The deadline to apply for the Ventura County [Civil] Grand Jury has been extended to April 22, 2016. Applications may be found on the Grand Jury web-site www.ventura.org/grand-jury or by calling (805) 477-1600. As an all-volunteer watch-dog group, service on the Grand Jury provides you with an opportunity to serve your community while learning about local government operations.

The Grand Jury investigates selected complaints received from the public. After investigating a complaint, the Grand Jury issues a written report which includes facts, findings and recommendations.

Basic requirements to qualify for service are: you must be a citizen of the United States, 18 years of age, a resident of Ventura County for at least one year prior to being seated, and with sufficient knowledge of English to conduct jury business. Computer skills are highly desirable. All eligible residents of Ventura County are encouraged to apply.

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Some phenomenal women from history made a visit to the stage at One Step a la Vez teen center on Saturday March 12th. One Step a la Vez hosted a staged reading of selected monologues from Terre Ouwenhand's poetic Voices From the Well. Brought to life were many influential women including conservationist and author Rachel Carson, American artist Georgia O'Keefe, aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart, labor organizer Mother Jones and a fictional young woman based on the real stories of female child soldiers.

This event was visioned by the late Leslie Carson - a woman whose passion for theater and community was so far beyond evident it was contagious and magnetic. Carson and a close circle of friends had the idea to bring this programming to Fillmore in honor of International Women's Day (March 8th). Carson's passing in January did not stop the women she had recruited and cast for parts in the project from seeing it though. Doris Guthrie, Lynn Edmonds, Cynthia King, Jaclyn Ibarra, Ellen Dewey and Kate English continued to hone the production as a special memorial and tribute to their beloved friend.

Chano Ibarra stepped in to help stage and light the event and James Garvic set the sound system.

In honor of Leslie Carson a scholarship has been created, the Leslie Carson Heart on Fire Scholarship. This will be granted to a young woman demonstrating deep passion for the field she intends to embark upon. Donations to this scholarship may be made to One Step a la Vez, PO Box 192 Fillmore, CA 93016.

Communicating end of life decisions will be the focus of a free Ethics in Healthcare event Community Memorial Health System is holding as part of its 2016 Speakers Series on Thursday, April 21, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Museum of Ventura County, 100 E. Main St.

Jim Hornstein, M.D., CMHS Bioethics Chair will moderate the latest Ethics in Healthcare event being held in recognition of National Healthcare Decision Day.

The event, entitled “Goodbye to ‘Death Panels,’ Hello Patient Care - A Must Event for Adults to Understand & Complete Their Own Living Wills” will feature presentations on “How to Complete an Advance Directive,” by Diana Jaquez, R.N., manager of CMHS Palliative Care, and a “Toast to Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment,” by Teri Helton, R.N., president of the Ventura County POLST Coalition. Each attendee will receive an advance directive and POLST form. Presenters will review the forms and help attendees complete them. A notary will be available.

Beginning at 4:30 p.m., attendees can arrived before presentations to visit exhibitors with information about elder living, services and programs from local hospice and home healthcare agencies, CMHS Social Services and Palliative Care Services, and representatives from Mission Home Health, Los Robles Homecare, Aegis Living of Ventura and Livingston Memorial Visiting Nurse Association & Hospice.

Registration is free but reservations are required. To secure reservations visit www.cmhshealth.org/rsvp or call Brown Paper Tickets at 800-838-3006.

Community Memorial Health System is a not-for-profit health system, which is comprised of Community Memorial Hospital, Ojai Valley Community Hospital, along with the Centers for Family Health serving various communities within and located in Ventura County, California.

This month, Valley Express celebrates one year of connecting people in the Heritage Valley to resources in their community: schools, work, churches, hospitals, grocery stores, and senior centers. In honor of their year of service, Valley Express is sponsoring an anniversary contest.

To join the one-year anniversary celebration, community members are invited to enter into a random drawing for one of six $25 VISA gift cards by going to the Valley Express website, www.valleyexpressbus.org, and doing one of the following before April 29:
1. Take a short 10-question quiz testing local Heritage Valley knowledge; or
2. “Follow” Valley Express on Twitter or “Like” Valley Express on Facebook, and post a comment with the hashtag #FelizAniversario.

Valley Express service launched in March of 2015, operating two routes in Santa Paula, one in Fillmore, and one in Piru. After twelve months of operation, the service has expanded to include a secondary route in Fillmore, and additional weekend service to/from Piru. In addition, the Valley Express operates door-to-door services for seniors and disabled patrons, as well as for residents that live in far-reaching areas of Heritage Valley.

Valley Express runs on both weekdays and weekends. It also provides supplemental, seasonal bus service in Fillmore and Santa Paula during the school year to accommodate additional student riders.
“Valley Express dial-a-ride and fixed-route services connect people in Fillmore, Piru, and Santa Paula with the most important destinations in their communities,” said Ginger Gherardi Councilwoman for the City of Santa Paula. “The system makes it convenient for people to get to the places they need to go.”
Monthly fixed-route ridership has grown from roughly 5,800 when the service debuted in March 2015 to nearly 8,000 in February of this year, with ridership topping over 10,100 during October 2015.

Valley Express service is provided through a cooperative agreement between the cities of Fillmore and Santa Paula, the County of Ventura, and the Ventura County Transportation Commission. It is administered by the Ventura County Transportation Commission. The fixed-route and Dial-A-Ride service is the Heritage Valley’s own community-based transit program, replacing the former VISTA Dial-A-Ride service sponsored by VCTC.

Day passes, monthly passes, and discounted passes for youth, seniors, and persons with disabilities are available. To learn more about Valley Express bus services, both fixed-route and Dial-A-Ride, call (800) 438-1112 or visit www.valleyexpressbus.org. Remember to visit www.valleyexpressbus.org before April 29 to enter the Valley Express one-year anniversary contest.

Ventura County Library is celebrating 100 years of service! Please join us to celebrate our Centennial on April 20, 2016 from 4 to 7pm in the E.P. Foster Library Topping Room at 651 East Main Street in Ventura, CA from 4 to 7pm.

Historical exhibits open at 4pm, presentations and speakers will be at 5:30pm. A “Tell us your story” booth will be featured. Catch up on the library’s history, share your library memories, and see what others have shared as well. Get a glimpse into what the next 100 years hold for Ventura County Library!

Ventura County Library System:
Inspiring our community to explore, discover and connect.
The Ventura County Library is available 24/7 at www.vencolibrary.org

The Community Memorial Healthcare Foundation is holding its 43rd Benefactors’ Ball on Saturday, April 16, with proceeds benefitting the new Community Memorial Hospital.

Three notable individuals will be recognized at this event with the prestigious Cephas Bard Award, named after the founder of the first Community Memorial Hospital. Awardees recognized at the event are: CMH Physician – Dr. Thomas Golden, CMH Retired Physician – Dr. William Hart, and Community Leader of the Year – Barbara Meister.

Festivities begin at 6 p.m. at the Historic Mission San Buenaventura in O’Brien Hall. Dinner is set for 7 p.m., with dancing and music at 8 p.m. The evening is black tie optional. For information, tickets or sponsorship, visit www.benefactorsball.org, or call the foundation office at 805-667-2881.

The event represents an opportunity for residents to support community-based healthcare. The new Community Memorial Hospital will feature advanced medical technology, all private rooms and a considerably larger emergency department.
Community Memorial Hospital is a member of Community Memorial Health System, a not-for-profit health system, which is comprised of Community Memorial Hospital, Ojai Valley Community Hospital, along with the Centers for Family Health serving various communities within and located in Ventura County, California.

Rotary President Kyle Wilson welcomes Councilmember Carrie Broggie to Fillmore Rotary.

Born and raised in the San Fernando Valley, Carrie and her husband, Scott, moved to Ventura in 1987 where they raised their three children, Amanda, Matthew, and Kevin. In 2010, when they became “empty-nesters,” they sold their home and moved to Fillmore. Carrie became active in the community initially be being appointed to the Film Commission. In 2014, she ran for and won a seat on the city council, and is now mayor pro tem. When Carrie is not busy with city council matters, she works at the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office where she has been a legal assistant since 1993.

While campaigning for City Council, Carrie was invited to a Rotary meeting by Cindy Blat, a long-time Rotarian. At the time, Carrie knew little about Rotary, but she had somehow conceived the idea that it was really an organization made up of older, retired men. Nevertheless, since Carrie had only lived in Fillmore for a mere four years, she thought attending a Rotary meeting would allow her the opportunity to meet more Fillmorians – not a bad thing to do when one is campaigning for votes!

At that first meeting, Carrie realized she’d had a misconception as to what Rotary was really all about. She learned quickly about the work they do for the local community, their efforts to battle polio worldwide, and their genuine friendship and comradery for one another. (Not to mention that the members turned out to be a diverse group of men and women of all ages!) From that very first meeting, Carrie has experienced the welcoming spirit and kindness by this group of early Wednesday morning risers, and she has witnessed many other guests treated likewise.

So what started out to be a breakfast to meet potential voters has become an integral part of Carrie’s life. She has forged lifetime friendships, and she knows that long after she retires from her day job at the District Attorney’s Office and her city council seat, she will be rising early on Wednesdays to join her fellow Rotarians for breakfast.

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One Step a la Vez is an after school teen and community center where youth learn from each other and mentors, and where responsibility to self and community are modeled and explored daily.

One program of the center is a twice monthly food distribution. One Step youth members organize and hand out food to 80-100 families each distribution.

This program would not be possible without One Step volunteers Paul Benavidez, Bob Carson, Bill Dewey, Tom Wilson, Hank Weishaar. Twice a month, rain or shine, they donate their personal vehicles, fuel, time, physical labor and community spirit to drive to Food Share in Oxnard, choose the best produce and food available and bring it back to Fillmore to be handed out.

Volunteer Rosa Stamm donates her time to help distribute food, clean up afterward and then teach the One Step youth what they might cook with the available produce and food.

Site Director Ricky Miranda notes, "Our volunteers are a constant. Staff and youth members may change but they are a constant. This is so important. They come every time and they create a continuity for us."

One Step food distribution in partnership with FOOD Share occurs the second and fourth Wednesday of each month at 4pm. 421 Sespe Ave. Fillmore, CA For more information call 805-625-7067

Community Memorial Health System will hold a free prediabetes/diabetes seminar on Saturday, April 16, from 9 a.m. to noon at Community Memorial Hospital, 147 N. Brent St., followed by a series of workshops held during April and May.

The seminar, to be held in CMH’s eighth-floor Nichols Auditorium, will provide information on a variety of topics at the following times:

 9 a.m. – What is Prediabetes/Diabetes?, presented by Debra Ouyang, M.D., specializing in endocrinology
 9:30 a.m. – Complications/Prevention, presented by Loquintha Rex, DNP, Nurse Practioner
 10 a.m. – Metabolic Syndrome, presented by David Lyons, M.D., specializing in internal medicine
 10:30 a.m. – Expert panel, presented by Drs. Ouyang, Lyons, nurse Practioner’s Rex, Andrea Ricketts and registered dietitian Jennifer Girtsman
 11 a.m. – Blood sugar screenings and HGBA1c (optional) by CMHS medical residents.

Follow-up, one-hour Wednesday evening prediabetes/diabetes workshops also will be held. They are: What is a Carbohydrate and Label Reading? on April 20; Exercise on April 27; Medications/Self-Management on May 4; and Celebrity Chef Cooking Demonstration on May 11.

The workshops will be held from 6 to 7 p.m. in the eighth-floor Nichols Auditorium. A one-time $10 materials fee must be paid prior to the first workshop. The maximum class size is 24.

For reservations and more information, email healthaware@cmhshealth.org or call the CMHS HealthAware program at 805/667-2818.

Community Memorial Health System is a not-for-profit health system, which is comprised of Community Memorial Hospital, Ojai Valley Community Hospital, along with the Centers for Family Health serving various communities within and located in Ventura County, California.

FARM WATCH: MINDSET OF A THIEF
A message from Detective Chip Cadman:
Farm Watch readers, on Sunday (March 6th), Sheriff’s Deputies were patrolling in the unincorporated area of Santa Paula due to recent avocado thefts. While in the 1700 block of South Mountain Road, Deputies were able to detain and later arrest (S) Jorge Chavez (34 years) for petty theft with priors [666(a) California Penal Code], and receiving stolen property [496(a) California Penal Code], now both Proposition 47 misdemeanors.
During their investigation, Deputies discovered Chavez walking away from a local avocado property carrying sweatpants made into a make shift backpack, over his shoulder, loaded with avocados. Chavez told Deputies, he was given permission from the property owner to harvest the fruit. Deputies contacted the owner of the property and quickly established this was a lie. Chavez then explained to Deputies: It was the ranch owner’s fault for not building a bigger fence to keep him out. Chavez said, he was not responsible for the theft since the fence did not protect the avocado trees very well. Deputies learned Chavez was responsible for similar thefts and booked him into the Pre-Trial Detention Facility, because his criminal behavior was likely to continue.
Several properties in this area have previously been the victims of avocado thefts. If you own property in this area, please take additional steps to protect your property and report suspicious activity to Sheriff’s Dispatch. Based upon Chavez’ statement, it is clear in the mind of a thief, it is the property owner’s fault for not taking steps to prevent a theft from occurring. If you have been the recent victim of a theft, please contact Sheriff’s Dispatch and request a deputy respond to your location to take a crime report, so we can try and tie this suspect to more crimes. Please look at the below posted photograph of the suspect and see if you recognize him as being on your property. A collaborative effort will help us prevail over criminals.

03/06/2016
Jorge Chavez
The following advice is always wise if you suspect illegal activity on your property:
• Call the Sheriff’s Office immediately at 911.
• Be a good witness, note suspect descriptions such as age, height, weight, facial hair, clothing, and shoe type.
• If a vehicle is involved, obtain a license plate number and note vehicle color, body damage, bumper stickers, camper shell, after market tires and wheels, etc.
• Provide the dispatcher with information about the time and last known direction of travel.

Be alert and stay safe!
Chip

Geoff Dean – Sheriff
Gary Pentis - Undersheriff
Steve DeCesari - Assistant Sheriff
Guy Stewart - Assistant Sheriff

The Ventura County Rose Society will hold its monthly meeting on Thursday, March 24, 2016 at the Ventura County Office of Education Conference Center at 5100 Adolfo Rd., Camarillo.

The doors will open at 6:30 p.m. for advice from Consulting Rosarians and refreshments, We will have our Little Rose Show at 7:00 P.M. Our presentation will begin at 7:30 P.M.

The VCRS meeting will feature Jolene Adams, former American Rose Society President, who will be speaking about roses. Jolene's expertise and knowledge will certainly provide an excellent lecture.

Visitors are always welcome to our VCRS meetings. For more information contact; Janet Sklar at 818-337-9970 or Dawn-Marie Johnson at 805-523-9003. Our website is http://www.venturarose.org/