∙All kinds of good stuff at www.venturabreeze.com. Surf reports, weather, past issues, Scampclub pets, horoscopes and the current issue. Plus, other goodies.

∙ The Ventura Port District Board of Port Commissioners approved a program to defer rental payments for Ventura Harbor Village tenants who have been directly impacted by the pandemic. Which is probably all of them. Businesses which have been closed by government order or lost 20% or more of their typical monthly pre-COVID-19 revenue are able to take advantage of the program. This will last, at least for now, through March 31, 2021. And I’m sure will be extended again.

∙ A man found dead last week on the sidewalk in front of a vacant lot in Ventura has been identified. Anthony Miller, 42, of Ventura, died of a stab wound in the chest, according to the Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office. Miller was listed as homeless, according to the medical examiner’s office. Ventura police were called just before 7 a.m., on Dec. 28, about a body found in the 100 block of Leighton Drive off N. Ventura Avenue.

Miller was the fourth homicide victim reported in Ventura in 2020.

∙ The Ventura City Council rejected an appeal of the city Planning Commission’s approval of a planned 50,000-square-foot Veterans Affairs outpatient clinic in Ventura. The council voted unanimously, 7-0, to deny the appeal of the Planning Commission’s approval in November of the planned U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs clinic. The project can now move forward and replace a smaller VA clinic located in Oxnard.

The appeal was filed by Pasadena attorney Mitchell Tsai on behalf of the Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters, a labor union representing more than 50,000 carpenters in six states.

Even though the stated purpose of the appeal cited environmental review asserting that the project’s noise, air quality and other impacts were not adequately analyzed or disclosed, it was more about using local tradesmen on the project.

The council adopted a resolution upholding the Planning Commission’s finding that the project’s initial environmental study appropriately discussed and mitigated the negative environmental impacts and upholding the Planning Commission’s approval of the project.

A third resolution was also adopted by the council, urging the project’s contractor to use local union workers when possible (what about non-union workers?) The question is what is local? City of Ventura, County of Ventura? Always good to keep the money in Ventura but the contractor still has no legal obligation to do this.

The new one-story clinic, which will be run by the VA, is planned for the eight-acre site at 5250 Ralston St., which is the former home of the Ventura County Star that can be seen from the freeway.

City spokesperson Heather Sumagaysay stated, “With the council’s denial of the appeal, the project can now move forward in obtaining the necessary permits to demolish the existing building, begin grading and then constructing the new clinic.” It is expected to be completed in April of 2022.

The VA will pay an annual fee of $3.1 million and $9.7 million to develop the new space.

∙ The House of Representatives has approved legislation that would decriminalize marijuana and seek to “address the devastating injustices caused by the War on Drugs.” The vote in the Democratic led House is the first time a chamber of Congress has voted on federal marijuana decriminalization.

The bill passed largely along party lines: 222 Democrats, five Republicans and a libertarian, voted in support while 158 Republicans and six Democrats voted against it. Those voting against it will need to still smoke pot only in their homes.

Hopefully, this will eventually be law. How stupid that decriminalized marijuana is legal in most states but not by the government.

∙I want to thank Trump for giving us our first female vice president, and Biden.

I’m glad that the inauguration went smoothly, but it is a shame that it took 25,000 military to help make that happen. Even though, at times, I thought that the inauguration was a revival meeting.

How bad for America that leaders and residents of other countries had to see what occurred here and stir their belief in what democracy stands for. Hopefully, Biden, and other future presidents, can change this.

I wish Biden the best, but he has inherited a broken country with 400,000 COVID-19 deaths and rising (much more if you count those who died because they couldn’t get care they needed due to full hospitals and ICU’s and also avoiding the hospital) a broken economy, a minor civil war plus the impact of climate change.

So nice to watch CNN without getting aggravated and depressed.

The Biden administration has rejoined the Paris Agreement. Clean Power Alliance Executive Director Ted Bardacke stated, “On behalf of Clean Power Alliance (CPA), I want to express my profound appreciation and congratulations to President Biden for his Executive Order to rejoin the Paris Agreement. With climate change being one of the most crucial issues facing humanity, it is paramount that our nation be among the leaders in this fight at the global level.”

I oppose presidents (not just Trump because other presidents have pardoned more people), and governors having pardon rights. Presidential pardons were from the 1787 Constitutional Convention when Alexander Hamilton suggested giving the president the power to pardon people who have committed crimes.

George Washington granted pardons to two men behind the 1794 Whiskey Rebellion. That rebellion was a response to a federal tax placed on alcohol. Washington pardoned the insurgents in the final days of his second term, sighting the need to temper justice with mercy.

One of the most controversial pardons was in 1974, after President Richard Nixon was forced to resign in the wake of the Watergate scandal. His successor Gerald Ford issued Nixon an unconditional pardon for any crimes Nixon “may” have committed.

Lord Acton 1887 “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

Like all Americans (I wish) I was ashamed, embarrassed, shocked, angry and tearful watching what Trump (and some of his relatives) has brought upon this country by Inciting an insurrection that left 5 Americans dead. I certainly hope that he is prosecuted for his actions.

This was simply terror and anarchy from those who belong to the party of “law and order.” Responding to their mentally unbalanced leader.

Some have accused me of not loving America because of my criticism of him but my criticism is because I love America. He doesn’t love America, his allies, the constitution, his country he only loves himself. Look how he quickly abandons anyone who doesn’t do what he demands of them or opposes him in any way and throws them under the bus.

Trump said in a statement after Congress certified his loss. “I have always said we would continue our fight while this represents the end of the greatest first term in presidential history. The sad part is that he really believes this.

Take VP Pence who has kissed his ass for 4-years and Trump asked him to take an action that he couldn’t even legally do so Trump just dumped him. Trump said to have told Pence ‘I don’t want to be your friend’ after the vice president refused to block Biden’s election certification.

Even as his fans were running wild through the Capitol he tweeted “These are the things and events that happen when a sacred landslide election victory is so unceremoniously & viciously stripped away from great patriots.” He told rioters to “go home now,” but added “we love you” and “you are special.”

The only relief of the day was the speech that Biden made. In it he encouraged Trump to condemn the Trump army but when Trump did speak he basically praised them and called them heroes. He even said he loved these traitors and anarchists who attempted to destroy our democratic processes.

As a defense lawyer and a so-called right-leaning legal commentator on Fox News Catherine Cherkasky stated,” I am very sensitive to claims of unfairness or illegality in our nation’s institutions and processes, particularly in our elections. In this case, however, these violent protests are not about a breakdown in the election process rendering the outcome invalid. They are about nothing more than the bruised ego of President Donald Trump, who lost an election then failed to present any tangible legal grounds upon which it should be reversed.”

Trump’s eldest sons threatened Republican lawmakers at a large rally outside the White House on Wednesday, pledging that their family would continue to dispute the results of the 2020 election just hours before Congress was set to certify President-elect Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory.

“To those Republicans, many of which may be voting on things in the coming hours: You have an opportunity today,” Donald Trump Jr. told the crowd gathered for the “Save America March” on the White House Ellipse. “You can be a hero, or you can be a zero. And the choice is yours. But we are all watching. These guys better fight for Trump. Because if they’re not, guess what? I’m going to be in your backyard in a couple of months!” Donald Trump Jr. said, suggesting he would support primary campaigns against Republicans who did not side with his father.

The whole world is watching, folks. Choose wisely.”

Indeed, the whole world was watching, how I wish they weren’t. Here are a few of hundreds of comments made by the leaders of other countries condemning these actions. And saying America no longer has the right to condemn other countries.

“American democracy is obviously limping on both feet. This, alas, is actually the bottom. I say this without a shadow of gloating. America no longer charts a course and therefore has lost all rights to set it — and even more so to impose it on others.” — Konstantin Kosachev, head of the foreign affairs committee in Russia’s upper house of parliament.

“The scenes from the U.S. Capitol show how dangerous the rhetoric of hatred is. Contempt for democratic institutions erodes citizens’ rights and can undermine political order.” — Slovakian President Zuzana Caputova.

The good news is that many many of these traitors are being arrested and more will be. The man who appeared in a viral photo carrying House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s lectern has been arrested.

Republican U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski said Friday that Donald Trump should resign the presidency immediately and that if the Republican Party cannot separate itself from Trump, she isn’t certain she has a future in the Republican Party.

Twitter has suspended President Donald Trump from its platform. “After close review of recent Tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account and the context around them we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence.” I only hope that other social media follow suit and TV stations never mention him after he is out of office and maybe he will just fade way,

Critics inside and outside of the platforms have been pleading with the social media firms for years to restrict or take down Trump’s accounts, arguing that Trump’s peddling of dangerous disinformation and incitements to violence outweighed any free-speech concerns.

Former White House communications director Alyssa Farah said Friday that President Donald Trump lied to the American people about the 2020 presidential election results and said that he should “seriously consider” resigning from office after Wednesday’s deadly insurrection at the US Capitol.

Farah said on CNN’s “New Day” that she holds Trump responsible for inciting the mob that stormed the US Capitol in an attempt to stop Congress’ certification of President-elect Joe Biden’s Electoral College win and allowing this “lie to take a life of its own that the election might be overturned.”

Farah’s statement joins former White House chief of staff John Kelly in calling for Trump to either step down or be removed from office in his final days, an extraordinary rebuke of a sitting President from once high-ranking administration officials.

In an exclusive interview, Rep. Paul Mitchell, Republican of Michigan, told CNN that his disgust and disappointment with President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the election have led him to request that the Clerk of the House change his party affiliation to “independent,” and to notify GOP leaders in a letter that he is withdrawing his “engagement and association with the Republican Party at both the national and state level.”

Republican Sen. Ben Sasse said he was not opposed to removing President Donald Trump from office through impeachment for the president’s encouragement of an “insurrectionist mob” that stormed the Capitol Wednesday. “Donald Trump has acted shamefully. He has been in flagrant dereliction of his duty and he will be remembered for having incited this and for having drawing more division into an already divided people. That is who Donald Trump is. That is what his legacy is going to be.”

President-elect Joe Biden said President Donald Trump’s decision to skip his inauguration is “one of the few things he and I have ever agreed on. It’s a good thing, him not showing up,” Biden told reporters.

“He exceeded even my worst notions about him. He’s been an embarrassment to the country, embarrassed us around the world. He’s not worthy to hold that office,” Biden said.

However, Biden said he is glad Vice President Mike Pence will attend his inauguration.

___

∙Wow, this year is almost over, and not a minute too soon. A relief, but certainly not the end of the world’s problems. COVID-19 will still be with us for a long time, especially if many people do not take the vaccine and continue to spread it.

A devastating year for most businesses, especially restaurants that were at least allowed to serve outside, but can no longer do that at this time. Hopefully, that will change soon.

An especially tough year for the Breeze family because we lost Izzy Baker and Bernie Goldstein.

∙In this issue we feature our 3 new city council members. I look forward to seeing how they perform and contribute to the success of Ventura. So much to do. Doug Halter persevered and finally made it on his third try. His contributions to Ventura have been huge. So glad that he finally made it. Wish Christy Weir the best now that she is a “civilian” again.

∙The county is allowing people to park their mobile homes, etc. next to the freeway just outside of Ventura off Ventura Ave. in an unincorporated area of Ventura County. Some are upset with this because they say it is ruining the “neighborhood.” There is no “neighborhood” where they are parking. It is open land on both sides of the freeway or very industrial. I feel that this is an excellent response to the fact that there are so many more people right now that are homeless because of the pandemic. Better than standing on corners asking for money.

Let’s appreciate it that these people are trying to keep their lives going and doing the best they can. The county monitors the area and tries to keep it clean and livable and safe for those living there. I think even the large parking area at the San Buenaventura State Beach could be used for this purpose.

∙The Vagabond Inn in Oxnard has officially been purchased under the state’s Project Homekey program and will be converted from a hotel into permanent supportive housing for formerly homeless individuals. The Vagabond Inn in Ventura was also used for this purpose but wasn’t purchased for permanent housing.

The state’s Project Homekey has provided $600 million in grant funding to local cities and counties to purchase hotels, motels and vacant apartment buildings and turn them into housing for the state’s homeless population.

Along these lines, the state acquired many homes and apartments as part of the now abandoned plans to extend the 710 freeway that are now sitting empty in disrepair. Families who are homeless (many for the first time) are willing to break the law and move into these abandoned residences that are owned by the California Department of Transportation.

Of course, they’re breaking the law, but perhaps this is better than being homeless and living outside with kids, especially with winter coming. The state has let most of these homes just deteriorate making some unsafe and uninhabitable. As people lose their jobs there is a large amount of newly homeless families that say living in them is still better than being homeless.

∙Ventura officials say sports leagues from outside Ventura County are coming to illegally use our sports fields without city permits. As a deterrent, the Ventura City Council has adopted an emergency ordinance under which the adult and youth leagues can be fined from $500 to $2,000.

The council also adopted a second emergency ordinance under which fees will be waived for the city’s nonprofit youth sports leagues to legally use the city’s sports fields and facilities.

The fees are being waived because the COVID-19 pandemic has the leagues’ budgets and many families unable to pay the costs associated with youth sports. I love to see the city respond to the new needs of families. With schools closed it is very important that kids can play outside.

Chemists at Scripps Research have made a discovery that supports a surprising new view of how life started on our planet. They demonstrated that a simple compound called diamidophosphate (DAP), which was possibly present on Earth before life arose, could have chemically aligned with tiny DNA building blocks called deoxynucleosides to form strands of primordial DNA.

The finding is the latest in a series of discoveries over the past several years pointing to the possibility that DNA and its close chemical cousin RNA arose together as products of similar chemical reactions, and that the first self-replicating molecules were mixes of the two. Now you know where we came from.

∙ Preliminary numbers suggest that the United States is on track to see more than 3.2 million deaths this year from all causes, at least 400,000 more than in 2019.

U.S. deaths increase most years, but the 2020 numbers amount to a jump of about 15% and could go higher once all the deaths from this month are counted.

That would mark the largest single year percentage leap since 1918, when tens of thousands of U.S. soldiers died in World War I and hundreds of thousands died in a flu pandemic. Deaths rose 46% that year, compared with 1917.

∙Thousands of companies and US government agencies were at risk of being spied on for months following a sweeping cyberattack perhaps carried out by Russian hackers. The full extent of the attack is not yet known, but the list of victims is said to include the Department of Homeland Security and the Pentagon, among others. This is a huge concern – not just some kids having fun. They could probably shut down our entire electric grid.

Republican Sen. Mitt Romney said that President Donald Trump has a “blind spot” when it comes to dealing with Russia after the President downplayed the massive cyberattack (suggesting it could be China) on US federal agencies linked to the country, warning that the aggression “is a big wake-up call for us.”

∙Antarctica has recorded its first Covid-19 case after 36 people tested positive on a Chilean research base. The news marks an unfortunate milestone in the fight against coronavirus, as until this week, Antarctica was the last continent free from the virus’ grip.

∙The House of Representatives has approved legislation that would decriminalize marijuana and seek to “address the devastating injustices caused by the War on Drugs.” The first time a chamber of Congress has voted on federal marijuana decriminalization. However, it has little chance of passing the Republican led Senate so Republicans will need to smoke pot in private. So stupid – it is legal now in most states but not by the Fed. government. It will even be allowed in Ventura this year.

∙In a Saturday morning tweet directed at the Supreme Court, Trump called it “incompetent and weak” for its handlings of his claims that there was fraud in the November election. And he thought that it was “his” supreme court.

The president still claims to have “absolute proof” that widespread voter fraud occurred during the November election, but he said that the Supreme Court doesn’t “want to see it.” It seems that no one else wants to see it either, as he just continues to lose lawsuits.

Rep. Adam Kinzinger called out President Trump and House Republicans who back his “crazy conspiracies” and denials that he lost the election to President-elect Joe Biden.

“My God. Trying to burn the place down on the way out because you can’t handle losing,” Kinzinger tweeted. “No evidence, nothing but your temper tantrum and crazy conspiracies.”

Televangelist Pat Robertson, a prominent conservative backer of Donald Trump, said that the President is living in an “alternate reality” and should “move on” from his 2020 election loss.

Let’s move forward. I wish you all a Happy, Safe and Prosperous New Year!

∙Difficult times for all businesses, especially for restaurants. They were finally were able to open up, and then just serve outside, but now can only do takeout again. How long can small businesses exist under these conditions?

Some restaurants in Ventura (and other communities) are defying the orders and staying open hoping other restaurants will take the same action. They can be severely fined but are willing to take the chance so they can serve their customers. On one hand, I admire them, but I’m very concerned that with the rapidly increase in COVID cases and deaths is this a safe thing to do?

∙The US 101/California Street off-ramp relocation to Oak Street will move the existing northbound off-ramp under California Street to Oak Street and replace the California Street bridge over Highway 101. California Street would become the primary pedestrian access corridor from Downtown to the beach. The City has been working on the Project Approval and Environmental Document phase of the California Street Northbound Ramp Relocation Project for many years.

It is estimated that the cost of construction will be approximately $21.5 million. The construction includes a new California Street bridge over U.S. 101 and other improvements along Thompson Blvd. Funding could come from several different Federal or State infrastructure grant programs. Don’t plan on using the new ramp for many, many years.

∙As previously reported (but not certified yet), Councilmember Halter (District 2), Councilmember Johnson (District 3), and Councilmember Schroeder (District 7) were elected to represent their district’s.

Two City measures – Measure I (Cannabis and Hemp Tax) and Measure J (Public

Works Contracts – Charter Amendment) were also approved.

Per Ventura City Charter, Section 507, all City Councilmember elected on November 3, 2020 are limited to no more than three consecutive, four-year terms in office.

∙The Public Health Officers for the three Central Coast Counties have submitted a letter to the State Public Health officials requesting that the State treat the area as a “sub-region” when determining when our local ICU capacity justifies exiting the Regional Stay-at-Home Order.

Following that action, the County Board of Supervisors endorsed the request and reinforced our commitment to ensuring public health and safety is the priority, but also made the case that the situations in our counties do not compare to those in the other Southern California counties with which we have been grouped. They urged the Governor to allow the Central Coast to exit the Regional Stay at Home Order when our three counties combined ICU capacity exceeds the 15% standard.

∙Argentina’s Chamber of Deputies approved a bill making abortion legal in a much-debated vote that many in the predominantly Roman Catholic country are describing as historic. The bill now heads to the Senate. “Today we write a new chapter in history,” Argentina’s Women, Genders and Diversity Minister Elizabeth Gómez Alcorta tweeted after the approval of the Voluntary Interruption of Pregnancy Bill.

∙India’s ruling Hindu nationalist party approved legislation that requires a prison term up to 10 years for anyone found guilty of using marriage to force someone to change religion

∙More than 5,000 children have been detained and separated from their parents at the US- Mexican border since 2017. The parents of over 600 children still have not been found. Some people say that this is the parent’s fault, but you can’t punish little children because of their parent’s actions. Even when single parents go to prison their kids are placed in a location where they can be re-united when jail time is over.

∙ A former longtime Republican, Alabama Senator Larry Dixon, 78, had a scary final message before he died of COVID-19. He contracted the bug during an outdoors hangout “with a couple of guys” and his worsening condition left him on a ventilator. Dixon’s wife, Gaynell Dixon, said that her husband issued one final plea before his death. “We messed up. We let our guard down. Please tell everybody to be careful. This is real, and if you get diagnosed, get help immediately.”

∙According to Penelope Abernathy from the University of South Carolina, in the past 15 years more than a quarter of the country’s newspapers have closed and 1,800 cities that had a local newspaper in 2004 no longer have one in 2020. Without local newspapers folks cannot be informed to what is happening in their communities. I am grateful that we have been able to continue to keep the Ventura Breeze going thanks to our advertisers and wonderful donors (and our hard-working staff).

∙CBS correspondent Lesley Stahl said that Trump in 2016 (off camera) explained why he attacked the press so regularly; “I do it to discredit you all and demean you all so that when you write negative stories about me no one will believe you

The reason that Trump doesn’t like the Electoral College is that he applied to go there after high school and got rejected.

Very scary times for this country. Dozens of armed people gathered outside Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson’s home recently “shouting obscenities” and threatening violence in an effort to overturn the presidential election results in the state. Benson and her 4-year-old son had just finished decorating their home for Christmas and were about to watch “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” when the group arrived, she said in a statement. “The demands made outside my home were unambiguous, loud and threatening,” she said. “They targeted me in my role as Michigan’s Chief Election Officer.

The Arizona Republican Party has asked supporters if they’re ready to fight to the death in support of President Donald Trump’s doomed attempts to cling on to the presidency despite last month’s election loss. The state Republican Party made the apparent call to arms on its official Twitter account late Monday while quote-tweeting an account with #StopTheSteal in its name—the latest rallying cry of Trump’s supporters. That account wrote: “I am willing to give my life for this fight.” In its quote-tweet, the Arizona Republican Party wrote: “He is. Are you?” The party then tweeted a clip from Rambo with the quote: “This is what we do, who we are. Live for nothing, or die for something.”

Writing in the LA Times, Colin Clarke wrote ”President Trump’s post election antics are dangerous. Few expected him to be a graceful loser, but his refusal to officially concede is his flood of tweets insisting the election was rigged may have serious and long-term violent consequences.

∙Congratulations to Mike Johnson, Joe Schroeder and Doug Halter on being elected to our city council. as our new city council members. With their election, all 7 members now represent a specific area (district) in Ventura. And, also, to Amy Yamamoto Callahan for being elected to the Board of Education.

Two of the city council races are very close (less than 200 votes), so I hope that my congratulations isn’t premature. We still do not elect a mayor in Ventura, so the City Council will select one of their own.

A big thanks goes out to Christy Weir for her many years of great service to Ventura. I’m sure that she will continue to serve and support Ventura in some other manner.

And congratulations to local boy – Ventura County Supervisor Steve Bennett – for a decisive victory in his run for the State Assembly. Steve started his political career as a Ventura City council member. Matt LaVere is now following in his footsteps and was elected as a Ventura County Supervisor.

∙In this issue is a mention of the passing of Robert Jenkins. I have known Robert and Patty for a few years because of their involvement in support of Parkinson’s Disease in Ventura. He fought valiantly as his condition worsened but always with a smile on his face. Patty was amazing still taking him for walks at the Harbor even needing to pick him up on occasion when he fell. Will miss him and know that Patty will continue to help those with the disease to help give them the support they need.

∙Good for Ventura for passing an Ordinance to the San Buenaventura Municipal Code which would tax gross receipts and square footage of businesses involved in cannabis (marijuana) and hemp in Ventura.

The Ordinance by itself does not authorize any cannabis or hemp business to operate in the City. This will need to be the next step to consider by the city council. The Ordinance reads; “Every person who engages in cannabis or hemp operations, including the cultivating, transporting, distributing, manufacturing, packaging, delivering, testing and all other business activities within the City would pay a maximum tax on the gross receipts of their operation’s activities.”

The tax would be a general tax as authorized by the California Constitution Article XIII

C, Section 2. As a general tax, the revenue generated may be used for any general governmental purpose.

∙The homeless man, Jamal Jackson, 51, accused in a fatal 2018 stabbing at Ventura’s Aloha Steakhouse, has been found incompetent to stand trial. This was determined in the Ventura County Superior Court. Statements from two doctors who evaluated Jackson’s mental state which led to Judge Nancy Ayers’ ruling. Ayers ordered Jackson to be sent to a state mental health hospital for two years for further evaluation at that time. He could still spend the rest of his life in confinement.

I think that it was the proper action for a civilized society to take.

∙During California’s worse fire season, the state recorded temperature records as August, September and October were the state’s warmest on record. This “almost sounds” like global warming.

∙I’m very proud of Americans (at least little more than ½ of them) for voting for our country’s first woman vice president-elect, Sen. Kamala Harris. Harris, who also happens to be the first Black women and first South Asian American women elected vice president-elect in U.S. history. Not minimizing her roots, but it’s wonderful enough that she is a female and even more amazing because of who she is. Now the second and third people in line to be president, if necessary, are females – Harris and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (both from California). And for electing Biden of course.

Democrats shouldn’t get too excited though because this wasn’t a victory for the Democrats as much as a defeat for Trump. In voting throughout much of the country, Republicans fared much better than Democrats. And remember, Trump received over 70 million votes – the most ever for an incumbent president.

How a person accepts defeat says more about their character than winning, whether it is the president of the United States, or the local PTA.

The President said, “Tens of thousands of votes were illegally received after 8 P.M. on Tuesday, Election Day, totally and easily changing the results in Pennsylvania and certain other razor thin states,” the president tweeted. He also claimed that “hundreds of thousands of votes” were not allowed to be legally observed by impartial bystanders, changing the outcome of the race.

“This would also change the Election result in numerous States, including Pennsylvania, which everyone thought was easily won on Election Night, only to see a massive lead disappear, without anyone being allowed to observe, for long intervals of time, what the happened…,” he added in his Twitter thread.

The president later tweeted that he won the election “by a lot.”

A large group of government and industry officials have rejected Trump’s allegations about voter fraud stating that the Nov. 3 election voting and counting went smoothly with very little minor problems. They stated, “There is no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes or was in any way compromised.”

Republican strategist Karl Rove wrote in the Wall Street Journal that, “The president should do his part to unite the country leading a peaceful transition and letting grievances go.”

From the New York Times; “By all accounts, President Trump is behaving as expected in the wake of his loss to Joe Biden. Rather than accept the election results like a grown man, he’s throwing a hissy fit, and it’s becoming clear that Trump may have to be dragged out of the White House like a toddler at a birthday party.”

Former White House chief of staff John Kelly issued an on-the-record statement lambasting President Donald Trump for not helping with the transition to a Biden administration.

Truthfully, Biden would not have been my first choice to be our next president, but I believe his more subdued calming manner might help reunite this country which has not been this divided since the Civil War. I think he can work with both sides of the aisle in Washington and, hopefully, get American’s speaking to each other again in a civilized manner.

∙ At a recent City Council meeting, the Ventura City Council has reaffirmed its stand against white supremacy and racism. Mayor Matt LaVere stated, on behalf of the Council, “The City Council remains steadfast to its commitment to condemn white supremacy and racism, discrimination and all forms of hatred, none of which will be tolerated in our city. We denounce all threats and menacing behavior used as weapons to intimidate any member of our community from living a full, free and equal life. We value the diversity of our residents who are critical to the city’s economic, cultural and social well-being.”

∙ If the following city ballot Measure I, to tax cannabis businesses, was approved by voters (results too late to be in this issue) Ventura will start allowing commercial cannabis businesses to be located here.

Measure I 2020​ – Cannabis and Hemp Tax ​

To fund city services (public safety, roads, parks, etc.), shall the City tax cannabis (marijuana) and hemp businesses at annual rates not to exceed $10.00 per canopy square foot for cultivation (adjustable for inflation), 8% of gross receipts for retail cannabis businesses, and 4% for all other cannabis businesses, should the city council legalize them at a future date; which will generate an unknown amount of revenue and will be levied until repealed?​

The regulations would allow a limited number of commercial cannabis businesses to open in Ventura. It would allow two retail and five industrial – manufacturing, testing labs and distribution businesses. Actual cultivation would continue to be prohibited here.

Currently, the relevant section of the city’s zoning ordinance prohibits commercial cannabis uses, except for deliveries, which the state requires cities to allow.

The Ventura Planning Commission will need to forward a recommendation to the council to approve an amendment to the zoning ordinance to allow the cannabis businesses. Ventura Community Development Director Peter Gilli said, “That is just one piece of the whole puzzle. It’s just to identify which zoning districts a cannabis business could apply to go into.”

If cannabis and hemp tax Measure I doesn’t pass, the city won’t move ahead with allowing commercial cannabis businesses to open. I certainly hope that it passes. Venturan’s who now need to purchase cannabis must go out of town taking their money with them. Or get delivery from out of town locations.

∙ Ventura is in the process of banning restaurants and others from using food and drink containers made of expanded polystyrene, commonly known by the trademarked name Styrofoam but manufactured by others.

Recently the Council introduced an ordinance to ban these based on grounds that expanded polystyrene is harmful to the environment. The ordinance would prohibit restaurants, grocery stores, convenience stores and other businesses from distributing expanded polystyrene food containers to customers.

∙ Sadly, the sale of new guns in California has greatly increased this year due to the unrest that is occurring in this country. A survey conducted by UC Davis researchers also noticed a shift in gun ownership that they feel is likely to see an uptick in firearm related injuries and deaths, including accidental discharges of people not trained in the use of firearms. Though, the majority of those sales were to people who already owned at least one gun.

Who did these guns protect?

A 5-year-old girl was accidentally shot and killed by a juvenile member of her family and the girl’s father was arrested for child endangerment.

A 3-year-old boy has died at his birthday celebration after finding a family member’s gun and accidentally shooting himself in the chest.

∙ Based on comments he made in a new documentary, I’m pleased that Pope Francis called for legislation to protect same-sex couples. This marks a major break from Catholic doctrine. He stated “Homosexuals have a right to be a part of the family. They are children of God and have a right to a family.”

“What we have to create is a civil union law. That way they are legally covered.” Francis noted he has stood up for civil unions before, but his remarks in the documentary go beyond what he has said previously and are greatly different from the view of his predecessors.

LGBTQ rights groups hailed the comments as a major step but had questions about how much impact they would have on allowing civil unions across the country.

Even if it doesn’t result in immediate change, the fact that he made these comments will certainly open up debate among the Catholic community. I wish he had called for actual marriage, but a great start.

∙ A Ukrainian fitness expert with 1.1 million followers on Instagram has died of the coronavirus – after previously doubting the existence of the deadly bug. Dmitriy Stuzhuk, a buff 33-year-old who promoted healthy living, notified his fans of his diagnosis from his hospital bed, saying he woke up with breathing difficulties during a trip to Turkey and developed a cough the following day.

∙A wedding and birthday party in suburban New York turned into two Covid-19 “superspreader” events that infected more than 50 people and left nearly 300 in quarantine. “This kind of blatant disregard for the well being of others is not only extremely disappointing, it will not be tolerated,” Suffolk County Executive Steven Bellone said. “In my opinion people that put on such events should go to jail.”

∙ According to a study published in Nature Medicine, if Americans would stop complaining about face masks and wear them when they leave their homes, they could save over 100,000 lives (and perhaps more than half a million) through the end of February.

The researchers considered five scenarios for how the pandemic could play out with different levels of mask-wearing and rules about staying home and social distancing. All the scenarios assumed that no vaccine was available, nor any medicines capable of curing the disease. Realistically, vaccines will not be available for many months and will only be taken by about 60% of people, so it will not be an immediate cure.

The authors said only 49% of Americans said they “always” wore a mask in public, according to the study. If U.S. residents do not wear mask in increasing numbers, they risk another round of mandatory social distancing measures that could once more shut down the small amount of businesses and schools around the country that are attempting to stay open.

∙Wish I knew the election results prior to this issue. Will comment, of course, in the next issue. You know that I am hoping that Biden wins. In the meantime, congratulations to our new (or returning) City Council members. More about them in the next issue.

∙ Wow, another year for the Ventura Breeze. It’s been a tough one, as it has been for most businesses. My thanks to all the special people involved in making the paper happen; our wonderful writers, photographers and distributors for managing to work around the virus and still do a great job, Deena (AKA as Breezy) Gledhill our senior account executive who brings in the money – it’s been a real challenge for her this year. Alfred J. Lewis, of Studio Nothing who lays out the paper and Cindy Summers who does several things including maintaining our website.

A special thank you as well to the many donors (see the back cover) who have contributed funds to keep us going. Many have chosen to not be mentioned. It is so exciting and rewarding to me that readers are willing to help us keep publishing. We received $5 from anonymous with the note, “Sorry this isn’t more! Thanks for your fine coverage of local news.” How special is that?

∙There has been much objection to the Ventura City Council upholding the Planning Commission’s approval of a four-story, mixed-use project at the corner of Front and Laurel Streets, rejecting two appeals that argued the project doesn’t fit the surrounding neighborhood. The proposed building would include 46 condominium units, including five affordable units, and five commercial tenant spaces.

The Downtown Specific Plan was adopted in 2007 and establishes the future development in downtown. This neighborhood is zoned for high-density, mixed-use buildings with retail space, offices and apartments. The proposed project falls under Plan, so the City Council is required to make its decision based on whether the project fits the Plan, which it does.

Community Development Director Peter Gilli explained the project is consistent with both the Downtown Specific Plan and the city’s General Plan, and it is compatible with what is allowed in the neighborhood. The city can’t arbitrarily deny approvals that are allowed by zoning. The applicant did request a larger 4th story under the State’s Density Bonus Law which allows projects with affordable housing to request increased density and other concessions to what is normally allowed. Cities are limited in their ability to deny these State mandated approvals.

If you would like to participate in the future planning of Ventura, you have a chance. In this issue is an article “City seeking people to work on the general plan.” The General Plan guides the City’s vision, goals, policies, and actions for the next 25 years!”

∙ For quick look at your city council candidates, go to www.venturabreeze.com and at top of the page click on Meet the Candidates.

∙ If there is a coronavirus vaccine rushed through prior to the elections, I certainly won’t be taking it. I believe in vaccines and have already had my flu shot, but we need to be sure that the vaccine had gone through many clinical tests and trials before being available. The experts say this might not be until next summer.

∙When Tommy Fisher decided he wanted to build his own private border wall in Texas, he said he wanted to keep out trouble from Mexico. I’m sure the fact that his construction company has landed more than $2 billion in government contracts to build President Trump’s official wall was not a consideration.

∙By Tyrone Beason from the LA Times.

‘Anyone who doubts that American democracy could fall if President Trump wins reelection should take it from someone who knows John Dean who says, he believes a budding dictator occupies the White House. “I worked for the last authoritarian president (Richard Nixon) and he was dangerous enough, said Dean. Trump makes Nixon look like a choirboy. If we get four more years of him, Dean said, “then our democracy will be gone.’

Some Republicans fearing that aligning with Trump could hurt their reelection chances are now criticizing him. Even though I agree with them, I don’t respect them doing this to save their careers. Republican Sen. Ben Sasse has criticized President Donald Trump saying a number of unflattering things about the President, including that he’s “flirted with white supremacists” and “kisses dictator’s’ butts. The United States now regularly sells out our allies under his leadership. “

Former White House chief of staff, retired Marine Gen. John Kelly, has told friends that President Donald Trump “is the most flawed person” he’s ever known. “The depths of his dishonesty is just astounding to me. The dishonesty, the transactional nature of every relationship is more pathetic than anything else.”

What kind of a president says things such as this? “Suburban women, will you please like me? I saved your damn neighborhoods, ok?”

Might this be the reason why he wants to get reelected? Without some of the protections afforded him by the presidency, Trump will become vulnerable to multiple investigations looking into possible fraud in his financial business dealings as a private citizen. As an individual and through his companies. He faces lawsuits that could cost him lots of money and even send him to prison.

Michigan’s secretary of state banned the open carry of guns at polling places and other official voting locations on Election Day in the state. Did we ever think that such a statement would need to be made? How frightening to think that “Trump’s army” will be at polling places intimidating voters.

Caroline Giuliani, the daughter of President Donald Trump’s personal attorney and former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, is urging Americans to “end this nightmare” by voting for Democratic nominee Joe Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris.

The former Navy SEAL known for his role in the operation that killed Osama bin Laden is speaking out after President Donald Trump encouraged conspiracy theories that the terrorist leader’s death was a hoax. Donald Trump defended spreading a preposterous conspiracy theory about the death of Osama bin Laden saying he had merely been passing along a supporter’s view. “That was an opinion of somebody and that was a retweet. I’ll put it out there” he said, when questioned by NBC’s Savannah Guthrie about his passing along a theory that the killing of bin Laden by Navy SEAL Team 6 had been staged, and that members of the unit had been killed to cover it up.

“I don’t get that. You’re the president,” Guthrie said. “You’re not like someone’s crazy uncle who can just retweet whatever.”

How ironic is this? The antibody cocktail that President Trump received for his COVID-19 infection and touted as a “cure” for the deadly virus was developed using cells derived from aborted fetal tissue, a practice the White House and anti-abortion rights groups oppose.

Donald Trump said his coronavirus infection was a “blessing from God” because it educated him about potential drugs to treat the disease meant to demonstrate his return to work after several days in the hospital. How can this man dare make such a statement? What about the million people worldwide and the 215,000 so far – heading towards 400,000 – Americans that are dead.

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∙In this special issue of the Breeze, we feature the candidates for the Ventura City Council, Mayor Matt LaVere’s 2020 State of the City, Jim Friedman’s thoughts about council districts and a tribute to retiring council member Cheryl Heitmann. I hope that you enjoy it, and please vote ( mailing in is the safest way right now).

∙The Ventura City Council voted 6-1 to keep the city’s red-light detection cameras for another two years. The “no” vote was from Councilmember Cheryl Heitmann who said she’s been opposed to the cameras from the very beginning.

A majority of the council aren’t thrilled with the cameras saying that they either want the cameras gone after the two years or they want a new system with a new company (not Redflex Traffic Systems who have been providing the system for Ventura for almost 20 years).

I wish they hadn’t continued this and will give serious consideration to eliminating them completely.

∙Major Walter Reed, M.D., U.S. Army (September 13, 1851 – November 22, 1902), was a U.S. Army physician who in 1901 led the team that confirmed the theory of the Cuban doctor Carlos Finlay that yellow fever is transmitted by a particular mosquito species, rather than by direct contact. This insight gave impetus to the new fields of epidemiology and biomedicine, and most immediately allowed the resumption and completion of work on the Panama Canal (1904–1914) by the United States. Reed followed work started by Carlos Finlay and directed by George Miller Sternberg, who has been called the “first U.S. bacteriologist”. The now more well-known Walter Reed Medical Center is named after him.

∙A new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that the median age of people with COVID-19 in the U.S. has declined with Americans in their 20s now accounting for more cases than people in any other age group. The findings suggest that if the U.S. wants to get the coronavirus outbreak under control it will need more compliance (and government reaching out) from younger adults.

∙A Maryland man was sentenced to a year in prison for hosting two parties in defiance of the state’s coronavirus orders barring large gatherings. Shawn Marshall Myers, 42, had 50 to 60 people in his home for the first occurrence on March 22.

When officers arrived to shut down the party he was “argumentative.” He eventually agreed to shut down the party. But, he went right back to throwing another large party with more than 50 people less than a week after his first one was shut down.

I’m glad that he was found guilty of a crime. Large unprotected gatherings can kill people and spread the virus. Anyone who has unprotected gatherings should perhaps go to jail.

∙A federal appeals court has upheld Governor Gavin Newsom’s restricting indoor worship during the pandemic. The court determined California’s health orders did not discriminate against religious expression, and the conditions apply the same to worship services the same as other indoor events. I certainly agree, religious freedom doesn’t mean jeopardizing lives.

∙Tik Tok won a significant victory against the Trump administration when a federal judge ruled in favor of the tech company’s request to delay a ban on the app. Tik Tok will remain available in the US and continue to provide software updates. If they are a national threat, I think much more evidence needs to be provided. They provide a needed service for many Americans.

∙Approximately 83% of Democrats consider wildfires to be a serious threat while only 59% of Republicans share this belief. Amazing the very basic differences between people of different political parties. Much of California is burning to the ground – isn’t this a serious threat?

∙Joseph I. Castro, the grandson of farmworkers who rose during a career in higher education to lead Cal State Fresno, has been named the chancellor of the California State University system. He is the first person of color to lead this system. His life will be an inspiration to 43% of Cal State’s 480,000 students who are Latino.

∙Apparently, Biden (and logical people) is not wrong for wearing masks. Perhaps those that don’t are the wrong ones. I wonder if Trump still thinks it is a hoax by the liberal left to make him look bad? If it is, it certainly has succeeded.

∙Adopted in 1971, the 26th amendment lowered the voting age to 18. California voters can decide if 17-year-olds can vote under certain circumstances by approving proposition 18. I support it. Especially with today’s youth, they are so much more knowledgeable about affairs because of the time they spend on social media (all of it is not a waste).

∙I’m opposed to Amy Coney Barrett being on the Supreme Court because she is a Roman Catholic. Wait, am I some kind a racist? No, but with her on the court, 67% of the justices will be Roman Catholics even though they represent about 20% of the US population. The Supreme Court should at least make some attempt to represent the whole country. Can you imagine the backlash if 67% of the court were Jewish or some other minority?

∙Chris Christie, the former governor of New Jersey, announced Saturday morning he tested positive for COVID-19, one day after revealing nobody wore a mask while preparing for the first presidential debate with President Donald Trump. Three Minnesota congressmen who flew on Air Force One with Trump have also tested positive for COVID-19.

Many of those involved with Trump will be testing positive. Will they be angry with him? I certainly would be. Will his fans finally understand that masks and distancing have a purpose and this has never been a hoax?

∙Just when I think Trump can’t be more irresponsible, he states he’s feeling good and the nation should not “be afraid of the virus” and let it dominate your life. A virus that has killed more than 209,000 Americans. I wonder how the relatives and friends of the 209,000 feel about it. Also, he has medication not available to anyone else and the White House has an entire medical facility in it to care for him.

∙At a special City Council meeting held on Tuesday, September 8, the Council approved the extension of the popular ‘Main Street Moves’ program. This is a temporary outdoor business expansion program that allows businesses within the 6 block closure area of historic Downtown Ventura Main St (Fir St. to Figueroa Plaza) to expand onto the streets and sidewalks as a means to support local commerce during COVID-19. Main Street Moves is a collaborative effort between the City of Ventura and the Downtown Ventura Partners.

Happy to say that this program has really helped keep restaurants in business but not sure how it has affected non-restaurant businesses that are open. Plus there have been complaints about a lot more traffic on Poli.

Another good thing that the City is doing is to allow restaurants to expand outside by removing some of their required parking.

∙ It’s wonderful that Governor Newsom signed a bill that outlaws the retail sale of flavored tobacco products in California. The new law takes effect on January 1 and is a result of a surge in teen use of flavored tobacco. I know that some adults who smoke say that flavored tobacco has allowed them to stop smoking (ain’t they both smoking?), but my concern is to keep young people from starting to smoke,because once they do, in most cases, it lasts a lifetime.

∙According to data released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Northern Hemisphere just sweltered through its hottest summer on record. Globally, August ranked as the second-hottest month since record keeping began in 1880.

Historic wildfires and extreme weather events in the U.S. have sharpened focus on global warming and the catastrophic impacts of climate change (we know of course that climate change is a hoax even if it was 121 degrees in Woodland Hills).

∙My condolences, and love goes out to the Baker family for the passing of their daughter Izzy as reported in our last issue. She was, as Yiddish calls her, part of the Breeze mishpucha.

∙SPAN Thrift Store is now open to the public and looking for donations of adult clothing, household items and tools, if you have any of these items you no longer use. See more on the pet page.

∙Bike Week ends on September 25th. The VC Transportation Commission is asking you to bike instead of driving one day per week. This is an annual event encouraging residents to use their bicycles instead of their cars. If you are working at home, you can ride your bike around the block and then come back home thereby not using your car to get to work. If you go to goventura.org/bike-week you can enter to win a $100 VISA gift card. The deadline is September 30th.

∙ Our nation has lost an amazing lady in Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She was a brilliant justice and a trailblazer. She leaves an extraordinary legacy. Ginsburg was born and grew up in Brooklyn, New York and earned her bachelor’s degree at Cornell University. She was married to Martin D. Ginsburg and was a mother before starting law school at Harvard, where the 5-foot tall Ruth was one of the few women in her class. Ginsburg transferred to Columbia Law School, where she graduated first in her class. She was a professor at Rutgers Law School and Columbia Law School, teaching civil procedure as one of the few women in her field.

Just hours after Ginsburg died, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Trump’s pick to replace Ginsburg will get a vote on the Senate floor, prompting an angry response from Democrats.

This is just another example of the hypocrisy of our political system (on both sides).When Obama nominated U.S. Circuit Court Judge Merrick Garland in 2016 to fill the seat of Justice Antonin Scalia, McConnell and the majority of his Republican Senate colleagues refused to grant a confirmation hearing 10 months before the presidential election saying the next president should make the appointment.

At the time, Ted Cruz was running to be the Republican presidential nominee and released a statement, saying, “I proudly stand with my Republican colleagues in our shared belief that we should not vote on any nominee until the next president is sworn into office.” Not all Republicans agree.

Now Cruz and many of his Republican colleagues have a different take.

∙If an alien just landed here, they would think that Biden was president and Trump was running against him. Trump ads (and words) show bad things going on right now and state, “If Biden was president this is what the country would look like, but if law and order Trump is elected this wouldn’t be happening.”

Also, Trump commenting on the shooting of two Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies stated that Democratic presidential rival Joe Biden is weak on law and order issues. How is Biden at all responsible for what’s going on in this country? Wait, isn’t this happening on Trump’s watch? Occasionally, reporters need to remind him that he is president.

∙In a tweet, the president urged voters in North Carolina to vote twice, once by mail and once in person. Voting twice is illegal in all states. Even Trump’s tweet might be a violation of North Carolina election law, which specifies that “to induce another to commit a fraud to register or vote at more than one precinct or more than one time, in the same primary or election” is unlawful.

∙House Majority Whip James Clyburn on Thursday slammed Attorney General William Barr for comparing coronavirus lockdowns in the US to slavery, saying the comments are “the most ridiculous, tone-deaf, God-awful thing I’ve ever heard.”

∙Trump said recently at a White House press briefing; “I really do believe we’re rounding the corner” the same day that 1,000 more Americans died. And the deaths of 200,000 coming up.

∙ According to a federal health official, Trump-appointed communications officials at the US Department of Health and Human Services pushed to change language to weekly science reports released by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention so as not to undermine his political message.

∙An overwhelming majority of Americans have no confidence or trust in President Donald Trump to verify the safety of any coronavirus vaccine, a new ABC News/Ipsos poll shows.

Only 9 percent, of U.S. adults said they have a great deal of confidence in Trump’s ability, or intention, to confirm the effectiveness of a COVID-19 vaccine. Sixty-nine percent of Americans in the poll released Sunday said they don’t have any confidence in Trump’s endorsement of the vaccine.

This, coupled with people concerned about the safety of vaccines, especially one that is being fast-tracked might mean that a vaccine may never work if only a minority of people participate.