January 24, 2015 - VC Star

Section B
■ PORT PLANNING
Local
More than 100 stakeholders
get together to help plot
the Port of Hueneme’s course
for the next five years. 3B
Saturday, January 24, 2015
Santa Paula woman guilty in slaying
■ Jury issues
second-degree
murder verdict
By Marjorie Hernandez
mhernandez@vcstar.com
805-437-0263
A Ventura County jury
Friday found a Santa Paula
woman guilty of seconddegree murder for fatally
shooting another woman
at a park in 2013.
Yajayra Lizette Dominguez, 32, sobbed as a court
secretary read the verdict
in front of Superior Court
Judge Kevin DeNoce.
Prosecutors said she
shot 21-year-old Ashley
Calanche, of Santa Paula,
in the head with a small
handgun as the two women fought at Mill Park in
Santa Paula on Sept. 27,
2013.
Jurors also found true
that Dominguez intentionally discharged a
firearm causing great
bodily injury or death.
Dominguez will face 40
years to life in prison when
she is sentenced Feb. 24.
Authorities said the
two Santa Paula women
did not know each other,
but Dominguez had sent
threatening Facebook
messages to Calanche in
response to an alleged
threat the victim made to
a friend of the defendant.
The two women crossed
paths one afternoon at Mill
Park in the 700 block of
North Ojai Road. Prosecutors said Dominguez confronted Calanche, grabbed
her by the hair, put a gun
to her head and pulled
the trigger.
Dominguez took the
stand during her trial
and said Calanche tried
to grab her hand as
they both struggled and
pulled each other’s hair.
Dominguez said the derringer in her hand discharged accidentally.
Dominguez said she
apologized to Calanche’s
sister, who was also at the
park during the shooting.
She said she asked the
sister to not call police
because she was afraid of
losing her children.
Her attorney, Ayala
Benefraim of the public defender’s office,
argued that her client
lacked malice and asked
jurors to consider involuntary manslaughter.
Prosecutor Rebecca
Day, however, said forensics showed Dominguez
delivered a “kill shot”
to Calanche.
Dominguez now faces a
sentence of 15 years to life
in prison for the seconddegree murder charge.
The firearm allegation
carries a sentence of 25
years to life.
Doming uez’s family members and friends
cried quietly inside the
See VERDICT, 2B
Hawk
dies
inside
Costco
■ Center sought
$700 to save bird
By Cindy Von Quednow
cvonquednow@vcstar.com
805-437-0208
to learn in fun and creative
ways, while also giving them
a glimpse of STEAM careers,”
said Dr. Colleen Robertson,
principal of the school and
superintendent of the K-8 Somis
Union School District.
Robertson said the school
also uses the acronym
STEAAM because of an emphasis on agriculture.
Marcella Klein Williams,
director of special projects at
the school, said STEAM events
are important at the K-8 level
so children can start engaging
themselves in certain subjects
and seeing themselves in certain
career paths.
A Cooper’s hawk died
this week at Costco
Wholesale in Oxnard after
flying into the store days
earlier, a local wildlife
advocate said.
Kim Stroud, director
of the Ojai Raptor Center, said she offered to
rescue the bird for $700,
but the store declined
the offer several times.
The center is a nonprofit
group that rescues and
rehabilitates birds of prey
and other wildlife.
Costco officials did not
return phone calls for
this story.
Stroud said she learned
of the situation Jan. 17,
when several people
called her about the
hawk. The hawk apparently flew into the store
while following a smaller
bird, she said.
Stroud said many people sent her photos of the
bird and called her daily
about their concerns for it.
“Everyone was more
concerned about the animal than their own safety,”
Stroud said.
Stroud said trapping and
freeing a Cooper’s hawk is
complicated and requires
a lot of coordination, energy and resources, hence
the $700 charge. She said
Costco did use some of
her tips, like keeping
the doors and skylights
open in hopes the bird
See STEAM, 2B
See HAWK, 2B
JOE LUMAYA/SPECIAL TO THE STAR
Cary Chaput (from right), Asher Mitchell and Teagan Mullen build a structure with toothpicks and gumdrops during Somis School’s STEAM Family
Night. Students and their parents tackled challenges together during Thursday night’s event.
Building up STEAM
■ For 3rd year,
Somis School
holds event
By Michele Willer-Allred
Special to The Star
Ni ne-yea r- old
Ca rsy n
Tschetter wants to be an engineer when he grows up.
So when he got the chance
Thursday night to build a motorized robot that could scribble,
he jumped at the opportunity.
Carsyn got the robot to
work — just one of many successes that evening as about 100
students and their families attended an annual Somis School
event called Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and
Math (STEAM) Family Night.
It was the school’s third such
event, with Thursday’s theme
focusing on architecture and
how engineering and art combine to play an integral part of
the design process.
Students rotated through activities in which they followed
architectural designs to build
structures out of toothpicks
and gumdrops, explored audio engineering using a virtual drum machine, designed
3-D paper art and built the
scribbling robots.
They also learned about
architecture as a potential career path, courtesy of Jim Armstrong, owner of J.E. Armstrong
Architect Inc.
Austin Abeyta, 17, joined others from his engineering class
at the Architecture, Construction & Engineering Charter
High School in Camarillo to
show the younger students
a robot they built for an upcoming competition.
Science, technology, engineering and math majors from
CSU Channel Islands served as
coaches for the group activities.
The family nights are part of
Somis School’s transformation
into a STEAM-focused campus.
“Our STEAM Nights give
families and students a chance
T.O. school district
hires search help
Young artists get
museum exhibit
■ Youth clubs
hold contest
for local display
By Claudia Boyd-Barrett
Special to The Star
It’s not every day that
a fledgling artist gets to
see her work exhibited
at an art museum. Especially when that artist is
10 years old.
So when Jazmin Lopez, of Mar Vista School
in Oxnard, found out she
was a winner in an art
contest and would be part
of an exhibit at the city’s
Carnegie Art Museum, she
said she danced for joy.
“I was like, ‘Yeah!’ ”
Jazmin said Thursday as
she gazed proudly at her
winning art piece: a large,
decorative splatter of pink
ink hanging inside the museum’s CAM Studio Gallery. “I feel really excited.”
Jazmin’s artwork is
among dozens of awardwinning pieces by local
students displayed at the
museum this week as part
of the 2015 National Fine
Arts Exhibition. The exhibit is organized by the
Boys & Girls Clubs of
Greater Oxnard and Port
■ Nebraska firm
to aid in hiring
superintendent
By Rachel McGrath
Special to The Star
CARLOS CHAVEZ/SPECIAL TO THE STAR
Jordyn Keys stands below her painting “Rainbow Leaf” as her
mother, Danielle, snaps a picture Thursday at the Carnegie
Art Museum in Oxnard. Jordyn’s work is part of the National
Fine Arts Exhibition.
Hueneme. Students at 15
Boys & Girls Club sites
took part.
The exhibit showcases
the winners for four age divisions in a variety of categories, including sculpture, printmaking, mixed
media, multicolor drawing
and oil painting.
While the contest is
held annually, this is the
first year the winning
pieces are being exhibited
See ART, 2B
A professional search
firm headquartered in
Nebraska has been selected to find a new
superintendent for the
Conejo Valley Unified
School District.
The district board
unanimously decided
Tuesday to contract with
McPherson & Jacobson of
Omaha, which is partnered
with the California School
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VCS1362316
Boards Association.
“All members of the
board came to agreement
that they were best suited to our needs,” board
President Betsy Connolly
said Wednesday. “We will
be meeting with them in
two weeks and moving
briskly along to get the
search underway.”
At a special meeting
last week, board members
heard presentations from
three professional search
firms, and Connolly said
the fact that McPherson
& Jacobson is endorsed by
the state association was a
persuasive factor.
See SUPERINTENDENT, 2B
2B » Saturday, January 24, 2015 »
T H E S TA R
local
Point Mugu State Park won’t reopen this weekend,
officials said Friday.
Officials closed the park, which stretches from
Newbury Park to the ocean, after a Dec. 12 storm.
Mud and rocks slid down steep canyons in heavy
rain, covering roads and campgrounds with debris
and washing out some trails. The park was scheduled to be closed until Feb. 1.
Earlier this week, however, Craig Sap, district
superintendent for state parks, said he hoped to
open it as soon as the weekend. But he said Friday
the reopening date was moved to Thursday, because
of the amount of work that still needs to be finished
on Wood Canyon, Ranch Center, Sycamore Canyon
and Overlook fire roads.
More than a dozen slides also hit the adjacent
Pacific Coast Highway. A 9-mile section of the highway between Camarillo and Malibu has been closed
since. It’s expected to be closed at least through the
end of the month.
When the park reopens, staff members will post
signs at the Rancho Sierra Vista-Point Mugu State
Park boundary that access to PCH is not permitted, Sap said. Another sign will be posted at the
Overlook-Sycamore Canyon fire roads’ intersection
reminding parkgoers not to travel to the highway.
A fence and a sign also will be posted at the La
Jolla Canyon Trail/La Jolla Valley Loop Trail to prevent access because of severe damage. A rockslide
took out the trail at the waterfall about a mile above
PCH, Sap said.
When the highway reopens, plans call for removing all restrictions except for trail access
to PCH from La Jolla Valley. There’s no date for
that reopening.
VERDICT
from 1B
courtroom as sheriff’s
deputies led away a sobbing Dominguez.
Outside the courtroom,
Calanche’s family and
friends wiped tears and
hugged one another. Many
of them wore a gold ribbon
pin with a tiny sunflower,
Calanche’s favorite flower.
Nancy
Rodrig uez,
Calanche’s aunt, wiped
tears and said the verdict brings some closure
for her family.
HAWK
from 1B
would fly out.
She said she spoke to
Costco managers several
times and reached out to
the company’s regional
office in Washington before she was informed
the hawk died Wednesday night or Thursday morning.
Stroud said Cooper’s
hawks need to eat onethird of their own weight
Rodriguez
said
Calanche was studying
photography and was excited to start a career while
taking care of her son,
then 1 year old.
“Nobody has a right to
take another person’s life,”
Rodriguez said. “Ashley
was a very happy and loving young lady, and her
son meant everything
to her. It’s really sad that
Dominguez was so worried about her kids being
taken away from her, but
she gave no concern that
she took away someone
else’s mom.”
daily to survive, so the
bird must have starved
to death.
“Those birds need to
eat every day because
their metabolism is so
fast,” she said.
She also said they
are more afraid of humans than larger hawks,
which is why the bird
did not f ly down and
disturb customers.
“I’m hoping that in the
future something like
this will be taken care of
quicker,” Stroud said.
SUPERINTENDENT
from 1B
“The staff from the search firm that will be working with us have a great deal of experience not just as
superintendents themselves but as people who have led
search efforts before,” she said. “They will help us clarify what we are looking for and what our community
is looking for, and also persuade potential candidates
that we would be a great place to work.”
Superintendent Jeff Baarstad said hiring the
search firm will cost the school district $27,500 plus
travel expenses.
Baarstad, 60, is retiring at the end of the current
school year after five years at the helm.
He was the district’s assistant superintendent of business services when the board decided to appoint him
to take over from Superintendent Mario Contini, who
stepped down in June 2010. Contini had been selected
for the job in 2006 after a search conducted by the Ventura County Office of Education.
In other business, the board on Tuesday once again
was faced with challenges surrounding the sale of surplus district property at the Rancho Conejo industrial
park in Newbury Park.
The undeveloped 10.7-acre site has gone through
three buyers since it was first put up for sale in 2011.
The latest buyer, Jemstreet Properties, had entered
into a purchase agreement and escrow in September
2013 after bidding $3.13 million for the property. However, the company informed district officials just recently
that it is unable to complete the transaction.
Local businessmen and developers Martin Tietelbaum and Hugh Cassar have agreed to purchase the
property and adhere to all the requirements of the
original agreement.
The district also is withholding $20,000 of Jemstreet
Properties’ $75,000 escrow deposit to compensate the
district for the time and legal expenses incurred during
the escrow period.
Connolly said that the board could have decided
to start over and issue a new proposal but decided
the district would best be best by transferring to
another buyer.
Until the sale of the property on Conejo Center Drive
is completed, plans for a new continuation high school
in the district remain on hold.
The district plans to use the money from this sale
and the sale of its Kelley Road 10-acre site, the current
home of Conejo Valley High School and the district
maintenance facility, to fund a new campus.
The district in September accepted a bid of $8.9 million from Daylight Investors for the Kelley Road site
fronting Highway 101.
PHOTOS BY CARLOS CHAVEZ/SPECIAL TO THE STAR
Jose Cruz (left) and grandson Mario Franco view one of the paintings in the National Fine Arts
Exhibition at the Carnegie Art Museum in Oxnard.
IF you go
The exhibit runs
through Sunday at
the museum, 424
S. C St., Oxnard.
Saturday’s hours
are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.;
Sunday’s hours are
1-5 p.m. Admission
is $4 for adults,
$2 for seniors and
students, $1 for
children 6 and older
and free for children
younger than 6.
Museum members
get in free. Call
385-8158 for more
information.
Young artists from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Oxnard and Port
Hueneme and their parents look at the award-winning art.
STEAM
from 1B
“We want to make sure
they are making connections to their future, that
these are possible career
paths, so we have activities that highlight the relevance of STEAM,” Klein
Williams said.
Students have an incentive to attend the STEAM
events: If they go, they receive stamps that can be
turned in and entered in a
drawing for $100.
Carolyn Gass, a Somis
School teacher, said the
challenging part of Thursday night’s activities was
that some instructions
were given, but participants weren’t told exactly
how to perform the task.
“We may give you some
hints, but you have to
troubleshoot it yourself.
We want you to ask questions, such as, ‘What do I
need to get this to work?’
or ‘What do I need to
change?’ ” Gass said.
Allie Wolf, 12, ended up
building a gumdrop structure that towered over one
built by her father, Tom
Wolf, a Somis teacher.
Coral Sanchez engineered drum sounds on
an iPad with her children
Ruben, 9, and Natalie, 5.
“I love it,” Sanchez said
of the evening, “especially
because it gives them opportunities to explore and
learn more about things
they may want to do when
JOE LUMAYA/SPECIAL TO THE STAR
Three generations that have attended Somis School — Bob Fulkerson (from left), a 28-year
Somis Union School District board member, his granddaughter Grace Cobb and her dad, Tyler
Cobb — use their motorized scribble bot to make a design on paper during the STEAM Family
Night. They designed their bot with a cup, some markers, tape and a miniature motor.
they grow up.”
Genesis Garcia helped
engineer Valentine’s Daythemed pop-up cards with
niece Paloma Grimaldo.
Odette Barajas said
her daughter Emily was
excited about the event
because she likes to build
things and put together
puzzles. The 7-year-old
worked with her dad,
Genaro Barajas, on a plastic foam cup structure that
they hoped would reach
the ceiling.
Gass said one of the
best parts of the event is
that entire families from
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PADDINGTON B (11:20, 1:40, 4:20), 6:50, 9:10
THE WEDDING RINGER E (12:20, 2:40), 5:20, 8:00, 10:20
INTO THE WOODS B (11:15, 2:00), 7:45
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BIRDMAN E 7:50, 10:30
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EXODUS: GODS AND KINGS C 3:10, 9:20
PENGUINS OF MADAGASCAR 3D B 11:30,
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DUMB AND DUMBER TO C 9:50 PM
INTERSTELLAR C 12:30, 4:00, 8:00
ST. VINCENT C 11:40, 2:00, 4:40, 7:20
THE BOOK OF LIFE B 12:00, 2:20, 4:50, 7:10, 9:40
FURY E 12:10, 6:40
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THE BOY NEXT DOOR E (12:10, 2:40), 5:10, 7:40, 9:55
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“Locally Owned, Proudly Operated”
Showtimes for January 24
different generations are
involved and work together on hands-on projects.
“It’s a family affair,” she
said. “When students are
supported, they can do
great things.”
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10:35 11:25 1:45 2:40
4:55 5:55 8:10 9:10
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10:40 1:35 4:25
7:15 10:05
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10:30 1:30 4:30
7:30 10:30
THE BOY NEXT DOOR
(R) 11:35 2:15
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(PG-13) 11:30 2:50
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(PG) 10:25 1:20
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TAKEN 3 (PG-13)
11:00 1:50 4:40
7:35 10:20
THE WEDDING RINGER
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3:45 5:00 6:25 7:45
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MORTDECAI (R) IN MEDIAMATION 4D MOTION EFX THEATRE
(12:00) 2:30 5:00 07:45 10:30
MORTDECAI (R) (11:00 1:30) 4:00 7:00 9:30
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WOMAN IN BLACK (PG13)
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1:55 3:35 5:05
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PADDINGTON (PG)
11:00 1:30 4:00
6:30 9:00
BLACKHAT (R)
3:45 9:45
SELMA (PG-13)
11:10 2:15 5:25 8:30
THE IMITATION GAME
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7:15 10:00
WHIPLASH (R)
11:05 1:45 4:20
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THE THEORY OF
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Show times subject to change daily.
(12:00 2:25 5:00) 7:40 10:05
STRANGE MAGIC (PG)
(11:25 2:00 4:45)
7:25 9:50
BOY NEXT DOOR (R) (11:15 1:25 4:15) 7:10 9:25
AMERICAN SNIPER (R)
(10:45 1:45 4:35)
7:30 10:20
PADDINGTON (PG) (11:45 2:05 4:20) 7:15 9:35
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SATURDAY 01/24/15
VCS1359562
From staff reports
at the Carnegie Art Museum, said Erin Antrim, CEO
for the Boys & Girls Clubs.
“We’re just thrilled to
be able to have this here,”
she said. “This is really
important for us and our
core program to be able to
have this level of professionalism, having it in an
art museum, and for our
kids and our parents to be
celebrated in this way.”
Top winners in each
category will continue to
a regional-level competition, and regional winners
will go on to compete in
a national contest at the
Boys & Girls Clubs of
America’s headquarters
in Atlanta later this year.
Antrim said two local
students won regional
prizes in 2014.
At the Oxnard exhibit’s
opening Thursday, parents
and their children buzzed
through the displays
alongside local dignitaries and board members
for the museum and Boys
& Girls Clubs.
Parents LaMarcus and
Danielle Keys, of Oxnard,
were delighted to discover
that two of their daughters
— Jazmine, 13, and Jordyn,
7 — each had won prizes in
two categories.
“We’re grinning wider
than the kids,” Danielle
Keys said. “We’re proud
of both of them.”
Jordyn, a tiny girl in
pink-rimmed glasses,
smiled shyly as she talked
about a colorful butterfly
sculpture she had made.
She said she hopes to be an
artist when she grows up.
“I was afraid of butterflies and I wanted to feel
happier around butterflies,” she said. “It really makes me happy
when I paint.”
Meanwhile, students
from the club at Rio
Rosales School hugged
program leader Grisell
Delgadillo as they looked
at a rose sculpture
they’d worked on with
her guidance.
“They were so excited,”
Delgadillo said. “It’s an
honor to have something
at a museum.”
VCS1359458
State park
changes plans
for reopening
ART
from 1B
T H E S TA R
« Saturday, January 24, 2015 « 3B
local
Santa Paula keeps nonprofits’ rent low
■ City Council,
school board
set to meet
By Claudia Boyd-Barrett
Special to The Star
The city of Santa Paula
will continue to allow
three nonprofit groups
to lease city-owned facilities almost for free,
the City Council decided
this week.
The Boys & Girls Clubs
of Santa Clara Valley, Santa Paula Chamber of Commerce and Santa Paula Society of the Arts should be
allowed to lease properties from the city for $12
a year in exchange for the
public benefit they provide, the council agreed
at its Tuesday meeting.
The Boys & Girls Clubs
occupies the clubhouse at
Harding Park, while the
chamber and arts society
are at the Southern Pacific
Railroad Depot.
The city staff last year
renegotiated six lease
agreements with other
private entities, increasing overall annual rental
rates by $76,000, according to a staff report.
These include leases
with for-profit companies CEMEX, Santa Paula
Chevrolet and T.E. Acosta
Plastering. Charging market rate for the remaining
three rental properties
would generate up to an
additional $64,200 a year,
the report stated.
Speakers for the three
nonprofits during the
meeting extolled the
work their organizations
do for the public, such as
providing a safe place for
children after school and
supporting local tourism.
The council directed
■ Strategic
meeting draws
100 participants
By Anne Kallas
Special to The Star
Contributed photo
Mocha is a 9-year-old Chow mix that came to the shelter when her owners lost their home and could
no longer care for her. She is a quiet girl who is easy to walk, and she enjoys car rides. With an easygoing personality, her demands are few. She would enjoy nothing more than curling up and relaxing
near her new person. If you have room in your home and heart for this older pup, stop by the shelter
and ask to meet her. Request A3443783 to adopt Mocha. The shelter is at 29525 Agoura Road in
Agoura Hills. pets occasionally have already been adopted. Call 818-991-0071 or visit http://
animalcare.lacounty.gov to check availability.
West county pet of the week
Contributed photo
Gigi is a sweet 3-year-old cat living at the shelter for almost a year. She gets along well with other
cats and is friendly with people. Gigi is spayed. The shelter staff recommends that all cats live inside
only. You can meet Gigi at the Humane Society of Ventura County in Ojai. Her adoption fee of $120
includes spaying, vaccinations, free veterinary check, feline leukemia test, microchip implantation
and ID tag. For more information on Gigi or other available animals, or to volunteer, visit http://
www.hsvc.org or call 646-6505. The shelter is at 402 Bryant St. hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Monday through Saturday. Visit the website for information about the Dog Jog in March.
Grant sought for wildlife land
The district and the
conservancy are negotiating with Waste Management on the purchase
price, she said.
The 734-acre canyon
is north of Highway 118
between Waste Management’s landfill to the
east and the Simi Valley/
Moorpa rk bounda r y
to the west.
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The Port of Hueneme invited more than 100 government representatives, contractors and community
leaders to help develop its
five-year strategic plan.
The group agreed the
most important priority is
building stronger relationships among the Navy,
the port and the city of
Port Hueneme.
With port Director and
CEO Kristin Decas noting
that port activities generate
3,000 jobs directly and indirectly in Ventura County, the group assembled
Thursday night at the port’s
headquarters, charged
with developing priorities
into 2020.
Led by support management company AECOM
(Architecture, Engineering, Construction, Operations and Management),
various people from the
community, including
Port Hueneme Councilmen Doug Breeze, Tom
Figg and Jim Hensley, Port
Hueneme City Manager
Cynthia Haas and Oxnard
City Manager Greg Nyhoff,
brainstormed ideas to help
the port become better engaged with the surrounding community.
According to Decas, the
port is a “specialty port”
with an emphasis on bananas, automobiles and
liquid fertilizer. It’s the only
deepwater port between
Los Angeles and San Francisco, and because it isn’t
as big as other ports, there
is less traffic congestion,
which means faster action
moving goods in and out
of the area.
But as pointed out by
discussion groups huddled
around five tables, there
is a lot of work needed
to make the port work at
top efficiency.
Representatives of
AECOM and the port,
which is overseen by the
Oxnard Harbor District,
moved around the room
jotting down concerns of
people at each table. The
groups were asked to address economic vitality,
marketing and community
relations, environmental
concerns, information technology, and community and
strategic partnerships.
Figg, a recently elected
councilman who ran on
a platform that included
mending tattered relations
between Oxnard and Port
Hueneme, said he wanted
the strategic planning session to be more than “a feelgood exercise.”
Among the issues
raised was the need for
better transportation avenues for the goods that
travel through the port,
which is adjacent to Naval
Base Ventura County
Port Hueneme.
In addition to adding to
a short railroad spur that
serves the port, participants called for widening
Hueneme Road and Rice
Avenue to make it easier
for trucks to move cargo
in and out.
Many asked whether
the port would be able to
annex more land to help
with automobile storage,
which in recent months
has spilled to various
locations in Camarillo
and Oxnard. But the land
near the port is limited,
Decas said.
Among the capital projects being considered are
deepening the harbor to
handle bigger ships, adding to the railroad lines,
wharf modernization,
shoreline protections and
the addition of electrical
plug-in devices to reduce
carbon emissions.
Happy Birthday
to our Angel in Heaven
Rudy “Speedy” Moraga Jr.
Jan. 24, 1959 -
Oct. 9, 2014
“I know how much you Love me,
as much as I Love you.
And each time you think of me,
I know you’ll miss me too.
When tomorrow starts without me,
don’t think we’re far apart.
for everytime you think of me,
I’m right here in you heart.”
Our family is so blessed to have all the love, prayers and
support from all of our family and friends during this
difficult time. For your wonderful stories that brought
us many smiles, laughs, and comfort. Thank you all for
the beautiful gift of friendship you had for “Speedy”!
Love
The Moraga Family
VCS1363052
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After being in the industry
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The Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District
board this week authorized an application for
a federal grant to help
purchase Alamos Canyon, a wildlife corridor
between Simi Valley
and Moorpark, for use
as open space.
The district will apply
for up to $1.5 million from
the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which is
administered through the
state Office of Grants and
Local Services. The district previously has applied for a $1 million grant
from the state Environmental Enhancement and
Mitigation Program.
Its partner in the possible purchase of the canyon
from Waste Management
Inc., the nonprofit Nature
Conservancy, has already
secured a $500,000 grant
from the Santa Monica
Mountains Conservancy.
Even if the district is
awarded the two grants
and adds them to the Nature Conservancy’s grant,
the $3 million total would
be less than half of the
$7.9 million Waste
Management wants for
the canyon, said Robin
Walker, the district’s senior management analyst.
and said no such meeting
had taken place in years.
T he cou nci l a nd
school district meeting
will begin at 6:30 p.m.
Monday at the Santa
Paula Community Center, 530 West Main St.
Items on the agenda include a discussion on
traffic and parking issues surrounding Santa
Paula Union High School
and an update on the East
Area One development.
Port of Hueneme talks
about the next 5 years
East county pet of the week
From staff reports
the city staff to negotiate additional terms of
the low-cost lease agreements with the nonprofits and return for
final approval.
Also at the meeting,
City Manager Jaime
Fontes announced a
planned joint meeting
between the council and
the Santa Paula Unified
School District governing board. He called the
meeting “monumental”
1851 Holser Walk,
Suite 205, Oxnard
License #658548
805.983.1735
Hours M-F 10am-5pm
805-658-2866
Next to Vic’s Plumbing Supply
VCS1360400
4B » Saturday, January 24, 2015 »
T H E S TA R
religion
Decision to canonize Junipero Serra draws divided reaction
By Joe Mozingo, Matt
Hamilton and Jeff Gottlieb
Los Angeles Times (TNS)
LOS ANGELES — He wandered beyond the edge of
Christendom into a rugged
land of “infidels” he sought
to convert.
When the Rev. Junipero
Serra and his cavalcade
arrived at la bahia de San
Diego in 1769, between
225,000 and 310,000 natives
inhabited the territory that
would become the state of
California. The string of
missions he and his Franciscan order established would
become an origin story for
the state, a folkloric tale of
vineyards and benevolent
friars, taught to students
from Modoc to San Ysidro.
Reality was much harsher. The Spanish flogged
natives who disobeyed,
banned their beliefs and
customs, captured those
who tried to escape. In
the end, they converted
less than a quarter of the
SATURDAY, JAN. 24, 2015
population, while their livestock and disease destroyed
native food supplies and
decimated villages.
Serra has been hailed
and pilloried as the Columbus of California, an intrepid explorer who opened a
bountiful new land to Europeans at the expense of the
people already there.
Thus it was inevitable
that people would be
sharply divided over Pope
Francis’ announcement this
week that Serra would be
made a saint. It’s a debate,
said Thomas P. Rausch, professor of theological studies at Loyola Marymount
University, that evaluates
“an 18th-century Catholic
missionary by 21st-century
standards of cultural diversity, religious pluralism and
personal autonomy.”
“There’s an enormous
bias against Father Serra
that may reflect some of the
secular notions that are so
prevalent today,” he said.
“The question we should
ask is this: Was the message of the Gospel worth
hearing in the first place?”
Some say there is nothing wrong with highlighting the dark side of Serra’s
legacy.
“During the Spanish colonial and the Mexican period we lost 90 percent of
the Indians in California,”
said Ron Andrade, director of Los Angeles City/
County Native American
Indian Commission. “Serra was no saint to us.”
Others such as Ruben
Mendoza, coordinator
of California mission archaeology at California
State University, Monterey
Bay, say the canonization
is long overdue.
“I’ve always felt the
canonization process was
stymied through misinformation and politicization,
and laying blame and onus
on one individual who was
actually in constant conflict with governors and
military commanders in
<$46:6.0%6<$&7.</
New Spain over how they
were treating Indians,”
Mendoza said.
He and others said Serra
fought efforts to enslave
the Indians. And whippings were not limited
to natives, but a common
method of discipline in the
Spanish empire.
“On occasion,” Mendoza
said, “I’ve met with American Indian groups who tell
their students — 50 to 60
at a time — how the California missionaries raped,
plundered and murdered
Native American civilization. But I go through Serra’s own documents and I
don’t see any of that.”
When the Kumeyaay
sacked the San Diego Mission in 1775 — killing three
Spaniards — the viceroy
captured about a dozen Indians and called for their
execution, said Gregory Orfalea,whowroteabiography
of Serra. But Serra called for
the prisoners’ release and
pleaded their case to the
viceroy in a letter: “As to the
killer, let him live so that he
can be saved, for that is the
purpose of our coming here
and its sole justification.”
In so doing, Orfalea
said, Serra modeled his life
on the gospel of love — not
a desire for land or gold.
And in this way, he was
different from Columbus,
who enslaved and tortured
Caribbean natives in his
quest for precious metals.
Orfalea said Pope Francis’ decision was no surprise. A Jesuit who took
the name after the saint
and founder of the Franciscan order, Francis does
not believe in Catholicism
confined to the ivory tower.
Serra was a kindred spirit
who abandoned a high-profile academic post to take
on the dangerous, austere
life of a missionary.
Serra established nine
missions between San Diego and San Francisco and
baptized 6,000 Indians.
He viewed the indigenous
tribes as heathens who desperately needed the Gospel. They did not practice
agriculture, produce pottery or metallurgy, or build
substantial structures. But
they had a complex way
of living off the land, migrating from the coast to
the foothills every year to
follow the food supply and
weaving elaborate baskets
to store and carry their
goods. They manipulated
the chaparral with fire to
produce more food to pick
and animals to hunt.
Cattle ranching and
sheep grazing led to the
collapse of their traditional
economy, aided by a later
law banning the Indians
from burning the landscape. Those who converted were forced to drop their
old ways and eat, dress and
act like the Europeans.
When Serra died near
Monterey in 1784, the mission system was still in its
infancy. Ultimately, the
system grew to 21 missions.
F1
*. (%1$<76;$ /.3< 46;760: &(44 ,#-"+ !598---- .< $2(64 <$46:6.0'1&;7(<)&.2)
Agoura
Gateway Church
Sundays 8:30 & 10:00 a.m.
Ministry for the Entire Family
Moorpark
Faith Lutheran
Church (LCMS)
Simi Valley
BEIT HA TIKVAH
Messianic
Congregation
Thousand Oaks
Holy Trinity ELCA
Pastor Bob Hiller
“The Day God Changed His
Mind” Jonah 3:1-5,10
Sun. 8a Traditional Service
9:15a Bible Study and
Sunday School
10:15a Contemporary Service
www.faithmoorpark.com
123 Park Lane, Moorpark
Learn about the Jewish Jesus
Worship and Celebrate the
Feast Days with us.
Sabbath Services
Saturday 10:00 AM
Dr. Antoine Puller - Rabbi
1492 Sinaloa Rd. Simi Valley
Sunday Worship
8:15 & 11:00 Traditional
9:45 Informal
9:30 Sunday School
Nursery Care Provided
Senior Pastor: Erik Goehner
Assoc Pastor: Janet Hansted
1 W. Avenida de los Arboles
www.htlcto.org
for info or directions call
805-297-8223
805-492-1234
New Hope Lutheran
Church
Life Spring
Community Church
Congregation
B’nai Emet
St. Patrick’s
Episcopal Church
Pastor Craig Beeker
“A Dream and a Call”
8:30am & 11am
Sunday School for ages
www.NewHopeAgoura.com
29295 Agoura Rd,
Agoura Hills, Ca 91301
Sundays 9:00 & 10:30am
Children and Youth Groups
Pastor: Tony Amantangelo
www.lscc.us
5384 Kazuko Court
Moorpark, CA 93021
Pastor Brian Campbell
“Real People Doing Life
Together”
www.gateway4.org
29646 Agoura Road,
Agoura Hills
818-889-4147
818-889-8700
The Church of the
Epiphany (Episcopal)
8:00am Holy Communion
10am Choral Eucharist
w/Children’s program 9:45am
Rev.Melissa McCarthy Vicar
www.tcote.org
5450 Churchwood Dr.
Oak Park
(818)991-4797
Camarillo
Camarillo Church
of Christ
Sunday Class: 9:30a-10:15a
Worship: 10:30a-Noon
Child care available!
camarillochurchofchrist.com
(Temple Ave. & Lewis Rd.)
515 Temple Ave, Cam, 93010
805-482-3505
Center for
Spiritual Living
Pleasant Valley
Honoring All Paths of God.
Rev. Pam Geagan
Celebration/Jr. Church 10-11a
Pre-Service Meditation 9:30a
Talk: Pam Geagan
Music: Andrew Pettit
www.csl-pleasantvalley.org
221 Daily Drive, Suite 1
805-482-4300
FIRST CHURCH OF
CHRIST, SCIENTIST
CAMARILLO
Sunday Service 10am
Sunday School 10am
Testimony Meeting
Wednesday 7:30pm
Reading Room Call for Hours
www.prayerthatheals.org
380 Mission Dr.
805-482-4502
Good Shepherd
Lutheran (AFLC)
Sunday Worship Gatherings
8:30am Foundations Service
11am Fresh Start Service
Listen to “Soul Break”, M-F,
12:30 & 10:30p on KDAR 98.3
James L. Johnson, Sr. Pastor
goodshepherd-church.net
380 Arneill Rd., Camarillo
805-384-9243
Peace Lutheran
Church (LCMS)
8a & 11a Traditional Services
9:30a Contemporary Service
9:30a Bible Classes(3yr-adult)
Nursery Care
7p Thursday Lifetree Cafe
Rob Rebensal Pastor
www.peacecamarillo.com
71 Loma Dr., Camarillo
805-482-3313
805-532-1049
805-523-0050
Newbury Park
Monte Vista
Presbyterian Church
8:30am Traditional Service
10:30am Contemporary
Service
both with Nursery and
Sunday School.
3797 W. Lynn Road, NP
www.montevistapc.org
805-498-8213
Heritage Square Chapel
A Non Denominational
Christian Church
Sunday School 8:15 am
Worship Services 9:30 am
Co Pastors
Ralph & Elaine James
731 South A Street
805-302-7986
Santa Paula
Our Lady of
Guadalupe
Catholic Church
MISAS/MASSES:
Domingo(s)/Sunday
8a, 11:30a, 1p & 6p Misa
10am Mass (English)
Father Charles Lueras, CRIC
www.olgsp.org
427 N. Oak St., Santa Paula
805-525-3716
Universalist
Unitarian Church
First Lutheran
Church (LCMS)
78 Chrisman Ave.
9 West Bonita
1 Church Rd, Thousand Oaks
Between Main St &
Thompson Blvd.
805-581-3723
First Church of
Christ Scientist
805-495-6441
Temple Adat Elohim
We Welcome
Spiritual Healing based on the
teachings of Jesus.
www.prayerthatheals.org
Sunday Service & Sunday
School 10am
Wed. Testimony mtg 8pm
Reading room-Wed.
11-12:30pm Sat 11-1:30pm
1206 Erringer Road/ Arcane
Singles, seniors & families.
Coming up: Jan. 30-Shabbat
Shira 7:30p-9p Experience a
Shabbat filled with music and
spirit Plus, programs for kids,
Adult Ed, & Social Action
For more info:
www.adatelohim.org
2420 E. Hillcrest
St. Francis of Assisi
Episcopal Church
United Methodist
Church of
Thousand Oaks
805-526-6090
805-526-5141
Sunday Worship 9AM
Sunday School 9AM
Youth Group
Sunday Evening @ 6pm
Messy Church 1st Fri 5:30pm
(805) 526-6231
2394 Erringer Rd
simivalleyumc.org
Thousand Oaks
Ascension Lutheran
Church & School
Sun 8:a & 9:30 am Traditional
Sun 11:00a Contemporary
Sat 6:00p Country
“Go Fishing!”
By Pastor Steve Herder
Nursery Care Provided
www.alcto.org
1600 E. Hillcrest Dr
805-495-0406
805-497-7101
“Chasing Jesus: Following”
John 1:43-51
9a Modern; 11:00a Heritage
Pastor Steve Peralta
9:00a Servicio de Adoracion
Pastor Pablo Rovere
1000 East Janss Rd
805-495-7215
www.umcto.org
Ventura
Christ Church Vta
Presby. Church in America
196 N.Ashwood Ave
Sunday Worship at 4pm
“Recovering the Lost Dance”
(Various Scriptures)
Nursery Care provided.
Childs Bible Educ at 3pm
Women Study2&4Wed 6:30p
WCF Study - 1 & 3 Wed 6:30p
www.christchurchventura.org
805-452-3354
Christian Science
Church - Christ
Jesus’ teachings
come alive!!
Church Service & fun youth
classes Sun. 10. Mid-week
Service Wed. 7. Reading
Room hrs. M, T, Th, F 11:30-2
Victoria Ave. at Foothill Rd.
www.PrayerThatHeals.org
805-642-4891
Emmanuel Church
College United
Methodist Church
Full Nursery and
Children’s Ministries
Sunday Worship Service
at 10:00am
“My Rock and My Salvation”
Psalms 62:5-12
Two 10AM Services
Traditional & Celebrate
www.epconling.org
588 Camino Manzanas
Thousand Oaks
805-498-4502
First Church of
Christ, Scientist, T.O.
Liberal Religion
Nurture Your Spirit
Heal Our World
Sunday Service 10am.
Wednesday Testimony Mtg
7:30. 305 Conejo School Rd
www.prayerthatheals.org
www.uucsp.org
740 E Main St, Santa Paula
Reading Room, Mon-Fri 10-4,
Thurs til 8, Sat & Sun 1-4
2900 Townsgate Bl #114,
Westlake Vlg/Thousand Oaks
805-525-4647
805-651-0361
www.stpatschurch.org
The United Methodist
Church of Simi Valley
Overcomers
Community Outreach
Ministries
4601 Telephone Rd, Ste #113
Ventura, CA 93003
Worship Service 11 am
Bible Study 10am
Children’s Sunday School
During Worship
All Saints/Todos los
Santos Episcopal
Church
805-483-2347
Sunday Celebration at noon
www.emergingspirits.org
or visit us on Facebook
Sunday 8:00AM & 10:15am
Childcare & Sunday
School 10:15am
Oxnard
“A Welcoming Congregation!”
Join us for Services
Sun. English @ 9:15a
Spanish @ 11:15a
Wed. Eucharist 5:00p
Community Yoga 6:10p
www.allsantos.org
144 South C St., Oxnard
Emerging Spirits
Center A New
Thought Church
Religious School, Preschool,
Adult Education,
Sisterhood, Men’s Club.
Weekly Shabbat Svcs 8PM
Family Svc 1st Fri of mo 7PM
congregationbnaiemet.org
Sunday 8a Spoken Eucharist
10:15a Eucharist with music,
childcare & Sunday School.
Fourth Sunday of the month
a Contemporary Service
at 5p on the patio.
Wed @ 10a - Healing Service
stfrancischurchofsimi.org
280 Royal Ave, Simi Valley
The one source for local news.
Ventura
805-495-8202
cumc-office@collegeumc.org
4300 Telegraph Rd., Ventura
805-642-3282
CONGREGATION
AM HAYAM
Join us Friday, Feb 6 at 7:30p
for unique mini-seder by
Rabbi J B Sacks for
Tu B’Shevat Saturday, Feb
7th Services 10a
www.amhayam.com
4839 Market St. (rear) VTA
805-644-2899
805-643-5586
First United
Methodist Church
of Ventura
Ventura
St. George’s
Anglican Church
6300 Telephone Rd. Ventura
1928 Book of Common Prayer
Communion 8:30a.m.
Morning Prayer 10:30a.m.
Childcare 10:30a.m.
st-georges-anglicanchurch.org
805-642-9697
Temple Beth Torah
A Reform
Congregation
Welcomes All
We have something for
everyone: Shabbat Services,
Brotherhood, Sisterhood,
Havurah Groups, Adult
Learning, Torah School, etc.
www.TempleBethTorah.com
7620 Foothill Rd, Vta 93004
805-647-4181
Trinity Lutheran
Church (ELCA)
fumcventura.org
1338 E. Santa Clara St.
Sunday Worship Services:
Contemporary @ 9:00am
Traditional @ 11:00am
Children’s Sunday School
Preschool 805-644-7099
Pastor Dave Hall
Pastor Erin Martinson
tlcventura.org
196 N. Ashwood Ave, Ventura
Grace Lutheran
Church (LCMS)
Unitarian Universalist
Church of Ventura
SUNDAY WORSHIP
9 a.m. and 11 a.m.
The Open Door fellowship
805-643-8621
Service 9a
Sunday School 10:45am
Commonplaces (“A dynamic
discussion of the Word)
& Kids Journey
every Wed. 6:30pm
Rev. Paul Koch
www.glcvta.com
6190 Telephone Rd, Ventura
805-644-7474
A Religion Beyond Beliefs
Nurture Your Spirit.
Help Heal Our World.
Sunday Worship 10 a.m.
www.uuventura.org
5654 Ralston St., Ventura
805-642-2267
805-644-3898
Jubilee Senior
Adult Ministries
Ventura Baptist
Church
Ages 50+Meet At Ventura
Baptist Church every Sunday
at 10:20am. Traditional hymns
Bible teaching with
Dr. Leonard DeWitt. Monthly
fun activities. Warm and
caring fellowship
5415 Ralston St., Ventura
805-644-7191
Sunday
9am: Choir, Hymns/Choruses
10:30am:Praise Band,Casual
Opportunities for all ages
5415 Ralston St., Ventura
805-644-7191
venturabaptist.org
venturabaptist.org
Our Lady
of the Assumption
Catholic Parish
Ventura Center for
Spiritual Living
Daily: 6:30am & 8am
Saturday: 8am & 5:15pm
Sunday: 8am, 9:30am, 11am
12:30pm (Spanish); 5:15pm
Welcome Home!
www.olaventura.com
3175 Telegraph Rd.
805-642-7966
Roman Catholic
WomenPriests
Seeking an Antidote to
Spiritual Alzheimers?
Come Join us in Prayer,
Study, Discernment
Deacon Cindy RCWP
DeaconCynthia@aol.com
805-366-0363
San Buenaventura
Mission
Serving the Roman Catholic
Community since 1782
Daily Mass: 7:30am
Sat.5:30pm&730pm (Spanish)
Sunday 7:30am, 9:00am
10:30am Spanish & 12:15pm
A Welcoming Community
211 E. Main Street, Ventura
sanbuenaventuramission.org
805-643-4318
The one source for local news.
Sunday 10am
Rev. Bonnie Rose
A fun place for serious
spiritual growth.
101 South Laurel St.
www.venturacsl.org
805-643-1933
Westlake
United Methodist
Church of
Westlake Village
Sun 8am, 9am & 10:30am
Sun School 9am + childcare
Evening Youth Programs.
Vocal & Handbell choirs.
Dr. Gary A. Dickey, Sr Pastor
Rev. Brian Long,Assoc Pastor
www.umcwv.org
1049 South Westlake Blvd.
805-497-7884
T H E S TA R
« Saturday, January 24, 2015 « 5B
religion
Bill
tinSley
COLUMNIST
What are you
waiting for?
When I married my wife we
repeated the customary wedding vows promising to cherish one another “in sickness
and in health, in poverty and in
wealth.” Perhaps we should have
added an additional line. Something like. “I promise to wait for
you.” Since we married we have
waited for each other. We have
waited at airports, train stations
and bus stops. I have waited on
her to put on last minute makeup and she has waited on me to
put down my book or close my
computer. When she gave birth
to our children, I waited. When
I had a motorcycle accident,
she waited. In too many ways
to enumerate or remember, we
have waited on each other. If we
added it all up it would be a huge
chunk of our lives. And now, it
makes me happy. She is worth
waiting for.
When we had children, we
waited. We waited for their
birth. We waited for them when
they got out of school. We waited late at night in dark parking
lots for their buses to return. We
waited for them in the car, the
motor running, the clock ticking, knowing we were late to
church. We stayed up waiting
for them to come home from
their first dates. And we waited
for them to come home from
college.
Waiting is a part of life. We
choose to wait for those we love.
That is why God waits for us,
because He loves us. Isaiah says,
“Therefore the Lord longs to be
gracious to you, and therefore
He waits on high to have compassion on you for the Lord is
a God of justice; How blessed
are all those who long for Him.
(Isa 34:18). In Jeremiah, God
says, “Before I formed you in
the womb, I knew you.” (Jer.
1:5). God has waited an eternity
for you.
We often miss God because
we haven’t learned to wait on
Him. We blast through busy
schedules making quick decisions without taking time to
connect with God’s better plan
for us. The Psalmist said, “My
soul waits in silence for God
only. From Him is my salvation.”
(Ps. 62:1) “I waited patiently for
the Lord; and He inclined to me
and heard my cry.” (Ps. 40:1) The
prophet Micah said, “But as for
me, I will watch expectantly for
the Lord. I will wait for the God
of my salvation.” (Micah 7:7)
Waiting on God involves
prayer and finding time to be
quiet before Him. Sometimes
it includes fasting. But waiting
isn’t always about sitting still
with our arms folded.
Jesus said, “Seek and you
shall find. Knock and it shall be
opened.” The secret is to remain
open to God’s direction and to
listen to His voice while we constantly seek and knock. David
wrote, “I would have despaired
unless I had believed that I
would see the goodness of the
Lord in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord; be strong, and
let your heart take courage; yes,
wait for the Lord.”
Bill Tinsley is former associate executive for the Baptist General convention
of Texas. email him at bill@tinsleycenter.com.
JONATHAN MADAJIAN/SpecIAl TO THe STAr
Members of the crew shoot scenes from the movie “redemption of the Heart” at calvary chapel in Oxnard. Members are (left to right) Tim larson, crister De leon, Isaac Meeks, Sandon Yahn and Daniel Willyerd
‘Redemption of the Heart’
■ Movie filmed in Ventura, Oxnard to be shown at local theater
This film has been a
labor of love for the
past four years. Isaac and I
wrote the script. We saved
a lot of money by editing
the film ourselves. It’s
been a lot of work and a
lot of sacrifices, but we are
so excited to finally see it
come to fruition.”
By Renee Thompson
Special to The Star
Sandon Yahn is hoping to pack audiences
for a showing of his first full-length feature
film.
“Redemption of the Heart” will be shown
at the Regency Buenaventura Theatre in
Ventura on Sunday and Feb. 8 at 7 p.m.
The movie’s plot is around Alex Montoya,
played by Crister De Leon, a man who falls
away from his Christian faith. He finds himself caught up in illegal activities due to the
influence of his best friend Daniel, played
by David Morales. The FBI finds Alex as he
is faced with the decision to either pay back
hundreds of thousands of dollars he embezzled or go to prison. Jacob, played by Joe
Lambert, is a Christian who comes into Alex’s
life to help him make the right decision and
reconnect with his Christian roots and heal
past relationships that Alex destroyed.
Yahn and Isaac Meeks, founders of Road
Less Traveled Pictures, coproduced “Redemption of the Heart.”
“This film has been a labor of love for the
past four years. Isaac and I wrote the script.
We saved a lot of money by editing the film
ourselves. It’s been a lot of work and a lot of
sacrifices, but we are so excited to finally see
it come to fruition,” Yahn said.
Meeks said they almost got into a violent
altercation with some gang members while
filming a scene in Oxnard.
“We had rounded up some ex-gang members from Calvary Chapel Oxnard. The gang
that occupied the particular area that we happened to be filming in saw us as a threat and
pulled out their guns and they were ready
to fire. Our actors in our scene had me run
out with my camera to prove that we were
making a movie to keep them from shooting
at us. That was a scary moment,” Meeks said.
The film was shot in Ventura, Oxnard,
Santa Barbara and areas of the Santa Ynez
Valley.
Yahn, 44, was born in New Mexico and
grew up in Colorado. He has lived in Oxnard
since 2001. He said that he started writing
short stories and then making home movies.
“I realized I could make my own movies,”
he said.
Meeks, 37, became interested in making
movies in high school.
“Ever since the first moment that I picked
Sandon Yahn, founder of Road Less Traveled Pictures
MArK BerlIN/Be DeSIGN/SpecIAl TO THe STAr
The cover for the movie “redemption of the
Heart.”
up a camera in my high school video production class, I have been hooked on making
movies and videos,” Meeks said.
Meeks is a graduate of the Brooks Institute
of Photography with a bachelor’s degree in
film and video production.
Meeks said they started production in
2011.
“Isaac wrote the first draft of the script
and then I wrote the second draft and we
went back and forth until we wrote a complete script,” Yahn said.
Yahn is employed by Calvary Chapel of
Oxnard. He said he is grateful for the congregation’s much needed help.
Pastor Lance Ralston said Calvary Chapel
was not officially involved as producers of
“Redemption of the Heart.” However, many
people in the church were instrumental in
supporting the faith-based film financially
and by working on the film.
“There have been a number of faith-based
movies like “Facing the Giants” that were
supported by churches and those films have
done really well financially in theater and
DVD distribution. We were happy to be able
to help with this project. The movie is about
relationships based on trust and truth,”
Ralston explained.
Marisela Bellenbaum, a parishioner at
Calvary Oxnard, said she felt blessed to be
able to support the film financially.
“It was an interesting up close look at how
movies are actually made,” Bellenbaum said.
At the end of the movie there will be a
“call-to-action” that will challenge to reach
out to people who need help or a second
chance whether they deserve it or not.
“We are calling the screenings, ‘The Love
Your Neighbor Movie Event.’ Isaac and I decided to treat the theater release of our film
like an event since we are only doing one-night
screenings. We feel the message of the film is a
very important one for this day and age and we
felt that having a call-to-action at the end was
appropriate. We hope it will encourage people
to realize the power they have to help others
and quite possibly change lives,” Yahn said.
Christianmovies.com will be distributing
the DVD for “Redemption of the Heart” for
domestic release. Approximately 5,000 units
will be distributed and sold at Family Christian stores and other vendors nationwide.
The 96-minute feature film might be
headed for distribution to Brazil, Australia
and South Africa.
The Regency Buenaventura Theatre is at
1440 Eastman Ave. in Ventura. Tickets are
$7 in advance and $9 at the theater. Tickets
can be purchased at redemptionoftheheartthemovie.com.
local religion briefs
AG O U R A H I L L S
Rabbi will share his
art and message
Contemporary Jewish
Artist Rabbi Yitzchok
Moully will share his artwork and message at the
Conejo Jewish Academy
on Feb. 2 at 7:30 p.m.
Moully uses his art to
create a dialogue about
the place of creativity in
Jewish life and the joy and
vibrancy in the Chassidic
Jewish community. In addition, Moully will talk
about his journey, the evolution of his art, and “what
is a good Jewish Rabbi doing painting?”
Raised by former hippies, Moully experienced
a different upbringing than
most religious Jews today.
His family journeyed
from an alternative life in
the Australian outback to
“organized Judaism” by
way of New York and the
Chabad movement.
A graduate of the
Rabbinical College of Australia and New Zealand,
Moully is a self-taught artist. His work is inspired by
the Pop Art movement and
reflects its energy in a Jewish form.
Originals, enhanced
giclees, and limited edition prints will be available for sale following
the formal presentation.
Wine and cheese will be
served. The event is open
to all at 30345 Canwood
St. There is no admission fee but reservations
are requested and can be
made at 818-991-0991 or
http://www.JewishAcademy.com.
Genesis set to be
focus of workshops
The Conejo Jewish
Academy will offer courses and workshops in the
Lost Hill/Liberty Canyon
area serving the greater
Las Virgenes Jewish community.
The winter course will
focus on the biblical Book
of Genesis and is titled
“A Light in the Darkness
— The Lives of Abel and
Noah.” Sessions will take
place on three consecutive Thursdays, Feb. 5, 12,
and 19, at 8 p.m. It will be
instructed by Rabbi Leibel
Kahanov.
On Feb. 18, a workshop
for women, “Purim Unmasked,” will be held.
Participants will design
and decorate their own
ceramic masks (used on
the Jewish holiday of Purim), taste Hamantashen
(Purim pastries) and explore the story of Purim.
The workshop, instructed by Chana Stery Kahanov, will begin at 7:30
p.m.
To register for the
course and/or workshop,
call 818-991-0991 or visit
http://www.JewishAcademy.com. Locations and
directions will be provided upon registration.
There is no fee for either
program and no affiliation
necessary.
T receive information
about upcoming educational and holiday programs in this region, email
rabbi@chabadlosthills.
com.
VENTURA
Seder will highlight
Bible’s sevenspecies
Congregation Am HaYam will host a Tu B’Shevat
mini-Seder Feb. 6 at 7:30
p.m. This new Seder was
written by Rabbi J.B.
Sacks, Am HaYam’s spiritual leader. The theme of
the Seder is the seven species that characterize the
land of Israel, as enumerated in Deuteronomy 8:8
— wheat, barley, grapes,
figs, pomegranates, olives
and dates.
The Seder, open to the
public, will be held at the
synagogue, 4839 Market
St. Free admission; ample
parking in rear. For more
details, call 644-2899.
W E S T L A K E V I L L AG E
Goat ‘plop’ will aid
temple’s efforts
Temple Ner Simcha of
Westlake will hold a “goat
plop” fundraiser Sunday
at 11 a.m. at Triunfo Community Park, 980 Aranoor
Ave. This is the first time
the outreach-oriented congregation will hold this
type of fundraiser.
Participants “buy” a spot
on a bingo board that will
be placed on a soccer field
at the park. A goat will be
let loose and if it “plops”
on a donor’s square, the
buyer of that square will
win a prize. Prizes include
wine/liquor, dinner for two
at Mastro’s Restaurant, or
two nights at The Venetian,
The Wynn, or The Aria hotels in Las Vegas (depending on dates selected).
Boxes are $20 each, six
for $100, 10 for $180 or 25 for
$360. Winners do not have
to be present to win and
must be 21 or older to win alcohol prizes. Purchase tickets or get details at http://
www.PlopForCharity.com.
“Family Matters:
Family”
January 25
Pastor Graham Baird Preaching
Mission Kids Church during service
Sunday Service
at 9:30am
Edwards Theater
680 Ventura Blvd., Camarillo
VCS1363003
www.missionstreetchurch.com
6B » Saturday, January 24, 2015 »
local
T H E S TA R
Obituaries
community
briefs
CAMARILLO
YMCA group plans
pancake breakfast
The Camarillo YMCA
Adventure Guides and
Princesses will host their
47th annual pancake
breakfast from 7 a.m.
to noon Saturday at the
Camarillo Community
Center, 1605 E. Burnley St.
Tickets are $5 per person or $15 per family for
up to five people. Call 4840423 for more information.
MALIBU
Poets welcome
to read to audience
Bank of Books Malibu
will host its first poetry night of the year at
6 p.m. Friday at 29169
Heathercliff Road.
Local poets are invited to read their original
works or favorite poems
by other writers.
Call 310-457-5699 for
more information.
OX N A R D
Public can eat meals
at Elks Lodge 1443
Oxnard Elks Lodge 1443
offers meal nights twice
a week that are open to
the public.
Each Wednesday starting at 6 p.m., guests can
enjoy a hamburger or
chicken burger with fries,
onion rings, salad and a
drink for $6.
Guests on Fridays can
enjoy fish and chips, salad
and a drink for $9.
The lodge also has a
c o ok-you r- ow n - ste a k
night on the last Monday
of each month. It includes
salad, fries and a drink.
Call Pauline at 818-6122241 for more information.
Employer council
to host luncheon
The Western Ventura
County Employer Advisory Council will have its
monthly luncheon Feb. 11 at
the Courtyard by Marriott,
600 Esplanade Drive.
Registration and networking will begin at 11:30
a.m. Lonnie Giamela will
speak at noon.
Lunch costs $25, with
the cost increasing to $35
after Feb. 6. Visit http://
wvceac.net/regform.php
to RSVP.
Oxnard
Ruth M. Sparks
Ruth M. Sparks, a long-time
resident of Oxnard, passed away
peacefully, Monday, January 12,
2015 with her companion, Ray
Capolla by her side.
Ruth was born October 7th,
1920 in Los Angeles. Jobs and
circumstances led her to many
other parts of the West Coast
and the Midwest.
In 1970 Ruth and her husband, Charles (Chuck) Sparks,
settled in Oxnard. Ruth worked
for some years as a realtor in the
Oxnard area as well as working
with the City Council’s General
Plan Advisory Committee.
After Chuck opened the ATech Concrete & Testing Lab,
Ruth worked with him as secretary/bookkeeper for the business..
With Chuck’s encouragement, Ruth studied for the state
exam for concrete inspectors.
She obtained her certification
and became one of the first, if
not the first, woman to become a
Certified Special Inspector in
Ventura County.
Ruth was an active member
of the American Legion Auxiliary, Post 48, Ladies of the Elks,
Elks Lodge # 1443, and a volunteer at the California Welcome
Center.
Ruth was preceded in death
by her husband (Chuck), son
(Sherman Faber) and sister Barbara Theiss.
Ruth is survived by her
daughter Ruth Powers, sons Leland Faber, Jimmy Philbrick,
and numerous grandchildren.
A Memorial Service will be
held at 11:00 am on Saturday,
January 31, 2015 at the Oxnard
Elks Lodge, 801 South A Street,
Oxnard, CA 93030
Phone: (805) 483-5713
In lieu of flowers, memorial
donations may be made to the
Salvation Army or the Oxnard
Boys and Girls Club.
Please sign the guest book at
obits.vcstar.com.
ma Society of Mayflower Descendants, and she was an active
member of the Stonington CT
Historical Society.
Sarah had the wonderful gift
of making each person she met
feel special and valued. Helping
others, and making a difference
in peoples’ lives, was important
to Sarah. Many of her efforts
were focused on children and
youth. She was the President of
the citywide Parent-Teachers
Association in Muskogee; her
service as American Field Service regional coordinator for
high school foreign exchange
students led to wonderful friendships with former foreign exchange students over many
years. While in Seattle, she led
the Presbyterian Women of the
Synod of Alaska-Northwest.
Since living in Santa Barbara,
she was a member of the Santa
Barbara chapter of the PEO, and
served as a docent at the Santa
Barbara Museum of Natural History.
Sarah traveled around the
world visiting family and
friends. One of her greatest joys
was meeting and talking with
people and establishing new
friendships and cherishing each
one. She particularly enjoyed
maintaining the friendships with
family and friends overseas including several former foreign
exchange students and lifelong
pen pals.
Sarah is survived by her loving husband of 57 years, George
H. Gilmour; their two children
and spouses, Andrew Gilmour
and Chris Cozadd, and Maureen
Gilmour Cook and Jim Cook;
and grandchildren, Carl, Jimmy,
his wife, Melissa, and Erin Cook,
and Jonathan and Timothy Gilmour. She is also survived by
her sister, Mary Leavens Schwabauer, and brother, Paul Leavens; her sister-in-law, Helen Van
Cleve, brother-in-law and sisterin-law, Matthew and Sharon Gilmour; and many cousins, nieces,
nephews, and their children.
She was predeceased by her sister, Dr. Dorothy Leavens Carlson.
A celebration of Sarah’s life
will be held at First Presbyterian
Church, Santa Barbara, California, on January 31, 2015, at 3
p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests making memorial donations to Santa Barbara Symphony, 1330 State Street, Suite
102, Santa Barbara, CA 93101;
The Foundation of the Presbyterian Church (USA), the
George H. and Sarah L. Gilmour
Fund (Account Number
1020202006), 200 E. Twelfth
St., Jeffersonville, IN 47130 (income supports mission projects); or American Field Service
(AFS)-USA Student Exchange
Program, National Development
Office, 120 Wall Street, 4th
Floor, New York, NY 10005.
Please sign the guest book at
obits.vcstar.com.
T H O U S A N D OA K S
Elite pianist to play
at free concert
Sean Chen, Crystal
Award winner in the 2013
international Van Cliburn
Piano Competition, will
give a free concert at 4
p.m. Sunday at Ascension
Lutheran Church, 1600 E.
Hillcrest Drive.
Call 495-0406 for more
information.
Actor/writer to bring
Fitzgerald to life
Actor and writer Larry
Vanderveen will bring F.
Scott Fitzgerald to life in a
one-man show from 2-3:30
p.m. Sunday at the Grant
R. Brimhall Library, 1401
E. Janss Road
Call 449-2660 for more
information.
V E N T U R A CO U N T Y
Free sterilization
offered for pit bulls
The Humane Society of
Ventura County will offer
free spay or neutering to
pit bull terriers and pit bull
mixes for a limited time.
Reservations are required. Visit http://www.
hsvc.org or call 656-5043
for more information.
Staff reports
Pet?
BUY IT.
SELL IT.
FIND IT.
vcstar.com/ads
800-221-STAR (7827)
Santa Barbara
Sarah “Tita” Phelps
Leavens Gilmour
Sarah Phelps Leavens Gilmour was born November 5,
1931, in Oxnard, California to
Paul and Anne Oberhelman
Leavens, and died on January 6,
2015, in Santa Barbara. Sarah
grew up in Santa Paula except
for a few years during the early
part of World War II when she
and her family lived in Florida.
Sarah graduated from Wheaton
College in Illinois. She studied
at Princeton Seminary where
she met George Gilmour. After
their marriage in Santa Paula in
1957, they served several
churches: Winter Memorial
Presbyterian Church, Casper,
Wyoming, where their two children, Andrew and Maureen,
were born; Bethany Presbyterian
Church, Muskogee, Oklahoma;
Central Presbyterian Church,
Fort Smith, Arkansas; and Lake
Burien Presbyterian Church,
Burien, Washington.
Warm, gentle, with lively curiosity and a quick sense of humor, beloved by family and
friends, Sarah was a lifelong
Presbyterian, a loyal friend, a
supporter of equality and tolerance, a storyteller, a teacher, a
faithful correspondent. She had
a deep appreciation for music,
and read widely and delighted in
sharing items of interest with
family and friends. She loved
gardening, especially roses, orchids, rhododendrons, and azaleas. When she retired to California where her family roots are
she took great pleasure in the
bountiful flowers, and fruit from
the Leavens family ranch, which
she enjoyed sharing with others.
Genealogy was a special interest, researching family history from original letters, papers,
stories and oral histories. Sarah
felt strongly about sharing family lore and history to help
younger family members know
more about their ancestors and
family background, and told
family stories that helped pass
on the values of earlier generations. She served for several
years as secretary of the Oklaho-
Simi Valley
Jack White
Jack White, known to some
as “Jackie,” passed away on
January 20th, at the age of 85.
He was a native of Kimberly,
Idaho. He graduated from Kimberly High School in 1947 and
resided in the area until 1952.
At that time he heard of some
work in a town called Bakersfield, California. He was a
roughneck for one season and
then returned to Idaho in 1953.
This is when he met the love of
his life, Helen Kearley. They
married in 1955 and spent the
next 59 years together on the
journey of life. They moved from
Idaho to Seattle, WA in 1957 so
Jack could work for Boeing. In
1964 they moved their family to
Simi Valley, CA and that is
where he spent the rest of his
life.
His life’s passion, once married, was his wife and his children. He was a committed and
loving husband and father.
Along with that, he served the
church and others less fortunate
until the day he died. When
they moved to Simi Valley he became a charter member of the
Knights of Columbus at St. Rose
of Lima Church. Jack and his
wife served as Eucharistic Ministers at St. Rose of Lima for 10
years. When St. Peter Claver
was started Jack was one of the
first Lectors and served the
church faithfully. He and his
wife were active members of a
group called Mission Circle that
served and supported a mission
in Equador. He was also an assistant leader in Boy Scouts,
camping with and serving the
boys for many years, Lemos, Reardon, Grayson and many more.
He had a passion for the outdoors and spent much time in
his life camping and fishing with
his family, children and grandchildren. He spent his retirement years traveling with his
wife in their Motorhome crossing the county 4 times. Jack was
an active member of many clubs
- Senior Club, FMCA, MidWeek
Wanderer’s, Roamin Catholics,
Elks Club and past Boots and
Slippers Square Dance Club.
Jack was one who was always up for a good laugh and
seeing the lighter side of most
situations. He was and is a
great example to his own children of what it means to dedicate his heart and time to God
and family.
Jack was preceded in death
by his parents Eugene and Daisy
White and sister, June Emerson.
He is survived by wife Helen;
son Tom White and Kelly; son
Jim White; daughter Angela Dixon and her husband Dale; daughter Karen Bredesen and her husband Jim; son Doug White and
his wife Jennifer; nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren; and his sister, Lois Grove.
Visitation for Jack will be
held Sunday, January 25, 2015
from 5-9pm with Recitation of
The Rosary beginning at 7pm located at Reardon Simi Valley Funeral Home Chapel, 2636 Sycamore Dr., Simi Valley. Mass of
Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:00 am, Monday, January 26, 2015, at St. Peter Claver
Catholic Church, 2380 Stow St,
Simi Valley. Burial will follow at
Assumption Catholic Cemetery,
1380 Fitzgerald Rd., Simi Valley.
Condolences may be left at
reardonsimivalley.com.
In lieu of flowers, memorial
contributions may be made to
Wounded Warriors, Special
Olympics or a charity of your
choice.
Please sign the guest book at
obits.vcstar.com.
through the Rubicon Theatre
Company.
Micheline is survived by her
daughter, Katherine Reid;
grandchildren, Alison Plante,
Matthew Reid and Cameron
Reid; great-grandchildren, Sophia Micheline Reid and Roland
Anthony Plante; and by her sister, Marie-Therese.
Micheline was preceded in
death by her husband, Albert
Matvei Sakharoff in 2009.
Following Micheline’s wishes, her ashes will be combined
with those of her husband’s, Albert, and scattered at sea in a
private ceremony.
Arrangements are under the
direction of the Ted Mayr Funeral Home, 3150 Loma Vista
Rd., Ventura. Condolences may
be left at TedMayrFuneral
Home.com.
Please sign the guest book at
obits.vcstar.com.
Naalehu, Hawaii
James K. Togami
Ventura
Micheline Sakharoff
Micheline Sakharoff (nee Villepelet), daughter of Georges
and Julliet was born in Paris on
June 7, 1923. She passed away
peacefully, at the age of 91, on
Friday, January 16, 2015, in the
home that she and her husband
designed and built for themselves in the Ventura Keys.
Three words that would most
characterize her life are: Love,
Art, and Education.
Micheline left her native
France, her parents and her sister Marie-Therese, at the tender
age of 22 to pursue a new life in
America with the love of her life,
Albert Sakharoff with whom she
was married 63 wonderful years.
Their meeting on a street corner
during the liberation of Paris
during WWII, and their subsequent romance by correspondence, was featured as a play at
the RubiconTheatre, “Lucky in
Love.”
They had one daughter,
Katherine. Once Katherine was
“on her way” in school, Micheline returned to finish the university education that had been
cut short by the war. She was
awarded several UCLA Fellowships and graduated Cum Laude
before she pursued her PhD in
French from UCLA in 1965. One
of her proudest moments was
when her Thesis, Le Héros, Sa
Liberté et son Efficacacité de
Garnier a Rotrou, published in
France by Nizet in 1967, was
highlighted and quoted at length
by an important literary critic,
Jacques Scherer.
She went on to teach at
Whittier College and California
State College Northridge (now
known as California State University, CSUN). She was loved
by her students and to this day
is visited and receives cards, letters and phone calls from them.
During her 25 year career at
CSUN, Micheline served as
Chair of the Foreign Languages
Department and Dean of Students. She continued to be committed to education throughout
her retirement and funded three
endowed scholarships at Ventura College, and supported the
Harmony Project which encourages music education through
the schools.
Retirement did not mean inactivity for Micheline. For example, she sailed with her husband
to Tahiti. Supporting the arts
and music in the Ventura Community was another of her interests. This interest became a passion after the loss of her husband. She served on several
boards including the Ventura
County Ballet Company, Rubicon Theatre Company, and Ventura Music Festival. Her philanthropy, generosity, and engagement in the cultural life of the
community were recognized by
the Philanthropist of the Year
Ventura County Award in 2009
and the City of Ventura 2009
Mayor’s Arts Award. In 2012,
she established a fund for an Annual Award for Women Artists
James K. Togami was born
on 24 December 1930 to Suye
and Tom Togami in Blanca,
Colorado and passed from this
life at 23:15, 18 January 2015 at
age of 84 years.
Jim served 4 years in the US
Air Force. He then attended
New Mexico State University
obtaining a bachelor of science
degree in mechanical
engineering. He worked for the
NMSU Physical Science
Laboratory monitoring the early
Naval position satellites at
various places around the globe.
One of his duty stations was in
Adelaide South Australia. While
on that duty, he met Elaine
Priest. Elaine and Jim eventually
married. They raised their
family in Camarillo, CA. Jim
retired from Point Mugu Naval
Base then continued in a career
of his passion as a farrier
becoming respected and loved
by the horse community of
Ventura County. Although Jim
was so committed to his work he
and Elaine also enjoyed camping
and fishing along with visits to
family in Australia and their
beloved Big Island of Hawaii.
They were able to realize their
dream and retire to the Island
were they celebrated their 50th
wedding anniversary on 16 July
2013 in Kona. Jim was such a
dedicated provider, kind and
loving husband and father.
Always a kind, helpful and
generous friend to many.
James is survived by his
loving wife, Elaine; daughter
Denise; son Shane and
granddaughter Aubrie; sister
Marie Nakayama; brothers Paul
and Joe Togami. Along
withmany nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by
parents Suye and Tom Togami;
brothers Henry, Arthur and
Donald Togami; sisters Susie
and Rose Tamura.
Elaine is holding a private
traditional Hawaiian service at
South Point, HI on Sunday
January 25th at 4:00 pm.
In lieu of flowers, Donations
can be made to Hospice of Hilo
1011 Waianuenue Avenue Hilo,
Hawaii 96720 (808)969-1733.
Please sign the guest book at
obits.vcstar.com.
Visalia
Mary Elizabeth Eckels
Lanning
Mary Elizabeth Eckels Lanning, born Oct. 23rd 1927
passed from this life on Jan.
19th 2015 at the age of 87.
Mary, the daughter of Allen
Martin Eckels & Georgia Margaret Almany Eckels, was born in
Tennessee. She lived there a few
years, later moving to Chicago,
IL and after another few years
moved to California, where she
lived until her death. Mary
graduated from San Fernando
High in 1945. She volunteered at
the local USO during World War
II. While visiting her sister Helen in North Dakota, she met
Milton (Mick) Lanning. They
married in February of 1946,
and moved back to California.
Mary worked in the newly
developing plastics technology,
later transferring to the aerospace industry where she per-
fected her skills in fiberglass fabrication at the Northrop- Grumman Corporation. She and her
husband, Mick, were part of the
NASA Gemini & Apollo programs as well as the Boeing 747
production team. In connection
with Northrop, she attended
UCLA where she obtained her
Industrial Arts Vocational
Teaching Credential. She began
the first ever Plastics Technology course in the Ventura Unified
School District; teaching eager
students at Buena High to make
their own surfboards or flare
their car fenders as part of a 3
year Northrop training program.
At the end of the program, she
returned to Northrop Ventura
until her retirement in 1985.
She moved to The Central
Valley, where she lived in
Springville, later moving to Porterville and finally to Exeter.
Mary was very active in the
Church of Christ while living in
the cities of San Fernando, Ventura and Springville, teaching
and assisting with Vacation
Bible School, while health permitted. Many Ventura parents
received clay handprints of their
children attending VBS as part
of her efforts. Her hobbies included ceramics and making porcelain dolls which she gave to
family and friends. In her later
years, having a lifelong love of
music, she enjoyed having fun
with Karaoke, at the encouragement of her Brother Kenny &
his wife, Gigi Eckels. She loved
traveling with her sister, Reba
Sepulveda along with her niece
Solyra Sepulveda, to visit her
niece, Aanda Slocum and other
family & friends across the
states. One of her greatest joys
was becoming a member of the
Daughters of the American
Revolution, tracing her family
heritage and compiling that information in books for other
family members.
Mary was preceded in death
by her husband, Milton Hamlin
Lanning and is survived by her
two Sons, Don Martin Lanning,
his wife Jana of Exeter and Curt
Lee Lanning, and his wife Ronda
of Bakersfield. Mary had eight
Grandchildren and 15 Great
Grandchildren.
A Memorial Service is being
planned at the West Visalia
Church of Christ on February
7th at 2 p.m.
The family has asked that in
lieu of flowers, donations be
made to the Wounded Warrior
Project. www.woundedwarriorproject.org
Please sign the guest book at
obits.vcstar.com.
Cascade, Montana
Dona Jane Kingsbury
Dona Jane Kingsbury was
born on February 2, 1942 in Los
Angeles, the third daughter of
Pearle and Robert Rinkleib. She
grew up in Burbank where she
was a tomboy and sustained
broken bones from falling out of
trees and roller skating accidents. She graduated from high
school in Ojai, and attended
classes at Ventura College. She
passed away unexpectedly at
home on January 6, 2015 in Cascade, Montana.
Her first marriage to Jim
Burke was annulled. She was
married to Brad Kingsbury and
they had two sons, Scott and
Rob, before they divorced.
She lived in Wolf Creek, and
Cascade, Montana, moving there
eleven years ago to live with her
son, Rob. Prior to that she lived,
at various times, in Ojai, Ventura and Santa Barbara where she
was employed as a bookkeeper
at Rain’s Department Store, at
Hellman Optical, and at Buena
Vista Care Center in Santa Barbara. She left behind a son, Rob,
of Cascade, sisters Kelda Rinkleib, of Berkeley, Joan McMullen
(Don) and Diana Becker
(Doug). She is also survived by
3 nieces and 5 nephews, and
their children. She was preceded
in death by her son Scott, and
her parents.
Dona was well-liked and had
many friends. She was cremated.
A private family memorial will
be held in the future.
“I am fully convinced that the
soul is indestructible, and that
its activity will continue through
eternity. It is like the sun, which,
to our eyes, seems to set in
night; but it has in reality only
gone to diffuse its light elsewhere”
- Johann Wolfgang von
Goethe
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T H E S TA R
OBITUARIES
From 6B
dren, Alan Opstedal, Nancy
Principato, Kevin Opstedal, Karen Berry, and Sandra Harris.
Throughout her life Maxine was
a vivacious woman, full of fun,
quick witted, and loving. She
will truly be missed, and always
remembered in our hearts with
love and admiration.
Please sign the guest book at
obits.vcstar.com.
Canton, Georgia
Kenneth Peschell
Camarillo
Gerald Lee “Jerry”
Knapp
Gerald Lee Knapp passed
away January 5th at the age of
79 at his home in Camarillo.
Jerry is survived by his loving
wife of 58 years, Beverly Knapp
of Camarillo, daughter Kim Lewis of Camarillo and granddaughter Hayley Lewis of Pasadena.
Jerry was a kind, loving, funny and caring guy who will be
missed greatly by family and
many dear friends.
Memorial services will be
held Saturday, January 31, 2015
@ 2:00 pm at Church of the
Foothills located at 6279 Foothill Road in Ventura, Ca.
Please sign the guest book at
obits.vcstar.com.
Camarillo
Kenneth Lynn Bowling
Kenneth Bowling passed
away on January 15, 2015, to be
with his Heavenly Father, his
sister and brother by his side.
Born in Van Nuys, California, on
May 6, 1950, Ken moved to
Camarillo with his family in
1959. Ken was preceded by his
parents, Eleanor and Vincent
Bowling, and his wife, Cheri
Wooten. Ken is survived by his
sister Audree Duncan, brother
Chester Bowling, stepson Matt
Carmona, former wife Deborah
Cerino and her son Calvin. He is
also survived by sister-in-law Eileen Bowling, niece Kristin
Bowling, grandniece Emma, and
cousins Shelley, Craig, Scott,
Keith, Meredith and Joan.
Ken worked as a finish carpenter; his work is found in
many locations in the area including the Ronald Reagan
Presidential Library. He worked
for Bob Reyes who was like a
brother to Ken. He acquired a
nickname “chivo” when working
on a roof with a goatee. A graduate of Camarillo High School in
1968, Ken was happy to have
grown up in Camarillo and had
remained in contact with many
of his childhood friends. Ken
loved the ocean and learned to
surf. He rode motorcycles and
was an avid reader. His friendly
and upbeat attitude will be
missed.
Ken appreciated the care he
received from the friendly staff
at Pleasant Valley Hospital and
the Camarillo Dialysis Center.
We thank them for their efforts.
A gathering of family and
friends will be held at a later
date.
Please sign the guest book at
obits.vcstar.com.
Camarillo
Maxine Dorothy
Opstedal
Maxine Dorothy Opstedal
was 86 years old when she
passed away on January 13,
2015 in Camarillo, California.
She was the loving mother of
five children, eleven grandchildren, and nine great grandchildren. Maxine was born in Sioux
Falls, South Dakota in 1928 to
Cecelia and Thomas Presba. She
was married to Eugene Opstedal
in Seattle, Washington in 1946.
They later moved to Venice,
California in 1955, where they
raised their family of five children, and lived for the next 45
years. In 2000, Eugene and
Maxine relocated to Camarillo,
California. In 2008, Eugene
passed away peacefully in their
home at the age of 82. Maxine
remained in Camarillo with her
dog, Lucy, for the next 7 years.
She is survived by her five chil-
Mr. Kenneth Peschell, 74, of
Canton, GA passed away January 21, 2015. He was born on
April 12, 1940 in Livingston, NJ
to the late Paul and Marjorie
Peschell. After high school, Ken
joined the United States Navy.
He honorably served as a sonar
operator on the USS Fred T.
Berry. When he returned home,
he moved to Ventura, CA where
he met the love of his life and
wife of 50 plus years, Kitty and
they started a family. Ken spent
his career working for Chevron
and in the computer industry.
In 2003, Ken and Kitty moved to
Canton, GA. He was an active
member of Shiloh Hills Baptist
Church, where he was instrumental in modernizing the
sound system. Ken also enjoyed
operating a HAM Radio. He was
a very dedicated and selfless
man with an unshakable faith in
God. Ken was kind hearted, dependable and never afraid to
speak his opinions. He will be
immensely missed by all who
knew him. Ken leaves behind
his wife of 50 years, Katheryn
“Kitty” Peschell, son, Alan Peschell, daughter, Patricia Pawlak
(Daniel), grandchildren, Thomas Dudley, Nathan Dudley, Kevin O’Keeffe, Jennifer O’Keeffe,
Tom Pawlak, Jennifer Pawlak,
Elise Pawlak and Christopher
Peschell and great-grandchildren, Abigail Dudley, Liam Dudley, Kaine Dudley and Nolan
Pawlak. Also surviving are his
siblings, Karen and Ken Clegg
and Richard and Kathy Peschell,
2 nieces and 3 nephews. The funeral service will be Tuesday,
January 27, 2015 at 10:30am at
Shiloh Hills Baptist Church. Interment will follow at Georgia
National Cemetery. The family
will receive friends on Monday,
January 26, 2015 from 6-8pm at
Woodstock Funeral Home. Online condolences may be expressed at
www.woodstockfuneralhome.com.
Please sign the guest book at
obits.vcstar.com.
Fillmore
Thomas “Tom” Lozano
Padilla
Thomas “Tom” Lozano Padilla, 66, passed away peacefully
surrounded by his family on
January 15, 2015.
Tom was born on December
29, 1948 in Fullerton, CA, to
Barney and Fermina Padilla. He
was raised in La Habra, CA and
had many fond childhood memories of stirring up mischief with
his siblings and cousins in the
“camp.”
In 1964, the Padilla family
moved to Fillmore, CA, where
he and his brothers worked after
school at his father’s gas station.
In 1967, Tom graduated from
Fillmore High School. He shared
stories of “popping wheelies” or
standing on seat of his motorcycle while riding up and down
Central Ave.
In the summer of 1968, he
met his future wife Cynthia. He
was drafted into the U.S. Army
in 1969 and spent two years in
Germany. In 1970, while on
leave Tom and Cynthia married.
During their 43 year marriage,
they had two children Chrissy
and Tommy Jr.
Tom worked as an aircraft
painter for Northrop Grumman
for 29 years before retiring to be
a full time grandfather and take
care of his ranch.
His pride and joy were his
grandkids. Affectionately known
as “Poppy,” his grandkids were
his world. He nicknamed each
one of them and enjoyed taking
them to the riverbed, spoiling
them, and attending their sporting events.
He shared his love of fishing
by taking family and friends to
“opening day” in Bridgeport, CA
and all who traveled with him returned with stories that will never be forgotten. Tom loved
camping, the outdoors and a
clean car, reminding his children, “When you shine, I shine.”
He had many friends and enjoyed bar-b-queuing and listening to all types of music. Tom
had a heart of gold was always
willing to lend a helping hand.
Tom is preceded in death by
his father, Barney Padilla. He is
survived by his wife of 43 years
Cynthia Padilla; daughter and
son-in-law Chrissy and Todd
Schieferle; son Tommy Padilla
Jr.; grandchildren Marissa Padil-
la, Desirae Perez, Kailee Beckwith, Ariana Schieferle and
Jared Schieferle. He will also be
dearly missed by his mother Fermina Padilla; brothers Richard
Padilla (Christine) and Mike Padilla; sisters Linda Luna (John),
Irene Padilla, Julie Mendez
(Jessy); godchildren Mark Luna,
Michael Estrada, Isaiah Mendez
and Jessica Padilla. Extended
family including numerous
aunts, uncles, cousins, nephews
and nieces also share in our loss.
A memorial Mass will be
held on Friday, January 23, 9:30
AM at Saint Francis of Assisi
Church, Fillmore, CA with a gravesite ceremony immediately following at the Bardsdale Cemetery.
Funeral arrangements entrusted to the care of SkillenCarroll Mortuary FD 200, 600
N. Central Ave, Fillmore, CA
93015. A memory book is being
created for Tom’s family. We invite family and friends to post
their favorite memory on the
Skillen-Carroll website.
Please sign the guest book at
obits.vcstar.com.
A rosary for Della will be
held on Tuesday, January 27,
2015 at 7pm at Holy Cross
Church, 13955 Peach Hill Road
in Moorpark.
Mass will be celebrated on
Wednesday, January 28, 2015,
10am also at Holy Cross Church.
Burial will follow at Holy Cross
Cemetery, 5835 W. Slauson Avenue, Los Angeles CA 90056.
Assisting the family with funeral arrangements is the Perez
Family Funeral Home of Moorpark. Telephone (805) 876-0019
Please sign Della’s Memorial at
www.MoorparkMortuary.com
Please sign the guest book at
obits.vcstar.com.
Ventura
Nancy Jean Acosta
La Pine , Oregon
Orlen “Oak” Ray
Walling
October 18, 1932 January 20, 2015
Orlen “Oak” Ray Walling,
82, of La Pine, OR, died peacefully at home surrounded by
family and friends on January
20, 2015, after a long battle with
lung cancer.
Graveside services will be
held on Saturday, February 28,
2015, 11:00AM at La Pine Community Cemetery, located at the
end of Reed Road in La Pine; followed by a Celebration of Life
and luncheon at the American
Legion, located at 52532 Drafter
Road in La Pine.
He was born October 18,
1932 in Binger, Oklahoma to
Marc Charles Walling and Mabel (Abbott) Walling. Oak was a
US Air force Veteran of the Korean War, from 1952 to 1956,
and a Purple Heart recipient.
He was a union meat cutter for
36 years, a lifetime member of
the VFW, member of the American Legion and the Band of
Brothers. His favorite pastime
was fishing, wood working, and
camping.
Oak is survived by his loving
wife of 37 years, Sharon
(Thompson) Walling; his daughter, Kendall (husband, Aaron)
Pease; two sisters, Iona Travers
of Ventura, CA, and Louella Bell
of Fremont, CA; nine grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren.
He is also survived by daughters
from a previous marriage, Julie,
Kym and Cheryl Lynn; and
many nieces and nephews. He
was preceded in death by his
parents and six siblings. Oak
will be greatly missed by everyone whose life he touched; including his dog, Chester.
A special thank you to Heart
‘n Home Hospice of La Pine. In
lieu of flowers, donations may be
made in Oak’s name to St.
Charles Foundation (CAN CANCER), PO Box 3540, Bend, OR
97708-9915, or Heart ‘n Home
Hospice, PO Box 3540, La Pine,
OR 97739.
Baird Memorial Chapel in La
Pine is honored to serve Mr.
Walling’s family.
Please sign the guest book at
obits.vcstar.com.
Nancy Jean Acosta, of Ventura, passed away Sunday, January
18, 2015, at Community Memorial Hospital, due to a sudden illness. She was born on October
23, 1940, in Montebello, California. After marrying her high
school sweetheart, Andrew
Acosta, the two relocated to
Ventura County, where she resided until her passing.
She was known for her beautiful smile and eternal optimistic
outlook, and was a loving, devoted wife, mother, sister and
friend. Nancy will be greatly
missed by all who knew her.
Among her wonderful qualities,
Nancy was very dedicated and
hard working in all that she did.
For 25 years she worked for the
Lucky Grocery chain, and upon
retiring she was elected to sit on
the board of directors for the
Montalvo Municipal Improvement District, now known as the
Montalvo Community Services
District. She faithfully served the
district for the past 20 years,
and spent much of her time attending meetings and conferences. Nancy also served as a
representative for the Ventura
County Special Districts Association and as a Special District
Committee Alternate on the
Ventura Regional Sanitation District Board of Directors.
Nancy was preceded in death
by her husband of 38 years, Andrew Acosta; two daughters,
Lori Acosta and Cathy Acosta;
brother, John Hall; and two sisters, Judy Waite and Iris Smith.
She is survived by her son, Andrew “Andy” Acosta Jr.; and
daughter, Christina “Tina” Acosta; numerous nieces and nephews; and long-time friends,
Sherry Alexander of Bakersfield;
Ted and Marie Ophus of Medford, Oregon; Aaron Panuco of
Los Angeles, Raymundo and Flora Castaneda and family of Oxnard; Sara Nicholson and family
of Ventura; Helen Aguilera and
family of Ventura.
Visitation will be held at the
Ted Mayr Funeral Home, 3150
Loma Vista Road, Ventura on
Monday, January 26, 2015, from
4:00 until 7:00 P.M., with recitation of the Rosary to follow at
7:00 P.M. Mass of Christian Burial will be held at Sacred Heart
Catholic Church, 10800 Henderson Road, Ventura, on Tuesday,
January 27, 2015, at 10:00 A.M.
with burial to immediately follow at Conejo Mountain Memorial Park, 2052 Howard Road,
Camarillo.
Arrangements are under the
direction of the Ted Mayr Funeral Home. Ventura. Condolences may be left at
TedMayrFuneralHome.com.
Please sign the guest book at
obits.vcstar.com.
Moorpark
Della G. Gutierrez
Della passed away on January 20, 2015 in Thousand Oaks,
CA, due to heart failure. She
was born March 13, 1924 in
Norwalk, CA and was raised in
the Venice area.
Della is survived by her husband of 67 years, Manuel Gutierrez, 95, her sons Manuel and
Ralph Gutierrez and daughter
Diane Gutierrez Palomino. She
had 10 grandchildren, 22 greatgrandchildren and one greatgreat grandchild.
She was preceded in death
by her sons Ernest and Gilbert
Gutierrez and granddaughter
Lisa Gutierrez as well as her
four brothers and three sisters.
Della will be greatly missed
by her many family members
and friends. She enjoyed cooking and knitting for loved ones.
Oxnard
Francisco Hernandez
Francisco Hernandez, 42, of
Oxnard, Ca. passed away on
January 17, 2015 with his family
by his side. He was born in Penjamo, Guanajuato, Mexico to Alvaro Hernandez and Avelina Solorzano. He was a resident of
Ventura County for over 17
years.
Francisco was an amazing
son, father, husband, and uncle.
« Saturday, January 24, 2015 « 7B
Beloved by everyone, he was always in a cheerful mood. Besides always being there for his
family, he was a hardworking
and determined individual who
always earned what he wanted.
Many of us who knew him
would agree that he was always
passionate about his work and
proud about his family. He was
also our pride and joy. You
meant the world to us and we
know you are in a better place.
We will be praying to God for
you and we will never forget
you. You will continue to live in
our memories and hearts. God
bless you and may he have you
in his eternal glory.
He is survived by his loving
wife Ana Rosa Hernandez; sons,
Daniel, Alejandro and Cristian
Ivan; parents, Alvaro and Avelina Hernandez; brother and sisters, Ruben, Maria de la Luz,
Maria Luisa, and Maria de Jesus; maternal grandparents, Arnulfo Solorzano and Soledad
Perez.
Visitation will be held on
Sunday, January 25, 2015 from
10:00am to 10:00pm with a rosary to be recited at 7:00pm at
the Garcia Mortuary Chapel.
The Mass of Christian Burial
will be celebrated at 9:30am on
Monday, January 26, 2015 at
Mary Star of the Sea Church. Interment to follow at Ivy Lawn
Memorial Park in Ventura.
To sign the family’s on line
guestbook, share stories, and
post pictures please visit our
website: www.garciamortuaryoxnard.com and click on Francisco’s name located below
“obituaries”.
Funeral arrangements are
under the direction of the family
owned and operated, Garcia
Mortuary, 629 South A Street,
Oxnard. For further information, please call (805) 486-9148.
Please sign the guest book at
obits.vcstar.com.
abilities to do well, knowing
what is right from wrong, guided us to strive even more to attain our dreams and goals in life.
Witnessing how he changed
throughout his aging years, from
the infirmities he suffered from,
taught my family the value of
loyalty, true faith, the glimpses
of hope, and the love, from the
sacrifices each one endures, as
nothing but the very essence of
living life, the precious gift from
God.
Eternal rest grant unto the
soul of Tatay and may he rest in
peace, Amen.
Funeral arrangements under
the care of:
Santa Clara Mortuary
2370 North H Street,
Oxnard, Ca 93036
Visitation, Sunday, January
25, 2015, strictly 4-8pm,
Holy Rosary at 6:30pm.
Funeral Mass, Monday,
January 26, 2015 at 10am
Santa Clara Catholic Chapel
1333 East Ventura Blvd &
Rose Avenue,
Oxnard/El Rio, Ca 93036.
Tatay’s body will be laid to
rest in the Philippines, subsequently upon meeting the requirements for International
transport.
The Lord is my shepherd; I
shall not want. He maketh me
to lie down in green pastures;
He leadeth me beside still waters. He restoreth my soul; He
leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the
valley of the shadow of death, I
will fear no evil, for Thou art
with me, Thy rod and Thy staff;
they comfort me. Thou prepareth a table before me in the presence of mine enemies; Thou
anointest my head with oil, my
cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life, and I will
dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.
Psalm 23
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DEATH NOTICES
Oxnard
Rafael Levardo Loyola
Rafael Levardo Loyola, (husband, father, father-in-law, uncle,
grandfather, great grandfather,
friend (Sadik), tailor, carpenter,
painter, dancer) 83, born December 24, 1931 to Leonarda
Mapanoo Levardo and Benjamin
Baylon Loyola, was called home
by God after 61 years of marriage to his faithful and dedicated wife, Teodosia Ronquillo
Oesmer. He is survived by 9 children: Nenita Loyola Atangan
(married to Chito), Rebecca
Loyola Reyes (married to Elmer), Milagros Loyola Alcazar
(widowed by Guillermo “Ronnie”), Benjamin Oesmer Loyola
(married to Violeta de Guzman),
Melinda Loyola de Mesa (widowed by Reynaldo), Anicia
Loyola Reyes (married to Arnel), Dr. Jean Oesmer Loyola
(widowed by Martin Donnellan), Michelle Loyola, and Rafael
Loyola, Jr.
He also left behind precious
grandchildren: Christian Marc
Atangan, Christopher Loyola
Atangan, Chariz Anne Reyes
Mancilla (married to Markmann
Noel “Maki”), Ivy Kristin Reyes
Ramos (married to Odon), Katrin Anne Reyes, Rhodessa Mae
de Mesa Bobadilla (married to
Roderick), Rae Marie Loyola de
Mesa, Ron Christian Loyola Alcazar (married to Isabel “Aileen”
Cacao), Mary Grace Loyola Alcazar (married to Paolo), Ralph
Albert de Guzman Loyola (married to Jocelyn de la Rosa), April
Diane de Guzman Loyola, John
Alfred Loyola Reyes, Patricia
Louise Loyola Reyes, Frances
Anthea Loyola Donnellan, Mikhail Francis Loyola Donnellan,
and great grandchildren: Christiana (Boo) Jenks Atangan,
Alyssa Nicole Loyola, Haily Kaitlyn Loyola, Andres Gabriel De
Mesa, Amber Juliana Alcazar,
Prince Guillian Luis Alcazar,
Stephanie Mae de la Cruz, plus
numerous relatives, and friends.
Tatay/Papa/Lolo, Uncle,
Kuya, Mang “Dide” worked as a
tailor then assumed different
jobs on and off for over 14 years
outside the Philippines and
paved the ways and means for
the education of his children.
Our fun memories of his
positive attitude in life revolved
around his friendly smile, his
charming personality, sense of
humor, and willingness to help
others. The talents and treasures
bestowed upon him are made
evident on what he left behind
on his children. His trust in our
Eberts, Angela, 45, Oxnard,
account manager, died Jan.
18. Arrangements by Coast
Cities Cremations, Ventura.
Garcia Ponce, Eliseo, 82,
Oxnard, ret. bank representative, died Jan. 21. Arrangements by Camino del Sol
Funeral Home, Oxnard.
Grider, Marion B., 94,
Camarillo, escrow officer,
died Jan. 20. Arrangements
by Conejo Mountain Funeral
Home, Camarillo.
Guarin, Leonila Villaflores,
96, Oxnard, owner dry goods
store, died Jan. 18. Arrangements by Santa Clara Mortuary, Oxnard.
Loyola, Rafael Levardo, 83,
Oxnard, tailor, died Jan. 18.
Arrangements by Santa Clara
Mortuary, Oxnard.
Pillado, Manuel Jordan, 96,
Fillmore, business owner/barber, died Jan. 14 in Bakersfield. Arrangements by
Greenlawn Southwest Funeral
Home, Bakersfield.
Reicherts, Dolores Elizabeth, 84, Camarillo, secretary, died Jan. 16.
Arrangements by Conejo
Mountain Funeral Home,
Camarillo.
Salibian, Adrine, 95, Thousand Oaks, died Jan. 11. Arrangements by Rose Funeral
Home, Simi Valley.
Schulz, Glenn, 81, Camarillo, welder, died Jan. 21. Arrangements by Coast Cities
Cremations, Ventura.
Whitby, Shizuko Kaneshi,
78, Thousand Oaks, machine
operator, died Jan. 18. Arrangements by Conejo Mountain Funeral Home, Camarillo.
Wilkins, Iris Louise, 90,
Thousand Oaks, legal secretary, died Jan. 21. Arrangements by Conejo Mountain
Funeral Home, Camarillo.
Zelaya de Pulido, Isidra
Naomi, 83, Oxnard, homemaker, died Jan. 21. Arrangements by Camino del Sol
Funeral Home, Oxnard.
OBITUARIES (paid) may
be submitted in digital form
on a usb drive, placed from
8 a.m.- 4 p.m. Monday-Friday
at our Camarillo office or by
email at vcsobits@vcstar.com
Copy must be submitted by
noon for the following day’s
publication. Funeral homes
can submit DEATH NOTICES
(free) to caledar@vcstar.com.
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8B » Saturday, January 24, 2015 »
T H E S TA R
Opinion
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS
Respond to editorials, letters to the editor
and columnists. Letters@VCStar.com
Editorial
One area where
Congress excels:
namingbuildings
The last Congress was denounced for basically
doing nothing, certainly not anything worthwhile.
Theleadershipprotestedthatthechargewasunfair,
that Congress did too enact legislation. On examination, a sizable number of those bills involved naming
taxpayer-fundedpostoffices,federalfacilities,bridges,
highways, etc., after sitting members of Congress.
There are periodic attempts to end these taxpayerfunded ego trips, all of them — so far — doomed to
failure. Still, lawmakers endowed with a sense of
restraint and modesty keep trying to end the practice.
InthelastCongress,RepublicanReps.MikeTurner
of Ohio and Michael McCaul of Texas tried to ban the
practiceofnamingfederalfacilitiesandinfrastructure
after themselves. Not surprisingly, both bills failed.
Rep. Turner is trying again in the new Congress.
AccordingtoJessicaWehrmanofCoxNewspapers,
Rep. Turner said, “Moneys of the federal government
are taxpayer moneys. These should not go to build
monuments to members of Congress.”
He is right, of course, and we have a hunch that a
majority of Americans surveyed would agree with
his common-sense observation.
Further digging himself in with his fellow lawmakers, he said, “I just think
it’s a complete conflict
Moneys
of interest for members
to both be funding and
of the
memorializing things to
federal governthemselvesthatthefederal
ment are taxgovernment owns.”
Even in a chamber of payer moneys.
considerableegositwould
be a rare lawmaker who These should
stood up and said, “Look, not go to build
I didn’t personally pay for
monuments to
this project or lift a finger
in its construction but by members of
virtueofmycommitteeas- Congress.”
signment,Iwantmyname
Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio
on it. Besides, it will help
my re-election a lot.”
Thishappensbutdiscreetlybehindclosedcommittee doors and usually involves a trade with another
member seeking memorialization.
The late Democratic Sen. Robert Byrd of West
Virginia used his position as chairman of the appropriations committee and later as majority leader to
direct billions in federal dollars, most of them from
taxpayers elsewhere, to his home state and didn’t
care who knew it.
By one count, more than 50 federal projects bear
his name. Anyone driving through the Mountaineer
state might think this an undercount.
“Pillory Congress all you want as do-nothing or
dysfunctional, as its critics often have. But in one
respect, lawmakers in the Capitol are remarkably
productive: they name post offices like nobody’s
business,” Jeremy W. Peters wrote in The New York
Times in 2013 after a congressional study found that
about 20 percent of the laws passed in recent years
were for naming post offices. “In the 111th Congress,
which met from 2009 to 2010, members passed 383
statutes, 70 of which named post offices. In the 112th
Congress ... members passed 46 measures naming
post offices, out of 240 statutes over all.”
This Congress, considering its professed faith in
private enterprise and need for revenue, might consider selling naming rights like cities and colleges do
with their stadiums.
Or, if a member is truly deemed worthy of honor,
waiting five years until after his death, retirement or
defeat before according the ex-lawmaker a naming
honor.
Perhaps unfairly, we think the number of federal
facilities with recognizable place names will grow at
the expense of obscure and likely forgotten members
of Congress.
EDITORIAL BOARD
SHANNA CANNON
JOHN T. MOORE
PUBLISHER &
CHIEF REVENUE OFFICER
EDITOR
MIKE COMEAUX
OPINION PAGE EDITOR
COMMUNITY ADVISORY BOARD
JAMES CHRISTIANSEN
Oak View
REV. LORA BRANDIS
Camarillo
KEN COZZENS
Ventura
 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Keep them brief, no more than 300 words.
All letters are subject to editing. Give full name, address and telephone
number for verification; only name and hometown will be published.
E-mail: letters@VCStar.com (preferred).
Postal address: Editor’s Letters, Ventura County Star, P.O. Box
6006, Camarillo 93011.
Fax: 437-0211.
Online: http://www.VCStar.com/news/opinion
President omits looming crisis
Unbelievable. President
Obama, among the most
divisive presidents in our
recent history, gives an
also divisive State of the
Union speech, taking credit for things he did not do,
producing a laundry list of
mostly bad things he plans
and at the end sounding
oh, so nice.
This country of ours?
We’re a “tight-knit family.”
Republicans? He wants to
get along with them. To repeat a question he asked,
really?
If Republicans in control of Congress try to
amend the Dodd-Frank
financial fix-it law, a confused, micro-managing
conglomeration that left
even the bureaucratic cops
on the beat confused, he
will veto it, he said.
Maybe you want to
amend some of his unilateralist overreaching
on immigration? Another
veto, by golly! There are
parts of Obamacare that
are almost sure to cost
Americans jobs, but no
tinkering, folks. Just live
and let live, OK? You hear
me? OK!?
The main thing wrong
with the speech was
something besides his
antagonism parading
itself as conciliation,
however. It was his basic
JAY
AMBROSE
COLUMNIST
misperception of where
we sit today.
“The shadow of crisis
has passed,” Obama said,
adding that we have “a
growing economy, shrinking deficits, bustling industry and booming energy
production.” Therefore, he
added in so many words,
the time has come for still
more intervention with
businesses, more redistribution of wealth, higher
taxes on some and lots
more government spending on this, that and the
other, all supposedly in the
name of a middle class that
will someday disappear if
he actually gets away with
doing these things.
The fact is that there is a
crisis that has not passed,
namely a debt that is definitely not shrinking but
growing every minute
and due to grow even more
along with higher deficits
once again within the decade.
The chief issue is entitlements — Social
Security, Medicare, Medicaid and Obamacare. We
do not have the funding
mechanisms in place to
pay for the promises, especially as more and more
baby boomers retire, and
the question is not just one
of billions of dollars, but
trillions.
Someday, someone will
have to pay it if we do not
start to fix things now,
namely our children and
grandchildren. It will absolutely ruin them.
Some say, Oh, well, the
fixing will be easy, a tax
here, a tax there, some future spending cuts, but no
— without first restructuring entitlements, it would
take taxes of a kind that
would be egregiously high
for everyone and spending
cuts that would leave little
in the discretionary part of
the budget standing.
As for the restructuring, it could be done, and
without terrible hurt, least
of all for the most disadvantaged, but politically, it
is no small feat.
For instance, Social Security Disability is due to
run out of funding in 2016.
Some say we should just
switch some funds from
Social Security for the elderly to this program, but
that worsens the plight of
the retirement program
and is just a temporary fix
for the disability program.
House Republicans are
saying we should look at
broader reforms addressing the long term, but the
response from Democrats is what you always
hea r when com mon
sense enters the picture:
demagogic, catastrophebreeding screeches about
how recipients would be
hurt.
In the final analysis, the
State of the Union speech
described the sad state of a
White House that is ignoring something that could
be as bad as anything
America has faced since
the Great Depression.
There were some good
ideas — free trade is a good
idea — but cutesy talk of
other problems that are
no longer problems and
proposed ways of making
things better that would
likely make things worse.
And despite the sweet
talk at the end, there was
still no sign that this president has the least idea of
how to negotiate with the
political opposition, just
cleverness in making them
look like villains.
Jay Ambrose is former director
of editorial policy for Scripps
Howard newspapers. Email
him at speaktojay@aol.com.
 LETTERS
Roy Krieger, Ventura
Give seniors a break
At the Ventura City Council meeting on Jan. 12, during the Public
Communications portion, Mr. Jerry
Matchin, owner of Stix Billiards in
Ventura, brought to the council’s attention the plight of the 1917 Brunswick “Majestic” snooker table that is
currently in the city’s storage.
This magnificent snooker table
has been the centerpiece of the city’s
senior recreation billiard program
for more than 40 years, and before
that, for many years in several Ventura pool rooms and remembered by
many who played on it over the years.
The recent closure of the Senior
Recreation Center facility, located
downtown at the corner of Santa
Clara and Oak streets, and the resultant space constrictions on the
remaining senior facility located at
Center Street and Ventura Avenue,
forced the cancellation of the billiards program, and the removal and
storage of the table.
Our neighboring cities — Oxnard
(four tables), Ojai (three tables), Camarillo (two tables), Thousand Oaks
(five tables), Simi (two tables) — all
have very active programs and dedicated rooms for senior billiards, not
multifunctional.
Mr. Matchin also submitted nearly
400 signatures of concerned citizens
on an informal petition asking the
city to restore its billiard program.
It’s time we start supporting our
seniors and stop pulling the chairs
out from under them.
John Darling, Ventura
Selective memory
Re: Charles Krauthammer’s Jan. 16
column, “Reluctant Obama: Charlie
who?”
I see that Krauthammer is now
whining about President Obama not
having a representative at the Paris
demonstration against the cowardly
terrorist attacks that took place there
recently.
While this was clearly a mistake
on the president’s part, Krauthammer and his Teapublican Party seem
to forget two things. First, they
don’t remember who killed Osama
bin Laden. It was President Obama
who did the job that Bush couldn’t
and didn’t seem to want to do. Second, they don’t remember how they
whined about President Obama killing an “American citizen” who left
the country, renamed himself, and
encouraged and financed terrorist
attacks against Americans. His name
was Anwar al-Awlaki, the man who
likely financed the attacks in Paris
from the grave. If nothing else, he
was a mentor and idol to the two
brothers who murdered unarmed
people in cold blood.
Most likely, none of the above matters to Teapublican mouthpieces like
Krauthammer. As long as President
Obama is for something, they are
against it.
They even hate the idea that the
economy is improving under President Obama, despite their tactics to
undermine him.
The last thing these people want is
a happy American citizenry because
that would blunt the only weapon
they have: fear.
Lori Meier, Thousand Oaks
Chemical clouds
I would very much like some proper coverage in local media to point out
something that affects each and every
one of us, and most especially the children that are growing up in this city,
this state and this country.
Every morning, on my drive to
work, every weekend, every moment
of every day, I look up in the sky in
horror and disgust. What are these
strange clouds that stream in straight
lines across the sky, that crisscross
and checker our once clear blue sky?
Why do these strange clouds drip
from the edges and spread out into
a muggy gray haze?
Could these be contrails from a
jet plane? Of course they are. What
else could they possibly be? Except
for two small facts that are evident
even to the layman.
Jet contrails dissipate in seconds
and these trails of chemicals (made
up of heavy metals and poisonous
particulates that are littering our air
and soil) stay in our skies for hours
and hours until true forces of nature,
such as wind and rain, blow them
out of our eyesight but not out of our
atmosphere or our soil.
Secondly, these trails, unlike contrails can be turned on and off at will
by the pilots of these planes.
Have we just become so used to
this that we now see these foreign,
man-made chemical streaks in our
skies as clouds?
I see planes coming from the direction of our nearby Air Force bases. What is going on? Who are these
pilots and who are they working for?
What are they spraying on us? Let’s
talk about this and now. We are being poisoned from aerial assault by
our own government. It’s time to
wake up and ask questions.
ONLINE THIS WEEK’S QUESTION:
Are you confident the
POLL
U.S. can prevent terrorism
on American soil?
14%
Yes
5%
Undecided
81%
No
Total votes:
536
NEXT WEEK’S QUESTION:
Do you think cheating is widespread in
professional sports?
Go to VCStar.com to vote on next
week’s question.
SCRIPPS NEWSPAPERS
T H E S TA R «
Saturday, January 24, 2015 « 9B
Commentary
Friendship trumps time, space
PA VENTURA
To Taxpayers
Gov. Jerry Brown and
University of California
President Janet Napolitano will meet to try to
resolve their disagreement over state funding.
One thing seems certain:
somebody is about to get
an education.
To Camarillo
The City Council recently extended the local
emergency proclamation
because, as one official
explained, the emergency
work completed after the
Camarillo Springs disaster
“has not been tested” by a
major rain event. That’s an
ominous thought, and the
rainy season doesn’t end
until about April 1 — no
fooling.
To healTh workers
A new policy requires
those who haven’t been
vaccinated against the flu
to wear a mask when caring for patients in Ventura
County. Say what you will,
the policy sends a powerful, visual reminder to
everyone concerning the
value of a flu shot.
To parenTs
Speaking of vaccinations, the daily news developments regarding a
widening measles outbreak in Ventura County
are a strong argument
for immunizing children
against this dangerous,
highly contagious disease.
To Two-year Colleges
This week, state officials didn’t select Ventura
College as one of the first
15 California community
colleges to offer four-year
degrees. Yet, the county’s
three community colleges
may see great benefits following the buzz in Washington over providing free
tuition for two years.
To voTers
Californians may not
be too surprised that billionaire Tom Steyer took
himself out of the running
to succeed retiring Sen.
Barbara Boxer. Consider
the unhappy fate of California’s other extremely
wealthy first-time candidates such as Meg
Whitman, Carly Fiorina,
Al Checchi and Bill Simon.
To Thousand oaks
How’s this for a thrifty,
common-sense notion:
your fair city’s wastewater treatment plant has
reached a city goal to operate 100 percent on renewable energy generated
entirely at the site.
To venTura
Cleaning up after last
month’s storms, firefighters burned tons of woody
debris Wednesday on state
beaches east of Mugu
Rock. Some Ventura residents remember the controversy 10 years ago when
officials left storm debris
on some Pierpont-area
beaches, saying it was “the
natural condition.”
To Fillmore
Old Pa has huevos on
his face after erroneously
describing, a week ago,
your City Council’s recent vote to take over (not
close) the Senior Center.
Yet, the public still hasn’t
been told what spurred
the council’s action. Now
that’s huevos.
To sanTa paula
In your fair city, the
Blanchard Community
Library has reached a settlement with its former
director. Officials say it’s
the most economical way
to get past the dispute and
focus on serving the public. Yes, it’s time to turn
the page.
To moorpark
Your fair city appears
to be closer to getting its
first, long-awaited hotel
to help boost business activity, jobs and economic
development in general.
A newsroom wag says city
officials seem to have no
reservations.
To moorpark, Too
Don’t take it personally
that multiple, large retail
businesses recently shut
down in your community, from Albertsons to Big
Lots to Staples. Experts
say it’s just a sign of the
overall economic turbulence, as if any of us could
forget.
Tennessee Williams
was spot-on when he observed, “Time doesn’t take
away from friendship, nor
does separation.”
Rarely has this been
more clear personally than
earlier this week when
I met up with a boyhood
friend I had not seen in a
dozen years, if not more.
Before that, it had been
nearly as long again between reunions.
Before these long lapses, however, during our
“Wonder Years,” Jimmy
and I were thick as thieves,
or scamps, or Tom and
Huck. He was, in fact, my
first friend upon moving
to Ventura from Ohio at
age 12.
Jimmy, four months my
junior, wasn’t my friend
so much as my “cousin” of
which I have not a single
biological one. Had he
lived in Ventura, or I in
Pasadena, we would have
been “brothers.”
We first met because
Jimmy’s aunt and uncle
were my godparents. Each
summer he stayed two
weeks at their Solimar
beach home and upon arriving here in 1972 I joined
him. It became a yearly
rendezvous through our
teens.
Those beach days and
nights were boyhood bliss.
We stayed up late shooting
WOODY
WOODBURN
COLUMNIST
pool and watching TV,
slept in long, then spent
the remaining sunlight
in the waves and exploring tide pools, looking for
seashells and ocean glass,
playing basketball and
talking about girls.
Too, I would annually
stay a week with Jimmy
and his mom — his father
died when Jimmy was 4
and his only sibling, a sister, was 10 years older and
already out of the house —
in Pasadena. Summer at the
beach is an idyllic fun that
is hard to equal, but these
vacations came close.
Jimmy was a California beach boy straight
from Central Casting,
with a toothpaste-ad
smile, longish platinum
hair, and a tan the color
of an old penny. But his
most striking feature, it
always seemed to me, was
his laugh.
Even at age 12, his laugh
sounded like it came from
an old man with emphysema — imagine Billy Crystal doing an out-of-breath
character in a Brooklyn
deli. Better yet, recall
the wonderful hearty
snicker of Muttley, the
Hanna-Barbera cartoon
dog. That was Jimmy’s
laugh and he used it readily.
Separation of 70 miles
— Jimmy still lives near
Pasadena — is no excuse
for the years of severance
we allowed to pass.
Our last time together
was when we saw John
Wooden give a talk at the
historic Pasadena Civic
Center. Jimmy and I shared
many similarities growing up and near top of the
list was our idolization of
the Wizard of Westwood.
Indeed, we both went to
Coach Wooden’s summer
basketball camp and memorized every block in the
Pyramid of Success.
Too bad we neglected
Wooden’s preaching to
“make friendship a fine
art” — at least with each
other. Annually our
Christmas cards echoed
sentiments to rekindle
our friendship in the New
Year, but we kept failing to
keep the promise.
Taking the “Initiative”
— a block in Wooden’s
Pyramid — Jimmy’s 2014
holiday card included
wishes of “Peace, Love &
Joy” and a specific date in
January to meet. When I
walked into Brendan’s
Irish Pub & Restaurant in
Agoura Hills — a midway
drive for both of us — the
sight of my old friend was
a time machine making
me young again.
Our 15-year separation
might as well have been
five minutes. We picked
up as if we had just been
in the middle of a conversation before one of us
left to go to the bathroom
— the latter happening a
number of times on this
evening, causing Jimmy
to say, “I guess we are in
our fifties and not teenagers anymore.”
An anticipated hour visit lasted nearly four as we
reminisced and caught up
on wives and kids, work and
play, and raised our glasses
to the shared loved ones
we have lost — his cousin
and my second “sister”; his
aunt and my godmother; his
mom and my mom.
Bidding goodbye, Jimmy and I made plans for
another hello very soon,
and these words of Henry
Wadsworth Longfellow
came to mind: “Ah, how
good it feels! The hand of
an old friend.”
And the hug and the
Muttley laugh, too.
Woody Woodburn writes a
weekly column for The Star.
Email him at WoodyWriter@
gmail.com. His memoir
“Wooden & Me” is available
at www.WoodyWoodburn.com
and Amazon.com.
Watch out, Perry might run again
Many people are holding their breath waiting
for Rick Perry to announce
whether he will run for
president again.
As Perry ponders, among
those who wait nervously,
are the folks who work at
the Department of Commerce, Education and Energy, which Perry presumably still wants to eliminate
if elected.
Just the possibility of
Perry running again lets us
take a delicious moment to
remember that “oops” episode when he was listing
the three departments in a
November 2011 debate and
forgot Energy.
“I will tell you,” he began
decisively, “it is three agencies of government when I
get there (the White House)
that are gone. Commerce,
Education, and the —
What’s the third one there?
Let’s see.”
Since the massive drop in
oil prices has hurt the Texas
energy business, we doubt
he will forget it again. But
you never know. The whole
country would be on pins
and needles if he gets in the
race and has to tick them
off again, although by now
he might take Ron Paul’s
advice and name five. But
that would be too much of
aNN
mcfeatteRs
COLUMNIST
a nail-biting event.
(Also, as Ronald Reagan
found out with his very brief
fling trying to abolish the
Department of Education,
presidents can’t go around
just deciding to ax whole
bureaucracies, much as
they might want to do so.)
At any rate, it looks as
though Perry will run. He’s
changed his hair color often until he apparently got
it right. And he got those
scholarly black frames for
glasses we assume he does
need.
Most recently he told
Manny Fernandez of The
New York Times, a reporter who worries about Texas politics so the rest of us
don’t have to, that “I think
most people think we’re
probably going to run, but
we’ll announce our intentions in May or June.”
Notice the presidential
“we” might run and “we’ll”
announce the decision later.
Perry has been governor
of Texas for 14 years but his
stint is ending, along with
his paycheck from Texas
taxpayers. And his ambition
for greater glory is doubtless as big as his state.
So is his confidence.
Asked by Fernandez about
the impact of lower oil
prices on Texas oil and gas
production, he said it won’t
be as bad as it would have
been in the 1980s when the
Texas economy collapsed.
But he added, “Midland,
Odessa, it’s going to be
tough. There’s going to be
people losing their jobs out
there. When you lose your
job, that’s a recession, man.
Those folks, I’m greatly
concerned about.
“But the great story is
that people’s lives have been
improved substantially in
Texas over the last 14 years,
and we’ve had our ups and
downs.”
Rick Perry. Rand Paul,
son of Ron. Mitt Romney.
Mike Huckabee. Rick Santorum. Except for sort-of
newbie Jeb Bush, it’s déjà vu
all over again for Republicans. If Harold Stassen, who
defined the term “perennial
candidate,” weren’t dead,
he’d be running too. But so
far, we haven’t heard any
noise from Michele Bachmann, Newt Gingrich or
Herman Cain.
Perry is 64. Paul is 52.
Romney is 67. Huckabee is
59. Santorum is 56. Jeb Bush
is 61. There’s no real point
here except it’s interesting
to know people’s ages. But
except for Santorum, who
used to be a senator from
Pennsylvania but lost his
state’s confidence, and Paul,
who is currently a senator
from Kentucky, all are former governors. That might
or might not be important.
But it does mean they don’t
like Washington, even if
they all want to live there.
Meanwhile, back to Perry. Thanks again to Fernandez, we know that he left a
biblical message for his
successor, Greg Abbott. “If
you really want to be great,
you must first be a servant,”
he said, paraphrasing Matthew 20, verses 25 to 28. It
also says “whoever wants to
be first must be your slave.”
As for how he will stand
out in the crowd of 2016 aspirants, Perry notes that he
has a claim nobody else can
make: He alone was governor of Texas for 14 years
with all its ups and downs.
Ann McFeatters is a Washington journalist. Email her at
amcfeatters@nationalpress.
com.
 WHERE TO WRITE
President Barack Obama:
White House,
Washington, D.C., 20500,
Comment line: 202-456-1111,
Web page: whitehouse.gov/
contact
Board of Supervisors
District 1: Steve Bennett
800 S. Victoria Ave., L-Suite
1900, Ventura, CA 93009.
Phone: 654-2703. Fax: 6542226 .
Email: Steve.Bennett@
ventura.org
District 2: Linda Parks
625 W. Hillcrest Drive,
Thousand Oaks, CA 91360
Phone: 214-2510. Fax: 480-
0585.
Email: Linda.Parks@
ventura.org
District 3: Kathy Long
800 S. Victoria Ave., L-Suite
1880, Ventura, CA 93009.
Phone: 654-2276. Fax: 6542226.
Email: Kathy.Long@ventura.
org
District 4: Peter Foy
980 Enchanted Way, Suite 203,
Simi Valley, CA 93065 Phone:
955-2300. Fax: 578-1822.
Email: Supervisor.Foy@
ventura.org
District 5: John Zaragoza
800 S. Victoria Ave., 4th
f loor, Ventura, CA 93009
Phone: 654-2613. Fax: 6584515.
Email: Supervisor.
Zaragoza@ventura.org
U.S. Senate
Barbara Boxer: 112 Hart
Senate Office Building,
Washington, D.C., 20510.
Phone: 202-224-3553.
Los Angeles office: 312 N.
Spring St., Suite 1748, 90012
Phone : 213-894-5000 .
Fax: 213-894-5012 .
Web page: http://www.
boxer.senate.gov
Dianne Feinstein: 331 Hart
Senate Office Building,
Washington, D.C., 20510
Phone: 202-224-3841.
Los Angeles office: 11111
Santa Monica Blvd., Suite
915, 90025
Phone: 310-914-7300.
Fax: 310-914-7318.
Web page: http://www.
feinstein.senate.gov
House of Representatives
Steve Knight (25th District):
1023 Longworth House
Office Building,
Washington, D.C., 20515.
Phone: 202-225-1956 .
Fax: 202-226-0683 .
District office: 1008
West Avenue M-14,
Palmdale, CA 93551.
Phone: to be announced.
Fax: to be announced.
Web page: http://www.
house.gov/knight
Lois Capps (24th District):
2231 Raybaurn House Office
Building, Washington, D.C.,
20515.
Phone : 202-225-3601.
Fax: 202-225-5632.
District office: 301 E.
Carrillo St., Suite A,
Santa Barbara, CA 93101.
Phone: 730-1710.
Fax: 730-9153.
Web page : http://www.
house.gov/capps
Julia Brownley
(26th District):
1019 Longworth House
Office Building,
Washington, D.C., 20515.
Phone: 202-225-5811.
Fax: 202-225-1100.
District offices: 300 E.
Esplanade Drive, Suite #470,
Oxnard, CA 93036; and 223
E. Thousand Oaks Blvd.,
Suite #411, Thousand Oaks,
CA 91362.
Phone: 379-1779. Fax: 3791799. Web page: http://www.
house.gov/brownley
Ted Lieu (33rd District):
415 Cannon House Office
Building, Washington, D.C.,
20515.
Phone: 202-225-3976 .
F ax: 202-225-4099.
District office : 5055
Wilshire Blvd., Suite #310,
Los Angeles, CA 90036.
Phone: 310-652-3095.
Fax: 323-655-0502.
Web page : http://www.
house.gov/lieu
Gov. Jerry Brown
State Capitol Building,
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: 916-445-2841
Web page: governor.ca.gov
State Senate
Hannah-Beth Jackson (19th
District): State Capitol Room
2032, Sacramento, CA 95814.
Phone: 916-651-4019.
Fax: 916-651-4919
District office: 300 E.
Esplanade Drive, Suite
#430, Oxnard, CA 93036.
Phone: 988-1940.
Fax: 988-1945
Email: senator.jackson@
senate.ca.gov
Fran Pavley (27th District):
State Capitol, Room 5108,
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: 916-651-4027. Fax: 916651-4927.
District office: 5016 N.
Parkway Calabasas, Suite
#222, Calabasas, CA 91302.
Phone: 805- 815-3917.
Fax: 818-876-0802.
Email: senator.pavley@
senate.ca.gov
State Assembly
Das Williams (37th District):
State Capitol, Room
4005, P.O. Box 942849,
Sacramento, CA 94249.
Phone: 916-319-2037. Fax:
916-319-2137
District office: 89 S.
California St., Suite
F, Ventura, CA 93001.
Phone: 641-3700. F ax: 6413708
Email: assemblymember.
william s@assembly.ca.gov
Jacqui Irwin (44th
District):
State Capitol,
Room 6011, P.O. Box 942849,
Sacramento, CA 94249.
Phone: 916-319-2044.
District office: 2301 E.
Daily Drive, Suite #200,
Camarillo, CA 93010.
Phone: 482-1904.
Fax: 482-1274
Email: assemblymember.
irwin@assembly.ca.gov
Scott Wilk (38th District):
State Capitol, Room
4158, P.O. Box 942849,
Sacramento, CA 94249.
Phone: 916-319-2038
District office: 27441
Tourney Road, Suite
#160, Valencia, CA 91355.
Phone: 661-286-1565.
Fax : 661-286-1408
Email: assemblymember.
wilk@assembly.ca.gov
Richard Bloom
(50th District):
State Capitol, Room
2003, P.O. Box 942849,
Sacramento, CA 94249.
Phone: 916-319-2050.
District office: 2800
28th St., Suite 150,
Santa Monica, 90405
Phone: 310-450-0041
Fax: 310-450-6090.
Email: assemblymember.
bloom@assembly.ca.gov
Ventura County grand jury
800 S. Victoria Ave.,
Ventura, CA 93009
Phone : 477-1600 .
Fax: 658-4523.
Web page: grandjury.
countyofventura.org.
Letters to the Editor
Email: letters@vcstar.com
Fax: 437-0211.
U.S. mail: Editor’s Letters
Ventura County Star
P.O. Box 6006
Camarillo CA 93011
10B » Saturday, January 24, 2015 »
T H E S TA R
local
Public safety briefs
Robbery victim
pistol-whipped
Authorities had four people in custody late Friday in
Camarillo after responding to a home where they
believed a robbery suspect
had fled.
Officers responded at
about 8:50 p.m. to the 1700
block of Mission Drive after receiving a report of a
robbery in which the victim was pistol-whipped at
about 7:55 p.m. just outside
Camarillo, authorities said.
Sgt. Gregg Willson with
the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office said the robber
and the victim, a male juvenile, knew each other and
that the robber drove up to
victim in a car in the 100
block of West Loop Drive,
they had an argument,
and the victim was pistolwhipped in the head. Minor personal property was
taken before the robber fled
in a vehicle, authorities said.
About an hour later, officers were at the house on
Mission Drive after receiving information the robbery
suspect was there, authorities said. After arriving at
the house, authorities said
they detained four people,
all males in their teens, although some were not minors. Not all of them lived at
the house, police said.
The suspects were kept
in patrol cars outside the
home. Among them was an
agitated young man pounding on the car’s windows.
As other suspects were
brought out and they were
transferred to various patrol cars, he yelled at them:
“Keep your head up!” and “I
love you!”
of narcotics sales and a
marijuana-growing operation, police said.
James Tellez, 41, of Oxnard, and Cecelia Calderon,
34, of Oxnard, were arrested on suspicion of
narcotics-related offenses,
police said. Officers said
they also detained several
gang-affiliated suspects.
A woman came to the
car and talked to him after
he was told by an officer
that his mother would be
brought out to speak to him.
Meanwhile, a police dog
searched the home, stopping to bark vigorously at
intervals. The two-story
home was much larger than
the others in the neighborhood, with what appeared
to be a four-car garage and
two cars in the driveway,
one of which was being
scrutinized by police. The
light from officers’ flashlights could be seen as they
search the inside of the
home, which stood on a hill
and had a more spacious
yard than its neighbors.
Willson said the robbery
weapon was not found.
Porch lights were on in
the neighborhood of modern-style stucco homes, but
no one stood outside in the
yards with well-kept landscaping and, in some cases,
white rocks in place of turf.
At least nine marked
Ventura County Sheriff’s
Office cars were in front of
the home that was the target
of the investigation, with at
least two unmarked lawenforcement vehicles — a
pickup and sport utility vehicle, both black.
Earlier, there had been
officers from the California
Highway Patrol assisting
with traffic control, which
involved closure of Mission
Drive at San Miguel Drive
and Mission Drive at Santa
Cruz Way.
The robbery victim was
taken to St. John’s Pleasant Valley Medical Center
in Camarillo with head injuries, Willson said. Also hurt
in the incident was an officer who was bitten by the
police dog, Willson said.
VENTURA
Identities sought
for three in images
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/VENTURA POLICE DEPARTMENT
Ventura police have asked for the public’s help identifying
the people in this image. Surveillance footage shows them
walking near where a homeless man was set on fire Saturday
night. They are not suspects in the crime, but police said they
believe these people may have some information.
OX N A R D
Police catch suspect
in injury with car
A 22-year-old man was
arrested two weeks after
he allegedly hit another
man with his car in Oxnard,
authorities said.
Uriel Garcia Garcia, of
Oxnard, was found in the
same car used during the
alleged crime, which occurred Jan. 9 in the 600
block of South A Street,
Oxnard police said Friday.
A 26-year-old Santa
Barbara man suffered a severe head injury and was
taken to Ventura County
Medical Center. He was in
critical condition but stable
on Friday.
Oxnard police determined during a preliminary
investigation that a passenger in the vehicle got out of
the car and confronted the
victim and others standing
in a parking lot, authorities
said. The passenger then got
back into the car, and the
driver hit the victim with
the car, police said.
Garcia was stopped in
his car and arrested in an
unrelated matter Thursday night, authorities said.
Police said they later found
Garcia’s vehicle had damage consistent with the
Jan. 9 incident. He was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, police said.
Search yields
evidence, arrests
Oxnard police said they
made two arrests Thursday
while serving a search warrant as part of a firearms
and narcotics investigation.
The arrests occurred
after police served a gangrelated search warrant
about 2:20 p.m. Thursday
at a business in the 500
block of Pacific Avenue,
authorities said.
The search yielded firearms, narcotics, evidence
Police were asking for
the public’s help identifying people seen in surveillance images recorded near
where a homeless man was
set on fire Saturday night in
Ventura, authorities said.
Authorities said the two
men and one woman seen
in the footage were not
suspects. They were seen
walking in the area at the
time of the incident and
might have some information, police said.
The 58-year-old homeless man was doused with
lighter fluid and set on fire
while he was asleep in a
sleeping bag on the beach
near the end of Seaward
Avenue. The man suffered
second- and third-degree
burns over 40 percent of
his body but was expected
to survive.
The victim described
the attackers as three men
in their late teens to early
20s with shaved heads and
dark clothing.
Ventura police Sgt. Ryan
Weeks said his department
has been getting helpful
calls from the public.
“We haven’t identified
anyone yet, but we have
been given some names to
run down,” Weeks said.
The images of the potential witnesses can be
found on the Ventura
police Facebook page at
http://www.facebook.com/
venturapd. Anyone with
information is urged to call
339-4497 or 650-8010.
Chase follows use
of bogus ATM card
A 29-year-old man
who tried to use a sample
ATM card Friday at a Ventura bank was arrested
after running from police
and getting hit by a car,
officials said.
Police responded about
7:35 a.m. to a report of a suspicious man entering several invalid codes into a Chase
Bank ATM in the 2400
block of Harbor Boulevard.
The man was trying to use
an inactive card — the kind
banks usually send out as
advertisements, police said.
An officer tried to conduct a probation search on
the man, but he ran away,
police said. An officer
caught up to the man, but
he broke free and continued
running, police said.
He ran out of the parking
lot and into traffic on Harbor, where he was hit by a
vehicle heading east, police
said. The man was thrown
about 30 feet but managed
to get up and continue running, police said. Officers
eventually caught him.
The man was taken to a
hospital with moderate injuries, police said. He was
cited on suspicion of resisting arrest and possession
of narcotics and released,
police said.
Staff reports
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