•  In our last issue, I commended Neal Andrews for having the courage of his convictions – because of his displeasure with the Republican National Committee he decided to stop being an active member. Some readers had a problem with me saying that because they thought I was siding with his concerns, which I wasn’t. If he was a member of the Democratic National Committee and made the same decision, I still would have applauded him. My comments had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that he is a Republican.

•  This Saturday is the last concert of the wonderful Music Under the Stars music series at the Olivas Adobe (Lisa Haley & The Zydekats will play). It will be another sold out performance (6 of the 9 were sold out). So next year be sure to get your tickets early for this exceptional outdoor concert series.

•  We have two “articles” in this issue regarding Brooks Institute closing. My last words (I hope) on the subject.

Brooks officials said the reason they made the “difficult decision” to shut down was due to declining enrollment and significant changes in the regulatory environment. These variables made it unlikely the school could be successful going forward.

 What nonsense, their enrollment over the past several years had fallen from 2,500 to 250, hardly enough to sustain an ongoing business. Their issues didn’t magically occur in the months prior to renting all of the downtown spaces and commencing construction. It seems as if they were just hoping that this move might save the school from shutting down.

Plus, the company that owned Brooks was counting on enrolling hordes of foreign students to make up the slack by bringing in foreign students which did not happen.

I feel sorry for the many people that were affected. The students, clerical staff, instructors, landlords (both the commercial buildings who now have many liens on their buildings), homeowners who rented to students, the Clocktower Inn who set aside 27 rooms for students, the contractors and sub-contractors who weren’t paid and the poor students who lost everything.

I recently met a young girl who moved here from Texas to attend Brooks and had rented a house with four other Brook’s students. Who takes care of their broken lease?

Not to mention the merchants who would have benefited from Brooks being downtown and the non-profits who were forced to relocate. For example, Focus on the Masters the non-profit art appreciation program moved thousands of art pieces, huge numbers of files and much much more to a space on a different floor in the same location behind City Hall, about ½ half the size that they were in previously. The space is now so crowded that there is hardly room to walk through it. And, they still haven’t found a new location to hold their fund raising art boutiques.

Even local taxpayers will probably not see the city recoup the $70,000 that they didn’t collect up front from Brooks as a security deposit and back rent.

Now it’s finger pointing time. I blame those who convinced the City Council that this would be wonderful (which it would have been) and the City Council (and staff) for not doing a more thorough due diligence of Brooks and taking steps to protect the City should defaults have occurred. A deeper dive would have likely raised concerns with the conclusion that Brooks was not going to be a viable tenant.

There are bonds and insurance that would have protected the City (maybe our City Attorney should have insisted on this). Taking out an insurance policy wouldn’t have cost the city anything because the tenant or contractor pays for the completion bond. Because it was the taxpayers at risk if something went wrong, this should have been done under any circumstances.

The City says that they studied Brooks’ finances and believed the school looked solid. From my perspective, it’s hard to believe that they would have come to that conclusion.

I am not personally affected, but even I’m disheartened by this, so I can imagine how depressed those are that were very personally involved and impacted.

•  Moving on, new reports show if Americans would quit smoking and cut back on drinking, most cancer deaths could be prevented. Maintaining a healthy weight and exercising at least 20 minutes a day would also benefit, so get with it.

•  Preparatory grading work has begun for the construction of the new 72,000 square foot Kaiser Permanente outpatient complex located right off of the freeway near Victoria. It will also include a community garden, nature walk, and amphitheater.

•  Due to the lucrative smuggling industry, reports show that the amount of Chinese immigrants crossing the Mexican border into California illegally has increased drastically. A report by the Migration Policy Institute shows the Chinese are the fifth largest population of immigrants in the United States illegally. I propose that we build a wall at our border and call it The Second Great Wall of China to keep them out.

•  After completing a five-year 1.7 billion mile journey through the solar system, NASA’s Juno spacecraft is now set to begin a close-up study of Jupiter. A remarkable feat, yet here on earth, “we” can’t figure out how to stop people from killing each other. As my 11-year old grandson Evin asked, “If people are so smart why do they do such stupid things?” If we only knew.

•  Very sad, but not at all surprising, Brooks Institute is closing down. The City and building landlords might have gotten overly excited that Brooks was moving downtown. A closer examination, though, would have shown that Brooks has been in serious condition for several years with a declining student enrollment that could hardly support what they were attempting to do.

The handwriting was on the wall a few weeks ago when the president of Brooks, Edward Clift, was fired and the majority of the board of trustees resigned.

Not sure who to feel the most sorry for here. Perhaps the students (some from China and Europe) that have likely lost considerable money and possibly college credits. Not to mention city officials, property owners (who will have liens placed on their buildings) and downtown merchants who have been eagerly anticipating Brooks’ arrival and certainly the wonderful faculty who will be out of a jobs very shortly. There were also many construction workers involved as well – I would guess not all payments have been made. I’m sure lawsuits will follow next.

•  Turning to politics, in this issue we have articles about City Council Member’s Neal Andrews and Carl Morehouse. Carl has decided that he will not be running again after first winning a seat in 1999. This will mean at least one new member of the council will be joining the council in November, which I believe will be good for the Council and Ventura. There are several very qualified candidates running.

Regarding Neil, he has announced that he has resigned from the Ventura County Republican Central Committee. I applaud him for having the courage of his convictions and for making what was, I’m sure, a difficult personal decision.

•  Some of the questions that commentator’s ask at the Olympics are really stupid – , would love the athletes to give the answers that they would like to. For instance, after winning a swimming event, the question was, “How do you think that you did that?” Answer should have been, “I swam fast!”

•  I have finally figured out Trump. He is senile and delusional and doesn’t realize that he is actually running for president. Seems like he believes that the race is a reality show and the more outrageous he is (like Howard Stern) the better the ratings will be for the show. And Russian President Vladimir Putin has dismissed several of his staff members, hmm, apparently making room for Trump.

•  Someday, I will finally learn to use the words “than” and “then” correctly in sentences, but in the meantime, keep correcting me – I can take it.

•  As goes massage parlors and strip clubs, goes Ventura. Ventura is updating its ordinance regulating adult businesses and is using an outside firm to update the zoning code. The City will spend around $211,000 to develop the ordinance.

Officials will be meeting with business owners of “legitimate businesses” to make sure that new regulations don’t unnecessarily hinder their operations. Several massage operators are concerned that it could hurt their practices, while doing little to curb human trafficking and prostitution.

The need to update the current ordinance is a result of the myriad of massage parlors that have opened up in the last few years, and Agassi Halajyan’s proposal to open up a strip club at 4721 Market Street. Ventura’s entertainment ordinance has not been updated in more than 20 years.

Officials initially tried to block the business by saying that the club might be near a school, which turned out to be unfounded. When this tactic didn’t work, the Council passed an “urgency ordinance” that included regulations that the club be a “no touch” business, offered no lap dances, closed at 2 a.m. and had strict interior and exterior lighting requirements.

Halajyan hasn’t initiated any processes with the city since the passing of the emergency ordinance, so perhaps the restrictions are too prohibitive. The fact that alcohol could not be served there would certainly reduce its potential income.

•  It’s just the beginning of the official fire season in California and yet almost 225,000 acres have burned so far – 16 times the size of Ventura.

•  In order to promote low-income housing, the City Council voted 7-0 to rezone 691 Riverside St. from industrial to dense residential. The vote clears the way for a 23-unit residential development.

The planning staff’s report stated “This is a 100 percent affordable-housing project for persons of low/very low/extremely low income levels, which are the greatest affordability level needs in the city’s designated Regional Housing Element Need.”

This area is mostly residential now and is an appropriate use of that property. The development will include 15 two-bedroom and eight three-bedroom units on just under an acre.

As part of the action, the council also waived $25,000 in fees for the developer, which will come from the general fund contingency.

I like to see the city help support/promote this type of housing. I wish they would proactively support other types of developments, as it can take up to 10-years from initial submittals to a project being built here. As a result, some developers run screaming out of Ventura. Look at all the empty dirt lots we have here.

•  In South Sudan, a price for a bride (some as young as 12) is 20-40 cows. A girl who is seen as beautiful, fertile and of high social rank can be worth as much as 200 cows. It is rumored that a beautiful American movie star can be worth 10,000 cows with a few goats thrown in to seal the deal.

•  On Saturday, Sunday and Monday (right before our issue is printed and distributed on Wednesday) Alfred J. Lewis, the Breeze’s Graphic Artist from Studio Nothing, lays out the paper and, as always, makes it look wonderful.

On the Friday, before our July 20 issue, we had a scare. Alfred called me and asked me if I could take him to Community Memorial Hospital (CMH) because he thought it was possible he was having a heart attack. I told him I’d be over right after I finished my dinner (kidding, of course). I immediately took him to the ER and it took them two days to determine that he had a hiatal hernia and not a heart attack.

Alfred was operated on and spent several more days in the hospital. So, you ask, what is amazing about this? Well, Alfred had his friend Sue bring his design computer to CMH. The hospital staff kindly, but reluctantly, set up a table on his bed and he designed the paper while lying there recovering, but in pain he was on significant levels of medication (with his great sense of humor, Alfred said that it reminded him of when he was in his early twenties).

On Tuesday, about 6 hours later than usual, Alfred sent the issue to our printer, and on Wednesday we delivered the Breeze to our nearly 600 distribution locations. Alfred, is my hero.

•  The City Council is looking at new regulations for the control of massage parlors and short term rentals in Ventura (STVR). Recommendations for both of these uses will be presented by staff to the Council in September at which time they can take further action or request further information. There is a freeze on massage parlors in place that is being analyzed further.

The Council instructed staff as follows for the STVR:

1) Return to the City Council in September 2016 with a recommended process for reviewing and considering changes to the City’s current STVR ordinance, policies, and practices to include a community and stakeholder outreach/ engagement process.

2) Return to the City Council in September 2016 with a draft ordinance placing a moratorium on the issuance of any new STVR permits during the review period. This would allow those that currently hold a valid STVR permit to continue to operate under the existing ordinance, but would preclude the issue of any new permits.

The Council wants to know what the effects are of short-term vacation rentals on the community. Many Pierpont residents have complained about STVR. They want to know about related calls for police and fire services, the number of rentals and how that is changing.

Councilmember Mike Tracy requested a greater analysis of the STVR situation before he could decide whether a moratorium should be put in place.

City staff will also look into how many rentals in Ventura don’t have City required permits for short term rentals. I’m not sure how they will accomplish that.

What is interesting is that the California Coastal Commission generally interprets short-term rentals to be an acceptable use in residential zones The commission sees them as a way of offering affordable options for families to have coastal access and use our beaches.

For massage parlors, to be considered a house of ill-repute, and not a legitimate massage business, it would need to be proven that “There is substantial evidence of prostitution” . I wonder what that would be?

In both of these situations, Councilmembers expressed concerns about how massage parlors and short term rental ordinances would be regulated by the Ventura Police Department and code enforcement. Both of these agencies are very understaffed and are challenged with managing their current caseloads.

Tracy (our ex-chief of police) stated, “If there isn’t a clear enforcement mechanism, we’re wasting our time.”

•  I see ads (mostly for cars) on TV that state “These are real people not actors.” I always thought that actors were real people.

•  Sarah Palin said that she didn’t attend the RNC because Cleveland was too far from Alaska. Was she planning to get there on a dogsled? She had no problem leaving Alaska when she decided she could make more money on speaking tours than from being Governor.

•  I’m shocked to learn that Brooks Institute’s plans to expand into downtown Ventura have been put on temporary hold by Brooks and all construction has been stopped. Some major construction has already started in several locations, which has cost thousands of dollars.

They have suspended the work in order to allow more time to review and assess the buildings and projects, whatever that means. Construction has been ahead of schedule, so, assuming they decide to continue they will still be on schedule. Brooks has a lease until December at their existing location on their Ventura Ave.

Green Planet Inc., a privately owned company in Waltham, Massachusetts, assumed ownership of Brooks in spring of 2015. Green Planet Inc. is a mid-sized, relatively new organization in the business consulting services industry. It opened its doors in 2011 and now has an estimated $7.9 million in yearly revenue and 200 employees.

To occupy the site behind City Hall which is owned by the city, the occupants (several non-profits) had to pick up and leave. The City Council approved the five-year lease with Brooks for two floors in the building.

This hold by Brooks might not be as it seems. The contractor’s doing the remodeling projects were not being paid and shut down the projects. Brook’s might be in serious financial trouble. I certainly hope not if Brook’s abandons the move (almost impossible to imagine), there will be some very angry and upset people including downtown merchants who looked forward to additional customers eating and purchasing in downtown. And lots of lawsuits.

•  I want to thank the Ventura County Fair for placing their flyer in this issue of the Breeze. Always a great event and very fun and rewarding way to spend a day, or two.

•  We are pleased to introduce our new “Real Estate Showcase” page in this issue featuring property listings from local Realtors. We hope you enjoy this new service.

•  One of Ventura’s finest evenings is undoubtedly the summer outdoor concerts at Olivas Adobe. Ventura’s coolest “Music Under The Stars” summer nightclub offers a great mix of high quality bands including a large dance floor, full beverage service, a gourmet food truck and fine coffee, espresso and smoothies from the Javacat truck at all of the events. Or, you can bring your own food and drinks.

Seating is limited and concerts regularly sell out, so avoid disappointment at the door by buying tickets early at the City’s Web site, www.cityofventura.net/mus. There are 7 concerts remaining.

Olivas Adobe is located near the Harbor, at 4200 Olivas Park Dr. Tickets are $20 and are available at 658.4726 or at door for not sold out concerts. www.cityofventura.net/mus for more information. Come say hi because I regularly attend all the concerts.

•  In this issue, we include an article regarding the City Council meeting to address homeless living conditions. I want to complement the City Council for the manner in which they dealt with his sensitive situation.

Council members showed concern for both the homeless and for Venturans who might be impacted by the placement of homeless facilities in, or close to,  residential areas. In my opinion it was one of the best run and articulated City Council meetings ever.

Even with new zoning, their vote was mostly symbolic due to lack of funds to build new facilities. Ventura doesn’t have the money, so it would require private enterprises or non-profits to build facilities.

•  In a very controversial agreement, the City has agreed to pay $2.3 million to buy the Harbor Community Church property at 3100 Preble Ave. With the church agreeing to leave Ventura and drop their lawsuit against the City (see article in this issue). This seems like an excessive amount to pay, but apparently our City Attorney felt that the church had a good case against the City if their lawsuit were to make it to court. For $2.3 million, I’m willing to sell the City my house and agree to leave Ventura. Hmm, better not give them any ideas maybe they want to get rid of me.

•  The City Council recently passed a $265 million operating budget. Some Council members took the opportunity to mention the need for additional revenue to provide residents the services needed. Residents will decide in November whether they want to help pay for more with a ½ cent sales-tax increase. Much more about that as elections get closer. Read some “Mailbox” comments and an article by City Staff regarding the proposed increase.

The 2016-17 fiscal year budget is roughly $8 million less than the 2015-2016 budget because of fewer capital projects being initiated.

The budget includes $205,000 to have security ambassadors at Mission and Plaza parks and, starting soon, along the Promenade. I think that this is extremely important, especially on the Promenade where many tourists congregate and are offended by the gathering of the homeless.

•  Even though the City Attorney’s office expressed concerns that the Save Our Agricultural Resources (SOAR) initiative might expose the City to litigation and legal challenges, the City Council voted 5-2 to place the measure on the November ballot.

The majority of the council felt it important to respect the desires of the more than 10,000 residents who signed the initiative’s petition.

Council member Cheryl Heitmann said, “It isn’t a perfect initiative and the initiative process isn’t perfect but it is a democratic process. I think it’s important to honor that process.”

Council member’s Neal Andrews and Jim Monahan voted no, and I agree with them. We have an existing SOAR in Ventura now, and it will last for many years, so I think that we should have waited to put a new revised SOAR initiative on the ballot in 2018.

•  The City Council has reached new labor agreements with its police and service unions. All three contracts, approved in May, run through June 30, 2018. The contracts cost the City $787,370 in the fiscal year that ended June 30. It will cost another $1.6 million in 2016-17 and another $1.1 million in 2017-18, according to Assistant City Manager Dan Paranick.

The average pay in 2015 for those covered under the police contract, which includes officers, sergeants and corporals was roughly $105,000, and retirement and health benefits averaged around $50,000. The average pay in 2015 for management, assistant police chiefs and commanders was around $145,000, and health and retirement costs were $62,000.

•  Besides offering you the opportunity to become rich, the California Lottery’s sole mandate is to raise supplemental funds for all California public schools. They send about $1 billion a year to public education. That means K-12, Community Colleges, CSU and UC campuses and several specialized schools. Now this may sound like a lot, but it is approximately only $166 per student per year.

$166 is better than nothing but not much when you think of all the fuss made about the Lottery solving our schools’ financial problems and the quantity of paid employees needed to operate.

•  In our last issue, I commented about the abundant amount of microbreweries in Ventura. I said that I don’t like beer, but I don’t like chocolate either so maybe (maybe?) I’m just strange. Most people like both of them.

•  Because of the demolition work being done at the corner of Thompson Blvd. and Sanjon Rd. , I have been asked by several people if I know what is being built on the site. A 31-unit townhouse project has had very preliminary approvals, but is still sometime away from being built.

Due to the awful condition of the site, and because the homeless have been living in some of the structures, the City is allowing the property owner to do some preliminary demo and grading to clean it up. I commend the City for allowing this, as a dirt lot will certainly be better then what had been there previously.

•  The Harbor Views publication is in this issue. The Ventura Port District inserts this in the Ventura Breeze because they know that it is an effective way to reach Venturans. I thank them for this, and we can all learn a lot of nice things happening at our Ventura Harbor.

•  To give the Erskine Fire, Kern County fire some perspective, it burned about 50,000 acres. Ventura is about 14,000 square acres so the fire was over 3 times the size of our city.

•  Several years ago, there was preliminary talk about building an aquarium at the end of the Harbor. This would have been a wonderful addition, but I have been told that approvals from the many jurisdictions involved made it too difficult to pursue. They included the Port District, Coastal Commission, the City and who knows who else.

•  CVS Pharmacy will be occupying the former Fresh&Easy building located at 2260 East Thompson Boulevard. The exterior revisions will only consist of new paint colors.

•  I’m glad to see that the many recently shuttered downtown restaurants (5-6 perhaps) have new owners and are in the process of re-opening. The restaurant business it tough so I hope that these new establishments can survive. It’s important to not have empty buildings of any sort downtown (or anywhere in the City, for that matter). Rocket Fizz is relocating from 105 S. Oak St.  to 315 E. Main St.

•  The renovation problems at the Pierpont Inn continue, but all services are up and running.

Ventura city officials red-tagged portions of the Inn about 5-months ago after non-permitted work   being performed by the contractor made it dangerous to occupy. The contractor (who should have known better) removed structural beams after finding dry-rot. A wood structure this old is usually full of dry-rot and termites and the contractor should have been prepared for that.

The Inn has had several owners during the last 5-years but has been owned by DKN Hotels of Irvine since 2015. A major company like this should have known better then to initiate construction without required permits. Plus, this is a designated historical building which requires special review and approvals by our Historic Preservation Committee which also wasn’t obtained.

Two weeks ago, the city issued more violation notices because of the lack of progress and the fact that some red tagged areas were being used.

If the work and proper permits aren’t obtained in a timely manner, the city could shut down the hotel.

The Inn’s application for a special use permit to present their summer BBQ concerts (a local favorite) has been denied by the City. I would assume that when the “permitted” work is completed, they can receive the use permit but summer will be over by then.

On the positive side, the hotel and restaurant are completely functional. The restaurant and bar have been moved to a new location in the building and still have great ocean views. The bar is not as nice as the old one but has some seating and drinks can be served to the tables.

The rooms are being completely remodeled and are very nicely furnished.

I am shocked that a major hotel owner would proceed with the remodeling without obtaining the required permits and approvals.

•  The Federal Aviation Administration has announced new rules for flying drones. Drones flown for commercial uses no longer require a special permit only if they don’t weigh more than 55 pounds, fly no higher than 400 feet and no closer than 400 feet from buildings. So, we might start to deliver the Ventura Breeze by drone except you might need to walk in the middle of the freeway to get a copy.

•  The Republican controlled Senate has voted down proposals to ban gun sales to terrorism suspects. I guess the second amendment protects all Americans that wish to own guns. Maybe it’s time to control the type of guns that can be purchased as the State has just done.

And speaking of gun rights, a 6-year old boy accidentally shot his 4-year old brother in the head while playing with his mother’s pistol. I’m sure that crooks will now leave the lady alone knowing that she owns a pistol.

•  The Ventura City Council has voted 4-3 to not place a salary increase on the November ballot.

Because they voted 6-1 to ask voters to raise the sales tax by a half cent, they felt that also asking for a pay increase at the same time would not sit well with voters. The pay increase will probably be included on the 2018 ballot. The Council pay will stay at $600 per month and $700 for the Mayor.

Mike Tracy best summarized why 4 members voted against by saying, “There’s no way our current compensation is adequate, but it didn’t make sense to put it on the ballot the same time as the proposed sales tax measure.”

■  You will have  noticed that this issue is in full color. And, it has upgraded paper which enables us to deliver more vibrant ads and higher quality photos to our readers. We have wanted to transition to this format for quite some time now, but to do so required two things….. great support from our advertisers and a new printer that offered these services. I would like to give an emphatic thank you to our advertisers for many years of support which makes this all possible. And, to our great readers, we hope you receive even more enjoyment from the “new” Ventura Breeze.

■   As construction continues on Main Street in Midtown, I would like to remind you that businesses remain open. You may need to follow detour signs or park behind the buildings. The Ventura Breeze wants to support our local businesses through this potentially difficult time and hopes that you will also.

■   I’m glad to see that the City Council has voted to continue financing the Downtown Ventura Partners to provide the Parks Security Ambassador services. I know that many of you don’t see this, but the “Ambassadors” have helped several of our parks remain clean and safe by working with the homeless that frequent them.

■   I don’t understand the ordinance exactly, but the City Council has approved (by a 6-1 vote) the “net zero” water ordinance which imposes additional fees for new development based upon the projected water usage. The recommended fees were developed by a Water Commission appointed by the City Council.

In approving the ordinance, Councilmember Christy Weir said that she was confident of the work done by the commission and their recommendations.

I just hope that the additional funds are used specifically to solve our water problems. Additional funds seem to always end up in general funds and not used for what they were originally proposed for.

■   Four times a year, City Planning gives the City Council a summary on new major projects submitted to the City.

At a recent City Council meeting, Community Development Director Jeff Lambert gave the Council details about the five projects that were submitted between February and April.

One project (none of them were very well received), a 12-unit residential development with about 1,300 square feet of commercial space on Poli Street – right across from City Hall – was especially disliked and criticized by the Council.

A previous City Council decided that our architecture should be eclectic (compared to, say, Santa Barbara, that must be in the “mission” style).

In this sense, eclectic means “selecting what appears to be best in various doctrines, methods, or styles”. In other words, well designed contemporary architecture should be reviewed in the same light as good classical architecture. If that is not what the current City Council desires, it appears. If that is the case, they could make that recommendation to the Design Review Committee (DRC) and to City planning (CP).

In the common course of business, I don’t think that the City Council should be involved in questioning the approvals and recommendations of appointed committees including those of the DRC (which they appoint) and CP (that they don’t appoint).But, based upon the projects I’ve seen that have been approved by the DRC, I’m beginning to be on the side of the Council.

A good example is the building proposed on Poli.

The Council had only negative things to say about this “modern” building, and I certainly agree.

Their responses included, “really horrible”… “it’s just a big mistake in every way”…”this is totally uninspiring”…”it is an eyesore.”

To me, the design looks as if 6 different architects were involved, but didn’t actually get to see what the other one contributed. Reminds of the game where a piece paper is folded and each person draws part of a face. Then, everyone gets to see the entire face when the paper is unfolded.

This isn’t the only building that I feel about in this way. Looking at a few of the newer buildings on the Avenue, there’s no setback, no landscaping and extremely dangerous driveways that open immediately onto the sidewalk where drivers can’t see pedestrians, bike riders, and cars, therefore resulting in a very dangerous situation. All elements that the Poli project also has.

A return to the drawing board and the DRC to re-review this concept, and other similar projects, might be appropriate.

If you didn’t already know, I’m a retired licensed architect and graduate of the USC School of Architecture. I love contemporary design, but it needs to be good design.

■  When Bernie Sanders was in Ventura, the Times’ headline said “Seeking votes in exurbs,” so I looked up exurbs. “A region or settlement that lies outside a city and usually beyond its suburbs and that often is inhabited chiefly by well-to-do families”. Did you know that you were a well-to-do family living outside a city? All this time, I thought that we were a city.

■  Is Ventura becoming the microbrew beer capital of the world (at least per capita)? I don’t have an exact count, but with the several new businesses under construction we must have at least a dozen breweries (including restaurants that also brew their own beer). Is there that much demand for beer? And I don’t like beer.

•  In our last issue I had the following comments regarding a Ventura’s Historical Preservation Committee‘s vote. I have more to say about this.

“On May 23 Ventura’s Historical Preservation Committee, by a 3-2 vote, decided that the building at 567 Sanjon (most recently Joes Crab Shack and previously the Chart House) is not historically significant. Several third party experts had determined that the building is “not historically significant” and I certainly agree. Just because it is old does not make it a significant building and its architecture certainly doesn’t warrant this designation.”

The proposed large project on this site does not include preserving the restaurant building.

The Preservation Committee was to determine whether the structure – built in 1981 – in the organic architecture style is “historically significant” per State and National guidelines.

According to separate historic assessments conducted by the firms Rincon Consultants, Inc., of Ventura, and Historic Resources Group of Pasadena, the building fails to meet any of the guidelines.

In part, Rincon Consultants stated, “Rincon finds that the building located at 567 San Jon Rd. does not appear eligible for historic designation at the National, State or local levels of historic significance.  As such, the building located within the subject property is not considered a historical resource in accordance  with CEQA.”

Perhaps the building was historical when originally constructed (some Committee members reluctantly voting no because they thought so) but that is not the point it needs to be evaluated as it now exists. There have been many, many revisions to the building including some previously approved by the City Council. Today it certainly does not meet any of the conditions to deem it historical.

“Yes” votes, to deem it historical, were cast by Sherry Schafer and Committee Chair Pamela Huckins. I believe (as do several at City Hall) that they were negligent and remise in their responsibility as members of the Committee in voting for this building to be historical based upon all of the guidelines and as it now sits. I feel that they voted with their hearts and not their brains.

•  Ventura Police Chief Ken Corney has stated his opposition to a November ballot measure that seeks to legalize recreational marijuana use in California known as the Adult Use of Marijuana Act – a statewide ballot measure to control and regulate the adult use of marijuana.

Chief Corney, along with the California Police Chiefs Association (he is president of the organization), are opposed to the Adult Use of Marijuana Act.

California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and other supporters say the 62 page initiative will make it harder for those under 21 years old to obtain pot and easier for police to crack down on illicit sales (most police do not agree).

The November measure allows for possession of an ounce of marijuana as well as cultivation of six marijuana plants for those over age 21.

California voters defeated a 2010 marijuana legalization measure. A recent poll by the Public Policy Institute of California found that 55% of likely California voters now support such a measure.

Corney said the measure is backed by big corporations, including those in the tobacco industry.

And that, unlike alcohol, there is no scientifically recognized test to administer to drivers by the police to determine whether people are under the influence of marijuana.

The following is a portion of a recent police report that has helped me with my thoughts regarding this issue:

“On the above date and time the Ventura Police Department Command Center received a report of a strong armed robbery that had just occurred in the 900 block of S Wells Rd. The victim, Edgar Aguilar, an employee of a medical marijuana delivery service in Paso Robles was in Ventura making a delivery to a medical marijuana patient.”

“However when Aguilar met with the patient on Wells Rd the patient and two other male suspects entered his vehicle, physically assaulted him, and demanded his property and all the marijuana that he was transporting.”  By the way, the suspects were caught.

This is an issue that I have had a difficult time deciding what’s most appropriate, but as I study this more I now feel that the proposed State initiative should be passed (if the 62 page initiative is what I believe it to be) as it will include definite limitations on the growing and use of marijuana, but I am opposed to the “retail” industry now legal in many states and places.

As the Chief stated, big business, including the tobacco industry will take over this new industry and marijuana use will greatly increase.  I think individuals should have the right to grow a small amount of marijuana and use it medicinally (or not), but it should not be a product that you can go to the local store and purchase. Folks who use marijuana for medical reasons (which I strongly support) can be taught how to prepare dishes for their use or can get assistance from friends.

•  I need help from you intelligent Breeze readers. I assume that you know that recently a 4-year old boy fell into a gorilla’s enclosure at a zoo and it was decided that in order to save the child that the gorilla had to be shot and killed.

The mother of the child thanked the lord for saving her child. Why didn’t the lord also save the life of a 19-year old magnificent animal (and father) at the same time and why did the lord let the child fall in the enclosure in the first place?

I really hope to hear from you regarding this.

•   I don’t usually put a letter to the editor in my column but thought that this was important enough to respond to.

To the Governor

I am amazed at the monthly denial that your editorials have of the crime and homeless situation we have in Ventura. I myself was attacked and suffered a broken shoulder and a concussion in which I am still having complications with tremendous pain. If you would read your own paper the crimes that are committed consistently in this area are out of control. Why do we as a community continue to enable these individuals with stupid programs like needle exchange. Just the other day we called in the police to our complex for a homeless person sleeping in our laundry room and when the police arrived they stated they could not arrest him even though he was on probation and had a needle on him. They stated since he received the needle at the exchange it was legal. Why can’t we demand that our law enforcement force these people out of our community and in places like Fillmore who only have 7 on record. I’m sure in your reply you will still be in denial. Keep your denial in your rhetoric and see as you already do Ventura tourism suffer tremendously. Where is your pride??

James White

James:

Thanks for your comments, and I am sorry to hear that you were attacked, and hurt. I am not at all in denial regarding the homeless situation in Ventura. It is a huge problem for many reasons. Compassion for the homeless is in play, of course, but the negative effect it has on Ventura’s infrastructure/citizens and its impact on tourism are two other reasons.

Your comment, “Why can’t we demand that our law enforcement force these people out of our community” is easily answerable. Unless they are committing a crime the police really can’t do anything about the situation. Being homeless is not actually a crime.

Obviously I have a great pride for Ventura. Why else would I spend 7-days a week publishing a local paper that is marginally profitable?

Our City Council is very aware of the homeless issue and has tried to deal with it but it is a very complex problem that is not easily solved. They are many entities trying to find solutions. There are several non-profits in Ventura who are also assisting the homeless, many of whom are mentally ill.

Let’s keep working on the issue.
Sheldon

PS: I will contact Fillmore and find out if it is okay for our police to round up our homeless and leave them in Fillmore.

•   Circus Vargas is coming soon (see their ad in this issue). We went to a show last year with younger grandkids and thoroughly enjoyed it. Well worth seeing.

•   Good grief what a strange presidential election year this has been and will continue to be. The presumed Republican candidate Donald Trump is, in the words of Max Boot – a senior fellow with the Council on Foreign Relations and a lifelong Republican “there has never been a major party nominee in U.S. history as unqualified for the presidency as Donald Trump.” Who am I to argue with Max?

The Democrat candidate, Hillary Clinton, based upon her job history and experience, is one of the most qualified presidential candidates ever and she isn’t very well liked or trusted.

And the Republican Party is in complete disarray with internal fighting and disagreement.

Perhaps a third party will emerge from this political chaos.

•   Lamborghini has manufactured a $2 million supercar. I thought that I would take the $10 million cash that I have on hand – because the VC Star wouldn’t sell to me – and buy 5 of them for the family but was disappointed to hear that they only made 40, and they are all already sold. Darn it.

•   How upsetting that Cracker Jack no longer contain toys but now includes QR codes (a QR code consists of black modules arranged in a square grid on a white background, which can be read by an imaging device (such as a camera, phone, scanner, etc.). This QR allows kids to play 4 baseball games.

•   Perhaps the strangest opening and closing of a Ventura business so far goes to Ragsdale Kitchen & Bar which was located on Main where Chicago for Ribs previously was. After a very long time and a huge amount of money remodeling, Ragsdale finally opened up about 6 months ago. Reviews weren’t too good but not awful.

After a few months they closed and a sign on the door read “Closed while we remodel kitchen and bar.” This was nonsense because both were brand new and the remodel, overall, was very well done. They re-opened for a few days then closed permanently. All of the booths have been removed, and I can only speculate that they were never paid for so the installation company removed them. Don’t know if we will ever find out what happened.

•   What a great year 1935 was in Detroit. I was born, the Detroit Tigers won the baseball championship and the Detroit Lions won the football championship. My father must have been thrilled.

•   Two of my favorite statements in TV ads are, “while supplies last’ and “If you call in the next 10 minutes”. I wonder if supplies ever run out, and if someone called after 10 minutes, would they not be able to buy the advertised product?