Category Archives: Web Exclusive

Registration for Corporate Games can start now

by Eric Burton, Ventura Corporate Games Director

Registration officially opens on January 11 for the 2016 Ventura Corporate Games, but you can reserve your spot now! The registration and event selection form — easy to fill, save and send — plus all the essential information for 2016 are now online at www.venturacorporategames.org.

I look forward to welcoming back our family of agencies, businesses and companies that return to “The Games” year after year. These organizations already know the value of Corporate Games to their employees.

But if your organization has never taken part, this is my personal “pitch” and invitation to you to consider joining us for the 2016 Corporate Games to be held from March 19 to May 7.

There are so many reasons why you should make this investment, but here are my top three: participation in Corporate Games will increase employee (1) productivity, (2) teamwork and (3) fitness within your organization.

Over the past 26 years of its existence, I’ve seen 80 to 90 companies come to include participation in Corporate Games as an essential part of their wellness culture each year. And I’ve seen this culture grow from the simple “let’s go out and have fun” to a more profound “let’s get healthy and break down barriers that prevent us from reaching our full potential.”

But, make no mistake, Corporate Games remains the fun way to build your team and provide your employees with the benefits of improved health, efficiency and unity. What better “bottom line” investment can you make in the single most important resource in your company?

I invite you to call me at 658.4738 or contact me at [email protected] to make your commitment early or discuss your possible participation in Corporate Games next year. I look forward to hearing from you.

National Family Volunteer Day celebration in Ventura Nov. 21

When: Saturday, Nov. 21 from 9am – 11am
Where: Ventura City Hall, 501 Poli, front steps

National Family Volunteer Day will be celebrated in the city of Ventura with local families performing Acts of Kindness. As part of the City of Ventura’s 150th anniversary events, Mayor Cheryl Heitmann is asking community members to perform A Million Acts of Kindness.

Volunteer Ventura! is hosting Family Volunteer Day to celebrate the power of families working together, and to help teach children valuable real-life lessons about compassion and caring.

Families will participate in “Kindness Stations” such as:
~  Donating canned/boxed food for FOOD Share, stuffed animals for the Ventura Police Department outreach, or a new, unwrapped toy for Ventura City Fire Department’s Spark of Love Toy Drive
~  Decorating a pebble in our Kindness Rocks station
~  Making a holiday letter/card for one of our deployed servicemen/women
~  Participating in a service scavenger hunt
~  Offering a free cup of coffee to a stranger or to a favorite downtown merchant (thanks to donations provided by Starbucks)

Ventura Commerce and Education Foundation recognizes local teacher

On Oct. 28, the Ventura Commerce and Education Foundation (VCEF) named Mrs. Patricia “Trisha” Lewis, third-grade teacher at Portola Elementary School in Ventura, October’s Teacher of the Month. VCEF board member, Pattie Braga, along with elected representatives and members of the business community, presented Lewis with a plaque to commemorate the award.

Lewis has 30 years of teaching experience and has played an integral role in the development of several key on-campus programs, including the school’s PTA and peer mediation group. Committed to helping her students flourish in the area of technology, Lewis also helped establish a technology committee at Portola Elementary. To supplement her involvement and experience, she attends training workshops on both technology and peer mediation.

“Trisha is a highly experienced teacher, and throughout her career she has maintained an unwavering dedication to providing the best possible education for her students,” said Portola Elementary School’s principal, Robert Ruiz. “She consistently find ways to go above and beyond, and her leadership and innovation make her a tremendous asset to our team.”

All principals and parent-teacher organizations from schools within the Ventura Unified School District are eligible to submit nominations. For more information about the Teacher of the Month program, please contact Pattie Braga, chair of the Teacher Appreciation Committee with the VCEF, at [email protected] or 477-4052.

Ventura City Fire Department responds to structure fire at Sunset and Briarwood

On Nov.15, at 6:30am the Ventura City Fire Department received a report of a structure fire in the area of Sunset and Briarwood. Upon arrival firefighters found a single family residential home with the garage fully involved in fire.

IMG_6083 (1)Firefighters were able to hold the fire to the garage while extinguishing the fire. Firefighters remained on scene after the fire was extinguished overhauling the burned areas of the home insuring the fire was completely out.IMG_6085 (1)

Take A Hungry Person to Lunch Day

Everyone interested in the plight of those in our community who are experiencing homelessness is invited to join in “Take A Hungry Person to Lunch Day” on Thursday, November 19. This event provides a comfortable way for individuals from different walks of life to sit down together in fellowship and to get to know one another’s stories. Participants will meet at 10:30 am at the UU Church of Ventura at 5654 Ralston for an orientation before lunch.

“By signing up as a host, you’ll provide a welcome moment of connection for someone who is currently without shelter. Although homelessness is a complex issue, and each person has a unique story, spending time with someone who is homeless is a wonderful, moving way to learn more about the issue,” says Lift Up Your Voice Interim Director Sue Brinkmeyer.

This event is being held as part of National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, which runs from November 14 to 22nd, and is sponsored by Lift Up Your Voice. For more information or to sign up to participate, contact Kathy Powell [email protected] or 910-8860 for details.

BRAVO seeking nominations for eight extraordinary women

BRAVO is the annual awards luncheon of the Ventura County Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO-VC). To be held on Friday, April 1st, 2016 NAWBO shines the spotlight on outstanding business women of Ventura County, honoring them for their vision and perseverance, which is creating a brighter future for women business owners and women-led business ventures in our community.

NAWBO-VC is currently seeking nominations for nine local, outstanding women in the following categories:
Woman Business Owner of the Year
Lifetime Achievement Award (new in 2016)
Innovator of the Year
Rising Star of the Year
Community Advocate of the Year
Education Advocate of the Year
Young Woman Entrepreneur of the Year
NAWBO-VC Member of the Year
Corporate Leader/Partner of the Year (new in 2016)

“We’ve had some truly stellar women business owners and leaders nominated over the years,” stated Dr. Janis Shinkawa, President, NAWBO Ventura County and 2014 Bravo Rising Star of the Year. “We encourage nominations from throughout the county, whether the outstanding woman you know is a NAWBO member or not.”

To nominate an extraordinary woman, simply go to www.NAWBOVC.org and click on the 17th Annual Bravo Awards found under Events. Online, fax and email submissions are being accepted through Tuesday, November 24. Nominees need not be NAWBO members.

How to prepare your wood deck for a heavy winter season

Everyone wants their decking looking the best. This is why they use composite deck sealer to keep it looking good throughout the year. However, not many people tend to think about the safety of their decking. This is why the City of Ventura’s Building and Safety division is offering a free one hour deck construction guide and repair workshop to residents, including homeowners and contractors, Monday, Nov. 16 from 9am-10am at Ventura City Hall, 501 Poli Street, Community Meeting Room.

Community members are encouraged to attend this workshop to learn more about safe deck connections and railings to help prevent damage from heavy rains or earthquakes. Nearly 15% of all deck related injuries are from structural failure, 60% of structural failures are due to the deck connection to the house, and 33% of all structural failures are from deck railings. This shows how important it is to keep up with deck maintenance. Take a look at Austin Fence & Deck – Repair & Replacement if you’re needing to make your decking safer.

At this workshop, residents will learn about changes to the Prescriptive Residential Deck Construction Guidelines and repairs, and how to identify the minimum requirements for wood decks including wood members and fasteners.

For more information contact the City of Ventura’s building and Safety Division at 654-7869, or visit www.cityofventura.net/cd/buildsafe.

Dear Interested Parties of the LaViera Pre-screen

The LaViera Pre-screen has been confirmed for the November 30th City Council meeting at 5:00 p.m. The City Council protocols are different from those of the Planning Commission, so it is important that you understand these as we move toward this hearing. Staff will be releasing an “Advance Administrative Report” on November 16th; this report will include all correspondence received through November 12, 2015, by 5:00 p.m. All correspondence received from November 12th (after 5:00 p.m.), through Monday, November 30th, by 12:00 noon will be uploaded to the City’s website as a supplemental attachment to the report.

If mailing or hand delivering correspondence, please provide 11 copies as follows:

Mail:
City Council
City of Ventura
PO Box 99
Ventura, CA 93002-0099

Hand Delivered:
City of Ventura
City Council Office
501 Poli Street, Room 205
Ventura, CA 93001

If you prefer to email you comments, please do so at: [email protected]

Please note the City Council’s Protocols excerpt below related to submitting your written comments sufficiently in advance:

Section VI. Addressing the Council. 4.c. Presentations Submitted in Writing – Persons who anticipate oral presentations exceeding three (3) minutes are encouraged to submit comments in writing at the earliest possible time for distribution to the Council and other interested parties. Comments should be submitted sufficiently in advance of the scheduled meeting date to insure distribution to the Council prior to the meeting. Written submissions delivered to the Council prior to the meeting, or later than five (5) days before a Council meeting shall not be sufficient to exhaust administrative remedies and may be disregarded by the City Council.

Based on the above protocols, we encourage you to submit your comments no later than five (5) days before the Council meeting (Wednesday, November 25, 2015).

Thank you.

Jeffrey Lambert, AICP
Community Development Director

Ventura City Fire crews respond to injury traffic collision with fire at Telephone Rd and Victoria Ave.

On Nov.5, at 5:30am Ventura City Fire crews responded to a reported injury traffic collision with fire at Telephone Rd and Victoria Ave. The first engine company to arrive found that a mid-sized delivery van and a semi-tractor/trailer had collided, resulting in rupture of the saddle tanks on the semi and diesel fuel spilling onto the roadway. Fire in the engine compartment of the delivery van was suppressed by the driver of the semi, using a dry-chemical extinguisher, prior to arrival of emergency personnel. Fire and Streets personnel used absorbent materials to contain the spilling diesel fuel before it could enter the storm sewer. The absorbed fuel was eventually collected and disposed of following removal of the two vehicles. No injuries related to the accident were reported.