Valance is also a board member of the Ventura Hillsides Conservancy
Photo by Kyle Sallee

The Ventura City Council has appointed Nikos Valance, a local attorney, economist and lecturer at California State University Channel Islands, to his first four-year term on the Ventura Port District Board of Port Commissioners.

Valance, a New York native, also is a board member of the Ventura Hillsides Conservancy and he previously served for four years as member of the Manhattan Community Board in New York.

“In New York I was always very active in civic affairs and community projects. Once I settled in Ventura, I wanted to be more active and also give to the community,” he said. “I’m really thrilled about living in Ventura and enthusiastic about the potential of the Harbor.”

Valance would like to see the City of Ventura and the Ventura Harbor grow as tourist and vacation destinations, and work together more closely. He’d also like to see more art events and activities at Ventura Harbor, such as artists painting outdoors and a theater for plays. “It would enhance the whole ambiance at the Harbor.”

An attorney and economist, Valance is excited to be teaching economics for the Martin V. Smith School of Business and Economics at California State University Channel Islands.

Valance has several areas of interest and specialties in his work, including: business and human rights; domestic and international water policy; local and regional sustainable economic development; systems of local and regional governance development; natural resource development; and the rights of indigenous people domestically and internationally.

The Ventura Port District is committed to providing quality, marine-oriented, visitor- serving assets and a safe environment for the public. The Ventura Harbor is a premier recreational harbor in Ventura County offering a variety of amenities for boater enthusiasts and visitors, including easy access to the Channel Islands, recreational fishing activities, boatyards, fuel docks, tours, rentals, cruises, vibrant yacht clubs and a new public launch ramp. Ventura Harbor has five marinas with 1,500 boat slips. Visit www.venturaharbor.com to learn more and view the Port District board agendas. The Board of Port Commissioners conducts regular meetings that are open to the public on the second Wednesday starting at noon and the fourth Wednesday starting at 7 p.m. each month.

The Panaro Brothers Winery located at 4517 Market Street, 654-1577 features a Book Nook. Stop by, have a cool glass of wine and visit the Book Nook that has books for sale by local Ventura County authors, including James Francis Gray, Sheila Lowe, Sheli Ellsworth, Sheldon Brown, Libby J. Atwater, Karin Lehmann, Robin Sanford, Elaine Clark Aldrete, Ron Fischer and Chuck Engel. The winery features first Friday book readings, so mark your calendars for the next one on Friday, October 2^, at 5:30 p.m.

Community Memorial Health System nurse, Vicki Graves, is a recent recipient of the Daisy Award for Extraordinary Nurses, a peer-elected awards program the hospital participates in each quarter. Nurses are nominated for the DAISY awards by patients, family members and colleagues. Graves, a registered nurse in the CMH Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, is known at the hospital for her compassionate care, concern, and dedication to patient health.

Each quarter, a nurse is selected to receive the Daisy Award by an awards committee. At a presentation given in front of the nurse’s peers, patients and leadership, the honoree receives a certificate of commendation for being an “Extraordinary Nurse.”

By Karen Helen Szatkowski

The Kiwanis International of Ventura, co-hosted by Oxnard and Thousand Oaks clubs, put on their 13th Annual Event to honor many of the local firefighters and several citizen heroes at the Crown Plaza Hotel on the Ventura Beach on September 11th.

The evening ceremonies were opened by the Ventura City Firefighters Pipes & Drums accompanied by the Ventura County Honor Guard which was an exciting and moving start. Many city and county dignitaries and fire officials were in attendance as well, introduced by the Mayor of Ventura, Cheryl Heitmann.

The first honoree, Captain John Harber, was presented the Firefighter of the Year by the Santa Paula Fire Department.  Captain Harber took a school program under his wing which gained wide praise.

The Ventura County Fire Department awarded a Firefighter of the Year from each of the five battalions starting with Firefighter Joseph Dullam of Battalion 1; Captain Richard Toukdarian of Battalion 2; Firefighter Ryan Flitt of Battalion 3; Firefighter Mark Villasenor of Battalion 4 and Firefighter Lucas Beller of Battalion 5.  Exemplary first responders all.

Firefighter Josh Massie earned the Firefighter of the Year in the Oxnard Fire Department as his IT talent allowed the change in the vitally important radio program to mature smoothly.

Paramedic/Firefighter Chad Panke, Firefighter of the Year with the Fillmore Fire Department, has been involved in implementing the County of Ventura’s Cardiac Arrest Management Program as well as the EMS system.

Paramedic/Firefighter Drew DeRousseau, as Firefighter of the Year for the Ventura City Fire Department is known as the “question man”.  Drew wants to know why, when, where, what and who. In his 3 1/2 years with the Department he has found many answers.

Fire Engineer Torrey Anderson of the Federal Fire Department moved from volunteer firefighter at the Fillmore Fire Department to the Federal Fire Department in 2007 as a full-time employee.

Many of these recipients were not able to attend the ceremony as they were deployed to fight the walls of flame scorching Northern California.

Along with these lauded public servants, Kiwanis awarded Citizen Hero Honors to people that jumped in and saved others in danger.  Maria Esparza happened upon a burning car on the freeway and managed to pull an infant from the back seat while Brian Neilsen, who also stopped to see if he was needed, pulled the driver out of the car.  Josh Powers, visiting the beach during a nasty rip tide, swam out and saved a friend and his own fiancée who were both very close to drowning. Lastly Richard Rychlowski rescued a neighbor from a fire consumed home next door just seconds before help arrived.

This joke was included in a recent issue. We just couldn’t wait until April Fool’s Day. We apologize for our warped sense of humor. Not only will the statue of Father Juniper Serra remain there forever, but he is now a Saint having been recently elevated to Sainthood by Pope Francis.

After Pope Francis announced that he would canonize Father Junipero Serra it turned out that Serra is a very controversial person and there are many who object to him becoming a Saint.
In order for this not to become a controversy in Ventura the City Council has replaced his statue, located across from City Hall with this statue of Ventress The Ventura Pier Creature . This sea creature was first reported and named in the Ventura Breeze.

The Ventura creature

By Tanner and Kai

An amazing sight was to be seen
The most exciting, indeed, of the whole year
A sea creature who sometimes is seen
In the waters near the Ventura Pier

Came out of the sea, ashore, as you can see
In the fabulous photo of the two in the Breeze
To have her baby did this creature dear
Sweet Sea Monster Dee

A wonder I’m sure to never see again I fear
For soon back out to sea she will be
Sweet Sea Monster Dee
And her baby boy Driftwood Lee

Dick Zizic, Harold Kennedy, Dick Baldwin, Tony Jankowski and somebody in a Breeze cap celebrating Harold’s birthday at the Vagabond Coffee Shop.