Ojai Valley News Blog

EDITOR’S NOTE: Comments on this report have been suspended because in the opinion of the OVN editorial staff, too many of them had become off-topic, inflammatory, rude, full of foul (deleted) language and insulting. We apologize to those who wrote sensitive and meaningful comments. We believe your opinions are important to our community. Letters to the editor are welcome.

Affiliates of same gang allegedly attacked, robbed Ojai teen in 2008

By Daryl Kelley
A 16-year-old Chaparral High School student who was stabbed to death on Sunday was allegedly attacked and robbed last year by members of the same Ojai street gang with which his suspected slayer is associated, authorities maintain. 

Seth Scarminach, whose suspected 14-year-old killer is described as an associate of the OSL gang, told police last July that he was jumped, beaten and his iPod stolen by assailants whom prosecutors charge are members of the same street gang.

“We think it was OSL involved in that robbery,” said Chief Deputy District Attorney Michael Frawley on Wednesday.

Indeed, that is what is alleged in felony charges against the three assailants, one of whom has pleaded guilty to disturbing the peace by fighting and admitted to participation in a criminal street gang during the crime. 

Asked whether the 2008 robbery could have been a motive for last weekend’s slaying, since charges are still pending against two of the suspects, Frawley said: “It could be, or it could be totally unrelated.”

Robbery, use of a deadly weapon and street terrorism charges are still pending against Fabian Ruiz, 20, one of the defendants in the July 16, 2008 incident, court records show. Ruiz remained in county jail this week on a $265,000 bail. A federal immigration hold had also been placed on him for possible deportation, officials said.

Ruiz’s trial for the alleged robbery of Scarminach is scheduled to begin May 8 in Ventura County Superior Court.

“He is charged with robbery for the benefit of a criminal street gang … OSL,”  said Deputy District Attorney Derek Malan, who is prosecuting the case. He is also charged with pulling a knife in an act of street terrorism.

A warrant for the arrest of another suspect, 19-year-old Julio Lopez, was issued shortly after the alleged attack. Lopez is still being sought on charges of battery, street gang activity and street terrorism, according to court records.

The third defendant in the case, Omar Cruz, 19, was sentenced to six months in jail last fall after pleading guilty to disturbing the peace by fighting while participating in a criminal gang activity, records show.

According to crime reports on the 2008 incident, Scarminach received minor injuries during an altercation at about 7:45 p.m. at El Roblar Drive and North Padre Juan in Meiners Oaks, about a block from the victim’s home.

“Essentially, he was jumped by a group and they stole his iPod,” said sheriff’s spokesman, Capt. Ross Bonfiglio. One suspect allegedly brandished a knife, he said. And the victim was allegedly “hit and kicked,” Bonfiglio said.

Whether the robbery and last weekend’s slaying of Scarminach are related is unknown at this point, authorities said.

“That would be pure speculation,” Malan said.

The prosecutor said that the death of Scarminach, the victim and chief witness in the robbery, could hurt the case against the two remaining defendants, although there are other witnesses to the alleged attack.

“There is a possibility that we will be unable to proceed with these cases,” Malan said. “It certainly doesn’t help.”

The slaying of Scarminach at an unsupervised teen party was the first homicide in the Ojai Valley in 11 years. He died in the driveway of a Meiners Oaks home from stab wounds to his neck and chest shortly before 2 a.m. Sunday, authorities said. Witnesses said the assailant was not invited to the party.

A 14-year-old Mira Monte resident was arrested on suspicion of the crime that evening, and investigators declared the slaying gang-related.

Sheriff’s Capt. Chris Dunn, who serves as the Ojai police chief, said, “We believe it was gang-related because the parties were gang associates, especially the suspect. I’m not sure the victim was associated with a gang.”

Youths who attended the party said Scarminach was wearing a red bandanna, which the Latino suspect apparently took as a white power symbol.

“Seth was a good guy; he never got mixed up with gangs,” said a friend who was at the party. “He did have a red bandanna on and the (Latino gang members) think that means white power in Meiners Oaks.”

The friend said Scarminach did have a relative who is a member of the Demons, a motorcycle group with a presence in the Ojai Valley and the Avenue area of Ventura. “He did support his cousin,” the friend said.

Malan, who specializes in gang prosecutions, said the red-clad Demons “are a support group for the Hells Angels” motorcycle club, which law enforcement agencies have identified as a criminal gang. “Their average age is much younger than the Hells Angels.”

According to his friends, Scarminach was not a gang member or affiliated with a gang, but was, instead, a laid-back youth with many friends. He had been an independent study student at the Chaparral High alternative school and previously attended Nordhoff High School, school officials said.

Authorities have refused to identify the murder suspect because he is a juvenile. But school officials said he is a student at Gateway, a county-run continuation school in Ventura. He attended several Ojai-area schools before that, and had applied for admission to Nordhoff in the fall.

It is the Ojai Valley News’ policy not to name a crime suspect under the age of 18 unless the suspect is charged as an adult. Prosecutors say no decision has been made on whether to charge the 14-year-old as an adult, but that charges would be filed in coming weeks.

The youth is being held in a Ventura County juvenile detention facility. He was on the afternoon docket in juvenile court on Tuesday. But authorities would not say whether he is being held on a probation violation, because juvenile court actions are not open to the public.

“Hopefully, they are going to give more thought as to whether he should be tried as a juvenile or an adult,” said county Public Defender Duane Dammeyer, whose office is defending the youth. “Holding him on a probation violation would be one way to do that.”

Trying a 14-year-old as an adult is a very rare move, but the Ventura County district attorney did charge a 14-year-old suspect as an adult for allegedly killing a gay Oxnard middle school student in class last year.

Frawley said that if the slaying was gang-related that would be a factor in deciding whether to try the suspect as an adult, which could bring a much stiffer sentence.

County reports fourth dry year this decade

By Daryl Kelley
As the rainfall season winds down, authorities report that the Ojai Valley has experienced another year of sub-par precipitation, lowering the Lake Casitas reservoir, dropping groundwater levels and forcing farmers to water crops even during the wettest months.

As of Thursday, the county Watershed Protection District reported local rainfall totals since Oct. 1 at between 54 percent and 62 percent of normal as the Ojai Valley had its fourth extremely dry year in the last decade.

For example, only 11.55 inches of rain had fallen at the Oak View measuring station this season, just 54.8 percent of the normal of 21.07 inches.

Only 12.61 inches had fallen at Casitas Dam, just 56.4 percent of the historic average of  22.37 inches.

Only 12.68 inches had fallen in Ojai, just 62.4 percent of the average of 20.33 to this date.

And at the wetter Matilija Dam station, only 16.53 inches had fallen, 61.1 percent of the average of 27.06 inches to date.

“April’s pretty much the end of the wet season here, and our rainfall is well below normal,” said Ron Merckling, spokesman for the Casitas Municipal Water District, the valley’s largest distributor. “This is our fourth driest year since 1999.”

This year’s rainfall at Casitas’ three principal measuring stations, including wetter Matilija Dam, has averaged 14.66 inches. That compares with the 8.33 inches in 2007, the driest year since 1877, 9.38 inches in 2002 and 11.97 in 1999.

Last year, the Ojai Valley averaged rainfall at those three locations of 28.07 inches, Casitas reported.

But this year’s scarcity of rain and the fact that it came in small storms producing little runoff meant that the Casitas district was able to divert only 491 acre-feet of water to Lake Casitas this year, Merckling said. 

That compares with 9,916 acre feet last year, 0 acre-feet in 2007, 12,070 acre-feet in 2006 and 28,581 acre-feet during the winter and spring of 2005, when an average of more than 60 inches of rain fell at Casitas’ measuring locations.

“We need a big storm in order to divert, and we didn’t get it,” said Merckling. “We did get a lot of little rains spread out through the season. But rains need to come in a downpour to help us.”

As a result, Lake Casitas, the valley’s primary water supply during dry years, dropped from about 228,000 acre-feet last May 1 to about 205,000 acre-feet today.

That’s a decline in Lake Casitas from 89.9 percent full last May to 80.8 percent now. The reservoir holds about 254,000 acre-feet at capacity. The last time it approached that level was after the floods of 2005.

Because Lake Casitas serves as the Ojai Valley’s backup water supply, and the valley does not receive water from drought-stricken northern California, Casitas has not had to impose emergency conservation measures.

“If we hadn’t had 2005, we would be close to the 1989 drought situation right now,” said Merckling. “But so far we’re avoiding (the forced cutbacks) the rest of the state is in right now.”

In 1990, after five years of drought, Lake Casitas was only about half full, the level at which a local water emergency is called by the Casitas district, which serves as a backup supplier for about 60,000 residents in Ventura and the valley and most Ojai-area farmers.

Like Lake Casitas, local groundwater supplies have fallen sharply in recent months because of the lack of big rains to saturate the soil and allow water to percolate down into subterranean aquifers.

“The fact that we never had any really big storms, no gully-washers, means we didn’t get much to soak in,” said Russ Klassen, field supervisor for the Ventura River County Water District, which serves 2,100 customers from Oak View to Meiners Oaks.

The Ventura River District considers its wells full when the water level is 15 feet below the surface. They filled up to within 19 feet of the surface during February, the best rainfall month this winter. 

“But now we’re back down to 30 feet, so we’ve already lost 11 feet in two months,” Klassen said, “so we still have signs up about the drought. People are forgetting we need to conserve.”

In 2007, several wells of local water districts ran dry.

On the positive side, the local snowpack has been good this winter.

“On the back side of (7,500-foot) Pine Mountain we still had snow last weekend, even after those hot days,” Klassen said. 

That means that in a couple of years the valley aquifers will receive high mountain water that has finally percolated into them, he said.

But that doesn’t help cash-strapped local farmers now, who said they didn’t get enough big rains this winter to save them the expense of pumping water to irrigate their crops.

“We need 2 inches every two weeks,” said Emily Ayala, an owner at Friend’s Ranches. “So we had to do quite a bit of watering. The storms were nicely scattered, but there wasn’t enough in them.”

Many farmers still depend mostly on their own wells, resorting to Casitas for more-costly water only during droughts. But Ayala said some of her neighbors are having to drill deeper because of the dropping water table.

Although the Ojai Valley’s water supply is relatively good, Merckling said Casitas has implemented its best management practices program, which includes rebates for residents who switch to low-water appliances and irrigation and subsidies to farmers who install water-efficient systems.

For example, Casitas is offering $150 rebates to residents who buy new, low-water washing machines and $400 rebates to businesses that do the same. It’s offering $100 rebates to residents who install high-efficiency toilets that use only 1.28 gallons per flush and $200 to businesses that do the same. (Average water use of toilets has dropped from 5 gallons in the 1970s, to 3.5 gallons in the ‘80s, to 1.6 gallons in the ‘90s, Merckling said. The 1.28-gallon toilet will be mandated in new construction after 2012.)

Casitas is also picking up part, and sometimes all, of the cost for efficient irrigation systems.

So-called “smart irrigation systems,” which monitor weather conditions and rainfall, typically cost about $350, and all of that would be covered for most residents, Merckling said. But labor is an extra cost.

“We have a lot of gardeners who are promoting this and installing it, including in Rancho Matilija,” Merckling said.

He’s most pleased when large property owners, such as those in Rancho Matilija, convert because it saves so much water, he said.

“Right now, we’re at voluntary conservation,” he said. “But we want to encourage people to conserve. It’s only a matter of time before we see a repetition of the drought of 1944-65.”

The Ojai Valley is mourning the loss of 16-year-old Seth Scarminach, who died tragically this past weekend. Many people throughout the valley want to know what can be done to support the Scarminach family during this difficult time. The following :• Seth Scarminach Memorial Account

An account has been set up at Bank of America in Ojai to raise funds for the family and their immediate needs. If you’d like to contribute, make checks payable to: Ellen Sklarz or Sunday Rylander (for Scarminach Memorial Account).

All proceeds go directly to the Scarminach family. Checks can be dropped off at the Ojai Valley Athletic Club, or mailed to: Seth Scarminach Memorial Account, P.O. Box 1542, Ojai, CA 93024.

• Seth Scarminach Memorial Benefit
A car wash, bake sale and silent auction will be held Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at New Wine Harvest Fellowship, 411 Church Road (at Cuyama), Ojai. Friends are encouraged to bring a photo of Seth to create an album for the Scarminach family.

• Seth Scarminach Memorial Service
The family will hold a memorial service for Seth Scarminach on Saturday at 5 p.m. at Ojai Valley Community Church, 907 El Centro St., in Mira Monte.

Mementos and memorial messages were left by friends at the site of the slaying of 16-year-old Seth Scarminach. Photo by Scott Wintermute

EDITOR’S NOTE: Comments on this report have been suspended because in the opinion of the OVN editorial staff, too many of them had become off-topic, inflammatory, rude, full of foul (deleted) language and insulting. We apologize to those who wrote sensitive and meaningful comments. We believe your opinions are important to our community. Letters to the editor are welcome.

By Misty Volaski
Newcomers to the Ojai Valley often say they were drawn here by the area’s reputation as a safe place, where doors go unlocked and everyone knows everyone. Folks who grew up here often take that for granted.

So the killing of a teenage boy, Seth Scarminach, by another teenage boy — due, by some accounts, only to the fact that he was wearing the wrong color — is difficult to process.

How do those who’ve lost a son, a skating buddy, process the grief and shock? Time, some would say, and togetherness.

Both Nordhoff High School and Chaparral High School took action Monday morning, offering students grief counseling and a place to just be together. Dozens of Nordhoff students gathered before school Monday in a prayer, then moved into the cafeteria, where they held each other and cried.

“The first few hours, we were just crying and grieving,” said one student. “After that, we said, ‘Let’s remember Seth for all the good times,’ and we started telling stories about him, even laughing at all the memories. He was the chillest, nicest guy you could ever meet, really funny.”

“He was always cracking jokes,” said another. “He was just really laid-back. He had a ton of friends.”

Many remarked that they were grateful to the school for giving them time and space to grieve. “They gave us lots of opportunities. The teachers just let us out of class if we needed to go.”

Students wrote poems, made posters, and created collages that reminded them of Seth and helped them process their pain. Counselors were available in the cafeteria for students as a group or individually, said assistant principal Susana Arce. 

Counselors remain available, Arce added; students can sign up in the office to meet one-on-one. “They are available in case the kids need extra assistance. It’s really hard on young people when something like this happens.”

Across town at Chaparral, principal Marilyn Smith went into each of the classrooms Monday and made the announcement of Seth’s passing. “Seth was one of our independent study students, so they didn’t see him on a daily basis, but everyone knew him,” Smith said. “We also had counselors available for the kids.”

Tuesday, Chaparral students began making a memory book for Seth’s family, filled with fond memories of their friend “Seth-Row.” They will bind it and present it to the family when it’s completed.

Smith said Seth had a lot of friends and was a good student. “He was always polite and mild-mannered. He came to Chaparral not because he was a bad kid, but because it allowed him to go at his own pace, to work quickly, and help in his father’s business. He was on track to graduate early.” 

Monday evening, about 200 locals gathered at Libbey Park for a candlelight memorial to Seth. Said one attendee: “It was very peaceful.”

Other organizations across town are reaching out to help as well; the Ojai Athletic Club had a sign-up sheet where locals could volunteer to cook the family dinner one night. But they were inundated with so many volunteers that they now ask folks to donate one of two ways: either through gift cards to local restaurants, or to the Seth Scarminach Memorial Fund at Bank of America,  (P.O. Box 1542, Ojai, CA 93024).

Ventura County Medical Examiners workers do their job while Ventura County Sheriff’s deputies and crime investigators check for evidence on Sunday at the Meiners Oaks residence where Seth Scarminach was killed earlier that morning. Photo by Scott Wintermute

EDITOR’S NOTE: Comments on this report have been suspended because in the opinion of the OVN editorial staff, too many of them had become off-topic, inflammatory, rude, full of foul (deleted) language and insulting. We apologize to those who wrote sensitive and meaningful comments. We believe your opinions are important to our community. Letters to the editor are welcome.

By Daryl Kelley and Misty Volaski

A 16-year-old Chaparral High School student was stabbed to death at an unsupervised teen party early Sunday, and a 14-year-old Mira Monte resident was arrested that evening on suspicion of murder in what authorities described as a gang-related homicide.

In the Ojai Valley’s first slaying in 11 years, Seth Scarminach died in the driveway of a Meiners Oaks home from stab wounds to his neck and chest shortly before 2 a.m., authorities said.

Scarminach, a Meiners Oaks resident, had also been the victim of an armed robbery in Oak View earlier this year, police confirmed.

Sheriff’s investigators would not elaborate on why they described the killing as gang related except to say that the suspect was an associate of  an Ojai-based Latino gang.

Sheriff’s Capt. Chris Dunn, who serves as the Ojai police chief, said: “We believe it was gang related because the parties were gang associates, especially the suspect. I’m not sure the victim was associated with a gang.”

Youths who attended the party said Scarminach was wearing a red bandanna, which the Latino suspect apparently took as a white power symbol.

“Seth was a good guy: he never got mixed up with gangs,” said a friend who was at the party. “He did have a red bandanna on and the (Latino gang members) think that means white power in Meiners Oaks. The night before, they hit me up for wearing red.”

The friend said Scarminach did have a relative who is a member of the Demons, a motorcycle group with a presence in the Ojai Valley and the Avenue area of Ventura. “He did support his cousin,” the friend said.

Several other friends also said Scarminach was not a gang member or affiliated with a gang, but was, instead, a laid-back youth with many friends. He had been an independent study student at Chaparral and previously attended Nordhoff High School, school officials said.

In new developments in the case Tuesday, authorities said that a deputy sheriff who had been assigned to the Nordhoff High School campus until funding cuts two weeks ago would return temporarily as an emergency measure.

“She’ll be back today,” said Dunn on Tuesday. “But we know that it’s temporary unless the school district and the city work out funding issues.”

The police chief also said that town hall meetings that were being arranged for Wednesday and Thursday evenings had been postponed because tensions were easing around town.

“We’ve postponed them at the recommendation of the school district,” Dunn said. “There’s a feeling out there that things are starting to calm down so these meetings may be too soon.”

School officials attributed cooling off partially to counseling on the campus Monday and to a candlelight vigil in honor of Scarminach at Libbey Park on Monday night. About 200 people attended.

Authorities would not identify the suspect because he is a juvenile. But school officials said he is a student at Gateway, a county-run continuation high school in Ventura. He attended several Ojai-area schools before that, and had applied for admission to Nordhoff in the fall.

“I know him,” said Tim Baird, Ojai Unified School District superintendent. “He has been in and out of our system in previous years.”

It is the Ojai Valley News’ policy not to name a crime suspect under the age of 18 unless the suspect is charged as an adult.

Gabriel Arellano, a 21-year-old Oak View resident, was also arrested Sunday in connection with this case, but he is not a suspect in the stabbing, officials said. Arellano, who authorities say is associated with a local street gang, was released from jail Monday. They would not say what his role is in this case.

Although he is just 14, the Mira Monte murder suspect may be charged as an adult if prosecutors consider his crime heinous enough to warrant it.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Michael Frawley said it was too early to say whether prosecutors will charge the youth as an adult. That would be a very rare move, but the Ventura County district attorney did charge a 14-year-old suspect as an adult for allegedly killing a gay Oxnard middle school student in class last year.

Frawley said that if the slaying was gang related that would be a factor in deciding whether to try the suspect as an adult, which could bring a much stiffer sentence upon conviction.

“We don’t have a single report yet, so it’s really premature,” Frawley said Monday. “But it would have to be a particularly heinous case” to charge a 14-year-old as an adult.

Frawley said the youth would not be charged with a crime immediately, but would remain in custody at the county’s juvenile detention center.

“We’re going to file charges, but that’s weeks away,” Frawley said Tuesday. “And the suspect is not going to get out of custody.”

Frawley would not elaborate, but suspects are sometimes held in custody without being immediately charged on a new crime if they have violated conditions of probation for a previous crime. Since the suspect in the Meiners Oaks slaying is a minor, Frawley could not comment on whether that is true in this case.

The Saturday night slaying was the first in the Ojai Valley since 14-year-old Kali Manley was abducted and murdered in 1998, police said. And it quickly resonated throughout the valley.

Friends of the victim migrated to the Ojai home of David Brownlow, whose son was a friend of Scarminach.

“They didn’t want to be alone today,” Brownlow said Sunday evening. He said he was particularly troubled by the senselessness of the killing — –that in peaceful Ojai a youth apparently can be killed for wearing the wrong color of clothing.

“It’s a new animal now,” he said. “This will change things for a lot of people. Perception is reality, and this color thing will change things for sure.”

At Nordhoff High School on Monday, many of Scarminach’s friends donned red shirts in honor of their friend, a move that did not please law enforcement because it could have been seen as taunting. School officials asked students not to wear red clothing on Tuesday.

“We brought in additional counselors at Chaparral, Nordhoff and Matilija (junior high),” said Baird. “Twenty-some students had spoken to counselors (by noon Monday).”

Sheriff’s deputies walked the campus. And extra patrol and undercover officers were deployed around the valley to keep things quiet. The county gang unit was in town gathering evidence, said Police Chief Dunn.

“We’ve had extra patrols,” Dunn said Monday. “You name it, we’ve had it up here. So far, it’s been quiet.”

Despite the weekend violence, Dunn said he didn’t think there had been an uptick in local gang-related violence, at least not in Ojai. The last such act was a stabbing on New Year’s Eve, he said.

He said he didn’t know if the earlier robbery of Scarminach had gang connotations.

Scarminach’s death also brought new comments about the need for the so-called Social Host Ordinance passed by the Ojai City Council, then the county Board of Supervisors, in 2006. The ordinance carries a fine of $1,000 for those who allows underage drinking of alcohol at their residence.

Thirty-three Ojai Valley residents had been cited by the end of March.

“This is a worst-case scenario that the Social Host Ordinance hopes to prevent,” said former Councilwoman Rae Hanstad, who pushed its adoption. “When teens and alcohol and social groups collide it is a clear and present danger in our community.”

The house where the slaying took place — on the 2400 block of Maricopa Highway near Fairview Road — was not one that had been cited. Nor have its occupants been ticketed this time, said Dunn. According to sheriff’s spokesman Capt. Ross Bonfiglio, alcohol and a small amount of marijuana was found at the Meiners Oaks party.

The party was staged from a granny flat, authorities said, while the mother of the teenage host slept in the main house.

“She was the one who came out and rendered first aid,” Dunn said.

According to witnesses, the stabbing occurred at the end of a long Saturday evening, during which the festivities moved from one house in Ojai to the Meiners Oaks residence where the violence occurred.

One witness, a Nordhoff senior, said the party was moved because uninvited Latino youths showed up and began to cause trouble. Then, Latino youths came to the second party house, the witness said.

Scarminach was outside having a cigarette when they arrived, said the witness.

A brawl started, he said. And when the fight area cleared he said he saw Scarminach “laying there covered in blood, blood everywhere.”

The party-goers panicked, and many took off, the witness said.

Then, someone yelled, “He’s not breathing,” the witness said.

Parents kept arriving to pick up their children.

After police officers arrived, some of their interviews with teenage witnesses were audible to an OVN reporter at the scene. They told investigators that two Latino youths came up to Scarminach and a fight began. They described a large knife wound to the victim’s throat and chest.

One close friend of Scarminach, a girl, kept saying: “I hate them! We all know who did it! I know where they live!”

But many of those who cared for the victim called for calm.

The Facebook site titled “R.I.P. Seth Scarminach” carried this message of peace:

“Though many of us are angry … no good will come from it if we just continue the violence. End the violence now, and be thankful for the life you have.”

Sheriff's deputies await the arrival of the medical examiner Sunday morning.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Comments on this report have been suspended because in the opinion of the OVN editorial staff, too many of them had become off-topic, inflammatory, rude, full of foul (deleted) language and insulting. We apologize to those who wrote sensitive and meaningful comments. We believe your opinions are important to our community. Letters to the editor are welcome.

By Lenny Roberts
Sheriffs deputies and paramedics arriving at what was described as an unsupervised teen party early Sunday morning discovered a 16-year-old Ojai boy dead in the driveway of a Maricopa Highway residence.

Sunday afternoon, Senior Medical Examiner Craig Stevens identified the victim as 16-year-old Seth Scarminach of Ventura.

It was not immediately determined if Scarminach was an invited guest at the party or one of several who allegedly crashed it.

Major crimes Capt. Rick Barrios said the 911 call originated from the residence in the 2400 block of Maricopa Highway at 1:58 a.m. Sheriff’s major crimes Detective Steve Rhods added there were an undetermined number of people still present when deputies arrived shortly after 2 a.m., and there were no earlier calls for service at the residence.

Barrios said detectives have several strong leads which will be followed today. A preliminary investigation indicated the victim was possibly involved in an altercation with another partygoer and was stabbed. Autopsy results are scheduled to be released tomorrow.

Anyone with information regarding this crime is encouraged to call the Ventura County Sheriff’s Major Crimes Bureau at 477-7000.

FROM: Sgt. Joe Evans

Good afternoon Watchers. Here is the latest from your Deputies and Detectives

NORTH VENTURA AVE.
Our friends living in the area of North Ventura Avenue near the Pepsi Plant and in the Norway Housing tract ( housing area just south of the old school) are having problems with a thief. There have been five residential burglaries in this area in the past three weeks. These burglaries are committed during the day while victims are away from home. A group of teenage males has been seen in the area of two of the burglaries. There is no further description of the males at this time.

Detectives have a few leads but area asking for your help to deter future crimes. If you live in that area and see suspicious people loitering or just walking around, please call the police. We need to contact as many possible suspects in that area as we can. We can then compare evidence from the crimes to any possible suspects we encounter.

If you have friends or family living in that area please forward this alert to them. Let them know that we are looking for help from our local neighbors and want all their neighbors to get involved with stopping this problem.

OAK VIEW
For our friends living in Oakview we have a completely different type of problem. Neighbors have reported a young woman in the area pushing a baby stroller. They say the woman approaches them and asks for a significant amount of money. When the neighbors refuse to give the money, the woman gives the neighbor some jewelry as collateral and says she will pay the money back. The jewelry looks real but is fake. The woman takes the money and does not return.

If you live in this area and are approached by this woman, do not give her any money. Please call the police and let us talk to her. This woman is taking advantage of your generosity and he no intent to repay your money.

MEINERS OAKS/ OJAI
In the areas of Meiners Oaks and the City of Ojai, our thefts from unlocked vehicles is out of control. We need everybody’s help in locating and arresting these crooks. If your awake late at night, please look out towards the street and see if you have people waking around. If there is someone walking in the area late at night, call the police. Again this is the type of crime that someone may be able to witness. That may be the break we need to put a stop to this crime.

Please keep all valuables out of your cars. If you leave anything in your car at night you are at risk of having it stolen. This people are only getting into cars that have items of value. They are also going into almost any car that is left unlocked. If the car is unlocked they will go into it even if they do not see items of value. Please lock your cars at night.

Remember the police numbers to call are 
646-1414  –  654-9511 —  911

Thanks for all your hard work and lets catch some crooks. Your friend and neighbor, Joe

If approved, mine would double traffic through the Ojai Valley, May 6 hearing set for Chaparral

By Sondra Murphy
The next round of battles against increased diesel truck traffic through Ojai is coming soon.

If approved, Ozena Valley Ranch Mine could bring 200 gravel trucks a day through the Ojai Valley on Highway 33, doubling their current allowance.

The Ventura County Planning Division has scheduled an environmen-tal impact report scoping meeting for May 6 at 6 p.m. in Chaparral Auditorium, 414 E. Ojai Ave. 

All interested persons and affected agencies are invited to attend the meeting in order to assist the Resource Management Agency and county planning division identify any issues that should be addressed in the EIR and to provide comments on the scope of analysis of the EIR.

The proposed project site is located in Lockwood Valley in the northern portion of the unincorporated area of Ventura County, near Highway 33 and Lockwood Valley Road. It seeks to expand the Ozena Valley Ranch Mine, a gravel mine and processing facility, and to introduce fish farm activities on the project site. 

The latter would include raising for sale bass, catfish, trout and other California Department of Fish and Game-approved species in stock ponds. The mine also hopes to raise mosquito-eating gambusi in separate, above-ground vessels.

The RMA and Planning Division have determined that the proposed project has the potential to create significant and adverse impacts, which must be analyzed as part of the EIR. Those impacts include transportation, noise, lighting glare, air quality, visual, archaeology, and hydraulic hazards or flooding within proximity to the Cuyama The proposed project includes the continuation of a nine-acre stock pond and processing of sand and rock for sale, as well as the delivery of aggregate products via Highway 33, north- and southbound through Lockwood Valley to Interstate 5. Production limitations are expected to remain at 250,000 tons and a daily average of 66 one-way trips each year.

The mine also proposes the excavation of a second 15-acre, 40-feet-deep stock pond, resulting in the processing of about 750,000 cubic yards of sand and rock for sale, the importation of recyclable concrete and asphalt with which to process aggregate, the importation of aggregate materials and the increase in the daily maximum, one-way truck trips to 200. It is unclear how many of those trips would pass through the Ojai Valley.

“We are really busy with our lawyers and consumed with analyzing this project from the angle of the applicable (California Environ-mental Quality Act) laws and that’s really what this hearing is about,” said Michael Shapiro, chairperson of Stop the Trucks!  “We are communicating to the scores of people who wish to be in attendance that this is not a lynch mob, but a hearing to evaluate the EIR and what can be done to mitigate the impacts. That’s where our focus should be.”

Shapiro said there will be another meeting before the Ventura County Planning Division in which concerns may be voiced regarding the impacts to water, air quality and other environmental issues. “Part of the project requires they ship this product and right now they’re choosing to ship down Highway 33,” Shapiro said. “This highway was built in 1933 during the Roosevelt (Work Projects Admin-istration.)  People could never have imagined that it would be someday a major industrial corridor … We think there is something very, very wrong in forcing Ojai, that has nothing whatsoever to do with industry, to accept a by-product of industry flowing into this valley, especially since there are other sources of aggregate that Caltrans could get without having to punish Ojai into being an unintended victim to satisfy their need for aggregate. So these are some of the broader issues we’re looking at.”

Shapiro added that STT’s lawyers are attempting to come up with a compromise with the mine. “If Ozena made an agreement with us, like Diamond Rock, that they would not send aggregate down 33, then we would not press the environmental issues,” said Shapiro. “In short, there’s a way out of expensive litigation that would drag, inevitably, the County of Ventura and Caltrans in; a very big mess and expensive. That potential could all go away the second Ozena says they are not sending trucks out on Highway 33.”

Besides allowing citizen input, the meeting should help to clarify the details of traffic and operations by Ozena Mine. “We are urging the citizens of all ages throughout the Ojai Valley to attend this Ventura County scoping meeting on May 6 at 6 p.m. in Chaparral Auditorium,” said Shapiro.

Dan Salas of Ventura County Fire Department station 20 in Upper Ojai prepares to fight a structure fire on the corner of El Roblar and Encinal in Meiners Oaks around 10:30 a.m. Thursday. County firefighting crews from Ventura County, Ventura City, Fillmore and Santa Paula responded to the blaze and helped to knock down the flames. There were no injuries and while a neighboring house sustained only smoke damage and a few broken windows, the building appeared to be a total loss and multiple vehicles on the property were damaged by smoke and fire.

Photo by Scott Wintermute

By Linda Harmon
Not all Ojai Valley banks are lining up for their share of nearly $1 billion in total national Troubled Asset Relief Program, or T.A.R.P. money.

“We haven’t taken any bailout money,” said Martha Dowden of Los Padres Bank, “at least not any I know about.”

“Too many strings when you take that money,” joined in Dowden’s colleague, Tom Farmer. “You take that money and when you have your stockholders meeting you’ve got someone from the government there.”

It turns out Dowden is right. According to William Phillips, bank president, they didn’t accept any money. 

Farmer is also right as the Treasury has indeed attached some “strings” to its allocation of $250 billion in federal aid. With investments ranging from $1 million to $25 billion, participating institutions must comply with restrictions on executive compensation and agree to limitations on dividends and stock repurchases during the period that they hold the funds.

Los Padres is small compared to Chase, a bank that did take T.A.R.P. money.

Officials at our local Chase branch, which recently changed to Chase from Washington Mutual, deferred questions about T.A.R.P. monies to their national public relations representative.  

“It is more on a national scale,” said Chase spokesman Gary Kishner, vice president of media relations, referring to the bailout money and how it’s being used. “I’d be really surprised if any bank had local numbers for you.”

Kishner explained the money goes into Chase’s general fund, and not into local branch accounts. They lend where the need is.

“We’re using those funds in the way that is expected of us, making loans,” said Kishner. The bank’s April financial report bears that out with national retail mortgage originations up 79 percent over last quarter. They list $28 billion in reserves and feel well positioned for governmental economic stress tests.

“It’s not like we have $2 million to loan and that’s it,” said Kishner, whose company holds its own loans and doesn’t sell the paper. “We make as many qualified loans as we can where the borrower can pay back the loan. It’s not like we make a certain amount of mortgages each year and then cut it off.”

About future lending Kishner adds, “One thing I’ve noticed is buyers that have good credit and have the right amount down on the house are still golden.  Things have just gotten back to the basics. I think people will see that the lending is still there but the guidelines have gotten stronger.”

Shari Skinner of Ojai Community Bank, a smaller local bank with branches in Ojai and Santa Paula, says her institution never did anything different. According to Skinner, OCB never got mixed up in questionable loans but still opted to take the T.A.R.P. money.

“We did take $2 million, a small amount,” said Skinner about T.A.R.P. funds. She explained the first wave of money was to save the big banks and the second wave had more requirements, including being a highly rated bank, which they are.

“None of us knows where this is going,” said Skinner, “but we’re hoping it will turn around. Already we are seeing some houses sell. None of us have crystal balls and we felt we had a responsibility to our two communities. In reality, adding this capital put us over the top of what we needed and we have doubled the amount of securities the regulators look for.”

She says people buy insurance for their homes and cars, why not the bank.

“In the event that things get worse, we need to be there for our community,” said Skinner. “It is inexpensive insurance … We’re not economists and we’re not in D.C. We are down 30 percent in property values in Ojai from the peak of from 2005 to 2007. Larry Wilde, a broker on our board, did indicate that he had seen a lot of activity, that there are buyers out there for the less expensive homes coming on the market.”

Skinner says they are not rushing to pay the T.A.R.P. monies back and she isn’t worried about the governmental oversight or restrictions. Skinner adds the monies only require paying 5 percent interest and it is an inexpensive opportunity to be doubly prepared.

“For us the restrictions are almost laughable,” said Skinner about any strings attached. “Our board of directors is not getting paid, my salary is one-fifth of what they are saying, and another restriction is you can’t pay bonuses for taking risks. We were never involved in the sub-prime mortgages. Our salary and benefits are fine and well within the guidelines.”

For Skinner the T.A.R.P. monies are a positive.

“It increases our lending limits,” said Skinner. “By having more capital we are able to lend more and we are lending, we want more loans. There are banks that are pulling back out there, we are not. We have strong liquidity. For good buyers, we are there.”

Ojai Community Bank has $100 million in assets, according to Skinner, split pretty evenly between Ojai and Santa Paula. “The T.A.R.P monies do free us up to lend more.”

Other MAC issues go on front burner

By Sondra Murphy
A more piously mannered Jerry Kaplan was in attendance during Monday’s meeting of the Ojai Valley Municipal Advisory Council.

After Supervisor Steve Bennett went over the history of the changes to the MAC ordinance as brought to last week’s Board of Supervisor’s meeting, he disputed many of the claims Kaplan made at past meetings, through e-mails and in OVN letters to the editor regarding Bennett’s motives over the agenda item being heard in the morning session instead of the afternoon session, as expected.

Bennett explained the difference between time certain and regular agenda items and how the latter are often heard as the supervisors get to them, as the MAC item was. He added that he felt the changes proposed and approved by the board of supervisors were “in the interest of good government.”

Councilmember Terry Wright weighed in on the subject saying, “I certainly agree with Supervisor Bennett. We need to move forward and be more positive and I have no problem with the changes in the agenda process.”  

During public comments, Kathy Broesamle said she appreciated Kaplan’s efforts. “But I would ask you, Jerry, please don’t impugn Supervisor Bennett,” said Broesamle. “I know you’re a good person,” she told Kaplan, “but Steve is so outstanding that I would do anything to promote anything he’s trying to do.”

Kaplan conceded that the issue had been resolved and welcomed a “new era of the Ojai Valley MAC.”

After their statements, the OVMAC got down to business that has impact on the entire Ojai Valley. The one agenda item was a review of the county study of potential amendments to the Ojai Area Plan Scenic Resources Protection policies as suggested by valley residents last month. 

Ventura County planners Bruce Smith and Dennis Hawkins presented to the MAC a detailed slide show created from suggestions by attendees of the March meeting. Besides photographs of the types of features being newly considered for inclusion in the SRP, a map of the Ojai area that the OVMAC works to protect was displayed with new recommendations for updates.

While Smith and Hawkins addressed all of the suggestions made in March, slopes with a 25-percent grade or greater received the strongest county recommendations as features to be assimilated into the SRP. “The problem we had before is that we only identified prominent ridgelines,” said Council Chairman Russ Baggerly.

“The desire to protect secondary ridgelines and hillsides leading to those ridgelines was the impetus to begin this process in the first place,” said Baggerly in a prepared statement. He also pointed out that “scenic vistas” are referenced but never defined in the policy text and proposed the term “scenic resources” should be used instead. “The scenic resources of the Ojai Valley worthy of protection under the SRP Zone would include all hillsides leading to secondary and primary ridgelines, rivers, streams, barrancas and arroyos within those hillsides, natural habitats within those hillsides and mountains not within the National Forest,” said Baggerly.

The SRP update will give the MAC the opportunity to address restrictions on some of these features. Sections of roads with scenic views but which are not protected as a state scenic highway may also be examined for update.

Smith said the current hierarchy of protection criteria that must be met are highly visible ridgelines, then slopes and foreground views adjacent to roads. Residential areas, sections already developed and man-made features such as orchards are low priority for scenic protection and fall under other regulations when people apply to develop land. “We are looking at several meetings,” said Smith. 

This was good news to the council, given the extensive information received about areas covered under the Ojai Area Plan, as well as some of the features brought up during the March presentation that fall outside of it. The members expressed interest in creating uniformity in the criteria used to update the SRP.

Council members were given time to digest and research the areas in the divisions they represent that could be impacted by any changes. The next OVMAC meeting is scheduled for May 18 at 7 p.m. in the Oak View Community Center, 18 Valley Road.

The Scenic Resources Protection program will be on the agenda for residents to address. For more information, contact Supervisor Bennett’s office at 654-2703 or e-mail steve.offerman@ventura.org.

FROM: Sgt. Joe Evans
Greetings Watchers. Well our friends and neighbors in the Monte Via tract are at it again. This past weekend a crook decided to go into this neighborhood and look for victims. Well as we all know this is not a neighborhood of victims but it is a neighborhood who has a history of watching out for each other and catching crooks in the process. 

In the early evening one of our neighbors found this crook in his garage. Our neighbor noticed that not only was this man in his garage but he was also wearing a hat that belonged to our neighbor. Well our neighbor took exception to the crook wearing his hat and called for his local deputies to assist him. The crook was detained by our neighbor until your deputies arrived. The crook had not only gotten into the garage but he also stole the hat out of our neighbors parked car.The crook was arrested and additional stolen property from another victim was found in the crooks pockets. The crook was booked into County Jail for Residential Burglary and Possession of Stolen Property.

SUMMERTIME: The weather is pleasant and we will soon be reaching higher temperatures. We all like to cool off by jumping in a swimming pool, the ocean or a lake. The recent tragedy at Mussel Point in Santa Barbara County and our own swimming pool incident in Oak View, however, reminds us to always be alert whenever our young loved ones and inexperienced swimmers are around water. About a month ago a young child drowned in our own Lake Casitas, last year a drowning happened in Lake Piru and the list can go on. Please be very safety orientated around water so we can avert these tragedies. Wear life jackets, stay away from rocks where waves are able to knock you in the water, and always watch the children. It only takes a few seconds of a distraction to turn a happy day into a horror. All it takes, just a few seconds. So, please watch your children around water at all times.

Along with this warmer weather we all tend to move our activities to the outdoors. We look forward to those summer parties and the chance to cut lose after a long winter break. Some of these activities will include the drinking of alcohol and the use of drugs. 

Your deputies are also preparing for the summer activities in our valley. Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs is at the top of our list of things to watch for. Your deputies will be going out of their way to look for and locate anyone driving under the influence. When these people are located they will be arrested and booked into the Ventura County Main Jail.

If you are drinking alcohol or using drugs DO NOT DRIVE. Call a friend, call a cab or take a bus but NEVER NEVER DRIVE.  I know we hear this all the time but people are still drinking and using drugs before driving in our valley. If you see someone driving who you suspect may be under the influence of alcohol or drugs, please call 654-9511, 646-1414 or 911. Your deputies will respond and take the needed action to ensure public safety.

We all live and raise our families in this valley. We need to watch for and report people driving under the influence just as we do for burglars and other crooks. They are all dangerous to our community.

Thanks for all you are doing and keep up the good work.  Joe

School District’s request for $31k voted down 3-1

By Sondra Murphy
During times of economic hardships, difficult debates occur over the toll funding losses take on human lives.

 The Ojai City Council was faced with such a debate Tuesday as it considered a request from the Ojai Unified School District to help pay the cost for the school resource officer at Nordhoff High School.

Due to state-level cutbacks, funding for the police position will be short about $31,000 for the remainder of the school year. City staff recommended that the city cover the remainder of the officer’s salary for this year, as well as authorize application for a federal grant to cover the expense for three more years.

Currently, the city and OUSD pay for about 80 percent of the costs associated with a full-time deputy. The cost is about $162,000 each 9.8-month school year, with each entity paying $81,000. The city’s share of the expenditure comes from a state grant.

“We have had a safe campus because we’ve had a police officer here for eight or nine years,” said NHS assistant principal Susana Arce. “We’ve had issues, but they’ve been quickly resolved because of the police presence.” Arce said that before the SRO was in place, there were two staff members handling discipline, but now she is the only person to cover the job. She added the SRO helps with everything from the campus atmosphere to calming out of control students.

The Sheriff’s Department has further anticipated it will be unable to fund the position for the 2.2 months that school is not in session, but Federal Community Oriented Policing Services Hiring Recovery Program Grant funds recently made available in effort to retain law enforcement positions subject to termination because of the economic crisis. The grant is very competitive.

City staff recommended the council approve the additional $31,000 expenditure so as not to lose the officer this year. “That will only cover the officer until the end of this year,” said city manager Jere Kersnar. “That is a problem to us because the officer can respond faster to a situation at Nordhoff.”

Councilwoman Carol Smith asked Ojai Police Capt. Chris Dunn how soon the position would be eliminated if the council did not approve the request. “Almost immediately,” he answered.

Mayor Joe DeVito asked Kersnar to remind him of the projected surplus at the end of this fiscal year. “We had a projected surplus of $260,000,” said Kersnar. “That’s a very moving target, but if the prediction held true, then we would reduce that surplus to about $230,000.”

Councilwoman Betsy Clapp said that she understood the school’s desire to have a safe campus for their students, but had concerns about the city’s ability to finance it. “In recent article in the Ojai Valley News, (OUSD board member) Kathi Smith said she’d rather have a music program than an officer and several others agreed and felt staff was capable of performing those duties,” said Clapp. “In light of that fact, the school district would know what it’s capable of providing … I question whether it’s our fiduciary responsibility to fund the school district. I think it may not be the best use of our money at this time.

District claims right to deny changes in skate park lease, 43 classified jobs join 62 teachers on pink-slip list

By Linda Harmon
A polite yet unhappy crowd faced the budget-weary OUSD board during the three-and-a-half hour public portion of the board meeting Tuesday night. The evening covered more budget cuts and city plans for the proposed skate park renovation.

The major portion of the evening was spent on what has become a thorny issue for the board, the impending construction of a permanent skateboard park on school property.

Top cop talks collision stats with council

By Sondra Murphy
Ojai Police Capt. Chris Dunn presented an update on traffic collisions during Tuesday’s Ojai City Council meeting. After submitting his annual report in February, council members requested a breakdown and analysis of traffic collisions and citations.

“Due to the relatively low speeds within the city of Ojai, serious injury and fatal accidents are relatively rare,” the new report reads. 

Four fatal accidents occurred in the city between 2006 and 2008. The primary cause of two of those accidents was attributed to “inattention” and the cause of one is still uncertain. The fourth fatality is listed as being caused by unsafe speed and suspicion of DUI. No traffic fatalities were reported from 2002 to 2005.

Total accidents reduced from 148 in 2007 to 130 in 2008. “The statistical data used for this comparison was obtained from the preliminary data compiled by Sheriff’s Crime Analysis and the Ojai Police Station’s Traffic Office,” the report reads. “While traffic collisions in February 2009 doubled from the rate in January 2009, we are still experiencing a significant reduction in traffic collisions compared to the same two-month time period in 2008.”

The report suggests that a 42 percent increase of citations issued in 2008 compared to 2007  — from 628 to 893 — may have assisted the decrease in traffic collisions.

Of the 148 traffic collisions in 2007, 44 resulted in injury, five people sustained severe injuries and two were fatalities. One pedestrian was involved in the accidents, seven bicycles and 41 collisions involved stationary objects.

In 2008’s 130 collisions, 35 resulted in injury, four severe injuries and one fatality. Five pedestrians, nine bicyclists and 46 stationary objects were involved in the collisions.

In comparing the first two months of 2009 with January and February of 2008, accidents have reduced by 17, with one less fatality and seven fewer injuries reported. Five accidents this January resulted in two injuries, compared to 16 in 2008 with six injuries. February of this year had 10 accidents and three injuries, compared to 16 accidents in 2009 and six injuries in that same month.

“We are continuing to see an increase in the number of traffic citations being issued in the city,” the report goes on. “Proactive traffic enforcement has been, and will continue to be, successful in maintaining and possibly decreasing the number of traffic collisions in the city.”

Former art gallery owner and teacher Linda Caldwell, now serving as director at the Arc Enrichment Center, prepares for her art program.

By Linda Harmon
If you know a person with special needs or have ever wondered what a day can hold for them, you can get a glimpse by visiting the Ojai Arc Enrichment Center, 210 Cañada St.

The center, a nonprofit which serves an average of 50 to 60 adults a day, greets its members with an upbeat campus covering a city block. The center’s work does not stop with what happens between its gates, but they also place people at local businesses and offer services.

“Integration in the community is one of our largest goals,” said Linda Caldwell, Arc spokesperson and staff member. “We are modeling relationships and we’re always looking for ways to get our people seen as individuals.”

The center is part of Arc, the world’s largest community-based organization of and for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The center’s clients come mostly from referrals.

“Chances are our people are already working with tri-county regional social workers,” said Caldwell, “but we do have families that come in and we help them through the funding programs.”

Over 780 state and local chapters across the nation serve individuals and their families, regardless of the level of disability, to promote self-determination, provide support and empower people.

“Ojai is one small island. This Center is a day program for adults over 22 who are no longer eligible for school programs,” said Caldwell, who has been with the Center for over nine years and is now its art coordinator. She is part of a staff of 22 who oversee the program from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. each day. Each staff member works with a group of three to five people.

Caldwell, who has a teaching credential and is a potter herself, almost didn’t get the job she loves.

“When I originally applied the director at the time thought I was overqualified and wouldn’t stay,” said Caldwell. “I told her that this is what I wanted to do now. I love this population and it’s very rewarding.”

The campus includes an activity room, computer room, music room lined with drums and a piano, art room, and a brightly lit gallery to show artists’ work. The grounds also offer an exercise area and outdoor eating area.

A large part of the program is right up Caldwell’s alley as a former teacher and gallery owner.

“This was started as an art program and I have people that spend four or five days a week with me,” said Caldwell. “People do art on a lot of different levels.”

Moving to the gallery we see the work of several of her students, including Sheila Mahon.

“One of her favorite subjects is drums and drummers,” said Caldwell, stopping to point to one of Mahon’s brightly colored images of drumming circles. “She started out with free hand drawings. We had copies made for her and she hand-colored each of these.”

There are hanging banners, ceramics, collage, found-art sculptures, and colorful paper flowers with bark stems done by a number of students.

“This artist just loves to get the feel of the paper,” said Caldwell, pointing to drawing of rhythmic cross-hatching in sunset colors. “If someone comes along and shows her a different area to work on we get these beautiful images.” 

The walls of the gallery reflect creativity and productivity.

“Each person seems to have developed their own style for working,” said Caldwell, while surveying the art room filled with half-finished creations and supplies.

Caldwell says in this economy the center is “tightening our belt, but we’re not in a desperate situation right now.”

Caldwell does see a need for more employment opportunities for her people.

The center has placed people with Janis’s Art Workshop, Jim & Rob’s Fresh Grill, Mountain Meadows Nursery, the Ojai Library and Rainbow Bridge, to name a few, but she has more people in need of work. The center’s clients cover graffiti, clean litter on the bike trails and at Lake Casitas, and distribute and display posters for local events all for a small donation.

“We are always looking for community service opportunities,’ said Caldwell. “The people we serve can do far more than people imagine.” 

If you have such an opportunity, stop by the Enrichment Center or call 646-5186. And don’t forget to visit the gallery, open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. or by appointment.

Ojai resident Boyd Ford prepares for takeoff in the impeccably restored B-17 at Camarillo Airport on Monday. Photo by Scott Wintermute

By Sondra Murphy
Boyd Ford was still walking on air after being invited to ride in a B-17 bomber Monday. “It was quite an experience,” said Boyd. “I’ve hitchhiked on a B-24 before, but never a B-17.”

This time, Ford rode in the Experimental Aircraft Association’s “Aluminum Overcast,” a bomber built by the Douglas Aircraft Company and delivered to the Air Force in 1945. The B-17 was the world’s first all-metal, four-engine monoplane and was dubbed “The Flying Fortress” by a reporter impressed by the plane’s prominent gun positions, size and streamlined appearance. Its long-range strategic bombing and high-altitude precision daylight bombing met World War II needs by holding a crew of up to 10 men, more than 12 .50-caliber machine guns and a typical bomb load of 5,000 pounds.

It had a range of 2,000 miles and commonly flew at altitudes of 10,000 to 30,000 feet, cruised at 180 mph and had a top speed of 300 mph. At the end of World War II, the B-17 had carried 40 percent of the tonnage of bombs dropped by American forces and had also been used in rescue, firefighting and reconnaissance missions.

The bomber was donated to the EAA in 1983 and restored after receiving damage during a landing in 2004. The aircraft was at the Camarillo Airport as part of the 2009 “Salute to Veterans” tour.

Ford joined the Navy in 1942 and the last time he was in a military airplane was when he was still in the service. Ford was stationed on the aircraft carrier USS Corregidor at Pearl Harbor at the time and would ride with the pilots as they flew across the islands.

“When I was assigned to Corpus Christie, Texas, I hitchhiked from Roswell, New Mexico,” said Ford. “It was that B-24, when I was 21.”

Ford saw heavy action in World War II, as the USS Corregidor provided air support in the Marshall Islands operation, as well as the big naval showdown with the Japanese fleet at Guadalcanal.

Monday’s trip on the B-17 was a reminiscent one for Ford. “We were up there a good 30 to 40 minutes,” he said. “We went up the coast and turned back around toward Santa Paula and Camarillo.” Ford said the non-pressurized flight was a cold one, even during spring in Ventura County.

“It was just a fun trip, especially with all the guys and news media running back and forth,” said Ford, who was interviewed by several reporters.

“The Flying Fortress” will be on display today from 2 to 5 p.m. in front of the Waypoint Café at the Camarillo Airport. Admission is free, touring the B-17 is $5 or $15 per family. Children under 8 and WWII veterans will be admitted free. World War II veterans will be present to share their stories.

For more flight information, call (800) 359-6217 or visit b17.org.

The aircraft will move on to Van Nuys Airport on Friday to continue its West Coast tour.

FROM: Sgt. Joe Evans

Good afternoon Watchers
We seem to be experiencing more domestic violence calls than normal.  In these types of incidents it is very important that we are called as soon as possible. Many times we arrive at these calls while they are still just verbal arguments. Your deputies are trained in crisis intervention and can usually calm the parties down and give them resources for counseling and other social services available to them. 

When we are called later in the incident, the fight has often already turned physical and your deputies are challenged with separating the parties and sometimes requesting needed medical assistance for the victims. Many times this may lead to arrest and even a emergency restraining order being issued. Either way it is always better for us to get called early rather than later in the incident.

If you have neighbors or loved ones who are involved in a heated argument and you feel someone needs to intervene, please call us. We want to get involved way before the incident turns to violence. I know this is a sensitive subject and some people do not like to be the neighbor who calls for this type of incident. I will tell you that more people are injured during domestic disturbances than they are during home burglaries or vehicle thefts.

Here at City Watch we want the safest neighborhoods possible. That means safe for all of us from all types of crimes. Part of having a safe neighborhood is being a good neighbor and watching out for each other even during those difficult times. With our current economic times, tempers may tend to flair a little higher than normal. Your deputies want to be there to stop any violence and offer their help in any way they can. If you know someone who might need help, please call, we will do what we can. If you do not call we may never know whether or not that person really needed our help.

On the upside of things, we are doing much better with our vehicle burglaries and our thefts from vehicles. Our calls for suspicious subjects and vehicle continues to increase. There is a direct correlation between the increased calls for service and the reduction of specific crimes in a given area. This is another sign that you are taking back our neighborhoods and the crooks are getting the message.

Remember you can register your traffic concerns with me and I will forward them directly to our traffic officers. This is a quick and efficient way to solve some of those neighborhood traffic issues.

Please do not forget to sign up for free home vacation checks while you are out of town this summer. I have attached the form to this e-mail. 

Some of you have asked me to define the legend on our City Watch Maps. Ok here we go,

Assault- This is a crime where you are victims of a serious battery like Assault with a Deadly Weapon or Assault with Great Bodily Injury.

Burglary- This is breaking into you home, business,out building or a locked vehicle.

Larceny- Theft of any type. Theft over $400.00 is grand theft. Theft under $400.00 is petty theft.

Misd Assault- This is basic battery like punching your neighbor in the arm. Not much damage but still a rotten thing to do.  

Robbery- The taking of your items by force or fear.

Well I hope that helped those of you who were unsure of the meanings.
Have a great weekend and keep up the good work. Enjoy this weeks map.

Your friend and neighbor, Joe 

VIEW CRIME MAP

Two-hundred people seek answers to perils of the process

By Sondra Murphy
A long-anticipated meeting between residents of the Ojai Valley and the Federal Emergency Management Agency took place Tuesday at Matilija Auditorium, drawing about 200 people out in the rain to hear the latest developments on floodplain remapping efforts and levee certification processes.

Ventura County 1st District Supervisor Steve Bennett served as moderator of the meeting in reviewing FEMA’s methods and answering questions from the community. Bennett said that FEMA has been working for the past 18 months on remapping the floodplains of this county, prompted by a 2005 federal mandate, and has just begun efforts in the Ojai Valley.

In addition, a recent letter was circulated by the county Board of Supervisors to those living near the Live Oak Acres Levee stating it would not meet new FEMA standards being enforced. The change is expected to rezone the neighborhoods into a floodplain, increasing meeting attendance from those in that neighborhood. Residents from other floodplain designations, such as those in Casitas Springs and the East End, were also present.

“The county now has information about which levees are likely to be certified and which are not likely,” said Bennett. “We want to give you preliminary information on possible changes, particularly to people in the floodplain now.” He added that the meeting would not settle every question asked, but was an important first step in the communication process and he expected that other meetings with stakeholders would be required.

Kathy Schaefer, FEMA California Region IX engineer, presented an overview of the agency’s criteria for levee certification and answered questions posed by residents of the Live Oak Acres neighborhood. She and Jeff Pratt, director of the county’s Public Works Department, emphasized that the levee was safe, just in need of mitigation before becoming certified. 

Tom Lagier, director of the Ventura County Watershed Protection District, said of the nine levees submitted to FEMA, two came back as Category 2, meaning the deficiencies can likely be fixed by the Nov. 30 deadline. Three others are unlikely to be certified by that date, including the Live Oaks Acres Levee. “That doesn’t mean we abandon them,” said Lagier. “It just means we go into another phase of work on them.” He added that, with 90 percent of national levees being uncertifiable, the county felt confident it could meet the standards required by FEMA within a prompt time frame.

Lagier went over the six criteria for levee certification, which includes keeping them clear of rodents and vegetation that can bore into embankments and foundations. Other criteria concern interior drainage, closures, freeboard, operations and maintenance plans.

Private property structures built within 15 feet of the levee are required to be relocated or removed, a complication for grandfathered-in homes along the barrier. Such property owners were encouraged to contact VCWPD to learn about their options. 

“FEMA does not certify levees, levee owners do,” said Schaefer. “FEMA accredits certified levees.” The Watershed Protection District owns the levees.

Schaefer’s primary message to Live Oaks Acres residents was to prepare to buy flood insurance. Once the levee decertification becomes official, owners of mortgaged properties in the flood zone will have six months to obtain insurance at preferred rates. After that, costs go up.

Schaefer said property owners who do not have mortgages are not required to buy flood insurance.

“If you’re living behind the levee, sometime after January of 2010, you will need flood insurance,” said Bennett. “The time line is still being established. When we have a definitive time frame from FEMA, we’ll write a letter to all those property owners. It’s important to get insurance before the property is designated a floodplain.”

Bennett reiterated that the Matilija Dam removal project has improved the odds of getting prompt levee upgrades, since part of the project includes levee work, already has congressional approval and 90 percent of the planning has been completed. Schaefer said that California has about 1,600 miles of levees and called the maintenance of them, “a huge undertaking.”

Schaefer also addressed FEMA’s updates from paper to digital, overlapping maps. “Like many of the maps in the U.S., yours in Ventura County are very old,” said Schaefer. “I am particularly thrilled that we are moving to a digital age, because once the remapping becomes effective, all of you can go to the web site and find out if you’re in a floodplain.” She said the digital versions would be easier to read for both private citizens and government representatives.

“The Ventura River study includes a number of streams in the east Ojai Valley area,” said Schaefer. “We’re still gathering the hydrology and hydraulics information and will undoubtedly keep you posted on the progress.”

About one-third of those in attendance identified themselves as being from the East End and were vocal about their dissatisfaction over paying for flood insurance. Many cited elevation and no recent history of flooding in the area as reasons the zone should be reclassified.

VCWPD planning and regulatory manager Zia Hosseinipour explained some of the geology of alluvial fans, which the East End is classified as. He said the phenomenon in alluvial fan flooding involves the three components of flow path uncertainty, abrupt depositions and erosion, and inadequacy of elevations on fill as mitigation. “As flow comes down the mountain it creates debris that blocks the flow pattern. When the flow path changes, it’s not going through its natural channel,” said Hosseinipour. “In alluvial floodplains, you get floods because of blockage, which picks up more debris and mud, then the mud moves over land to create a fan. Although the property may be high, it can still be flooded.”

The explanation was met with some vocal skepticism among the East End residents.

“Statistically, over the course of the life of your home mortgage of 30 years, you have a 27 percent chance of flood and, over the life of your home, you have an 80 percent chance of flood,” said Schaefer. “If you are in a floodplain, it should be your responsibility to protect yourself and your family from the risk of flood.”

“For people in a flood zone, there’s not much that can be done,” said Bennett. “For people who are about to be put in a flood zone, you can purchase insurance now at good rates.” When asked why people who disagree with their floodplain designation are forced to obtain flood insurance, Bennett replied, “Because of Katrina, you’re not going to find the federal government saying, ‘OK, economic times are tough so you don’t have to get it.’”

Once the Live Oaks Acres Levee is upgraded, Bennett said it is possible the decertification could be temporary.

Hopeful questions regarding the effect of the FEMA remapping on the East End designation were answered cautiously. “Be careful what you ask for,” said Schaefer. “I am sure there are homes that will no longer be in the special flood area, but I am also sure there will be new homes going into the area for the first time.” She added that hydrologists are starting to better understand the El Niño and La Niña patterns and that the Ojai Valley is in the pattern pathways.

More details, vocabulary and maps may be found at vcwatershed.org/levee/index.html. Questions asked during the meeting that could not be addressed will also be posted onto the site and answered.

Stephen Huyler gives a copy of his newest book, “Daughters of India,” to one of its subjects, Bidulata. Huyler, a graduate of The Thacher School and a part-time Ojai resident, will be signing books at the Art Center on Wednesday.

By Linda Harmon
Stephen Huyler, who has traveled and studied India’s rich culture for more than four decades will be sharing a small but intimate slice of Indian life as he gives a free presentation profiling his newest book, “Daughters of India,” on April 15 at the Ojai Center for the Arts. 

“I’ve always been a guest in Indian homes since my first trip,” said Huyler, who considers himself very lucky indeed. Huyler, has just returned from India where he presented copies of his fifth book to many of the 20 female artists featured in it. 

Huyler wanted to write about the Indian woman’s identity, but limited it to 20 people varying it to include women from high in the Himalayas, to the desert, to the rice paddies, along the rivers and in jungles. He also included all ages from a small girl to a woman of 80 and included women who live behind the veil, those who have broken out, and others who never have.

“I wanted to tell their stories to convey an introduction to Indian womanhood,” said Huyler, who donated the proceeds to nonprofit groups benefiting the people between his pages. “Most of our media focuses on extremes of everything, often on obtuse poverty without focusing on the ways the individuals deal with these crises.”

This bothers Huyler and he says it bothers the Indian people.

“The slums are fastidiously clean,” said Huyler, “the people who live in them are so proud they have homes, they are proud of their communities and of their relationships. The conditions may be often horrific … but still they are not ground under. They struggle with these issues but do not wish to be viewed as victims.”

Huyler, born in Ojai and schooled at Thacher, began his journey as a philosopher and writer through his long and close relationship with artist Beatrice Wood. His father, a teacher at Thacher, photographed her work and Huyler knew who she was from an early age. He was only 15 when he walked up to her and asked her for a job. 

“She was exactly what I needed,” said Huyler, who began working in her studio and garden. “I have never met a more intelligent or more educated human being in my life. She was so broad-minded. People talk about her humor and vivacity but few talk about her wisdom and her extraordinary spirit. I didn’t get a lot of work done but I heard some wonderful stories.”

He did that for two summers. 

“I was totally enthralled with art, folk art particularly,” said Huyler. “I was looking for something to do and she told me about India and invited me to go there, with her.”

Huyler, who was studying creative writing at the time, went off to the University of Denver to take course work preparing for the trip.

“I found that I changed from a mediocre student to a straight-A student,” said Huyler, who found his niche and was the first student to write a proposal for a combined major. “Then Beatrice canceled her trip.”

Huyler decided to go anyway, alone, at age 17.

“Beatrice did end up coming,” said Huyler, “and introduced me to two very important women, Kamala Devi and Rulemini Devi Arundala. Kamala Devi was the right hand of Gandhi.”

According to Huyler, Devi was responsible for establishing the cottage textile industry in India that helped with Gandhi’s peaceful overthrow of the British regime. 

“I had also met Rulemini Devi at Krotona before I left,” said Huyler. “She had been raised as the female avatar, like Krishnamurti was raised as a male avatar … She renounced the same year. Rulemini became a dancer, recognizing the spiritual quality and creative nature of dance, and established a national traditional dance school. She went on to be an appointed member of parliament and established the national park system … She was amazing and knew people everywhere … I stayed nine months. “

He did return to Ojai, marrying his wife of 35 years, Helene, in a ceremony with Wood as his wife’s “Maid of Dis-honor.” The Huylers divide their time between travel, Ojai, and a home in Maine.

“It’s been 37 years of extensive, constant travel every year,” said Huyler, who said there were so many sub-cultures in India he wanted to do an overview. “I am a cross-cultural surveyor. I use people’s own experiences to document their own opinions about what their lives are about and use art as a way of drawing them together.” 

Huyler said some of the women in his book do consider themselves artists, but many don’t. 

“They use the creative process as an expression in their daily lives,” said Huyler, adding that they may pass down techniques for sacred diagrams from generation to generation, for thousands of years, and “draw one every single day of their lives, not repeating a single one,” and yet they don’t consider themselves artists. 

Huyler continues through his writing and photography to share the India he loves. He spends an average of four months a year in India documenting craftsmanship and contemporary traditions. Huyler, who received his bachelor’s in Indian studies at the University of Denver and doctorate at the University of London’s School of Oriental and African studies, is also about to publish another book, “Sonabai: Another Way of Seeing,” about the selftaught sculptor, and will launch an extensive exhibition in the Mingei International Museum at Balboa Park in San Diego, July 12 through April 19, 2010. 

Join Huyler for his free lecture and slide presentation Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in the main gallery of the Ojai Center for the Arts, 113 S. Montgomery St.

Greg Gamble

Gamble comes to Ojai with years of Land Trust, Nature Conservancy skills

By Earl Bates
The Ojai Valley Land Conservancy has completed its four-month search for a new executive director by signing a contract with Greg Gamble on Friday.

Gamble said he is excited about his new job and about becoming integrated with the Ojai community. “I think the OVLC has done great work and has great potential,” said Gamble. 

“Ojai’s a beautiful place — I think it is certainly a very special place. I think there is a lot of great work to be done from a conservation standpoint. And from a personal standpoint, my wife and I are very much looking forward to joining the community and raising our two little kids here.”

Gamble joins the OVLC from the Desert Foothills Land Trust of Cave Creek, Ariz., where he was executive director. For 10 years prior to that he held several positions of progressive responsibility with The Nature Conservancy in Colorado, San Francisco, and Phoenix. 

Gamble holds an undergraduate degree in petroleum engineering from Stanford, a master’s in natural resource management from Colorado State, and a master of business administration from the University of Michigan. He has also traveled widely both in the United States and abroad.

Gamble will relocate with his family to the Ojai Valley soon and join the OVLC staff around May 4. He replaces Fred Fox, who left to join his wife in an educational software venture.

The Ojai Valley Land Conservancy has a staff of seven, including the executive. Formed in 1991, the 1,000-plus-member conservancy manages several large tracts of land, including the 1,591-acre Ventura River Preserve, and the restored wetlands at the Ojai Meadows.

Roger Essick, OVLC board president, stated, “Greg is a very talented and able individual who will bring strong leadership to the OVLC as we seek to move our organization to a new level. We are delighted to welcome Greg and his family to the Ojai Valley and we feel confident that he will make a significant contribution to OVLC and to the community.”

Gamble said, “I have a great deal of respect for this organization and what it has accomplished, and I am humbled and excited to be working with the talented and dedicated staff and directors of the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy. I look forward to working with the community to build on the conservancy’s past success and protect much more of this special place.”

Levee plans, flood-plain risks focus for Tuesday meet

By Sondra Murphy
Valley residents with concern about floodplain maps and flood insurance ratings will have the opportunity next week to be updated on the area’s status.

Supervisor Steve Bennett has arranged to have the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s California regional engineer attend a public meeting Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. in the Matilija Auditorium, 703 El Paseo Road.

The meeting will cover topics of interest to property owners in or near floodplains or levees, including how existing floodplain maps and flood insurance ratings were established, as well as FEMA’s process and schedule for updating floodplain maps for the Ojai Valley.

The potential decertification of the Live Oak Acres Levee and how new floodplain maps might affect properties near floodplains will also be discussed. The purchase of federal flood Insurance and how to reduce flood risk and a flood insurance rating will be included in the topics of discussion.

FEMA has been in the process of certifying flood protection levees nationwide. A recent study ordered by FEMA has determined that the Live Oak Acres Levee along the  Ventura River, originally constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, cannot be certified as meeting FEMA’s new standards. This means that FEMA will likely include more than 100 properties behind the levee in the mapped floodplain.

FEMA is in the process of remapping the floodplains of the Ojai Valley. A letter from the Ventura County Board of Supervisors was mailed out Monday to residents near the Live Oak Acres Levee who are or may be impacted by the decertification. “FEMA is currently updating their estimate of the flows in the Ventura River and it is possible the 100-year floodplain area behind the levee could be larger when that study is complete,” the letters read. “FEMA’s current schedule shows study completion at the end of 2009.”

Besides 106 properties expected to be redesignated into a floodplain, 127 others may be affected by the remapping. “The big part of this meeting is the decertification, but all areas will be addressed,” said Bennett.

In other parts of Ventura County, the FEMA updates have resulted in expansion of mapped floodplains. Property owners in floodplains are generally required to purchase flood insurance by their mortgage lenders and are subject to floodplain construction regulations.

“While we will be working hard to find funding for reconstruction of the Live Oak Acres Levee, this meeting is an opportunity for local property owners to hear directly from FEMA management,” said Bennett. “They can learn the regulations that apply to their flood insurance rating and learn about purchasing federal flood insurance. People who live in floodplains, near creeks or behind levees can benefit by attending this meeting.”

Numerous levees nationwide cannot be certified and many local governments are attempting to lobby the federal government for money to upgrade those levees. The about $140 million Matilija Dam removal project already in progress may assist the efforts to rebuild the Live Oaks Acres Levee. “The Matilija Dam removal is already an approved project,” said Bennett. “The project is in better shape because of the Matilija Dam removal.”

Bennett said within a year to a year and a half, FEMA will have a new study done and the floodplain designations could change.

Nine levees in Ventura County have been identified by FEMA as trouble spots; two in Districts 1 and 4, one in Districts 2 and 5, and three in District 3. 

“This is affecting every supervisor in the county,” said Bennett. “For the Ojai Valley, this is a significant situation.”

For more information and to view the Ventura County Watershed Protection District FEMA Levee Certification Project map, go to vcwatershed.org/levee.

FROM: Sgt Joe Evans

Greeting Watchers.

In light of recent events in our valley, one of our Watchers thought it
may be a good idea for everyone to have access to C.P.R. training. As
most of you read in the paper, a local hero saved the lives of two small
children whom had fallen into a swimming pool. Because this hero was
trained in C.P.R. he was able to revive both children from
unconsciousness. 

The following are two locations that provide C.P.R. training.Learn how
to make your child’s environment safe, to prevent the most common
childhood accidents, and infant/child CPR and choking techniques. No
babies or children should attend this class, please. Cost is $25.00 per
person. 

Call 805/658-BABY (2229) to register for the following classes to be
held on Saturdays 9-11 a.m.:

2009 Dates
* January 31
* February 21
* March 21
* May 2
* June 13

Here is another one right in Oak View.
Date and Time: Saturday, March 21, 10:00-12:00pm (CPR); Tuesday, April14, 6:00-8:00pm (First Aid)
Facilitator: Glenda Mahon, EMT
Where: Nan Tolbert Nurturing Center,
555 Mahoney Avenue, Room 2, Oak View, 93022 
Cost: $25 for one class, $35 for both. Pre-registration required. Scholarships available. A special thanks to our watcher for providing this information.

I would also like to welcome Karen Moller of the Sheriff’s Crime Analysis Unit. Karen has designed a map of local crimes that I will send out every week or so. This will allow each of you to clearly see exactly where certain crimes happen.This is the first of two maps that i plan on sending out. The next map will show vandalism both general and gang related.This will allow each of us to have enough information to watch out for crimes when we are driving around the valley.

Our team is growing and getting stronger. We now have the support and cooperation of many different people. They are all contributing to our program and share our common goal of having a community free from the fear of crime. Keep up the good work and I will talk to you soon.  Joe

P.S. Let me know what you think of the map idea. I can tweak it to almost anything we want.  Joe