Call to Order at 7:02 by president Sara Ostrander

Sara read the board statement of rules for meeting conduct

Police Report: Commander Weeks – crime stats for E. Ventura – more crimes, 39-48 range for total, now 57. Assault offenses are up from 9-16, perpetrator knew victim in most cases. This represents an uptick in domestic violence. Fraud was up to 11 cases; Larceny/theft went from 9-19. There were 4 Vehicle break-ins in one night around Kimble, 3-4 around Wells/Darling. The Petit area had different types of crimes. Sara asked about the frauds. Some are random phone scams targeting elderly citizens. Many come from overseas, which we cannot control. Others are counterfeiting, forgeries, stolen credit cards/checks, identity thefts.

1. Kohn – how many crimes are teens on e-bikes? Cmdr Weeks had no answer, but said there have been many complaints, especially downtown and throughout the city.

Police Announcements: Street Fair, Spring Wine Walk downtown 10-6:30 this Saturday. Traffic may be affected.

May 18, 19, Strawberry Festival. Last year it brought the Westside to a standstill. The police are meeting with the organizers about offsite parking and signage.

X Games returning in June – Police are working with the organizers to mitigate traffic as much as possible.

Ventura Police Community Foundation Annual Golf Tournament – check website to sign up or sponsor. Proceeds go to youth activities.

1. Romero: not enough neighborhood watch. Cmdr Weeks: Get info on PD website. Emily Ayala is the coordinator. Contact her for info in getting a neighborhood watch going.
2. Marsh: what was going on at Hollister & Lakewood 3 weeks ago? Cmdr Weeks: A suicidal person who threatened others. He surrendered peacefully.

Minutes of Last Meeting were approved by the board and are posted on the website.

Sara introduced board members, Dean Katz (VP), Sheila Lowe (Rec. Secty), Dorothy Bailey (Treas) John Kunsemiller (Corr. Secty).

Treasurer’s Report: As of today, our balance is $1928.13

Recognition of Attendees: Bill Ayub, City Manager, Korinne Bell, VC Agriculture Commissioner.

Announcements: Bill Ayub – there have been several replacements in recent months. One is Public Works Director.  Charlie Ebeling taking over, coming from Goleta. Lots of coastal experience. Quality of roads was discussed. Slow go to get the roads resurfaced. It will take years to catch up. Charlie is excited to be involved.

The next council meetings are 3/26 and 4/9.

Dean: which roads on the east end will get quicker attention? B.A. – there is a detailed breakdown of priorities – Telegraph after interconnect water pipeline to 5 points, Victoria. Council will increase funds for roadway maintenance contracts.

1. Porter – Agenda #11 – recommendations re new downtown parking structure and beachfront parking structure. Wants item E clarified. B.A. – directions by council to implement a paid parking scheme. Now there is a delay in expanded paid parking. Some spaces downtown will have time limits. There’s no disadvantage to the delay. It will be discussed at the 3/26 council meeting.

 Other Announcements:

April 20 – Rising from the Ashes home tour, sponsored by V C Library Foundation — check their website

May 15 – Chamber Business Expo

General plan – still working on it.

Check your citrus trees for Citrus greening disease

Newsletter from City of Ventura – sign up on City website. Updates about the pier.

March 30 – mulch and garden soil giveaway.

Reminder from VCFD to check smoke detectors.

District 4 Council Member — Jeanette Sanchez-Palacios (not present)

District 5 Council Member — Bill McReynolds (not present)

Old Business

Council Focus Areas

Safety around Atlas school still a concern – school and PD and City public works are aware of the issues, but we need to continue highlight the need for safety.

A community/senior center needed for east side.

Dean is working with the City about 4^th of July fireworks concerns. He met with Cmdr Weeks regarding use of PD drones. It is under review at the City Attorney’s office.

Continued request for a grocery store on the east side.

New Business

Workshop – June 20^th meeting: an in-person workshop similar to those held on the west end. We will discuss plans for the Wells corridor and establish what the community wants from EVCC. Location: Buenaventura Mobile Home Estates clubhouse on Darling east of Wells.

Youth bicycle gangs – Dean: meanspirited kids riding around harassing people. We could use assistance from VPD on this end of town to keep an eye on what is going on. Nextdoor.com is getting a lot of comments about this.

Main Street Moves – was addressed at council meeting. Sara was unable to attend.

1. Porter – likes the sectioned-off area, it’s more kid friendly. Could it be open during the week and closed on weekends?
2. Ayub – a subcommittee was established for MSM. A legal action was filed by property owners against the City, trying to force the streets to open to allow traffic throughout the street. The council is reviewing moving forward. Design standards have been accepted for parklets (outdoor dining spaces adopted for many downtown restaurants). There has been economic impact in lost jobs, revenue for restaurants, etc. The City Council wants to hear from the community via email: council@cityofventura.ca.gov.

Wells Road Corridor – 118/Telegraph – many commercial vehicles pass through and use it to cut between 101/126. WRC has been designated by the state as a special zone for commercial vehicles. This is becoming a problem with repairs that need to be done to the street.

1. Romero – has collected 300-400 photos of the last 7 years since he has lived on the east end. There have been many unfortunate incidents resulting in deaths. He wants to get an advocacy started with officials. Sara suggested he bring his info to the June workshop for discussion.

 Santa Paula Branch Line – “Rails with Trails” bicycle project.

Dean – When finished there will be four miles of bike paths. He has been invited to participate. Ceded his time to Breanne Dunn, who showed slides on the project. This is part of a 30-mile network that ends in Piru. We are the last to have our branch to link communities together. She outlined the amenities that will be available. They would like to collaborate with residents on the eastside and get feedback. Dean and Cathy Bremer are our reps for this project. There will be 3 in-person stakeholder meetings total, one in each community council district. Breanne@pc-ld.com for information. Participation needed from community members.

Guest Speaker – Agricultural Commissioner Korinne Bell

Powerpoint presentation titled Pests & Diseases Impacting Ventura County’s Agriculture – tech issues interfered with her being able to present. Her talk will be rescheduled.

Community Discussion:

Dean: Wells Rd trailhead. Photos by Anthony show the difficulty for wheelchairs, pedestrians, bikers, and others. If the path was used enough, it CALTRANS would be forced to improve the entire area. There are concerns about dogs fouling farmland and people wandering into agricultural areas.

Terry: is the area around Citrus permanently closed to pedestrians? It’s scary to walk/bike there. Talked to new owners of bike shop. They would like to have an advocate.

Sara cannot walk to her volunteer work at the Vets home because of the dangers on Wells Rd.

Social media – Several people have commented that we need a larger presence on social media. A member has volunteered to help. More help is still needed.

Wells/Darling development – Terry: a coffee shop/center is needed. Sara: a Saticoy Plan exists for development of Wells Rd. corridor. It will be discussed at the June in-person meeting.

Social Justice – B. Kohn –A large social justice advocacy has been implemented in the school district and has affected the curriculum. Students who are learning this curriculum will become future employees, which will affect the area. He asks parents with kids in the school district to request the curriculum (it is not sent home), read it, and attend school board meetings. Decisions were made to adopt this curriculum last August 8 before school started.

1. Porter – will share updates on Proposal E.
2. Jafari Sood – who do we contact about ebikes? Sara – Depends on district you live in. start with councilmember. Or Commander Weeks (Watch Commander for our area). Rweeks@cityofventura.gov

Next Meeting: April 18, 2024

Adjournment by President Sara at 8:30 p.m.

Respectfully Submitted

Sheila Lowe, Secretary