Category Archives: This ‘n’ That

MVC offering new virtual exhibits and virtual learning modules

Enjoy museum events and learning from home.

Originally scheduled to open in early March, but postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Huelga! Photographs from the Frontlines by Jorge Corralejo and Legacy: Seven Decades of Ventura College Art are now available as virtual exhibits! Visitors can now virtually step directly into the Museum of Ventura County’s exhibit space and explore in great detail thanks to the generosity of Troy Wagner and Virtual Tours Ventura.

“We are very thankful to be able to bring this exciting new tour of the Museum, straight to your home. Our friends at Virtual Tours Ventura, along with the Ventura College Art Department and Jorge Corralejo, have created an intimate and informative look at what is going on at the Museum,” says Elena Brokaw, The Barbara Barnard Smith Executive Director of the Museum of Ventura County. “We are committed to continuing to bring you more tours like these to make sure we can share our continuing programming.”

Legacy: Seven Decades of Ventura College Art presents a survey of the history, instructors, and artists who came out of the Ventura College art department. Huelga! Photographs from the Frontlines by Jorge Corralejo features the work of longtime local activist and civic leader Jorge Corralejo, including photography from the 1970s labor strikes displayed with memorabilia from the museum’s collection and Jorge himself. Virtual visitors will learn about Jorge Corralejo’s time with United Farm Workers, working alongside Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta from the Boston A & P strikes to the streets of Oxnard.

Additionally, the Museum of Ventura County released an in-depth look at California Cool: Mid-century Modernism on the Central Coast, originally on display from September 2019—February 2020. Virtual visitors are invited to step back in time to a cooler and more sophisticated era of design with this online tour, offering a thorough look at many of the artifacts and artwork featured in the exhibit, including the Nelson Coconut Chair, pottery by renowned ceramicist Otto Heino, and special items from the collection of Eric Huff. More virtual exhibits from the museum’s extensive history will be added in the coming weeks.

The Museum of Ventura County is committed to providing educational resources during this difficult time so children and their families can continue to learn and participate from the comfort and safety of their home. The Museum continues to release its series of Virtual Learning Modules in an effort to engage our community of learners.

“During the stay-at-home period, we want our community to know the Museum is here for them,” explains Robert Cromwell, Education Manager of the Museum of Ventura County. “We organize our content around a topic that parents and teachers can pick and choose what they might find most useful to share with their learners. We cover history, arts and crafts, and environmental science topics ranging from Oak Trees and nature-journaling to how kids and families supported WWII Mobilization.”

Keep up to date on all that the Museum of Ventura County is offering and sign up for our weekly e-newsletter at www.venturamuseum.org/subscribe.

NAWBO Ventura County hosts “Speaking Up for Change”

Lisa Braithwaite, M.A. is on a mission to help purpose-driven business and nonprofits.

The Ventura County chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO VC), knowing that maintaining and growing your business is now more than important than ever, continues to bring our community informative and educational programming in a virtual environment.

On May 12th from 6pm to 8pm, NAWBO VC with support from Chase Bank and Coverly Professional Services, Inc. will host via Zoom, “Speaking Up for Change – Engage, Inspire & Transform Your Audiences,” presented by speaking coach Lisa Braithwaite, M.A. Tickets are just $20 for all who register at www.NAWBOVC.org.

This virtual session isn’t about what to do with your hands, how to make eye contact, how to stop saying “um,” or how to get over speaking anxiety. Rather, learn how to move your audiences, even one-on-one interactions, into action by making an impact on people through engagement and connection. Notes Braithwaite, “The fundamentals of helping people to take action on your message haven’t changed, even while doing it virtually. In fact, it’s more important than ever to speak confidently and in a way that engages your audience as we deliver our messages through a computer screen.”

This session is perfect for all women in business, who must learn to leverage the powerful tool of her own voice as a way to deliver a meaningful and memorable experience, whether for an audience or during interpersonal interactions. Being a proficient communicator and speaker can help you to grow your business in a way that engages and inspires your audience into action. Join us and learn how to leverage speaking to:

Speaker Lisa Braithwaite, M.A. is on a mission to help purpose-driven business and nonprofit leaders deliver meaningful and memorable experiences for their audiences by ditching perfection and creating connection. She’s a speaking coach, trainer, and author of “Presenting for Humans: Insights for Speakers on Ditching Perfection and Creating Connection.” Lisa mentors entrepreneurs and professionals to promote and grow their organizations through speaking. Lisa’s counts amount her clients, Microsoft, The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation, and UC Santa Barbara.

NAWBO Ventura County – Established in 1996, NAWBO Ventura County (NAWBO VC) has been furthering the aspirations of our growing community of women business owners throughout the county for over 23 years. The chapter serves women business owners from the west end of the county, including Ventura, Oxnard, Ojai, and throughout the Conejo Valley, to Simi Valley, Moorpark, Newbury Park, Thousand Oaks and Westlake Village. The national organization, NAWBO, has over 80 chapters across the United States with 11 chapters in California. Membership is open to women solopreneurs, small to mid-size business owners, partners, corporate owners, and female nonprofit founders and executives, as well as those companies that support women-owned businesses. Learn more: www.nawbovc.org.

Once Ventura had its own broadcast TV station  KKOG

by Richard Senate

The station had its studio on South California Street, broadcasting on Channel 16. It began transmitting on December 14th, 1968 and lasted only nine months.  The whole thing was the brainchild of Hollywood talent scout Julian F. Myers, who lived in the Ventura Keys. It took him two years to get the paperwork done and build the transmission tower on Red Mountain. He rented an old paint store at 133 South California street and set it up with two studios.

He named his station Kalifornia Koast of Gold (KKOG). Unfortunately, it provided a weak, grainy signal on channel 16. It was black and white as most other stations were transitioning to color.  In many ways it was a throw back to the 1950s and all shows were broadcast live. Mr. Myers hosted many of the shows himself. It had dance groups perform, local bands, with a kid’s program host by actor Gary Dyer reading stories but now showing cartoons.

Local  Ventura High school history teacher Alfonso Mara  did a news show, and Spanish teacher  Frank Maaggpinto  did a Spanish Language show called “Si Sixteen.”  Many church shows filled the airwaves on Sunday along with panel groups discussing local issues. In many ways it resembles cable six programming today.  With low viewership, backers walked out after only six weeks. More and more of the staff went unpaid with many continuing to work as unpaid volunteers. They had a hard time filling its 65 hours of programming each week.  The owner tried to sell the station but there were no takers and at last, after his home was foreclosed upon and they were unable to pay the rent on the store building, it closed its doors for good.

A dream, perhaps ahead of the times. Mr. Myers left the station with only ten dollars in his pocket.  Why did it fail? Poor programming and a lack of local support. Perhaps the day will come when Ventura will have its own commercial station. Let them learn the lessons from KKOG and the 1968-9 run of Julian Myers television dream.

We now have local CAPS TV.

May 4-8, 2020 is Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week.

by Madhu Bajaj President, Ventura Education Partnership

A friend recently reminded me that research shows that having one connection to a caring stable adult builds resilience in children.  School provides the opportunity to have not just one connection but many. As I think about who I am today and memorable childhood experiences a number of them were shaped by school, by the dedicated people who work in schools. And as I look at the wonderful, young man my son is becoming, I know I have school to thank for supporting him in figuring out who he is, how to be his best and how he will contribute to our world.

May 4-8, 2020 is Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week. Normally, it is a special time on school campuses to recognize everyone working hard on behalf of our community’s kids with sweet drawings, notes, special lunches and more. And like so much of life right now, this week will look and feel very different… no surprises, cute giggles, hugs.

This year, teachers and staff are working harder than ever from their homes to connect with their students and keep them engaged through distance learning. And, Ventura Unified’s Food and Nutrition Services is feeding thousands of children with a meal distribution program. The amount of preparation, planning and training required to make these massive shifts in education is unimaginable and heroic.

Please join me in thanking the amazing team at VUSD who are working so hard during uncertain and stressful times and for taking care of our community’s children.

This week, and always, please take a minute to appreciate teachers and staff working with care and compassion to educate our future. I know I will be writing many heartfelt notes this week.

How do ventilators work?

In some COVID-19 cases, the virus can attack a patient’s respiratory system, wreaking havoc on the lungs.The question many are left seeking an answer for is how exactly ventilators help severely ill patients diagnosed with the virus.

Dr. Jonathan Richards with Our Lady of the Lake works in the Pulmonary Care Unit says the virus can lead to inflammation in the respiratory system. “When that happens people have difficulty breathing, they may have wheezing,” Dr. Richards explains. “They experience shortness of breath and in a worst-case scenario it causes their oxygen levels to become low.”

A ventilator compresses air to the lungs, according to Dr. Richards. Tubes get inserted through a patient’s mouth into their lungs. Those tubes connect to a hose that goes to the ventilator.

“And that allows the physician to choose a number of breaths and a certain amount of air pushed in by the breathing machine. It also allows us to choose how much oxygen goes into the lungs,” said Richards.

Doctors say when someone with COVID-19 is severely ill, the ventilator is the best option to pass along a high concentration of oxygen.

He says most people might be familiar with the nasal cannula device also used to deliver oxygen, however, there’s only a certain amount of air that can be delivered that way.

Some may wonder why physicians are not opting to use a CPAP Machine or something similar.

But Dr. Richards says receiving oxygen through a mask on the outside of the face tends to not be as effective in severe cases. Also, the constant flow of air could increase the spread.

“Blowing that air in and that air coming out around that mask means that the virus can be put into the air,” Dr. Richards says. “It can stay suspended in some cases up to three hours by the best science that we have about this. Certainly, that increases the risk of other healthcare providers coming into the room, but also increases the chance of someone in the hospital becoming infected.”

However, Dr. Richards says if you do use a CPAP machine at home and have been given a positive diagnosis, continue using your machine as prescribed. Any questions or concerns should be directed toward your physician.

Painful decisions ahead

by Venturans for Responsible and Efficient Government 

We’re living through unprecedented times. No one knows how events will develop as we emerge from the COVID-19 crisis. Yet there are specific unmistakable trends to watch. We want you to be aware of the trends and to look out for the critical choices that will shape our future.

Now is the time to support our elected officials as they negotiate the COVID-19 epidemic. The time will come soon when the quality of their decisions will affect how much pain and sacrifice Ventura residents must bear. As a community, we’ve shown that we are resilient and generous. The Thomas Fire is a recent example. The impact of the Thomas Fire could pale in comparison to the coronavirus pandemic fallout.

The City of Ventura relies on income from two primary sources: property tax and sales tax.

Property tax revenue is constant and predictable. Yet, the Ventura City Council has little control over property taxes.

Sales taxes will be severely impacted by the COVID 19 pandemic, and Measure O depends on sales tax revenue. Sales tax revenue has already plummeted. The auto dealers, the casino, the Pacific View Mall and restaurants aren’t generating the taxes the city expected. They are the city’s most significant contributors to sales taxes.

How will Ventura make up the difference in sales taxes? Consumers are reeling from the loss of jobs, reduced hours, and volatility in the stock market.

Furthermore, many businesses closed by the shelter-in-place order will not open. Don’t be surprised by some of the large businesses that fail in addition to the smaller, Mom-and-Pop establishments that will inevitably close—resulting in even more job losses.

With the two primary sources of income for the City of Ventura in serious jeopardy, and the City Council has little control over either. Finding a solution will require ingenuity.

With no chance to increase income, the only option available is to reduce expenses for the city. Before COVID-19, the city faced a $4.1million annual deficit.

After the business disruption from the epidemic, the $4.1 million deficit will be a welcome alternative to what is likely to happen.

The most considerable expense for any city is payroll—including benefits and retirement. The salaries, benefits and pensions are all controlled by labor contracts. In fact, because of the

COVID 19 pandemic, these costs will likely blow up. The Ventura City Council’s control of this expense is limited to reducing staffing levels.

Before the start of 2020, CalPERS required Ventura to pay an additional $2 million above the

$16 million it pays typically. Even though the economy experienced a decade-long economic boom, CalPERS is only 70% funded. By October, the $2 million additional CalPERS requires Ventura to pay may be considerably higher.

The City Council will be in the troublesome position of making significant, painful decisions to cope with the fallout. Payroll is the only controllable, significant expense that this Council can alter. While a hiring freeze is likely, it will have limited immediate effect.

There are other costs the Council can influence. It’s time the City Council scrutinizes all the cost of services to consider less costly options. Those services can be General Fund items like fire and police, or they can be other operational items like water.

Any increase to cost of water will be damaging financially too many families already burdened by the economic shutdown.

Lost sales tax revenue, steady property taxes, and an out-of-control, bloated retirement plan are out of the Council’s control. We hope they will focus on the things they can control and rein in expenses to avoid more extensive economic pain for the city and its citizens.

VMF Artistic Director Nuvi Mehta presents his Music in the Schools

VMF Artistic Director Nuvi Mehta began presenting his Music in the Schools curriculum to children in Ventura Unified more than ten years ago. Today the program is still going strong, supported in Ventura by grants from Aera Energy, the Julius Gius Foundation and individual contributions. Starting Fall 2020, it will also be available to elementary schools in Santa Paula thanks to a small, just-announced grant from Limoneira.

With life as we all knew it currently on hold due to the Pandemic – and wanting to communicate something musical and uplifting to our supporters – it seemed an excellent time to share some of the Music in the Schools reviews written by audience members from the 3rd, 4th and 5th grades.

We publish KIDnotes weekly, on Monday. If you’d like to receive, just send an email to [email protected] . You can also access the series on our website at www.venturamusicfestival.org .

Warm wishes,

Susan Scott VMF Executive Director

FASTSIGNS of Ventura makes Heroes signs

FASTSIGNS of Ventura made the Heroes signs pictured and placed them at our local hospitals- CMHS, VCMC and Kaiser as well as FoodShare, Project Understanding and VUSD meal distribution sites. Owner Saurabh Bajaj is at Community Memorial Hospital with a health care worker having just placed the Heroes Work sign. Saurabh “We must come together as a community to recognize our heroes who are taking care of us and keeping us safe. The Heroes Work Here signs are a small way to do that.”