by VREG Leaders

In Ventura, the city staff uses the Brown Act to do precisely the opposite of what lawmakers created it to do.

Legislators designed the California Brown Act to end “back room” deals and bring local government out into the open. Ventura Water uses it to throttle the flow of information instead.

Ventura established a Water Commission to advise Ventura Water. Before the Commission, Ventura Water operated with little oversight. Even with the Water Commission, Ventura Water continues to control all meeting agendas and minutes. At best, this restricts the flow of information to the City Council. At worst, information flow is non-existent. The City Council doesn’t receive any meaningful information that may help with their future choices.

Ventura Water forces the City Council to get their information from the General Manager. Thus circumventing the reason the city established the Water Commission.

Because the Water Commission minutes show only action items, all discussion of issues are as though they never happened. So, when the City Council looks to the minutes for any records of issues or concerns, the minutes are no help. Nor are they sufficiently transparent to Ventura’s citizens.

Ventura Water deals with a water system that impacts all Ventura citizens directly. In August 2018, the department violated the Federal Clean Water Safety standards. Ventura Water breached the Total Trihalomethanes (TTHM) drinking water standard. The results could lead to harmful health effects over time. Ailments such as cancer and adverse reproductive outcomes can happen. Ventura Water has corrected the problem, but that’s not the issue.

At issue is how Ventura Water communicated the problem and the solution.

You may not have heard about the incident. It’s not because Ventura Water didn’t announce it. They did the minimum notification. They reported the incident to residents in the affected area by mail. They also posted it on their website. They took out an ad in the Ventura County Star, too.

Ventura Water fulfilled the letter of the law, but it may have missed the intent behind it. Meeting the legal requirement seems to be the minimum standard. Yet setting the bar at the lowest level may place everyone’s health at risk in the future.

Not The Only Incident In 2018

In July, Ventura Water withheld information from the Water Commission. A panel of experts examined Direct Potable Reuse (DPR) of treated wastewater. The experts found DPR for drinking purposes was a threat to public safety. The City Council did not know that. They were only alerted to that fact after private citizens brought it to their attention.

Editor’s Comments

Ventura Water needs to be more transparent. The City Council allows it to operate in secrecy and subterfuge. Stop. Ventura’s citizens deserve and expect open communication. Here’s what the Council should do:

First, make hiring Ventura Water’s next General Manager a priority. Insist City Manager Alex McIntyre interview the Water Commissioners. So Mr. McIntyre may form his own opinion, he should talk to the Water Commissioners without Water Department staff present. The goal is to get the knowledge and details of the history of Ventura Water and gain the perspective to understand what lies ahead in the next six years.

Second, have the Water Commission’s Chairman set the meeting agendas, with input from all commissioners.

Third, ensure all Water Commission’s minutes reflect topics and discussions from all meetings.

Fourth, have the Water Commission Chairman provide a written report to the City Council on a quarterly basis.

Fifth, expand the communication channels Ventura Water uses to inform the public. Set the standard higher than the minimum legal standard.

by Joe Morelli, Fire Marshal

Ventura City Fire Department Offering Community Emergency Response Training (CERT) to residents: As residents, you serve a critical role in emergency response operations whether it is preserving lives, protecting property, or providing other essential services to the community. The Ventura City Fire Department would like to invite you join our Community Emergency Response Training Program beginning Wednesday, March 6, 2019. The training sessions provide an excellent opportunity to meet and work with other city staff and members of the community.

With the use of grant monies, we were fortunate to hire an experienced outside trainer who makes the classes fun and informative. The topics covered include:

        Disaster/emergency preparedness

        Fire safety and suppression

        Disaster medical (treatment and triage evaluation)

        Light search and rescue

        Organizing/managing a CERT team

        Disaster psychology

        Terrorism and CERT

Training is limited to 60 people and will be held on 5 consecutive Wednesdays from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m., beginning March 6, 2019, please note: the last class will be held on Tuesday, April 9th, 6:00-9:00pm and all classes will be held at Police/Fire Headquarters, 1425 Dowell Drive, Ventura. A final exercise will be held on Saturday, April 13, 2019, providing students the opportunity to work in multiple groups on common disaster problems.

Please contact Kris Edwards at 805-658-4717 or [email protected] if you are interested in joining us. We hope to see you there!

The Ventura County Fairgrounds board has approved, by 7-0 vote, the conceptual design for the second phase of the Surfers Point Managed Retreat project.

Barbara Quaid, Ventura County Fairgrounds CEO stated “I am grateful that the Fairgrounds and the City of Ventura are working together on keeping our beautiful bike path and shoreline a jewel for everyone to enjoy. ​”

The project is a joint effort by the city of Ventura and a joint powers authority of six coastal communities and the counties of Ventura and Santa Barbara. It aims to finish a project whose The first phase of the project was completed in 2011.

The conceptual design provides for the removal of the parking lot that runs adjacent to the bike path and just north of the restrooms. The bike path will come forward and the lot will move. The beach will widen to where the lot and bike path are now located.

When completed there will be 423 parking spaces, an increase over the 203 that are located there now.

The Ventura Police Department’s Community Academy is coming! Have you ever wanted to know more about police operations? Not the ‘TV’ version, but the facts? Here’s your chance! The Community Academy will take you on a ride-along with a patrol officer, show you what a SWAT team does, let you experience a simulated firearms training course, give you a look at issues officers face in our community and much more.

The Community Academy is scheduled to begin April 10 and will be held on 10 consecutive Wednesday nights from 6:00 to 9:00 pm. Each night features a new topic, with speakers, demonstrations, and discussions. Select nights include a visit to the Ventura County Criminal Justice Training Center, Ventura County Sheriff’s Aviation Hangar and the Ventura County Jail. We’ll answer your questions and give you an in-depth behind the scenes look at police operations.

Community Academy participants are selected by the Ventura Police Department through the application process. Applications are available at the Ventura Police Department or online. Applications accepted until March 13, 2019.

Potential candidates must meet the following criteria: minimum age of 18 years, live or work in the City of Ventura, no felony convictions, no misdemeanor convictions within two years of application.

The Community Academy aims to educate residents on the capacity and operations of the Ventura Police Department so that police officers and community members can work together to make Ventura a better and safer place.

For more information, please contact Community Outreach Specialist Ashley Bautista 805-339-4317 or [email protected].

Location at the Ventura Police Department, 1425 Dowell Dr. with some classes off site.

Cabrillo Economic Development Corporation is pleased to announce it has received a $10,000 Edison International grant to help fund the 2019 Rodney Fernandez Leadership Fund STEM Scholarship Program.

The Rodney Fernandez Leadership Fund STEM Scholarship Program, created in 2011, honors the legacy of Rodney Fernandez, Cabrillo’s founder and Executive Director for 30 years (1981–2011). The Scholarship continues Fernandez’s legacy of community building by cultivating the leadership of residents to attain their goals, empower themselves and to take action and improve the quality of life in their communities.

The scholarship program provides funds for students who wish to pursue education and careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). To be eligible, students must be enrolled in and/or continuing college education, in the process of applying to an accredited institution, or enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program, and household income must be less than or equal to 80 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI) for Ventura County. High school applicants must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 to apply.

Margarita H. de Escontrias, Cabrillo’s CEO, said this grant will allow Cabrillo to provide STEM scholarships for underrepresented groups and lift financial barriers for those with aspirations for careers in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math.

“Funding from Edison International enables Cabrillo to provide scholarships to motivated and talented students, many from immigrant families who are first-generation college students. These grants will help youths in our community to reach their educational and leadership potential. They will help diversify our workforce in these fields and benefit our community,” she said.

In 2018, Cabrillo awarded a total of $12,500 to 13 recipients and received a total of 21 applications for the Rodney Fernandez Leadership Scholarships.

“Each year, members of our scholarship review panel are deeply moved and touched by the applications and appreciate the applicants’ willingness to share their experiences and struggles as well as their triumphs,” said de Escontrias.

In addition to high quality, safe and secure affordable housing, Cabrillo creates a ladder of opportunity for its low-income residents through comprehensive housing services and educational programs, which include the Rodney Fernandez STEM Scholarship program.

Cabrillo will schedule applicant information sessions in the spring. Dates for these sessions, applications, and additional details will be available on the Cabrillo website cabrilloedc.org in April. Please contact the Resident and Community Services Department [email protected] with any questions.

About the Cabrillo Economic Development Corporation: Cabrillo Economic Development Corporation’s mission is to provide comprehensive housing services and community economic development activities through a community-building approach that facilitates self-sufficiency for individuals and families who are most lacking in opportunity in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. Incorporated in 1981, Cabrillo’s early roots were in response to a farmworker community’s demand for secure housing. Although this continues to be important, today there is a more widespread need for affordable housing in this region. As such, Cabrillo now provides housing and resident services for low- to moderate-income residents and families, including farmworkers, seniors, veterans and individuals with special needs.

As severe winter storms continue to traverse the country, and cold and flu season is in full swing, the one-two punch is hitting blood centers hard and drastically impacting community blood supplies. Severe weather can also lead to more accidents and an increased need for blood.

Currently, there’s a critical need for platelets and type O blood donations; however, all blood types are needed. In emergency situations, when a patient’s blood type isn’t known, doctors reach for type O blood first until the patient can be stabilized. Platelets have a very short shelf life—only 5 days. In Ventura and on the Central Coast, Vitalant needs to collect 1,225 donations per week to replenish the supply and meet the needs of area patients.

Vitalant strives to maintain a 4-day supply of type O blood; currently we’re at less than half that amount for our nationwide supply. Additionally, blood donations collected in late December and early January were down 47 percent compared to the first two weeks of December making it challenging to maintain an adequate blood supply.

Donors are strongly encouraged to give blood in the coming days to immediately rebuild the community blood supply. To schedule an appointment to give blood, go to vitalant.org or call 1-805-543-4290. Walk-in donors are always welcome.

“We typically see a drop in donations around this time of year because people are not only recovering from the holidays, many are also suffering from the flu and other illnesses,” said Susan Noone, Regional Director. “Add bad weather to the mix and it makes it extremely difficult to maintain an adequate blood supply for patients who need it.”

Volunteer blood donors must be at least 16 years old, weigh at least 110 pounds and be in general good health. Additional height/weight requirements apply to donors 22 and younger, and donors who are 16 and 17 must have signed permission from a parent or guardian.

Vitalant (“Vye-TAL-ent”) is the nation’s second largest community blood service provider, supplying comprehensive transfusion medicine services for nearly 1,000 hospitals and health care partners for patients in need across 40 states. Vitalant inspires local communities to serve the needs of others and transform lives through the selfless act of donating blood. Every day, almost 5,000 blood donations are needed to meet the needs of people throughout the country, and Vitalant’s 780,000 donors supply 1.8 million donations a year. In addition to blood products, Vitalant offers customers transfusion services, medical consulting, quality guidance, ongoing education, research and more. For more information and to schedule a donation, visit vitalant.org or call 877-258-4825 (877-25VITAL).

Angela Moyd takes a vision and makes it a reality through sound strategy development. She intuitively sees the threads of opportunity that wind through an organization, brings them together into a coherent who and helps others extend their thinking.

She is an inspirational leader, motivational speaker, and entrepreneur who shares stories taken from her 30+ years of experience in non-profit administration that inspires action while at the same time is grounded in financial information that levers the business.

Respected as a credible voice in decision making, finding strategic financing partners, and establishing governance boundaries. Angela earns a seat at the table wherever she serves.

The City Center Transitional Living
837 E. Thompson Blvd.
Ventura 805- 628-9035

Gold Coast Transit District (GCTD), Ventura County’s largest provider of public transit, has announced some changes in its Board of Directors and management team.

On January 9th, the GCTD Board of Directors elected Cheryl Heitmann as its 2019 Board Chair, and Port Hueneme Mayor Will Berg as Vice Chair.  In addition, City of Ojai has appointed Councilmember Randy Haney to the District’s Board after former Councilmember Paul Blatz decided not to run for reelection.  He served on the council since 2010 and on GCTD’s Board since 2013.

Councilmember Haney joins the five-member Board, which also includes City of Oxnard Councilmember Bryan MacDonald and County Supervisor John Zaragoza, that represents nearly 4 million annual passengers who utilize GCTD’s fixed route and paratransit services in western Ventura County.

Gold Coast Transit District provides safe, responsive, convenient, efficient, and environmentally responsible fixed-route bus and paratransit public transportation that serves the diverse needs of the cities of Ojai, Oxnard, Port Hueneme and Ventura, and in the unincorporated County areas between the cities. Utilizing a fleet of 56 clean natural gas-fueled buses, and 26 paratransit buses and vans, GCTD carries nearly 4 million passengers annually on its 20 bus routes. GCTD is the largest provider of public transit in Ventura County and is governed by a Board of Directors made up of an elected official from each member jurisdiction.  For more information or to plan your trip, visit www.GoldCoastTransit.org.