Photo by Michael Gordon
The Ventura Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon-cutting at Coastal Architects on March 25. Coastal Architects is a full-service architectural, planning, and design firm specializing in customer services that range from initial master planning and pre-development sketches to technical and construction documentation through all phases of the development.
1567 Spinnaker Dr., Suite 204 in the Ventura Harbor Village. 805-985-7654.
Ventura Land Trust will host the next installment of its Environmental Speaker Series, Women in Conservation, on Thursday, April 14th from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm at the Museum of Ventura County (100 E Main St.).
A panel discussion moderated by Ventura Land Trust Executive Director Melissa Baffa will feature Kristine McDivitt Tompkins, Kate Larramendy, and Michelle I. Sevilla, three individuals who are shaping the modern conservation movement in the United States and abroad.
Baffa herself is a biologist and educator who was selected as a 2015 Science Communication Fellow with the Ocean Exploration Trust, and explored the deep sea as part of Dr. Robert Ballard’s Corps of Exploration in 2015, 2016, and 2018.
“Our panelists have such a wide range of experience and influence,” says Baffa. “They are examples of women who have navigated barriers to build connections among scientists, environmental advocates, policymakers, and communities, and they’ve made significant contributions to the field of conservation. Because of their work, others who identify as women can follow in their footsteps.”
Women in Conservation panelists include Kristine McDivitt Tompkins, who, as president and cofounder of Tompkins Conservation, has worked to protect wild beauty and biodiversity with the conservation of 15 million acres of parklands in Chile and Argentina; Kate Larramendy, past Director of Design and Sustainability for Toad&Co and trustee of The Conservation Alliance; and Michelle I. Sevilla, an immigrant from the Philippines who works on local environmental issues and policy in the California State Legislature. Sevilla is the first Network Manager of the Central Coast Climate Justice Network.
Members of the audience will have the opportunity to ask questions of the panelists in a Q&A session after the panel discussion. Now in its seventh year, Ventura Land Trust’s quarterly Environmental Speaker Series educates the public about important local and global environmental issues. Women in Conservation is the second of four events in 2022, with upcoming events in June and October. Environmental Speaker Series events are free and open to the public, but donations are encouraged. Guests are encouraged to RSVP for Women in Conservation at www.venturalandtrust.org/womeninconservation.
The mission of Ventura Land Trust is to permanently protect the land, water, wildlife and scenic beauty of the Ventura region for current and future generations. Founded in 2003, Ventura Land Trust believes that preserving open space and providing public access enhances the economy, quality of life, and public well-being of Ventura and surrounding communities. The organization currently owns and manages land along the Ventura River and in the Ventura hillsides, including the 2,100-acre Harmon Canyon Preserve. All preserves are open to the public daily from dawn to dusk for free. Ventura Land Trust is an accredited member of the Land Trust Alliance. Learn more and become a member at www.venturalandtrust.org.
Museum of Ventura County announces the addition of two members to their Board of Directors, longtime Ventura County supporter Greg Monterrosa and Immigration Attorney Gabriella Navarro-Busch. The Museum’s 13-member board helps to guide the collections, exhibits, and educational programs, which collectively celebrate the rich history, art and culture of Ventura County.
“The Museum is honored to welcome these two exemplary and engaged members of our community to our Board,” said Executive Director Elena Brokaw. “Greg’s dedication to serving the people of Ventura County and experience on the board of Conejo/Las Virgenes Foundation will no doubt make an immediate impact. We are equally fortunate to welcome Gabriella, whose leadership in public safety and dedication to helping those in need through her work as an immigration attorney, will enlighten and inform us with her distinct perspectives.
Greg Monterrosa joins the Museum of Ventura County board with a history of dedicated work in supporting and advancing entrepreneurship, innovation, and economic development in Ventura County. In addition to the Museum, Monterrosa is currently an active board member for the Conejo/Las Virgenes Foundation and has received various awards and recognition for his community leadership efforts.
Gabriella Navarro-Busch comes to the Museum’s board of directors with extensive experience as an immigration attorney. She also is a former president of the Ventura County chapter of the MexicanAmerican Bar Association, recipient of the 2004 State Bar of California President’s Pro Bono Service
Award, and former 23 year employee of the Oxnard Police Department’s Emergency 911 Communications Center. Additionally, Navarro-Busch is the referred attorney for several domestic violence shelters in Ventura County where clients qualify for immigration relief under the Violence Against Women’s Act (VAWA) or U-visa protections.
To learn more about the Museum of Ventura County’s 2021-2022 Board of Directors, please visit: venturamuseum.org/board-and-committees
The Museum of Ventura County celebrates, preserves and interprets the art, history and culture of Ventura County, the California Channel Islands and the surrounding region through its collections, exhibitions, events, educational programs, publications and its research library, and serves as a gathering place for the community.
Also, The Museum of Ventura County announces the return of the Bonita C. McFarland Visual Arts Scholarship. Named after a generous benefactor to the arts in Ventura County, the total amount awarded will be $17,500, with individual awards of $500 or more dependent on need and number of scholarships awarded. Awards will be based on artistic merit and commitment as demonstrated by the requirements. The scholarship is available to any high school senior or college level student of the visual arts, who is also a Ventura County resident. Applicants must complete the application online, along with a 400-word essay about their art and education/career goals, letter of recommendation from a teacher or instructor, 10 images of artwork and/or projects (8MB maximum size per image) by the April 25, 2022 deadline.
Mary O’Connor (Tosney) completed her earthly journey peacefully at her residence in Ventura, on Saturday, March 12, 2022. Mary Ann was born to Dr. Robert O’Connor and Mary (McMahon) O’Connor in Buffalo, NY. She spent her early years in the idyllic village of Williamsville, NY.
Mary O’Connor was the rock ’n’ roller & Chapter 12 of The Necklace: 13 Women and the experiment that transformed their lives.
Mary received her teaching degree from Daemen College and completed her Master’s Degree at SUNY at Buffalo. She taught at her high school alma mater serving as Chair of the English Department.
In August of 1977, Mary wed William (Bill) Tosney in Williamsville. Engineering employment for Bill was sparse in Western NY, and that was the beginning of the westward trek; Nuclear Engineering in Colorado, led to Petroleum Engineering in Ventura, and finally Aerospace Engineering in Los Angeles.
Mary continued her teaching career at St. Bonaventure High School, Bill commuted to L.A. and their children flourished at Our Lady of the Assumption School and St. Bonaventure High.
In the late 80s, Mary founded Signs Now which she owned and operated for 28 years. The business provided an interface to support many community efforts and charitable non-profits.
Mary was a longtime member and sponsor of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee. In 2007, she was inducted into the second class of the St. Bonaventure Hall of Fame in recognition of her dedication and ongoing support of the school. In 2011, Mary was recognized as a Distinguished Alumna of Daemen College in Amherst, NY for her service to the community.
If Mary had an avocation, it was “football fan”. She loved all things football and managed to attend several Buffalo Bills and San Diego Chargers games as well as 7 Super Bowls. Her true passion, however, was the Friday Night Lights of St. Bonaventure Seraphs Football, which she followed tirelessly.
Mary was an extremely generous individual to both those she knew and didn’t know. She was a dedicated teacher, accomplished business woman, loyal friend, devoted mother and grandmother and cherished wife.
Mary was preceded in death by her parents and the love of her life and husband Bill of 42 years.
A funeral mass to be held on Monday, April 4th at the Mulcahy Center behind Our Lady of the Assumption Church with a graveside service at Ivy Lawn Cemetery in Ventura. Arrangements were under the direction of Joseph Reardon Funeral Home.
Passover 2022 begins at sundown on Friday, April 15, and ends Saturday evening, April 23.
Passover is a festival of freedom.
It commemorates the Israelites’ Exodus from Egypt, and their transition from slavery to freedom. Passover or Pesach is an important, biblically derived Jewish holiday. The Jewish people celebrate Passover as a commemoration of their liberation by God from slavery in Egypt and their freedom as a nation under the leadership of Moses. It commemorates the story of the Exodus in which the Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt.
Passover commences on the 15th of the Hebrew month of Nisan and lasts for either seven
days (in Israel and for Reform Jews and other progressive Jews around the world who adhere to the Biblical commandment) or eight days for Orthodox, Hasidic, and most Conservative Jews.
A day commences at dusk and lasts until the following dusk, thus the first day of Passover begins after dusk. It is one of the most widely observed Jewish holidays.
The rituals unique to the Passover celebrations commence with the Passover Seder.
In the narrative of the Exodus, the Bible tells that God helped the Children of Israel escape from their slavery in Egypt by inflicting ten plagues upon the ancient Egyptians before the Pharaoh would release his Israelite slaves; the tenth and worst of the plagues was the death of the Egyptian first-born.
The Israelites were instructed to mark the doorposts of their homes with the blood of a slaughtered spring lamb and, upon seeing this, the spirit of the Lord knew to “pass over” the first-born in these homes, hence the English name of the holiday.
When the Pharaoh freed the Israelites, it is said that they left in such a hurry that they could not wait for bread dough to rise (leaven). In commemoration, for the duration of Passover no leavened bread is eaten.
by Carol Leish, MA
“Ventura Police Department Officers receive mental health training while in Basic Academy under Learning Domain 37, which consists of 15 hours,” according to Emily Graves, Community Outreach Specialist for the City of Ventura/Police. “The Basic Academy training is an introduction for first responders and Crisis Intervention Training. Officers are taught a basic understanding of a variety of mental health disorders, developmental disabilities, and brain injuries. They are exposed to mental health consumers and family members who speak about their experiences with loved ones who suffer from mental illness.”
“The weeklong Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) Academy,” according to John Schipper, Ph.D., Division Chief for Adult Services for Ventura County Behavioral Health (VCBH), “includes training by VCBH staff and members of the community. This training is for all the Ventura County police and sheriff departments, including Ventura, Oxnard, and Port Hueneme Police and Sheriff departments. This training educates officers/deputies on different types of mental illness, de-escalating techniques, and role playing of various scenarios. These trainings have been happening for over 20 years.
“Instructors in the CIT Academy include various presentations. Tri-County Regional Center and mental health staff from the Ventura County Behavioral Health provide these presentations.”
Graves said, “Following academy graduation, Ventura Police Officers attend a more robust 40-hour Crisis Intervention Training Academy where new officers are exposed to over 50 instructors and guest speakers from various law enforcement agencies and community organizations who donate a total of 250 hours to make the class possible. At the CIT Academy, officers get more in-depth mental health knowledge, are taught de-escalation skills, and practice those newly learned techniques in multiple scenarios.”
“Providing a refresher course is essential,” according to Dr. Schipper. “Starting in 2022, the Crisis Intervention Training will be including 8-hour CIT Update Courses every two years for past CIT Academy graduates,” according to Graves.
by Richard Senate
Remarkable as it is to imagine, once what is today Ventura County was listed as part of the newly formed Territory of Colorado. No, not the present state of Colorado but a newly formed southerly section, split off from the State of California in 1859 and designated as the “Territory of Colorado.” This was one of many plans to break California into two or more sections that started in Mexican Times and continues to this very day. This attempt came closest to success in the chaos of the approaching Civil War and was the brainchild of a remarkable Californian named Andre Pico, the younger brother of Pio Pico, the last Mexican Governor of California under the Mexican Republic. Andre Pico was the owner of the San Fernando Valley.
In the Mexican-American War of 1846-8 he commanded the Mexican California Militia lancers and pro-Mexican Native Americans at the Battle of San Pasqual. He was serving as acting governor when he surrendered to Col. John C. Fremont at the Treaty of Cahuenga pass ending the fighting in California. Andre Pico became an American citizen with full rights and served as member of the California Constitutional convention in Monterrey that formed the new State in 1850.
Andre Pico put forth a Bill in the Assembly to split off the southern counties of the state at the 36th parallel as “the territory of Colorado.” He sighted cultural differences between the peoples of the north and south. The act was passed in 1859 and a local referendum held where 75% of the Southern California voters supported the action. The Governor John B. Weller (a Douglas Democrat) signed the “Pico Bill” and sent it to Washington DC.
The election of 1860 disrupted everything. The New Republican Party put forth “Honest Abe” Lincoln, as the Democrats split into two parties, supporting Douglas and the firebrand secessionist Breckenridge (had the Democrats stayed united, they would have beaten Lincoln and perhaps delayed the Civil War). Republicans in California won the state by less than a thousand votes, Southern California went for Breckenridge with Santa Barbara County (Ventura was part of Santa Barbara at the time) going for Douglas. (Ventura cast all her votes for Lincoln). The looming Civil War and attempts at peace caused the Pico Bill to die in Congress.. When fighting, started after the shelling of Fort Sumter in April of 1861, Andre Pico and other supporters swore allegiance to Abe Lincoln and the Union and the movement to split California became another footnote in history. But such an action could well have changed the history of the west.
Chamber On The Mountain presents top-selling, Czech Violin Superstar, Pavel Šporcl, on Sunday, April 10, 2022, 3:00 pm at Logan House (located at the Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts in Upper Ojai). Tickets $30.00 at www.ChamberOnTheMountain.com.
Nicknamed “the fighting musician,” Pavel Šporcl has been triumphantly received by audiences in major music venues throughout the world thanks to his formidable art, rich classical background, and unique and distinctive stage presence.
Acclaimed Americana singer-songwriters Manda Mosher, Pi Jacobs, Amilia K Spicer and Arielle Silver will come together for an intimate, in-the-round performance at Ojai Underground Exchange. The show will also be broadcast to ticketholders who wish to see it as a livestream. Attendees can expect a magical evening, as the four artists “vibe” off one another, as well as the audience. “Women of Americana” will perform one show only, on Saturday April 9th at 7 pm at Ojai Underground Exchange. Tickets are $20 to come to the live concert. Broadcast tickets are $10-$20. Purchase at: https://ojaiundergroundexchange.square.site/#ACmOes
Bill Cunliffe April 8, 2022 at 7 PM
Imagine receiving an invitation to a gala featuring Bill Evans,
Bill has received 4 Grammy Nominations that resulted in his 2010 Grammy Award.
He has toured or recorded with Frank Sinatra, Freddy Hubbard, James Moody, Joe Henderson, Mary Lou Williams, and many others.
After a long pandemic hiatus, walking tours of historic Ojai resumed on April 2. Put on your comfortable shoes, bring a friend or family member, and enjoy learning about Ojai as you walk around town.
Walking Tours of Historic Ojai start at the Ojai Valley Museum. They are offered year-round (except in the hottest months of July-September). Tickets are $10 per adult, $25 per family, children 6-17 and OVM members are $5 and include admission to the museum all day.
The Ojai Valley Museum is located at 130 W. Ojai Avenue in Ojai. Free parking is available behind the museum, off Blanche Street. The Museum is open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 10 am to 4 pm.For more information, call the Museum at (805) 640-1390, ext. 201, email [email protected] or visit the museum website at OjaiValleyMuseum.org.
Join author and plant educator Lanny Kaufer for a leisurely evening stroll on the historic wetland that is now the Ojai Meadows Preserve on Wednesday, April 13, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.
For decades the wetland was buried under sediment and fill dirt from nearby construction. A grove of non-native Eucalyptus trees was planted in the 1950s, negating the possibility of native habitat returning on its own.
Before the walk, Kaufer will have copies of his book, Medicinal Herbs of California, available for sale and signing.
Paid registrants will receive a confirmation email with parking directions, what to bring, weather forecast, etc.
The cost for the hike is $35/person. Senior, student and child discounts are available by request. Register now at HerbWalks.com or by calling 805-646-6281.
April 22 is Earth Day! To help care for Ventura’s environment, you can grab a shovel and expand our urban forest. It’s the season to “Plant and Post,” sponsored by the Ventura Tree Alliance. Plant a tree at your home, business, church, school— and then post a photo on social media. We will celebrate together the greening of our community!
VenturaTreeAlliance.com
Koolaburra by UGG, in partnership with Ashley Tisdale and Frenshe, celebrated International Women’s Day with a $40,000 philanthropic donation to Women’s Economic Ventures (WEV).
“Koolaburra by UGG is proud to be a supporter of Women’s Economic Ventures this International Women’s Day,” said Lorie Pointer, GM of Koolaburra by UGG. We’re honored to be able to support their mission of providing a network for women to realize their dreams.”
WEV community connects women entrepreneurs from multiple business categories to share insights and tips with each other, including how they are handling business challenges, adapting to new hybrid working conditions, and achieving work-life balance. WEV believes that economic empowerment is the foundation that allows women to achieve their potential in all aspects of life – career, family, and community.
Throughout the pandemic, WEV met the rising demand for business education, mentoring and advisory services, community meetup events as well as entrepreneurial funding via online offerings and webinars. Looking ahead to recovery mode, WEV is increasing marketing and ecommerce education, expanding financial literacy/business finance resources, and increasing Spanish language offerings to support the rapidly growing number of Latina entrepreneurs.
WEV CEO Kathy Odell shared that “Women’s Economic Ventures is incredibly grateful to receive this generous donation. The timing could not be better. More than 2.5 million women entrepreneurs started businesses in 2021 – more than double the rate of previous years. These entrepreneurs are committed to a new way of doing business that celebrates today’s multi-dimensional woman business owner. WEV is thankful to be able to immediately deploy this gift to deliver services that support the wave of emerging women entrepreneurs.”
