Gold Coast Transit District (GCTD), Ventura County’s largest provider of public transit, broke ground recently on the future home of its new Operations and Maintenance facility that will support future transit needs for thousands of riders in Ventura County.

“This facility is an investment in both the future of transit serving Ventura County and the transit workers we depend on to keep a modern, efficient transit fleet in good working order,” said Congresswoman Julia Brownley.

The new facility will replace an outdated and deteriorating bus garage located on a 3-acre site that was originally built in the 1970’s for a much smaller fleet. Once built, the new “green facility” will allow GCTD to maintain a future fleet of up to 125 buses and will include an administration and operations building, an eight-bay maintenance and repair building, a compressed natural gas (CNG) fuel station and bus wash. Noted Darren Kettle, Executive Director of Ventura County Transportation Commission, “This is the largest transportation infrastructure project in the last 10 years.” The new facility is located at 1901 Auto Center Drive in Oxnard, and is expected to open in late 2018.

“We have to keep our buses, equipment and facilities in good shape so that people can rely on public transit to get to work, school and appointments,” said Steve Brown, General Manager.

With the May 11, 2017 announcement, Ventura joins a group of communities, in all 50 states, that are transforming their neighborhoods. There are now 416 communities nationwide currently recognized with a BFC award for their efforts to make biking better.

This is the first time that the City of Ventura has qualified as a Bicycle Friendly Community.  Local bicycle club and advocacy organization, Channel Islands Bicycle Club, assisted with the application and has supported the many improvements for cyclists in Ventura that resulted in this recognition.

“We applaud these communities for making improvements for people who bike in ways that build upon their existing strengths and are based upon their particular needs, whether that is infrastructure, education, or encouragement,” said Bill Nesper, Executive Director at the League of American Bicyclists. “We are encouraged by the way that communities are using bicycling as a part of their solution to issues of health, job access, traffic safety, and the environment and using our program to make progress in those issues.”

The Bronze BFC award recognizes Ventura’s commitment to improving conditions for bicycling through investment in bicycling promotion, education programs, infrastructure and pro-bicycling policies. The BFC program provides a benchmark for communities to evaluate these conditions and policies, while highlighting areas for improvement. The national scope of the program also promotes competition and comparison between communities.

Each community that applies for a BFC award receives a report card. The report cards for communities that receive an award are available in the League of American Bicyclists’ award database.

“We are very proud of the many recent infrastructure projects in Ventura, such as the clearly marked bike lanes and green ‘bike boxes’ at intersections, that help cyclists and motorists share the road in Ventura,” said Leslie Ogden, Government Liaison at Channel Islands Bicycle Club.  “We encourage new riders to sign up for a Street Skills class through the City of Ventura and learn the techniques for safe road cycling.”

The League of American Bicyclists is leading the movement to create a Bicycle Friendly America for everyone.  The Bicycle Friendly Community program was created in 1995 and has processed more than 1,200 applications since 2002.

To learn more about building a Bicycle Friendly America, visit:  www.bikeleague.org/BFA

About the Channel Islands Bicycle Club

The Channel Islands Bicycle Club (CIBike) represents over 300 cyclists from Ventura County and beyond. The Club sponsors weekly road bike rides and co-sponsors the annual “Cool Breeze Century Ride” every August.  CIBike advocates for safe cycling facilities and provides grants to organizations that promote cycling for recreation, health, sport, and transportation.  CIBike is partnering with the City of Ventura to offer the Street Skills classes.

by Terri Stober.

My book entitled  A Road to Barcelona, A Mother’s Account has been recently published.  My e-book or paperback is listed on Amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and other online retailers.  Bank of Books in Ventura, also, has my book in paperback.

My book is a mother’s story of her two daughters leaving home at young ages to pursue gymnastics dreams to be Olympians.  The loneliness and longing to be with her daughters during their journey and the long separations were not easy to describe.  Maybe they didn’t make it to the Olympics, but there were decisions, successes, and experiences that I wanted to share.

A retired high school educator and Human Relations Specialist retirement has allowed me the time to hike, bike, volunteer at the Ventura Botanical Gardens and the San Buenaventura Mission, play bridge, travel, and now write my first book.

Terri and her husband raised their two daughters in Grass Valley in Northern California, where they found their passion for gymnastics. After the girls’ college graduations, Terri worked and lived internationally for five years in Egypt and Paris, France, then moved to Seattle where she lived for 11 years. She finally returned to her home state of California in 2013.

I will have my second book signing at Bank of Books, 748 E Main St.  from 1-3 pm on June 24. I hope to see you there. www.gymnasticsamothersacctbystober.com .

GUEST COLUMNIST
by Rob Petrin

Pierpont residents in Ventura took a stand as a community, in an effort to reject a proposal by Verizon wireless to erect an RF ( Radio Frequency) cell transmission tower at the Marina Village shopping center directly behind Vons market. This is only 70ft from the nearest residence. The hearing was at city hall in February. The public took turns speaking, voicing concerns. Residents were very concerned about the health risks living directly in front of an RF transmitter or in close range to it. The best thing they could do in this situation would be to follow EMF Protection guidelines including things like wearing specially designed protective Clothing, but they wanted to avoid the situation altogether.

Turns out the only argument the city was allowed to consider from the public is appearance. The Verizon proposal was eventually rejected by the city based on aesthetics. Being taken back by this and even shocked, I decided to research what was behind this seemingly absurd ruling.

The CTIA (Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association) has managed to convince law makers to exclude health concerns of residents as an argument against cell tower placement. They have also introduced a law which cancels arguments against loss of property value in close proximity to cell towers.

Most of the current research on RF is being done with regards to cell phones themselves, the little siblings to the transmission towers. This comes as no surprise as there are somewhere in the area of 4 billion cellphone users around the world that could be affected if RF were not as safe as our government lets us believe.

The FCC states in their guidelines. “ there is no scientific evidence to date that proves wireless phone usage can lead to cancer or any variety of other health effects”. The FCC last updated its standards 20 years ago. They rely on agencies like the WHO (World Health Organization) for its standards, even though the WHO declared RF from cell phones as 2B ( possibly carcinogenic)?

I am not condoning the WHO either. Picking apart their 2B classification they set for cellphone RF is full of holes. They chose to ignore the critical data and rejected studies by one of the most knowledgeable scientists in the industry. Respected scientists from around the world are screaming out to the WHO and all other standard setting agencies to urgently review their position on RF safety.

Let’s face it, we all need and use our wireless devices, most all using RF communication. What I want and what I think most people want is to know what is really safe and what is not. It only makes sense to keep cell towers away from our homes and families until we can establish safe distances from their transmissions. With your cell phone you have a choice. Cell towers are not a choice.

Verizon has appealed the decision. Now we get to see how our community survives fighting with sticks and stones and against the cell industry armed with laws, lawyers and RF.

A delightful way to spend time with friends!  Grandes Dames High Tea Fundraiser & Auction on Tuesday, May 30, 11:30 am – 2 pm. Check-In  11 am.

At the beautiful Las Posas Country Club, 955 Fairway Drive,   Camarillo.

$75/person  includes luncheon, live entertainment, silent auction and prizes

RSVP to Lee Ann Luongo at 667.2912, ext. 249  or [email protected]

Join the family of Grandes Dames at the Rubicon! Attend festive quarterly luncheons, be treated to special sneak peeks of upcoming shows, be entertained by talented artists, and receive invitations to special events. Support Rubicon while having fun and making new friends!

Federal, state, city  and county officials were on hand as Harrison Industries celebrated its 85th anniversary. Harrison unveiled its state-of-the art compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling station with 26 pumps at the company’s Saticoy yard.

Keynote speaker Bill Camarillo, CEO of Agromin, one of Harrison’s strategic partners, lauded the Harrisons for their efforts toward cleaner air. “We’ve come a long way but we still have a lot to do,” Camarillo said.

According to Mike Harrison, engineering manager for Harrison Industries, the CNG system includes two 250-horsepower compressor units that compress natural gas to over 3,500 pounds per square inch into CNG, as well as a computerized monitoring unit for its fueling stations.

Harrison Industries has long been working to reduce its impact on climate change by understanding its carbon footprint. In 2003 the company opened the first liquefied natural gas (LNG) fueling station in western Ventura County. Harrison has furthered its commitment to the environment by also adding 33 LNG-dedicated and 15 CNG-dedicated trucks to the fleet and three more on order.

by Jennifer Tipton

CIT, founded in the year 2000 is the Crisis Intervention Team for Ventura County Law Enforcement. CIT provides training to officers and communication operators who are often the first point of contact for the mentally ill on how to deal with people in crisis, how to recognize different types of mental illnesses and how to get the person the most appropriate help.

The training includes active listening, de-escalating a crisis and providing the appropriate community resources as needed. It is frequently used in domestic situations, dealing with troubled youth, elderly citizens and others.

The 4 goals of the CIT program regarding mental health concerns are:

1. De-escalate crisis situations
2. Reduce the use of force
3. Reduce the use of jail
4. Decrease the chances of the situation recurring

The Crisis Intervention Team is a collaborative effort between law enforcement, mental health, social services, the medical community and the local chapter of National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).

Per Ashley Bautista , VPD Civic Engagement Specialist “The goal of the CIT program is to provide Crisis Intervention training to 100% of Ventura Police Officers and Public Safety Dispatchers, currently 85% are trained.”

When calling 911 the caller should always inform law enforcement if the crisis is a mental health concern.

For more information visit www.venturacountyCIT.org.

Craig Whan and Robert Perry of the World Business Academy were guest presenters at the Ventura County Climate Hub on Thursday May 11 at the Unitarian-Universalist Church of Ventura. They spoke about Community Choice Energy and the status of the technical study being done to prepare Ventura County and its ten cities to join.  They reported on the launch of Community Choice Energy by Los Angeles County and the success of the City of Lancaster and other new local utilities in California purchasing more renewable energy while achieving lower electricity rates.

The World Business Academy is offering help to cities to meet demand without construction of any new gas-fired power plants through rapid roll-out of Community Choice Energy and investments in distributed generation able to incorporate battery storage as they become affordable. Maps of the stations and distribution lines in South Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties showed how the demand from Santa Barbara is drawn from Ventura County and their current focus on helping those cities become more energy independent.

Participants discussed the Calpine application for a gas-fired peaker plant on Mission Rock Road near Santa Paula and the injustice of siting such a plant for export of electricity to other states. The presenters made it clear that energy generation everywhere must be localized and distributed near commercial centers. Ratepayers will otherwise be paying for a stranded asset that will be shut down before completing half of its full life. They said that Ventura County deserves planning with foresight to prioritize renewable energy and energy efficiency. Whan and Perry stressed the economic stimulus from localization of energy generation for local investments and jobs creation.

The Ventura County Climate Hub meets every second Thursday at the Unitarian-Universalist Church of Ventura to learn and take action to support the transition from a fossil fuel to a renewable energy economy and contribute to a global draw down of atmospheric greenhouse gases contributing to climate change.

World Business Academy Craig Whan, 892-4600, email [email protected].

Ventura County Climate Hub Jan Dietrick, 746-5365, email [email protected].

by Jennifer Tipton

Mental Health First Aid is funded through the Mental Health Services Act and Ventura County Behavioral Health (VCBH), it is part of the “Early Intervention and Prevention” promoted by VCBH. Classes are at no cost to participants (a $170 value) and are taught by certified trainers that teach how to help someone with a mental health problem or at risk of suicide. Students are provided with the book, “Mental Health First Aid USA” that is packed full of information and tools that will help you to help others.

The course, hosted by the Ventura Police Department 3 times in the past 2 years, is 8 hours broken into two parts and covers depression, anxiety disorders, psychoses, substance use disorders, and eating disorders.

A national survey found that in one year 18.5% of American adults suffered from some type of mental disorder, this is equivalent to 43.8 million people, and of these, 18.1% were anxiety disorders. That’s nearly 20% of all Americans that struggle with some type of mental health issue. For many people with mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety, they will find coping strategies through using marijuana, and other drugs. As marijuana is believed to reduce stress and anxiety, many people find that using marijuana makes them feel much better and allows them to get on with their days. These people can take marijuana in various forms, however, most people will look to smoke it through using dab rigs. To see if marijuana helps you with your anxiety disorder, it might be worth visiting https://fatbuddhaglass.com/collections/dab-rigs to find a dab rig to see if marijuana has any impact on your disorder.

Mental Health First Aid teaches warning signs and symptoms, potential risk factors, local resources, support groups and includes a 5-step action plan on how to interact with those affected.

Unfortunately, there is a certain stigma and discrimination associated with mental health, you never hear of someone referred to as “the asthmatic” or “the cancer”, but we often hear someone referenced as “the manic depressive” or “the schizophrenic”. This type of labeling is disrespectful and creates a barrier to recovery.

Like so many things we are unfamiliar with, it is difficult (if not frightening) to know how to deal with these situations and individuals unless we educate ourselves, and that’s what Mental Health First Aid is designed to do.

Mary Ellen Collins, one of the instructors, reports that “Most walk into this class not knowing mental disorders are almost 90% treatable.” And goes on to say, “By the time they leave, they have learned the impact ONE caring person can make reaching out to someone in distress.”

For more information visit: www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org.