selects new public information officer

Bautista will be responsible for developing a countywide communications strategy.

The County of Ventura has selected Ashley Bautista as their new Public Information Officer following the retirement of Bill Nash. The position reports to County Executive Officer Mike Powers.

“Engaging with our communities and keeping the public well informed is essential in our service to the public,” said Powers. “We believe Ashley is the right person for the job and we are excited about the energy and capabilities she brings in helping to share information about County programs and services with our residents.”

Ashley will be responsible for reporting a broad spectrum of information about the services available to the public from over twenty-five different agencies, departments and special districts of the County. The communications work will include raising awareness of the strategic initiatives the County is working on, including the County’s efforts to remain fiscally strong and continue its support of the health, safety, natural beauty and prosperity of our communities.

Bautista spent the last five years serving as the communications manager for the City of Ventura and the Ventura Police Department where she won several state and national awards for her leadership in the communications field. Prior to the City of Ventura, Bautista worked for 5 years in the private sector as a partner in a private firm specializing in communications and public relations where she was recognized by the Pacific Coast Business Times as one of the Top 50 Women in Business.

Bautista will be responsible for developing a countywide communications strategy and managing communications with the media, the public, County employees and other agencies within the county and state. The job includes interactions with all levels of local government and the many cultures, communities and constituencies served by the County. Bautista’s bilingual skills will also add further resource to the County’s bi-lingual communications strength.

“I am thrilled for the opportunity to highlight the dynamic and vital services of the County of Ventura through my new role as the Public Information Officer,” said Ashley. “Community engagement is my passion. Keeping residents informed and engaged will be my top priority. It will be so exciting to tell the story of the people serving our County and to connect with those we serve. From the mountains to the beach this is a spectacular region. It’s an honor to represent this great place I call home. I am so grateful.”

Bautista begins her new role on January 13, 2020 at a salary of $151,097 and will work out of the County Executive Office at the Government Center in Ventura. She can be reached at (805) 654-2640 or through email at [email protected].

Ventura Unified School District embracing its families this holiday season

Bessie O’Connor (mother of Skyla shown sorting cans) also volunteered. Skyla is a 4th grader at Pierpont Elementary. Photos by Bernie Goldstein

The Cheers for Children campaign, which is entering its 67th year, is designed to help children and families of the Ventura Unified School District (VUSD). Cheers for Children began in 1952 when teachers and an administrator identified a student and his family in need of food over the holidays. Cheers for Children has grown to a community campaign to assist over 350 families over the holidays and assist with additional needs, as they are identified throughout the year.

The community was there to help with sorting and boxing the food drive items for distribution on Friday, December 20, at Balboa Middle School.

Photographer Bernie Goldstein stated “Upon entering the cafeteria at Balboa Middle School, I was impressed with the huge quantity and uniform size of the boxes lining the two walls of the cafeteria, each box will be filled to the brim with mostly canned food items for needy families within the Ventura School district. Over 350 boxes were filled by days end and will be delivered to the needy families who were identified during the year in time for the holidays. It’s estimated that over 200 students and adult volunteers were actively sorting and filling the boxes.”

All VUSD schools collected canned and dry goods for the holiday food boxes. The District also accepted monetary donations, which will assist in the purchase of holiday hams and will go towards additional family needs throughout the year. There is a tremendous amount of work that goes on “behind the scenes” to make this event a reality.

“It is our hope that through the Cheers for Children campaign we can bring joy, through a warm meal, to our students most in need” stated Dr. Roger Rice, Superintendent.

10th Annual Castro Family & Ventura Police Community Foundation Toy Drive

The Ventura Police Department held the 10th Annual Castro Family & Ventura Police Community Foundation Toy Drive. The community donated unwrapped toys or gift cards for the patients and siblings of the Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Diseases at the Ventura County Medical Center.

In 2008, Corey Castro was seven years old and was treated for Gorham’s Disease, a rare bone disease. As a patient, he was asked if he wanted to pick out a toy from the center’s toy box. Corey discovered the toy box needed more toys and asked his family if they could help fill the box for other children receiving treatment at the center. The Castro Family in partnership with the Ventura Police Community Foundation worked to make that dream a reality and has since provided toys and gifts to more than 1,500 patients and their siblings.

They were able to provide over 2,600 children with Christmas presents!

California Distinguished Schools includes two in Ventura

Nine Ventura County elementary schools are being honored as 2020 California Distinguished Schools by the California Department of Education. Schools are awarded for their work toward closing the achievement gap and for achieving exceptional student performance. Schools that applied were eligible based on their performance and progress on the state indicators as described on the California School Dashboard. Indicators include test scores, suspension rates and English learner progress.

The Ventura schools being honored are:

Ventura Unified Academy of Technology & Leadership at Saticoy

Ventura Unified Junipero Serra Elementary

The 323 California Distinguished Schools will be honored on February 10, 2020, during an awards ceremony at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim.

VPD honors their own

Sergeant Matt Cain was selected as the Ventura Police Department Supervisor of the Year for diligence in his work and dedication to serving our department and community. Matt came to VPD in 2000 as a Lateral from LAPD, where he served for five years. Matt was promoted to Corporal in 2006 and to Sergeant in 2012. He has worked a variety of assignments including Patrol, Motors, and Street Crimes Unit; he is currently the Major Crimes Sergeant. Matt and his wife Jamie are happily married and have raised three boys; Dylan (19), Lucas (11), and Logan (5).

Support Employee of the Year Records Specialist Paulette Torres was born in Garden Grove and raised in Orange County. She graduated from Fullerton High School and earned her bachelor’s degree from CSU Fullerton. She joined the VPD family in October 2018 and was nominated as Crime Fighter of the Month in July of 2019.

Paulette was selected as Support Employee of the Year for her devotion and hard work; additionally, she was a core member of the Versaterm implementation where she assisted in system configuration and coordinated training for Records. Paulette is married to Motor Officer Kyle Halverson and in her spare time, Paulette enjoys baking, photography, and reading.

30 feet wide tornado originated near the Santa Clara River

When Venturan’s heard “tornado warning” on their phones they assumed it was meant for another town, but it was for Ventura and occurred mostly in the Ventura Harbor area. The tornado was about 30 feet wide. A National Weather Service investigator confirmed that we had a brief tornado that originated near the Santa Clara River.

Perhaps we will have snow next that hasn’t fallen in Ventura since Jan., 1949.

Photos by Deena Gledhill

Ventura College Agriculture Program unveils new avocado orchard

The avocado orchard will be incorporated into the college’s agriculture program.

Ventura College unveiled its new avocado orchard with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on December 10. About 90 students, staff, government dignitaries and college supporters were on hand for the ceremony.

The size of the orchard is a little over an acre and holds an estimated 100, 1-year-old Haas avocado trees. The first crop is expected in 1 1/2 to 2 years.

The avocado orchard will be incorporated into the college’s agriculture program. The program returned to Ventura College in the fall of 2017. Under the leadership of faculty and program coordinator, Dr. Dorothy Farias, the two-year program currently serves 20 agriculture students. The goal is to increase class offerings and boost enrollment.

The orchard was made possible by funding and donations from the local agriculture industry including Mission Produce, Quality Ag, Inc., Brokaw Nursery, Halter-Encinas Enterprises, and Coast Water Solutions. Orchard funding was also received from donors through the Ventura College Foundation.

Student interns will help maintain the avocado orchard in partnership with Mission Produce agriculture workers. Students will have a hands-on experience learning how a commercial avocado orchard is maintained, harvested, prepared for market and then sold. Avocados will be the property of Mission Produce. The avocados will be picked by Mission staff and will go through the company’s processes to get them ready for sale. The Ventura College agriculture program will receive a portion of the avocado sales proceeds.

“Agriculture is one of the top employers in Ventura County so it’s Ventura College’s goal to introduce additional programs at the school so young people will get excited about agriculture and are prepared for well-paying careers in the industry,” says Farias. “The orchard and the real-world education it will bring to our students is invaluable.”

Those attending the grand opening included Dr. Kim Hoffmans, president, Ventura College,

Anne Paul King, executive director, Ventura College Foundation, Matt LaVere, Ventura mayor and Ventura College Foundation board member, Cheryl Heitmann, Ventura City Council member, Stephanie Caldwell, president and CEO, Ventura Chamber of Commerce and John Marquez, executive director, Santa Paula Chamber of Commerce.

“The farming community has been very supportive of our efforts,” says Hoffmans. “Some of our students took part in summer harvesting with Reiter Affiliated Companies, Driscoll’s and Hollandia Produce to supplement their learning. We’re in the process of creating additional internships with a number of local growers.”

For more information about the Ventura College Agriculture Program, go to https://www.venturacollege.edu.

Food Share’s 8th annual CAN-tree drive

On Dec. 13 and 14 Food Share’s 8th annual CAN-tree drive took place in Figueroa Plaza in Downtown. Groups donated cans and community groups built trees from the cans that were then donated to local food banks. Each CAN-tree required approximately 600-800 cans.

The very tall trees are 15’0” tall, 28 layers and contain 10,000 cans. 220,000 pounds of food are collected at the event to be shared.

Since 1978, Food Share has been feeding the hungry in Ventura County. Food Share provides food for over 75,000 monthly.

Learn more at https://foodshare.com/.

Ventura Unified School District expanding educational options

An expanded K-8 option will be available at Blanche Reynolds Elementary.

At a Special Board Study Session on Mon., Dec. 2, the Ventura Unified School District Board of Education approved staff moving forward with a new secondary level program to serve students who require additional flexibility in their lives and therefore need an online based program. Additionally, the Board approved moving forward with expanding the K-8 offerings in the District to include both a midtown and east end option for families.

“In an environment of declining enrollment, the Board and District staff are working hard to offer options to serve the diverse needs of all its students. At the same time we need to attract and retain students in the District,” stated Dr. Roger Rice, Superintendent.

The secondary level program is scheduled to open next Fall on the El Camino High School (ECHS) campus. Traditionally, VUSD loses more than 100 students per year to schools with the limited classroom model. A vigorous marketing effort will occur to ensure the community is clear on whom the program is intended to serve and to ensure that the existing ECHS program retains all of its excellence and remains a robust and attractive option for the students it currently serves.

The two expanded K-8 options are slated to open in the Fall of 2021. The midtown option is being planned for Blanche Reynolds Elementary and the process for determining an east end location is just beginning. The new K-8 offerings will also serve the District’s efforts to attract and retain students and families who want smaller learning communities as an option to the larger, more traditional middle school setting. A TK program already exists at Blanche Reynolds making this a TK-8 option. Waiting until the Fall of 2021 will provide the District additional time to develop program components and an educational focus, which could include thematic programs and re-branding.

“We are very excited about these new options for students,” stated Board President Sabrena Rodriguez. “VUSD listened to feedback from students, families, and staff. These new options will allow us to provide modern options for the ever-changing educational needs of our community.”

For more information, contact Hector Guerrero, Director of Educational Options at [email protected] or 805-289-1955.

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