GENERAL MEETING MINUTES

July 18, 2024

VIA ZOOM

Call to Order at 7:04 by president Sara Ostrander

Police Report: Commander Weeks – crime map – 16 assaults mostly DV related. One shooting, no injuries, but vehicles and residences shot. No known motive. Two break ins, one at a construction site. Residential burglary. No trends were noted. Ondulando was hit over 4^th of July weekend.

John – use of drones for illegal fireworks—were any arrests made?

Commander Weeks: No, but 10 administrative citations were handed out. This was a trial with mixed results. One of two drones was targeted by fireworks. The PD is assessing how well the trial went. Lessons were learned that will be applied next year. VPD will follow up with other agencies.

July 23^rd — Cones with Cops at Coastal Cones for casual chats with police officers. 2-330.

July 23^rd Police Station e-bikes presentation by traffic cops to discuss the applicable laws. 6-7:30 p.m.

Dean – August 6^th National Night Out Commander Weeks will check on Ventura participation.

Maybe next year a joint event with police and EVCC. Dean will coordinate.

Sabrena R. requested another e-bikes training in collaboration with the school district for middle schools. Commander Weeks will reach out to schedule.

Minutes of the June meeting are posted on the website.

Recognition of Attendees: Sabrena Rodriguez school district. EVCC board.

Bill McReynolds is out of town. Jeanette Palacio Sanchez had said she would join us, but was unable.  She sent an email which was not noticed, and will be attached at the end.

Treasurer’s Report: Dorothy has not yet been given access to the bank account, but is keeping track. Dean reported that we have $720.63.

Community Announcements: City council nominations are open. They close on August 9^th.

District 4 Council Member — Jeanette Sanchez-Palacios not present

District 5 Council Member — Bill McReynolds not present

Old Business

Council Focus Areas

Atlas school — continuing concerns about children’s safety walking to school. At the workshop we learned of other schools with problems. More information needed.

Community Center — great interest, and some concern about the plans for Kimble Park in limbo. A center is needed on the East Side.

Concern about fireworks — it was important that we were heard by the PD.

Grocery store — many people feel it is necessary. Some concern about the Von’s at Telegraph/Victoria, which may be sold or changed. This will not happen immediately.

The planning workshop — about 50 people met and focused on eight areas with lively discussions. City officials attended: Bill Ayub, City Manager; Bill McReynolds City Councilman; Director of Parks & Rec; Director of Transportation; Mike Johnson, City Councilman.

Vision: this group discussed individual visions for the future of the East Side. John reported that most had visions for greener spaces, wider roadways that instill a sense of invitation; family friendly themes. A place where your children want to stay and live. John Kunsemiller facilitator

Community Center/Support for senior citizens.

Housing — Residents on the East Side feel left out by the City. Our main corridors are not nicely landscaped, etc. More diverse and affordable housing is needed, and environmental sustainability. Adela Trainor, facilitator

Traffic — Marina Porter, facilitator (not present)

Open Forum — talk about anything that didn’t fit elsewhere. Diane Baugh, facilitator (not present)

Grocery store — all agreed a store is needed, but zoning is an issue. Sheila Lowe, facilitator

Schools — main concern focused on safety at drop off/pick up times, lessen traffic congestion, etc. Michelle Jafari Sood, facilitator

Parks & Rec — Many different ideas contributed. Off-leash dog parks, shade for playground structures. Santa Paula Branch Line (train rail from Montalvo to Saticoy—a public trail to be improved). Green Parkway — movement to make the area from Kimble to Darling more family friendly. Rousing chorus of agreement to have Shakespeare or Concerts in the Park on our end. City leaders seemed positive, and Dean will give the idea to the Parks commission for development. Dean Katz, facilitator

Sara —More events in parks on the East Side. Bring jobs and businesses here. Concerns over pesticide spraying—need advance warning. Urgent care facilities needed. Traffic: Wells Rd/118 corridor. Evacuation routes need to be well marked. Fix potholes. Saticoy Rd. a problem around school times. Wells/Darling/Telephone/Foothill intersections, and Ramelli are of concern. Johnson freeway entrance is a nightmare.

Suggestions to involve school bus drivers and police on pickup/drop off areas. Atlas School and schools in that area can be chaotic and need improvement.

Community center: we need designated cooling centers for seniors or at-risk people during the summer.  Also designate an evacuation center. Kimble Park once had plans for a community/senior center, but that has changed. Seniors have to travel to the West Side for services. The Senior Strategic Plan, a 90 page document, was produced at great expense by the city and has never been implemented or discussed—a huge waste of money and resources. We need to contact the city about it.

Next step: organize and host a second workshop, inviting different voices to be heard.

Sabrena is part of the General Plan group. She reported that a missing element has been getting organic comments from the neighborhoods, and requested feedback. Sabrena.Rodriguez@venturausd.org or by phone at 805-512-6220 c.  She is a member of the City’s General Plan Advisory Committee (GPAC),

John: we are fleshing out a plan that will share our thoughts to councilmembers. We can share that with the General Plan committee too.

Sabrena: The General Plan is due for approval later this year. Get our feedback to the city ASAP.

Jacob: In the five years he has lived here, he has heard the same thing about the need for a grocery store with no results. The city needs to listen and make properly zoned land available.

Adela — These conversations are important and worthy, and make a difference. She reported that the city has a net zero water fee for new and expanding businesses. Also, mobile home owners are not allowed to rent out a room to another senior unless they are on the title. Adela brought this up at a meeting and asked for it to be changed to help seniors with more affordable living options.

New Business

We receive donations from Grocery Outlet every month, which has saved us. Everyone is urged to donate, once or regularly. Contact us through the website or email.

Website and social media: anyone who has time to volunteer to help is appreciated.

Guest Speaker

Rescheduled to speak about the Eastside Greenway. The City is working on getting grants for the project.

Community Discussion

No further discussion

Next Meeting: August 15, 2024

Adjournment: 8:10 p.m.

Respectfully submitted

Sheila Lowe, Secretary

Addendum:  Message received from Council Member Jeanette Sanchez-Palacios but not read into record at July 18^th meeting.

Update

Council is on Summer break. We return for council meetings August 20th. I can still be reached via email.

City of Ventura adopts a $531 million budget for fiscal year 2024-2025
The Ventura City Council unanimously adopted a balanced $531 million operating and capital budget for Fiscal Year 2024-25 following the City’s annual budget hearing at its meeting on June 25. The budget outlines significant investments to maintain and improve the City’s aging infrastructure and deliver core services and programs.

The budget spans from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025, and focuses on the City Council’s highest priorities, sets aside funds for future infrastructure needs, and maintains the City’s high level of service. This includes addressing priorities such as reducing homelessness and enhancing environmental protection while accounting for rising costs due to inflation and supply chain issues.

New Human Resources Director
Ventura City Manager Bill Ayub is pleased to announce the appointment of Valerie Barroso as the new Human Resources Director, effective August 3, 2024. Barroso has been integral to the City’s Human Resources team, serving as the Assistant Human Resources Director since 2018.

X Games Preliminary Stats: 
Council received preliminary stats for the X Games, hosted in Ventura on June 28-30. Partners at Visit Ventura, in collaboration with local transportation providers, are creating a one-page stat sheet that will be shared in the coming weeks:

 10% increase in attendance (57,231)

 5,100 room nights

 Over 18k fans took the shuttle

 1,402 bikes were checked at the bike valet

 Metrolink – 308% increase in ridership on Saturday; 164% increase on Sunday

 Amtrak saw a 40% decrease in ridership because folks were using their bikes, walking, skateboarding, or taking the Metrolink instead

VPD and Fire Dept Update

 Ventura PD will host Cones with a Cop at Coastal Cone at the Harbor on Tuesday July 23,

2p -3:30p, 1583 Spinnaker Drive.

 Ventura PD developed a dedicated e-bike webpage, with information about the different classifications, safety reminders, and more.

 Ventura PD is working to launch an educational campaign, complete with information in the Parks & Rec Fall Activity Guide, a mailer to all residents, a Ventura Voices podcast episode being published the week of July 8, to share with VUSD staff, students, and parents, and attendees at Community Councils.

 Ventura PD will also host an e-bike community workshop on Tuesday, July 23, from 6:00

– 7:30 p.m. at the Ventura Police Headquarters, located at 1425 Dowell Drive.

 Ventura’s Tribute to 9/11 Heroes The Ventura Fire Department invites the community to join in the Memorial Stair Climb on Saturday Sept 7 at 9am at the Crowne Plaza. For more information or to register, please visit: VenturaFireFoundation.org

Vons Update
At this point, the merger is a proposal, and if approved by the Federal Trade Commission, our Vons at Victoria and Telegraph will be divested to C&S. The first hearing on this matter is set for July 31; I am trying to find out if this is a meeting the public can attend or listen in on. I doubt a final decision will be made at that time. As part of the Kroger-Albertsons merger, the proposed agreement states that the plan will provide assets needed to ensure the stores will continue to serve their communities.  It also states that no stores will close as a result of the merger.  While the pending decision is nerve-wracking, its hard to say with any certainty what the future will hold until the final decision is made. I can assure you that we are committed to the community and share your goal of ensuring that citizens have access to proper grocery stores.

The City Council approved the 2025-2030 Economic Development Strategy on July 6th, which specifically states the need for a grocer on the East End. We are having conversations with property owners on the East End, and I feel confident that a future grocer will be a reality. However, as with anything, these types of projects take time, and this conversation is in its infancy. In the meantime, we will continue to advocate for Ventura and will continue to stay up to date on the potential merger.