Category Archives: This ‘n’ That

Shop With a Cop: Ventura kids experience the holidays early

by Mira Reverente

For some very fortunate Ventura children, Santa arrived a bit early this year.

Upon the recommendation of the Ventura Unified School District (VUSD), 22 school-aged children from local schools recently participated in the annual “Shop With a Cop” sponsored by the Ventura Police Department (VPD) at Wal-Mart on Victoria Avenue.

Among the participants was Jasmine, 8, who had a small notebook with her, complete with a wish list and notes from her mother. “I’m going to get my mom size 9 slippers and some arts and crafts supplies. She really wanted those,” said the second-grader.

That’s Officer Beacham and Jasmine enjoying an early Santa.

Jasmine’s 14-year-old sister Arielle specifically asked for perfume, lotion and some belts. Grandma, who also wears a size 9, wanted shoes. “I think that’s it plus maybe something for my furry brother – our dog and some clothes for me,” said Jasmine, smiling widely and giving her list a once-over before turning to Officer Taylor Beacham.

Beacham, a three-year veteran at VPD, volunteered for the event for the first time and was paired with Jasmine. The pair hit it off right away, going over Jasmine’s shopping list, and checking it twice and were bantering like old friends before the evening was over.

Chief of Police Darin Schindler was pleased with that evening’s turn-out. “I know we’ve been doing this event for at least 10 years now, even before I became chief. I’m really proud of how much it has grown and how many officers and staff volunteer on their own time,” said Schindler, a 27-year veteran at VPD.

According to the chief, the size of this annual event largely depends on the department budget and involvement of the community. This year, donations poured in from the Police Community Foundation, the Optimist Club and other service clubs who are passionate about supporting youth in the community.

“Typically, we have 20 to 30 children participating every year, except last year due to Covid concerns,” said Emily Graves, community outreach specialist of the City of Ventura, Police and Fire Departments. “However, VPD officers still “played” Santa last year and delivered toys and gift cards to families in need.”

This year, every child was given a $175 “budget” to spend as they wish at Wal-mart. “Sometimes, the officers even pitch in when their shopping buddy goes over a bit,” said Chief Schindler.

Treats and snacks like cookies and hot cocoa were abundant as the children, officers and support staff assembled and “strategized” before hitting the aisles. Some officers and staff came with their spouses or significant others and tag-teamed as they shopped and helped wrap presents before sending the children home.

For children like Jasmine, the joy of shopping, wrapping and giving presents to their loved ones was sheer happiness and something they’ll never forget. Santa does come early in some parts of the world.

Kwanzaa the holiday

Kwanzaa is an African American and Pan-African holiday which celebrates family, community and culture. Celebrated from December 26 thru January 1, its origins are in the first harvest celebrations of Africa from which it takes its name. The name Kwanzaa is derived from the phrase “matunda ya kwanza” which means “first fruits” in Swahili, a Pan-African language which is the most widely spoken African language.

Kwanzaa was created in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karina, professor, Department of Black Studies at California State University, Long Beach, author and scholar-activist who stresses the indispensable need to preserve, continually revitalize and promote African American culture.

It is important to note Kwanzaa is a cultural holiday, not a religious one, thus available to and practiced by Africans of all religious faiths who come together based on the rich, ancient and varied common ground of their Africanness.

Gifts are given mainly to children, but must always include a book and a heritage symbol. The book is to emphasize the African value and tradition of learning stressed since ancient Egypt, and the heritage symbol to reaffirm and reinforce the African commitment to tradition and history.

Ceremonies naming people who died without shelter throughout Ventura County were held

The three wooden markers are friends who died this year.

This year there were two interdenominational memorial Longest Night ceremonies naming the 136 people who died without shelter throughout Ventura County from the end of 2020 to 11/20/2021. One hundred and eight died without shelter in 2021 from January to November 2020.

The Unitarian Universalist Church of Ventura has hosted a memorial event for 15 years. In 2020, they were unable to host a public event and purchased an obituary where 76 people’s names were listed. That year, the Oxnard Commission on Homelessness organized an interdenominational virtual service with the reading of the names.

This year Longest Night services were held in both Ventura and Oxnard. The Ventura event was at Plaza Park on Saturday, December 18. It was followed by a silent march downtown.

The Oxnard event was at Oxnard’s Plaza Park on Sunday, December 19, and included a memory box where people can write their memories and deposit their thoughts of their loved one.

This year UUCV/ Lift Up Your Voice to End Homelessness and Oxnard Commission on Homelessness obtained the list of deceased homeless people from the Medical Examiner and some of the social service providers. Roy Foster and several others from LUYV created a tombstone display with all the names. There are many people who we do not know of their circumstances and will not be mentioned. Sometimes their family will take them in during the last weeks or months of their life. Some die in the hospital or in respite care and are not counted. We know many fall through the cracks and are not recorded as dying without shelter.

Roy Foster came up with the idea of the headstones about 5 years ago.  The three wooden markers are friends who died this year.  Roy is housed but lived on the street for a while.  Two years ago his brother (Don Baker) died on the street.

Jill and Tom Ball provided music for the event. Three youths and their advisors from Unitarian Universalist Church of Ventura served snacks. Irene Johnson managed the clothing give away.

Reading the names of the deceased were Rabbi Lisa Hochberg-Miller from Temple Beth Torah, Rev John Forrest Douglas from  Church of the Foothill , Rev Bonnie Rose from Center for Spiritual Living as Rev. Dana Warsnop rang the bell for each name.  Cantor Robin Faigin called all to prayer.

Congratulations to the graduating interns from PathPoint Project Search program

Interns from PathPoint and Gina Salman at Cypress Place.

by Carol Leish, MA

“Having our first interns from the Pathpoint Project SEARCH program,” according to Cypress Place Senior Living executive director, Gina Salman, “has made a difference through their ability to help others here. We realized that all three of you have been always learning in order to think positively and to not be afraid of change.”

“PathPoint utilizes the Project SEARCH model, which is a school-to-work program for individuals with disabilities that takes place entirely at an employer worksite. Total workplace immersion facilitates a seamless combination of classroom instruction, career exploration and on-the-job training and support,” according to their website: www.Pathpoint.org. “Interns build communication and problem-solving skills, as well as job-specific skills, through worksite rotations. These are paid internships, which are funded by Tri-Counties Regional Center. The paid internships are similar to the clinical rotations that are part of every medical school curriculum and many other professional career programs.”

“This is the first year that Cypress Place Senior Living has been involved with the Project SEARCH Program,” according to, Salman. “We were initially referred to the program by our sister community, Regency Palms in Oxnard.” The position that interns did were: 1) Dining Services Attendant in the Dining Department; 2) Laundry Attendant in the Housekeeping Department; and 3) Janitorial/Housekeeping Assistant in the Housekeeping Department. “We would encourage others to get involved in this program by contacting Path Point directly and asking if they need interns who are the right fit for us here at Cypress Place Senior Living or other organizations. Many of these interns have specific skills that they are interested in gaining experience in.”

Mike Macke, Community Relations Director at Cypress Place Senior Living said, “Cypress Place Senior Living is a premiere senior community in Ventura County. The beautiful senior living campus features an Independent Senior Living community and an adjacent Assisted Living and Alzheimer’s/Dementia Care community connected by a lushly landscaped courtyard.”

For more information about Cypress Place Senior Living in Ventura, visit: www.cypressplaceseniorliving.com or call: (805) 650-8000.

Heather Sturm, Program Coordinator at PathPoint, with various sites in Ventura County, said, “Interns work at a site for six months to a year. Then, we help them to find a job through job searching.” Ricardo Castellon, who does Direct Support at PathPoint, said, “The staff at Cypress Place Senior Living has been super kind and welcoming to all of us.”

Congratulations to the three graduating interns: Kayla Rucker, Taylor Cargile, and Diane Easly. Kayla Rucker said that, “It ‘s been a pleasure to have worked here. It was fun.” Diane Easly, said, ‘I’ve appreciated working here. Now, it’s time to move on (to another position).” Taylor Cargile said, “I was grateful to have worked in the dining room. And, I have accepted a position to work in the dining room, which will be starting in January, 2022.”

Shirley and David Hartman, who have been residents at Cypress Place Senior Living for the past two years both said, “All three interns have done a good job. We are going to miss Diane Easly and Kayla Rucker. We are glad that Taylor Cargile will be continuing to be working in the dining room in 2022.”

Project Search is now accepting applications for another internship at Cypress Place Senior Living, which will be starting in January, 2022. Contact, Heather Sturm, coordinator, at: [email protected] or call: (805) 863-5548.

Thank You Ventura!

CAPS Media Crew Evan Carpenter, Elizabeth Rodeno, Alex Uvari, Phil Taggart, Jorge Godinez, Donald McConnell, Patrick Davidson, Manny Reynosa, Gary Roll and Jamie Cawelti

The entire CAPS Media Crew wants to thank everyone in Ventura and Ventura County for their tremendous support and collaboration throughout 2021. The COVID-19 pandemic presented considerable challenges throughout the year, however despite the obstacles CAPS Media crews continued to provide communication and information services for the City of Ventura and the entire Ventura County.

All year long CAPS Media crews stayed extremely busy producing City projects that included covering more than 140 separate live meetings which totaled more than 290 hours and included City Council, Administrative Public Hearings, Design Review, Economic Development Strategy Committee, Finance, Historic Preservation, Parks and Recreation and Safe and Clean and Homeless Committees, and the Water Commission all broadcast and streamed on CAPS Media Channel 15 and on capsmedia.org.

Working in collaboration with City of Ventura Public Information Officers, CAPS Media video crews produced more dozens of informational City videos for the public including monthly updates by Mayor Sofia Rubalcava, informative videos from other City Council Members, Ventura Police and Ventura Fire. Creation of the videos required more than 900 hours of field and in-studio production and editing.

Throughout 2021 CAPS Media crews were collaborating with Ventura County PIOs to produce multiple projects including COVID-19 Updates and educational videos in multiple languages, as well as fire safety, housing, and healthcare videos, totaling more than 75 separate projects requiring more than 800 hours of field and studio production and editing.

CAPS Media’s KPPQ Radio crews continued providing the community with non-stop original, locally produced, non-commercial programming throughout 2021. The resourceful KPPQ DJs produced high-quality, innovative programming in the KPPQ studio and in their home studios week in and week out.

Under the direction of station manager Elizabeth Rodeno and engineer Evan Carpenter, CAPS Media KPPQ has trained more than 100 producers in the skills and art of radio and podcast production. Since the launch of KPPQ, more than 500 hours of original local music shows have been broadcast on the station including Pure Rock Show, The Pam Baumgardner Music Hour, Doc’s Delta Blues Lounge and Ojai Dream. KPPQ DJ’s have hosted an extensive range of community/youth and public affairs programs including In the Women’s Room, Ventura Vibe!, Teen Centric, Women of a Certain Age, The ECTV Radio Show, The Shiver Show, Fireside Tailes for Wolfgang.

During 2021 the KPPQ team produced and more than 300 hours of Ventura Community centered talk show programs, combined with specially selected licensed programs fueled nonstop distribution on KPPQ 104.1fm, streaming on capsmedia.org and myTuner Radio.

Throughout the 2020-2021 school year CAPS Media staff, led by Phil Taggart, continued to mentor El Camino High School students in the award-winning ECTV media education program, teaching students how to master media technology to create, produce and communicate their own stories. The collaborative curriculum includes hands-on training as well as vital communication and storytelling skills. ECTV is a student internship and career pathways program in collaboration with Ventura Unified School District and Ventura College.

As the year draws to a close, the entire CAPS Media staff want to express our appreciation to the members of the dedicated CAPS Media Board of Directors. Thank you all for an engaging 2021 and best wishes for a Happy and Healthy 2022.

VMF presents guitar titans Tommy Emmanuel and Mike Dawes

by Richard Newsham, VMF consultant

Tommy Emmanuel and Mike Dawes—“two of the greatest acoustic guitar players on the planet”—have teamed up for a USA tour and are touching down at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center (OPAC), 800 Hobson Way, on Thursday, January 20 at 8 pm.

It’s the 2022 opener for the 27th “Onward!” season of Ventura Music Festival, co-presented by OPAC/Canyon/Sterling Venue Ventures.

The two guitar giants discovered “good chemistry between us” when recording a spellbinding acoustic cover of the Gotye smash “Somebody That I Used to Know” that has gone viral with millions of YouTube viewers. Emmanuel’s liquid blues lines and Dawes’ mastermind percussive rhythms add solace to this anthem’s “certain kind of sadness” in sync with our current pandemic mood.

Hailed as “one of the world’s most creative modern fingerstyle guitarists,” 32-year-old Englishman Mike Dawes “slaps, taps, and caresses his way to brilliance,” says Guitar World Magazine.

A foremost guitar workshop teacher, music educator and touring and viral artist, he composes, arranges and performs multiple parts simultaneously live on a single instrument with an “innate melodic instinct and incredible guitar prowess.” Watch his amazing solo performances on YouTube of “Jump” (Van Halen), “One” (Metallica) and “Slow Dancing in a Burning Room” (John Mayer).

Tommy Emmanuel—a child prodigy who became “the greatest guitar player alive” and “Aussie national hero”—is now a U.S. citizen recording in Nashville. He is known for his “needs to be seen maybe more than heard” charisma and unsurpassed technique, virtuoso articulation and breath taking grooves “full of grace, fire and chills.”

Emmanuel performs a gorgeous all melody repertoire that ranges over jazz, blues, bluegrass, folk, country and rock. He is one of only five guitarists anointed as “C.G.P.” or “Certified Guitar Players” by his hero Chet Atkins, joining the august ranks of such guitar legends as Django Reinhardt, George Benson, Larry Carlson and Eric Clapton.

Keep the high vibes of the holidays going in the New Year—don’t miss “today’s foremost acoustic guitar virtuosos” bringing their distinctive styles to “a collaborative concert of perfect equals” on January 20th in Oxnard.

Tickets are on sale now through Ticketmaster, or save fees by calling the box office directly at (888) 645-5006 for will-call-only tickets. For more information and to watch videos visit VenturaMusicFestival.org.

Ventura’s first bi-annual Writers’ Festival

On Saturday, December 11, and Sunday, December 12 WRITERS | Ventura held their first bi-annual Writers’ Festival, held at the E.P. Foster Library on Main St.

“Our goal at WRITERS | Ventura is to provide a platform for writers to connect with readers,” said Pamela Zero, founding member of WRITERS | Ventura. “There are so few ways that our vibrant community can interact. It’s time to get readers and writers together.”

The Writers’ Festival brought together local writers with local readers, creating and reinforcing a community that loves books.

The Bookmark About Libraries and Friends

by Jill Forman

Dang, what a year!

The Ventura Friends of the Library, along with the rest of the world, has had an eventful and challenging year. We started off shut down due to COVID with no libraries, bookstore, book sales or our usual occupations and sources of generating funds for the libraries. But we were not idle. We had started an online store; the warehouse changed its staffing to comply with county COVID protocols and continued to process donations.

Some of us made it our mission to stock the Little Free Libraries around town. Folks were frequently leaving boxes of books on my front porch, since they couldn’t get into the libraries to donate; these went into LFL’s in my neighborhood, at the parks, and so on.

Speaking of donations, people apparently used their at-home time to sort through their books and divest themselves of ones they no longer wanted. As a result, our warehouse was overwhelmed. Luckily, many bookstore volunteers switched over to helping out as book sorters and pricers.

We were able to have a parking lot sale at Foster Library, with all COVID precautions adhered to. And later on, a sale at the Topping Room.

When volunteers could get into the libraries again, we moved the Foster Bookstore to a larger and more open area on the first place of Foster Library. This was a giant effort by many volunteers, spouses, and library staff. This new space has been a success with patrons and volunteers alike.

The Friends of the Library book sale shelves at the Hill Road Library were also restocked and ready for booklovers to find more bargains by the time the libraries reopened.

As a result of all these efforts, the Friends will be able to donate a substantial amount to the libraries for services and supplies despite the obstacles of this unprecedented year. Exact figures will be released after the end of the fiscal year.

And the citizens of our community have had access to books!

Library updates from Dolly
The Minecraft server continues to be used by steady gamers. Discover Science, Storytime (held out of doors), Minecraft Monthly (began in person in November,) and the Mobile Library are all currently active and well received. The Mobile Career Center is actively helping at libraries and the Mac van has its own computers.
The County Library System has applied for a $100,000 grant from the State Library for the Mobile Career Center.

Book clubs

Hill Road – last Tuesday of each month at 5 p.m.

January’s book: The Good Lord Bird by James McBride

Foster – January 8 at 10 a.m.

January’s book: The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

From Leslie Bellmore, Online Sales manager

Online bookstore continues to offer quality books at great prices, with easy browsing.

Volunteers wanted

The warehouse needs sorters and pricers Fridays 9-11.

The bookstore needs helpers, varied dates and shifts.

Email: [email protected]

Tentative date for next book sale

Saturday January 22, 2022. No location or time available yet. But mark your calendars to come buy books – or better yet, volunteer!

Esmeralda Juarez named a Ventura Chamber Hometown Hero during annual Poinsettia Awards

Chamber President/CEO Stephanie Caldwell, Fire Department’s Fire Chief David Endaya , Esmeralda Juarez and Ventura College Foundation Executive Director Anne Paul King.

Esmeralda Juarez, Ventura College Foundation’s Weekend Marketplace supervisor, was named a Ventura Chamber of Commerce 2021 Hometown Hero during the chamber’s annual Poinsettia Awards Ceremony December 9.

Juarez, who has worked at the Marketplace for 20 years, was honored for her leadership that enabled the Marketplace to remain open and serve the community during the pandemic. For over 35 years, residents have relied on the Marketplace for their everyday goods and fresh produce. The Marketplace also generated almost 100 percent of the operating revenue of the Ventura College Foundation through vendor rental income. When the county shut down on March 13, 2020, the Marketplace closed, leaving the community without an open-air fresh food and goods market and the Ventura College Foundation with only three months of operating cash.

“The Marketplace reopened 2 1/2 months later after Esmeralda was able to guide her team and marketplace vendors through operating and safety protocols while passing continual health and safety inspections,” says Anne Paul King, Ventura College Foundation executive director. “The Marketplace was the only swap meet in the county allowed to operate almost entirely through the pandemic.”

Initially, Juarez had 149 vendors sell their products at the Marketplace. Each weekend, over 1,200 Venturans shopped for essential goods in a safe outdoor environment. When protocols loosened in July 2021, she brought back 150 additional vendors and raised Ventura College Foundation net revenue to pre-pandemic levels within four weeks.

“Ventura College Foundation now has nine months of operating revenue in reserves and is financially secure,” says King. “We could not have done it without Esmeralda. In the next 10 years, the Marketplace will allow the Ventura College Foundation to support over 30,000 students through scholarships and other services. Esmeralda’s leadership over the past two years will have a tremendous long-term impact.”

In addition to Juarez, the chamber honored hometown heroes Gabrielle Moes (on behalf of Seasons Catering), Ashley Bautista (County of Ventura), Monica White (on behalf of Food Share), Isis Wagner (Veterans Home of California, Ventura) and

Anshul Bajaj (on behalf of Stembassadors).