Ventura, CA - The Valley Express is offering a special free and extended service on Independence Day to help residents and travelers celebrate the holiday.

The Valley Express will run from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and will include all three service areas: Santa Paula, Fillmore, and Piru. Service will be free all day.

The special holiday service will allow residents to travel between Piru and Fillmore for the Sespe Creek Car Show and the City of Fillmore fireworks show, and also to Harding Park in Santa Paula from designated parking lots for that City’s 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular event.

“We’re happy to provide this safe, reliable transportation option so people can focus on enjoying themselves during the holiday,” said Ginger Gherardi of the Santa Paula City Council. “The buses are free and timed to get people home after the big fireworks show.”

The special service schedules will be available online, onboard the buses, and at pass sales outlets, including the Santa Paula and Fillmore City Halls, MV Transportation Office (810 Railroad Ave., Santa Paula), and the VCTC office (950 County Square Dr. #108, Ventura).

If there are any further questions regarding this service please call (800) 438-1112 or visit www.valleyexpressbus.org.

Jonathan Hersholt

PORTERVILLE, CA – Bank of the Sierra recently named Jonathan Hersholt as Vice President Senior Commercial Loan Officer of its Santa Clarita branch. In his new position, Hersholt will develop and manage commercial loan accounts, identify and analyze potential loan markets to develop prospects, promote and cross-sell bank products and services.

“We’re excited to have Jonathan Hersholt recently join the Southern California region of Bank of the Sierra. Jonathan brings with him over twenty five years of experience in commercial banking and lending that will allow us to quickly grow our market share in the Santa Clarita market,” stated David Azma, Market President. “Jonathan recently joined us from City National Bank, where he was a Senior Business Banking Relationship Manager for the San Fernando Valley market. We are expecting great things from Jonathan in his new position as our Senior Commercial Loan Officer,” continued Azma.

Bank of the Sierra (www.bankofthesierra.com) is in its 38th year of operations, and at $1.7 billion in assets is the largest independent bank headquartered in the South San Joaquin Valley. The Company has over 400 employees and conducts business through 28 branch offices, an online branch, a real estate industries center, and an agricultural credit center.

Edvart Warzhapetian

PORTERVILLE, CA – Bank of the Sierra recently named Edvart Warzhapetian as Vice President Senior Commercial Loan Officer of its Santa Clarita branch. In his new position, Warzhapetian will meet with prospective clients to cultivate banking relationships, including developing and managing commercial loan accounts along with other financial products and services, as well as identify and analyze potential loan markets to develop prospects for commercial loans.

Warzhapetian attended Los Angeles Valley College and received an Associate of Arts in Business Administration and continued on at California State University Northridge to obtain his Bachelor of Science in Finance.

“We’re excited to have Edvart Warzhapetian join the commercial banking team of Bank of the Sierra in the Santa Clarita market. Edvart’s professionalism and commitment to excellence along with his extensive experience in business banking will help Bank of the Sierra to quickly grow its share of the Santa Clarita’s business banking market,” stated David Azma, Market President. “Edvart recently joined us from JP Morgan Chase, where he enjoyed a successful career as a Relationship Manager for the San Fernando Valley market. Congratulations to Edvart Warzhapetian in his new position as our Senior Commercial Loan Officer,” continued Azma.

Bank of the Sierra (www.bankofthesierra.com) is in its 38th year of operations, and at $1.7 billion in assets is the largest independent bank headquartered in the South San Joaquin Valley. The Company has over 400 employees and conducts business through 28 branch offices, an online branch, a real estate industries center, and an agricultural credit center.

As the County’s only non-profit Home Health and Hospice provider, we support the total well-being of our community. As part of our services, we host free monthly education classes throughout the county which include the following:

Special Classes/Events

• Ojai: Peace Beyond Losses on Wednesday, July 15 from 1-2:30 pm at Ojai’s Livingston Memorial Visiting Nurse Association office at 202-A Cañada Street, Ojai. Brock Travis, PhD, teaches guidance and support through life changes. Solutions to problems and answers to questions for finding serenity and fulfillment once again following bereavement. More information at (805) 642-0239.

Social Services/Bereavement Groups

• Ojai: Caregiver Support Group Monday, July 6th and 20th from 10:00 am – 11:30 am at Continuous Care Center, Fireside Room, 1306 Maricopa Hwy, Ojai (behind Ojai Valley Community Hospital). Find encouragement and hope during your time as a caregiver. Share, listen and explore thoughts and feelings about the struggles, losses and successes of caring for your loved one. For more information call (805) 633-9056.

• Ojai: Adult Bereavement Support Group July 7th and 21st (2nd & 4th Tuesdays) 10:30-Noon at Help of Ojai, West Campus 370 Baldwin Rd., Ojai. These groups are open to individuals who have experienced loss and are free of charge. Call 642-0239 for more information or email griefinfo@livingstonvna.org.

• Oxnard: Adult Bereavement Support Group on Wednesdays July 1, 8, 15, 22, and 29 from 3:00-4:30pm at First Presbyterian Church, 850 Ivywood Dr, Oxnard. These groups are open to individuals who have experienced loss and are free of charge. Call 642-0239 for more information or email griefinfo@livingstonvna.org.

• Ventura: CONTINUED »

Ventura, CA - The 2015 WIB Awards were presented at the annual meeting of the Workforce Investment Board (WIB) of Ventura County on June 18 at the Ventura County Office of Education. The annual awards program recognizes individuals, employers, organizations and partnerships for extraordinary work or volunteer efforts to advance workforce development in the Ventura County region.

“The WIB Award winners leverage workplace, partnership and networking opportunities to support work experience, training and career advancement that benefit employers and job seekers,” says Cheryl Moore, executive director of the WIB. “The award recipients are making a real contribution to the strength and competitiveness of the Ventura County workforce.”

WIB Youth Opportunity Award
The WIB Youth Opportunity Award goes to two organizations for providing internships or employment opportunities that help to grow and strengthen Ventura County's future workforce. One recipient is Douglas Wood, general manager at the Crowne Plaza Ventura Beach. For over a decade, the hotel has welcomed more than 200 high school juniors and seniors from the Ventura Unified School District for one-month summer school internships. Students are given hands-on work opportunities in all phases of hotel management and are paired with Crowne Plaza mentors.

“Students benefit from real-life experiences and get a chance to see if hospitality is something that resonates with them,” says Wood. “While helping students, the internship program also helps our hotel to cultivate a workforce for the hospitality sector, which is one of the top three revenue-generating industries in the county. Through the program, we have hired full-time associates and part-time summer associates.”

Also receiving the WIB Youth Opportunity Award are Ralph Imondi and Linda Santschi, co-founders and scientific directors at Coastal Marine Biolabs (CMB) in Ventura Harbor. For more than nine years, the organization has engaged Ventura County high school students in an authentic research environment. Under the guidance of Imondi and Santschi, students gain an appreciation for the daily practice of science and contribute real data to the scientific community. Through national funding support, students are able to participate in research-based educational programs at no charge. CMB also makes innovative technology resources and training available to teachers to help them better prepare their students for life science careers.

“To participate productively in the 21st century scientific workforce, students will need to be conversant in a universal scientific language that bridges multiple life science domains,” says Santschi. “CMB’s programs are inherently multidisciplinary in scope, introducing students to scientific issues, concepts and methodologies with a level of depth and rigor that cannot be replicated in traditional learning settings.”
WIB Collaborative Action Award

The WIB Collaborative Action Award is for partnerships that help to meet employer needs, improve the relevance and capacity of education and workforce training and/or support business retention in Ventura County. There are four award recipients this year.

Tiffany Morse, Ph.D., director of career and technical education with the Ventura County Office of Education in Camarillo, has facilitated collaboration across multiple school districts, adult education and community colleges through the California Career Pathways Trust Grant initiative. “VC Innovates represents an unprecedented collaboration countywide to connect employers, education and the community to advance workforce education,” says Morse. “It has been a privilege to work with so many different organizations towards the same goal and to see that work rewarded with another $10 million investment from the state to expand and enhance our efforts.”

The WIB Collaborative Action Award also goes to biotechnology professor Subhash Karkare, Ph.D., at Moorpark College, Bill Pratt, vice-president of operations at Kinamed, Inc. in Camarillo and manufacturing technology professor Scot Rabe at Ventura College. The trio are recognized for their collaborative problem solving and long-term commitment to developing a two-campus Biomedical Device Manufacturing Certificate of Achievement program for Ventura County.

“The Biomedical Device Manufacturing Certificate provides students with an entry point to mid-level skilled positions in the medical device industry,” says Pratt. “These roles integrate the hands-on world with the intellectual disciplines required to maintain control and quality in the manufacturing environment. Similar programs recently instituted in other community college districts are graduating students into full-time employment after about two years of study.”

WIB Champion for Prosperity Award
The WIB Champion for Prosperity Award is presented to an individual or organization for supporting workforce development in Ventura County through job creation, job retention and business expansion or attraction.

This year, the award recognizes Tejas Patel, president of Laksh, Inc. in Camarillo. Already employing more than 30 workers, the full-service trucking company also has plans for growth. Since 2013, the company has worked with the America’s Job Center of California (AJCC) to offer opportunities to seven trainees. Trainees have moved forward in their careers and now have roles such as dispatcher, human resources recruiter and vehicle maintenance coordinator at the company.

“My experience with WIB-funded training is very positive,” says Patel. “The AJCC staff response to our needs has been excellent. We absolutely will use the program again.”

WIB Leadership Award
The WIB Leadership Award provides special recognition for a role model whose efforts and accomplishments embody the spirit and purpose of workforce development in Ventura County. Manuel Vega, CEO of Anacapa Water Blasting, Inc. in Oxnard, is this year’s award recipient. The company accesses WIB-funded training to help support workforce development, and Vega has helped to spread the word to other employers. Because of his endorsement, five other companies now successfully use WIB-sponsored employee training programs.

“The WIB program is a diamond in the rough for the small business person struggling to find quality employees. With the training funds, we have been able to develop several great long-term employees,” says Vega. “The WIB program provides the needed means to help both the employer and employee through the “learning curve” cycle.”

Members of the WIB are appointed by the Ventura County Board of Supervisors and include leaders from business, economic development, education, labor, government and community-based organizations.

About the Workforce Investment Board
The Workforce Investment Board administers federal funds that help to support America’s Job Center of California (AJCC) locations and other free job seeker, youth, and employer programs and services in Ventura County. For more information, visit www.wib.ventura.org.

The Tourism Bureau focuses on attracting tourists into the Valley, reaching between the communities of Valencia and Ventura along the Highway 126 corridor. They advertise the Valley as a fun and safe place to bring your friends and family and enjoy all year long. They promote the local events and work along side by side with the leaders in the communities of Piru, Fillmore and Santa Paula. They also work with tourist leaders at the City of Santa Clarita Tourism Division, Ventura Visitors and Convention Bureau and the California Welcome Center in Oxnard. Board meetings are open to the public as they are welcome to participate. To become a member give us a call at (805)524-7500 or visit our facebook page.

The Ventura County government is the second-largest employer in the county—after the US military—with more than 8,000 people working in numerous locations. County employees work as lawyers, firefighters, administrative assistants, forensic specialists, nurses, public-safety officers, groundskeepers, veterinarians, human resources personnel and just about any other profession you can name. So what does it take to get hired into this huge workforce?

The 2014-2015 Ventura County Grand Jury received a public complaint about the county’s recruiting/hiring/promoting processes. Of particular interest were applicant screening, testing and interviewing procedures, which the complaint alleged could hamper selecting the best employees. Why don’t hiring department’s key staffers get to review applications of potential hires, instead of just human resources personnel? Why are persons who serve on a rating panel for applicants taking civil service exams told not to ask or answer any questions not on a preapproved list? Why can’t a “subject matter expert” who helps write exam questions also serve as a rater?

The grand jury investigated by gathering information from the county’s personnel rules and regulations, interviewing county personnel, studying county webpages, performing general Internet research and reading news articles.

The grand jury learned the following key facts:
• The county’s 28 organizational entities have highly specialized personnel needs, from police officers to children’s services experts, as well as more general needs, for example, administrative assistants.
• A Human Resources Division consisting of more than 125 staff members provides services from a central location or from satellite units within agencies located elsewhere. They have wide-ranging responsibilities. Hiring and promotion alone involve at least 15 strictly defined and consistent steps; among them are assigning job classifications and salary ranges, recruiting and screening applications, overseeing interviews and doing background checks.
• Personnel rules and regulations adopted by the county’s Board of Supervisors govern every aspect of recruiting, hiring and promoting county employees. Many of these rules aim to make sure that personnel processes are fair and candidates compete on an even playing field. The county regularly updates its Equal Employment Opportunity plan, which includes activities to recruit applicants from among diverse cultural groups and women.
• Nationwide, the number of Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) filings alleging employment discrimination averages about 90,000 yearly and is trending upward.
• The Human Resources Division works to enhance its operations through setting goals, identifying tactics, using a respected process-improvement methodology (Lean Six Sigma) and sharing best practices.
The grand jury found that:
• The Human Resources Division is well organized to carry out its complex and demanding recruiting and hiring functions.
• The county’s tightly structured recruiting/hiring/promoting process is intended to avoid the fact and appearance of bias and preclude legal actions based on charges of discrimination. The process sometimes results in by-passing well-qualified candidates.
• The Human Resources Division has applied continuous process-improvement methods to some steps of recruiting and hiring with impressive success.
The grand jury’s final report makes two main recommendations to the Board of Supervisors:
• Direct the Human Resources Division to review the current restrictive recruiting/hiring procedures with the aim of discovering other fair and legally tenable applicant-filtering techniques.
• Direct the Human Resources Division to expand its use of Lean Six Sigma methodology to analyze additional parts of the recruiting/hiring/promoting process.
The complete report may be accessed at www.ventura.org/grand-jury; click on the Annual Reports tab and consult “Fiscal Year 2014-2015.”

Thursday the Fillmore Museum was host to local author, Evie Ybarra, as she autographed her new book, “Legendary Locals of Fillmore”. In her book Evie presents images from family collections, local archives, and her own personal photographs of contemporary Fillmore local legends. The book is currently available for purchase at the Fillmore Historical Museum.

Since Independence Day falls on a Saturday this year, Santa Clara Valley Disposal will maintain its regular Friday trash collection schedule that week.

For more information, call 647-1414.

Ventura County, CA - Federal regulations require state and local agencies that conduct ambient air monitoring for regulatory purposes to submit an Annual Monitoring Network Report. The report must contain specific monitoring network information and be available for a 30-day public inspection period prior to submittal to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA).

In years past, the Ventura County Air Pollution Control District (VCAPCD) prepared the report for Ventura County. This year, the required information for Ventura County is included in a report compiled by the California Air Resources Board (ARB). ARB compiled the Ventura County portion of the report with input from, and review by, the VCAPCD.

A link to the report is provided here:
http://www.arb.ca.gov/aqd/amnr/amnr.htm

A link to Ventura County's Ambient Air Monitoring Network Report web page is provided here:
http://www.vcapcd.org/AirMonitoringNetworkPlan.htm

If you have questions about the Ventura County portion of the report, contact Mallory Ham at mallory@vcapcd.org, or 805-662-6960.

WHO: Gretchen Carlson is an award-winning journalist and host of FOX News Channel's The Real Story with Gretchen Carlson. She previously co-hosted Fox & Friends for eight years and served as a correspondent and co-anchor on the CBS Saturday Early Show. She was crowned Miss America in the 1989 Miss America Pageant.

WHAT: Gretchen holds nothing back in Getting Real, as she addresses the judgments she faced first as Miss America—including judge William Goldman labeling her "chunky"—and later as a woman building a career in the competitive world of broadcast television. Reflecting on her marriage to star sports agent Casey Close and her time as a working mother, Gretchen brings to life the joys and the challenges of raising children while pursuing a career at CBS and FOX. Gretchen reveals that faith, conviction, and family buoyed her as she pursued her dreams and continued to challenge those who tried to dismiss her as a beauty queen.

WHERE: The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Library
40 Presidential Drive
Simi Valley, CA 93065, 805-522-2977

WHEN: Friday, June 26th, 2015 at 7:00 pm

Need to pay fines for an overdue book or a lost item? Ventura County Library now offers our customers a convenient online method of paying fines and fees.

From the library’s website, customers can locate “Pay Fines and Fees” under My Account or under Library Catalog.

The link will take users to Comprise Technologies’ SmartPay tm, a secure website. Smartpay is compliant with the PCI Security Standard for credit card transactions.
Customers can login to their account with barcode and PIN and select all or some of their fines to pay. Customers can pay any amount.

The system will present a confirmation receipt of the transaction which can be printed.

Visa and Mastercard credit cards are accepted.
Payment can be made from your tablet, laptop or PC in the privacy of your home or office.

Library users can also make a donation to Ventura County Library.
Visit www.vencolibrary.org or email library.postmaster@ventura.org

About Ventura County Library. Ventura County Library is an 11 branch system throughout Ventura County. VCL lends print and digital materials, and offers downloadable music, ebooks, eAudiobooks, streaming video, including movies, documentaries and TV series. Visit www.vencolibrary.org

Community Memorial Healthcare Foundation is holding Motion by the Ocean, a 1K/5K/10K run/walk event on July 25 to benefit the new Community Memorial Hospital.

Motion by the Ocean will be held at the Promenade Park – Oceanfront in Ventura.

Registration begins at 6:30am. The 10k run begins at 7:30 a.m., the 5K at 9 a.m. and 1K at 10:30 a.m. There is a free 1K Fun Runs for Kids. All races are timed and awards will be given based on age group.

This event is open to all abilities and all ages, with an emphasis on health and families. The event also features participant awards, Ventura area exhibitors, health fair and more.

For more information or to register visit www.motionbytheocean.org or call 805-667-2881. Walk up registrants are also welcome the day of the event.

The Community Memorial Healthcare Foundation, formed in 1984, is a nonprofit, charitable organization with the basic mission of providing meaningful ways to educate the community regarding the service capabilities of Community Memorial Hospital; to work with the community to facilitate support of Community Memorial Hospital; and to raise funds for the development, operation and maintenance of programs and services.

The Foundation was organized under the Nonprofit Public Benefit Laws of the State of California and has a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status under the Internal Revenue Code.

Through the activities and programs of this nonprofit, charitable organization, area residents are ensured that the latest advances in medicine, leading-edge technologies and state-of-the-art equipment are available at Community Memorial Hospital. The Foundation is the manifestation of the belief that the efforts of many citizens working together can positively affect the quality of care in Ventura County.

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, and twelve family-practice health centers entitled Centers for Family Health. The health system is located in Ventura County, California.

Anna Frutos-Sanchez, Regional Manager Local Public Affairs, with the membership plaque.

The newest Fillmore Chamber of Commerce member Southern California Edison.

The California Highway Patrol’s (CHP) Moorpark Area office is offering a free Start Smart class for teenage drivers and their parents on June 11, 2015, and June 25, 2015. The class will be held at the CHP’s Moorpark Area office located on 610 Spring Road, California 93021. The classes begin at 6:00 P.M. and end at approximately 8:00 P.M.

The Start Smart program is aimed at helping future and newly licensed teenage drivers become aware of the responsibilities that accompany the privilege of being a licensed California driver. The program is designed as an educational tool for parents and teenagers in an effort to reduce the number of teenage injuries and deaths resulting from traffic collisions. The program also provides teens and parents with information on defensive driving, traffic laws in California, dynamics of traffic collisions, tips on avoiding traffic collisions and DUI awareness.

For more information or to make a reservation, please call the CHP’s Moorpark Area office at (805) 553-0800. Funding for this campaign is provided by the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.