Category Archives: This ‘n’ That

2018 – A year to remember

Every month CAPS Media trained new members and mentored existing members.

2018 is a Year to Remember for everyone in Ventura including everyone at CAPS Media. The first few months of the year we dominated by reaction and recovery from the Thomas Fire. CAPS Media covered, broadcast and livestreamed numerous City, County and State events providing the public with valuable updates and recovery information.

In February, in collaboration with the Museum of Ventura County, CAPS Media launched the Thomas Fire Stories project, conducting interviews with first responders and the public chronicling the personal stories of survival and healing during and following the devastating Thomas Fire.

Every month CAPS Media trained new members and mentored existing members in the use of media equipment helping them create their own programs and projects to air on television. CAPS Media Radio – KPPQ, 104.1FM, continued to grow with new local voices and programs developed and broadcast on the airwaves.

Every week the CAPS Media crew recorded, broadcast and live streamed City Council meetings, City Planning, Design Review and other city public meetings as well as Ventura Unified School Board meetings on Channel 15. In addition, numerous faith-based and community organizations recorded and broadcast services and informative programs for the community on Channel 6.

All year long the ECTV Crew from El Camino High School produced engaging and award winning programs in the CAPS Media studio and the community. ECTV is a career pathways education program developed by CAPS Media in collaboration with VC Innovates and the Ventura Unified School district. In May and June CAPS and the ECTV crew members covered graduation ceremonies for El Camino and Foothill high schools, and Ventura College.

Every month CAPS produces a video for the city and school district’s Mayor for a Moment each month a 5th grade student is selected and interviewed. The profile is presented at a City Council meeting and a VUSD school board meeting.

Throughout the year CAPS Media continued a productive collaboration with Ventura County Fire and Public Information departments that included video annual report for the Ventura County Fire Department, as well as updates by VCFD Chief Mark Lorenzen, Ventura City Police Departments’ Ashley Bautista and officers.

Starting in September, CAPS Media started preparing for the upcoming election by working with the League of Women’s Voters to produce videos including informational videos on the district election process and independent analysis of the ballot issues and candidate forums. CAPS continued its Video Voter program featuring individual candidate statements. CAPS also worked with Bill Nash, Ventura County Public Information Officer and Mark Lunn, Ventura County Clerk-Recorder, Registrar of Voters to produce special reports for voter information and education videos for the November elections.

In December, CAPS Media premiered The Perfect Firestorm – The Thomas Fire Story at the Museum of Ventura County. The documentary film was produced in collaboration with the Museum in cooperation with County and City agencies. The Perfect Firestorm is a tribute to our entire community of heroes who, in the face of an overwhelming crisis, responded with astonishing calm and then opened their hearts, hands and homes to rescue neighbors and strangers and together rebuild their lives. The film is broadcast and live streaming on CAPS Media Channel 6 throughout January. Go capsmedia.org/program-schedules for air times.

2018 has been a very busy and productive year at CAPS Media. The entire staff eagerly looks forward to New Year of community Engagement, Education and Entertainment in 2019.

Author announces the publication of new online fiction magazine.

Ventura author, John Darling, is proud to announce the launch of his new quarterly online periodical, Strictly Fiction Magazine (http://strictlyfictionmagazine.com)

The site will feature fiction, science fiction, romance and mystery selections. There will also be a section for short, pet-based fiction, called Buddy’s Storybook.

While the initial installment of the magazine will not be available until April 1, 2019, Mr. Darling is inviting readers, future contributors, and potential advertisers to visit his site before then and to send him any questions they may have about the magazine.

Regarding his reason for creating the site, he had this to say:

“At one time, for over five years, I produced an environmentally themed magazine called The Earth Comes First. That magazine offered a mix of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, artwork, photography, and opinions. It was an exhausting endeavor but very rewarding since it celebrated the Earth we live on.

This time around, I am concentrating on fiction because I want to narrow the focus of my efforts and emphasize the quality of work over the quantity of it so each quarter I will only be publishing a limited amount of stories.

I also do not want our readers to be ambiguous about what we do here. If you want poetry, non-fiction, editorials, or any other type of reading matter, there are plenty of other fine periodicals out there who can provide it to you.

Mr. Darling can be reached at 805-824-7901 or [email protected].

Ferguson Case Orr Paterson mourns passing of partner

England attended Oxnard High School.

Ferguson Case Orr Paterson LLP (FCOP), recently announced the passing of long-time partner, Theodore J. England, who joined the firm in 2001.

Outside of his work, England was committed to volunteering, serving as a board member at Interface Children Family Services, the Salvation Army and St. John’s Healthcare Foundation. Together with his wife Annette, he also managed his 38.5-acre ranch in Santa Paula, growing approximately two dozen different crops from apples to walnuts.

England attended Oxnard High School before earning his undergraduate degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1963 and continuing his education at the University of California, Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law. Admitted to the California Bar in 1967, he was a frequent lecturer on real property law for the California Continuing Education of the Bar program.

“Ted’s dedication to his colleagues, clients, family and friends was truly special. He was generous with his time and experience, sharing wise judgment on matters both legal and personal,” said FCOP Managing Partner Michael Velthoen. “As an attorney, Ted’s scope of expertise on the practice of law was unmatched. We will miss Ted greatly.”

Wear your old clothes and come join in the fun at the Temporary Emergency Shelter

On Saturday, January 5, at 9am help prepare the Oxnard armory for a winter homeless shelter.

There is lots to do but the main task is interior painting. Paint will be provided they just need bodies and some supplies.

They need the following because everything that is donated ends up saving us money, and allowing us to stretch the shelter budget further! Every dollar saved will allow the shelter to stay open longer and provide better services.

Rollers and paint trays, brushes, masking tape, drop cloths, plastic sheeting and buckets

There is no need to register in advance or to call just show up and help out.

While they ask you to please wear old clothes (you will probably get some paint on yourself) they are also asking folks to please not bring any other old clothes, food items, or other personal items to donate to homeless individuals. The Temporary Emergency Shelter is not yet open — and is not set up at this time as a place to store or distribute donated food, clothing or personal items to homeless individuals.

Right now they are focused on the logistics of setting up a shelter facility and hiring staff. There are many organizations that can accept donated clothing and personal items, and we encourage you to take such items there. They will, however, accept bulk donations of some necessary items we know will be needed, such as: boxes of toilet paper; hard plastic storage containers (see-through preferred); trash bags. If you have or can obtain any of those items, please bring them with you!

9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. Former Armory Building, 351 South K Street, Oxnard.

2018 Annual Poinsettia Awards

Photo by Richard Lieberman

The 2018 Annual Poinsettia Awards were held at the Four Points Sheraton Hotel at the Ventura Harbor. Held on December 6 the program is sponsored by the Ventura Chamber of Commerce. The awards program honors those who make a difference in the community.

Pictured above the honorees are (by category) Small Business of the Year, Dyer Sheehan Group, Inc., Mid Size Business of the Year, Ventura Grocery Outlet, Large Business of the Year, Aera Energy, LLC, Non-Profit of the Year, Bike Ventura, Innovation Award, Waypoint Ventura, Young Professional of the Year, Josh Damigo, Ambassador of the Year, Pat Pothier, Environmental Excellence Award, Leashless Brewing, Police Officer of the Year, James Brittle, Firefighter of the Year, Colby Morrison, VUSD Student of the Year, Ryan Sequeira, VUSD Educator of the Year, Michael Gennaro, Jewel Key Award, Chad Caldwell, Citizen of the Year, Jim Monahan.

 

WE HAD A CONTEST

On our Facebook we asked readers to name this photo. Our selection committee chose “I know I’m not supposed to ask for a straw in CA but I just can’t drink without one!” submitted by Barb Holden from Ventura as the funniest. She received 2 tickets to the Pompeii exhibit at the Reagan Library.

End of an era for Vagabond not what you thought!

Ventura will miss the iconic Vagabond. Might it return?

by Richard Lieberman

The Vagabond Coffee Shop will close January 1st after 52 years of continuous operations. The announcement of the closing was made by Jolene McBee 74, owner of the coffee shop in early December. Owner Albert McBee died 15 years ago and longtime customers miss him to this day since Jolene took over.

Not much has changed in the last 52 years of operations. The food, the ambiance and the welcoming nature of the wait staff have stayed the same. The diner, located at 756 E. Thompson Blvd. until now has been untouched by time.

Claude and Joyce Nichols have been coming to the Vagabond for 25 years. “We eat out most of the time, and I enjoy the comfort food here,” Nichols said. “We are sad Jolene is leaving, but we understand she has to do it,” he added. “There are just not many places like this anymore and it’s sad to see the staff losing their jobs” he added.

The time for change has finally come and big changes are planned for the diner. Taking over on January 1 are property owners Vista Investments. Work will begin immediately on January 2 when Vista takes over the diner.

Rumors that Vista had “kicked out” McBee are simply not true. Zack Cohen, Special Projects for Vista Investments said “Over a year and a half ago we talked with Ms. McBee and she said she wanted to retire and she didn’t want to renew the lease,” said Cohen. “She wanted to retire and we gave her the opportunity to do so without having any ramifications connected with that,” added Cohen. Some rumors concerned McBee’s granddaughter and her current chef Christopher Castillo who wanted to take over and run the diner but were rebuked by Vista. Castillo, who said he did talk to corporate at one point about his plans to take over, but there were no further discussions after that call. “I figured I would have the opportunity to buy it,” Castillo said.

Co-owner Albert McBee is still missed after all
these years.

Cohen addressed this issue. “One thing that triggered all the rumors was that several people said they wanted to take it over and they were going to run it and continue her legacy, and that we were shutting it down,” Cohen said.

Cohen explained that McBees granddaughter and Chef Castillo didn’t fully understand the situation. “We spoke to everyone who was interested, we spoke to all of them,” Cohen added. Castillo was just not in a position to buy. He explained that in order to take over the diner, a multi-year lease would be required, a security deposit of $20,000, another seven thousand just to open the doors, and an estimated $100,000 to $200,000 to bring the restaurant up to code.

Additionally, Cohen said “The restaurant has been struggling for the past couple of years,” “Customer base has eroded, people have left the community and new people coming in have not become customers, and new business has not been filtering in,” said Cohen. “A diner is a diner, it has old-time food choices. The company’s intention is to source local fresh foods and hire Venturan’s for staff positions. “The restaurant had many items on the menu that has not changed in 50 years,” he said.

Cohen also wants to make it clear that the company has owned this property since 1997 and that “we are in it for the long run” The Vagabond diner will be back in about a year depending on how extensive repairs and acquiring new equipment will take.

One of McBee’s oldest and reliable customers Adrian Osung who has been coming nearly every day since 1966 thinks the closing “is regrettable and I don’t like it.” He added “It feels like it is taking the heart out of me. I don’t accept it yet” he added. Customers for so many years he adds “Every chance me and my wife had we would come here.” Osung, remembers McBee’s husband Albert who he describes as a “very beloved person” and even after Osung’s wife died he still continues to come to his favorite restaurant. “It’s almost like being a part of the family and I hope it comes back.”

Jolene McBee from the Face Of Ventura portrait series by Johanna Spinks

The Ventura community will forever miss the iconic Vagabond run by two great people who truly created a legend. McBee’s departure will leave a gaping hole in the hearts of generations of Venturans. Likely the Vagabond will not be the same when it reopens, but maybe just maybe it will come back stronger and for generations yet to come there will be a new Ventura legend.

Library events

We are pleased to announce another exciting partnership between the Ventura County Library and the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum. On October 6, 2018, Pompeii: The Exhibition opened at the Reagan Library, featuring over 150 authentic artifacts on loan from the renowned Naples National Archaeological Museum in Italy. As with past Reagan Library exhibitions, library customers can enter to win free tickets at any of the library locations, and can use promotional code “LIBRARYMEMBER” for $3 off admission from now until April 21, 2019.

Ventura Libraries January 2019 Events
Avenue Library
Children & Family Events
Building Blocks of Development – Birth to Five Years of Age
1/28 Monday @ 5:30- 6:30pm
Learn about the building blocks of child development from our special guest speaker from Ventura County Public Health.

Bilingual Early Literacy Class
1/7 & 14 Mondays @ 5:30-6:30pm
Join us every Monday for storytelling, nursery rhymes, flannel board fun and more!
Adult Classes & Events
Adult Education Class in English & Spanish
1/19 Saturday @ 4-8pm
Join Paul Rogers for help with English, computer basics, citizenship, drivers’ test, job applications, and more! See you in the community room!
E.P. Foster Library
Porfirio Gutiérrez Zapotec Artisan
1/5 Saturday @6-8pm
Join us for an immersive evening with New York Times featured master dyer & artist, Porfirio Gutiérrez.

Opera Santa Barbara Free Noontime Concert
1/18 Friday @12-1pm
Spend Your Lunch Hour listening to members of the Mosher Studio Artist Program!
Ongoing Events
Twisted Stitchers Fiber Arts Club
1/3 & 17 Thursday @ 11am NEW TIME
Get together with makers from all across the fiber-arts world. Meet, teach, connect, share.
Children’s Events
Early Literacy Class
1/8, 15, 22, & 29 Tuesdays & 1/2, 9, 16, 23, & 30 Wednesdays @ 10:30am
Join us every week for stories, poems, music, movement, a simple craft, and fun!
Teen Happenings
Virtual Reality
1/8, 15, 22, & 29 Tuesdays @ 3:30-5:30pm
Explore the virtual world with these different VR platforms: Event is for ages 13-17.

Hill Road Library
Children’s Events
Early Literacy Class
1/2, 9, 16, 23, & 30 Wednesdays @ 10:30-11:30am
Join us every week for stories, poems, music, movement, and fun!
Adult Special Events
Planning for Your Child’s Financial Future
1/10 Thursday @ 6-7pm
This workshop will give attendees some strategies on 529 accounts, how to talk age appropriately to kids about money, and how to set them on a path to be financially fit.Presented by Ventura County Credit Union (VCCU).

Medicare 101
1/11 Friday @ 10:30-11:30am
Join us for this workshop about the basics of Medicare. Learn how to sign up and file claims. Expert Debra Hilderman will be able to answer any of your questions!
Book Club: Outlander
1/29 Tuesday @6-7pm
Join us for a lively discussion of Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, our first Hill Road Library Book Club choice and our book for the month of January. All are welcome who have read the book!
Saticoy Library
Children & Family Events

Preschool Early Literacy Class
1/8, 15, 22, & 29 Tuesdays @ 10am
Join us every week for stories, poems, music, movement, a simple craft & fun! Preschool Early Literacy Class

Family Coloring and Games
1/5, 12, 19, 26 Saturdays @ 10:30 a.m. – 12 pm
Games, Coloring and other art materials are available for drop-in participants to express their creativity.Children and Adults

3D Printer Demo
1/30 Wednesday @12-6pm
Come watch the 3d printer create objects! All ages, adults too!

Closures this Month
1st– Closed in observance of New Year’s Day
21st — Closed in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day
31st — Libraries open at 2pm due to staff meeting

The Ventura County Library is available 24/7 at www.vencolibrary.org. Please visit website for information on the location and hours of the library closest to you.

Mountain lion sightings in hillside neighborhoods 

Residents have reported mountain lion sightings in residential hillside neighborhoods in Ventura.

This alert is for information only and has been issued as a precaution to our community. Mountain lion attacks are very rare but the Ventura Police Department would like to remind residents of a few simple tips to protect you and your loved ones from mountain lions:

Do not feed deer. It is illegal in California and it will attract mountain lions.

If you see a mountain lion do not approach it, especially one that is feeding or with offspring.

Most mountain lions will try to avoid confrontation.

Avoid hiking or jogging in hillside areas when mountain lions are most active—dawn, dusk, or at night.

Keep a close watch on small children when hiking.

If you encounter a mountain lion, do not run; instead, face the animal, make noise and try to look bigger by waving your arms; throw rocks or other objects. Pick up small children.

Bring in small pets during the evening and early morning hours.

Ventura’s hills are a natural mountain lion habitat. Their primary prey is deer, but they have also been known to attack livestock and pets, and on very rare occasions, humans. Mountain lions are generally solitary, elusive and avoid human contact. The recent fires may have brought more wildlife to our area.

The Department of Fish & Game has been notified of this activity.