3B SantaPaulawomanguiltyinslaying - Carnegie Art Museum › uploads › 2 › 0 › 5 › 0 › 2050909 › vcstar1... · 1/24/2015 · Science,technology, engi-neeringand math majorsfrom

LocalSection B

Saturday, January 24, 2015

■ PORT PLANNINGMore than 100 stakeholdersget together to help plotthe Port of Hueneme’s coursefor the next five years. 3B

By Marjorie [email protected]

A Ventura County juryFriday found aSanta Paulawoman guilty of second-degree murder for fatallyshooting another womanat a park in 2013.

Yajayra Lizette Domin-guez, 32, sobbed as a courtsecretary read the verdictin front of Superior CourtJudge Kevin DeNoce.

Prosecutors said sheshot 21-year-old AshleyCalanche, of Santa Paula,in the head with a smallhandgun as the twowom-en fought at Mill Park inSanta Paula on Sept. 27,2013.

Jurors also found truethat Dominguez inten-tionally discharged a

firearm causing greatbodily injury or death.

Dominguezwill face 40years to life inprisonwhenshe is sentenced Feb. 24.

Authorities said thetwo Santa Paula womendid not know each other,but Dominguez had sentthreatening Facebookmessages to Calanche inresponse to an allegedthreat the victim made toa friend of the defendant.

The twowomencrossedpathsoneafternoonatMill

Park in the 700 block ofNorthOjaiRoad. Prosecu-tors said Dominguez con-frontedCalanche, grabbedher by the hair, put a gunto her head and pulledthe trigger.

Dominguez took thestand during her trialand said Calanche triedto grab her hand asthey both struggled andpulled each other’s hair.Dominguez said the der-ringer in her hand dis-charged accidentally.

Dominguez said sheapologized to Calanche’ssister, who was also at thepark during the shooting.She said she asked thesister to not call policebecause she was afraid oflosing her children.

Her attorney, AyalaBenefraim of the pub-lic defender’s office,argued that her clientlacked malice and askedjurors to consider in-voluntary manslaughter.

Prosecutor Rebecca

Day, however, said foren-sics showed Dominguezdelivered a “kill shot”to Calanche.

Dominguez now faces asentence of 15 years to lifein prison for the second-degree murder charge.The firearm allegationcarries a sentence of 25years to life.

Dominguez’s fam-ily members and friendscried quietly inside the

Santa Paula woman guilty in slaying■ Jury issuessecond-degreemurder verdict

By Cindy Von [email protected]

A Cooper’s hawk diedthis week at CostcoWholesale inOxnard afterflying into the store daysearlier, a local wildlifeadvocate said.

Kim Stroud, directorof the Ojai Raptor Cen-ter, said she offered torescue the bird for $700,but the store declinedthe offer several times.The center is a nonprofitgroup that rescues andrehabilitates birds of preyand other wildlife.

Costco officials did notreturn phone calls forthis story.

Stroud said she learnedof the situation Jan. 17,when several peoplecalled her about thehawk. The hawk appar-ently flew into the storewhile following a smallerbird, she said.

Stroud said many peo-ple sent her photos of thebird and called her dailyabout their concerns for it.

“Everyone was moreconcerned about the ani-mal than their ownsafety,”Stroud said.

Stroudsaid trappingandfreeing aCooper’s hawk iscomplicated and requiresa lot of coordination, en-ergy and resources, hencethe $700 charge. She saidCostco did use some ofher tips, like keepingthe doors and skylightsopen in hopes the bird

HawkdiesinsideCostco■ Center sought$700 to save bird

By Claudia Boyd-BarrettSpecial to The Star

It’s not every day thata fledgling artist gets tosee her work exhibitedat an art museum. Espe-cially when that artist is10 years old.

So when Jazmin Lo-pez, of Mar Vista Schoolin Oxnard, found out shewas a winner in an artcontest andwould be part

of an exhibit at the city’sCarnegieArtMuseum, shesaid she danced for joy.

“I was like, ‘Yeah!’ ”Jazmin said Thursday asshe gazed proudly at herwinning art piece: a large,decorative splatter of pinkinkhanging inside themu-seum’s CAM Studio Gal-lery. “I feel really excited.”

Jazmin’s artwork isamong dozens of award-winning pieces by localstudents displayed at themuseum this week as partof the 2015 National FineArts Exhibition. The ex-hibit is organized by theBoys & Girls Clubs ofGreater Oxnard and Port

Hueneme. Students at 15Boys & Girls Club sitestook part.

The exhibit showcasesthewinners for fouragedi-visions in a variety of cat-egories, including sculp-ture, printmaking, mixed

media,multicolordrawingand oil painting.

While the contest isheld annually, this is thefirst year the winningpieces are being exhibited

Young artists getmuseum exhibit■ Youth clubshold contestfor local display

By Rachel McGrathSpecial to The Star

A professional searchfirm headquartered inNebraska has been se-lected to find a newsuperintendent for theConejo Valley UnifiedSchool District.

The district boardunanimously decidedTuesday to contract withMcPherson & Jacobson ofOmaha,which ispartneredwith theCalifornia School

Boards Association.“All members of the

board came to agreementthat they were best suit-ed to our needs,” boardPresident Betsy ConnollysaidWednesday. “Wewillbe meeting with them intwo weeks and movingbriskly along to get thesearch underway.”

At a special meetinglastweek, boardmembersheard presentations fromthree professional searchfirms, and Connolly saidthe fact that McPherson& Jacobson is endorsed bythe state associationwas apersuasive factor.

T.O. school districthires search help

See VERDICT, 2B

See HAWK, 2B

■ Nebraska firmto aid in hiringsuperintendent

See SUPERINTENDENT, 2B

CARLOS CHAVEZ/SPECIAL TO THE STAR

Jordyn Keys stands below her painting “Rainbow Leaf” as hermother, Danielle, snaps a picture Thursday at the CarnegieArt Museum in Oxnard. Jordyn’s work is part of the NationalFine Arts Exhibition.

See ART, 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 FamilyNight. Students and their parents tackled challenges together during Thursday night’s event.

By Michele Willer-AllredSpecial to The Star

Nine-year-old CarsynTschetter wants to be an engi-neer when he grows up.

So when he got the chanceThursdaynight tobuildamotor-ized robot that could scribble,he jumped at the opportunity.

Carsyn got the robot towork — just one of many suc-cesses that evening as about 100

students and their families at-tended an annual Somis Schoolevent called Science, Tech-nology, Engineering, Arts andMath (STEAM) Family Night.

It was the school’s third suchevent, with Thursday’s themefocusing on architecture andhow engineering and art com-bine to play an integral part ofthe design process.

Students rotated through ac-tivities in which they followedarchitectural designs to buildstructures out of toothpicksand gumdrops, explored au-dio engineering using a vir-tual drum machine, designed3-D paper art and built thescribbling robots.

They also learned about

architecture as a potential ca-reerpath, courtesyof JimArms-trong, owner of J.E. ArmstrongArchitect Inc.

AustinAbeyta, 17, joined oth-ers from his engineering classat the Architecture, Construc-tion & Engineering CharterHigh School in Camarillo toshow the younger studentsa robot they built for an up-coming competition.

Science, technology, engi-neering and math majors fromCSUChannel Islands served ascoaches for the group activities.

The family nights are part ofSomis School’s transformationinto aSTEAM-focusedcampus.

“Our STEAM Nights givefamilies and students a chance

to learn in fun and creativeways, while also giving thema glimpse of STEAM careers,”said Dr. Colleen Robertson,principal of the school andsuperintendentof theK-8SomisUnion School District.

Robertson said the schoolalso uses the acronymSTEAAM because of an em-phasis on agriculture.

Marcella Klein Williams,director of special projects atthe school, said STEAM eventsare important at the K-8 levelso children can start engagingthemselves in certain subjectsandseeing themselves incertaincareer paths.

Building up STEAM■ For 3rd year,Somis Schoolholds event

See STEAM, 2B

40 Presidential Dr., Simi Valley • For more information, to view a complete menu andto make reservations, please visit www.reaganfoundation.org/events or call 805.577.4057

HOLD YOUR EVENT AT THE REAGAN LIBRARYOR ATTEND THE FOLLOWING EVENTS

• PRESIDENT REAGAN'S BIRTHDAY LUNCH AND TOUR - February 6, 2015 • 12:30 pm - 4:30 pm• VALENTINE'S DAY SWEETHEART'S DINNER AND DANCE - February 14, 2015 • 6:00 pm - 10:00 pm• BIG BAND DINNER AND DANCE - March 6, 2015 • 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm

VCS1362316

TECNAVIA [CROPPDFINORIG] crop = 20 20 20 20

at theCarnegieArtMuse-um, saidErinAntrim,CEOfor theBoys&GirlsClubs.

“We’re just thrilled tobe able to have this here,”she said. “This is reallyimportant for us and ourcore program to be able tohave this level of profes-sionalism, having it in anart museum, and for ourkids and our parents to becelebrated in this way.”

Top winners in eachcategory will continue toa regional-level competi-tion, and regionalwinnerswill go on to compete ina national contest at theBoys & Girls Clubs ofAmerica’s headquartersin Atlanta later this year.Antrim said two localstudents won regionalprizes in 2014.

At the Oxnard exhibit’sopeningThursday,parentsand their children buzzedthrough the displaysalongside local dignitar-ies and board membersfor the museum and Boys&Girls Clubs.

Parents LaMarcus andDanielle Keys, of Oxnard,were delighted to discoverthat twoof their daughters— Jazmine, 13, and Jordyn,7—eachhadwonprizes intwo categories.

“We’re grinning widerthan the kids,” DanielleKeys said. “We’re proudof both of them.”

Jordyn, a tiny girl inpink-rimmed glasses,smiled shyly as she talkedabout a colorful butterflysculpture she had made.She said shehopes to be anartist when she grows up.

“I was afraid of butter-flies and I wanted to feelhappier around butter-flies,” she said. “It re-ally makes me happywhen I paint.”

Meanwhile, studentsfrom the club at RioRosales School huggedprogram leader GrisellDelgadillo as they lookedat a rose sculpturethey’d worked on withher guidance.

“Theywere so excited,”Delgadillo said. “It’s anhonor to have somethingat a museum.”

2B » Saturday, January 24, 2015 » T H E S TA R

local

would fly out.She said she spoke to

Costco managers severaltimes and reached out tothe company’s regionaloffice in Washington be-fore she was informedthe hawk died Wednes-day night or Thurs-day morning.

Stroud said Cooper’shawks need to eat one-third of their own weight

daily to survive, so thebird must have starvedto death.

“Those birds need toeat every day becausetheir metabolism is sofast,” she said.

She also said theyare more afraid of hu-mans than larger hawks,which is why the birddid not f ly down anddisturb customers.

“I’m hoping that in thefuture something likethis will be taken care ofquicker,” Stroud said.

HAWKfrom 1B

courtroom as sheriff ’sdeputies led away a sob-bing Dominguez.

Outside the courtroom,Calanche’s family andfriends wiped tears andhuggedone another.Manyof themwore a gold ribbonpin with a tiny sunflower,Calanche’s favorite flower.

Nancy Rodriguez,Calanche’s aunt, wipedtears and said the ver-dict brings some closurefor her family.

Rodr ig uez sa idCalanche was studyingphotography and was ex-cited to start a careerwhiletaking care of her son,then 1 year old.

“Nobody has a right totake another person’s life,”Rodriguez said. “Ashleywas a very happy and lov-ing young lady, and herson meant everythingto her. It’s really sad thatDominguez was so wor-ried about her kids beingtaken away from her, butshe gave no concern thatshe took away someoneelse’s mom.”

VERDICTfrom 1B

“The staff from the search firm that will be work-ing with us have a great deal of experience not just assuperintendents themselves but as peoplewho have ledsearch efforts before,” she said. “Theywill help us clar-ify what we are looking for and what our communityis looking for, and also persuade potential candidatesthat we would be a great place to work.”

Superintendent Jeff Baarstad said hiring thesearch firm will cost the school district $27,500 plustravel expenses.

Baarstad, 60, is retiring at the end of the currentschool year after five years at the helm.

Hewas the district’s assistant superintendent of busi-ness services when the board decided to appoint himto take over from Superintendent Mario Contini, whostepped down in June 2010. Contini had been selectedfor the job in 2006 after a search conducted by theVen-tura County Office of Education.

In other business, the board on Tuesday once againwas facedwith challenges surrounding the sale of sur-plus district property at the Rancho Conejo industrialpark in Newbury Park.

The undeveloped 10.7-acre site has gone throughthree buyers since it was first put up for sale in 2011.

The latest buyer, Jemstreet Properties, had enteredinto a purchase agreement and escrow in September2013 after bidding $3.13million for the property.Howev-er, the company informed district officials just recentlythat it is unable to complete the transaction.

Local businessmen and developers Martin Tietel-baum and Hugh Cassar have agreed to purchase theproperty and adhere to all the requirements of theoriginal agreement.

The district also iswithholding $20,000 of JemstreetProperties’ $75,000 escrow deposit to compensate thedistrict for the time and legal expenses incurred duringthe escrow period.

Connolly said that the board could have decidedto start over and issue a new proposal but decidedthe district would best be best by transferring toanother buyer.

Until the sale of the property onConejoCenterDriveis completed, plans for a new continuation high schoolin the district remain on hold.

The district plans to use the money from this saleand the sale of its Kelley Road 10-acre site, the currenthome of Conejo Valley High School and the districtmaintenance facility, to fund a new campus.

The district in September accepted a bid of $8.9mil-lion from Daylight Investors for the Kelley Road sitefronting Highway 101.

SUPERINTENDENTfrom 1B

From staff reports

PointMuguStateParkwon’t reopen thisweekend,officials said Friday.

Officials closed the park, which stretches fromNewbury Park to the ocean, after a Dec. 12 storm.Mud and rocks slid down steep canyons in heavyrain, covering roads and campgroundswith debrisand washing out some trails. The park was sched-uled to be closed until Feb. 1.

Earlier this week, however, Craig Sap, districtsuperintendent for state parks, said he hoped toopen it as soon as the weekend. But he said Fridaythe reopeningdatewasmoved toThursday, becauseof the amount ofwork that still needs to be finishedonWoodCanyon,RanchCenter, SycamoreCanyonand Overlook fire roads.

More than a dozen slides also hit the adjacentPacificCoastHighway.A9-mile sectionof thehigh-waybetweenCamarillo andMalibuhas beenclosedsince. It’s expected to be closed at least through theend of the month.

When the park reopens, staffmembers will postsigns at the Rancho Sierra Vista-Point Mugu StatePark boundary that access to PCH is not permit-ted, Sap said. Another sign will be posted at theOverlook-SycamoreCanyonfire roads’ intersectionreminding parkgoers not to travel to the highway.

A fence and a sign also will be posted at the LaJollaCanyonTrail/La JollaValleyLoopTrail to pre-vent access because of severe damage. A rockslidetook out the trail at thewaterfall about amile abovePCH, Sap said.

When the highway reopens, plans call for re-moving all restrictions except for trail accessto PCH from La Jolla Valley. There’s no date forthat reopening.

State parkchanges plansfor reopening

PHOTOS BY CARLOS CHAVEZ/SPECIAL TO THE STAR

Jose Cruz (left) and grandson Mario Franco view one of the paintings in the National Fine ArtsExhibition at the Carnegie Art Museum in Oxnard.

ARTfrom 1B

Young artists from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Oxnard and PortHueneme and their parents look at the award-winning art.

“We want to make surethey are making connec-tions to their future, thatthese are possible careerpaths, so we have activi-ties that highlight the rel-evance of STEAM,” KleinWilliams said.

Students have an incen-tive to attend the STEAMevents: If they go, they re-ceive stamps that can beturned in and entered in adrawing for $100.

Carolyn Gass, a SomisSchool teacher, said thechallengingpart ofThurs-day night’s activities wasthat some instructionswere given, but partici-pants weren’t told exactlyhow to perform the task.

“Wemay give you somehints, but you have totroubleshoot it yourself.We want you to ask ques-tions, such as, ‘What do Ineed to get this to work?’or ‘What do I need tochange?’” Gass said.

AllieWolf, 12, ended upbuilding a gumdrop struc-ture that toweredover onebuilt by her father, TomWolf, a Somis teacher.

Coral Sanchez engi-neered drum sounds onan iPad with her childrenRuben, 9, and Natalie, 5.

“I love it,” Sanchez saidof the evening, “especiallybecause it gives them op-portunities to explore andlearn more about thingstheymaywant to dowhen

they grow up.”Genesis Garcia helped

engineer Valentine’s Day-themedpop-up cardswithniece Paloma Grimaldo.

Odette Barajas saidher daughter Emily wasexcited about the eventbecause she likes to buildthings and put togetherpuzzles. The 7-year-oldworked with her dad,Genaro Barajas, on a plas-tic foamcup structure thatthey hoped would reachthe ceiling.

Gass said one of thebest parts of the event isthat entire families from

different generations areinvolved andwork togeth-er on hands-on projects.

“It’s a family affair,” shesaid. “When students aresupported, they can do

great things.”

STEAMfrom 1B

JOE LUMAYA/SPECIAL TO THE STAR

Three generations that have attended Somis School — Bob Fulkerson (from left), a 28-yearSomis Union School District board member, his granddaughter Grace Cobb and her dad, TylerCobb — use their motorized scribble bot to make a design on paper during the STEAM FamilyNight. They designed their bot with a cup, some markers, tape and a miniature motor.

IF you goThe exhibit runsthroughSunday atthemuseum, 424S. CSt., Oxnard.Saturday’s hoursare 10a.m. to 5p.m.;Sunday’s hours are1-5 p.m. Admissionis $4 for adults,$2 for seniors andstudents, $1 forchildren 6 and olderand free for childrenyounger than 6.Museummembersget in free. Call385-8158 formoreinformation.

PLAZA 14 CINEMAS255W. 5th StreetOxnard, CA 933085-487-8380

ROXY STADIUM 11501 Verdugo WayCamarillo, CA 9312

85-388-532

ALL DIGITAL SOUNDALL STADIUM SEATING

EntertainmentGroup

SATURDAY 01/24/15

TUESDAY DISCOUNTS ARE $5.00 ALL DAYFOR ALL NON 3D SHOWS AND $8.00 FOR

3D SHOWS EXCLUDING HOLIDAYS.

VCS13

5956

2

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 9:30STRANGE MAGIC (PG) (10:45 1:05)

3:25 5:45 8:05 10:25BOY NEXT DOOR (R) (11:15 1:25)

3:30 5:40 7:50 10:15CAKE (R) (11:20 1:50) 4:25 7:15 10:00AMERICAN SNIPER (R) (10:50 1:40) 4:35 7:25 10:20THEWEDDING RINGER (R) (11:05 1:40)

4:10 7:35 10:15PADDINGTON (PG) (10:55 1:10) 3:20 5:30 7:40 9:55BLACKHAT (R) (11:25) 8:30SPARE PARTS (PG13) (11:10 1:45) 4:20 7:30 10:05TAKEN 3 (PG13) (11:00 1:35) 4:05 7:05 9:35SELMA (PG13) (10:45 1:30) 4:15 7:00 9:50WOMAN IN BLACK (PG13) (11:30 1:55)

4:30 7:10 9:45INTO THEWOODS (PG)(10:55 1:45) 4:40 7:20 10:10UNBROKEN (PG13) 2:20 5:25

MORTDECAI (R) (11:00 1:30 4:00) 7:00 9:45

CAKE (R) (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

SELMA (PG13) (1:40 4:30) 7:20

BLACKHAT (PG) (10:50) 10:10

THE NUTCRACKER (NR) SUNDAY 1/25@ 1:00

ENCORE SHOWING ONWEDNESDAY 1-28@ 6:30PMShow times subject to change daily.

VCS13

5945

8

AMERICAN SNIPER (R)10:35 11:25 1:45 2:404:55 5:55 8:10 9:10BIRDMAN (R)10:40 1:35 4:257:15 10:05BLACKHAT (R)10:30 1:30 4:307:30 10:30THE BOY NEXT DOOR(R) 11:35 2:154:45 7:10 9:45THE IMITATION GAME(PG-13) 11:30 2:506:30 9:20INTO THE WOODS(PG) 10:25 1:204:20 7:20 10:35MORTDECAI (R)11:15 2:10 4:557:40 10:25

PADDINGTON (PG)10:25 2:30 5:40 8:45

SELMA (PG-13)11:45 3:10 6:55 9:55

SPARE PARTS(PG-13) 10:45 1:454:35 7:25 10:15

STRANGE MAGIC(PG) 11:05 1:404:15 6:50 9:25

TAKEN 3 (PG-13)11:00 1:50 4:407:35 10:20

THE WEDDING RINGER(R) 10:50 12:30 1:353:45 5:00 6:25 7:459:00 10:35

MORDECAI (R)11:20 2:00 4:407:20 10:00STRANGE MAGIC(PG) 11:10 1:504:25 7:00 9:35AMERICAN SNIPER(R) 10:45 12:251:55 3:35 5:056:45 8:15 9:55PADDINGTON (PG)11:00 1:30 4:006:30 9:00BLACKHAT (R)3:45 9:45

SELMA (PG-13)11:10 2:15 5:25 8:30THE IMITATION GAME(PG-13) 10:50 1:354:25 7:10 10:00WILD (R)10:55 1:40 4:307:15 10:00WHIPLASH (R)11:05 1:45 4:207:05 9:50THE THEORY OFEVERYTHING(PG-13) 12:45 6:50

AMERICAN SNIPER (XD) (R)12:25 3:40 7:00 10:20

THE BOY NEXT DOOR E (11:40, 2:20, 4:50), 7:50, 10:25MORTDECAI E (12:45, 4:10), 7:30, 10:30STRANGE MAGIC B (11:20, 1:50, 4:40), 7:10, 10:00AMERICAN SNIPER E (2:15), 5:15, 8:20, 9:15AMERICAN SNIPER - DOLBY ATMOS E (1:00,4:15), 7:20BLACKHAT E (11:20 AM)PADDINGTON B (11:30, 2:10, 4:30), 6:50, 10:15SELMA C (12:15, 3:45), 7:00, 9:50BIRDMAN E (11:15, 4:45), 7:40, 10:20WHIPLASH E (2:00 PM)

THE BOY NEXT DOOR E (12:00, 2:30), 5:10, 7:30, 10:00MORTDECAI E (11:30, 2:10, 4:55), 7:40, 10:10STRANGE MAGIC B (11:40, 2:20, 4:40), 7:00, 9:30AMERICAN SNIPER E (12:10, 4:00), 7:15, 10:15BLACKHAT E (4:45), 10:30PADDINGTON B (11:20, 1:40, 4:20), 6:50, 9:10THE WEDDING RINGER E (12:20, 2:40), 5:20, 8:00, 10:20INTO THE WOODS B (11:15, 2:00), 7:45THE IMITATION GAME C (11:15, 1:50, 4:30),7:10, 9:45THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING C (11:15, 2:00, 4:45)BIRDMAN E 7:50, 10:30GOOD MORNING VIETNAM E Wed: 7:30 PM

WILD E (12:15), 7:00THE IMITATION GAME C (11:15, 2:00, 4:45),7:30, 10:10BIRDMAN E (12:00), 7:15WHIPLASH E (3:45), 10:00BOYHOOD E (3:30), 9:40

29045 Agoura Road 818-707-9966AGOURA HILLS STADIUM 8

255 North Moorpark Rd. 805-374-9656JANSS MARKETPLACE 9

390 N. Lantana at Daily 805-383-2267PASEO CAMARILLO 3

Showtimes for January 24Bargain Showtimes in ( ) “Locally Owned, Proudly Operated”

WILD E (12:15), 7:15THE IMITATION GAME C (11:15, 2:00, 4:45),7:30, 10:10WHIPLASH E (3:45), 10:00

THE INTERVIEW E 11:50, 2:30, 5:10, 7:40, 10:15EXODUS: GODS AND KINGS C 3:10, 9:20PENGUINS OF MADAGASCAR 3D B 11:30,2:10, 4:30, 7:00DUMB AND DUMBER TO C 9:50 PMINTERSTELLAR C 12:30, 4:00, 8:00ST. VINCENT C 11:40, 2:00, 4:40, 7:20THE BOOK OF LIFE B 12:00, 2:20, 4:50, 7:10, 9:40FURY E 12:10, 6:40GONE GIRL E 9:45 PM

THE BOY NEXT DOOR E (12:10, 2:40), 5:10, 7:40, 9:55MORTDECAI E (11:40, 2:30, 4:55), 7:30, 10:10STRANGE MAGIC B (11:50, 2:20, 4:50), 7:10, 9:40AMERICAN SNIPER E (12:00, 3:00), 7:00, 10:00PADDINGTON B (11:30, 2:10, 4:30), 6:50, 9:10SPARE PARTS C (11:20, 2:00, 4:40), 7:20, 10:00THE WEDDING RINGER E (12:20, 2:50), 5:15, 7:50, 10:15

4711 Lakeview Canyon at Agoura Rd. 818-889-8061WESTLAKE VILLAGE TWIN

1440 Eastman Ave. at Telephone Rd. 805-658-6544BUENAVENTURA 6

All Seats $3.50 • $1.00 All Beef Hot Dogs$1.50 Surcharge for 3D Movies

550 W. Main Street 805-933-6707SANTA PAULA 7

All Seats $6.00 Before 5pm • $1.50 All Beef Hot Dogs

Buy Tickets Onlinewww.regencymovies.com

VCS1359426


T H E S TA R « Saturday, January 24, 2015 « 3B

local

By Claudia Boyd-BarrettSpecial to The Star

The city of Santa Paulawill continue to allowthree nonprofit groupsto lease city-owned fa-cilities almost for free,

the City Council decidedthis week.

The Boys&Girls Clubsof SantaClaraValley, San-ta PaulaChamber ofCom-merce andSanta Paula So-ciety of theArts should beallowed to lease proper-ties from the city for $12a year in exchange for thepublic benefit they pro-vide, the council agreedat its Tuesday meeting.The Boys & Girls Clubsoccupies the clubhouse at

Harding Park, while thechamber and arts societyare at the Southern PacificRailroad Depot.

The city staff last yearrenegotiated six leaseagreements with otherprivate entities, increas-ing overall annual rentalrates by $76,000, ac-cording to a staff report.These include leaseswith for-profit compa-nies CEMEX, Santa PaulaChevrolet andT.E. Acosta

Plastering. Chargingmar-ket rate for the remainingthree rental propertieswould generate up to anadditional $64,200 a year,the report stated.

Speakers for the threenonprofits during themeeting extolled thework their organizationsdo for the public, such asproviding a safe place forchildren after school andsupporting local tourism.

The council directed

the city staff to negoti-ate additional terms ofthe low-cost lease agree-ments with the non-profits and return forfinal approval.

Also at the meeting,City Manager JaimeFontes announced aplanned joint meetingbetween the council andthe Santa Paula UnifiedSchool District govern-ing board. He called themeeting “monumental”

and said no suchmeetinghad taken place in years.

The counci l andschool district meetingwill begin at 6:30 p.m.Monday at the SantaPaula Community Cen-ter, 530 West Main St.Items on the agenda in-clude a discussion ontraffic and parking is-sues surrounding SantaPaula Union High Schooland an update on the EastArea One development.

Santa Paula keeps nonprofits’ rent low■ City Council,school boardset to meet

By Anne KallasSpecial to The Star

ThePortofHuenemein-vitedmorethan100govern-ment representatives, con-tractors and communityleaders to help develop itsfive-year strategic plan.

The group agreed themost important priority isbuilding stronger relation-ships among the Navy,the port and the city ofPortHueneme.

With port Director andCEO Kristin Decas notingthatportactivitiesgenerate3,000 jobs directly and in-directly in Ventura Coun-ty, the group assembledThursdaynightat theport’sheadquarters, chargedwith developing prioritiesinto 2020.

Led by supportmanage-ment company AECOM(Architecture, Engineer-ing, Construction, Opera-tions and Management),various people from thecommunity, includingPort Hueneme Council-men Doug Breeze, TomFigg and JimHensley, PortHueneme City ManagerCynthia Haas and OxnardCityManagerGregNyhoff,brainstormed ideas to helpthe port become better en-gaged with the surround-ing community.

According to Decas, theport is a “specialty port”with an emphasis on ba-nanas, automobiles andliquid fertilizer. It’s theonlydeepwater port betweenLosAngeles and San Fran-cisco, and because it isn’tas big as other ports, thereis less traffic congestion,which means faster actionmoving goods in and outof the area.

But as pointed out bydiscussiongroupshuddledaround five tables, thereis a lot of work neededto make the port work at

top efficiency.Representatives of

AECOM and the port,which is overseen by theOxnard Harbor District,moved around the roomjotting down concerns ofpeople at each table. Thegroups were asked to ad-dress economic vitality,marketingandcommunityrelations, environmentalconcerns, informationtech-nology,andcommunityandstrategic partnerships.

Figg, a recently electedcouncilman who ran ona platform that includedmending tattered relationsbetween Oxnard and PortHueneme, said he wantedthe strategic planning ses-siontobemorethan“a feel-good exercise.”

Among the issuesraised was the need forbetter transportation av-enues for the goods thattravel through the port,which is adjacent toNaval

Base Ventura CountyPort Hueneme.

In addition to adding toa short railroad spur thatserves the port, partici-pants called for wideningHueneme Road and RiceAvenue to make it easierfor trucks to move cargoin and out.

Many asked whetherthe port would be able toannex more land to helpwith automobile storage,which in recent monthshas spilled to variouslocations in Camarilloand Oxnard. But the landnear the port is limited,Decas said.

Among the capital proj-ects being considered aredeepening the harbor tohandle bigger ships, add-ing to the railroad lines,wharf modernization,shoreline protections andthe addition of electricalplug-in devices to reducecarbon emissions.

Port of Hueneme talksabout the next 5 years■ Strategicmeeting draws100 participants

Contributed photo

Mocha is a 9-year-old Chow mix that came to the shelter when her owners lost their home and couldno longer care for her. She is a quiet girl who is easy to walk, and she enjoys car rides. With an easy-going personality, her demands are few. She would enjoy nothing more than curling up and relaxingnear her new person. If you have room in your home and heart for this older pup, stop by the shelterand ask to meet her. Request A3443783 to adopt Mocha. The shelter is at 29525 Agoura Road inAgoura Hills. pets occasionally have already been adopted. Call 818-991-0071 or visit http://animalcare.lacounty.gov to check availability.

Contributed photo

Gigi is a sweet 3-year-old cat living at the shelter for almost a year. She gets along well with othercats and is friendly with people. Gigi is spayed. The shelter staff recommends that all cats live insideonly. You can meet Gigi at the Humane Society of Ventura County in Ojai. Her adoption fee of $120includes spaying, vaccinations, free veterinary check, feline leukemia test, microchip implantationand 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.

East county pet of theweek

West county pet of theweek

From staff reports

The Rancho Simi Rec-reation and Park Districtboard this week autho-rized an application fora federal grant to helppurchase Alamos Can-yon, a wildlife corridorbetween Simi Valleyand Moorpark, for useas open space.

The district will applyfor up to $1.5 million fromthe Land and Water Con-servation Fund, which isadministered through thestate Office of Grants andLocal Services. The dis-trict previously has ap-plied for a $1million grantfrom the state Environ-mental Enhancement andMitigation Program.

Its partner in the possi-ble purchaseof the canyonfromWaste ManagementInc., the nonprofit NatureConservancy, has alreadysecured a $500,000 grantfrom the Santa MonicaMountains Conservancy.

Even if the district isawarded the two grantsand adds them to the Na-ture Conservancy’s grant,the $3million total wouldbe less than half of the$7.9 million WasteManagement wants forthe canyon, said RobinWalker, the district’s se-niormanagement analyst.

The district and theconservancy are negotiat-ing with Waste Manage-ment on the purchaseprice, she said.

The 734-acre canyon

is north of Highway 118between Waste Manage-ment’s landfill to theeast and the Simi Valley/Moorpark boundaryto the west.

Grant sought for wildlife land

VCS13

6121

5

AT THE LOWEST PRICES

Proudly made in Oxnard, USABBB Rated A+

• LOWER PRICES than Lowes, Home Depot,3 Day Blinds, or other retail stores

• Eco Friendly Non-Toxic Finishes• FAST delivery

805.983.1735Hours M-F 10am-5pm

1851 Holser Walk,Suite 205, Oxnard

License #658548

SustainableUSA Hardwood

Local • Not Imported

Call Today forFREE In-HomeEstimates

The Finest Hardwood Shutters

WoodcraftShutters

BetterBusinesBureau

FACTORY DIRECTCUSTOM SHUTTERS

BLINDS AND SHADES AT DISCOUNT PRICES

John Thomas Shuttercustomers, call us for

all your shutter needs at805-498-4333

www.woodcraftshutters.com

Happy Birthdayto our Angel in Heaven

VCS1363052

“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.”

Rudy “Speedy” Moraga Jr.

Jan. 24, 1959 - Oct. 9, 2014

Our family is so blessed to have all the love, prayers andsupport from all of our family and friends during thisdifficult time. For your wonderful stories that broughtus many smiles, laughs, and comfort. Thank you all forthe beautiful gift of friendship you had for “Speedy”!

LoveThe Moraga Family

Ventura Mattress Factory

How do you know you arebuying the best mattress?

Paid Advertisement

1806 Goodyear Ave, Ventura805-658-2866

Next to Vic’s Plumbing Supply

Do you remember the days whenmattress shopping was simpleand easy? All you had to worryabout was who the maker was,the comfort level, and how longit was going to last. Well youcan kiss those days goodbye.We have noticed over the lastfew years an alarming numberof confusion amongst newcustomers. There are multiplereasons for this confusion.Recently there has been a massinflux of product offerings. Themanymore brand offeringsmakeit both frightening and difficultto make a decision when buyinga new mattress. Additionally,all of their names sound thesame- Sealy, Simmons, Serta,Stearns & Foster, etc. Also, thereare a lot of unique materialsbeing used as sleeping surfaces.For example, air mattresses,adjustable mattresses, memoryfoam mattresses, latex, andregular polyurethane foams-these are all beds withoutsprings. How is the consumer

supposed to know which oneis best? Shopping for a newmattress can be like fallingdown a rabbit hole.

Mattress shoppers are looking tothe internet to get informationabout mattresses before theymake a purchase. Informationand misinformation on theinternet is contributing to theconfusion amongst buyers.After being in the industry27 years, this wave of confusionis something we have notseen before. The unsuspectingconsumer looking for a mattressreally gets lost amongst all themisinformation. So first of all,I’d like to apologize for all ofthe confusion that the mattressindustry has caused. Our goalat Spencer’s Ventura MattressFactory is to inform andrepresent each and every rawmaterial brand and mattress sothat you can make a concise andproper decision when buying amattress- while at the same timegetting you the best possible

mattress for yourmoney becausewe manufacture our mattresseson site her at Spencer’s VenturaMattress Factory.

A new mattress is something weall have to buy at some point.Not to mention, sleep is crucialto our health and wellbeing.So why has the mattressindustry taken something sosimple and made it complicated?At Spencer’s Ventura MattressFactory, we do not want to takeadvantage of your confusion,we want to give you more clarityduring your decision makingprocess. We know it should notbe so hard to buy a mattress.

At Spencer’s Ventura MattressFactory, mattress shoppingcan actually be pleasant andwe guarantee to make you feelcomfortable with the decisionyou make. Our goal is to informand educate you. We understandyour confusion. Please comein and talk to Spencer today toclarify any confusion.

VCS1360400



religion

By Joe Mozingo, MattHamilton and Jeff GottliebLos Angeles Times (TNS)

LOS ANGELES — He wan-dered beyond the edge ofChristendomintoa ruggedlandof “infidels”he soughtto convert.

When the Rev. JuniperoSerra and his cavalcadearrived at la bahia de SanDiego in 1769, between225,000and310,000nativesinhabited the territory thatwould become the state ofCalifornia. The string ofmissionsheandhisFrancis-canorderestablishedwouldbecome an origin story forthe state, a folkloric tale ofvineyards and benevolentfriars, taught to studentsfromModoc to SanYsidro.

Realitywasmuchharsh-er. The Spanish floggednatives who disobeyed,banned their beliefs andcustoms, captured thosewho tried to escape. Inthe end, they convertedless than a quarter of the

population,while their live-stockanddiseasedestroyednative food supplies anddecimated villages.

Serra has been hailedandpilloriedas theColum-busofCalifornia, an intrep-id explorer who opened abountifulnewlandtoEuro-peans at the expenseof thepeople already there.

Thus it was inevitablethat people would besharply divided over PopeFrancis’announcementthisweek that Serra would bemade a saint. It’s a debate,saidThomasP.Rausch,pro-fessor of theological stud-ies at Loyola MarymountUniversity, that evaluates“an 18th-century Catholicmissionaryby21st-centurystandardsofculturaldiver-sity, religiouspluralismandpersonal autonomy.”

“There’s an enormousbias against Father Serrathatmayreflectsomeof thesecular notions that are soprevalent today,” he said.“The question we should

ask is this: Was the mes-sage of the Gospel worthhearing in the first place?”

Some say there is noth-ing wrong with highlight-ing the dark side of Serra’slegacy.

“During the Spanish co-lonial and theMexicanpe-riod we lost 90 percent ofthe Indians inCalifornia,”said Ron Andrade, direc-tor of Los Angeles City/County Native AmericanIndianCommission. “Ser-ra was no saint to us.”

Others such as RubenMendoza, coordinatorof California mission ar-chaeology at CaliforniaStateUniversity,MontereyBay, say the canonizationis long overdue.

“I’ve always felt thecanonization process wasstymied throughmisinfor-mation and politicization,and layingblameandonusonone individualwhowasactually in constant con-flict with governors andmilitary commanders in

New Spain over how theywere treating Indians,”Mendoza said.

Heandothers saidSerrafought efforts to enslavethe Indians. And whip-pings were not limitedto natives, but a commonmethodofdiscipline in theSpanish empire.

“Onoccasion,”Mendozasaid, “I’vemetwithAmeri-can Indian groupswho telltheir students — 50 to 60at a time — how the Cali-forniamissionaries raped,plundered and murderedNative American civiliza-tion. But I go through Ser-ra’s own documents and Idon’t see any of that.”

When the Kumeyaaysacked the San Diego Mis-sion in 1775 — killing threeSpaniards — the viceroycaptured about a dozen In-dians and called for theirexecution,saidGregoryOr-falea,whowroteabiographyofSerra.ButSerracalledforthe prisoners’ release andpleaded their case to the

viceroyina letter: “Astothekiller, let him live so that hecan be saved, for that is thepurposeofourcominghereand its sole justification.”

In so doing, Orfaleasaid, Serramodeledhis lifeon the gospel of love—nota desire for land or gold.And in this way, he wasdifferent from Columbus,whoenslavedand torturedCaribbean natives in hisquest for precious metals.

Orfalea said Pope Fran-cis’ decision was no sur-prise. A Jesuit who tookthe name after the saintand founder of the Fran-ciscan order, Francis doesnot believe in Catholicismconfinedto the ivory tower.Serra was a kindred spiritwhoabandonedahigh-pro-file academic post to takeon the dangerous, austerelife of amissionary.

Serra established ninemissions between San Di-ego andSanFrancisco andbaptized 6,000 Indians.He viewed the indigenous

tribesasheathenswhodes-perately needed the Gos-pel. They did not practiceagriculture, produce pot-teryormetallurgy, orbuildsubstantial structures. Butthey had a complex wayof living off the land, mi-grating from the coast tothe foothills every year tofollow the food supply andweaving elaborate basketsto store and carry theirgoods. They manipulatedthe chaparral with fire toproducemore food to pickand animals to hunt.

Cattle ranching andsheep grazing led to thecollapseof their traditionaleconomy, aided by a laterlaw banning the Indiansfrom burning the land-scape. Thosewho convert-edwereforcedtodroptheiroldways andeat, dress andact like theEuropeans.

When Serra died nearMonterey in 1784, themis-sion system was still in itsinfancy. Ultimately, thesystemgrewto21missions.

Decision to canonize Junipero Serra draws divided reaction

SATURDAY, JAN. 24, 2015 F1

Agoura

Gateway ChurchSundays 8:30 & 10:00 a.m.

Ministry for the Entire Family

Pastor Brian Campbell“Real People Doing Life

Together”

www.gateway4.org29646 Agoura Road,

Agoura Hills818-889-4147

New Hope LutheranChurch

Pastor Craig Beeker“A Dream and a Call”

8:30am & 11amSunday School for ages

www.NewHopeAgoura.com29295 Agoura Rd,

Agoura Hills, Ca 91301818-889-8700

The Church of theEpiphany (Episcopal)

8:00am Holy Communion10am Choral Eucharist

w/Children’s program 9:45am

Rev.Melissa McCarthy Vicar

www.tcote.org5450 Churchwood Dr.

Oak Park(818)991-4797

Camarillo

Camarillo Churchof Christ

Sunday Class: 9:30a-10:15aWorship: 10:30a-NoonChild care available!

camarillochurchofchrist.com

(Temple Ave. & Lewis Rd.)515 Temple Ave, Cam, 93010

805-482-3505

Center forSpiritual LivingPleasant Valley

Honoring All Paths of God.Rev. Pam Geagan

Celebration/Jr. Church 10-11aPre-Service Meditation 9:30a

Talk: Pam GeaganMusic: Andrew Pettit

www.csl-pleasantvalley.org221 Daily Drive, Suite 1

805-482-4300

FIRST CHURCH OFCHRIST, SCIENTIST

CAMARILLO

Sunday Service 10amSunday School 10amTestimony MeetingWednesday 7:30pm

Reading Room Call for Hourswww.prayerthatheals.org

380 Mission Dr.805-482-4502

Good ShepherdLutheran (AFLC)

Sunday Worship Gatherings8:30am Foundations Service

11am Fresh Start ServiceListen to “Soul Break”, M-F,

12:30 & 10:30p on KDAR 98.3James L. Johnson, Sr. Pastor

goodshepherd-church.net380 Arneill Rd., Camarillo

805-384-9243

Peace LutheranChurch (LCMS)

8a & 11a Traditional Services9:30a Contemporary Service

9:30a Bible Classes(3yr-adult)Nursery Care

7p Thursday Lifetree CafeRob Rebensal Pastor

www.peacecamarillo.com71 Loma Dr., Camarillo

805-482-3313

Moorpark

Faith LutheranChurch (LCMS)

Pastor Bob Hiller“The Day God Changed His

Mind” Jonah 3:1-5,10Sun. 8a Traditional Service

9:15a Bible Study andSunday School

10:15a Contemporary Servicewww.faithmoorpark.com

123 Park Lane, Moorpark805-532-1049

Life SpringCommunity ChurchSundays 9:00 & 10:30am

Children and Youth GroupsPastor: Tony Amantangelo

www.lscc.us5384 Kazuko Court

Moorpark, CA 93021

805-523-0050

Newbury Park

Monte VistaPresbyterian Church8:30am Traditional Service

10:30am ContemporaryService

both with Nursery andSunday School.

3797 W. Lynn Road, NPwww.montevistapc.org805-498-8213

Oxnard

All Saints/Todos losSantos Episcopal

Church“A Welcoming Congregation!”

Join us for ServicesSun. English @ 9:15a

Spanish @ 11:15aWed. Eucharist 5:00p

Community Yoga 6:10pwww.allsantos.org

144 South C St., Oxnard805-483-2347

OvercomersCommunity Outreach

MinistriesHeritage Square ChapelA Non Denominational

Christian ChurchSunday School 8:15 am

Worship Services 9:30 amCo Pastors

Ralph & Elaine James731 South A Street805-302-7986

Santa Paula

Our Lady ofGuadalupe

Catholic ChurchMISAS/MASSES:

Domingo(s)/Sunday8a, 11:30a, 1p & 6p Misa

10am Mass (English)Father Charles Lueras, CRIC

www.olgsp.org427 N. Oak St., Santa Paula

805-525-3716

UniversalistUnitarian Church

Liberal ReligionNurture Your Spirit

Heal Our World

www.uucsp.org740 E Main St, Santa Paula

805-525-4647

The one source for local news.

Simi Valley

BEIT HA TIKVAHMessianic

CongregationLearn about the Jewish Jesus

Worship and Celebrate theFeast Days with us.Sabbath Services

Saturday 10:00 AMDr. Antoine Puller - Rabbi

1492 Sinaloa Rd. Simi Valley805-297-8223

CongregationB’nai Emet

Religious School, Preschool,Adult Education,

Sisterhood, Men’s Club.Weekly Shabbat Svcs 8PM

Family Svc 1st Fri of mo 7PMcongregationbnaiemet.org

9 West Bonita805-581-3723

First Church ofChrist Scientist

Spiritual Healing based on theteachings of Jesus.

www.prayerthatheals.orgSunday Service & Sunday

School 10amWed. Testimony mtg 8pm

Reading room-Wed.11-12:30pm Sat 11-1:30pm1206 Erringer Road/ Arcane

805-526-6090

St. Francis of AssisiEpiscopal Church

Sunday 8a Spoken Eucharist10:15a Eucharist with music,childcare & Sunday School.Fourth Sunday of the month

a Contemporary Serviceat 5p on the patio.

Wed @ 10a - Healing Servicestfrancischurchofsimi.org

280 Royal Ave, Simi Valley805-526-5141

The United MethodistChurch of Simi Valley

Sunday Worship 9AMSunday School 9AM

Youth GroupSunday Evening @ 6pm

Messy Church 1st Fri 5:30pm(805) 526-6231

2394 Erringer Rdsimivalleyumc.org

Thousand Oaks

Ascension LutheranChurch & School

Sun 8:a & 9:30 am TraditionalSun 11:00a Contemporary

Sat 6:00p Country“Go Fishing!”

By Pastor Steve HerderNursery Care Provided

www.alcto.org1600 E. Hillcrest Dr805-495-0406

Emmanuel ChurchTwo 10AM Services

Traditional & Celebrate

Full Nursery andChildren’s Ministries

www.epconling.org588 Camino Manzanas

Thousand Oaks805-498-4502

First Church ofChrist, Scientist, T.O.

Sunday Service 10am.Wednesday Testimony Mtg7:30. 305 Conejo School Rd

www.prayerthatheals.org

Reading Room, Mon-Fri 10-4,Thurs til 8, Sat & Sun 1-42900 Townsgate Bl #114,

Westlake Vlg/Thousand Oaks805-495-8202

Thousand Oaks

Holy Trinity ELCASunday Worship

8:15 & 11:00 Traditional9:45 Informal

9:30 Sunday SchoolNursery Care Provided

Senior Pastor: Erik GoehnerAssoc Pastor: Janet Hansted1 W. Avenida de los Arboles

www.htlcto.orgfor info or directions call

805-492-1234

St. Patrick’sEpiscopal Church

Sunday 8:00AM & 10:15amChildcare & Sunday

School 10:15am

www.stpatschurch.org

1 Church Rd, Thousand Oaks805-495-6441

Temple Adat ElohimWe Welcome

Singles, seniors & families.Coming up: Jan. 30-ShabbatShira 7:30p-9p Experience aShabbat filled with music andspirit Plus, programs for kids,

Adult Ed, & Social ActionFor more info:

www.adatelohim.org2420 E. Hillcrest

805-497-7101

United MethodistChurch of

Thousand Oaks“Chasing Jesus: Following”

John 1:43-519a Modern; 11:00a Heritage

Pastor Steve Peralta9:00a Servicio de Adoracion

Pastor Pablo Rovere1000 East Janss Rd

805-495-7215www.umcto.org

Ventura

Christ Church VtaPresby. Church in America

196 N.Ashwood AveSunday Worship at 4pm

“Recovering the Lost Dance”(Various Scriptures)

Nursery Care provided.Childs Bible Educ at 3pm

Women Study2&4Wed 6:30pWCF Study - 1 & 3 Wed 6:30pwww.christchurchventura.org

805-452-3354

Christian ScienceChurch - Christ

Jesus’ teachingscome alive!!

Church Service & fun youthclasses Sun. 10. Mid-weekService Wed. 7. Reading

Room hrs. M, T, Th, F 11:30-2Victoria Ave. at Foothill Rd.www.PrayerThatHeals.org

805-642-4891

College UnitedMethodist ChurchSunday Worship Service

at 10:00am“My Rock and My Salvation”

Psalms 62:5-12

[email protected] Telegraph Rd., Ventura

805-642-3282

CONGREGATIONAM HAYAM

Join us Friday, Feb 6 at 7:30pfor unique mini-seder by

Rabbi J B Sacks forTu B’Shevat Saturday, Feb

7th Services 10awww.amhayam.com

4839 Market St. (rear) VTA805-644-2899

Ventura

Emerging SpiritsCenter A New

Thought Church

Sunday Celebration at noonwww.emergingspirits.orgor visit us on Facebook

4601 Telephone Rd, Ste #113Ventura, CA 93003805-651-0361

First LutheranChurch (LCMS)

Worship Service 11 amBible Study 10am

Children’s Sunday SchoolDuring Worship

78 Chrisman Ave.

Between Main St &Thompson Blvd.

805-643-5586

First UnitedMethodist Church

of VenturaSUNDAY WORSHIP9 a.m. and 11 a.m.

The Open Door fellowship

fumcventura.org1338 E. Santa Clara St.

805-643-8621

Grace LutheranChurch (LCMS)

Service 9aSunday School 10:45am

Commonplaces (“A dynamicdiscussion of the Word)

& Kids Journeyevery Wed. 6:30pm

Rev. Paul Kochwww.glcvta.com

6190 Telephone Rd, Ventura805-642-2267

Jubilee SeniorAdult Ministries

Ages 50+Meet At VenturaBaptist Church every Sundayat 10:20am. Traditional hymns

Bible teaching withDr. Leonard DeWitt. Monthly

fun activities. Warm andcaring fellowship

5415 Ralston St., Ventura805-644-7191

venturabaptist.org

Our Ladyof the Assumption

Catholic ParishDaily: 6:30am & 8am

Saturday: 8am & 5:15pmSunday: 8am, 9:30am, 11am12:30pm (Spanish); 5:15pm

Welcome Home!www.olaventura.com3175 Telegraph Rd.805-642-7966

Roman CatholicWomenPriests

Seeking an Antidote toSpiritual Alzheimers?

Come Join us in Prayer,Study, Discernment

Deacon Cindy [email protected]

805-366-0363

San BuenaventuraMission

Serving the Roman CatholicCommunity since 1782

Daily Mass: 7:30amSat.5:30pm&730pm (Spanish)

Sunday 7:30am, 9:00am10:30am Spanish & 12:15pm

A Welcoming Community211 E. Main Street, Venturasanbuenaventuramission.org

805-643-4318

The one source for local news.

Ventura

St. George’sAnglican Church

6300 Telephone Rd. Ventura1928 Book of Common Prayer

Communion 8:30a.m.Morning Prayer 10:30a.m.

Childcare 10:30a.m.

st-georges-anglican-church.org

805-642-9697

Temple Beth TorahA Reform

CongregationWelcomes All

We have something foreveryone: Shabbat Services,

Brotherhood, Sisterhood,Havurah Groups, Adult

Learning, Torah School, etc.www.TempleBethTorah.com7620 Foothill Rd, Vta 93004

805-647-4181

Trinity LutheranChurch (ELCA)

Sunday Worship Services:Contemporary @ 9:00amTraditional @ 11:00am

Children’s Sunday SchoolPreschool 805-644-7099

Pastor Dave HallPastor Erin Martinson

tlcventura.org196 N. Ashwood Ave, Ventura

805-644-7474

Unitarian UniversalistChurch of VenturaA Religion Beyond Beliefs

Nurture Your Spirit.Help Heal Our World.

Sunday Worship 10 a.m.

www.uuventura.org5654 Ralston St., Ventura

805-644-3898

Ventura BaptistChurch

Sunday

9am: Choir, Hymns/Choruses10:30am:Praise Band,Casual

Opportunities for all ages5415 Ralston St., Ventura

805-644-7191venturabaptist.org

Ventura Center forSpiritual Living

Sunday 10amRev. Bonnie Rose

A fun place for seriousspiritual growth.

101 South Laurel St.www.venturacsl.org805-643-1933

Westlake

United MethodistChurch of

Westlake VillageSun 8am, 9am & 10:30am

Sun School 9am + childcareEvening Youth Programs.Vocal & Handbell choirs.

Dr. Gary A. Dickey, Sr PastorRev. Brian Long,Assoc Pastor

www.umcwv.org1049 South Westlake Blvd.

805-497-7884

*. (%1$<76;$ /.3< 46;760: &(44 ,#-"+ !598---- .< $2(64 <$46:6.0'1&;7(<)&.2)

<$46:6.0%6<$&7.</


religion


local religion briefs

AG O U R A H I L L S

Rabbi will share hisart and message

Contemporary JewishArtist Rabbi YitzchokMoully will share his art-work and message at theConejo Jewish Academyon Feb. 2 at 7:30 p.m.

Moully uses his art tocreate a dialogue aboutthe place of creativity inJewish life and the joy andvibrancy in the ChassidicJewish community. In ad-dition, Moully will talkabout his journey, the evo-lution of his art, and “whatis a good JewishRabbi do-ing painting?”

Raised by former hip-pies, Moully experiencedadifferentupbringing thanmost religious Jews today.His family journeyedfrom an alternative life inthe Australian outback to“organized Judaism” byway of New York and theChabadmovement.

A graduate of the

RabbinicalCollegeofAus-tralia and New Zealand,Moully is a self-taught art-ist. Hiswork is inspired bythePopArtmovement andreflects its energy in a Jew-ish form.

Originals, enhancedgiclees, and limited edi-tion prints will be avail-able for sale followingthe formal presentation.Wine and cheese will beserved. The event is opento all at 30345 CanwoodSt. There is no admis-sion fee but reservationsare requested and can bemade at 818-991-0991 orhttp://www.JewishAcad-emy.com.

Genesis set to befocus of workshops

The Conejo JewishAcademywill offer cours-es and workshops in theLost Hill/Liberty Canyonarea serving the greaterLas Virgenes Jewish com-munity.

The winter course will

focus on the biblical Bookof Genesis and is titled“A Light in the Darkness— The Lives of Abel andNoah.” Sessions will takeplace on three consecu-tive Thursdays, Feb. 5, 12,and 19, at 8 p.m. It will beinstructed byRabbi LeibelKahanov.

On Feb. 18, a workshopfor women, “Purim Un-masked,” will be held.Participants will designand decorate their ownceramic masks (used onthe Jewish holiday of Pu-rim), taste Hamantashen(Purim pastries) and ex-plore the story of Purim.The workshop, instruct-ed by Chana Stery Ka-hanov, will begin at 7:30p.m.

To register for thecourse and/or workshop,call 818-991-0991 or visithttp://www.JewishAcad-emy.com. Locations anddirections will be pro-vided upon registration.There is no fee for eitherprogramandno affiliation

necessary.T receive information

about upcoming educa-tional and holiday pro-grams in this region, [email protected] E N T U R A

Seder will highlightBible’s seven species

Congregation AmHaY-amwill host aTuB’Shevatmini-Seder Feb. 6 at 7:30p.m. This new Seder waswritten by Rabbi J.B.Sacks, Am HaYam’s spiri-tual leader. The theme ofthe Seder is the seven spe-cies that characterize theland of Israel, as enumer-ated in Deuteronomy 8:8— wheat, barley, grapes,figs, pomegranates, olivesand dates.

The Seder, open to thepublic, will be held at thesynagogue, 4839 MarketSt. Free admission; ampleparking in rear. For moredetails, call 644-2899.

W E S T L A K E V I L L AG E

Goat ‘plop’ will aidtemple’s efforts

Temple Ner Simcha ofWestlakewill hold a “goatplop” fundraiser Sundayat 11 a.m. at Triunfo Com-munity Park, 980AranoorAve. This is the first timetheoutreach-orientedcon-gregation will hold thistype of fundraiser.

Participants “buy”aspoton a bingo board that willbe placed on a soccer fieldat the park. A goat will be

let loose and if it “plops”on a donor’s square, thebuyer of that square willwin a prize. Prizes includewine/liquor,dinner for twoat Mastro’s Restaurant, ortwonightsatTheVenetian,TheWynn,orTheAriaho-tels in Las Vegas (depend-ing on dates selected).

Boxes are $20 each, sixfor$100, 10 for$180or25 for$360.Winners do not haveto be present to win andmustbe21oroldertowinal-coholprizes.Purchase tick-ets or get details at http://www.PlopForCharity.com.

By Renee ThompsonSpecial to The Star

SandonYahn is hoping to pack audiencesfor a showing of his first full-length featurefilm.

“Redemption of theHeart”will be shownat the Regency Buenaventura Theatre inVentura on Sunday and Feb. 8 at 7 p.m.

Themovie’s plot is aroundAlexMontoya,played by Crister De Leon, a man who fallsaway fromhis Christian faith. He finds him-self caught up in illegal activities due to theinfluence of his best friend Daniel, playedby David Morales. The FBI finds Alex as heis faced with the decision to either pay backhundreds of thousands of dollars he em-bezzled or go to prison. Jacob, played by JoeLambert, isaChristianwhocomes intoAlex’slife to help himmake the right decision andreconnect with his Christian roots and healpast relationships that Alex destroyed.

Yahn and IsaacMeeks, founders of RoadLess Traveled Pictures, coproduced “Re-demption of the Heart.”

“This filmhas been a labor of love for thepast four years. Isaac and Iwrote the script.We saved a lot of money by editing the filmourselves. It’s been a lot of work and a lot ofsacrifices, butweare so excited tofinally seeit come to fruition,” Yahn said.

Meeks said they almost got into a violentaltercationwith some gangmembers whilefilming a scene in Oxnard.

“We had rounded up some ex-gangmem-bers fromCalvaryChapelOxnard.Thegangthatoccupied theparticulararea thatwehap-pened to be filming in sawus as a threat andpulled out their guns and they were readyto fire. Our actors in our scene had me runout with my camera to prove that we weremaking amovie to keep them from shootingatus.Thatwasa scarymoment,”Meeks said.

The film was shot in Ventura, Oxnard,Santa Barbara and areas of the Santa YnezValley.

Yahn, 44, was born in New Mexico andgrewup inColorado.Hehas lived inOxnardsince 2001. He said that he started writingshort stories and thenmakinghomemovies.“I realized I could make my own movies,”he said.

Meeks, 37, became interested in makingmovies in high school.

“Ever since the firstmoment that I picked

upacamera inmyhigh school videoproduc-tion class, I have been hooked on makingmovies and videos,” Meeks said.

Meeks is agraduateof theBrooks Instituteof Photography with a bachelor’s degree infilm and video production.

Meeks said they started production in2011.

“Isaac wrote the first draft of the scriptand then I wrote the second draft and wewent back and forth until we wrote a com-plete script,” Yahn said.

Yahn is employed by Calvary Chapel ofOxnard. He said he is grateful for the con-gregation’s much needed help.

PastorLanceRalston saidCalvaryChapelwas not officially involved as producers of“Redemption of theHeart.”However,manypeople in the church were instrumental insupporting the faith-based film financiallyand by working on the film.

“Therehavebeenanumberof faith-basedmovies like “Facing the Giants” that weresupported by churches and those films have

done really well financially in theater andDVDdistribution.Wewere happy to be ableto helpwith this project. Themovie is aboutrelationships based on trust and truth,”Ralston explained.

Marisela Bellenbaum, a parishioner atCalvary Oxnard, said she felt blessed to beable to support the film financially.

“Itwas an interestingupclose look at howmovies are actuallymade,”Bellenbaumsaid.

At the end of the movie there will be a“call-to-action” that will challenge to reachout to people who need help or a secondchance whether they deserve it or not.

“We are calling the screenings, ‘The LoveYour NeighborMovie Event.’ Isaac and I de-cided to treat the theater release of our filmlikeaneventsinceweareonlydoingone-nightscreenings.Wefeel themessageof thefilmisaveryimportantoneforthisdayandageandwefelt thathavingacall-to-actionat theendwasappropriate.Wehopeitwillencouragepeopleto realize the power they have to help othersandquite possibly change lives,”Yahn said.

Christianmovies.comwill be distributingthe DVD for “Redemption of the Heart” fordomestic release.Approximately 5,000unitswill be distributed and sold at FamilyChris-tian stores and other vendors nationwide.

The 96-minute feature film might beheaded for distribution to Brazil, Australiaand South Africa.

TheRegency BuenaventuraTheatre is at1440 Eastman Ave. in Ventura. Tickets are$7 in advance and $9 at the theater. Ticketscan be purchased at redemptionoftheheart-themovie.com.

‘Redemption of theHeart’

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, cris-ter De leon, Isaac Meeks, Sandon Yahn and Daniel Willyerd

MArK BerlIN/Be DeSIGN/SpecIAl TO THe STAr

The cover for the movie “redemption of theHeart.”

When I married my wife werepeated the customary wed-ding vows promising to cher-ish one another “in sicknessand in health, in poverty and inwealth.”Perhapsweshouldhaveadded an additional line. Some-thing like. “I promise towait foryou.” Sincewemarriedwehavewaited for each other. We havewaited at airports, train stationsand bus stops. I have waited onher to put on last minutemake-up and she has waited onme toput down my book or close mycomputer.When she gave birthto our children, I waited.WhenI had a motorcycle accident,she waited. In too many waysto enumerate or remember, wehavewaited on eachother. Ifweadded it all up itwouldbeahugechunk of our lives. And now, itmakes me happy. She is worthwaiting for.

When we had children, wewaited. We waited for theirbirth.Wewaited for themwhenthey got out of school.Wewait-ed late at night in dark parkinglots for their buses to return.Wewaited for them in the car, themotor running, the clock tick-ing, knowing we were late tochurch. We stayed up waitingfor them to come home fromtheir first dates. Andwewaitedfor them to come home fromcollege.

Waiting is a part of life. Wechoose towait for thosewe love.

That iswhyGodwaits for us,becauseHe lovesus. Isaiah says,“Therefore the Lord longs to begracious to you, and thereforeHe waits on high to have com-passion on you for the Lord isa God of justice; How blessedare all those who long for Him.(Isa 34:18). In Jeremiah, Godsays, “Before I formed you inthe womb, I knew you.” (Jer.1:5). God haswaited an eternityfor you.

We often miss God becausewe haven’t learned to wait onHim. We blast through busyschedules making quick deci-sions without taking time toconnect with God’s better planfor us. The Psalmist said, “Mysoul waits in silence for Godonly. FromHimismysalvation.”(Ps. 62:1) “I waited patiently forthe Lord; andHe inclined tomeandheardmycry.” (Ps. 40:1)Theprophet Micah said, “But as forme, I will watch expectantly forthe Lord. I will wait for the Godofmy salvation.” (Micah 7:7)

Waiting on God involvesprayer and finding time to bequiet before Him. Sometimesit includes fasting. But waitingisn’t always about sitting stillwith our arms folded.

Jesus said, “Seek and youshall find. Knock and it shall beopened.”The secret is to remainopen to God’s direction and tolisten toHis voicewhilewecon-stantly seek and knock. Davidwrote, “I would have despairedunless I had believed that Iwould see the goodness of theLord in the land of the living.Wait for theLord; be strong, andlet your heart take courage; yes,wait for the Lord.”

Bill Tinsley is former associate execu-tive for the Baptist General conventionof Texas. email him at [email protected].

What are youwaiting for?

BilltinSley

COLUMNIST

■ Movie filmed in Ventura, Oxnard to be shown at local theaterThis film has been alabor of love for the

past four years. Isaac and Iwrote the script. We saveda lot of money by editingthe film ourselves. It’sbeen a lot of work and alot of sacrifices, but we areso excited to finally see itcome to fruition.”

Sandon Yahn, founder of Road Less Traveled Pictures

VCS1363003

“Family Matters:Family”

January 25

Sunday Serviceat 9:30am

Edwards Theater680 Ventura Blvd., Camarillo

www.missionstreetchurch.com

Pastor Graham Baird PreachingMission Kids Church during service



local

C A M A R I L L O

YMCA group planspancake breakfast

The Camarillo YMCAAdventure Guides andPrincesses will host their47th annual pancakebreakfast from 7 a.m.to noon Saturday at theCamarillo CommunityCenter, 1605 E. Burnley St.

Tickets are $5 per per-son or $15 per family forup tofivepeople. Call 484-0423 formore information.M A L I B U

Poets welcometo read to audience

Bank of Books Malibuwill host its first po-etry night of the year at6 p.m. Friday at 29169Heathercliff Road.

Local poets are invit-ed to read their originalworks or favorite poemsby other writers.

Call 310-457-5699 formore information.OX N A R D

Public can eat mealsat Elks Lodge 1443

OxnardElks Lodge 1443offers meal nights twicea week that are open tothe public.

Each Wednesday start-ing at 6 p.m., guests canenjoy a hamburger orchicken burger with fries,onion rings, salad and adrink for $6.

Guests on Fridays canenjoy fish and chips, saladand a drink for $9.

The lodge also has acook-your-own-steaknight on the last Mondayof each month. It includessalad, fries and a drink.

Call Pauline at 818-612-2241 formore information.

Employer councilto host luncheon

The Western VenturaCounty Employer Advi-sory Council will have itsmonthly luncheonFeb. 11 attheCourtyardbyMarriott,600 Esplanade Drive.

Registration and net-workingwill begin at 11:30a.m. Lonnie Giamela willspeak at noon.

Lunch costs $25, withthe cost increasing to $35after Feb. 6. Visit http://wvceac.net/regform.phpto RSVP.T H O U SA N D OA K S

Elite pianist to playat free concert

Sean Chen, CrystalAward winner in the 2013international VanCliburnPiano Competition, willgive a free concert at 4p.m. Sunday at AscensionLutheran Church, 1600 E.Hillcrest Drive.

Call 495-0406 for moreinformation.

Actor/writer to bringFitzgerald to life

Actor and writer LarryVanderveen will bring F.Scott Fitzgerald to life in aone-man show from2-3:30p.m. Sunday at the GrantR. Brimhall Library, 1401E. Janss Road

Call 449-2660 for moreinformation.V E N T U R A CO U N T Y

Free sterilizationoffered for pit bulls

TheHumane Society ofVentura County will offerfree spay or neutering topit bull terriers andpit bullmixes for a limited time.

Reservations are re-quired. Visit http://www.hsvc.org or call 656-5043for more information.

Staff reports

communitybriefs

Pet?

vcstar.com/ads800-221-STAR(7827)

BUYIT.SELL IT.FINDIT.

OxnardRuth M. Sparks

Ruth M. Sparks, a long-timeresident of Oxnard, passed awaypeacefully, Monday, January 12,2015 with her companion, RayCapolla by her side.

Ruth was born October 7th,1920 in Los Angeles. Jobs andcircumstances led her to manyother parts of the West Coastand the Midwest.

In 1970 Ruth and her hus-band, Charles (Chuck) Sparks,settled in Oxnard. Ruth workedfor some years as a realtor in theOxnard area as well as workingwith the City Council’s GeneralPlan Advisory Committee.

After Chuck opened the A-Tech Concrete & Testing Lab,Ruth worked with him as secre-tary/bookkeeper for the busi-ness..

With Chuck’s encourage-ment, Ruth studied for the stateexam for concrete inspectors.She obtained her certificationand became one of the first, ifnot the first, woman to become aCertified Special Inspector inVentura County.

Ruth was an active memberof the American Legion Auxil-iary, Post 48, Ladies of the Elks,Elks Lodge # 1443, and a volun-teer at the California WelcomeCenter.

Ruth was preceded in deathby her husband (Chuck), son(Sherman Faber) and sister Bar-bara Theiss.

Ruth is survived by herdaughter Ruth Powers, sons Le-land Faber, Jimmy Philbrick,and numerous grandchildren.

A Memorial Service will beheld at 11:00 am on Saturday,January 31, 2015 at the OxnardElks Lodge, 801 South A Street,Oxnard, CA 93030

Phone: (805) 483-5713In lieu of flowers, memorial

donations may be made to theSalvation Army or the OxnardBoys and Girls Club.

Please sign the guest book atobits.vcstar.com.

Santa BarbaraSarah “Tita” PhelpsLeavens Gilmour

Sarah Phelps Leavens Gil-mour was born November 5,1931, in Oxnard, California toPaul and Anne OberhelmanLeavens, and died on January 6,2015, in Santa Barbara. Sarahgrew up in Santa Paula exceptfor a few years during the earlypart of World War II when sheand her family lived in Florida.Sarah graduated from WheatonCollege in Illinois. She studiedat Princeton Seminary whereshe met George Gilmour. Aftertheir marriage in Santa Paula in1957, they served severalchurches: Winter MemorialPresbyterian Church, Casper,Wyoming, where their two chil-dren, Andrew and Maureen,were born; Bethany PresbyterianChurch, Muskogee, Oklahoma;Central Presbyterian Church,Fort Smith, Arkansas; and LakeBurien Presbyterian Church,Burien, Washington.

Warm, gentle, with lively cu-riosity and a quick sense of hu-mor, beloved by family andfriends, Sarah was a lifelongPresbyterian, a loyal friend, asupporter of equality and toler-ance, a storyteller, a teacher, afaithful correspondent. She hada deep appreciation for music,and read widely and delighted insharing items of interest withfamily and friends. She lovedgardening, especially roses, or-chids, rhododendrons, and azale-as. When she retired to Califor-nia where her family roots areshe took great pleasure in thebountiful flowers, and fruit fromthe Leavens family ranch, whichshe enjoyed sharing with others.

Genealogy was a special in-terest, researching family histo-ry from original letters, papers,stories and oral histories. Sarahfelt strongly about sharing fami-ly lore and history to helpyounger family members knowmore about their ancestors andfamily background, and toldfamily stories that helped passon the values of earlier genera-tions. She served for severalyears as secretary of the Oklaho-

ma Society of Mayflower De-scendants, and she was an activemember of the Stonington CTHistorical Society.

Sarah had the wonderful giftof making each person she metfeel special and valued. Helpingothers, and making a differencein peoples’ lives, was importantto Sarah. Many of her effortswere focused on children andyouth. She was the President ofthe citywide Parent-TeachersAssociation in Muskogee; herservice as American Field Ser-vice regional coordinator forhigh school foreign exchangestudents led to wonderful friend-ships with former foreign ex-change students over manyyears. While in Seattle, she ledthe Presbyterian Women of theSynod of Alaska-Northwest.Since living in Santa Barbara,she was a member of the SantaBarbara chapter of the PEO, andserved as a docent at the SantaBarbara Museum of Natural His-tory.

Sarah traveled around theworld visiting family andfriends. One of her greatest joyswas meeting and talking withpeople and establishing newfriendships and cherishing eachone. She particularly enjoyedmaintaining the friendships withfamily and friends overseas in-cluding several former foreignexchange students and lifelongpen pals.

Sarah is survived by her lov-ing husband of 57 years, GeorgeH. Gilmour; their two childrenand spouses, Andrew Gilmourand Chris Cozadd, and MaureenGilmour Cook and Jim Cook;and grandchildren, Carl, Jimmy,his wife, Melissa, and Erin Cook,and Jonathan and Timothy Gil-mour. She is also survived byher sister, Mary Leavens Schwa-bauer, and brother, Paul Leav-ens; her sister-in-law, Helen VanCleve, brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Matthew and Sharon Gil-mour; and many cousins, nieces,nephews, and their children.She was predeceased by her sis-ter, Dr. Dorothy Leavens Carl-son.

A celebration of Sarah’s lifewill be held at First PresbyterianChurch, Santa Barbara, Califor-nia, on January 31, 2015, at 3p.m. In lieu of flowers, the fami-ly suggests making memorial do-nations to Santa Barbara Sym-phony, 1330 State Street, Suite102, Santa Barbara, CA 93101;The Foundation of the Presby-terian Church (USA), theGeorge H. and Sarah L. GilmourFund (Account Number1020202006), 200 E. TwelfthSt., Jeffersonville, IN 47130 (in-come supports mission pro-jects); or American Field Service(AFS)-USA Student ExchangeProgram, National DevelopmentOffice, 120 Wall Street, 4thFloor, New York, NY 10005.


Simi ValleyJack White

Jack White, known to someas “Jackie,” passed away onJanuary 20th, at the age of 85.He was a native of Kimberly,Idaho. He graduated from Kim-berly High School in 1947 andresided in the area until 1952.At that time he heard of somework in a town called Bakers-field, California. He was aroughneck for one season andthen returned to Idaho in 1953.This is when he met the love ofhis life, Helen Kearley. Theymarried in 1955 and spent thenext 59 years together on thejourney of life. They moved fromIdaho to Seattle, WA in 1957 soJack could work for Boeing. In1964 they moved their family toSimi Valley, CA and that iswhere he spent the rest of hislife.

His life’s passion, once mar-ried, was his wife and his chil-dren. He was a committed andloving husband and father.Along with that, he served thechurch and others less fortunateuntil the day he died. Whenthey moved to Simi Valley he be-came a charter member of theKnights of Columbus at St. Roseof Lima Church. Jack and hiswife served as Eucharistic Minis-ters at St. Rose of Lima for 10years. When St. Peter Claverwas started Jack was one of thefirst Lectors and served thechurch faithfully. He and hiswife were active members of agroup called Mission Circle thatserved and supported a missionin Equador. He was also an as-sistant leader in Boy Scouts,camping with and serving theboys for many years, Lemos, Re-ardon, Grayson and many more.

He had a passion for the out-doors and spent much time inhis life camping and fishing withhis family, children and grand-children. He spent his retire-ment years traveling with hiswife in their Motorhome cross-ing the county 4 times. Jack was

an active member of many clubs- Senior Club, FMCA, MidWeekWanderer’s, Roamin Catholics,Elks Club and past Boots andSlippers Square Dance Club.

Jack was one who was al-ways up for a good laugh andseeing the lighter side of mostsituations. He was and is agreat example to his own chil-dren of what it means to dedi-cate his heart and time to Godand family.

Jack was preceded in deathby his parents Eugene and DaisyWhite and sister, June Emerson.He is survived by wife Helen;son Tom White and Kelly; sonJim White; daughter Angela Dix-on and her husband Dale; daugh-ter Karen Bredesen and her hus-band Jim; son Doug White andhis wife Jennifer; nine grandchil-dren and two great-grandchil-dren; and his sister, Lois Grove.

Visitation for Jack will beheld Sunday, January 25, 2015from 5-9pm with Recitation ofThe Rosary beginning at 7pm lo-cated at Reardon Simi Valley Fu-neral Home Chapel, 2636 Syca-more Dr., Simi Valley. Mass ofChristian Burial will be celebrat-ed at 10:00 am, Monday, Janu-ary 26, 2015, at St. Peter ClaverCatholic Church, 2380 Stow St,Simi Valley. Burial will follow atAssumption Catholic Cemetery,1380 Fitzgerald Rd., Simi Val-ley.

Condolences may be left atreardonsimivalley.com.

In lieu of flowers, memorialcontributions may be made toWounded Warriors, SpecialOlympics or a charity of yourchoice.


VenturaMicheline Sakharoff

Micheline Sakharoff (nee Vil-lepelet), daughter of Georgesand Julliet was born in Paris onJune 7, 1923. She passed awaypeacefully, at the age of 91, onFriday, January 16, 2015, in thehome that she and her husbanddesigned and built for them-selves in the Ventura Keys.Three words that would mostcharacterize her life are: Love,Art, and Education.

Micheline left her nativeFrance, her parents and her sis-ter Marie-Therese, at the tenderage of 22 to pursue a new life inAmerica with the love of her life,Albert Sakharoff with whom shewas married 63 wonderful years.Their meeting on a street cornerduring the liberation of Parisduring WWII, and their subse-quent romance by correspon-dence, was featured as a play atthe RubiconTheatre, “Lucky inLove.”

They had one daughter,Katherine. Once Katherine was“on her way” in school, Miche-line returned to finish the uni-versity education that had beencut short by the war. She wasawarded several UCLA Fellow-ships and graduated Cum Laudebefore she pursued her PhD inFrench from UCLA in 1965. Oneof her proudest moments waswhen her Thesis, Le Héros, SaLiberté et son Efficacacité deGarnier a Rotrou, published inFrance by Nizet in 1967, washighlighted and quoted at lengthby an important literary critic,Jacques Scherer.

She went on to teach atWhittier College and CaliforniaState College Northridge (nowknown as California State Uni-versity, CSUN). She was lovedby her students and to this dayis visited and receives cards, let-ters and phone calls from them.During her 25 year career atCSUN, Micheline served asChair of the Foreign LanguagesDepartment and Dean of Stu-dents. She continued to be com-mitted to education throughouther retirement and funded threeendowed scholarships at Ventu-ra College, and supported theHarmony Project which encour-ages music education throughthe schools.

Retirement did not mean in-activity for Micheline. For exam-ple, she sailed with her husbandto Tahiti. Supporting the artsand music in the Ventura Com-munity was another of her inter-ests. This interest became a pas-sion after the loss of her hus-band. She served on severalboards including the VenturaCounty Ballet Company, Rubi-con Theatre Company, and Ven-tura Music Festival. Her philan-thropy, generosity, and engage-ment in the cultural life of thecommunity were recognized bythe Philanthropist of the YearVentura County Award in 2009and the City of Ventura 2009Mayor’s Arts Award. In 2012,she established a fund for an An-nual Award for Women Artists

Naalehu, HawaiiJames K. Togami

James K. Togami was bornon 24 December 1930 to Suyeand Tom Togami in Blanca,Colorado and passed from thislife at 23:15, 18 January 2015 atage of 84 years.

Jim served 4 years in the USAir Force. He then attendedNew Mexico State Universityobtaining a bachelor of sciencedegree in mechanicalengineering. He worked for theNMSU Physical ScienceLaboratory monitoring the earlyNaval position satellites atvarious places around the globe.One of his duty stations was inAdelaide South Australia. Whileon that duty, he met ElainePriest. Elaine and Jim eventuallymarried. They raised theirfamily in Camarillo, CA. Jimretired from Point Mugu NavalBase then continued in a careerof his passion as a farrierbecoming respected and lovedby the horse community ofVentura County. Although Jimwas so committed to his work heand Elaine also enjoyed campingand fishing along with visits tofamily in Australia and theirbeloved Big Island of Hawaii.They were able to realize theirdream and retire to the Islandwere they celebrated their 50thwedding anniversary on 16 July2013 in Kona. Jim was such adedicated provider, kind andloving husband and father.Always a kind, helpful andgenerous friend to many.

James is survived by hisloving wife, Elaine; daughterDenise; son Shane andgranddaughter Aubrie; sisterMarie Nakayama; brothers Pauland Joe Togami. Alongwithmany nieces and nephews.He was preceded in death byparents Suye and Tom Togami;brothers Henry, Arthur andDonald Togami; sisters Susieand Rose Tamura.

Elaine is holding a privatetraditional Hawaiian service atSouth Point, HI on SundayJanuary 25th at 4:00 pm.

In lieu of flowers, Donationscan be made to Hospice of Hilo1011 Waianuenue Avenue Hilo,Hawaii 96720 (808)969-1733.


through the Rubicon TheatreCompany.

Micheline is survived by herdaughter, Katherine Reid;grandchildren, Alison Plante,Matthew Reid and CameronReid; great-grandchildren, So-phia Micheline Reid and RolandAnthony Plante; and by her sis-ter, Marie-Therese.

Micheline was preceded indeath by her husband, AlbertMatvei Sakharoff in 2009.

Following Micheline’s wish-es, her ashes will be combinedwith those of her husband’s, Al-bert, and scattered at sea in aprivate ceremony.

Arrangements are under thedirection of the Ted Mayr Fu-neral Home, 3150 Loma VistaRd., Ventura. Condolences maybe left at TedMayrFuneralHome.com.


VisaliaMary Elizabeth EckelsLanning

Mary Elizabeth Eckels Lan-ning, born Oct. 23rd 1927passed from this life on Jan.19th 2015 at the age of 87.

Mary, the daughter of AllenMartin Eckels & Georgia Marga-ret Almany Eckels, was born inTennessee. She lived there a fewyears, later moving to Chicago,IL and after another few yearsmoved to California, where shelived until her death. Marygraduated from San FernandoHigh in 1945. She volunteered atthe local USO during World WarII. While visiting her sister Hel-en in North Dakota, she metMilton (Mick) Lanning. Theymarried in February of 1946,and moved back to California.

Mary worked in the newlydeveloping plastics technology,later transferring to the aero-space industry where she per-

fected her skills in fiberglass fab-rication at the Northrop- Grum-man Corporation. She and herhusband, Mick, were part of theNASA Gemini & Apollo pro-grams as well as the Boeing 747production team. In connectionwith Northrop, she attendedUCLA where she obtained herIndustrial Arts VocationalTeaching Credential. She beganthe first ever Plastics Technolo-gy course in the Ventura UnifiedSchool District; teaching eagerstudents at Buena High to maketheir own surfboards or flaretheir car fenders as part of a 3year Northrop training program.At the end of the program, shereturned to Northrop Venturauntil her retirement in 1985.

She moved to The CentralValley, where she lived inSpringville, later moving to Por-terville and finally to Exeter.Mary was very active in theChurch of Christ while living inthe cities of San Fernando, Ven-tura and Springville, teachingand assisting with VacationBible School, while health per-mitted. Many Ventura parentsreceived clay handprints of theirchildren attending VBS as partof her efforts. Her hobbies in-cluded ceramics and making por-celain dolls which she gave tofamily and friends. In her lateryears, having a lifelong love ofmusic, she enjoyed having funwith Karaoke, at the encourage-ment of her Brother Kenny &his wife, Gigi Eckels. She lovedtraveling with her sister, RebaSepulveda along with her nieceSolyra Sepulveda, to visit herniece, Aanda Slocum and otherfamily & friends across thestates. One of her greatest joyswas becoming a member of theDaughters of the AmericanRevolution, tracing her familyheritage and compiling that in-formation in books for otherfamily members.

Mary was preceded in deathby her husband, Milton HamlinLanning and is survived by hertwo Sons, Don Martin Lanning,his wife Jana of Exeter and CurtLee Lanning, and his wife Rondaof Bakersfield. Mary had eightGrandchildren and 15 GreatGrandchildren.

A Memorial Service is beingplanned at the West VisaliaChurch of Christ on February7th at 2 p.m.

The family has asked that inlieu of flowers, donations bemade to the Wounded WarriorProject. www.woundedwarrior-project.org


Cascade, MontanaDona Jane Kingsbury

Dona Jane Kingsbury wasborn on February 2, 1942 in LosAngeles, the third daughter ofPearle and Robert Rinkleib. Shegrew up in Burbank where shewas a tomboy and sustainedbroken bones from falling out oftrees and roller skating acci-dents. She graduated from highschool in Ojai, and attendedclasses at Ventura College. Shepassed away unexpectedly athome on January 6, 2015 in Cas-cade, Montana.

Her first marriage to JimBurke was annulled. She wasmarried to Brad Kingsbury andthey had two sons, Scott andRob, before they divorced.

She lived in Wolf Creek, andCascade, Montana, moving thereeleven years ago to live with herson, Rob. Prior to that she lived,at various times, in Ojai, Ventu-ra and Santa Barbara where shewas employed as a bookkeeperat Rain’s Department Store, atHellman Optical, and at BuenaVista Care Center in Santa Bar-bara. She left behind a son, Rob,of Cascade, sisters Kelda Rink-leib, of Berkeley, Joan McMullen(Don) and Diana Becker(Doug). She is also survived by3 nieces and 5 nephews, andtheir children. She was precededin death by her son Scott, andher parents.

Dona was well-liked and hadmany friends. She was cremated.A private family memorial willbe held in the future.

“I am fully convinced that thesoul is indestructible, and thatits activity will continue througheternity. It is like the sun, which,to our eyes, seems to set innight; but it has in reality onlygone to diffuse its light else-where”

- Johann Wolfgang vonGoethe


Obituaries

see Obituaries on 7b

For breaking news –VCStar.com

),(.%.*#-$"+!%,!&'%#/

Positively for you.



CamarilloGerald Lee “Jerry”Knapp

Gerald Lee Knapp passedaway January 5th at the age of79 at his home in Camarillo.Jerry is survived by his lovingwife of 58 years, Beverly Knappof Camarillo, daughter Kim Lew-is of Camarillo and granddaugh-ter Hayley Lewis of Pasadena.

Jerry was a kind, loving, fun-ny and caring guy who will bemissed greatly by family andmany dear friends.

Memorial services will beheld Saturday, January 31, 2015@ 2:00 pm at Church of theFoothills located at 6279 Foot-hill Road in Ventura, Ca.


CamarilloKenneth Lynn Bowling

Kenneth Bowling passedaway on January 15, 2015, to bewith his Heavenly Father, hissister and brother by his side.Born in Van Nuys, California, onMay 6, 1950, Ken moved toCamarillo with his family in1959. Ken was preceded by hisparents, Eleanor and VincentBowling, and his wife, CheriWooten. Ken is survived by hissister Audree Duncan, brotherChester Bowling, stepson MattCarmona, former wife DeborahCerino and her son Calvin. He isalso survived by sister-in-law Ei-leen Bowling, niece KristinBowling, grandniece Emma, andcousins Shelley, Craig, Scott,Keith, Meredith and Joan.

Ken worked as a finish car-penter; his work is found inmany locations in the area in-cluding the Ronald ReaganPresidential Library. He workedfor Bob Reyes who was like abrother to Ken. He acquired anickname “chivo” when workingon a roof with a goatee. A gradu-ate of Camarillo High School in1968, Ken was happy to havegrown up in Camarillo and hadremained in contact with manyof his childhood friends. Kenloved the ocean and learned tosurf. He rode motorcycles andwas an avid reader. His friendlyand upbeat attitude will bemissed.

Ken appreciated the care hereceived from the friendly staffat Pleasant Valley Hospital andthe Camarillo Dialysis Center.We thank them for their efforts.

A gathering of family andfriends will be held at a laterdate.


CamarilloMaxine DorothyOpstedal

Maxine Dorothy Opstedalwas 86 years old when shepassed away on January 13,2015 in Camarillo, California.She was the loving mother offive children, eleven grandchil-dren, and nine great grandchil-dren. Maxine was born in SiouxFalls, South Dakota in 1928 toCecelia and Thomas Presba. Shewas married to Eugene Opstedalin Seattle, Washington in 1946.They later moved to Venice,California in 1955, where theyraised their family of five chil-dren, and lived for the next 45years. In 2000, Eugene andMaxine relocated to Camarillo,California. In 2008, Eugenepassed away peacefully in theirhome at the age of 82. Maxineremained in Camarillo with herdog, Lucy, for the next 7 years.She is survived by her five chil-

DEATH NOTICES

Eberts, Angela, 45, Oxnard,account manager, died Jan.18. Arrangements by CoastCities Cremations, Ventura.

Garcia Ponce, Eliseo, 82,Oxnard, ret. bank representa-tive, died Jan. 21. Arrange-ments by Camino del SolFuneral Home, Oxnard.

Grider, Marion B., 94,Camarillo, escrow officer,died Jan. 20. Arrangementsby Conejo Mountain FuneralHome, Camarillo.

Guarin, Leonila Villaflores,96, Oxnard, owner dry goodsstore, died Jan. 18. Arrange-ments by Santa Clara Mortu-ary, Oxnard.

Loyola, Rafael Levardo, 83,Oxnard, tailor, died Jan. 18.Arrangements by Santa ClaraMortuary, Oxnard.

Pillado, Manuel Jordan, 96,Fillmore, business owner/bar-ber, died Jan. 14 in Bakers-field. Arrangements byGreenlawn Southwest FuneralHome, Bakersfield.

Reicherts, Dolores Eliza-beth, 84, Camarillo, secre-tary, died Jan. 16.Arrangements by ConejoMountain Funeral Home,Camarillo.

Salibian, Adrine, 95, Thou-sand Oaks, died Jan. 11. Ar-rangements by Rose FuneralHome, Simi Valley.

Schulz, Glenn, 81, Camaril-lo, welder, died Jan. 21. Ar-rangements by Coast CitiesCremations, Ventura.

Whitby, Shizuko Kaneshi,78, Thousand Oaks, machineoperator, died Jan. 18. Ar-rangements by Conejo Moun-tain Funeral Home, Camarillo.

Wilkins, Iris Louise, 90,Thousand Oaks, legal secre-tary, died Jan. 21. Arrange-ments by Conejo MountainFuneral Home, Camarillo.

Zelaya de Pulido, IsidraNaomi, 83, Oxnard, home-maker, died Jan. 21. Arrange-ments by Camino del SolFuneral Home, Oxnard.

OBITUARIES (paid) maybe submitted in digital formon a usb drive, placed from8 a.m.- 4 p.m. Monday-Fridayat our Camarillo office or byemail at [email protected]

Copy must be submitted bynoon for the following day’spublication. Funeral homescan submit DEATH NOTICES(free) to [email protected].

All obituaries can be foundon The Star’s Internet site,http://www.VenturaCounty-Star.com. Obituaries are notaccepted on Saturdays, Sun-days or holidays. All private-party obituaries must be ac-companied by proof of deathand payment. Death noticesalso require proof of death.

dren, Alan Opstedal, NancyPrincipato, Kevin Opstedal, Kar-en Berry, and Sandra Harris.Throughout her life Maxine wasa vivacious woman, full of fun,quick witted, and loving. Shewill truly be missed, and alwaysremembered in our hearts withlove and admiration.


Canton, GeorgiaKenneth Peschell

Mr. Kenneth Peschell, 74, ofCanton, GA passed away Janu-ary 21, 2015. He was born onApril 12, 1940 in Livingston, NJto the late Paul and MarjoriePeschell. After high school, Kenjoined the United States Navy.He honorably served as a sonaroperator on the USS Fred T.Berry. When he returned home,he moved to Ventura, CA wherehe met the love of his life andwife of 50 plus years, Kitty andthey started a family. Ken spenthis career working for Chevronand in the computer industry.In 2003, Ken and Kitty moved toCanton, GA. He was an activemember of Shiloh Hills BaptistChurch, where he was instru-mental in modernizing thesound system. Ken also enjoyedoperating a HAM Radio. He wasa very dedicated and selflessman with an unshakable faith inGod. Ken was kind hearted, de-pendable and never afraid tospeak his opinions. He will beimmensely missed by all whoknew him. Ken leaves behindhis wife of 50 years, Katheryn“Kitty” Peschell, son, Alan Pes-chell, daughter, Patricia Pawlak(Daniel), grandchildren, Thom-as Dudley, Nathan Dudley, Ke-vin O’Keeffe, Jennifer O’Keeffe,Tom Pawlak, Jennifer Pawlak,Elise Pawlak and ChristopherPeschell and great-grandchil-dren, Abigail Dudley, Liam Dud-ley, Kaine Dudley and NolanPawlak. Also surviving are hissiblings, Karen and Ken Cleggand Richard and Kathy Peschell,2 nieces and 3 nephews. The fu-neral service will be Tuesday,January 27, 2015 at 10:30am atShiloh Hills Baptist Church. In-terment will follow at GeorgiaNational Cemetery. The familywill receive friends on Monday,January 26, 2015 from 6-8pm atWoodstock Funeral Home. On-line condolences may be ex-pressed atwww.woodstockfuneral-home.com.


FillmoreThomas “Tom” LozanoPadilla

Thomas “Tom” Lozano Pa-dilla, 66, passed away peacefullysurrounded by his family onJanuary 15, 2015.

Tom was born on December29, 1948 in Fullerton, CA, toBarney and Fermina Padilla. Hewas raised in La Habra, CA andhad many fond childhood memo-ries of stirring up mischief withhis siblings and cousins in the“camp.”

In 1964, the Padilla familymoved to Fillmore, CA, wherehe and his brothers worked afterschool at his father’s gas station.In 1967, Tom graduated fromFillmore High School. He sharedstories of “popping wheelies” orstanding on seat of his motorcy-cle while riding up and downCentral Ave.

In the summer of 1968, hemet his future wife Cynthia. Hewas drafted into the U.S. Armyin 1969 and spent two years inGermany. In 1970, while onleave Tom and Cynthia married.During their 43 year marriage,they had two children Chrissyand Tommy Jr.

Tom worked as an aircraftpainter for Northrop Grummanfor 29 years before retiring to bea full time grandfather and takecare of his ranch.

His pride and joy were hisgrandkids. Affectionately knownas “Poppy,” his grandkids werehis world. He nicknamed eachone of them and enjoyed takingthem to the riverbed, spoilingthem, and attending their sport-ing events.

He shared his love of fishingby taking family and friends to“opening day” in Bridgeport, CAand all who traveled with him re-turned with stories that will nev-er be forgotten. Tom lovedcamping, the outdoors and aclean car, reminding his chil-dren, “When you shine, I shine.”He had many friends and en-joyed bar-b-queuing and listen-ing to all types of music. Tomhad a heart of gold was alwayswilling to lend a helping hand.

Tom is preceded in death byhis father, Barney Padilla. He issurvived by his wife of 43 yearsCynthia Padilla; daughter andson-in-law Chrissy and ToddSchieferle; son Tommy PadillaJr.; grandchildren Marissa Padil-

la, Desirae Perez, Kailee Beck-with, Ariana Schieferle andJared Schieferle. He will also bedearly missed by his mother Fer-mina Padilla; brothers RichardPadilla (Christine) and Mike Pa-dilla; sisters Linda Luna (John),Irene Padilla, Julie Mendez(Jessy); godchildren Mark Luna,Michael Estrada, Isaiah Mendezand Jessica Padilla. Extendedfamily including numerousaunts, uncles, cousins, nephewsand nieces also share in our loss.

A memorial Mass will beheld on Friday, January 23, 9:30AM at Saint Francis of AssisiChurch, Fillmore, CA with a gra-vesite ceremony immediately fol-lowing at the Bardsdale Ceme-tery.

Funeral arrangements en-trusted to the care of Skillen-Carroll Mortuary FD 200, 600N. Central Ave, Fillmore, CA93015. A memory book is beingcreated for Tom’s family. We in-vite family and friends to posttheir favorite memory on theSkillen-Carroll website.


La Pine , OregonOrlen “Oak” RayWalling

October 18, 1932 -January 20, 2015Orlen “Oak” Ray Walling,

82, of La Pine, OR, died peace-fully at home surrounded byfamily and friends on January20, 2015, after a long battle withlung cancer.

Graveside services will beheld on Saturday, February 28,2015, 11:00AM at La Pine Com-munity Cemetery, located at theend of Reed Road in La Pine; fol-lowed by a Celebration of Lifeand luncheon at the AmericanLegion, located at 52532 DrafterRoad in La Pine.

He was born October 18,1932 in Binger, Oklahoma toMarc Charles Walling and Ma-bel (Abbott) Walling. Oak was aUS Air force Veteran of the Ko-rean War, from 1952 to 1956,and a Purple Heart recipient.He was a union meat cutter for36 years, a lifetime member ofthe VFW, member of the Ameri-can Legion and the Band ofBrothers. His favorite pastimewas fishing, wood working, andcamping.

Oak is survived by his lovingwife of 37 years, Sharon(Thompson) Walling; his daugh-ter, Kendall (husband, Aaron)Pease; two sisters, Iona Traversof Ventura, CA, and Louella Bellof Fremont, CA; nine grandchil-dren; seven great-grandchildren.He is also survived by daughtersfrom a previous marriage, Julie,Kym and Cheryl Lynn; andmany nieces and nephews. Hewas preceded in death by hisparents and six siblings. Oakwill be greatly missed by every-one whose life he touched; in-cluding his dog, Chester.

A special thank you to Heart‘n Home Hospice of La Pine. Inlieu of flowers, donations may bemade in Oak’s name to St.Charles Foundation (CAN CAN-CER), PO Box 3540, Bend, OR97708-9915, or Heart ‘n HomeHospice, PO Box 3540, La Pine,OR 97739.

Baird Memorial Chapel in LaPine is honored to serve Mr.Walling’s family.


MoorparkDella G. Gutierrez

Della passed away on Janu-ary 20, 2015 in Thousand Oaks,CA, due to heart failure. Shewas born March 13, 1924 inNorwalk, CA and was raised inthe Venice area.

Della is survived by her hus-band of 67 years, Manuel Gutier-rez, 95, her sons Manuel andRalph Gutierrez and daughterDiane Gutierrez Palomino. Shehad 10 grandchildren, 22 great-grandchildren and one great-great grandchild.

She was preceded in deathby her sons Ernest and GilbertGutierrez and granddaughterLisa Gutierrez as well as herfour brothers and three sisters.

Della will be greatly missedby her many family membersand friends. She enjoyed cook-ing and knitting for loved ones.

VenturaNancy Jean Acosta

Nancy Jean Acosta, of Ventu-ra, passed away Sunday, January18, 2015, at Community Memo-rial Hospital, due to a sudden ill-ness. She was born on October23, 1940, in Montebello, Califor-nia. After marrying her highschool sweetheart, AndrewAcosta, the two relocated toVentura County, where she re-sided until her passing.

She was known for her beau-tiful smile and eternal optimisticoutlook, and was a loving, devot-ed wife, mother, sister andfriend. Nancy will be greatlymissed by all who knew her.Among her wonderful qualities,Nancy was very dedicated andhard working in all that she did.For 25 years she worked for theLucky Grocery chain, and uponretiring she was elected to sit onthe board of directors for theMontalvo Municipal Improve-ment District, now known as theMontalvo Community ServicesDistrict. She faithfully served thedistrict for the past 20 years,and spent much of her time at-tending meetings and conferenc-es. Nancy also served as arepresentative for the VenturaCounty Special Districts Asso-ciation and as a Special DistrictCommittee Alternate on theVentura Regional Sanitation Dis-trict Board of Directors.

Nancy was preceded in deathby her husband of 38 years, An-drew Acosta; two daughters,Lori Acosta and Cathy Acosta;brother, John Hall; and two sis-ters, Judy Waite and Iris Smith.She is survived by her son, An-drew “Andy” Acosta Jr.; anddaughter, Christina “Tina” Acos-ta; numerous nieces and neph-ews; and long-time friends,Sherry Alexander of Bakersfield;Ted and Marie Ophus of Med-ford, Oregon; Aaron Panuco ofLos Angeles, Raymundo and Flo-ra Castaneda and family of Ox-nard; Sara Nicholson and familyof Ventura; Helen Aguilera andfamily of Ventura.

Visitation will be held at theTed Mayr Funeral Home, 3150Loma Vista Road, Ventura onMonday, January 26, 2015, from4:00 until 7:00 P.M., with recita-tion of the Rosary to follow at7:00 P.M. Mass of Christian Bu-rial will be held at Sacred HeartCatholic Church, 10800 Hender-son Road, Ventura, on Tuesday,January 27, 2015, at 10:00 A.M.with burial to immediately fol-low at Conejo Mountain Memo-rial Park, 2052 Howard Road,Camarillo.

Arrangements are under thedirection of the Ted Mayr Fu-neral Home. Ventura. Condo-lences may be left atTedMayrFuneralHome.com.


A rosary for Della will beheld on Tuesday, January 27,2015 at 7pm at Holy CrossChurch, 13955 Peach Hill Roadin Moorpark.

Mass will be celebrated onWednesday, January 28, 2015,10am also at Holy Cross Church.Burial will follow at Holy CrossCemetery, 5835 W. Slauson Ave-nue, Los Angeles CA 90056.

Assisting the family with fu-neral arrangements is the PerezFamily Funeral Home of Moor-park. Telephone (805) 876-0019Please sign Della’s Memorial atwww.MoorparkMortuary.com


OxnardFrancisco Hernandez

Francisco Hernandez, 42, ofOxnard, Ca. passed away onJanuary 17, 2015 with his familyby his side. He was born in Pen-jamo, Guanajuato, Mexico to Al-varo Hernandez and Avelina So-lorzano. He was a resident ofVentura County for over 17years.

Francisco was an amazingson, father, husband, and uncle.

Beloved by everyone, he was al-ways in a cheerful mood. Be-sides always being there for hisfamily, he was a hardworkingand determined individual whoalways earned what he wanted.Many of us who knew himwould agree that he was alwayspassionate about his work andproud about his family. He wasalso our pride and joy. Youmeant the world to us and weknow you are in a better place.We will be praying to God foryou and we will never forgetyou. You will continue to live inour memories and hearts. Godbless you and may he have youin his eternal glory.

He is survived by his lovingwife Ana Rosa Hernandez; sons,Daniel, Alejandro and CristianIvan; parents, Alvaro and Aveli-na Hernandez; brother and sis-ters, Ruben, Maria de la Luz,Maria Luisa, and Maria de Je-sus; maternal grandparents, Ar-nulfo Solorzano and SoledadPerez.

Visitation will be held onSunday, January 25, 2015 from10:00am to 10:00pm with a ro-sary to be recited at 7:00pm atthe Garcia Mortuary Chapel.The Mass of Christian Burialwill be celebrated at 9:30am onMonday, January 26, 2015 atMary Star of the Sea Church. In-terment to follow at Ivy LawnMemorial Park in Ventura.

To sign the family’s on lineguestbook, share stories, andpost pictures please visit ourwebsite: www.garciamortuar-yoxnard.com and click on Fran-cisco’s name located below“obituaries”.

Funeral arrangements areunder the direction of the familyowned and operated, GarciaMortuary, 629 South A Street,Oxnard. For further informa-tion, please call (805) 486-9148.


OxnardRafael Levardo Loyola

Rafael Levardo Loyola, (hus-band, father, father-in-law, uncle,grandfather, great grandfather,friend (Sadik), tailor, carpenter,painter, dancer) 83, born De-cember 24, 1931 to LeonardaMapanoo Levardo and BenjaminBaylon Loyola, was called homeby God after 61 years of mar-riage to his faithful and dedicat-ed wife, Teodosia RonquilloOesmer. He is survived by 9 chil-dren: Nenita Loyola Atangan(married to Chito), RebeccaLoyola Reyes (married to El-mer), Milagros Loyola Alcazar(widowed by Guillermo “Ron-nie”), Benjamin Oesmer Loyola(married to Violeta de Guzman),Melinda Loyola de Mesa (wid-owed by Reynaldo), AniciaLoyola Reyes (married to Ar-nel), Dr. Jean Oesmer Loyola(widowed by Martin Donnel-lan), Michelle Loyola, and RafaelLoyola, Jr.

He also left behind preciousgrandchildren: Christian MarcAtangan, Christopher LoyolaAtangan, Chariz Anne ReyesMancilla (married to MarkmannNoel “Maki”), Ivy Kristin ReyesRamos (married to Odon), Ka-trin Anne Reyes, Rhodessa Maede Mesa Bobadilla (married toRoderick), Rae Marie Loyola deMesa, Ron Christian Loyola Al-cazar (married to Isabel “Aileen”Cacao), Mary Grace Loyola Al-cazar (married to Paolo), RalphAlbert de Guzman Loyola (mar-ried to Jocelyn de la Rosa), AprilDiane de Guzman Loyola, JohnAlfred Loyola Reyes, PatriciaLouise Loyola Reyes, FrancesAnthea Loyola Donnellan, Mi-khail Francis Loyola Donnellan,and great grandchildren: Chris-tiana (Boo) Jenks Atangan,Alyssa Nicole Loyola, Haily Kait-lyn Loyola, Andres Gabriel DeMesa, Amber Juliana Alcazar,Prince Guillian Luis Alcazar,Stephanie Mae de la Cruz, plusnumerous relatives, and friends.

Tatay/Papa/Lolo, Uncle,Kuya, Mang “Dide” worked as atailor then assumed differentjobs on and off for over 14 yearsoutside the Philippines andpaved the ways and means forthe education of his children.

Our fun memories of hispositive attitude in life revolvedaround his friendly smile, hischarming personality, sense ofhumor, and willingness to helpothers. The talents and treasuresbestowed upon him are madeevident on what he left behindon his children. His trust in our

abilities to do well, knowingwhat is right from wrong, guid-ed us to strive even more to at-tain our dreams and goals in life.

Witnessing how he changedthroughout his aging years, fromthe infirmities he suffered from,taught my family the value ofloyalty, true faith, the glimpsesof hope, and the love, from thesacrifices each one endures, asnothing but the very essence ofliving life, the precious gift fromGod.

Eternal rest grant unto thesoul of Tatay and may he rest inpeace, Amen.

Funeral arrangements underthe care of:Santa Clara Mortuary2370 North H Street,Oxnard, Ca 93036Visitation, Sunday, January25, 2015, strictly 4-8pm,Holy Rosary at 6:30pm.Funeral Mass, Monday,January 26, 2015 at 10amSanta Clara Catholic Chapel1333 East Ventura Blvd &Rose Avenue,Oxnard/El Rio, Ca 93036.Tatay’s body will be laid to

rest in the Philippines, subse-quently upon meeting the re-quirements for Internationaltransport.

The Lord is my shepherd; Ishall not want. He maketh meto lie down in green pastures;He leadeth me beside still wa-ters. He restoreth my soul; Heleadeth me in the paths of right-eousness for his name’s sake.Yea, though I walk through thevalley of the shadow of death, Iwill fear no evil, for Thou artwith me, Thy rod and Thy staff;they comfort me. Thou prepar-eth a table before me in the pres-ence of mine enemies; Thouanointest my head with oil, mycup runneth over. Surely good-ness and mercy shall follow meall the days of my life, and I willdwell in the house of the Lordforever.

Psalm 23Please sign the guest book at

obits.vcstar.com.

OBITUARIESFrom 6B

'9, !,7"C)</ <78E 1#(%A",.@9?),(.%.*#-$"+!%,!&'%#/

*%!'"',)&+ (%# +%-$'9, @9<;7<)7<A -9?7 :7B);7,5= @"BB 6+422+>>6+%$*& 3D4>D0


Opinion

Editorial

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTSRespond to editorials, letters to the editorand columnists. [email protected]

LETTERS

Keep them brief, no more than 300 words.All letters are subject to editing. Give full name, address and telephonenumber for verification; only name and hometownwill be published.E-mail: [email protected] (preferred).Postal address: Editor’s Letters, Ventura County Star, P.O. Box6006, Camarillo 93011.Fax: 437-0211.Online: http://www.VCStar.com/news/opinion

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR


EDITORIAL BOARD

SHANNA CANNONPUBLISHER &

CHIEF REVENUE OFFICER

JOHN T. MOOREEDITOR

MIKE COMEAUXOPINION PAGE EDITOR

COMMUNITY ADVISORY BOARD

JAMES CHRISTIANSENOak View

REV. LORA BRANDISCamarillo

KEN COZZENSVentura

The last Congress was denounced for basicallydoing nothing, certainly not anythingworthwhile.Theleadershipprotestedthatthechargewasunfair,

thatCongressdidtooenact legislation.Onexamina-tion,asizablenumberof thosebills involvednamingtaxpayer-fundedpostoffices,federalfacilities,bridges,highways, etc., after sittingmembers ofCongress.Thereareperiodicattemptstoendthesetaxpayer-

funded ego trips, all of them— so far— doomed tofailure. Still, lawmakers endowed with a sense ofrestraintandmodestykeeptryingtoendthepractice.InthelastCongress,RepublicanReps.MikeTurner

ofOhioandMichaelMcCaulofTexastriedtobanthepracticeofnamingfederalfacilitiesandinfrastructureafter themselves.Not surprisingly, both bills failed.Rep.Turner is trying again in the newCongress.AccordingtoJessicaWehrmanofCoxNewspapers,

Rep.Turnersaid,“Moneysofthefederalgovernmentare taxpayer moneys. These should not go to buildmonuments tomembers ofCongress.”He is right, of course, andwe have a hunch that a

majority of Americans surveyed would agree withhis common-sense observation.Furtherdigginghimself inwithhisfellowlawmak-

ers, he said, “I just thinkit’s a complete conflictof interest for membersto both be funding andmemorializing things tothemselvesthatthefederalgovernment owns.”Even in a chamber of

considerableegositwouldbe a rare lawmaker whostoodup and said, “Look,Ididn’tpersonallypayforthisprojector lift afingerin its construction but byvirtueofmycommitteeas-signment,Iwantmynameon it. Besides, it will helpmy re-election a lot.”Thishappensbutdiscreetlybehindclosedcommit-

tee doors and usually involves a tradewith anothermember seekingmemorialization.The late Democratic Sen. Robert Byrd of West

Virginiausedhispositionaschairmanof theappro-priations committee and later as majority leader todirect billions in federal dollars, most of them fromtaxpayers elsewhere, to his home state and didn’tcarewhoknew it.By one count, more than 50 federal projects bear

hisname.AnyonedrivingthroughtheMountaineerstatemight think this an undercount.“Pillory Congress all you want as do-nothing or

dysfunctional, as its critics often have. But in onerespect, lawmakers in the Capitol are remarkablyproductive: they name post offices like nobody’sbusiness,” JeremyW.Peterswrote inTheNewYorkTimes in2013afteracongressional study foundthatabout 20 percent of the laws passed in recent yearswere fornamingpostoffices. “In the 111thCongress,which met from 2009 to 2010, members passed 383statutes, 70ofwhichnamedpostoffices. In the 112thCongress ... members passed 46 measures namingpost offices, out of 240 statutes over all.”This Congress, considering its professed faith in

private enterprise and need for revenue,might con-sidersellingnamingrights likecitiesandcollegesdowith their stadiums.Or, if amember is truly deemedworthy of honor,

waitingfiveyearsuntil afterhisdeath, retirementordefeat before according the ex-lawmaker a naminghonor.Perhaps unfairly, we think the number of federal

facilitieswithrecognizableplacenameswillgrowattheexpenseofobscureandlikelyforgottenmembersofCongress.

One area whereCongress excels:namingbuildings

Unbelievable. PresidentObama, among the mostdivisive presidents in ourrecent history, gives analso divisive State of theUnionspeech, takingcred-it for things he did not do,producing a laundry list ofmostly bad things heplansand at the end soundingoh, so nice.

This country of ours?We’re a “tight-knit family.”Republicans? He wants toget alongwith them.To re-peat a question he asked,really?

If Republicans in con-trol of Congress try toamend the Dodd-Frankfinancial fix-it law, a con-fused, micro-managingconglomeration that lefteven thebureaucratic copson the beat confused, hewill veto it, he said.

Maybe you want toamend some of his uni-lateralist overreachingon immigration? Anotherveto, by golly! There areparts of Obamacare thatare almost sure to costAmericans jobs, but notinkering, folks. Just liveand let live, OK? You hearme? OK!?

The main thing wrongwith the speech wassomething besides hisantagonism paradingitself as conciliation,however. It was his basic

misperception of wherewe sit today.

“The shadow of crisishas passed,” Obama said,adding that we have “agrowing economy, shrink-ingdeficits, bustling indus-try and booming energyproduction.”Therefore, headded in so many words,the time has come for stillmore intervention withbusinesses, more redistri-bution of wealth, highertaxes on some and lotsmore government spend-ing on this, that and theother, all supposedly in thenameof amiddle class thatwill someday disappear ifhe actually gets awaywithdoing these things.

The fact is that there is acrisis that has not passed,namely a debt that is defi-nitely not shrinking butgrowing every minuteanddue togrowevenmorealong with higher deficitsonce again within the de-cade.

The chief issue is en-titlements — Social

Security, Medicare, Med-icaid and Obamacare. Wedo not have the fundingmechanisms in place topay for the promises, es-pecially asmore andmorebaby boomers retire, andthe question is not just oneof billions of dollars, buttrillions.

Someday, someone willhave to pay it if we do notstart to fix things now,namely our children andgrandchildren. It will ab-solutely ruin them.

Some say, Oh, well, thefixing will be easy, a taxhere, a tax there, some fu-ture spending cuts, but no—withoutfirst restructur-ing entitlements, it wouldtake taxes of a kind thatwould be egregiously highfor everyone and spendingcuts thatwould leave littlein thediscretionarypart ofthe budget standing.

As for the restructur-ing, it could be done, andwithout terrible hurt, leastof all for the most disad-vantaged, but politically, itis no small feat.

For instance, Social Se-curity Disability is due torun out of funding in 2016.Some say we should justswitch some funds fromSocial Security for the el-derly to this program, butthat worsens the plight ofthe retirement program

and is just a temporary fixfor the disability program.

House Republicans aresaying we should look atbroader reforms address-ing the long term, but theresponse from Demo-crats is what you alwayshear when commonsense enters the picture:demagogic, catastrophe-breeding screeches abouthow recipients would behurt.

In the final analysis, theState of the Union speechdescribed the sad state of aWhiteHouse that is ignor-ing something that couldbe as bad as anythingAmerica has faced sincethe Great Depression.

There were some goodideas—free trade is agoodidea — but cutesy talk ofother problems that areno longer problems andproposed ways of makingthings better that wouldlikely make things worse.

And despite the sweettalk at the end, there wasstill no sign that this presi-dent has the least idea ofhow to negotiate with thepolitical opposition, justcleverness inmaking themlook like villains.

Jay Ambrose is former directorof editorial policy for ScrippsHoward newspapers. Emailhim at [email protected].

President omits looming crisis

Roy Krieger, Ventura

Give seniors a breakAt theVenturaCityCouncilmeet-

ing on Jan. 12, during the PublicCommunications portion,Mr. JerryMatchin, owner of Stix Billiards inVentura, brought to the council’s at-tention the plight of the 1917 Bruns-wick “Majestic” snooker table that iscurrently in the city’s storage.

This magnificent snooker tablehas been the centerpieceof the city’ssenior recreation billiard programfor more than 40 years, and beforethat, for many years in several Ven-tura pool roomsand rememberedbymanywhoplayedon itover theyears.

The recent closure of the SeniorRecreation Center facility, locateddowntown at the corner of SantaClara and Oak streets, and the re-sultant space constrictions on theremaining senior facility located atCenter Street and Ventura Avenue,forced the cancellation of the bil-liards program, and the removal andstorage of the table.

Our neighboring cities—Oxnard(four tables), Ojai (three tables), Ca-marillo (two tables),ThousandOaks(five tables), Simi (two tables) — allhave very active programs anddedi-cated rooms for senior billiards, notmultifunctional.

Mr.Matchinalso submittednearly400 signaturesof concernedcitizenson an informal petition asking thecity to restore its billiard program.

It’s time we start supporting ourseniors and stop pulling the chairsout from under them.

John Darling, Ventura

Selective memoryRe:CharlesKrauthammer’s Jan. 16

column, “ReluctantObama: Charliewho?”

I see that Krauthammer is nowwhining about PresidentObamanot

having a representative at the Parisdemonstration against the cowardlyterrorist attacks that tookplace thererecently.

While this was clearly a mistakeon the president’s part, Krautham-mer andhisTeapublicanParty seemto forget two things. First, theydon’t remember who killed Osamabin Laden. It was President Obamawho did the job that Bush couldn’tand didn’t seem to want to do. Sec-ond, they don’t remember how theywhined about PresidentObamakill-ing an “American citizen” who leftthe country, renamed himself, andencouraged and financed terroristattacksagainstAmericans.Hisnamewas Anwar al-Awlaki, the manwholikely financed the attacks in Parisfrom the grave. If nothing else, hewas a mentor and idol to the twobrothers who murdered unarmedpeople in cold blood.

Most likely, noneof theabovemat-ters toTeapublicanmouthpieces likeKrauthammer. As long as PresidentObama is for something, they areagainst it.

They even hate the idea that theeconomy is improving under Presi-dent Obama, despite their tactics toundermine him.

The last thing thesepeoplewant isa happyAmerican citizenrybecausethat would blunt the only weaponthey have: fear.

Lori Meier, Thousand Oaks

Chemical cloudsIwouldverymuch like someprop-

ercoverage in localmedia topointoutsomethingthataffectseachandeveryoneofus,andmostespeciallythechil-dren that are growing up in this city,this state and this country.

Every morning, on my drive towork, everyweekend, everymomentof every day, I look up in the sky inhorror and disgust. What are thesestrangeclouds that streaminstraight

lines across the sky, that crisscrossand checker our once clear blue sky?Why do these strange clouds dripfrom the edges and spread out intoa muggy gray haze?

Could these be contrails from ajet plane? Of course they are. Whatelse could they possibly be? Exceptfor two small facts that are evidenteven to the layman.

Jet contrails dissipate in secondsand these trails of chemicals (madeup of heavy metals and poisonousparticulates that are littering our airand soil) stay in our skies for hoursandhours until true forces of nature,such as wind and rain, blow themout of our eyesight but not out of ouratmosphere or our soil.

Secondly, these trails, unlike con-trails canbe turnedonandoffatwillby the pilots of these planes.

Have we just become so used tothis that we now see these foreign,man-made chemical streaks in ourskies as clouds?

I see planes coming from the di-rection of our nearbyAir Force bas-es.What is going on?Who are thesepilots andwho are theyworking for?What are they spraying on us? Let’stalk about this and now. We are be-ing poisoned from aerial assault byour own government. It’s time towake up and ask questions.

THIS WEEK’S QUESTION:Are you confident theU.S. can prevent terrorism

on American soil?

NEXT WEEK’S QUESTION:Do you think cheating is widespread inprofessional sports?

ONLINEPOLL

Go to VCStar.com to vote on nextweek’s question.

14%Yes

SCRIPPS NEWSPAPERS

Total votes:536

81%No

5%Undecided

JAYAMBROSE

COLUMNIST

Moneysof the

federal govern-ment are tax-payer moneys.These shouldnot go to buildmonuments tomembers ofCongress.”

Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio



Commentary

PA VENTURA

WHERE TO WRITE

To TaxpayersGov. Jerry Brown and

University of CaliforniaPresident Janet Napoli-tano will meet to try toresolve their disagree-ment over state funding.One thing seems certain:somebody is about to getan education.

To CamarilloThe City Council re-

cently extended the localemergency proclamationbecause, as one officialexplained, the emergencywork completed after theCamarilloSpringsdisaster“has not been tested” by amajor rain event.That’s anominous thought, and therainy season doesn’t enduntil about April 1 — nofooling.

To healTh workersA new policy requires

those who haven’t beenvaccinated against the fluto wear a mask when car-ing for patients inVenturaCounty. Saywhat youwill,the policy sends a power-ful, visual reminder toeveryone concerning thevalue of a flu shot.

To parenTsSpeaking of vaccina-

tions, the daily news de-velopments regarding awidening measles out-break in Ventura Countyare a strong argumentfor immunizing childrenagainst this dangerous,highly contagious disease.

To Two-year CollegesThis week, state offi-

cials didn’t select VenturaCollege as one of the first15 California communitycolleges to offer four-yeardegrees. Yet, the county’sthree community collegesmay see great benefits fol-lowing the buzz in Wash-ington over providing freetuition for two years.

To voTersCalifornians may not

be too surprised that bil-lionaire Tom Steyer tookhimself out of the runningto succeed retiring Sen.Barbara Boxer. Considerthe unhappy fate of Cali-fornia’s other extremelywealthy first-time can-didates such as Meg

Whitman, Carly Fiorina,AlChecchi andBill Simon.

To Thousand oaksHow’s this for a thrifty,

common-sense notion:your fair city’s wastewa-ter treatment plant hasreached a city goal to op-erate 100 percent on re-newable energy generatedentirely at the site.

To venTuraCleaning up after last

month’s storms, firefight-ers burned tons of woodydebrisWednesdayonstatebeaches east of MuguRock. Some Ventura resi-dents remember the con-troversy 10years agowhenofficials left storm debrison some Pierpont-areabeaches, saying itwas “thenatural condition.”

To FillmoreOld Pa has huevos on

his face after erroneouslydescribing, a week ago,your City Council’s re-cent vote to take over (notclose) the Senior Center.Yet, the public still hasn’tbeen told what spurredthe council’s action. Nowthat’s huevos.

To sanTa paulaIn your fair city, the

Blanchard CommunityLibrary has reached a set-tlement with its formerdirector. Officials say it’sthe most economical wayto get past the dispute andfocus on serving the pub-lic. Yes, it’s time to turnthe page.

To moorparkYour fair city appears

to be closer to getting itsfirst, long-awaited hotelto help boost business ac-tivity, jobs and economicdevelopment in general.A newsroomwag says cityofficials seem to have noreservations.

To moorpark, TooDon’t take it personally

that multiple, large retailbusinesses recently shutdown in your communi-ty, fromAlbertsons to BigLots to Staples. Expertssay it’s just a sign of theoverall economic turbu-lence, as if any of us couldforget.

President Barack Obama:White House,Washington, D.C., 20500,Comment line: 202-456-1111,Web page: whitehouse.gov/contact

Board of SupervisorsDistrict 1: Steve Bennett800 S. Victoria Ave., L-Suite1900, Ventura, CA 93009.Phone: 654-2703. Fax: 654-2226.Email: [email protected]

District 2: Linda Parks625 W. Hillcrest Drive,Thousand Oaks, CA 91360Phone: 214-2510. Fax: 480-0585.Email: [email protected]

District 3: Kathy Long800 S. Victoria Ave., L-Suite1880, Ventura, CA 93009.Phone: 654-2276. Fax: 654-2226.Email: [email protected]

District 4: Peter Foy980 Enchanted Way, Suite 203,Simi Valley, CA 93065 Phone:955-2300. Fax: 578-1822.Email: [email protected]

District 5: John Zaragoza800 S. Victoria Ave., 4thfloor, Ventura, CA 93009Phone: 654-2613. Fax: 658-4515.Email: [email protected]

U.S. SenateBarbara Boxer: 112 HartSenate Office Building,Washington, D.C., 20510.Phone: 202-224-3553.Los Angeles office: 312 N.Spring St., Suite 1748, 90012Phone: 213-894-5000.Fax: 213-894-5012.Web page: http://www.boxer.senate.gov

Dianne Feinstein: 331 HartSenate Office Building,Washington, D.C., 20510Phone: 202-224-3841.Los Angeles office: 11111Santa Monica Blvd., Suite915, 90025Phone: 310-914-7300.Fax: 310-914-7318.Web page: http://www.feinstein.senate.gov

House of Representatives

Steve Knight (25th District):1023 Longworth HouseOffice Building,Washington, D.C., 20515.Phone: 202-225-1956.Fax: 202-226-0683.District office: 1008West 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 OfficeBuilding, 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 HouseOffice 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 223E. Thousand Oaks Blvd.,Suite #411, Thousand Oaks,CA 91362.Phone: 379-1779. Fax: 379-1799.Web page: http://www.house.gov/brownley

Ted Lieu (33rd District):415 Cannon House OfficeBuilding, Washington, D.C.,20515.Phone: 202-225-3976.Fax: 202-225-4099.District office: 5055Wilshire Blvd., Suite #310,Los Angeles, CA 90036.Phone: 310-652-3095.Fax: 323-655-0502.Web page: http://www.house.gov/lieu

Gov. Jerry BrownState Capitol Building,Sacramento, CA 95814Phone: 916-445-2841Web page: governor.ca.gov

State SenateHannah-Beth Jackson (19thDistrict): State Capitol Room

2032, Sacramento, CA 95814.Phone: 916-651-4019.Fax: 916-651-4919District office: 300 E.Esplanade Drive, Suite#430, Oxnard, CA 93036.Phone: 988-1940.Fax: 988-1945Email: [email protected]

Fran Pavley (27th District):State Capitol, Room 5108,Sacramento, CA 95814Phone: 916-651-4027. Fax: 916-651-4927.District office: 5016 N.Parkway Calabasas, Suite#222, Calabasas, CA 91302.Phone: 805-815-3917.Fax: 818-876-0802.Email: [email protected]

State AssemblyDas Williams (37th District):State Capitol, Room4005, P.O. Box 942849,Sacramento, CA 94249.Phone: 916-319-2037. Fax:916-319-2137District office: 89 S.California St., SuiteF, Ventura, CA 93001.Phone: 641-3700. Fax: 641-3708Email: [email protected]

Jacqui Irwin (44thDistrict): 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: 482-1274Email: [email protected]

Scott Wilk (38th District):State Capitol, Room4158, P.O. Box 942849,Sacramento, CA 94249.Phone: 916-319-2038District office: 27441Tourney Road, Suite#160, Valencia, CA 91355.Phone: 661-286-1565.Fax: 661-286-1408Email: [email protected]

Richard Bloom(50th District):State Capitol, Room2003, P.O. Box 942849,Sacramento, CA 94249.Phone: 916-319-2050.District office: 280028th St., Suite 150,Santa Monica, 90405Phone: 310-450-0041Fax:310-450-6090.Email: [email protected]

Ventura County grand jury800 S. Victoria Ave.,Ventura, CA 93009Phone: 477-1600.Fax: 658-4523.Web page: grandjury.countyofventura.org.

Letters to the EditorEmail: [email protected]: 437-0211.U.S. mail: Editor’s LettersVentura County StarP.O. Box 6006Camarillo CA 93011

Tennessee Williamswas spot-on when he ob-served, “Timedoesn’t takeaway from friendship, nordoes separation.”

Rarely has this beenmoreclearpersonally thanearlier this week whenI met up with a boyhoodfriend I had not seen in adozen years, if not more.Before that, it had beennearly as long again be-tween reunions.

Before these long laps-es, however, during our“Wonder Years,” Jimmyand Iwere thick as thieves,or scamps, or Tom andHuck. He was, in fact, myfirst friend upon movingto Ventura from Ohio atage 12.

Jimmy, four months myjunior, wasn’t my friendsomuch asmy “cousin” ofwhich I have not a singlebiological one. Had helived in Ventura, or I inPasadena, we would havebeen “brothers.”

We first met becauseJimmy’s aunt and uncleweremygodparents. Eachsummer he stayed twoweeks at their Solimarbeach home and upon ar-riving here in 1972 I joinedhim. It became a yearlyrendezvous through ourteens.

Those beach days andnightswereboyhoodbliss.Westayedup late shooting

pool and watching TV,slept in long, then spentthe remaining sunlightin the waves and explor-ing tide pools, looking forseashells and ocean glass,playing basketball andtalking about girls.

Too, I would annuallystay a week with Jimmyand his mom — his fatherdied when Jimmy was 4and his only sibling, a sis-ter, was 10 years older andalready out of the house—inPasadena.Summerat thebeach is an idyllic fun thatis hard to equal, but thesevacations came close.

Jimmy was a Califor-nia beach boy straightfrom Central Casting,with a toothpaste-adsmile, longish platinumhair, and a tan the colorof an old penny. But hismost striking feature, italways seemed tome,washis laugh.

Even at age 12, his laughsounded like it came fromanoldmanwith emphyse-ma— imagine Billy Crys-tal doing an out-of-breathcharacter in a Brooklyndeli. Better yet, recallthe wonderful heartysnicker of Muttley, the

Hanna-Barbera cartoondog. That was Jimmy’slaugh and he used it read-ily.

Separation of 70 miles— Jimmy still lives nearPasadena — is no excusefor the years of severancewe allowed to pass.

Our last time togetherwas when we saw JohnWooden give a talk at thehistoric Pasadena CivicCenter. JimmyandIsharedmany similarities grow-ing up and near top of thelist was our idolization oftheWizard of Westwood.Indeed, we both went toCoach Wooden’s summerbasketball campandmem-orized every block in thePyramid of Success.

Too bad we neglectedWooden’s preaching to“make friendship a fineart” — at least with eachother. Annually ourChristmas cards echoedsentiments to rekindleour friendship in the NewYear, butwekept failing tokeep the promise.

Taking the “Initiative”— a block in Wooden’sPyramid — Jimmy’s 2014holiday card includedwishes of “Peace, Love &Joy” and a specific date inJanuary to meet. When Iwalked into Brendan’sIrish Pub&Restaurant inAgoura Hills— amidwaydrive for both of us— the

sight of my old friendwasa time machine makingme young again.

Our 15-year separationmight as well have beenfive minutes. We pickedup as if we had just beenin the middle of a conver-sation before one of usleft to go to the bathroom— the latter happening anumber of times on thisevening, causing Jimmyto say, “I guess we are inour fifties and not teenag-ers anymore.”

An anticipated hour vis-it lasted nearly four as wereminisced and caught uponwivesandkids,workandplay, and raisedourglassesto the shared loved oneswe have lost — his cousinandmy second “sister”; hisauntandmygodmother;hismomandmymom.

Bidding goodbye, Jim-my and I made plans foranother hello very soon,and thesewords of HenryWadsworth Longfellowcame to mind: “Ah, howgood it feels! The hand ofan old friend.”

And the hug and theMuttley laugh, too.

Woody Woodburn writes aweekly column for The Star.Email him at [email protected]. His memoir“Wooden & Me” is availableat www.WoodyWoodburn.comand Amazon.com.

Friendship trumps time, space

Many people are hold-ing their breath waitingforRickPerry to announcewhether he will run forpresident again.

AsPerryponders,amongthose who wait nervously,are the folks who work atthe Department of Com-merce, Education and En-ergy, which Perry presum-ablystillwants toeliminateif elected.

Just the possibility ofPerry runningagain lets ustake a deliciousmoment toremember that “oops” epi-sode when he was listingthe three departments in aNovember 2011 debate andforgot Energy.

“Iwill tell you,”hebegandecisively, “it is threeagen-cies of government when Iget there(theWhiteHouse)that are gone. Commerce,Education, and the —What’s the thirdone there?Let’s see.”

Sincethemassivedropinoilpriceshashurt theTexasenergy business, we doubthe will forget it again. Butyouneverknow.Thewholecountry would be on pinsandneedles ifhegets in therace and has to tick themoff again, although by nowhe might take Ron Paul’sadvice and name five. Butthat would be too much of

a nail-biting event.(Also, as Ronald Reagan

foundoutwithhisverybrieffling trying to abolish theDepartment of Education,presidents can’t go aroundjust deciding to ax wholebureaucracies, much astheymightwant to do so.)

At any rate, it looks asthoughPerrywill run.He’schanged his hair color of-ten until he apparently gotit right. And he got thosescholarly black frames forglasses we assume he doesneed.

Most recently he toldManny Fernandez of TheNewYork Times, a report-er who worries about Tex-as politics so the rest of usdon’t have to, that “I thinkmost people think we’reprobably going to run, butwe’ll announce our inten-tions inMayor June.”

Notice the presidential“we”might run and “we’ll”announcethedecisionlater.

Perryhas beengovernor

ofTexas for 14yearsbuthisstint is ending, along withhis paycheck from Texastaxpayers.Andhisambitionfor greater glory is doubt-less as big as his state.

So is his confidence.Asked by Fernandez aboutthe impact of lower oilprices on Texas oil and gasproduction, he said itwon’tbe as bad as it would havebeen in the 1980swhen theTexas economy collapsed.But he added, “Midland,Odessa, it’s going to betough. There’s going to bepeople losing their jobs outthere. When you lose yourjob, that’s a recession,man.Those folks, I’m greatlyconcerned about.

“But the great story isthatpeople’s liveshavebeenimproved substantially inTexasover the last 14years,and we’ve had our ups anddowns.”

Rick Perry. Rand Paul,son of Ron. Mitt Romney.Mike Huckabee. Rick San-torum. Except for sort-ofnewbieJebBush, it’sdéjàvuall over again for Republi-cans.IfHaroldStassen,whodefinedtheterm“perennialcandidate,” weren’t dead,he’d be running too. But sofar, we haven’t heard anynoise from Michele Bach-mann, Newt Gingrich or

HermanCain.Perry is 64. Paul is 52.

Romney is 67. Huckabee is59.Santorumis56. JebBushis 61. There’s no real pointhere except it’s interestingto know people’s ages. Butexcept for Santorum, whoused to be a senator fromPennsylvania but lost hisstate’sconfidence,andPaul,who is currently a senatorfrom Kentucky, all are for-mer governors.Thatmightor might not be important.But it doesmean theydon’tlike Washington, even ifthey allwant to live there.

Meanwhile, back to Per-ry.ThanksagaintoFernan-dez, we know that he left abiblical message for hissuccessor, Greg Abbott. “Ifyou reallywant to be great,youmustfirstbeaservant,”he said, paraphrasing Mat-thew 20, verses 25 to 28. Italsosays“whoeverwantstobefirstmustbeyourslave.”

As for how hewill standout in the crowdof 2016 as-pirants, Perrynotes that hehasaclaimnobodyelsecanmake: He alonewas gover-nor of Texas for 14 yearswith all its ups anddowns.

Ann McFeatters is a Wash-ington journalist. Email her [email protected].

Watch out, Perry might run again

WOODYWOODBURN

COLUMNIST

aNNmcfeatteRs

COLUMNIST



local

Public safety briefs

C A M A R I L L O

Robbery victimpistol-whipped

Authoritieshadfourpeo-ple incustody lateFriday inCamarillo after respond-ing to a home where theybelieved a robbery suspecthadfled.

Officers responded atabout 8:50 p.m. to the 1700block of Mission Drive af-ter receiving a report of arobbery in which the vic-tim was pistol-whipped atabout 7:55 p.m. just outsideCamarillo, authorities said.

Sgt. GreggWillson withthe Ventura County Sher-iff’s Office said the robberandthevictim,amale juve-nile, knew each other andthat the robber drove up tovictim in a car in the 100block of West Loop Drive,they had an argument,and the victim was pistol-whipped in the head. Mi-nor personal property wastakenbeforetherobberfledinavehicle,authoritiessaid.

About an hour later, of-ficers were at the house onMission Drive after receiv-inginformationtherobberysuspectwas there, authori-ties said. After arriving atthe house, authorities saidthey detained four people,all males in their teens, al-though some were not mi-nors.Notallof themlivedatthe house, police said.

The suspects were keptin patrol cars outside thehome.Among themwasanagitatedyoungmanpound-ing on the car’swindows.

As other suspects werebrought out and they weretransferred to various pa-trol cars, he yelled at them:“Keepyourheadup!”and“Ilove you!”

A woman came to thecar and talked to him afterhe was told by an officerthat his mother would bebroughtouttospeaktohim.

Meanwhile, a police dogsearched the home, stop-ping to bark vigorously atintervals. The two-storyhomewasmuchlargerthanthe others in the neighbor-hood, with what appearedto be a four-car garage andtwo cars in the driveway,one of which was beingscrutinized by police. Thelight from officers’ flash-lights couldbe seenas theysearch the inside of thehome,whichstoodonahilland had a more spaciousyard than its neighbors.

Willsonsaid therobberyweaponwas not found.

Porch lights were on inthe neighborhood of mod-ern-stylestuccohomes,butno one stood outside in theyards with well-kept land-scapingand, in somecases,white rocks inplaceof turf.

At least nine markedVentura County Sheriff’sOffice cars were in front ofthehomethatwasthetargetof the investigation,withatleast two unmarked law-enforcement vehicles — apickup and sport utility ve-hicle, both black.

Earlier, there had beenofficers fromtheCaliforniaHighway Patrol assistingwith traffic control, whichinvolvedclosureofMissionDrive at San Miguel DriveandMissionDrive at SantaCruzWay.

The robbery victim wastaken to St. John’s Pleas-ant Valley Medical CenterinCamarillowithheadinju-ries,Willsonsaid.Alsohurtin the incident was an offi-cer who was bitten by thepolice dog,Willson said.

OX N A R D

Police catch suspectin injury with car

A 22-year-old man wasarrested two weeks afterhe allegedly hit anothermanwithhiscar inOxnard,authorities said.

Uriel Garcia Garcia, ofOxnard, was found in thesame car used during thealleged crime, which oc-curred Jan. 9 in the 600block of South A Street,Oxnard police said Friday.

A 26-year-old SantaBarbara man suffered a se-vere head injury and wastaken to Ventura CountyMedical Center. He was incritical conditionbut stableonFriday.

Oxnard police deter-minedduringapreliminaryinvestigation that a passen-ger in the vehicle got out ofthe car and confronted thevictim and others standingin a parking lot, authoritiessaid.Thepassengerthengot

back into the car, and thedriver hit the victim withthe car, police said.

Garcia was stopped inhis car and arrested in anunrelated matter Thurs-day night, authorities said.Police said they later foundGarcia’s vehicle had dam-age consistent with theJan. 9 incident. He was ar-rested on suspicion of at-temptedmurder,policesaid.

Search yieldsevidence, arrests

Oxnard police said theymadetwoarrestsThursdaywhileservingasearchwar-rant as part of a firearmsandnarcotics investigation.

The arrests occurredafter police served a gang-related search warrantabout 2:20 p.m. Thursdayat a business in the 500block of Pacific Avenue,authorities said.

The search yielded fire-arms, narcotics, evidence

of narcotics sales and amarijuana-growing opera-tion, police said.

James Tellez, 41, of Ox-nard,andCeceliaCalderon,34, of Oxnard, were ar-rested on suspicion ofnarcotics-related offenses,police said. Officers saidthey also detained severalgang-affiliated suspects.V E N T U R A

Identities soughtfor three in images

Police were asking forthe public’s help identify-ing people seen in surveil-lance imagesrecordednearwhere ahomelessmanwassetonfireSaturdaynight inVentura, authorities said.

Authorities said the twomen and one woman seenin the footage were notsuspects. They were seenwalking in the area at thetime of the incident andmight have some informa-tion, police said.

The 58-year-old home-less man was doused withlighter fluid and set on firewhile he was asleep in asleeping bag on the beachnear the end of SeawardAvenue. The man sufferedsecond- and third-degreeburns over 40 percent ofhis body but was expectedto survive.

The victim describedthe attackers as three menin their late teens to early20s with shaved heads anddark clothing.

VenturapoliceSgt.RyanWeeks saidhisdepartmenthas been getting helpfulcalls from the public.

“We haven’t identifiedanyone yet, but we havebeen given some names to

rundown,”Weeks said.The images of the po-

tential witnesses can befound on the Venturapolice Facebook page athttp://www.facebook.com/venturapd. Anyone withinformation isurged tocall339-4497 or 650-8010.

Chase follows useof bogus ATM card

A 29-year-old manwho tried to use a sampleATMcard Friday at a Ven-tura bank was arrestedafter running from policeand getting hit by a car,officials said.

Police responded about7:35a.m. toareportofasus-piciousmanenteringsever-al invalidcodesintoaChaseBank ATM in the 2400blockofHarborBoulevard.Themanwas trying to usean inactivecard—thekindbanks usually send out asadvertisements,policesaid.

An officer tried to con-duct a probation search onthe man, but he ran away,police said. An officercaught up to the man, buthebrokefreeandcontinuedrunning, police said.

Heranoutof theparkinglot and into traffic on Har-bor, where he was hit by avehicleheadingeast,policesaid. Themanwas thrownabout 30 feet but managedtogetupandcontinue run-ning, police said. Officerseventually caught him.

The man was taken to ahospital with moderate in-juries, police said. He wascitedonsuspicionof resist-ing arrest and possessionof narcotics and released,police said.

Staff reports

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/VENTURA POLICE DEPARTMENT

Ventura police have asked for the public’s help identifyingthe people in this image. Surveillance footage shows themwalking near where a homeless man was set on fire Saturdaynight. They are not suspects in the crime, but police said theybelieve these people may have some information.

VCS13

6133

0

NOT A BANK - NOT A BROKERWE ARE YOUR BEST LOCALDIRECT LENDER CHOICE

CONSOLIDATE YOUR HOME LOAN &LOWER YOUR MONTHLY PAYMENTS

ORIGINATIONFEES

LENDERFEES POINTS

Ask us howyou can takeadvantage ofthis offer

*Your interest rate will be higherif you select a loan with no

organization, lender fees or points.

VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT WWW.800801LOAN.COMCALL MICHAEL FISHER OR JASON SMITH

NMLS # 353528 NMLS # 353360

• PURCHASE &REFINANCE OPTIONS

• CONDITIONAL QUALIFICATION• COMPETITIVE RATES

• CONFORMING & HIGHBALANCE PROGRAMS

• FAST & FLEXIBLEUNDERWRITING

• EXPERT ADVICE & SERVICE

2775 Tapo Street, Ste 103Simi Valley, CA 93063

Caliber Home Loans, Inc., 13801 Wireless Way, Oklahoma City, OK 73134 (NMLS #15622). 1-800-401-6587. Copyright©2013. All Rights Reserved. This is not an offer to enter into an agreement.Not all customers will qualify. Information, rates, and programs are subject to change without prior notice. All products are subject to credit and property approval. Not all products are available in all statesor for all dollar amounts. Other restrictions and limitations apply. Caliber Home Loans, Inc. is required to disclose the following license information: Alaska Mortgage Lender License No. AK15622; ArizonaMortgage Banker License No. 0923637; Licensed by The Department of Corporations under the California Residential Mortgage Lending Act, Finance Lender Licensee; CO: Regulated by the Division of RealEstate; Georgia Residential Mortgage Lender License No. 7330; Illinois Residential Mortgage Licensee No. MB.0004043, by the Illinois Division of Banking, 320 West Washington St., Springfield, IL 62786,(217) 782-3000; Kansas-licensed mortgage company, License Number SL.0000796; Minnesota: MN-MO-40149066, This is not an offer to enter into an agreement. Any such offer may only be madein accordance with the requirements of Minn. Stat. Section 47.206 (3) and (4); Montana Mortgage Lender License No. 15622; Licensed by the New Hampshire Banking Department; Licensed mortgagebanker n.s.--N.J. Department of Banking; Ohio MBMB.850184.000; Oregon Mortgage Lender License ML-324; Licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Banking; Rhode Island Licensed Lender;VA: NMLS ID # 15622 (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org); Washington Consumer Loan Company License No. CL-15622.

Delivering a better experience

%)!&'(&#$"

AN (N0B #:*< #NN$ #=$: !@=<-

"L <N !@:2 (N0 9=*@! @;,: ,:2N0<B:I0) ;#<N $2N+2 ;< ,;B=MN<: ,:=2<

&' #'(!$ "(% NLL:B< ; 9=2=9;##(=2,;<=,: 'BNM:%0B: !@;! M;2 ;##:,=;!:

(N0B <(9'!N9<

D#=2=M;

#D#;<<=KM;!=N

2<

13?<0MM:<<L0#

4N %N+2 !=9:E%N2: =2 !@:NLKM:E 7;M$!N +NB$ !@:<;9: %;(

DN,:B:% 7(=2<0B;2M:=2M#0%=2*

5:%=M;B: ;2%5:%=M;#

4N ';=2E2N 7B0=<=2*E2N <M;BB=2*

J#:;<: M;##AB> .B02* O0= !N <M@:%0#:(N0B ;''N=2!9:2! !N%;("!%% &#*,)(',($+$

666C 8(22 HN;%E F0=!: GC6.@N0<;2% /;$<E D;> 1GP&C

8-("(*:;1-'#

($:"&

!'(%

.........935=8

43

7;:)#(!& 7&)/! 2+&,,)/* 20)/ 6-;/*&! <,#&:

VCS1360946

VCS1361354805.522.4667 • WWW.GRACEBRETHRENSCHOOLS.COM

VCS1361354

High School Championship Athleticswith Character

We believe that sports are a microcosm of life.If you can be successful in the discipline of athletics, youcan be successful in life. Call us today to discover more

about our high school programs!1350 Cherry Avenue • Simi Valley, CA 93065

www.allamericanmattresscamarillo.comVentura • 2323 E. Main St.(Corner of Seaward & Main)www.myamericanmattress.com

Camarillo • 163W.Ventura Blvd. (Next to Petco) 653-2323384-4816

FREE DELIVERY • FREE SET-UPFREE RECYCLING!$349

NOW ONLY

Mon-Fri 10am-7pm • Sat. 10am-6pm | Sun. 11am-5pm

PSALM 4:8

VCS13

6035

0

Interest Free Financing!

Queen Eurotop Set

ADJUSTABLE BED SUPER SALE

With this coupon! One coupon per Customer. Not valid with anyother offer. No sales tax. Expires 1/27/15.

Bring in favorite Bible verse

Extra 5% OFF (Ventura Only)20%OFFCOUPON

ANNUAL FLOOR MODEL CLEARANCEANNUAL FLOOR MODEL CLEARANCE


3B SantaPaulawomanguiltyinslaying - Carnegie Art Museum › uploads › 2 › 0 › 5 › 0 › 2050909 › vcstar1... · 1/24/2015 · Science,technology, engi-neeringand math majorsfrom

Documents