∙It’s wonderful that most of our entertainment events and music venues will be opening this year. Things would have been almost running back to normal and now Putin sets the world back.

I hope this isn’t false hope and premature on the COVID front. In Europe, and many other countries, the cases and hospitalizations from COVID are slowly inching up and public health experts are worried about the consequences. In Britain, cases are rising just a few weeks after UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson lifted most mitigation measures. Infections were 48% higher and hospitalizations were up 17%.

Pursuant to this, City Hall, and its facilities opened to the public on Thursday, March 11. “This week’s reopening marks an important milestone as we proudly welcome everyone back for in-person service,” said Ventura City Manager Alex D. McIntyre.

When I was at city hall, Interview sessions were being held for the Cannabis businesses that will be opening in Ventura. I was told three will be approved initially with and five eventually given licenses to operate. Glad this will happen, and that Ventura will keep the tax dollars here.

∙Ventura County’s Executive Officer Mike Powers retired two days after the Board of Supervisors placed him on paid administrative leave for undisclosed reasons. County Counsel Tiffany North confirmed Friday that the board had taken the action in a four-hour closed session devoted to litigation but would not say why.

Powers, 59, of Ventura notified the board Thursday he was immediately quitting the job he has held for 11 years. Powers said he was leaving to spend more time with his wife, Erin, and their two sons, age 10 and 13 but this may not have been the reason. A county employee filed a sexual harassment and discrimination complaint against Powers before he was placed on administrative leave on March 8.

∙The national average price for gas has topped $4 a gallon for the first time in more than a decade as gas costs continue to soar in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Wouldn’t we love to have our gas at only $4? The record high for the national average is $4.11, set on July 17, 2008. And, our summer formula is not here yet, that will add even more costs to gas prices. Of course, paying more for gas is better than being blown up by Russian bombs.

∙ In previous issues, we have published a few articles by Carol Leish regarding how downtown merchants (other than restaurants) felt about the closing of Main and California. They have all stated that they are happy with the closures. It was good to hear this because I just wasn’t sure what affect this has had on downtown businesses.

∙Guns In the News

Once again, a young child under 5 has killed a family member. A three-year-old boy accidentally shot his mother dead as the family sat in their car in a parking lot at a supermarket in a suburb of Chicago. The family were sitting in their car outside a Food for Less store when the boy somehow found the gun and fired it, striking his mother.

“This could have been prevented,” Dolton trustee Andrew Holmes said on Sunday as he visited the supermarket to hand out gun locks and speak to shoppers about the importance of gun safety. All it takes is a second: unlock it, thread it through the barrel, bring it back around, put it in and lock it back,” Holmes told WLS-TV. “If you leave it, secure it.”

Officials are searching for the person responsible for shooting and killing one man and injuring two other people at a party in Oxnard. The party, and shooting, took place at an abandoned business along Saviers Road. When officers arrived, they found 21-year-old Adrian Sandoval unconscious and unresponsive. Paramedics tried to resuscitate him, but he was unfortunately declared dead at the scene. Two others, 19-year-old Diego Mares and 24-year-old Arkangel Childs, were found wounded.

A 16-year-old was killed and three others were seriously injured in a shooting at a Quality Inn hotel in Colorado. Officers found the teen with an apparent gunshot wound, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

A shooting outside a pizza shop on Chicago’s South Side has left seven men wounded, authorities said.

One teen is dead and two remain hospitalized after a shooting outside a Des Moines, Iowa, high school. The incident is at least the 13th shooting at an American campus with K-12 students in 2022, according to a CNN tally.

A student shot and wounded an administrator and a school resource officer Friday at a suburban Kansas City high school, and the student also was wounded when the officer returned fire.

∙ Another journalist has been shot to death in Mexico. So far this year it is the eighth killing of a journalist in Mexico. Ten suspects have been detained in connection with last month’s shooting death of a photojournalist in Tijuana.

∙ In a recent poll, two thirds of Asian Americans in Los Angeles County are worried about being a victim of a racial attack. It is unacceptable that any American because of their race, color, sexual orientation or religion should be concerned for the safety of their lives.

∙ I’m not kidding; regarding the Ukraine, Trump called for the U.S. to attack Russia but make it look like it was actually China by flying American planes with a Chinese flag on the side.

“And then we say, ‘China did it. We didn’t do it China did it,’ and then they start fighting with each other and we sit back and watch.”

∙ Retiring Republican Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) said that his “biggest regret” during his time in Congress was voting against the first impeachment of former President Trump.

Trump was impeached and later acquitted on two articles, abuse of power and obstruction of Congress related to a phone call in which he pressed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate the Biden family. Trump’s accusers alleged that he withheld much-needed military aid to force Zelensky’s hand, which Kinzinger said has affected Ukraine’s ability to defend itself against Russia.

“It’s important for political leaders to be transparent and admit regret when needed. The bottom line, Donald Trump withheld lethal aid to Ukraine so he could use it as leverage for his campaign,” Kinzinger tweeted. “This is a shameful and illegal act, directly hurting the Ukraine defense today,” he said.

Republican Rep. Tom Rice (S.C.) slammed former President Trump following the former president’s rally in South Carolina, calling him “a would-be tyrant.”

Former Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Marc Racicot slammed Trump over his comments on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, writing that the ex-commander in chief is “not fit to lead this nation.”

In an article written for the Independent Record, Racicot analyzed Trump’s commentary on the conflict in Ukraine, determining that the ex-president is not fit to lead the U.S., especially during a moment of crisis.

He said, the “essential qualities of leadership and human character” are decency, honesty, humility, honor and faithfulness. Donald Trump does not possess those essential qualities of character that leave him fit to lead this nation, most especially in a time of crisis.”

∙ Congratulations to Mary Thompson, a member of the Ventura Breeze family for being selected as the new president of the Olivas Adobe docents.

∙ Students at public and private K-12 schools in Ventura County and throughout California will no longer be required to wear masks after March 11, regardless of their vaccination status. The state’s decision to lift the mask mandate for students is in line with guidelines issued by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The mask wearing mandate hasn’t made sense for some time. Go into a restaurant wearing a mask, sit down shoulder to shoulder at a counter and then take it off. I understand some people who might feel vulnerable to COVID should still wear them.

∙ Talk about a conditioned reflex – while driving, my car’s phone rang and I pulled over to answer it so I wouldn’t get a ticket. Good laugh when I realized what I did, rather than just speaking.

∙ As you know, Russia has launched a wide-ranging attack on Ukraine.

“I went in yesterday and there was a television screen, and I said, “Putin declares a big portion of Ukraine, Putin declares it as independent. Oh, that’s wonderful,” Trump told a conservative podcaster in an interview. The man’s a genius. Oh, that’s wonderful.”

This genius has caused millions of Ukraine’s to flee their country, thousands on both sides to die, financial institutes in shambles and our gas prices look like they’ll hit $6 a gallon. Of course, Trump thinks the oligarch dictator Putin is a genius, exactly what Trump wants to be.

Andrew Bates, the White House deputy press secretary, responded with a scathing tweet.
“Two nauseating, fearful pigs who hate what America stands for and whose every action is driven by their own weakness and insecurity, rubbing their snouts together and celebrating as innocent people lose their lives.”

Several Trump advisers and associates have practically begged the former president to end his effusive-sounding praise of Putin. His former director of national intelligence has voiced his dismay at the ex-president’s remarks praising Putin. Dan Coats said he was “stunned” by Trump’s remarks. “I cannot think of any other US president that would in a situation like this say what he said.”

∙ And speaking of gas prices in California, federal and state taxes and fuel fees add about $1.20 per gallon to our gas prices. Perhaps these could be suspended until prices go lower.

∙ Judges on Colombia’s constitutional court voted to decriminalize abortion until 24 weeks of gestation. Abortion rights groups sued to have the procedure removed from the penal code. Perhaps we could trade Columbia for Texas.

The nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson is an attempt to “defile” the supreme court and “humiliate and degrade” the US, the Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson claimed.
If confirmed, Jackson, whose nomination was announced by Joe Biden earlier on Friday, will be the first Black woman on the court. Carlson said Jackson was nominated “because of how she looks”. He said, “Do you want to live in that country? Most people don’t, of all colors. They think you should be elevated in America based on what you do, on the choices not on how you were born, not on your DNA, because that’s Rwanda.”

This is perhaps the most disgusting thing I’ve ever heard a commentator (even from Fox) ever say.

He should be banned from ever appearing on any TV, radio or social media platform again.

Jackson might be one the most qualified justices ever. Born in Washington, D.C., and raised in Miami, Florida. Jackson attended Harvard University for college and law school, where she served as an editor on the Harvard Law Review. She began her legal career with three clerkships, including one with U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Stephen Breyer. Prior to her elevation to an appellate court and from 2013 to 2021, she served as a district judge on the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Jackson was also vice chair of the United States Sentencing Commission from 2010 to 2014. Since 2016, she has been a member of the Harvard Board of Overseers.

∙ Guns In the News:

A 4-year-old Georgia boy accidentally shot himself with a gun outside a Publix store as his mother was shopping inside. The boy, his mother, an infant and a 13-year-old relative arrived at a store and the mother went into the store alone with the children remaining in the car. The child accidentally shot himself inside the vehicle, police said. The 13-year-old then immediately ran inside the business for help.

Last month, another 4-year-old boy in Louisiana fatally shot himself after finding a gun in the back seat of a car he was in as his mother and a friend smoked marijuana in the front.

So far in 2022, there have been at least 30 unintentional shootings by children, resulting in 13 deaths and 18 injuries.

Perhaps as part of obtaining a license to carry a gun, a required part of the exam should be an IQ test so that 4-year-olds can’t have access to guns.

A father fatally shot his three daughters and a chaperone during a supervised visit at a California church before killing himself.

The 39-year-old man, who wasn’t immediately identified, started shooting inside the sanctuary of The Church in Sacramento during a visit.

The man, who was estranged from his daughters’ mother, gunned down the young girls – ages 9, 10, and 13 – and a male chaperone. The gunman used an AR-15 style semiautomatic rifle in the attack.

Fourteen people were shot during a party at a Las Vegas hookah lounge including one man who was killed and two others who were critically wounded after two people got into an altercation and exchanged gunfire.

A Saturday night shooting in Portland, Oregon, that left one woman dead and five people injured started with a confrontation between an armed homeowner and armed protesters, according to a Portland Police Bureau.

∙ For the first time, chimpanzees were spotted capturing insects and applying them to their own wounds, as well as the wounds of others, possibly as a form of medication. This behavior of one animal applying medication to the wounds of another has never been observed before, and it may be a sign of helpful tendencies in chimpanzees similar to empathy in humans, according to a new study.

Researchers witnessed multiple instances of this behavior within a community of about 45 chimpanzees at the Loango National Park in Gabon. Perhaps this could be the solution to the shortage of nurses.

∙ The City Council has unanimously voted to consider a map that would slightly change how the city’s seven council districts are drawn. The first reading of an ordinance to adopt the map will be on Feb. 28. The changes between the current districts and proposed future districts are minor to rebalance population growth based upon the latest census.

Every 10 years, local governments use new data from the census to redraw their district lines to reflect how local populations have changed. Ventura residents can view and provide comments on the map before Feb. 28, as well as give comments during the virtual meeting.

For more information and to see the map, visit cityofventura.ca.gov/redistricting.

∙ We have had some very spectacular, beautiful sunsets as the earth rotates. It almost seems as if the sun is actually setting, even though it doesn’t move. The sun appears to rise and set because of the Earth’s rotation on its axis – the Earth makes one complete turn every 24 hours.

∙ February is Black History Month, which is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history. Also known as African American History Month, the event grew out of “Negro History Week,” the brainchild of noted historian Carter G. Woodson and other prominent African Americans. Since 1976, every U.S. president has officially designated the month of February as Black History Month. Other countries around the world, including Canada and the United Kingdom, also devote a month to celebrating Black history.

∙ I enjoyed watching the NFL’s championship game. Very exciting and another 3-point victory – the way a championship game should be. It was almost super.

∙ Watching curling at the Olympics is almost as exciting as watching cornhole, but without the beer.

∙ When William Herschel discovered the 7th planet in 1781 his colleagues thought that he was an idiot. They said to him, “William, ur an anus” and this is how the planet Uranus got its name.

∙ In his theory of general relativity, Einstein predicted something called time dilation: the notion that two clocks under two different gravitational pulls will always tick at different speeds. The effect has been observed in many experiments since, but now scientists have recorded it at the smallest scale seen so far.

Two atomic clock readings were taken from the same cloud of atoms, in a highly controlled energy state. In fact, the atoms ticked between two energy levels in perfect synchronization for 37 seconds, a record in terms of quantum coherence.

While the difference in redshift across this tiny distance was just 0.0000000000000000001 or so, that’s in line with predictions made by general relativity. Those differences can make a difference when you get out to the scale of the entire Universe, or even when you’re dealing with systems that need to be ultra-accurate, such as GPS navigation.

I knew that.

∙ A Manhattan judge called Donald Trump “just a bad guy” in a scathing rebuke to a lawyer arguing that the former president was being unfairly singled out for investigation by New York Attorney General Letitia James.

At the end of the hearing, state Supreme Court Judge Arthur Engoron ordered Trump, along with his daughter Ivanka Trump and son Donald Trump Jr., to comply with subpoenas and testify under oath in a civil investigation launched by James into suspicious Trump Organization business practices.

Chris Christie did not hold back in his criticism of how former President Donald Trump has sought to depict the deadly attack against the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. “Let’s face it. Let’s call it what it is. Jan. 6 was a riot that was incited by Donald Trump in an effort to intimidate Mike Pence and the Congress into doing exactly what he said in his own words last week: Overturn the election.”

Former Vice President Mike Pence finally said, “President Trump is wrong. I had no legal right to overturn the election.” In response Trump stated, “Just saw Mike Pence’s statement on the fact that he had no right to do anything with respect to the Electoral Vote Count, other than being an automatic conveyor belt for the Old Crow Mitch McConnell to get Biden elected President as quickly as possible.” Of course, Pence had no legal basis for changing the results of the election.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell stated, “We all were here. We saw what happened. It was a violent insurrection for the purpose of trying to prevent the peaceful transfer of power after a legitimately certified election, from one administration to the next. That’s what it was.”

Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) said he does not agree with the Republican National Committee’s characterization of Jan. 6 being “legitimate political discourse” if it applies to those who committed violence that day. He said, “I do not agree with that statement if it’s applying to those who committed criminal offenses and violence to overtake our shrine of democracy.”

I might add, those who also went there to hang Pence.

∙ A man who identified himself as a believer in the QAnon conspiracy theory was sentenced to three years and eight months in prison for assaulting police officers at the Capitol during last year’s riot. Nicholas Languerand called himself a patriot, but the judge who sentenced him said the rioters who invaded the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, don’t deserve that description.

∙ Guns In the News

One person was killed and at least one other wounded in a morning shooting inside a Richland Fred Meyer store.

A 15-year-old boy was seriously injured and a bus driver was wounded in north Minneapolis in two separate shootings.

A 911 call that a woman had been shot at a home in southwest Phoenix turned into a barricade standoff where nine officers were injured in a hail of gunfire. Two people inside the house died.

Three people were injured in a shooting outside a West Los Angeles restaurant frequented by celebrities following a Justin Bieber concert.

Police are ramping up the pressure to find the person who shot a 9-year-old girl in an apparent road rage incident in Houston.

One person was killed and five were wounded in a shooting at a park in Portland. Social media flyers showed there was a planned march for Amir Locke, a Black man who was fatally shot by police in Minneapolis.

∙ IAC/Interactive Corp. has announced it is ending print editions of Entertainment Weekly, In Style and four other titles turning them into digital only properties. I’m afraid that print media is really suffering. We certainly are as well, but because we are Ventura’s only local newspaper, it’s important to us that we continue to publish to inform our readers about local news and happenings.

∙ Bullet train officials have reported the cost for the high-speed system between Los Angeles and San Francisco is now estimated to be $105 billion, just a bit more than in 2008 when voters approved a bond to help build the railroad that estimated that the system would cost $33 billion. Oh well, $72 billion is not much these days. Perhaps this is why some people vote against bonds for most anything. Maybe they’re right.

∙ The City of Ventura has extended the temporary closure of its facilities through mid-to-late February due to rising COVID-19 cases and exposures.

“The extension of the City’s temporary closure is a precautionary measure that allows critical services and operations to continue while minimizing opportunities where transmission may be possible,” said Ventura City Manager Alex D. McIntyre

City staff remains available online or by phone during regular business hours. In addition, all public safety services will continue regular 24/7 operations.

Let’s hope the community can get the support it needs online or by phone support.

∙ The focus of two articles in this issue will bring pleasure to some Venturans. Aarmark Beer Gardens will be moving into the space in the Harbor Village that is now the arcade. The new entertainment and restaurant venue won’t be open until next year after extensive remodeling is done to the space. The arcade has struggled for some time and is in great need of updating which the current owner can’t afford to do. It is a prominent location in the Harbor, so I hope it’s a great addition.

Also, the Players Club has re-opened at the Derby Club at the Fairgrounds. If you are tired of playing cards you can go downstairs and bet on the horse racing.

∙ No president should take credit for a robust economy because it could tank in a week. They should say something like, “I’m very happy that the economy is so good. I certainly hope it can continue doing so well.”

∙ After several years of delays, Thousand Oaks’ first two cannabis dispensaries have opened. Leaf Dispensary and Legendary Organics are strictly medical cannabis dispensaries, but they would like to start selling recreational cannabis in the near future with the city’s permission.

What is the delay in Ventura’s cannabis dispensaries opening already? Just more of our tax dollars still going outside of Ventura.

∙ Even though there has been a resurgence of Monarch butterflies, the future for these wonderful insects is still in jeopardy. Ventura has a wonderful opportunity to help save them by creating habitats where milkweed could be grown. Milkweed is what Monarch’s eat and lay their eggs in.

Ventura has two (actually two-and-a-half) golf courses where butterfly habitats could be developed. Golf courses take up a huge amount of space that is only enjoyed by a very small part of our population so why not create habitats for butterflies? And, helping them it would create areas that could be enjoyed by many more people.

∙ The Ventura County Board of Supervisors has passed a resolution to request the California Public Utilities Commission and other state agencies take a closer look at Southern California Gas Company’s compressor site located off of the Avenue in Ventura. SoCalGas plans to replace three gas compressors on the site with four new ones with more horsepower.

The resolution requests the CPUC assess the impact on the neighborhood that the expansion at their facility at 1555 North Olive St. would create. It also requests the California Environmental Protection Agency consider the potential health of the nearby neighborhood.

This is not the first time that concern has been shown. In May, Ventura unanimously passed a resolution requesting state regulators to review the potential environmental, health and safety impacts of the expansion. The city and county resolutions come after months of community opposition to the project including the Ventura Unified School District because of its proximity to E. P. Foster Elementary School.

∙ Guns In The News

One person has died, and several others were hurt after a Butte County shooting inside a Greyhound bus.

One person was killed and four others injured in a shooting at a hookah lounge in downtown Blacksburg.

The suspect who shot and killed a woman and injured two others in a church in Aurora, Colorado, knew at least one of the victims, police said. “It wasn’t just a random shooting inside this church,” police said.

One student is dead and another is in critical condition after a shooting outside a school in Richfield. At a news conference Richfield Police Chief Jay Henthorne told reporters the two victims were shot on a sidewalk outside the District 287 South Education Center.

A four-year-old boy has died after he accidentally shot himself in the head with his father’s gun inside a car where his mother and another adult were smoking marijuana.

Two people were killed and two were injured in a shooting at the Park Plaza Apartments in Brown Deer. Brown Deer police said they got a call of shots fired at about 10:10 a.m. When officers arrived, they were shot at by a person in the building.

A Wisconsin man was arrested after a gun he was handling discharged and killed an 8-year-old girl in Milwaukee, an incident that prompted the city’s acting mayor to ask citizens to “put down the guns” on the heels of a record-breaking year for homicides.

A multiple-homicide investigation was underway in Milwaukee after police discovered six adults dead inside a home during a welfare check.

Police are looking for a tow truck driver who shot a 3-year-old in Port Richmond in a Jiffy Lube parking lot. Investigators say the incident at 12:15 a.m. started as a fight between two tow truck drivers. One of them pulled out a gun and began shooting; one of the bullets hit the toddler who was sitting inside the truck.

An argument in the checkout line of a South Florida grocery store escalated into a fatal shooting, as other shootings around the state took place in a sports bar and a banquet hall. The argument between two men started in the checkout line of a Publix. One of the men pulled a gun and shot the other man. The victim died in the store, and the shooter was in police custody.

Four people were shot at the Player’s Sports Bar and Grill in North Lauderdale. After a fight took place in the sports bar and a patron was told to leave, the patron shot at the bar, striking several people.

In Orlando, police were searching for a suspect in a fatal shooting at a banquet hall. Police were called to the event space where they found a victim in critical condition.The victim was pronounced dead at a hospital.

A community is in shock after eight people were shot in an apparent murder-suicide in Texas. A man killed four people, including a child, and critically wounded three at two different crime scenes. The suspect, Kevin Milazzo, is believed to have killed his mother, 61-year-old Connie Mimms, and stepfather, 68-year-old William Mimms, in Corsicana.

Police say Milazzo then drove to Frost, where he shot and killed his 21-year-old son, Joshua Milazzo, and a four-year-old boy, the son of his ex-girlfriend.

Police tracked the 41-year-old Milazzo through his vehicle GPS and were able to turn off the engine remotely. As members of the SWAT team approached his vehicle, they found him critically injured from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in his head.

Assemblymember Steve Bennett (D-Ventura) and Senator Monique Limon announced legislation to restrict gun sales at the Ventura County Fairground.  They were joined at the press conference by Senator Dave Min (D-Irvine) who announced legislation to end gun sales at all county fairgrounds across the state.  

According to a report published by UC Davis, gun shows have been identified as a source for illegally trafficked firearms.  

“Unfortunately, the United States experiences far more gun violence per person than virtually every other modern industrialized country in the world,” Said Bennett “ The United States has one of the most pervasive gun cultures in the world supported by a powerful gun lobby. Gun shows at the Fairgrounds enhance this and it is time for each of us to play a role in changing this culture.”

∙ Another journalist has been killed in Mexico. The fourth in less than a month. More than 50 journalists have been slain in Mexico since 2018. The writer wrote for a website that reported on government corruption which means this might not have been a cartel slaying.

∙ On this issue’s cover we have an article covering the fifth anniversary of KPPQ-LP FM 104.1. I briefly had a radio show on KPPQ where I interviewed local government officials and local personalities. CAPS made it easy to learn how to do the show with easily understood classes, instructions, training and an engineer helping to produce the show. It was a wonderful experience and opportunity. You should consider having your own show. You could start by interviewing me.

∙ According to the U.S. Geological Survey, a magnitude 3.1 earthquake was reported Jan. 16 four miles from Ventura. An average of 234 earthquakes with magnitudes between 3.0 and 4.0 occur each year in California and nearby Nevada. Coupled with the tsunami, I think mother nature (we always blame the ladies) is trying to tell us something.

∙ Recently there were two occurrences of theft in the trailhead parking area at Harmon Canyon Preserve. Both involved windows of parked vehicles being smashed. When enjoying the outdoors (or anywhere else), please remember do not leave valuables in your vehicle.

I’m always shocked when someone says, “My car was broken into and my wallet, 5 credit cards, my laptop and my cell phone were stolen.” In this case, maybe they deserve it.

∙ Saturday marks the 49th anniversary of the supreme court’s Roe v Wade decision, the landmark ruling that guaranteed the right to an abortion. I certainly hope it is not the last anniversary before it is overturned.

During oral arguments for Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization last year, a majority of the court appeared ready to severely weaken or overturn Roe v Wade.

In my opinion (that’s what my column is-always glad to hear yours), such a reversal would be a disaster.

Many Democratic-led states will hopefully pass laws protecting abortion rights. I hope that states can enforce this. Republicans are all for state rights unless they don’t agree with what the states do.

Congresswoman Julia Brownley stated, “The threat to the right to choose is in danger as state legislatures throughout the country seek to diminish access to abortion, which exacerbate racial and economic injustices that harm women, families, and communities. Abortion coverage bans are discriminatory policies that target people of color and young people, who deserve agency over their own bodies. That is why I voted for the House Majority’s funding bill that provides increased funding for family planning and repeals the dangerous Hyde Amendment.”

∙ To help discourage wasteful water users, such as hosing off driveways, the state has imposed new water use laws. It prohibits uses such as washing cars without a shutoff nozzle, washing down driveways and watering grass within 48 hours after a rain fall (minimum .02” of rain). Water police will be out looking for those who break these laws. If necessary, they will arrest you using water pistols (individuals may also own water pistols as guaranteed by the constitution). I will be launching the NWGA.

∙ Stewart Rhodes, founder, and leader of the far-right Oath Keepers has been arrested and charged with seditious conspiracy in the Jan.6 invasion of the US Capitol.

He is charged, with more than a dozen other members and associates of Oath Keepers who went to Washington intent on stopping the certification of our newly elected president. It is the first time the Justice Department has brought such charges against people who did not enter the building but are accused of encouraging the violence (does that sound familiar?).

∙ Who wouldn’t prefer living in a nice warm house or apartment in Ventura as compared to living on a cold hard sidewalk? This is what the homeless are expected to do. It’s heartbreaking to me that people are expected to exist under awful living conditions because they are offered no other places to pitch their tents or to live in with some safety and some comfort.

Ventura does offer one such area, though twenty-five dome structures at River Haven provide housing for the homeless, but much more is needed. California will spend a record $4.8 billion over the next two years to alleviate homelessness in our communities. The package will mark the state’s largest financial commitment to assisting people without adequate and safe housing. Also, construction has started on a 19-story homeless housing project in the Skid Row area in Los Angeles. The 278-unit Weingart Tower replaces a parking lot. This is the first stage of a project that will eventually have 382 units.

I know that some people say why should we help these bums? The majority of these “bums” are mentally ill or are on drugs that they can’t quit. And many people are now a paycheck away from becoming homeless or have become homeless because of COVID.

∙ From NPR:

The bad news keeps on coming for President Biden. He ended 2021 at a low point in his presidency, hoping to turn it around in the new year.

But things have only gotten worse. His spending and voting rights plans are at congressional dead ends. Inflation remains at multi-decade highs. The omicron variant of the coronavirus continues a rapid spread. The Supreme Court ruled against his administration’s vaccine-or-test mandate. And there are rising threats from Russia and North Korea.

Presidents need to be able to do multiple things at once, but that’s a lot weighing down Biden. And his approval rating is suffering because of it. Biden’s average approval rating sits at about 42%, and a Quinnipiac poll this week had it at 33%.

From me: Being president is a tough job. Because the US is equally divided between Republicans and Democrats a president can be great and still only have a 50% approval rating.

∙New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office says it needs the testimony of former President Donald Trump and two of his adult children to determine their knowledge of what investigators say they have identified as numerous “misleading statements and omissions” in tax submissions and financial statements used to obtain loans.

∙Copied from on-line NBC

The staggering spike in COVID-19 cases nationwide fueled mainly by the highly contagious omicron variant has many American’s questioning how long it will take for the pandemic to finally subside for good. While no crystal ball can provide an exact timeline, several medical experts help lay out what the future might hold.

The changeover for an infectious disease from a pandemic to an endemic occurs when the virus is found regularly in a particular area or among people. The key difference in an endemic condition is that the virus is more manageable with greater population immunity.

The common cold and flu are examples of endemic viral infections that are frequently encountered by the public. Medical Director for Infection Prevention at the Mount Sinai Health System, Dr. Bernard Camins, believes the Sars-Cov-2 virus will eventually become endemic over time.

“The definition of endemicity is that Sars-Cov-2] will come back yearly, especially when winter comes. When it becomes endemic, though, it should not affect a large portion of the population — only certain groups,” Dr. Camins said to NBC New York.

It may take a matter of years before Sars-Cov-2 stops hindering widespread travel plans, hospitalization rates, and healthcare systems, Dr. Camins added.

∙ Court proceedings for Jamal Omar Jackson, 52, the suspect (we need to call him that) in the 2018 fatal stabbing of Anthony Mele, 35 at the Aloha Steakhouse in Ventura are scheduled. That terrible tragedy occurred nearly four years ago.

In Nov. 2020, Jamal was deemed mentally incompetent to stand trial. It has since been determined that he is well enough to appear in court. His mental competency hearing is scheduled on Thursday, Jan. 13.

I know that many people will say what’s the difference if he was mentally ill when he killed Anthony Mele? The difference is motivation. If his mental demons were telling him that he was being followed by the CIA and they are instructing him to kill someone this is very different then killing during a robbery or an argument.

Perhaps Jamal knew he needed help but the unwillingness to accept treatment or care by the mentally ill is over 60% in the U.S.

Stigma is the biggest barrier to obtaining mental care. That could be reduced if people understood, and accepted, the fact that mental illness is a neurological condition the same as other illnesses such as diabetes. We need to think of these as brain disorders that can not be controlled without proper treatment.

∙ In her newly drawn 26th District, Congresswoman Julia Brownley will represent a more conservative Simi Valley, but lost the cities of Ventura and Ojai. The changes came as part of redistricting, which happens once every 10 years, after every census, to ensure that each district has the same amount of people.

∙ NASA’s Jim Green has left the agency where he served for 12 years as the director of NASA’s planetary science division and the last three as its chief scientist.

He is forming a plan to geoengineer Mars into a planet habitable for humans. Green’s plan hinges on warming and thickening Mars’ atmosphere by using a giant magnetic shield between the Red Planet and the Sun, which would bring temperature and pressure levels above the point at which humans could walk on the surface without a space suit, without their blood boiling inside their bodies.

Wonderful – one day we could live on Mars and destroy it also.

∙ In a previous issue, I stated that I felt it was good the city has made the process easier to secure the required permits and approvals to obtain permits for developments. To clarify my position, I’m not happy with the huge amount of multi-unit projects being built, especially on Thompson Blvd. (the townhouses, fancy word for condos, that will cost $800,000 and up).

I just don’t think you control development by making it extremely time consuming and difficult to obtain permits. Proper control is done by thoughtful zoning and a general plan.

This is like controlling traffic by putting a speed hump (cities call then humps, not bumps) every 10 feet to slow down traffic.

∙ Mozart and I have something in common; we both have an un-finished symphony. The only difference is that I haven’t started mine yet.

∙ I love things being pitched on TV that are not for sale anywhere else so there is no comparative pricing. For instance, something like this; “Pots for sale. Six pots for 3 payments of $39.95, and if you buy in the next 10 minutes you get 3 more for free.” You’re not getting anything for free, you’re getting 9 pots for 3 payments of $39.95 because they have no intrinsic value except what they tell you that they’re worth. And “buy in the next 10 minutes” is also a joke because you could order in 10 hours or 10 days and they wouldn’t know the difference.

∙ Funny stuff – twins were born on both sides of midnight to end the year. So, one baby was born in 2021 and other in 2022. Do you think they will have separate birthday parties?

∙ A federal judge sided with the congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot by refusing to block the release of scores of White House documents from the Trump administration. The federal judge was unimpressed with Trump’s legal arguments.

While most Republicans were absent on Capitol Hill Thursday, one of the party’s most prominent statesmen was there. Asked why he came to the Capitol for the Jan. 6 anniversary Dick Cheney said, “It’s an important historical event. You can’t overestimate how important it is.” He added, “I’m deeply disappointed we don’t have better leadership in the Republican Party to restore the Constitution.”

President Joe Biden marked the first anniversary of the January 6 insurrection by calling out former President Donald Trump for attempting to undo American democracy, saying such an insurrection must never happen again.

“For the first time in our history, a President had not just lost an election. He tried to prevent the peaceful transfer of power as a violent mob reached the Capitol,” Biden said in a speech from the US Capitol that lasted just under 30 minutes. “But they failed. They failed. And on this day of remembrance, we must make sure that such an attack never, never happens again.”

∙ The largest and most powerful space telescope is on its way to a destination 1,000,000 miles away. It will take months to get there and an additional five months, give or take, to start eventually sending information back to earth. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said the $10 billion observatory “is going to give us a better understanding of the universe and our place in it, who we are, our search that’s eternal.”

On Saturday, Jan. 8, the new observatory successfully unfolded its final primary mirror segment to cap what NASA has billed as one of its most complicated deployments in space ever. The team is now turning its attention to directing the telescope to its final destination.

Maybe we will finally find other worlds full of polluting people.

Sad in a way that humans have the incredible intelligence and abilities to create such a telescope and send it into space but can’t solve things like mental illness, homelessness, global warming and food scarcity here on earth.

∙ I wish all a happy, happy New Year. We all thought 2022 would be better with the elimination of COVID, but it appears that it is here to stay. I think going forward receiving COVID shots will be just like getting the flu shot. Just something we do every year.

A special happy new year to our wonderful readers, donors and the amazing Breeze staff who make the paper possible.

∙ The Ventura City Council unanimously voted to extend the downtown outdoor dining program until July. It was set to expire on Jan. 7. Making this closure permanent could take several years. The added time will allow city staff to create a new special permit to address lost parking revenue and other traffic concerns. With the closure extended, the city expects to lose approximately $236,000 in parking fees from downtown meters.

To make the street closure permanent there will be a traffic study, an environmental analysis, approvals needed from the Coastal Commission and other procedures put in place.

The question to many is what negative effect this has on non-restaurant businesses (many would have closed without this) and additional traffic pushed over to Poli and Santa Clara?

Councilman Jim Friedman stated his concerns saying, “I’m starting to see emails and more people checking in saying this is great for the restaurants but it’s really not great for the retail. We can’t turn a deaf ear to that nor can we say it’s a done deal because we have to have a lot more public discussion about it. I’m not being negative about it, I’m being realistic.”

∙ When did the pound sign # become hashtag? And why? Is the & sign next?

∙ From CNN. Never one to understand a filter, former President Donald Trump veered into antisemitism in a recent interview with journalist Barak Ravid. “It used to be that Israel had absolute power over Congress,” he said. “Today, I think it’s the exact opposite, and I think Obama and Biden did that.” The comments were in relation to how Jewish people feel toward Israel, and according to Trump, they don’t seem to care about the Jewish nation. “The Jewish people, in the United States, either don’t like Israel or don’t care about Israel,” he said before fully blowing the dog-whistle. “I mean, you look at The New York Times—The New York Times hates Israel, hates it. And they’re Jewish people that run The New York Times. I mean, the Sulzberger family.”

The release of Trump’s diatribe comes a day after his on-and-off favorite network, Fox News, got in trouble for posting an antisemitic cartoon featuring billionaire George Soros, who is Jewish, as a “puppet master” controlling Democratic prosecutors.

∙ Robert Palmer, 54, of Largo was sentenced to 63 months behind bars in D.C. federal court by Judge Tanya Chutkan. The sentence equaled what prosecutors had been recommending. It is the stiffest criminal sentence of any Jan. 6 Capitol riot defendant so far.

Palmer admitted during an October court hearing where he pleaded guilty that he was the man photographed throwing a wooden plank at police outside the U.S. Capitol and spraying a fire extinguisher at officers, then throwing the empty device at the line of police.

It will be very interesting when the Jan.6 Capitol commission eventually releases its findings.

∙ Be very careful buying or using interconnected smart products, toys, etc. They might be a threat to your privacy. They may collect huge amounts of data about their users and their surroundings. Your personal information may be worth lots of money because the manufacturers could sell it to advertisers, and you will be inundated with ads that you don’t want and maybe even hackers will get ahold of your information. Its bad enough that every time we research something that information is collected and sold.

∙ I’m very happy the US Food and Drug Administration has made the decision to reduce the requirements that abortion inducing medication be dispensed in person by a healthcare worker at a medical facility. These medications have been available since 2000 and are effective during the first ten weeks of pregnancy, well beyond the six weeks now required in Texas when women won’t even know they are pregnant. Especially for lower income women who might not be able to afford an abortion even if they were to find a facility providing this procedure.

I certainly hope the Supreme Court’s refusal to block the Texas “anti-abortion” law does not signal that it is ready to overturn Roe vs. Wade.

∙ Finally, the government is going to take a close look at identified aerial phenomena UAPs as they call them which we know as UFOs. In November, senator Kirsten Gillibrand(D-NY) introduced legislation creating in office to study UAPs and report their findings to Congress. It will investigate only UAPs sited in sensitive military airspace. There has been criticism of this limited role but it’s certainly a good beginning. I hope when aliens land here they give us an ultimatum that we all live in peace or they will blow the earth up. It would seem this is the only way we can have peace, as nothing else has worked or ever will.

∙The Trump administration engaged in “deliberate efforts” to undermine the U.S. response to the coronavirus pandemic for political purposes, a congressional report concludes. The report, prepared by the House select subcommittee investigating the nation’s Covid response, says the White House repeatedly overruled public health and testing guidance by the nation’s top infectious disease experts and silenced officials in order to promote then-President Donald Trump’s political agenda.

∙ Trump was booed by a portion of an audience in Dallas when he said he had received a Covid-19 booster shot.

The comments by Trump, who, despite championing his administration’s efforts to develop Covid vaccines, rarely discusses his own vaccination and has largely declined to encourage others to get it came during a stop on his tour with former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly.

∙ Senate bill 9 and 10 takes effect January 1. They require communities in California to allow duplexes, and in some cases 4 units in most single-family home neighborhoods. A majority of Los Angeles County voters support the new state laws which are designed to spur housing construction and to provide more opportunities for residents to own their own home (the American dream).

∙ Californians will be able to dial a new three-digit number when seeking help for a mental health crisis. After weeks in which funding to make the hotline work seemed uncertain, the state Department of Health Care Services has announced it would spend $20 million to help support the 9-8-8 network.

The money “is a first step towards creating an easier to access system for mental health care. But it’s just a first step,” Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg said in a statement. The Steinberg Institute he founded had advocated for even more money. “We’re going to continue to fight for sustained funding for a mental health crisis response system that includes mobile crisis teams and appropriate follow-up care. Our jails and emergency rooms can no longer be our primary treatment for people in crisis.”

As the mayor said this is a wonderful first step in handling those that are dealing with mental health issues. Next must be providing them adequate housing and services.

∙ On this issue’s cover we have an article titled “Obtaining construction permits and developmental approvals made easier.” I support this action; it still contains provisions for all of the departments and approvals required to obtain building permits.

Some people felt that the process should be very difficult and cumbersome and time consuming to dissuade people from building. This is like putting speed bumps on streets every 5 feet to slow drivers down. This is not the way to regulate construction. That is the job of planning and zoning restrictions.

∙ The City of Ventura’s City Hall will be closed from Friday, December 24, 2021, through January 1, 2022. Normal business hours resume on Monday, January 3, 2022. Public safety services will continue regular 24/7 operations.

∙ Ventura’s veterans’ affordable housing project has received $74,100 on a unanimous City Council vote. This will help to get construction going early next year. The funds came from the city’s Successor Housing Agency Fund. In May, $545,000 was also approved from the fund.

The “Ventura Springs” project will be home to 122 units with two manager’s units. The project will be located at 10866 Morning Glory Road adjacent to the existing Veterans Home of California and is being developed by Los Angeles nonprofit affordable housing developer, A Community of Friends.

It is wonderful that Ventura is expanding its facilities for our veteran’s – especially for those that are homeless.

∙ We seldom need to deal with officer related shootings in Ventura. The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office has found a Ventura police officer was justified when fatally shooting a man after a pursuit ended on Harbor Boulevard last year. The DA’s office routinely investigates officer involved shootings to determine whether the use of force was legally justified.

The shooting occurred on Nov. 5, 2020, involving Officer Joaquin Ortega, a 24-year veteran of the Ventura Police Department, and Javier Magaña, a 32-year-old Oxnard resident.

∙ The chief justice of the United States, John Roberts, warned that the Supreme Court risks losing its own authority if it allows states to circumvent the courts as Texas did with its near-total abortion ban. In a strongly worded opinion joined by the high court’s three liberal justices, Roberts wrote that the “clear purpose and actual effect” of the Texas law was “to nullify this Court’s rulings.” That, he said, undermines the Constitution and the fundamental role of the Supreme Court and the court system as a whole.

I think our Supreme Court system is greatly flawed, changing major laws based upon the president’s political views and ability to replace justices when possible.

∙ President Joe Biden is facing significant skepticism from the American public, with his job approval rating lagging across a range of major issues, including new lows for his handling of crime, gun violence and the economic recovery, a new ABC/Ipsos poll found. As the White House confronts rising and widespread concern about inflation, Americans are especially negative on how the Biden administration is managing this issue.

∙ Guns in The News

Four people have been killed and 8 other people are injured and a suspected shooter is in custody after a shooting at Oxford High School in Michigan. Reportedly the 15-year-old shooter’s father bought the gun used in the shootings, a semi-automatic 9mm Sig Sauer, just 4-days prior to the shooting in spite of the fact that his son has had major disciplinary issues at the school. In fact, the teen posted a photo of the weapon with the caption, “Just got my new beauty today.” Parents James and Jennifer Crumbley are each facing four counts of involuntary manslaughter. Perhaps they should have given him an iPad for his birthday like other kids receive.

Two people were killed in Elmore in a shooting that officials believe is a result of domestic violence, Vermont State Police said. Troopers responded to a reported domestic altercation at a home on King Road around 7 a.m.

An Ohio man has been convicted in the fatal shooting of two teens he found smoking marijuana inside a vehicle in his garage. Victor Santana, 65, of Dayton will be sentenced later this month after being convicted of murder and felonious assault. Santana shot the two 17-year-olds when he found them inside his detached garage late at night. He wanted to use the state’s new “stand your ground” defense.

Germarcus David, 29, has been arrested in the fatal shooting of his four young children and their grandmother after they were found inside a Lancaster home.

∙ This is too funny not to share. In July of 2020 a Michigan woman came across a website, “Rent-A-Hitman”, that promised to “handle your delicate situation” privately and in a timely manner.

She wanted her husband killed, and now she is in jail.

The site boasted having almost 18,000 field operatives who can do a job anywhere in the United States. It features testimonials from satisfied clients, including a man who wrote that Rent-A-Hitman “handled my disgruntled employee issue promptly while I was out of town on vacation.” So, she filled out a form on the site, seeking consultation for her issue.

I’m starting a site called “Send us $1,000 with a self-addressed envelope and we will send you $5,000 in return.”

∙Anti-Asian hate crimes increased by 76% in Los Angeles County last year. This is a trend in many other areas in America as physical and verbal attacks against Asian Americans rose. Human Relations Commission President Guadalupe Montana stated, “It did not help that the former president repeatedly referred to COVID-19 as China virus and kung flu.”

∙One Texas school district advised teachers to present opposing views of the Holocaust.

Perhaps this is what teachers will say to their students?

“Students, you must remember that in Germany some Jewish kids were riding their bikes on the sidewalk nearly hitting some people and this really upset some Germans.”

∙Amazing how quickly times have changed. The California State Fair is returning in 2022 with a new competitive category cannabis. The fair is going to honor the best marijuana in the state. I understand they have had 23,000 people apply to be judges.

∙San Diego County is set to dispatch mental health professionals to respond to people in crisis instead of sending police officers and sheriff’s deputies. Officials hope it will improve the constant struggle that most city’s have in the handling of people struggling with mental illnesses. In a future issue we will have an article on how Ventura Police handle such calls and conditions.

∙ I receive some emails from readers who do nothing but insult me and call me rather unflattering names. Most also make statements like “why would a person with any brains bother reading your article.” Seems rhetorical as they are clearly reading my article. For these readers, I’d recommend that they don’t read my publisher letter since it bothers them so much.

Or, if they do continue to read, send me an email that intellectually expresses thoughts about what I write and why you think I am wrong.

∙ State Senator Monique Limon, D-Santa Barbara, and our own Assemblymember Steve Bennett, D- Ventura, have announced plans for a state bill prohibiting gun shows at the Ventura County Fairgrounds.

There is some question if this action would be legal. Fair board directors want to talk to lawyers, and Gov. Gavin Newsom, before deciding whether to ban gun shows at the state-owned fairgrounds.

Fairground Directors voted 4-3 to hold a discussion as soon as possible with legal counsel on the liability that could come with ending gun shows held there. They expressed concerns about litigation threats from Crossroads of the West, the gun show operator, who won a $500,000 settlement in a lawsuit over a similar ban at another fairgrounds.

They did vote to prohibit the sale of “ghost gun” kits, which enable people to build firearms that do not contain traceable serial numbers.

You know my position on gun ownership, but you might be surprised to know that I am against prohibiting gun shows at the fairgrounds. There needs to be a fine balance between rights and concerns.

It’s our gun laws that need changing. It should not be legal for a 17-year-old (or anyone else for that matter) to walk down the street carrying a high-powered military rifle for protection. There should be some restriction on the types of guns sold. Perhaps high-powered rifles really don’t belong in the hands of most citizens so should be prohibited.

∙Guns in The News

Three people were shot and three more injured during a shooting at a packed shopping mall in Durham, North Carolina. Responding officers found three people had been shot in an incident between two groups of people who knew each other. Remember when this just became a fist fight?

A 5-year-old boy in Pennsylvania was shot and killed by his 6-year-old sibling after they were left unsupervised in a room with an unsecured firearm. Three children had been left alone in a bedroom with the gun.

A 15-year-old boy was charged with attempted first-degree murder in connection with a shooting that injured six high school students at a Colorado park. He is alleged to have been the driver of a Chrysler 300, one of two vehicles involved in the shooting that occurred about 12:45 p.m. at Nome Park, less than half a mile from Aurora Central High School.

A passenger was going through the screening process when “somebody recognized that there was a weapon in the bag,” an airport spokesperson stated. “When either the officer went in or when the passenger went in to get it, it accidentally discharged. The passenger “took off and was able to make it outside of the airport.”

Jeffery Lynn Johnson, 58, who appeared in “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness,” died by an apparent suicide during an argument with his wife. Johnson’s wife, Charity, told police her husband killed himself in front of her during an argument in their garage. Their 4 and 5-year-old children were inside the house at the time.

A Thanksgiving dinner turned tragic inside a Pennsylvania home when a 25-year-old man was shot and killed by a stray bullet that pierced through a window.  Edilberto Miguel Palaez Moctezuma, was eating Thanksgiving dinner with his family at the time and had nothing to do with the shooting, according to authorities.

 Metro Police are investigating a shooting in Nashville that left three dead and several others injured. The shooting occurred inside an apartment in the 2800 block of Torbett Street around 9:45 p.m. Police said seven people were shot, and three have died from their injuries.

∙ An estimated 3,000 Chumash Indians were buried on the Ventura Mission grounds in downtown. The church office building sits on top of the land.

The Rev. Tom Elewaut has agreed to memorialize the Chumash as soon as possible. An Indigenous Peoples Day is being planned and a monument to honor the deceased Chumash.

This is certainly needed to honor this tribe who were basically made to work on the mission as slaves.

∙ Does this make sense? We were watching the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and Metropolitan Opera Symphony Orchestra (they were playing Mahler’s Symphony no. 1) on PBS. All the string instrument musicians were wearing masks and the wind instruments (of course) performers were not. I know it’s symbolic, but rather absurd.

∙A federal judge has sentenced the U.S. Capitol rioter known as the “QAnon Shaman” (for his horned headdress) to 41 months in prison for his role in the deadly Jan. 6 attack by followers of then-President Donald Trump. Good keep it coming.

∙The Defense Department is launching the Airborne Object Identification and Management Synchronization Group, a unit that will be charged with finding and identifying UFOs in restricted airspace, officials said Tuesday.

The new group will replace the U.S. Navy’s Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force. The move comes after the U.S. intelligence community verified a number of unexplained aerial sightings earlier this year and admitted it could not explain the phenomena. The Defense Department said it takes the subject of airborne objects very seriously, whether the objects are identified or not.

I wonder what kind of idiots would want to come to earth unless it is to show the inhabitants how not to run a planet. I hope they show up so we can ask them.

∙A federal judge took aim at former President Donald Trump for lying about voter fraud during the 2020 presidential election, saying that former Vice President Al Gore had a better standing to challenge the 2000 election results but that he was “a man” and walked away.

“Al Gore had a better case to argue than Mr. Trump, but he was a man about what happened to him,” Senior District Judge Reggie Walton said of Gore’s decision to end his presidential bid following weeks of legal battles. “He accepted it and walked away.”

∙Mexico’s Supreme Court ruled that it is unconstitutional to punish abortion, unanimously annulling several provisions of a law from Coahuila, a state on the Texas border, that had made abortion a criminal act.

The decision will immediately affect only the northern border state, but it establishes a historic precedent and “obligatory criteria for all of the country’s judges,” compelling them to act the same way in similar cases, said court President Arturo Zaldívar. “From now on you will not be able to, without violating the court’s criteria and the constitution, charge any woman who aborts under the circumstances this court has ruled as valid.”

If a country that is 83% Catholic can think rationally about abortion why can’t Texas (and others)?

∙ Congratulations to two Breeze staff (we call ourselves Breezers) Sheli Ellsworth is the new President of the Ventura County Writers Club. She is an award-winning short story writer and contributing writer to the Breeze. Mary Thompson is the new President of the Olivas Adobe Docents. She is one of our distributors and sets up our booth at some events.

∙The City Council is still deciding on what the future is for the permanent closing of some downtown streets, which is called “Main Street Moves.” They are still examining how much the city and downtown businesses should pay to keep Main Street closed to vehicular traffic. The closing has kept many businesses (especially restaurants in business) by allowing outdoor dining, but if kept permanent it will very expensive if done right.

The Council has requested staff provide additional information on the proposal.

Even though a majority of residents asked preferred the street closures remain, I wonder if people living on Poli and Santa Clara were asked how they felt about all the additional cars on their streets? And how has this affected business for non-restaurants downtown? Will people walk several blocks to get a cup of coffee?

I assume that eventually this will become permanent, and the streets will be closed. Pavers, planters, fountains should be installed at a great expense. Where will the money come from?

I think it is a great idea, but perhaps should only include three streets, and not all of downtown. Main St. down by the mission has great potential and should be considered when thinking about what to do downtown.

∙ Since I changed our clocks back before I went to sleep on the 7th and not at 2AM as instructed, I hope I don’t get in trouble. I got confused though. Did that mean that I lost an hour of having fun or picked up an hour to have fun? Will I need to wait a year to resolve this?

∙Recently a high school (Inglewood High) football team beat another school 106-0. Inglewood went for a two-point conversion leading 104-0. I think this is awful for both the losers and maybe more so for the players on the winning team. What did this teach them about sportsmanship? The coach should be fired, or suspended, and their football team should forfeit a game. The principal did issue an apology, though that probably wasn’t enough.

∙From George Skelton writing in the LA Times.

“Guns, violence and political extremism are on the rise. And Americans risk disaster, sooner or later. That’s the view of a longtime University of California firearms researcher whose hard-hitting report was published last week in the journal Injury Epidemiology.”

Whom am I to disagree with this?

∙A New Jersey gym owner has been sentenced to more than three years (41 months) in prison for punching a police officer during the insurrection on Jan.6 at the Capitol. Hopefully this will be the guideline for others who face prison terms. Perhaps whomever sparked the insurrections should also go to prison.

∙An Anacapa Middle School history teacher, who was not named, is no longer working at the school. A video of in-class comments made by her stating that Hunter Biden had child pornography on his laptop and was having sex with his niece was made public. I certainly hope that she is also no longer employed by the school district. She also told her students that Donald Trump was currently president.

The teacher is no longer at the Anacapa but is still an employee of the VUSD while the review of the situation continues. If this is all true, I certainly hope that she is eventually fired from the district.

I know that we all hate it when some students use their cell phones during class, but, when they record this behavior, they are serving an important purpose of exposing teachers who shouldn’t be teaching our young people.

∙A new 600-seat music venue, and restaurant is set to open next year on the site of the former Discovery Ventura bowling alley in midtown.

It was an odd mix; a bowling alley, fine restaurant and a music venue, and it just didn’t work. I know several Venturan’s who lost money by investing in Discovery Ventura. I know the owner opened in another city and was accepting investors even as he declared bankruptcy.

I certainly hope this new venue is successful as it would bring new life to mid-town and some well-known musical acts to Ventura.

∙I certainly don’t know much about what is in the new $1.85-trillion social safety net bill (I doubt if those voting for and against also know much about what is in it). I do know there is $390 million provided for early childcare and education. It would provide universal preschool for 3- and 4-year-old children. It would also subsidize the cost of childcare for a large number of parents with children under 6.

I think this is extremely important, as it would help millions of working parents (especially low-income families) to keep pace with the more affluent who can afford to have their children attend private early classes and allow both parents to work.

Many minority children fall behind in school very early and have a hard time catching up.

∙Big Bird has ruffled some feathers by announcing he had been vaccinated against COVID-19. The Muppet tweeted that he had gotten the shot. Even though he has been on TV since 1969, he is officially only 6-years old so only just became eligible to get the shot. He stated, “My wing is feeling a little sore, but it’ll give my body an extra protective boost that keeps me and others healthy.”

This is, of course, a decision which is not shared by all parents as sensible/necessary. It is not known if Ernie and Bert have been vaccinated.

∙According to a new poll from the Public Policy Institute of California, nearly 80% of California voters are in favor of changing the state’s process for recalling elected officials. The survey comes nearly two months after an unsuccessful attempt to remove Gov. Gavin Newsom. The first-term Democrat defeated the recall with 62% of the vote (the same margin he won when he was elected in 2018).

I’m glad both Republicans and Democrats realize how absolutely absurd this process is, plus it cost “us” almost $300 million.

∙The United States had its hottest summer on record this year, narrowly edging out the previous one that was set 85-years ago during the Dust Bowl.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced that the average temperature this summer for the contiguous U.S. was 74 degrees. The heat record saw a season full of extremes, with persistent drought, wildfires, record-breaking heat, hurricanes and other extreme weather. If I didn’t know better, I would think this is climate change. As I write this, it is 85 degrees outside.