Category Archives: This ‘n’ That

How one Ventura family lost their home to the Thomas Fire

“We thought we would be back in our home in a couple of hours”

REMEMBERING

by Richard Lieberman

“We had ten minutes to get out of there, we got out with our animals our family and our birth certificates and that was it” said Susan Bell. Susan and her family including husband John Bell her two children and grandchild safely evacuated their home in the Ondulando neighborhood in Ventura with just ten minutes notice to get out and escape the flames.

“We thought we would be back in our home in a couple of hours” said Bell. The hardest part of that night was for this family finding a place to stay. The family went to the government center and attempted to secure a place to stay the night, but their efforts were unsuccessful. All the hotel and motel rooms were already booked. Finally, the family was able to find a single room for them all.

The Bell’s lost everything that night one year ago. Four generations of photos, albums, memorabilia. “There was just nothing left” added Bell. “getting home from work I could see fire all around, I saw fire trucks rumbling up and down our street” Bell said. It was at this time clear that they needed to evacuate. Shortly police cars announcing on loud-speakers to evacuate immediately flooded the neighborhood. The family and pets made it out of the fire area safely.

With an uncompromising positive attitude and looking to re-build right away. They started the very next day December 5th. They were savvy enough to know what to do. File the claim, apply for the necessary permits, contact a contractor, get plans finalized and filed with the city. “We knew how to hound those we had to” Bell said. “

“We were very fortunate and we were the 10th on the list to be approved by the city for our re-build” added Bell.

The community was wonderful and shortly after settling into our hotel room that night, boxes of clothing and essentials began to arrive. “We received more than we needed so we started to disburse some of what we were given to other fire victims” Bell added.

“We have not been emotional at all. We have not had the time” The re-building project has taken all of our energy.” Bell said. “It is beginning to get to me now” “Now we are getting to the end of this project, I feel I am getting a little screwy.” She said. “It’s like a delayed reaction,” she added. “We have been helping other people out, by sharing and mentoring others on how to deal with the city and insurance companies, what to say and who to hound when necessary.”

The Bell’s house is now 80% complete on this one- year anniversary of the Thomas Fire. “The stucco is done, all our walls are done roof tiles will go in shortly, bathrooms and shower tiling will be completed soon” Bell said.

The Bells were fortunate that their insurance company paid exactly what they said they would. Insurance provided them with a four- bedroom home rental in Ventura where they have been residing since shortly after the fire. Being well insured has given them the edge in getting this project up and running and 80% complete in a year’s- time.

Right now we have had to go out and buy a new Christmas tree. “It reminded me of what we had and I just cried” she said. “It’s very emotional on a day to day basis.”

“We love where we are at, we love Ventura and we love the people of Ventura, we never even gave a thought to leaving.” Concluded Bell.

The evening included good food, good people, and good conversation

On Nov. 10, the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Ventura held 51st Annual Great Futures Gala & Auction “Havana Nights”, at the Four Points Sheraton celebrating 80 years of serving local youth.

The evening included good food, good people, and good conversation, all for a good cause! Supporting your community’s youth! A cocktail reception of champagne, hors d’oeuvres and a spectacular Silent Auction was held before heading into the ballroom where even more fun was had! Fine dining, hearing from this year’s honorees, and bidding on the all-exciting Live Auction.

J.D. and Amber Drury honored at ”Havana Nights.”

Opening comments were made by Board President Maria Ventura and the 2018 Youth Of The Year Marco Cardenas, from Buena High who thanked the Boys and Girls Club for the wonderful contribution that they have made to his life.

CEO Patti Birmingham stated “it is my sincere hope that as you enjoy the excitement, laughter and kinship of the evening, that you too will feel like a part of our family and know that you are making a difference. All proceeds raised this evening will be used to provide academic success, character and good citizenship and healthy lifestyles for the members of the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Ventura.”

The evening honored to outstanding community leaders J.D. and Amber Drury. In 2010, they were asked to create a thrift store that would be a source of funding for the Boys & Girls Club. They then established the Avenue Thrift Store located at 222 Ventura Avenue.

J D is also known for presenting Ventura’s summer surf festival the Surf Rodeo and on occasion can be heard performing with his band Raging Arb and the Redheads. Both he and Amber graduated from Ventura High School.

He stated “we are very proud of our contribution of almost $400,000 so far the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Ventura. Amber and I, along with manager Micci House, and our staff are dedicated to maintaining the quality reputation and popularity of the store. Our ever changing inventory is the key to our success and we would like to remind you how much we appreciate your continuing contributions. Amber and I invite you to visit the store on Ventura Avenue, we are open seven days a week. Thank you so much for your continued support.”

The cost to provide critical services and to run all four of the boys and girls clubs is $150,000 per month with the cost of services for one child per year is $2,500. Parents are only asked to pay $50 a year for annual membership. No child is turned away for lack of ability to pay and many can’t.

Visit bgclubventura.org for more information about the Club.

Misconceptions about the Ventura Botanical Gardens

One day the Ventura Botanical Gardens will again look like this.

by Barbara Brown Ventura Botanical Gardens, President
www.venturabotanicalgardens.com

Over the last few weeks since the Merewether Welcome Center opened, we’ve heard some misconceptions about the Gardens. Most of them come in the form of questions, so we thought we’d share them here:

Isn’t this public land?

In 2012, VBG built the first garden pathway and installed the first plants on brushy slopes that previously had no access. In 2015, VBG was granted a long-term lease for the land and took on the challenge of building and maintaining it through private funding, grants and donations. Part of our long term general plan included paid admission. Many cities opt to engage in public/private partnerships when they do not have taxpayer funds to develop or maintain a property or asset.

Why do I have to pay for a public trail?

 Most hiking trails, like those in the Santa Monica Mountains or Los Padres National Forest, were built, funded and maintained through ongoing taxpayer dollars. VBG does not receive ongoing funds from either the City’s annual budget, the state budget or the federal government. Over the past 18 months, it’s become clear that the Gardens need support from the people that visit it. We’d like to continue free access, but we can’t do that and provide for short or long term sustainability. With an interest in being as inclusive as possible, we offer free access on Tuesdays along with free scheduled guided tours. Children age 18 and under are also free, as are EBT card holders, and educational groups.

The cost of $7 per visit is too high. Couldn’t it be more like $2 per visit?

A great deal of thought and consideration was given to the cost. Comparative research was done between other non-governmentally funded gardens and we felt this pricing model the best for balancing sustainability and affordability. For those who visit the Gardens often, the $45 annual membership fee is equivalent to $3.75 per month. If you use it 4 times in a month, that’s equivalent to 93 cents per visit. Many were visiting every day or even twice a day, so for frequent visitors, the cost becomes significantly less than $2.

I like to visit in the morning and in the evenings. Can you extend the hours?

We are considering extending the hours when funding becomes available,

Why are dogs only allowed on Tuesday and Wednesday?

In the interest of being inclusive, rather than exclusive, we want to ensure that anyone visiting our garden can enjoy it free of distraction. We’ve had many complaints about dogs, but we don’t want to exclude them entirely, so we have opened up two days a week for dogs. In addition, because we are an organization about plant conservation and education, we have to balance environmental and conservation issues.

How did the gardens fare after the devastating Thomas Fire?

The entirety of the Gardens burned and every plant was, in some way, touched by the fire. The good news is that some of the plants survived. For example, the pepper trees at Summit Plateau look almost untouched. Most of our plants, however, were burned and many to the ground.

NALA to help Toys for Tots fulfill its mission

Toys for Tots will be collected until December 12.

The NALA, a boutique marketing agency headquartered in Ventura has teamed up with a plethora of clients this holiday season to help Toys for Tots fulfill its mission, which is to collect new, unwrapped toys each holiday season and distribute them as Christmas gifts to children in need. The NALA’s collective cause marketing program encourages businesses across the country to collect during this time of year.

The NALA and its sister company, STARKART, will be collecting toys for Toys for Tots from now until December 12. New, unwrapped toys can be dropped off at the office located at 1891 Goodyear Ave., Suite 620. Additional STARKART/NALA offices collecting include their Encino office located at 5535 Balboa Blvd., Suite 210 and their San Diego office located at 8305 Vickers Street, Suite 209.

“We have been helping small and medium-sized businesses stand out in their communities for over 30 years. Through our new collective cause marketing initiative, the hope is to not only help the business stand out, but make a bigger impact for the cause,” said Tiffani Tendell, Vice President – Communications and Business Development at the NALA, which has introduced a multitude of diverse small businesses to one of its many top-rated charity partners.

Toys for Tots is a program run by the United States Marine Corps Reserve, which distributes toys to children who may not otherwise receive a gift for Christmas. It was founded in 1947, and since its inception the Marines have distributed over 530,000,000 toys to more than 244,000,000 children across the United States.

What is Mixteco: Tu’un Savi?

Join in as Ventura County Library presents “Mixteco: Tu’un Savi, The Language of the Rain,” presented by Silvia Ventura Luna, M.A., at E.P. Foster Library on Saturday, December 1, at 3pm..

The Mixteco language, Tu’un Savi, is an oral language with numerous variants. Mixteco is an indigenous language predominantly from Oaxaca, Mexico; yet, the language has a strong presence in Ventura County and throughout California. This presentation will briefly discuss the Mixtec history, culture and language.

Also enjoy a special dance performance of Baile de China and Baile de Piña, Oaxacan regional dances, presented by children from the El Rio area Mixteco community, who have been practicing their dances weekly through this special Library program.

Ventura County Library is honored to host this event, made possible by funding received from the California Council for the Humanities Library Innovation Lab Grant for the project entitled “Celebrate Mixteco Culture,” and partnerships with MICOP, CSUCI, El Rio NFL, and UCSB.

“Library Innovation Lab: Exploring New Ways of Engaging California’s Immigrant Communities” is a new statewide competitive grant program offered by California Humanities. The program encourages California libraries to develop creative and innovative programs to respond to the needs and circumstances of today’s immigrants and immigrant communities and foster more inclusive communities within our state.

This event is free and open to the public. For additional information, contact Irma Morales, City Librarian, E.P. Foster Library at (805) 256-4414 or Yvonne Becerra, Library Technician and Grant Coordinator at (805) 701-4315.

The Foster Library is located at 651 East Main St. Hours of service are 10am to 7pm Monday through Thursday, 10am to 5pm Friday and Saturday, and 1pm to 5pm on Sunday.

Museum of Ventura County begins documentation of recent tragedies

As curator and repository for Ventura County’s history, the Museum of Ventura County is reaching out to Ventura County fire and sheriff departments, other agencies and, most importantly, the Ventura County public to create a historical archive and personal documentation of the shooting at the Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks on Nov. 7, 2018, as well as the devasting Hill and Woolsey fires. The museum has launched “rapid response collecting” to secure donations of photographs, links to video, artifacts, stories and other elements related to these tragic events.

“Rapid response collecting” is a term used by museums across the country, including those in Orlando and Las Vegas, in response to events such as mass shootings. The Museum of Ventura County is working with Pamela Schwartz, chief curator of the Orange County, Florida, Regional History Center, who led the documentation efforts for the Pulse Nightclub shooting in 2016. She will actively guide gathering photos, artifacts, documents and more that tell the stories of the Borderline shooting and that honors its victims and survivors.

Also throughout the next few months, the Museum will be gathering stories and digital images as well as physical artifacts to assemble the historical record of the extraordinary rescues, bravery, sacrifice and service of fire fighters, law enforcement personnel and other first responders who battled—and continue to battle—the raging fires in Ventura County, as well as community members who reacted to the crisis with steadfast calm and opened their hearts and hands to help those in need. The Museum invites the public’s participation and encourages those with a story to tell, or a tribute or thank you to share, to submit their stories and digital images to help document this community experience.

The public can send submissions of photographs, links to video, and stories related to either event to the Museum via email at [email protected] or can arrange to submit other formats by contacting Curator of Collections Anna Bermudez at [email protected].

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. Located at 100 East Main Street, the Museum of Ventura County is open Tuesday – Sunday 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. For more information, visit venturamuseum.org or call 805-653-0323.

Ventura City Councilmember Erik Nasarenko to serve another term

“I am grateful to the voters for re-electing me and eager to get to work in addressing their issues.”

Ventura City Councilmember Erik Nasarenko was re-elected to the seven-member city council, finishing first among six candidates with 44 percent of the vote. His closest challenger received 24 percent of the vote in a contest that, for the first time in Ventura history, was decided by voters casting ballots in districts rather than at-large. The 48-year-old prosecutor was elected in District 4, which includes the communities of Hidden Valley, Ondulando, Clearpoint, Juanamaria, Hobart Park, Amador, The Farm, and neighborhoods stretching east beyond Wells Road to the county line.

“I am grateful to the voters for re-electing me and eager to get to work in addressing their issues,” said Nasarenko. “Traffic, buckled sidewalks, high water rates and limited shopping opportunities for East End residents were among the issues I heard about the most.”

While more than 100 rebuilding permits have been issued to date, Nasarenko also heard from Thomas Fire victims concerned with the slow pace of obtaining approvals, an area he pledged to work on and address. In October, the City Council allocated more money to hire outside consultants to assist with grading permits, an added resource that will assist the City’s land development section and help to expedite certain rebuilding projects.

Nasarenko’s campaign emphasized the public safety resources he funded during his first term, such as adding more police officers to patrol Ventura streets and the re-establishment of a roving fire engine staffed with licensed paramedics.

“Medic Engine 7 and the nine new police officers that recently graduated from the Academy are already making a positive difference in Ventura, including on the East End,” commented Nasarenko.

He also discussed and campaigned on importing water to Ventura through the State Water Project, a 700-mile system of reservoirs, aqueducts and pumping stations that bring Sierra snowmelt to southern California. The City is currently conducting environmental studies on a 7-mile pipeline between Camarillo and the East End which, once complete, will enable Ventura to receive the new water.

“When we blend imported water with East End groundwater, District 4 residents will receive a higher quality, better tasting product,” said Nasarenko, who added the connection should be completed in 2022.

“I really look forward to working with the new councilmembers, as well as our new city manager,” said Nasarenko. “As they prepare to take the dais, I want to thank Mayor Andrews and Councilmembers Tracy and Monahan, who have given so much to make Ventura a special place. Their positive impacts to Ventura will continue well beyond their years of service to the city.”

Rubicon Theatre Company concludes 20th anniversary season

Madison Claire Parks stars in South Pacific.

Rubicon Theatre’s 20th Anniversary Season culminates with a two-piano version of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s soaring epic South Pacific, helmed by award-winning director Katharine Farmer and featuring a cast of 28 led by Tony honoree Ben Davis (Baz Luhrmann’s La Bohème) and Madison Claire Parks (Luisa in The Fantasticks Off-Broadway).

Based on James Michener’s Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece “Tales of the South Pacific,” the musical is set on an exotic island during World War II. The plot follows two love stories about seeming-opposites brought together by the circumstances of war and torn apart by prejudice and fear.

The timeless score includes beautiful ballads such as “Younger the Springtime” and “Some Enchanted Evening,” exuberant up-tempo songs like “I’m in Love with a Wonderful Guy. Ovation Award-winner Brent Crayon serves as Musical Director and First Keyboard Player, and Lee Martino (multiple Ovation and L.A. Drama Critics Circle Awards) is choreographer.

According to Producing Artistic Director Karyl Lynn Burns, Rubicon’s production of South Pacific will be approached as a play with music, much like Rubicon’s prior productions of Fiddler on the Roof, My Fair Lady and Man of La Mancha. “As a regional theatre company in a small venue, we hope to offer audiences an especially intimate, in-depth connection to the storytelling and the relationships.”

Director Farmer and Mike Billings (Sets, Lights and Multimedia) conceived a set made up of military issue pieces that the ensemble will move to create various locales. “The idea is that we as American military in wartime are trying to maneuver and manage what happens on this little island in a culture that has different values than our own,” says Farmer. “

“The cast members of this South Pacific are also a part of what we believe will make this show different,” says Burns. “Katharine and the team have found artists with gorgeous voices who are also extraordinary actors intent on mining the rich human truths of their characters,” continues Burns.

Ben Davis was a Tony honoree for Baz Luhrmann’s La Bohème, in which he played Marcello. He has also starred on Broadway as Trevor Graydon in Thoroughly Modern Millie, Javert and Enjolras in Les Misérables, the Preacher in Violet, and others.

Madison Claire Parks received critical acclaim this year for her portrayal of Sarah Brown in Guys and Dolls with both Musical Theatre West and Theatre Under the Stars. She is perhaps best known for her more than 400 performances as Luisa in the historic Off-Broadway production of The Fantasticks in

New York.

Rubicon Theatre’s production of South Pacific runs Dec. 5 through 23 at 1006 E. Main Street (the corner of Main and Laurel). The show begins with low-priced previews Wed., Dec. 5 at 7:00 p.m., Thurs., Dec. 6 at 7:00 p.m. and Fri. Dec. 7 at 8:00 p.m. The gala opening is Sat., Dec. 8 at 7:00 p.m., and is followed by a party with the cast and local dignitaries at Aloha Steakhouse For other dates and tickets, go to www.rubicontheatre.org or call 805.667.2900.