The Justice for All Coalition and its LGBTQ Task Force together with the Diversity Collective are sponsoring a public rally on Sunday, June 11. The event will take place 1-3pm at the Ventura County Government Center located at the corner of  Victoria Avenue and Telephone Road.

Anthony Hamilton, one of the organizers of the Ventura rally, states that the event was planned with a nod to the Los Angeles Resistance March happening on the same day. This year, organizers in Los Angeles favored the substitution of a Resistance March for the traditional Pride Parade. This change was partly inspired but the women’s marches that took place around the world the day after President Trump’s inauguration in January.

In solidarity with the LA March, Ventura will hold its own version of the event named “Resist and Persist, a Rally for Equality and Justice.”

Planners say the rally is not solely an anti-Trump demonstration. Rather the event is for human rights — it is about showing persistence in demanding civil rights and seeking equality and justice for all Americans. All are welcome to join in, whether a man or woman, a Dreamer, or an LGBTQ person. In does not matter, because equality and justice are something that everyone is entitled to have.

Demonstrators should arrive at the demonstration with their own homemade signs to carry, wearing comfortable shoes and sun protection. Parking is available at nearby banks and side streets.

June 15 will be the regular monthly meeting of Assistance League of Ventura County at the Chapter House, 913 East Santa Clara St.  Doors open at 9:30 am., meeting begins at 10:00, with guests and new members welcome. Assistance League is creating “A Brighter Tomorrow for Today’s Children” through several philanthropic programs: B.U.F.F.Y. Bear, Operation School Bell®, Girls Club/Teen Club, and Assistance League School for young children with learning disabilities. The Bargain Box Thrift Shop 3351 Telegraph Road helps fund these programs.

Assistance league meets monthly on the 3rd Thursday of each month.  Find more information at assistanceleagueventuracounty.org or Email [email protected].

Telephone Monday – Friday 8am – 2pm at 643-2458.

Laurel Riverpark, a new, refined senior community under development in Oxnard, is pleased to announce the appointment of two key members of its executive team. Troy Byington has been hired as the community’s Executive Director and Molla Rosenberg as its Director of Sales and Marketing. Both Troy and Molla join the team as the preleasing efforts for the independent living community, which is being developed by The Wolff Company and managed by Integral Senior Living.

Troy Byington brings over 20 years’ experience in the senior living and hospitality industry to his new position. Most recently, he was the Executive Director for Brookdale Sunwest senior living community in Hemet, CA. Prior to which, he was the Director of Operations for the Edgewater Hotel in Seattle, the Hotel Manager for Hotel Andaluz in Albuquerque and the Hotel Manager for Hotel Sax in Chicago. Earlier in his career, he held management positions with Millenium Knickerbocker Hotel, Starwood Hotels and Resorts, Wyndham International and ITT Sheraton. He has a BS in Hotel/Restaurant Management from BYU, Hawaii and he has many affiliations, including being a CALA member and a volunteer for West Seattle Senior Center. He is also fluent in Japanese.

Molla Rosenberg is a seasoned sales and marketing hospitality professional with over 15 years’ experience.  Most recently she was the Group Sales Manager at the Crowne Plaza Ventura Beach Hotel. Before that, she was the Director of Sales and Marketing for Hotel Oceana Santa Barbara and the National Sales Manager for Ojai Valley Inn and Spa. Earlier in her career, she held management positions at Embassy Suites, Oxnard Hilton and Doubletree Hotels.

When open, Laurel Riverpark will offer 136 one- and two-bedroom independent living residences designed for quality and style. The garden-style development will be located within the Riverpark master planned community and will feature coastal Southern California architecture. It will be directly adjacent to prominent dining, shopping and entertainment at The Collection.

Laurel Riverpark is currently preleasing from a temporary office located at 1000 Town Center Dr., #300, Oxnard. For more information, visit http://www.laurelriverpark.com or call 852-1996.

If you have a question you would like answered send it to [email protected] and we will try to get an answer for you.

Q. What happened to the cute trolley?
Evin Brown

A. Don’t get alarmed the old trolley finally broke down. This bus is temporary, a brand new trolley is on the horizon.

by Jennifer Tipton

Stuart Goldman’s love of photography was greatly influenced by his grandfather when he was still quite young. Stuart’s grandfather spent greater than 20 years teaching in China and Japan pre-war era and was later taken prisoner of war in Japan during the war, he was in the first exchange of prisoners.

The stories and paintings done by Stuart’s grandfather to tell his story greatly inspired young Stuart to capture memories as well by taking his very own “little camera box” with him everywhere, that is when he could mow enough lawns to buy the film he says. Stuart accounts this for awakening his love for photography, video and writing as well, he sees it as a technique to communicate these stories and goes on to say that “communication is so vital to understanding and growth.”

Initially hired as one of the Directors of Admissions in 2003, Stuart Goldman was promoted to the first Dean (Director of Academic Affairs) at The Brooks Institute, Ventura Campus (since shuttered). During his tenure as Dean, he would constantly receive calls from students from other colleges, professionals in the industry, and from amateurs interested in short courses, seminars and workshops. With each call, he would have to tell them no, Brooks didn’t offer these types of courses. This started the process of Stuart creating a school designed to fill the void.

Stuart left Brooks in 2006, and in 2007 after much research, developing a business plan, establishing a faculty base and formulating financial projections, he created the beginnings of his own school. He says he knows that much has changed in the field of technology since that time.

Stuart believes that now the best way to reach a large volume of potential students is through an online approach and has amassed over 1,200 contributing faculty from around the world in the media arts to include photography, film, visual journalism, networking, employment, competitive festivals and psychology of communication.

The business model is a subscription based online program and he reports he’s working with a network that has the capability of streaming to over 2 billion mobile devices around the world at any one time.

He’s calling it “Masters Institute of Media Arts” and he’s seeking those “who understand the benefits of knowledge and the ability of creating the opportunity to bring cultures together by communicating and understanding more effectively through knowledge, and creating a more global vision.”

For more information contact Stuart at [email protected].