Cohort XVII Session IX: Environment and Transportation

Tags

Carinvore, Channel Islands, environment, National Park Service, transportation

by Sue R. Bauer, Ed.D.

Darren Kettle, Execute Director of the Ventura County Transportation Commission, launched our day of information/investigation of transportation vis-a-vis the local environment. Mr. Kettle’s cogent explanation of current transportation/traffic issues in the county painted a picture that enlightened the issues that face Ventura County today. For instance the need for car pool lanes, the congestion at the transition at the 23 to the 101 freeways, others–and the bottom line for many of these improvements to our transportation system lies in the lack of funding to move forward with needed enhancements.

I gained a better understanding of why the Rice interchange is taking so long to complete—a major reason being that it is a narrow and highly trafficked interchange. We also learned that the county’s transportation commission does not manage all improvements. Was anyone else surprised by these revelations?

• Want to find out who represents you on the Commission? Check out the list of commissioners.
• What do you think about 1991 being the last time that we had a gasoline tax increase? Are we overdue?
• What do you think about Ventura County not having a sales tax on transportation? Do you agree with Mr. Kettle that we need a sales tax measure on the ballot?

The presentation by Steve Brown, General Manager of the Gold Coast Transit system, illustrated clearly that we have a transit system that cares about the county’s constituency and strives for a high quality of service. I was impressed that community meetings are held to garner feedback.

Wildlife Biologist Justin Brown, Santa Monica Mountains NRA, helped us understand challenges faced by wildlife in the area (e.g., wildcats, coyotes, mountain lions). His presentation made clear that animals are restricted in their promulgation and well-being because of the elaborate roadway system in our area and neighboring Los Angeles County. Although one of the significant thoroughfares that wildlife should be able to easily transverse is very near the Sheriff’s station where I volunteer, I had never considered the importance of an unobstructed throughway for the animals. For more information about the animals, visit to the Urban Carnivores site.

• What wildlife traffic patterns might be right in your neighborhood that you will now notice?

Superintendent of Channel Islands National Park Russell Galipeau‘s presentation made us all want to take our first—or a repeat—excursion to at least one of the islands.

• When are you going to schedule your cruise over to the Channel Islands?

Our day wound down with engaging presentations by Outdoor Recreation Planners Margie Steigerwald and Melanie Beck. Our field trip to a view site over the Rim of the Valley Corridor (including explanations of studies of the area), plus the hike to Vista Point made an indelible imprint on our memories of the rich natural resources that are right outside our backdoors. Along with this realization, we came away with a better understanding of our role in taking care of the environment and supporting efforts to enhance the transportation system.

• Plus are you as excited as I am about seeing the new visitor center opening 6/9/12?
• Hope you’ll make comments on this post. Would love to hear from you.

Thank you to all agency representatives who made the day one will be remember.

VCLA wishes to thank Steve Brown and Gold Coast Transit for sponsoring the session.  Special thanks to VCLA Alumna Margie Steigerwald, National Park System for major assistance and coordination in planning the program for the day and to alumna Marisue Eastlake for volunteering at the session.

Dr. Sue R. Bauer has lived in Ventura County for over 30 years. On May 19, 2012, she retired from the position of Director of Client Services in the Information Systems and Services Department at California Lutheran University where her major focus was computer training. This year’s experience in VCLA’s Cohort XVII has revealed to Sue a wealth of opportunities to contribute to Ventura County. She has a special interest in Law Enforcement and sustainability of the County’s natural resources.

Spotlight on Leadership Luncheon Planned for October 11, 2012

By Norbert Tan, Steering Committee Co-Chair

On behalf of the Ventura County Leadership Academy Steering Committee, I am pleased to announce that the Spotlight on Leadership Luncheon is scheduled for October 11, 2012.  As one of our primary fundraising opportunities, the event generates enough revenue to operate the program for almost four months.  But most importantly, the event provides an opportunity for the community to honor our great leaders and thank them for their service to Ventura County.

While this is a change from our normal spring luncheon, the date change allows for us as an organization to plan more effecitively.  Since our fiscal year runs from July 1 to June 30, this will allow the event revenue to be generated in the first part of our fiscal year as opposed to the last part of the fiscal year, which will ensure we have the best information to manage our budget.

So please mark your calendars and join us on October 11 to honor our community’s top leaders.  If you are interested in sponsorship opportunities or have questions about the event, please contact Meredith Benton at mbenton(at)vcunitedway(dot) org.  And once again, thank you for your continued support of VCLA.

Cohort 18 Calendar Available Now!

Recruitment for VCLA’s Cohort 18 is underway.  The application is available on our website and due on April 15.  Additionally, the Cohort 18 session dates for 2012-2013 are as follows:

Friday, September 14:  Orientation, Standard of Living, Housing, Welcome Reception
Thursday, October 11:  Spotlight on Leadership Awards (11:30 – 1:30 at Spanish Hills Country Club)
Thursday, October 18:  Community Studies
Thursday, November 8:  Education
Friday, December 7:  Health Care, Holiday Party
Friday, January 11:  Environment/Water/Transportation
Thursday, February 7:  Local Government & Public Safety
March 3-5:  Sacramento
Tuesday, April 9:  Economic Development/Labor/Agriculture
Monday, April 15:  Cohort 19 Application Deadline
Friday, May 3:  Arts & Culture, Wrap Up, Graduation

Unless otherwise indicated, all sessions will go from 8 am – 6 pm.

Reflections from Sacramento

Tags

Board of Equalization, California Chamber of Commerce, Capitol Building, Cohort XVII, Legislative Training, Occupy Movement, VC Star

by Karen Carey

What a wonderful time we all had!  Hats off to Meredith who put together a splendid program of speakers for us.  We were provided with Legislative Training which many of us greatly appreciated and the Jeopardy game that Mr. Fred Robinson emceed was great fun.  And, on our first night we had a fabulous dinner at Pizza Rock that was arranged for us by Kristy Hirschberg.

Because of the Occupy Movement protests at the Capital on Monday, March 5, our sessions were held at the California Chamber of Commerce offices.  We had a full day hearing about the serious water issues facing the state, the state budget, how lobbying is done in Sacramento, and gaining knowledge about the state tax structure and the Board of Equalization.  These sessions were eye opening for many of us and gave a good perspective on the operations of the state as well as the significant problems California is currently facing.  We also heard from Timm Herdt, the Ventura County Star Reporter, based in Sacramento.  Importantly, we learned how bills are created and passed and the process by which they reach the Governor’s desk.

On Tuesday, we were able to go the Capitol building and sit in committee sessions for a brief time.  Seeing how the government actually works was a great experience and hearing testimony on issues from education to safety was very interesting.

We also heard from Mark Timmerman (from Assembly Member Jeff Gorell’s Office), Assembly Member Cameron Smyth, Assembly Member Julia Brownley, Senator Fran Pavley, Assembly Member Das Williams, and staff members from Sharon Runner’s office.  I think we all agreed they were fascinating to listen to, even if we were on the other side of the aisle from them, and we could have spent a day with each one of them.  Cohort XVII had a plethora of questions for every one of our speakers and it was truly a learning experience.

Dr. Karen Carey is Associate Vice-President for Arts and Sciences at CSU Channel Islands.A brand new resident to the county, Karen lives and works in Camarillo.  She recently relocated from Fresno where she volunteered with the United Way’s Women’s Initiative.  Her areas of interest include the children of migrant farm workers and education.

Community Studies: Moorpark

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Cafe Firenze, Moorpark, Moorpark West Studio

by Tiffany Morse

My husband, Ruben Clement, and I moved to Ventura County in September of 2011. In our search for the perfect location to settle, we considered many of the fine towns in the county. Ultimately, our research led us to Moorpark, a growing town with an educated and slightly younger populace. We visited Moorpark and immediately fell in love with its small-town feel, its rolling hills, and its warm, friendly citizenry.

In preparation for our community studies day for the Ventura County Leadership Academy, I  researched Moorpark on the Internet.  To my dismay, I didn’t find much information on issues facing the town.  In fact, even the last planning commission meeting was over in less than 30 minutes.  I began to wonder what kind of hermetically sealed suburbia I had moved to.

An evening at local Italian restaurant Cafe Firenze with some fellow Moorpark residents led to the discovery that there indeed are some real issues facing Moorpark. There are concerns about the amount of truck traffic on the 118, the timeline for the opening of the new Moorpark West studio, and the cost of leasing business space.

The Community study day gave me a chance, along with fellow Moorpark resident Bob Olsen, to ask Mayor Janice Parvin, Deputy City Manager Deborah Traffenstedt, City Development Director David Bobardt, and Planning Commissioner Mark Di Cecco, about some of these topics. These discussions brought up other issues facing Moorpark: light pollution, open space, and the local skatepark. In a way, I was relieved to know that my new town does indeed have opportunities to improve and public officials who are working diligently on that front.

In the end, the opportunity to dig a bit deeper into some of the issues, as well as the future plans of my sleepy little community, led me to feel even more enamored with Moorpark and spurred me on to become more involved as a citizen. By understanding more of the issues and concerns, I felt like I could perhaps even contribute to some of the solutions.

Dr. Tiffany Morse is a cohort XVII member.  She is involved with the Charter School Support and Oversight and Ventura County Office of Education.  Tiffany recently relocated to Ventura County from Sacramento, where she worked for the State Department of Education.  She volunteers with TLC Hospice and has been involved with People for Educational Equality and Snowriders.  Her main area of interest is education, particularly related to intervention and prevention programs for high risk factors and serving the diverse student population.

Ojai : A Quiet Force: Community Studies Reveal Surprising Facets

Tags

Community Studies, Ojai, Pink Moment

By Melissa Baffa

A participant in VCLA, by about this time of year, knows that sessions are dense, thought-provoking, and usually unsettling in some way.  Like an athlete or seasoned debater, we head into our monthly session excited and aware that we’re likely to be thrown off-balance at some point, bumped or even knocked down by something unusual or unexpected.

So when headed into a day-long exploration of a new community, cohort members plunged into the experience knowing that we brought  with us certain assumptions, and that the coming hours were  likely to challenge some of those assumptions.  My group was assigned the community of Ojai.  Other communities explored by other small groups the same day included Port Hueneme, Simi Valley, Moorpark, and Fillmore, selected because these communities do not have as large of a presence in the VCLA curriculum as other, more populated and centrally-located communities in Ventura County do.

Assumptions challenged and confirmed

As expected, the community of Ojai challenged some of the assumptions brought with us: that everyone was wealthy, celebrated some sort of New-Age spiritual belief, and that there was nothing for young people to do.  Other things we thought we knew were confirmed: that it was regarded as a peaceful, artistic, and fairly liberal community.  We learned that the topography of the place, its isolation, defines it politically, economically, socially, and even spiritually, depending on who you talk to. Ojai, of the famous “Pink Moment,” is a study of contrasts and interconnectedness at the same time.

But as important as the Learning with a capital L was for the day, the opportunity for group members to explore together, plan, collaborate, and be surprised together was another benefit of the experience. The highlight of my day was the highlight of someone else’s.  When a group member had a sandwich at lunch that made his toes curl, it was so good, I felt it sitting next to him.  We took time to listen to birds and take in the view and even chat with people on the street, and in the rush of life, we don’t often get to do these things.  And so we built a common experience, and in doing so, we grew.

YIMBY!

When many people travel, they take the time to try to absorb the essence of a place through its food, its transportation, its culture, its nature, its architecture, its history.  But when was the last time you did this in your own corner of the world?  When we take the time to learn, to understand the life and the setting of others around us, we can grow both as individuals and as leaders.  To identify and explore the assumptions you make, and to be comfortable with being wrong is an important part of personal growth.

So, to the suggestion of being a tourist in Ventura County, when I am also a resident, I say, “YIMBY! (Yes, in my backyard!)”  The more I learn, the more I realize I do not know.  And now, I am curious: have you had similar experiences?  Have you explored somewhere, especially somewhere close to home, and been surprised by the experience?  Has it helped you to develop a greater understanding of the issues in your own community?  And how have you been inspired to act?

VCLA would to thank the Ventura County Star for sponsoring our Community Studies’ Session.  We would also like to thank Catherine Lee for meeting to team in Ojai and orienting them to the city.

Melissa Baffa is a member of Cohort XVII and the new executive director of Friends of Channel Coast State Parks.  Prior to that, she served as executive director of Oxnard’s Gull Wings Children’s Museum, a middle school science teacher in Simi Valley, and a research associate at Amgen in Thousand Oaks.  A long-time Ventura County resident, she graduated from California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks. 

Local Government – Camarillo Reflections

By Dr. Karen Carey

Group Camarillo had a great morning. Our group included Pamela Abbott, Tracylee Clarke, and Tracy Hudak.  We arrived at 8:15 at Camarillo City Hall and met with Jan McDonald, Mayor the City of Camarillo and Ronnie Campbell, the Director of Finance for the city.  They reported that the primary problem for the city is the state and they are hoping to be able to build a more collaborative relationship with the state.  Building a hotel conference center is in process but without redevelopment funds this will be much harder to obtain. The city has done a good job of planning and being fiscally responsible.

There are five members of the City Council and the Mayor position is rotated.  This is Mayor McDonald’s third time being mayor.  The council members share the workload and sit on different city wide committees. The Council is currently engaged in Strategic planning for providing services in the city and examining economic development.  There are numerous committees that the public is welcome to become members of including Arts, Health, and Education.

Group Camarillo then walked to the Pleasant Valley Recreation and Park District and met with Dan LaBrado, General Manager.  Dan explained that monies for the Park District come from voter approved property taxes and assessments.  The have an $8 million dollar budget.  Currently they are working to develop a five year strategic plan and developing the Freedom Park Project. This Project at $1.6 million will convert existing fields to baseball fields.  The District has also been awarded a $32,000 in grant funds from the Santa Monica Conservancy to develop an Open Space, Trail, and Greenway Planning Study.  Dan Is passionate about his job and is working hard to make sure our parks provide places for individuals, families, and dogs to recreate.

We then returned to City Hall to meet with Kathy Long, Supervisor for the third district.  As a supervisor she is responsible for oversight of health, welfare and public safety for her district.  Currently she is working to insure all parts of AB109 are met (Ventura County is doing a good job meeting this Bill), mass transportation issues, tourism, and increasing the biotechnology industry in the County.  She was a an excellent source of information and willing answered many questions we had about her current projects.

It was a very productive morning and we enjoyed the informality of the meetings.

The Local Government Session was made possible through a session sponsorship by California Lutheran University.  VCLA also thanks Patty Brown for organizing Camarillo’s Local Government morning session.

 

Dr. Karen Carey is the Associate Vice-President for Arts and Sciences at California State University, Channel Islands.   She relocated to Ventura County within the last year from Fresno, California.

Now Accepting Nominations for Leadership Lunch Award!

Tags

Award, Nomination, Spotlight on Leadership

Deadline is February 24 at 5:00 pm!

The Ventura County Leadership Academy is now accepting nominations for our 11th Annual Leadership Awards Luncheon.  At the luncheon, we will honor and recognize a Business of the Year, a Community Leader of the Year and an Alumna(us) of the Year.  Award criteria are included in the applications, which are now posted on our website.  To submit a nomination, please fill out the appropriate form and submit it to Meredith Benton at mbenton(at)vcunitedway(dot)org.

We would also like to recognize our prior award recipients, who are as follows:

1^st Annual – July, 2002
Special Founder’s Recognition Award – Dr. Priscilla Partridge de Garcia
Distinguished Community Leaders – Suzanne Chadwick & Mike Silacci, Class III
Exemplary Business/Organization – Haas Automation, Inc.
VCLA Alumna  of the Year – Cathy Brudnicki, Class V
2^nd Annual – July, 2003
Distinguished Community Leader – Jack O’Connell
Distinguished Community Business – Santa Barbara Bank & Trust
Exemplary Organization – Arc Ventura County & California Lutheran University
VCLA Alumnus – David Keith, Class I
Emerging Leader – Maricela Morales, Class III
3^rd Annual – July, 2004
Distinguished Community Leader – Supervisor Kathy Long & Mike Montoya
Distinguished Business Org. – Ventura County Star
Distinguished Public Service – 146^th Airlift Wing California Air National Guard
VCLA Alumna – Kathy Raffaelli, Class IV
Emerging Leader – Rosalinda Figueroa, Class IX
4^th Annual – June, 2005
Distinguished Community Leader – Sheriff Bob Brooks
Distinguished Business Organization – Wilshire Home Entertainment
Distinguished Public Service Organization – Soroptimist International
VCLA Alumna of the Year – Dr. Eva Conrad, President Moorpark College, Class IV
Emerging Leader of the Year – Maria Cobian, Class VIII
5^th Annual – June, 2006
Distinguished Community Leader Award – J. Handel Evans
Distinguished Business Leader Award – Wayne A. Davey
VCLA Alumna of the Year – Connie Young, Class XI
Emerging Leader of the Year – Jessica Arciniega, Class IX
6^th Annual – June, 2007
Distinguished Community Leader Award –Hank & Leah Lacayo, Community  Philanthropists/Activists
Distinguished Business Leader Award – Ventura County Economic Development Association (VCEDA)
VCLA Alumnae of the Year – Norma Maidel, Class X & Sue Tatangelo, Class VI
Emerging Leader of the Year – Joyce Wilde, Mental Health Activist, Class II
7^th Annual – June 6, 2008
Distinguished Community Leader – Mary Schwabauer, VCCF Board President, Farmer, Philanthropist
Distinguished Business Leader – Henry Dubroff, Pacific Coast Business Times
VCLA Alumna of the Year – Alisha Washington, Class II
Ductus Exemplo* – Ginger Gherardi, Executive Director, V C Transportation Commission, Retired
Emerging Leader of the Year – Alec Loorz, Environmental Activist, Ventura
8^th Annual – June 18, 2009
Distinguished Community Leader – Cheryl Moore, Executive Director, Work Force Investment Board
Distinguished Business Leader – Waste Management Ventura County (located in Simi Valley)
VCLA Alumnus of the Year – Fred Robinson, Chief Executive ARC of Ventura County, Class VI
9th Annual – April 29, 2010
Distinguished Community Leader – Armando Lopez, Community Activist, Principal, Plaza Development Partners
Distinguished Business Leader – Proctor and Gamble
VCLA Alumnus of the Year – Norman Griffaw, Class XI, Mayor, Port Hueneme
Ductus Exemplo*– Marianne Ratcliff, Opinion Page Editor, Ventura County Star, Retired
10^th Annual – May 19, 2011
Distinguished Leader of the Year – Dr. Richard Rush, President of CSU Channel Islands
Distinguished Business Leader of the Year – Bill Camarillo, CEO of Agromin
VCLA  Alumnus of the Year – Norbert Tan, Cohort XIV, Executive Director of Ventura College Foundation
Ductus Exemplo* – Randy Churchill, Businessman and Community Leader
Founder’s Award – Marc Charney, VCLA Co Founder, Advisory Board Member, Attorney 

* Leadership by Example

Cohort XVII Session IV: Health Care

By Lisa Lopez

Health Care has a different meaning to all of us.  When we hear the term health care, some of us could be reminded of a past experience at a doctor’s office or facility.  Sometimes, those past experiences, unfortunately, have resulted in frustration or confusion.  As patients and consumers of our health care system, we’re at a lost when it comes to selecting a qualified physician and then only hope they are providers of our insurance plan.  Sound familiar?  I bet it does to most of us!

The author with Laurie Eberst, President of St. John's, who spoke to Cohort XVII.

It’s tough enough to be able to afford health care coverage this day and age let alone be left responsible trying to understand the insurance maze. The infamous terms such as, “HMO, PPO, In-Network Doctor, Out-of-Network doctor, co-payment and deductible” can be intimidating. I really don’t blame anyone for not wanting to understand this multidimensional topic.  And mind you, this is coming from someone like me who has worked in the health care industry for 19 years!

VCLA’s Health Care focus session provided us with a snap shot of what the system entails at both a local and national level. Our County’s experts discussed topics such as universal health care, health care reform and electronic health records.  The common theme after many of the discussions were: budget cuts, lack of resources and the high population of the uninsured.  Despite these critical issues, we’re still left responsible addressing disease prevention including childhood obesity, mental illness as well as the lack of education about these health issues.

Our very own cohort member, Sara Rivera, provided us with information about numerous services offered within our community.  From health screenings to several disease prevention programs, theCountyofVenturaprides themselves by offering these free services to those in need. Hearing about this, as well as the various free-standing clinics for the homeless or those in need of mental health treatment made me proud and happy to represent Ventura County!

December’s Health Care Session was sponsored by VCLA alumna and Steering Committee Member Sue Craig from the Camarillo Health Care District.  In addition to Susan’s sponsorship, VCLA appreciates alum  Rigoberto Vergas for helping us curate the day.

Lisa Lopez is an Administrator at Coastal Eye Specialists.  A life-long resident of Ventura County, Lisa currently lives in Ventura and works in Oxnard.  She is actively involved in the Professional Association of Health Care Office Managers and the Oxnard Chamber of Commerce.

 

 

Cohort XVII Session III: Edu-ma-cation is fun-damental

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Cohort XVII, Oak Park, parental involvement, technology

By James Joyce III

Education is a challenge, especially in today’s social and fiscal environment. Then you toss in advances in technology and the unintended consequences to our socialization that follow and the challenges grow exponentially.

The challenges facing today’s classrooms are not new to me. For most of my professional life I worked as a daily newspaper reporter with the majority of that time dedicated to covering the trials and tribulations of education: from a focus on the first 5 years to adult continuing education. But no longer cloaked with the veil of being a daily reporter, the ability to view our education system through a similar lens with the access provided through the Ventura County Leadership Academy Cohort XVII experience, provided a much needed reminder.

Cohort XVII participates in a panel discussion at Oak Park Unified School District

In one respect that technology has helped with the evolution of education. In another it has further alienates us from one another. Indeed, the very technology aimed to bring us together further creates a divide among us.

This was a thought that one of our fellow cohort members helped me realize. As we worked with a student that was far past proficient with technology, we noticed he lacked other intangibles such as the ability to make eye contact and the awareness of being a part of a collaboration. Without judgement, this simple observation is key to understanding how that might play out elsewhere in society.

Without making a sound investment in the fundamental way we educate now, we will suffer in the future. Education is truly a business and it would be advantageous for us to all examine it in that manner.

The best way to overcome our current fiscal deficiency, a deficiency that stands to threaten our future development as a nation and society, is to embrace the principals of each one teach one.

Void of parental involvement, parallel to it and sometimes, when deemed right, in spite of it; we would prosper by embracing a shared community mentality. I frame it this way, because as we saw when we visited the Oak Park School District parental involvement yields a higher achieving student than one with minimal or none.

This can be a scary idea to ask some parents to step back into a classroom when their personal experience with education may have been less than stellar. But without risk there is no reward.

Moving forward as a leader, I look to remain mindful of how I become to be at the point am, encourage others to be cognizant of their personal journey as well. Now reach a hand down to help those behind us.

VCLA thanks Norbert Tan of Ventura College Foundation for sponsorship of Session III: Education.

James Joyce III is a Field and Communications Representative for California Assembly Member Das Williams.  He is a former journalist and a member of VCLA Cohort XVII.