Women of the Ojai Valley 2023

CELEBRATING OF THE OJAI VALLEY

WOMEN

Foreword: Women of the Valley 2023

Though the pathways that get them here are as varied as the places from which they come, women arrive to the Ojai Valley time and time again to ground themselves further into their own selfunderstanding.

e result, so much more often than not, is a sprouted seed of giving and purpose that blooms as a boon for the whole community — lifelong residents, newcomers starting families, and rst-generation edglings spreading their wings. We all witness our Ojai Valley in motion as a circle of full circles.

In a decades-long tradition, the Ojai Valley News honors the gifts that women in our community discover and share. Readers will get a glimpse into eight of these journeys in this year’s edition of “Women of the Valley.”

Trina Newman, our new Ojai police chief, stands tall as a beacon of law and safety in this small town. Chelsea Sutula follows her heart to destigmatize the plant so often caught in the middle of the debate.

PAGE 8 Evie Lynn

PAGE 10 Asli Ruf

PAGE 12 Chelsea Sutula

PAGE 14 Jenny Newell

PAGE 16 Joan Kemper

PAGE 18 Lepeng Li

PAGE 20 Rebecca Tickell

PAGE 22 Trina Newman

Evie Lynn dismantles fear and invisible barriers as she takes to the sky — always a mile ahead of the wind.

Rebecca Tickell, digging into her new mother’s intuition, found her voice in lm.

Asli Ruf uses that same mother’s intuition as an advocate for our children in schools.

Lepeng Li crossed miles of oceans to discover the power within herself and lead others to their own place of peace.

Jenny Newell brings the joy of feeling at home to those who stop by — an entrée to warm the heart. Centenarian and model citizen Joan Kemper still discovers more to do for Ojai every day.

To quote Harriet Beecher Stowe, “Women are the real architects of society.” May you enjoy these stories of women who are some of the architects of ours.

For Heidi Bradbury With Love, The Bradbury Family

Heidi often says that she has been richly blessed with three beautiful children, Mike Jr., Sean, and Heather, and a great husband, former district attorney, Mike Sr. Her artwork, which fills their home is a constant reminder of wonderful memories of holidays and other special occasions with family and friends including children playing, trail rides and horseback competitions, dozens of dogs of all shapes and sizes, cattle, pigs, donkeys, llamas, chickens and a walk-in aviary full of extraordinary winged creatures. She is also quick to add that the pleasures of ranch life include gathering eggs, harvesting tomatoes and other fruit and vegetables that she grows, and most importantly, painting in her barn studio. Life, she adds, could not be more fulfilling.

She also cherishes the years she spent teaching and mentoring children from first to third grade. She believes there is no more rewarding profession than devoting one's life to children who look to you for protection, guidance, love, and reassurance. Every once in a while she hears from one of her students from years past who call or write to thank her for the positive influence she had on them and how her love and caring still guide their lives today.

Heidi's art has been a mainstay in her life as well as having a positive influence on the many others who collect and treasure her work. That art (both on canvas and in her books) can best be described as a direct line from her heart to the page. Each piece comes from a personal place that evokes passion and love.

When she needs to take a break from raising children and creating incredible art she saddles her favorite horse, Bailey, for a ride into Ojai's mountains. Experiencing the special strength and rejuvenating power that only a horse can project, her creativity and spirit once again take flight. She is truly one of Ojai's special treasures.

Evie Lynn

Young girl’s dream of flying launches career

By Perry Van Houten | pvh@ojaivalleynews.com

In seventh and eighth grade, Evelyn “Evie” Lynn read from cover to cover the manual on how to fly the space shuttle.

“I was that kid in middle school that decided I was going to fly. I was obsessed with aviation and with space,” said the Oak View resident, who grew up in the tiny town of Rosalia, Kansas, population 100. “My parents saw that I had that deep desire already for flying.”

A family friend in the Air Force served as a teacher and mentor, “just fueling that fire,” said Evie. She started flying while in high school and attended the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut. After graduation, she wound up in Navy flight school in Pensacola, Florida, where she got her wings.

Flying professionally since 2000, Evie is now director of operations at Aspen Helicopters, based at Oxnard Airport, where she has worked since April 2018.

At Aspen, Evie is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the aircraft, making sure the business meets Federal Aviation Administration regulations, and maintaining a crew of trained, qualified pilots. “If something needs done, I jump right in. We’re a small business and that’s how it works around here,” she said. The only things she doesn’t do is maintenance on the aircraft (Aspen’s maintenance director does that), insurance and banking.

With 50 employees, 15 of whom are pilots, Aspen operates a fleet of seven airplanes and seven helicopters, doing on-demand commercial passenger transport, power-line patrols and firefighting. Working with the U.S. Forest Service and Cal Fire, its specially qualified firefighting pilots helped battle the 2017 Thomas Fire.

The company does o shore work in support of various entities. “I’ve seen the Channel Islands at sunrise, on a clear, blue, beautiful day,” said Evie, who has landed on seven of the eight islands. Aspen also flies clients to high-altitude, remote mountaintops. “They change out radio

equipment, for example, or they do construction of towers,” she said.

Evie loves the peace, but also the challenge of the job. For example,“taking a 500-pound generator on a 150-foot-long line under the helicopter from one mountaintop to another,” she said.

Prior to moving to Ventura County, Evie was working for the Coast Guard in Alameda, and months before retirement she started thinking about what she wanted to do. She decided to become a firefighting pilot. “I realized years ago that public service and helping others is something I really enjoy,” she said.

Evie was attending HELI-EXPO, a professional trade show, when a man approached her and a group of other pilots and asked if anyone was looking for a job. She provided her resume and was hired. The man turned out to be from Aspen Helicopters. “That’s how I found this place and that’s how we ended up in Ojai,” she said.

According to Evie, good pilots know how to compartmentalize — to block out the dozens of things going on in their personal lives and concentrate on flying. “You have to have the ability to turn everything o and just go fly and focus on nothing but the flight,” she said. “The people that are in my line of work, particularly in the utility environment where we do a lot of high-risk missions, we’re all very intense and we’re all crazy about aviation.”

And more than ever, women are entering the field thanks to organizations whose goal is to get more women into that line of work.

“If you want to try it, go for it” is Evie’s advice for women interested in a career in aviation. She recommends taking a discovery flight at a local flight school. “You’ll get to fly a little bit,” she said, “and you’ll get to see if it’s actually something you want to do.”

‘‘ If you want to try it, go for it.”

Photo submitted

Evie Lynn and the Bell 412 medium twin helicopter she ies for Aspen Helicopters, based at Oxnard Airport.

We are Teresa Rooney & Amanda Stanworth, a Mother-Daughter Real Estate team.

We have first hand experience of enjoying Ojai through all stages of life. Let us share our love for this beautiful valley, its magical history and present opportunities. Together we will discover your Ojai Way.

I grew up exploring the Ojai Valley and Ventura area with my family. I was well trained as a real estate agent long before I attended college and officially attained my license in 1999. My parents were active in real estate, my mother (as you have now guessed from our partnership) as a real estate broker and my father as a contractor. It’s been a wonderful journey working with my mom. Our skill sets complement each other and our clients benefit from our knowledge and experience.

~ Amanda Stanworth.

It is a delight to work with my daughter Amanda. She keeps me on my toes, playing at the top of my game in my life and in my real estate career. Together we have had the privilege of helping our family, friends, clients, with their real estate needs and desires. We love the beauty of this Valley and our nearby coastal communities of Ventura and Santa Barbara. You can count on us from the beginning to end to ensure that you have a successful, real estate experience…we add a sparkle of fun to the mix too.

~ Teresa Rooney

Te

resa Roo ney & Amanda Stanworth

REALTOR® - Broker Associate

805.340.8928

805.2 1 8.8117

DRE 00599443

DRE 01262333

The O jai Way.com

Asli Ruf

Belief in public education as a gift inspires work

By Andra Belknap

Asli Ruf, president of the Nordho Parent Association and vice president of the Ojai Education Foundation, has devoted her adult life to public education. In fact, she can trace her passion for free, public education to her childhood in Istanbul, where she lived until she was 18.

“You don’t have community and parent representation in public education in Turkey,” she said. “The system is not set up that way. The Ministry of Education dictates the curriculum, they appoint the principal of a public school and then you just go there. The parents have no input.”

After Asli completed high school in Turkey, education drew her to the United States. She attended the Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles as a graphic design student. Asli met her nowhusband, Kevin Ruf, when they both lived in Los Angeles.

The Rufs discovered Ojai by way of Lake Casitas — a weekend fishing spot they liked to visit with their young children. The family relocated to the Ojai Valley in 2007. Asli was nervous about moving to Ojai because she had lived in cities all her life. Now, she says, she rarely leaves.

Asli’s involvement in the Ojai Unified School District began quite organically. When her eldest son enrolled at Topa Topa Elementary School, she immediately “got roped in” as a parent volunteer. That’s when she recognized a profound di erence between Turkish and American public schools. “I think maybe American people born in this country don’t realize what an incredible gift (public education) is,” she said.

Asli volunteered with the Topa Topa Parent Teacher Association for 14 years as her three children cycled through elementary school. During that time, she proudly worked with a cohort of fellow parents to strengthen Topa Topa’s programming by fully stocking the school’s Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) room. The Topa Topa PTA continues to run this program, which provides teachers with materials ranging from paintbrushes to rolling pins to mannequins, at no cost to the district. “It creates a sense of abundance,” Asli said.

In 2019, Asli joined the Ojai Education Foundation — a nonprofit that supports Ojai public schools — months before the pandemic hit,

transforming students’ experience of public education.

While Ojai’s various PTOs focus on needs at individual campuses, OEF focuses on continuing long-term OUSD programming and fostering innovation in the classroom. For example, when OUSD’s elementary schools’ music program began to su er, OEF partnered with PTOs to shore up the program. “If there’s no elementary music, we know that the middle school and high school music program is going to die,” Asli explained.

In June, Asli will wrap up her “third round” as a member of the Matilija Middle School Parent Teacher Organization, when her youngest child completes eighth grade. Matilija will not host students in the 2023-24 school year due to school reconfiguration.

Asli said she recognizes that OUSD is in a period of challenges and tremendous change — Nordho High School will begin serving grades 7 to 12 in the fall, while Topa Topa and Mira Monte schools will host K-6.

As president of the Nordho Parent Association (she has been a Nordho parent for the past eight years and has four more to go), Asli’s a member of the transition team that’s working out the details of how Nordho will serve a new population of students in the fall.

According to Asli, the antidote to the upheaval in OUSD is participation and inclusivity. “Please get involved. Please get involved,” she said, when asked what she wants to say to fellow OUSD parents. “And get involved at the site level.” Parents and students have spent much of the last three years isolated from one another. Now, an opportunity exists to knit the community back together, with public schools at the center. Asli said she recognizes that some Ojai parents have left OUSD in the past few years, and she’s focused on creating the conditions for families to return to their public schools.

Children who go through Ojai public schools are “a reflection of every part of our valley,” she said. “These kids know each other from kindergarten and they literally stay together until 12th grade, not just in school but in local sports and throughout this small community of ours. That’s very unique.

“And when my kids go o to college, I know that these relationships are a powerful thing that they take with them. And, as abstract as it sounds, that’s something that we need to value and protect.”

Photo by Ela Ruf

Asli Ruf surrounded by student artwork.

‘‘Please get involved. And get involved at the site level.”

Chelsea Sutula

O ering a more conscious alternative to alcohol

By Andra Belknap

Chelsea Sutula, CEO of Ventura County’s first permitted cannabis dispensary — Sespe Creek Collective — celebrated her business’s five-year anniversary in Ojai late last year. For Chelsea, Sespe Creek is more than a business. It’s a way to connect with the community, normalize cannabis consumption, and support social justice.

Over the past five years, she and her Sespe Creek team have supported the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy, Ojai Valley Family Shelter, Taste of Ojai, the Ojai Film Festival and more. Chelsea is particularly proud of an event Sespe Creek hosted in 2022 to benefit OVLC — Grateful Shred, a weekend-long music festival in Libbey Park, inspired, of course, by the Grateful Dead.

However, her journey in the cannabis business hasn’t been easy. “I feel like the Ojai community really supported me when I really needed them the most,” she said. “I feel an obligation to give back.”

In November 2016, days before Californians voted to legalize recreational cannabis, Sespe Creek (based in Oxnard at the time) was raided by the Ventura County Sheri ’s O ce. Chelsea’s beloved dogs were impounded, her products were seized, and she was placed under arrest.

Chelsea was freed after 24 hours. The charges against her were dropped, and the seized products were returned to her five years later. “My one night in jail pales in comparison to what low-level, nonviolent o enders go through every day,” Chelsea said at the time. “I just had to take a breath and be like, ‘I’m going to be okay.’ People have it way worse than me.”

A year after her incarceration, Chelsea was awarded one of Ojai’s three cannabis business licenses. She also found a new mission — advocating for Americans who are still, to this day, incarcerated for cannabis o enses.

In addition to supporting the Last Prisoners Project — which advocates for imprisoned cannabis o enders — Chelsea regularly

corresponds with Edwin Rubis, a man who has been incarcerated for the past 25 years in Talladega, Alabama, due to nonviolent cannabis charges. “(Edwin is) just this shining example of somebody that really doesn’t belong in jail and then got caught up in some scheme because he was trying to provide for his family,” Chelsea said. It’s important to her to share Rubis’ story. He’s one of approximately 40,000 Americans incarcerated on cannabis charges.

Since permitted cannabis operations were legalized in California, the state has taken action to support business owners, like Chelsea, who were harmed by cannabis criminalization, via its new Cannabis Equity program. California business owners who were a ected by the War on Drugs can now apply to have their cannabis business state license fees waived and/or deferred.

In addition to advocating for those she believes are wrongly incarcerated, Chelsea is aiming to create a cannabis consumption lounge in Ojai — a space where folks can enjoy cannabis safely and socially.

When asked what she’d like the community to know about a consumption lounge, Chelsea responded with a laugh, “We’re not trying to stink up Ojai!” She said she recognizes that cannabis is “still taboo in some places” but asks that the community judge Sespe Creek by its record. She continued: “We’re not trying to change Ojai. We’re trying to bring something that people really want and also o er a more conscious alternative to alcohol, which we have so much of.”

In April, Ojai City Council voted 3-1 (Councilmember Andy Whitman abstained from the vote, Mayor Betsy Stix voted in opposition) to direct sta to draft an ordinance to allow the city’s three existing cannabis businesses the option to add or integrate a cannabis consumption lounge to their operations. The draft ordinance will be on a future council agenda for discussion.

‘‘

Photo submitted Chelsea Sutula

I feel like the Ojai community really supported me when I really needed them the most. I feel an obligation to give back.”

Jenny Newell

Bonnie Lu’s owner serves up great food and kindness

By Mimi Walker | arts@ojaivalleynews.com

Queens don’t have to wear tiaras to make their status known. In some instances, they may even don rosy aprons and whiz around a diner like it’s a roller derby, gliding on the airwaves of endless ’70s soft rock, as Jenny Newell, queen of Bonnie Lu’s Cafe, indefatigably does.

Kim Skeeters, head cook at Bonnie Lu’s since it opened in 1995, calls Jenny “larger than life” and adds, “the kids love her,” as evidenced by the many babies who reach out to her like a magnet in the hustle-bustle of hash browns and malted milkshakes.

Skeeters, as people call her, and Jenny have been close comrades since they were teenagers; in fact, they worked together at L’Auberge as teens, and that’s where Skeeters said Jenny was “bitten by the restaurant bug.”

Though Jenny is well-versed and licensed in both childcare and cosmetology, restaurants and hospitality seem to have been specially catered for her path. She always knew she’d open a restaurant and “it’d be bangin’.”

Bonnie Lu’s is named after Jenny’s beloved mother, who passed away at age 55 before she saw her daughter’s vision come to life. But, according to Jenny, Bonnie is still overseeing much of her success and happiness in life.

Jenny confesses to being a “friendaholic” who finds that the best parts of life are in the relationships she cultivates. “My friendships are longevity. Everything I do is longevity,” Jenny said. Jenny’s mother always knew that she’d be surrounded by many friends from all walks of life.

Plenty of friends in Jenny’s life have become surrogate family members, ranging from Gen Z teens to millennials pushing 40. Some lovingly call Jenny “Mother” at the same frequency as Felicia Mason and Tawney Allen, Jenny’s adopted daughters.

Felicia said: “My mom, Jenny, has taught me to lead with kindness. You never know what someone is dealing with when they walk into the restaurant. … I’ve been infused with living my life with compassion, generosity and love for humanity.”

“Unconditional love is what makes her her,” said Tawney. “It shows up

in her personal life and in her business. She has no judgments of people. She’s going to put her smile on, whether she’s dealing with stu or not, and show up for the people in her life — family, friends, and the people that come into Bonnie Lu’s.”

Oftentimes, Tawney explained, when people come to Bonnie Lu’s for the first time, “all of a sudden they’re really telling you about what’s happening in life … because my mom took the time to listen, to smile, to be with people. She wasn’t always in a rush. She was, and still is, very much invested in the people, and then she can give them who she really is,” adding that those people tend to say back: “You made a di erence in my life in that small little interaction.”

“Jenny has a sense of love for everybody she meets, and it makes people happy,” said Kim Catlett, one of several dynamic waitresses at the cafe.

Jenny’s strongest aim for Bonnie Lu’s is to have it be “a meeting place for families,” and told a story of “the sweetest young lady in her early 20s” who was elated to come back to Bonnie Lu’s and exclaimed, “You were my childhood!”

“It gave me goosebumps,” said Jenny, and it further excites her to “feed more generations.”

In her downtime, Jenny unwinds by watering her vibrant and elaborate garden and hanging with the “grandbabies.” There’s also plenty of dancing — often on repeat is Elton John, ’90s club hits, and a particular favorite, “Emotional Rescue,” by The Rolling Stones, the sentiment of which many can testify she fully embodies.

Because of Jenny, Bonnie Lu’s has become an “emotional rescue” for anyone hungry in their belly or in their life. In the realm of retro diners and cafes, Bonnie Lu’s has been the heart of Ojai for nearly three decades, and Tawney said it will continue to be a space where people can chow down on the classics, yet still be safe to “cry and get a hug; you can be empowered, uplifted, hear some jokes — it’s a one-stop shop while you eat.”

Ojai Valley News photo by Mimi Walker Jenny Newell

‘‘My friendships are longevity. Everything I do is longevity.”

The women of The Davis Group have developed a well-established network and a wide array of resources that assist them in providing impeccable services to their clients. Folks buying and selling homes in Ojai benefit from their combined skills and experience, knowledge of the Ojai Valley, dedication to meeting their clients’ needs before and after their transactions, and ability to serve both seasoned investors and first-time buyers. The are led by lifelong Ojai resident and much-lauded Realtor, Nora Davis, whose mostrecent recognitions include the 2022 Carla Bard Community Service Award and the 2022 Best of Ojai Bronze Award. She is also the only Realtor to receive the Ojai Valley Realtor of the Year award twice.

The Davis Group values community involvement and supports several local organizations and projects, including HELP of Ojai, Ventura County Humane Society, Marine Corps Reserves Toys for Tots, Homes for Pets Project, and the Diversity Collective. We wish you all a very happy Mother’s Day as we come together to celebrate the women of the Ojai Valley!

Joan Kemper

Formula for a good, long life: ‘Keep moving forward’

By Mimi Walker | arts@ojaivalleynews.com

What more can be said about Joan Kemper that hasn’t already been said?

Her creative benevolence is lauded valleywide. Just a few examples of this would include her status as a founding member of the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy; opening the doors for children to enter the wide world of music in helping to establish the BRAVO music education program; being part of the team that saw Ojai Valley Community Hospital transform into a nonprofit facility at the turn of the century; and founding Ojai Performing Arts Theater, which waters the seed in young students to perform by training them with seasoned stage performers.

But Joan answered the aforementioned question herself with just one quip: “She’s alive!”

Joan celebrated her 100th year of life on Dec. 8. Her personal formula for a good, long life is outlined below.

Never forget where you came from Joan is half German, half Irish, and spoke of how her maternal great-grandfather and his family immigrated to the United States from Ireland in the wake of the Irish Potato Famine.

“I have the luck of the Irish — believe me. Everywhere I land, it’s like (I’m) a leprechaun. The pot of gold falls at my feet. And I’m the luckiest human being that ever lived, I think.”

She is “blessed with a wonderful family, four children who are extremely supportive and helpful.”

She also spoke fondly of the loving family dynamic between her mother, father and stepfather growing up, from which she derived both a sense of security and a strong business acumen.

Her father, “a railroader,” gave her one timeless piece of advice.

“My dad said to me: ‘When you get old, don’t quit working. When you get old, you rust and you sit around and then you’ll never move again.’ I never forgot that.”

Always keep busy

Tying into the last bit of advice from her father, there is hardly ever a lull in Joan’s world. At the time of this interview, she had just hosted an Easter brunch with more than 65 people at the house the day before.

Mondays are her time to catch up on emails and plug in the rest of her schedule for the week, and she enjoys going out to eat for lunch or dinner. “I’m usually out running around most days. ... I get interested in so much stu , I can’t say no.

“Every day I want to learn something new; you never know everything. If you can learn something new every day, you advance — you learn

something better. I have a very inquisitive mind — that guides me.”

In the instances that we overbook ourselves, it’s also important to have a sense of humor in the stress.

She admitted that “I’m sometimes very hard on myself,” but puts it in perspective that “you wouldn’t tell anybody else to do that — quit it.” She laughed and said, “Some self-discipline, I think, is necessary.”

Always reach out to one another

When asked what advice she would give to younger people today, Joan said, “There’s an old adage that the more you give, the more you get.”

As an example of this maxim, Joan uses Marmee March, the matriarch in Louisa May Alcott’s “Little Women,” who always gave her most valiant e orts to help friends and neighbors in need as she taught her girls to hold down the fort.

She thinks the young people “get so involved with the electronic world that they don’t really know how to reach out to ... another human being, and that’s a mistake. I think all our advances are marvelous … but at the same time, it doesn’t replace the written word. It doesn’t replace the spoken word. It doesn’t replace the eye-to-eye, facial contact with people. ... The more you give of yourself, and you get interested in a person, the more you get something back from them. It builds. COVID showed us that when we couldn’t go anywhere. ... People need people.”

She added, “The more you put out, the more will come back toward you.”

Be proactive

“Kindness, respect and partaking in supporting the community are paramount to keeping Ojai the way it is,” Joan said in response to what is needed for the future of Ojai.

“If you want to live in a nice community, you’ve got to help make it a nice community,” she added.

Gratitude is everything

Having lived in the valley since 1986, Joan said, “I’ve never lived anywhere as long as I’ve lived in one place as I have in Ojai.”

She added: “Thank God for this wonderful valley. ... Whether they’re in the city or in the unincorporated area, valleywide, people have a feeling of oneness, of community, of respect and of support.”

Keep moving forward

As a young girl, Joan lived through the “bleak years” of the Great Depression and World War II, but when asked what time of life was her hardest, she said, “None.” There is not 1 ounce of ruefulness in recalling the events in her life that made her who she is today. “Every place I have lived has been just outstanding. I could hardly look back … I look forward.”

Photo submitted Joan Kemper

‘‘

I have the luck of the Irish — believe me. Everywhere I land, it’s like (I’m) a leprechaun. The pot of gold falls at my feet.”

Together,WeMakeaDifference!

ExperiencetheJoyofLocalGiving

Join us. Membership is open to ALL women for as little as $100. To date, OWF has given over $600,000 in grants to nonprofits serving Ojai Valley. Joinusandworkwith womenwithashared interestinmakingour belovedcommunitythe bestitcanbe. OjaiWomensFund.org

Waite, Jacobs & Atkinson

Carolyn Vondriska is proud to be serving the Ojai Valley as an attorney at the law rm of Waite, Jacobs & Atkinson. Carolyn is a 1993 graduate of the UC Davis School of Law, where she graduated in the top 5% of her class, earning a spot in the prestigious Order of the Coif national honor society. She clerked for United States District Judge Milton L. Schwartz in Sacramento, therea er joining the litigation department of the international law rm of Morrison & Foerster LLP in San Francisco. She went on to become a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney in Washington State before moving to Ojai to be near family. Carolyn is the mother of three children. She is an active volunteer with the Ojai Valley Defense Fund, Ojai Boy Scout Troop 504, and our local schools. She is happiest when hiking or y shing in the Los Padres and Yosemite back country with her family.

e team includes Senior Law O ce Administrator Megan Davis, who has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Geography from UC Santa Barbara. Megan came to the rm in 2011 a er a career in corporate management, followed by a decade of teaching throughout the Ojai Valley. Megan is passionate about the work of the Ojai Valley Defense Fund and the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy, especially their commitment to the conservation and protection of the valley she loves.

Mary Clark rejoined the rm in 2020 as a Law O ce Administrator. Mary has enjoyed working as an administrative assistant in the accounting and legal elds for over 20 years, including 15+ years in the Ojai Valley.

Denise Heimo joined the rm in 2021 as a Law O ce Administrator and continues her twenty-year career in the legal eld.

As a team, Carolyn, Megan, Mary, and Denise, with law rm Partner Ross E. Atkinson, are honored to assist our clients with their estate planning and trust administration needs. We are grateful for our community of friends, neighbors, and clients.

From left: Megan, Denise, Mary, and Carolyn

Lepeng Li

Odyssey leads to sharing of healing gifts

By Mimi Walker | arts@ojaivalleynews.com

Each chapter of Lepeng Li’s life has only served to deepen her vocation to help others find mind, body, and soul alignment.

Born and raised in Sichuan, southwestern China, she said she always had “a lot of inner calling” to come to America and experience the culture firsthand. At age 25, she initiated the journey at graduate school in Austin, Texas, studying business. She remained there for 10 years, working in the corporate world as a financial analyst.

“Then something happened in my life — very traumatic. I had an ex-boyfriend who died a sudden death. At the same time, I got laid o , and because of that I had to send my daughter (Jina) away” to China to attend school for what was supposed to be a few months, but ended up being two years (for grades 1 and 2).

“All of a sudden, my worldly identity had been stripped away from me. I was no longer an employee at a major corporation, I was not a girlfriend anymore, and I almost wasn’t a mom anymore,” she said. She accepted a job in New York out of necessity, but stayed for less than two years.

“Because of what happened in my life, it changed me permanently. I couldn’t handle the corporate culture anymore because it’s very competitive. ... It just doesn’t align with my inner values anymore,” she said.

Lepeng boarded a plane to Hawaii in 2010 to take a few months o to regroup. Sitting on the beach in contemplation one day, it hit her out of the blue that she deeply wanted to teach. She signed up for yoga-teacher training while in Hawaii, eventually relocating to Studio City to teach both yoga and children’s Chinese-language courses.

Finding the hustle-bustle of city life too overwhelming, Lepeng explored elsewhere.

“The first time I came to Ojai, I just felt like I was home, and I didn’t understand why ... and then I realized, really, this is the right place for my work,” she said.

It took five years to move out to Ojai on her birthday in 2018, right on the heels of the Thomas Fire. She started out teaching private yoga lessons, but realized that, as a singular modality, it felt “limited.” She added that, in Western culture, sometimes “people go there to be competitive; that’s not what yoga is supposed to be.”

Lepeng pivoted more toward qigong, an ancient, gentle Chinese form

of “movement as meditation” that she learned growing up, but became reaccustomed to around three-and-a-half years ago. She called it a “great tool to disengage the mind” from disruptive thoughts. “Anybody, any age can do qigong. ... In qigong, there’s no competitiveness.”

While in Hawaii, she had also been initiated into the practice of Holy Fire Reiki, the results of which she found “inspiring,” discovering the power of her hands and eventually becoming a practitioner. She fused her blend of self-expansion exercises into her own blueprint to “help people on their journey of growth, especially spiritual growth, and also to heal from trauma.”

This blend also allows her to hold space for those who have held themselves to too high of a personal standard, which can wreak havoc on their energetic field.

Lepeng said “every culture has its own limitations,” including the U.S., and that, in some ways, “we’re all culturally conditioned.” Because she holds a decidedly balanced view on both American and Chinese cultures, she can gently open people’s perspectives on what has a silent hold on them.

“Part of the healing is to heal from your cultural limitations ... because we really want to become our authentic self, which is free from any cultural conditioning,” she said.

She added, “If you’re doing your real calling, you will always be supported.”

Arriving to the valley after a calamitous fire manifested a rebirth of Lepeng’s teaching perspective, which in turn empowered her to more broadly help others when the pandemic overshadowed everyone’s consciousness. “So many people su ered a lot of loss in their life in the past three or four years. They came to me for reiki sessions and it really helped them to process their loss, their grief and sadness. ... Actually, a lot of young people came to me for help; they’re open to work like this,” she reflected.

Lepeng’s client base in Ojai has grown as a result of her own healing odyssey.

“It’s a self-journey for me; I’ve grown so much spiritually in the past five years, and I’m so grateful. I mean, it’s not easy, because growth is almost never easy. You have to face your own limitations and face very challenging situations. That’s where you can choose to grow, and I choose to grow.”

Photo submitted Lepeng Li

‘‘

You have to face your own limitations and face very challenging situations. That’s where you can choose to grow, and I choose to grow.”

REDEMPTION Sisterhood

Sept 16th

Sisterhoodisacommunityofwomen whogathertogetheronaregularbasis toencourageandequiponeanother. Pleasejoinusatournextevent SisterhoodSaturatewith Havilah Cunnington

REDEMPTIONOJAI.ORG

Whether you are new to the market, thinking of moving up, or you’re an experienced investor, I have the expertise, proven track record, and resources to help you buy or sell your next home. Enthusiasm, knowledge of the area and personal concern for the clients’ interests combine to make me an outstanding resource for your Real Estate transaction. I work extensively to help Buyers and Sellers meet their real estate goals.

DONNA SALLEN

ACRES

4BA | GATED ITALIAN VILLA ESTATE 2BD, 2BA | CUSTOM COTTAGE WITH GUESTHOUSE & STUDIO

Rebecca Tickell

Filmmaker focuses on healthy planet

By Karen Lindell

The opening words of Rebecca Harrell Tickell’s first film are prophetic: “O little town …”

In the 1989 G-rated holiday film, “Prancer,” Rebecca Harrell, then 8 years old, plays Jessica, a freckle-faced, pigtailed little girl with a big heart who helps save a real wounded reindeer in a snowy small town.

The film opens with Jessica and her schoolmates singing “O Little Town of Bethlehem” as they practice for a Christmas pageant. Jessica, by far the most enthusiastic vocalist, is admonished by her teacher: “Sing a bit softer …”

Rebecca Tickell’s heart is still soft, and her voice is louder than ever. She and her husband, Josh Tickell, founded Big Picture Ranch in their own “little town” of Ojai to create documentaries about environmental issues. As a filmmaker and activist, she is constantly using her voice to advocate for healing our planet.

Rebecca recalls “Prancer” fondly, and how it influenced her desire to be a filmmaker.

“People were coming up to me in tears, saying I had touched their lives,” Rebecca said. “I realized in a 90-minute setting you could reach the world and touch hearts. I knew it’s what I wanted to do with my life, to make movies that changed the world, and reflected my passion for nature and the environment.”

Rebecca was born on a farm in Ohio, then moved with her mom to a small town in Vermont, where she grew up surrounded by animals, lakes and trees. After being in a school play, she ended up auditioning for “Prancer,” her first film, which led to a spurt of childhood celebrity. But when she moved to Hollywood in the early 2000s as a young woman, “It was rough,” she said. “I kept getting cast in horror movies.”

She quit acting in 2005.

Rebecca then met Josh, and realized she already knew who he was — the guy with the “Veggie Van,” a vehicle that ran purely on vegetable oil she had seen on the “Today” show in the 1990s. “It all made so much sense to me,” she said of Josh’s devotion to the environment. They quickly fell in love, got engaged, and started making environmental films together.

Their first documentary, “FUEL,” about alternative-energy sources, won the Audience Award at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. “The Big Fix,” about the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, was an o cial selection at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival.

In 2020, they released “Kiss the Ground,” about regenerative agriculture — an approach to land management that aims to reverse climate change

and restore ecosystems by rebuilding organic soil.

In early 2023, Big Picture Ranch released “On Sacred Ground,” the Tickells’ first dramatic film, based on the real protests by Indigenous people related to construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. Next up is “Common Ground,” a sequel to “Kiss the Ground” and an o cial selection at this year’s Tribeca Festival in New York in June.

Rebecca described the documentary as a “pro-farmer film that shows how big farmers break free of being servants to chemical companies, and still make the profit they deserve, grow healthy food and restore the ecosystem.

“The irony is, the epicenter of the issue the film is addressing is my own background in Ventura County and the Ojai Valley,” said Rebecca, who has long been an activist in Ojai for regenerative farming practices and against pesticide use.

Before moving to Ojai, the Tickells lived in Venice Beach. When they made “The Big Fix,” Rebecca became ill from chemical dispersants she encountered during production. Doctors told her she couldn’t get pregnant, but she was determined to have a family.

She and Josh wanted to move to a safe, clean environment, so they chose Ojai. With a vision to grow food, start a family and make movies all in one place, they bought an avocado farm that had a big barn. Then, “through a lot of healing and cleansing,” she got pregnant and had two children.

Rebecca was surprised, however, when an Ojai neighbor sprayed pesticides that drifted onto their property. The entire family got sick, she said, with burning skin and eyes and coughing, and she encountered others who said they su ered from similar symptoms.

The Tickells created a 30-minute YouTube documentary for the community titled “Regenerate Ojai” about the harms of pesticide use.

As a female filmmaker and activist, Rebecca said she has been “dismissed,” told she was “too emotional, too angry or hysterical.”

But “the world is changing,” Rebecca said. “I’m gaining confidence in my voice. Instead of feeling my emotions are a detriment, I feel like they’re a guide.”

She emphasizes the importance of listening to intuition: “When you listen to your gut, that’s your microbiome. It’s the same thing that connects us to the soil. The health of our soil connects us to food, nature, and to each other.”

For more information about Rebecca and other Big Picture Ranch documentaries, visit bigpictureranch.com.

I knew it’s what I wanted to do with my life, to make movies that changed the world, and reflected my passion for nature and the environment.”

Photo submitted Rebecca Tickell

Trina Newman

Ojai’s chief of police connects and protects

By Karen Lindell

As Ojai’s new chief of police, Trina Newman has shattered glass — in a positive (and legal) way.

According to the National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives, only 3% of law enforcement leadership positions are held by women. Trina, who became chief in January, has shattered a bit of that glass ceiling, and will also have the opportunity to lead law-enforcement e orts in her hometown. She has lived in Ojai since 2017.

When Ojai City Manager James Vega called to let her know she had been selected for the job, however, she said what made her most proud was sharing the news with her 10-year-old daughter.

“I’m just glad I can be a role model for her, and show her what you can achieve when you put your mind to something, even if sometimes you doubt yourself,” Trina said.

Yes, Trina, who has moved steadily up the law-enforcement ladder, has harbored doubts throughout her 25-year career.

During her college days, in the “what do I want to do with my life” phase, a police career was far from her mind, even though her father had worked in the field for 31 years.

“It was something I grew up with, but never considered for myself,” said Trina, a native of Frazier Park in rural Kern County. “Like any girl growing up in a small town, I was into animals and running around, getting dirty and playing outside,” she said. After high school, she wanted to see what it would be like to live in a bigger city, so she went to Santa Barbara City College.

While in college in the 1990s, Trina was mostly “having a ton of fun,” not pondering a future career. So she was surprised when a family friend who worked for the Ventura County Sheri ’s O ce contacted her and said, “We really need women in this industry; would you be interested?”

Trina knew about the potential hardships, but at age 21, she figured, what’s the worst that can happen? She applied, and within three months had a job o er. After six months of academy training, like all new recruits, she started out working in a jail.

“It was a bit of a shocker,” she said.

Trina had to learn how to communicate with, but also separate herself from, the incarcerated individuals she supervised. “Especially as a woman of 5’5” petite stature,” she said, “I felt like I had to put on a stoic, professional face, and let people know I’m not here to mess around.”

Any insecurities she has felt in a male-dominated industry, however, have been mostly internal, she said. “I was treated fairly, but as a woman I felt that I had to prove myself. That’s always going to be with me, even though I’ve made it this far.”

She eventually moved to patrol work out of the sheri ’s headquarters in Ventura, and continued over the years to get promoted, including to captain in July 2022. She has worked as a patrol watch commander in Ojai and other parts of the county, mounted enforcement unit supervisor, school resource o cer, background investigator, and academy trainer. In 2019, she received recognition for her e orts to recruit women to the Sheri ’s O ce.

She moved with her family to Ojai in 2017 so she and her husband could raise their daughter in a small, safe town similar to the ones they grew up in. After Jim Fryho — a former Ojai chief of police — was elected Ventura County sheri in June 2022, he promoted Trina’s Ojai predecessor, Chief Jose Rivera, to assistant sheri , which created a leadership vacancy in Ojai.

When Trina saw the police chief opening in Ojai, she considered it her “dream job,” but figured she didn’t have a chance because she had only been a captain for a few months.

“It’s just a very unique community,” she said of Ojai. “Neighbors look out for each other, and I realized I could have a direct impact on the quality of life in the city where I live. So I had to put my name in the hat.”

Trina said her main goal as chief is to maintain and build on what her predecessor did in creating a safe community.

She said she is working to create that safe environment by “being out in the community, talking to people about what they need. I want to lead with their concerns and how we can implement those things.

“The only thing we should have to worry about in Ojai,” she said, “is what we can’t control because of Mother Nature — floods, fires, wildlife.”

She got a good dose of that right away with the relentless rains and flooding in Ojai during the first few months of 2023.

And on just her third day as chief, she found herself at a meeting of the Ojai Disaster Council, which explored how city agencies would respond during an earthquake. “If this happens on Day Three of my assignment, I’ve got my work cut out for me,” she said, eliciting laughter. “But the reality is that it could happen … and we have to be all prepared to communicate with each other and network and do what we can.”

Photo submitted

Trina Newman

‘‘ I’m just glad I can be a role model for her, and show her what you can achieve when you put your mind to something, even if sometimes you doubt yourself.”