VCReporter 10-06-22

COVER

4 OPINION

is the New Party: Jordan Peterson’s breakdown by Paul Moomjean

7 NEWS

Bill-de la Peña, Gorell face off in T.O.: Dist. 2 candidates debate public safety, homelessness and the county seal by Alex Wilson

on the Environment: Compost contests for posters, videos and grant by David Goldstein

11 FEATURE

their home work: VC agencies aim to

housing even as the

by Alex Wilson

13 MUSIC

continues

more

Cover: Ventura County Supervisor Vianey Lopez at the Ventura County Government Center, September 2022. Photo by Alex Wilson

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Back Into The Blue: Welsh alt-rockers the Joy Formidable rediscover a positive outlook with recent album and tour by Alan Sculley

15 IN GOOD TASTE

Kiki’s Kitchen by Nancy D. Lackey Shaffer

PRESIDENT Steve Strickbine VICE PRESIDENT Michael Hiatt

OPINION

Purple is the New Party

Jordan Peterson’s breakdown

by Paul Moomjean paulmoomjean@yahoo.com

Oneof the most influential voices of the past six to seven years has been Canadian college professor and cultural critic Jordan Peterson. The popular conservative-leaning clinical psychologist has become a target in Hollywood, watching comic books use his persona to create villains to fight traditional Marvel heroes, and most recently he was the archetype used in Olivia Wilde’s new antimen/feminist film Don’t Worry Darling. In the film, a charismatic leader convinces men to mistreat women, causing them to feel like they are going insane if they don’t desire the Stepford Wives life from the 1950s.

The problem is that Peterson doesn’t preach that, yet is still becoming known as the voice for “incels,” men who find dating difficult and blame women for not being attracted to them. All of this added up to Peterson having a breakdown on Piers Morgan’s latest TV show, reveal-

ing that every man has a breaking point, and also showing how some women have been irresponsible in their attempt to break down incel culture and toxic masculinity in the name of feminism.

Recently, while doing promotion for the film, Wilde said that incels are “disenfranchised, mostly white men, who believe they are entitled to sex from women.” First off, her definition is way off. In her attempt to fulfill some narrative that white men are the problem in society, she ignores the data collected this year.

According to a July 2022 survey by Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law concerning incel demographics, “over four-fifths (82%) of the 665 survey respondents identified themselves as between the ages of 18 and 30, and 55 percent identified as white or Caucasian, with the remaining 45 percent fairly equally distributed among Black, Latino, Asian, Indian, and Middle Eastern. Geographically, most incels were located in Europe (43%) and North America

(38%), with smaller numbers in Central and South America, Asia, Oceania, and Africa.”

While there are many white males, many nationalities feel slighted in their attempts to be in relationships. She added that Peterson “is someone that legitimizes certain aspects of their movement because he’s a former professor, he’s an author, he wears a suit, so they feel like this is a real philosophy that should be taken seriously.” What she forgets to mention is that he’s a highly decorated academic with hundreds of papers in his fields of study.

While on Piers Morgan’s show, the host asked if Wilde’s assessment of him was true. “Sure. Why not?” Then he started to get a bit emotional. “You know, people have been after me for a long time because I’ve been speaking to disaffected young men.” Peterson, tears starting to fall, continued,

“It’s very difficult to understand how demoralized people are, and certainly many young men are in that category. You get these casual insults, these incels — what do they mean? These

men, they don’t know how to make themselves attractive to women who are very picky, and good for them. Women, like, be picky. That’s your gift, man. Demand high standards from your men. Fair enough. But all these men who are alienated, it’s like they’re lonesome and they don’t know what to do and everyone piles abuse on them.”

This emotional response appears to be a microcosm of how men feel today, based on the absolute demoralization they’ve faced by feminists. With terms being thrown around like “toxic masculinity” and the public mocking of men who aren’t sexually active, women have to take some responsibility in the breakdown of men. Wilde recently left her longtime lover and father of her two children, Jason Sudeikis, for young musical heartthrob and star of her film, Harry Styles. She was cheating on the Ted Lasso star while filming the movie Don’t Worry Darling, creating a media firestorm. Had a man left the mother of his children for a woman half her age, she’d be attack-

Jordan Peterson

ing him. Her hypocrisy is deafening. Ironically, Peterson challenges men to be better, be smarter and become the man women desire. What Wilde needs is men weak to feel strong, like most die-hard modern feminists. It’s no longer about building women up, as much as it is about tearing men down. And based on Peterson’s breakdown, she won. Except, what we have is a society that has lost.

While being a woman isn’t easy, neither is being a man in our culture. And until we can at least accept that, we will continue to see strong men break down in the name of progressive politics.

Abused by Clergy in California?

Stephen Hernandez Fr. Patrick Joseph Hill

Bertrand

Michael

Hunt

Kearney

Fr. Theodore Llanos Fr. Larry Lovell Fr. Denis Lyons Fr. Titian Jim Miani Fr. Donald J. McGuire

Fr. George Neville Rucker

John Anthony Salazar

Fr. Fidencio Flores Silva (Silva-Flores)

Carl M. Sutphin

Michael M. Sprouffske

Fr.

Hagenbach

Brian Hanley

sexual

Fr. Joseph D. Pina Fr. Eleuterio V. Ramos Fr. Carlos Rene Rodriguez

Fr. Donald Patrick Roemer

Fr. Robert Van Handel Fr. John W. Wishard

Celebrating

Forging ahead

Dist. 5 Supervisor

by Alex Wilson awilson@timespublications.com

Carmen Ramirez was a mentor and role model to Vianey Lopez long before Lopez had any idea she would be suddenly and unexpectedly called to follow in the footsteps of the beloved Ventura County Supervisor.

They met before Ramirez was first elected to the Oxnard City Council in 2010, when Ramirez was working as a legal aid attorney and Lopez, 35, served on the staff of former Congressmember Lois Capps as a caseworker. Lopez told the Ventura County Reporter she and Ramirez worked together to help a family in need.

“She was assisting a family that had just gone through a very tragic situation. A death in a family, immigration related,” Lopez said.

“That’s how I first connected, you know, just trying to help this family figure out this immigration issue. And she was very kind. That was my first impression.”

After Lopez decided to run for the Hueneme Elementary School District Board of Trustees in 2012, Ramirez took Lopez under her wing. Lopez said she was seeking the endorsement of the Ventura County Women’s Political Council, and it was one of the first times she addressed a large group about her views. Ramirez was there to offer encouragement, advice and connections.

“Here I am in this whole new world I don’t know. She stepped in and I feel like that’s where that mentorship began,” Lopez said.

An upbringing in Oxnard

Lopez learned about hard work and the value of education from a young age as the 10th of 11 children in her close-knit family, she said. Lopez was born in Mexico and was brought to Oxnard when she was 4 years old.

“My dad actually started coming to the U.S. under the Bracero program when he was 18 years old,” she explained. “He made his way working throughout the West Coast from northern Mexico, through Idaho, working in agriculture. And [Oxnard] also just happened to be the place where other family decided to set their roots. And so it made sense to be around family.”

The family first lived in La Colonia and later bought a house in South Oxnard, where Lopez still lives with her parents.

Lopez excelled at Hueneme High School and graduated from Loyola Marymount University in 2009 with a business degree focused on international business as well as travel and tourism. She spent a year working in tourism for Visit Oxnard before joining the office of Congressmember Capps. Lopez earned a master’s degree in public policy from Pepperdine University while working for Capps, but it wasn’t until after she graduated that she thought about running for office herself.

“It wasn’t until my master’s program that I saw the connection of policy at the local level,” she said.

“And that’s how I began that path into a greater public service as a directly elected official.”

Lopez was elected to the Hueneme Elementary School District Board of Trustees in 2012, where she served for six years. She continued to work for Capps, and, after the congress member retired in 2017, Lopez joined the staff of State Assemblymember Monique Limón, who was later elected to the State Senate. In 2018, Lopez was elected to the Oxnard City Council, in the city’s first-ever district-based election to represent South Oxnard.

She needed to resign from her positions with Limón as well as her city council seat, however, following her Sept. 23, 2022, appointment to the Ventura County Board of Supervisors for District 5 by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Tragic circumstances lead to a new calling to serve

Lopez said she was on vacation in Cancun, Mexico, with her family when she heard the tragic news of Aug. 12 that her friend and mentor Carmen Ramirez had been hit by a truck while walking to a concert in a downtown Oxnard crosswalk, and later died at a hospital.

“I couldn’t believe it,” she said, and held out hope that it wasn’t true.

It wasn’t long after the shock wore off that colleagues and community members started telling Lopez she was the perfect person to represent the fifth supervisorial district, and she decided to apply. It was with mixed feelings that she accepted the appointment.

“I was emotional for different reasons,” she recalled. “You know, for Carmen not being here and this is the reason why I get this appointment. Emotional for the transition out of two spaces, both the city council and my position with Senator Limón. And, you know, thinking about my family and all their hard work.”

Lopez was officially sworn into office on Oct. 3 and sat behind the dais in the county boardroom for the first time the following day.

Looking to the future

Now that she’s officially on the Board of Supervisors, Lopez said she hopes to follow the example Ramirez set.

Ventura County Supervisor Vianey Lopez. Photo by Alex Wilson

Bill-de la Peña, Gorell face off in T.O.

by Alex Wilson awilson@timespublications.com

Jeff Gorell and Claudia Bill-de la Peña, candidates for Ventura County Supervisor in District 2, faced off in Thousand Oaks on Sept. 26 in a debate that took place at the Scherr Forum Theater at the Bank of America Performing Arts Center. The debate was co-hosted

by the League of Women Voters of Ventura County and the Ventura County Star newspaper.

Gorell, a former Ventura County prosecutor and state legislator, cited his stance on public safety and supporting businesses as reasons to vote for him. Bill-de la Peña, a longtime member of the Thousand Oaks City Council, touted her commitment to environmental issues and solutions

to homelessness.

Bill-de la Peña led the first opening statement by highlighting her record on environmental advocacy. “I am the only candidate in this race for supervisor who does not take a dime, nothing, from big oil or developers.”

Later in the debate Gorell took issue with that line of attack, but did not deny taking contributions from developers or oil industry executives.

“It’s a political cliche and it’s just silly because, first of all, there’s no oil production in the second district,” Gorell said. “Secondly, no one intends in this campaign to open up open space for oil drilling. It’s absurd. That is not why I’m running for office. And I know that it benefits her to create this us-versus-them mentality and cliche. But it’s toxic and it’s unhelpful to the political process.”

Public safety a concern Gorell’s opening statement focused

on public safety and helping businesses succeed. He cited his work as a prosecutor, 23 years serving in the U.S. Naval Reserve and recent role as Los Angeles deputy mayor focused on security issues. He said that when he used to work for the DA’s office, Ventura County boasted some of the safest small cities in America.

“But due to the failure of the board of supervisors and some of our city council members, we have lost that edge. And many people I’ve talked to, they say they just don’t feel safe at home in their living rooms,” Gorell said. “There are brazen break-ins from international gangs that are going in and stealing things which you didn’t have before.”

Bill-de la Peña countered that Thousand Oaks has remained one of the safest cities in California while

she’s been on the city council and that many of the South American burglary crews that have been targeting residents in Ventura County came from Los Angeles while Gorell was working on security issues there.

“The fact that there have been burglaries stems from the failure of leadership in the city of Los Angeles, including being in charge of public safety as deputy mayor, because all of those gangs are coming in from L.A. and coming into Ventura County. We don’t want that,” Bill de-La Peña said.

Combatting homelessness

Both candidates discussed strategies to combat homelessness. Bill-de la Peña touted recent accomplishments in Thousand Oaks.

Eye on the Environment

Compost contests for posters, videos and grant

by David Goldstein

Ifwe do not recycle food and yard clippings, what will we do with all the garbage? But if we do recycle, what will we do with all the compost? Two compost contests and one competitive grant opportunity might provide some answers.

Wasted food and yard clippings, when left to rot in a landfill, emit methane, which is many times more powerful than carbon as a climate-changing gas. To fight climate change, the California legislature passed Senate Bill 1383 in 2016, placing many mandates on local governments and businesses to instead turn these organic materials into mulch and compost. Mandates were already in place to divert these materials from landfills for purposes of resource conservation and waste reduction, and the climate imperatives emboldened the state to make the directives stronger, stricter and more enforceable.

The legislation includes requirements for local governments to purchase mulch, compost or energy derived from organic materials, and

if every local government were able to meet all of these procurement targets, plenty of demand would absorb the expected increase in supply. Companies producing compost and mulch, however, are not counting on this solution.

To help develop new markets for organic products, the Compost Research and Education Foundation is sponsoring two contests, both with Nov. 1 deadlines. The foundation, a nonprofit organization affiliated with the United States Composting Council trade group, made these contests central features of International Compost Awareness Week, which will take place next spring, May 7-13, 2023.

The first contest, open to anyone age 14 or older, asks contestants to design the poster for International Compost Awareness Week, using the theme “For Healthier Soil, Healthier Food… Compost!” The council chose this theme in congruence with a United Nations Sustainable Development Goal of “Zero Hunger,” which specifies “End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture,”

according to the United Nation’s webpage on sustainability.

The council’s online promotional material explains how compost helps meet this goal: “By recycling organics into compost and using it on our farmlands, we create healthy soils that produce healthier food and higher yields. It also reduces the need for fertilizer and pesticides, improves water quality and conserves water, as well as stores carbon in soil — helping to reduce climate change. Compost not only helps the environment but also helps to decrease food shortages experienced around the world.”

A related contest, for entrants aged 10 to 13, offers a $100 prize for the best 30-second video on the same theme, including specific mention of the “For healthier soil, healthier food… compost!” message. The video should also highlight the work of the council; mention, in writing or verbally, the May 7-13 dates of International Compost Awareness Week; and “show something related to the benefits of compost use and/or organics recycling,” according to the foundation’s website.

While the above contests are great opportunities to promote composting and the use of compost, the California Department of Resource Recovery and Recycling (CalRecycle) offers a competitive grant process to actually make compost. CalRecycle’s Community Composting for Green Spaces Grant Program applications are due on Oct. 20, and $4,240,000 is available to local governments, special districts, nonprofit organizations (except private schools), state agencies and U.C., CalState or community college campuses. Of this, $1,232,000 is allocated specifically to Los Angeles, Orange, Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties.

Projects must result in the creation of new, improved or expanded community composting sites, and

grantees must provide proof that the project site is authorized for use for the grant term.

Projects must “increase local composting capacity while expanding community knowledge about the benefits of compost use and proper composting techniques,” and funds should be used to “assist community groups in overcoming barriers to starting and managing community-based composting programs by providing targeted resources,” according to the CalRecycle website.

David Goldstein, Ventura County Public Works Agency Environmental Resource Analyst, may be reached at 805-658-4312 or david.goldstein@ventura.org.

More information on the contests:

debate public safety, homelessness and the county seal

Jeff Gorell and Claudia Bill-de la Peña debate in Thousand Oaks, September 2022. Photo by Alex Wilson

Public

Santa Ynez Chumash & 50+ Tribes urge:

NO on Prop 27

“I see who I am and who Carmen was, is being compassionate of people and understanding, you know, that there’s differences between people and that a leader should not separate but should actually bridge communities and bridge different interests. And I think that’s something that is important to carry forward. And I feel that I have that in me,” she said.

Lopez is hoping to continue the work Ramirez was doing to help the community, ensuring social services are reaching the neediest and most disenfranchised people.

“I know Carmen was working towards establishing a more accessible center in the core of South Oxnard to reduce the barriers in access and transportation for people who need services to help

them,” she said, adding that she’s also committed to honoring her predecessor’s work on protecting the environment. “There are issues along the coast that we have to ensure we’re addressing now with sea level rise and the impact of the Halaco Superfund site that needs to be cleaned up.”

As far as her bedrock political beliefs that will carry her forward on her public service mission, Lopez said it all goes back to family and community.

“I think my upbringing as an immigrant, as a Latina and the community that surrounded me growing up, having people who believed in me, who encouraged me through the education system as a young adult,” she said. “Having that, I think, sets a stronger foundation for a person to be able to succeed and do good things.”

ry,” he said. “It’s not the issue that we have made it.”

“I want to mention that today, for the first time in the city’s history, we broke ground on the first permanent supportive housing facility with wraparound services. Seventy-seven units will be home to many of our unsheltered residents here at the beginning of next year. Now, when I say I want to get something done about homelessness, I am doing it,” she said.

Gorell said he has new strategies to help unhoused people that haven’t been tried by local elected officials.

“It’s really prioritizing that part of this community so we can get back to being safe again. But it’s also pulling down grant money that this county has utterly failed to pull down that can help us with dispatching 911 mental health vans like they have in a number of other cities,” said Gorell. “And that would help the police officers that spend enormous amounts of time in hospitals, dealing with the crises that are existing on our streets right now.”

Both pro-choice, but disagreement over county seal

One issue they disagreed on was the recent removal of Saint Junipero Serra from the county seal amid talk of Serra’s legacy on treatment of Native Americans.

Bill-de la Peña supported removing Serra’s image from the seal, saying, “The influence wasn’t all that positive. A big price and a very big sacrifice was made with this influence in our area. And I believe that it was a good thing to remove it.”

Gorell did not believe Serra should have been erased from the seal.

“It’s a piece of California histo-

Both candidates were asked to state their position on abortion and each said they were pro-choice.

Bill-de la Peña said she’s the only candidate in the race with the support of Planned Parenthood and claimed that while Gorell was serving in the state assembly, he had a 90% approval rating from the California Pro-Life Council.

Gorell stated that he does not expect abortion to be an issue county supervisors will need to weigh in on, but did admit to casting votes that pleased pro-life groups. “There are some abortions that are so graphic that they don’t warrant being supported. I perhaps voted with my conscience on a number of bills, but I’m pro-choice and have been my entire life.”

The questioning ended on a somewhat lighter note when the candidates were asked to name something they admire about each other.

Bill-de la Peña noted Gorell’s military service. “I do respect very much your service in the Navy Reserves. That is to be commended. And it shows your dedication to your country.”

Gorell said he’s known his opponent for 20 years and has enjoyed working alongside her. “She was gracious in my successes in the past. You know, posting congratulatory messages for me. And I do think that she’s an affable person and has a good heart. I do appreciate those characteristics about her.”

More information on both candidates can be found at: www.claudiabilldelapena.com jeffgorell.org

Doing their home work

VC agencies aim to build more affordable housing even as the need continues to grow

by Alex Wilson awilson@timespublications.com

Construction continues at Westview Village in Ventura, where units will soon be ready for occupancy.

Celia

Zavala and her young daughter shared a cramped two-bed room apartment with Zavala’s sister and brother-in-law for many years, and dreamed of improving their living situation. Zavala spent four years on a public housing waiting list before getting the green light to move into a two-bedroom unit on Flint Street in West Ventura, owned by the Ventura Housing Authority, about a dozen years ago when Zavala’s daughter was 15 years old.

“It was so wonderful to have our own private rooms,” she said. “It was something big for me.”

The living environment for Zavala and her daughter got an even big ger upgrade two years ago. The old one-story unit at Westview Village they were living in was slated for demolition, and they were allowed

to move into a brand new two-story townhouse on the property.

“It was wonderful. It’s a privilege to be in a new unit,” said Zavala, who works as a cook at Ojai’s private Thacher School. “I have a little play ground in front of my house and we have plenty of space, bigger kitchen

and cabinets, a bigger living room. So, it’s very nice. We have big win dows and we could see around all the mountains and everything.”

A second phase of the redevelop ment of Westview Village is current ly nearing completion, designed for families like Zavala. Construction is also under way on homes for seniors, including residents who were for merly unsheltered. The fourth and final phase of the redevelopment will include subsidized homes for sale instead of rentals, but it’s not yet clear when construction will begin on those units.

Ventura’s public housing history

Westview Village was the city’s first public housing development, with the first 100 units constructed in 1952 and another 80 in 1961. In more recent years the sprawling development of single-story build ings on 20.6 acres was falling into disrepair, with mold and plumbing issues that proved too difficult to repair, officials said. Since the com

plex is being replaced with buildings up to three stories tall, there will be space for 320 units.

Denise Wise is retiring as CEO of the Ventura Housing Authority after 11 years and beams with pride about the latest construction project. When the redevelopment was first proposed, Wise said she had to reach out to neighbors to convince them that increased density would be posi tive for the community.

“We fought mightily to educate people and take away from the ste reotypes,” she said, after some peo

ple made negative comments about public housing. “And I quote, ‘Those people have at least three cars per household. How are you going to manage the traffic? Those people have at least 10 people living in a unit. Those people harbor gang mem bers. So all you’re doing is building a bigger problem.’ So we really went through quite a bit of education. We did quite a bit of introducing who our residents are and that they work. So we produced a couple of videos. We even had an open house.”

Now that neighbors see the quality

Interior of a recently built unit at Westview Village, Ventura. Photo by Alex Wilson

Miguel Delgado Helleseter at CSUCI.

Photo by Alex Wilson

Linda Braunschweiger, CEO of Housing Trust Fund Ventura County. Photo by Alex Wilson

Photo by Alex Wilson

of the construction first-hand, atti tudes have changed, Wise said. “I will put any of these units up against a market-rate unit. One of the things is that it’s also not just about brick and mortar for us, it’s also about working with our residents.” She explained that the housing authority has case managers on staff to help residents lead productive and fulfill ing lives. “It’s not just about build ing the units, but it’s about building a community and working towards its health.”

Where to seek help

While public housing is a com plex issue, officials said there are two main components supported by federal funding.

In addition to providing funds to help develop public housing units, the federal government also funds so-called Section 8 vouchers for low income people to subsidize rent at privately owned homes. Tenants using Section 8 vouchers typically pay 30% of their income towards rent with the government making up the difference, officials said.

Overwhelming demand for Section 8 vouchers has led some agencies, including the Ventura Housing Authority, to close their waiting lists for the vouchers even as waiting lists for public housing units remain open.

Some cities, like Oxnard and Port Hueneme, operate their own hous ing authorities, while others rely on the Area Housing Authority of the County of Ventura, which covers unincorporated areas as well as cities such as Thousand Oaks, Camarillo, Simi Valley and Fillmore.

Nonprofit housing providers such as Cabrillo Economic Development Corporation and Many Mansions also play big roles in the devel opment of affordable housing in Ventura County. Many Mansions recently opened a new 77-unit com plex in Fillmore called Mountain View, and Cabrillo was last week awarded over $26 million in state funding for a new 58-unit farm worker housing complex in Oxnard that will be named Dolores Huer ta Gardens after the famous farm worker rights advocate.

Housing officials said people looking for help securing public housing should start with the city where they currently live, and sign up for waiting lists — even if the wait might seem daunting and could stretch for many years.

Why so expensive in Ventura County?

Miguel Delgado Helleseter is an associate professor of economics at California State University, Channel Islands, and also serves as chair of

the board of directors for a charity called Housing Opportunities Made Easier, or HOME, which promotes diverse housing opportunities. The charity has staged an annual housing conference for 20 years, with this year’s event set for Thursday, Oct. 13, in Camarillo. He said Ventura County has become one of the most expensive places to live in the nation because of its natural amenities, and not because of ample high-paying job opportunities.

“I sense that we’re becoming a little bit more like Santa Bar bara, where people come and buy with their wealth, not necessarily where they come and buy with their incomes,” Helleseter said. “And that’s all fine, except for the fact that you do need people that have jobs here to have a place to live. And for them it becomes very, very hard because you’re pricing them out. The jobs are not there to support people making a living here.”

Part of the reason demand for housing is outstripping supply is that people want to preserve the county’s open spaces and views, the pro fessor continued. “I’m sure you’ve heard the word NIMBY [Not In My Backyard] before. You know, a lot of people like it here and they like it the way it is and so, of course, they don’t want a lot more development. They don’t want high rises. They don’t want things that block the view and so on. And one of the concerns is density.”

According to Helleseter, the prob lem with not planning for greater density to accommodate population growth is that increased density hap pens anyway in neighborhoods that weren’t designed for it, when fam ilies double up in a house built for one family, causing issues like a lack

of parking spaces.

“We need workers to be able to afford to live here, too. And that’s one thing that I think we’re kind of pushing out. And it goes back to issues of equity, you know. How long should people have to drive to get to a job? How many people should live in a single unit? That can even be a concern about health and safety. And so it is certainly some thing that we should be looking at how we can fix.”

The need is growing — along with homelessness

Linda Braunschweiger is CEO of Housing Trust Fund Ventura Coun ty, a nonprofit bank managing a revolving loan fund for affordable housing projects. The charity helped with financing for the Westview Vil lage redevelopment and many oth ers across the county. She said the need for affordable housing greatly outstrips what’s available, for both public housing units and market-rate rentals workers can afford.

“There is a tremendous shortage,” Braunschweiger said, citing a recent study showing Ventura County num ber one in the country with the least number of units available.

Braunschweiger added that the lack of affordable housing is causing more people to become homeless.

“And when you see that increase, being seniors, senior women and then families, that’s a reflection that there’s not housing. It’s not other populations that have chosen it for whatever reason, or their mental illness. These are families who had housing, had a health crisis, and had something that took out what little savings they had or their rents went significantly up, and there’s nowhere to go.”

“People say to me all the time, ‘Well, why don’t they move out of the area?’ Well, this is where your family is. This is maybe where your job is, if you still have a job. You know, this is your communi ty,” Braunschweiger continued. “We have a responsibility to take care of the people that are here.”

As for why people need a safe and affordable place to live, Braun schweiger said it’s fundamental to happiness. “The home is the foun dation for life. If you feel safe and secure as a child or as an adult, you have the ability to be productive. If you don’t have that in your life, your health is at jeopardy, your long term success, and just that sense of comfort of home.”

More affordable housing is on the way

Last week officials with Cabrillo Economic Development Corporation announced over $26 million in state funding for a new 58-unit complex for farmworkers and homeless vet erans that will be built next year at 2161 East Etting Road in Oxnard. The charity has been developing affordable homes in Ventura County for over 40 years.

State officials said the largest funding and reform package for housing and homelessness in Cali fornia history was passed last year as part of the $100 billion California Comeback Plan, and included over $10 billion for affordable housing.

“The quick, strategic investments the state has made through the Cali fornia Housing Accelerator brings us another step closer to the 2.5 million homes needed by 2030, as outlined in our Statewide Housing Plan,” said Gustavo Velasquez, Director of the California Department of Housing

Artist's rendering of the Dolores Huerta Gardens in Oxnard, which will provide 58 units of farmworker housing. Image courtesy of the Cabrillo Economic Development Corporation

and Community Development. “Just one year after Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the California Housing Accelerator, HCD has helped part ners unlock the ability to construct over 5,000 quality affordable homes that were stuck waiting for funding. Roughly 80 percent of all Accelera tor units will be for extremely lowto very low-income households and unhoused residents.”

Cabrillo Economic Development Corporation Chief Financial Officer Victoria Brady said the nonprofit’s leaders have been working on plans for the Dolores Huerta Gardens complex for more than 10 years. Construction would have taken far longer without the state money, Brady said.

“Honestly, there has been quite a shift, which is wonderful, to see more support being thrown towards affordable housing and also more particularly supportive services and housing for the homeless as well. And it’s wonderful to see that there’s more funding available for those various types of housing,” Brady said. “So we’re just very excited to see the ability to provide more and to have those resources coming both from the state and federal level. To recognize that the need is truly there is wonderful.”

Ventura Housing Authority: www.hacityventura.org

-Area Housing Authority of the Coun ty of Ventura: www.ahacv.org Cabrillo Economic Development Corporation: www.cabrilloedc.org

-Many Mansions: www.manymansions.org

-Housing Opportunities Made Easier (HOME): www.vchome.org

-Housing Trust Fund Ventura County: www.housingtrustfundvc.org

Back

by Alan Sculley

The pandemic was, of course, an awful event on a global scale. But for the Joy Formidable, and in particular the band’s lead singer/guitarist Ritzy Bryan, it proved to be a time of healing, understanding and re-energizing after a disheartening time both personally and professionally.

The brightening outlook is reflected in the current Joy Formidable album, Into The Blue, which was recently reissued with a pair of additional new songs to coincide with the band’s return to touring this fall.

Stormy weather

For singer/guitarist Bryan and her bandmates, bassist/singer Rhydian Dafydd and drummer Matthew James Thomas, the difficulties began with the release of the third Joy Formidable album, 2016’s Hitch. Having gained plenty of praise and a decentsized audience with two previous albums released on major label Atlantic Records, the Joy Formidable had parted ways with that label and signed to Caroline Records — only to see things go sideways from there.

“We kind of lost our entire label team during Hitch,” Bryan explained in a late-August phone interview. “They’d all been replaced, and then we ended up getting into

a really horrible situation we didn’t foresee ourselves getting into where the label for Hitch tried to come after us financially as well at the end of that record.”

Bryan avoided sharing specifics about the lawsuit, and an Internet search turned up little information about the case, including what entity filed the suit.

“It was actually a partner of Caroline. I won’t mention them in case I have to call up my lawyer again,” Bryan said with a laugh, offering only that detail.

But the lawsuit was no laughing matter. And Bryan was also facing heartache on a personal level as she started to realize she was in a several-year relationship with a boyfriend that she described as “toxic” and “very subtly manipulative.”

“I really kind of felt I kind of got taken, got completely duped in that sense,” Bryan said. “I kind of felt like I had not been savvy enough with the label situation and kind of had a partner that maybe didn’t raise you up. It wasn’t somebody who supported you, and it was actually somebody who enjoyed seeing that your power was being taken away.”

Clearer skies

Against that backdrop, Bryan now admits she wasn’t sure she was in the right place mentally to tackle a new album. “After we regrouped the unit, the three of us were still,

MNOZIL BRASS

The Mnozil Brass brings GOLD to Oxnard...

MUSIC

like, unchanged, still completely excited for Joy Formidable, but we definitely felt like we had been battered a little bit from that experience. And I couldn’t write. It must have been the stress of everything, where I hadn’t quite processed it. I kind of felt like I didn’t have anything in me for a moment. And then you’re kind of wondering like ‘Do we need to think about something else?’ It just brought up a lot of questions at that moment.”

But Bryan, Dafydd and Thomas sol diered forward and wrote and demoed some new songs.

“And then we said, well, we’ll go into the studio and we’ll see what comes of these demos,” Bryan explained.

The Joy Formidable emerged in 2018 with an ambitious and more experimental album in AAARTH, which expanded on the band’s impactful blend of hooky pop and bracing guitar rock/pop, but was not as immediately accessible as the band’s pre vious albums. Making and touring behind AAARTH, though, helped get life back on track for the band.

sucked, don’t get me wrong.”

Into The Blue lyrically reflects the more positive outlook, as a general theme emerged about recognizing and appreci ating beauty and love and being open to taking chances.

“For me now it’s all been about a path of not wanting to kind of become dis trustful and more impeded or wanting to shy away,” Bryan said. “I want to take that information and be even more open. I want to be more vulnerable in the writing process. But also, like I said, I think when you start feeling healed, you don’t invite dysfunctional people in either. So it’s been a path of, like, I don’t know . . . really kind of starting to get more and more in touch with myself. And Into The Blue is definite ly kind of right in the middle of all of that acknowledgement and all of that wanting to make those changes.”

Return to the light

Recording Into The Blue during the pan demic presented some challenges — most notably, having to record the drums remote

“We’re probably in a much more positive, empowered, like creatively harmonious place than we’ve ever been because we’ve definitely seen, like, the stinky underbelly of music sometimes, in lots of different ways,” Bryan said.

“Feeling healed”

It was with that more upbeat outlook — and for Bryan, a new and much more healthy and supportive relationship — that the Joy Formidable began work in 2019 on Into The Blue even demoing a few songs while on a U.S. tour that fall. The original plan was to release the album in 2020, but then the pandemic hit and there was no immediate need to have a new album for the next round of touring. While the pan demic was a terrible event, Bryan said she benefited from being able to focus on music and her own well being without the many distractions and multi-tasking that usually happens during the process of recording a new album and preparing for its release.

“I think I was ready to just make an album in one place,” she said. “I’d take a moment for myself. And I’ve talked to quite a few different people where a lot of musi cians have said the same thing, ‘I actually got to slow down for a while and stay with myself.’ And I do think that some of the tracks on Into The Blue are a reflection of me getting a bit more in tune with myself, whereas sometimes when life just kind of sweeps you away and everything’s busy, busy, maybe you just keep on burying the things over again. That’s something I defi nitely enjoyed during COVID. The rest of it

ly because Thomas was still in England. But the Joy Formidable returned with a strong and focused album that should appeal to fans of the band’s previous four albums. As on earlier albums, Into The Blue has forceful songs, such as “Sevier,” “Chimes” and “Only Once,” that balance swirling and buzzing guitars and assertive beats with sharp pop hooks. But the band also scales back the bombast on the easy-going and approachable title song and adds variety to the album with the idiosyncratic but appeal ing “Gotta Feed My Dog” and songs like “Farrago” and “Back To Nothing” that are a bit lighter, but still rock.

With the deluxe version of Into The Blue out, the Joy Formidable are returning to touring with an extensive run that includes gigs opening for the Front Bottoms, festival dates and headlining shows. The varying set lengths for these shows has made crafting a set list a challenge and Bryan suspects the band’s shows will evolve some during the tour.

“I like to be really free with our live sets, and it’s been quite hard to kind of choose [songs],” Bryan said. “I kind of have an idea of what I want to start the tour with, but it will probably evolve into something kind of quite different, to be honest. And I’ll embrace that.”

The Joy Formidable joins The Front Bottoms at the Majestic Ventura Theater, 26 S. Chestnut St., Ventura, on Sunday, Oct. 9, at 7:30 p.m. For tickets and more informa tion, visit www.venturatheater.net.

We’re probably in a much more positive, empowered, like creatively harmonious place than we’ve ever been because we’ve definitely seen, like, the stinky underbelly of music sometimes, in lots of different ways.”

by Nancy D. Lackey Shaffer

earth tones and charming murals. I laughed a little at the reddish-brown booths with their moose motif, which would be more at home in a Pacific Northwest diner than an Oxnard cafe — but no criticism intended. Not everything has to be palm trees and seascapes. You do you, Kiki.

Adelicious

cup of coffee with a nourishing meal is a great way to start any day. But when you can have all that in a sunny, serene environment, it’s even better.

Kiki’s Kitchen excels at both.

Surrounded by office buildings and condos on Lombard Street in Oxnard, the casual diner is likely to miss this gem altogether. But locals are very much in the know — neighboring residents, area workers and staff from nearby St. John’s Regional Medical Center, the United Water Conservation District and Ventura County Public Health Administration keep the restaurant busy (not packed) on weekday mornings. A patio beckons for those looking for fresh air and a breeze; indoors it’s clean and relaxed with soothing

This is a breakfast and lunch place, with a menu that proudly boasts its “home-style cooking” — think basic fare that’s lovingly prepared. One breakfast highlight is the rather impressive selection of bagels and bagel sandwiches, from the humble cream cheese option to sandwiches made with bacon and eggs or fresh vegetables or smoked salmon and capers. There are several types of eggs Benedict as well. And of course, breakfast burritos and other Mexican-style favorites plus omelets, French toast and pancakes. Lunch includes the usual sandwiches, burgers and salads.

After being seated in a comfortable booth, I started my meal with a cappuccino (perfectly lovely) and, succumbing to the serene atmosphere, leisurely considered the menu. The more unusual Benedict burrito tempted me, with its filling

of eggs, ham, tomato and chopped toasted English muffin bits and hollandaise sauce. But it was the Power Jack that won the day. This is essentially a veggie sandwich served on your choice of wheat or sourdough, with an egg thrown in — because anything served with an egg automatically becomes breakfast.

Traditionally made from turkey lunch meat with pepper jack, alfalfa sprouts, fresh spinach and avocado, I subbed in turkey bacon (to make it a bit more of a morning meal), added tomatoes and asked for the egg over easy.

In truth, a runny yolk did make for a messier sandwich. But I love that golden ooze, which went surprisingly well with the sprouts, cheese and

all the rest. Some protein, some veggies, some carbs (courtesy of crispy hash browns) and a whole lotta flavor. A very respectable breakfast in my opinion!

The menu’s opening spiel states, “Our goal is for you to leave with a happy heart and a full belly!!”

By the end of my meal, I cer-

tainly had both. I felt relaxed by the environment, well nourished by good, healthy food and happy from the pleasant experience. It was a delightful start that stayed with me for the rest of the day. I encourage all in search of a tasty meal with a side of serenity to pay Kiki’s a call; her kitchen won’t disappoint.

The Power Jack with turkey bacon and hash browns on the side.

AFTER DARK LIVE AND ONLINE

H = Highly recommended

If you have something related to nightlife — online or otherwise — please email nshaffer@ timespublications.com. Due to the erratic nature of entertainment booking, information contained here is subject to change and not guaranteed. Call venues ahead to confirm.

SUPPORT LOCAL MUSIC!

THURSDAY, 10/6

LIVE MUSIC

Boatyard Pub: Bluegrass Thursday Copper Blues: Latin Night with Juevas de Parranda, 8 p.m.

The Grape: Karl Hunter, 2-5 p.m.; Tom Etchart and Friends, 5-7 p.m.; Kavika G and Tyler Hammond, 8-11 p.m.

Libbey Bowl: Ben Harper, 7 p.m. H

Tony’s Pizzaria: Reggae Thursdays, 6:30-9:30 p.m.

The Twist on Main: L.A. Jazz Connection, 6:308:30 p.m.

Ventura Music Hall: Dirty Honey with Dorothy and Mac Saturn, 7:30 p.m. H

Ventura Theater: Lagwagon, Strung Out and SACK, 8-11:30 p.m.

COMEDY

Levity Live Comedy Club: Josh Potter, 7:30 p.m.

DJS

Rock and Roll Pizza (Simi Valley; Cochran): Ladies Night with DJs, 7-11 p.m.

OTHER

Anna’s Cider: Trivia night, 7 p.m.

BL Dancehall/Borderline: Line dancing lessons (6:30 and 7:30 p.m.) and dancing, 6 p.m.-12 a.m.

El Rey Cantina (Camarillo): Karaoke with Leigh Balton, 8-11 p.m.

The Garage: Tiki Thursdays

GiGi’s: Karaoke, 8 p.m.-12 a.m.

The Hangar Bar: Karaoke with Susan, 6-9 p.m.

Keynote Lounge: Open Mic Jam, 8 p.m.-12 a.m.

The Lookout: Acoustic Open Mic with Tommy Foytek, 7-10 p.m.

The Manhattan: Trivia night, 7 p.m.

Outlaws: Sing Time Karaoke, 9:30 p.m.-1 a.m.

Sportsman Lounge (Camarillo): Sing Time Karaoke, 7-10 p.m.

Topa Topa Brewing (Ventura, Colt): Head Games Trivia, 6:30 p.m.

Ventura Theater: Lagwagon, Strung Out, SACK, 8-11:30 p.m.

FRIDAY, 10/7

LIVE MUSIC

Black Angus: Square Cow Live Series, 7-10 p.m.

BL Dancehall/Borderline: Dave Marotta and friends, 7 p.m.-12 a.m.

Cantara Cellars: Katie Shorey “Ladies of the 80s,” 7-10 p.m.

The Canyon: Poncho Sanchez, 8 p.m. H

The Grape: Fred Kaplan Band (West Coast swing), 5-7 p.m.; 6 Beats Apart, 8-11 p.m.

Keynote Lounge: Heart N Soul, 8 p.m.-12 a.m.

Leashless Brewing: Mike Beers, 7 p.m.

Margarita Villa: Urban Dread, 7-10 p.m.

Music Freqs (The Brite Room): Feed the Beast, Disrupted Euphoria and Black Moon Lilith, 7 p.m. H

The Raven Tavern: Operation 90s, 8 p.m.

Rock and Roll Pizza (Simi Valley; Cochran): The Dirty Lowdown, 8:30 p.m.

Stagecoach Museum Lawn: Chicken Wire Empire, 7 p.m.H

The Twist on Main: Littlefish, 8-11 p.m.

Ventura Music Hall: Ocean Alley, 9 p.m.

The Vine: TD Lind and the Aviators, 8-10 p.m.

Winchester’s: LA Jazz Connection with Davey Miller, 7-10 p.m.

The TOArts After Dark series continues with jamgrass band Chicken Wire Empire at the Stagecoach Museum Lawn on Friday, Oct. 7, at 7 p.m. Photo submitted

Ben Harper comes to Ojai’s Libbey Bowl on Thursday, Oct. 6, at 7 p.m. Photo by Jacob Boll

COMEDY

Bank of America Performing Arts Center: Penn and Teller, 8 p.m. H

Levity Live Comedy Club: Aida Rodriguez, 7:30 and 9:45 p.m.

NAMBA Performing Arts Space: Ventura Improv Company, 7 p.m.

Ventura Harbor Comedy Club: Tom Clark, 7 p.m.

DJS

The Garage: Karaoke with Steve Sharp, 7 p.m.

Ojai Valley Brewery: 90s DJ Night and Roller Skate Party with DJ Jonny Perez and Ojai Skate Club, 7-10 p.m.

Paddy’s: DJ Nick Dean OTHER

Copper Blues: Bring On the Night (dance), 7 p.m.

The Garage: Karaoke with Steve Sharp, 7 p.m.

GiGi’s: Karaoke, 8 p.m.-12 a.m.

Oxnard Performing Arts Center: Spellbound Magic Mashup, 7 p.m. H

SATURDAY, 10/8

LIVE MUSIC

805 Bar and Grilled Cheese: Kenny Devoe, 11 a.m.

Azar’s: 805 Social Club, 8 p.m.

Cantara Cellars: Doc Rogers Band, 6:30-9:30 p.m.

The Canyon: The Spinners and Nick Marechal, 8 p.m.

Copper Blues: Honkey Tonk Brunch, 11 a.m.; NO BIGGEE, 7-10 p.m.

The Garage: How to Live With Robots, 8-11 p.m.

The Grape: Fausto Cuevas Y La Moderna (salsa music and dancing), 2-5 p.m.; WeBBinney, 8-11 p.m. H

Leashless Brewing: Shakamon and Dread Kennedy, 6 p.m.

Margarita Villa: Dive Bar Messiahs, 7-10 p.m.

Music Freqs (The Brite Room): OTTTO with Noah Weiland and Akila Fly, 7 p.m. H

Ojai Underground Exchange: Jude Johnstone and Amilia K Spicer, 7 p.m.

Ojai Valley Brewery: The Silent Treatment, 7-10 p.m.

The Raven Tavern: Jetlemons, 8 p.m.

Rock and Roll Pizza (Simi Valley, Cochran): Eclipsed By the Wall (Pink Floyd tribute), 8:30-11:30 p.m.

The Twist on Main: Vinny Berry, 2-5 p.m.; Vanise Terry, 8-11 p.m.

Ventura Music Hall: The James Hunter Six, 9 p.m.

Ventura Theater: GWAR, Crobot, Nekrogoblikon, 7-11:30 p.m.

The Vine: Smitty and Julija, 7-9 p.m.

COMEDY

Camarillo Academy of Performing

Arts: Free Range Comedy

“Bawktoberfest,” 7:30-9 p.m.

Junkyard Cafe: JR’s Comedy Club feat. Don Friesen, 7 p.m.

Levity Live Comedy Club: Aida Rodriguez, 7 and 9:30 p.m.

Ventura Harbor Comedy Club: Tom Clark, 7 p.m.

DJS

Keynote Lounge: DJ Sharp, 8 p.m.12 a.m.

Paddy’s: DJ Nick Dean ONLINE

Ojai Underground Exchange: Jude Johnstone and Amilia K Spicer, 7 p.m.; ojaiundergroundexchange.square. site/#ACmOes

OTHER

BL Dancehall/Borderline: Line dancing lessons (6:30 and 7:30 p.m.) and danc ing, 6 p.m.-12 a.m.

Harbor Cove Cafe: Ukulele Jam with Gary Ballen and Kool Hand Ukes, 10 a.m.

SUNDAY, 10/9

LIVE MUSIC

805 Bar and Grilled Cheese: Kenny Devoe, 11 a.m.

Copper Blues: Mariachi brunch, 12 p.m.; Day Party, 4:30 p.m.

Leashless Brewing: Jake Mclleland, 2 p.m.

The Lookout: Gary Ballen, 3-6 p.m.

Margarita Villa: Karen Eden, 5-8 p.m.

The Raven Tavern: 8 Years Gone, 2 p.m.

Ric’s Restaurant: Live music, 2:30 p.m.

Rock and Roll Pizza (Simi Valley; Cochran): Reggae Sunday, 5-7 p.m.

Tony’s Pizzaria: Sunday Beach Party, 3-7 p.m.

The Twist on Main: Deja Vu Too, 12:30-3:30 p.m.; Mark Masson, 5-8 p.m.

Vaquero Y Mar: Mariachi Brunch, 12-2 p.m.

Ventura Theater: The Joy Formidable and The Front Bottoms, 7:30-11:30 p.m. H

The Vine: Austin Vallejo, 2-3:30 p.m.

Winchester’s: Pull the Trigger Band, 3-6 p.m.

Zin Bistro: Jason Bourne, 4 p.m.

COMEDY

Levity Live Comedy Club: Aida Rodriguez, 7 p.m.

Rock and Roll Pizza (Simi Valley; Cochran): Cosmic Comedy with Jason Love, 8-10 p.m. H

DJS

Bombay: VC Day Party (DJs and out door games), 2-10 p.m. H

The Garage: Funk and Football Sunday Funday

OTHER

Fatty Vegan: Ska brunch, 10:30 a.m.

The Garage: SICC House Art and Bakery Sale, 12-6 p.m.

GiGi’s: Karaoke, 8 p.m.-12 a.m.

Harbor Cove Cafe: Yacht Rock Sunday

MONDAY, 10/10

COMEDY

The Garage: Comedy Night hosted by Jake Gallo, 8-10 p.m.

OTHER

BL Dancehall/Borderline: West Coast Swing, 6 p.m.-12 a.m.

Paddy’s: Free pool and darts, open to close

Q Club: Karaoke with Leigh Balton, 9 p.m.-1 a.m.

Tipsy Goat: Rockstar Karaoke, 9 p.m.-12 a.m.

TUESDAY, 10/11

LIVE MUSIC

Copa Cubana: Hot Roux, 7-9 p.m. H

Prime Steakhouse: Danny Delurgio sings Sinatra, 6 p.m.

Ric’s Restaurant: Tour Support, 5-8 p.m.

Vaquero Y Mar: Sea Hunters, 5-7 p.m.

OTHER

BL Dancehall/Borderline: Country kara oke, 7 p.m.

The Garage: Tacos and Trivia, 7 p.m.

The Grape: The Gratitude Jazz Jam, 7-10 p.m.

Keynote Lounge: Karaoke with Steve Sharp, 8 p.m.-12 a.m.

The Lookout: Trivia, 7 p.m.

Star Lounge: Karaoke, 8:30 p.m.

The Vine: Tuesday Night Trivia, 7-8:30 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, 10/12

LIVE MUSIC

The Canyon: Country Night, 7 p.m.

The Garage: Blue Wednesdays Live Blues, 7-10 p.m.

The Grape: Neil Elliott Dorval, 7-10 p.m.

The Lookout: Tommy Foytek’s Variety Show, 7-10 p.m.

The Manhattan: Robert Van, 6-8 p.m.

The Six Social House: Wicked Wednesdays with Bone Maggot, 7 p.m. H

Surfside Seafood: Teresa Russell, 4:307:30 p.m.

The Twist on Main: Americana and Whiskey Wednesday, 7-9 p.m.

Vaquero Y Mar: Tribal Me Wednesdays, 5-7 p.m.

Ventura Theater: Testament, 6:5011:30 p.m.

COMEDY

GiGi’s: Comedy Night with Artie Lopez, 8 p.m.

Rock and Roll Pizza (Simi Valley, Cochran): Cosmic Comedy with Jason Love, 8-10 p.m.

OTHER

Copper Blues: Copper Queens, 7:30 p.m.

Paddy’s: Paddy’s: Be the Star Karaoke Night, 9 p.m.

Tipsy Goat: Rockstar Karaoke, 9 p.m.12 a.m.

Ventura Harbor Comedy Club: Open Mic Night hosted by Kiana Marquez, 7 p.m.

The Brite Room at Music Freqs welcomes heavy metal rockers OTTTO with Noah Weiland and Akila Fly on Friday, Oct. 7, at 7 p.m.

HAPPENINGS

THURSDAY

2022 LPGA MEDIHEAL CHAMPIONSHIP |

7 a.m. through Sunday, Oct. 9. The golf tournament boasts an elite international field comprised of major champions, California natives, former World No. 1 players and past champions. In total, players representing more than 27 countries and territories will tee-it-up.

GOLF Channel will televise all four rounds in primetime. $25-1,000. Military, first respond ers and immediate family (up to four tickets) will receive complimentary admission; children ages 17 and under free with ticketed adult. The Saticoy Club, 4450 Clubhouse Dr., Somis, www. medihealchamp.com.

THE BINDING OF ART AND FAITH | 10 a.m.12 p.m. via Zoom. In this course, we will examine the creation of art and its impact on the development of faith, religion and spiri tuality; and inversely how faith, religion, and spirituality influenced art. Taught by Christine Maasdam. Part of the Fifty and Better series offered by California Lutheran University’s Center for Lifelong Learning. Courses are $40 each; two-part lectures are $15 each; fall bundle (all lectures) for $180; household fall bundle (two members of the same household) for $230.

More information and registration at www. callutheran.edu/centers/lifelong-learning/fif ty-better/upcoming-sessions.html.

GET CHARGED: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO

DRIVE ELECTRIC | 12-1:15 p.m. via Zoom.

The Community Environmental Council is host ing a free webinar on all things electric vehicles to help you make the switch to driving electric. You’ll learn the basics of charging, what’s avail able on the used and new markets, and how

TIS THE SEASON TO GET HIRED: A WORKSHOP SERIES FOR TEENS | 4-5:30 p.m. Do you have questions on how to develop your résumé? Our Business Services Coordinator is here to help strengthen your résumé! This series will cover steps on landing a job for the holiday season. Young Adult Library of the Camarillo Public Library, 4101 Las Posas Road, Camarillo, 805-388-5222, camarillolibrary.org. RAISING JUSTICE | 4-6 p.m. CAUSE sup porters from throughout our region will be gathering to celebrate and uplift the momen tum we’re building together in creating a more just and sustainable region at our annual Raising Justice community building and fund raising event. We’ll be gathering in person – finally, after three long years – outside at the beautiful Olivas Adobe Historic Park in Ventura – and we can’t wait to be there with you! This year is especially important because we’ll be sharing a big, exciting announcement about the future of CAUSE. Olivas Adobe, 4200 Olivas Park Dr., Ventura, causenow.org.

DINNER AT THE RANCHO | 5:30 p.m. Guests will enjoy a dinner served al fresco in a commu nal, family style in the beautiful gardens of this historic ranch. The location is a virtual treasure trove of beauty, from its meandering garden paths, unusual species of plants to its majes tic home and agricultural legacy. Guests will have an opportunity to talk with local farm ers from whose land the food derives. Part of Totally Local VC’s Farm-to-Fork Dinner Series. Proceeds from the event helps Totally Local VC continue its Education Programs with students throughout the county. $165. Tickets and more information at totallylocalvc.com.

FRIDAY

AMERICAN CIVICS 101+ | 10 a.m.-12 p.m. via Zoom. A timely six-part discussion that provides a simple but comprehensive path to understanding what every person applying for U.S. citizenship today needs to know. Taught by Alan Perper. Part of the Fifty and Better series offered by California Lutheran University’s Center for Lifelong Learning. Courses are $40 each; two-part lectures are $15 each; fall bundle (all lectures) for $180; household fall bundle (two members of the same household) for $230. More information and registration at www. callutheran.edu/centers/lifelong-learning/fif ty-better/upcoming-sessions.html.

CYBERSECURITY AND YOUR SMALL BUSINESS | 1-2 p.m. October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Local Team Logic IT owner Dana Profeta will give a 30-min ute presentation on cybersecurity fundamentals and best practices, followed by a Q&A session. This talk is useful for any employee, manager or business owner. This event is part of the RFBC First Friday series, which are programs with presenters or group discussions for local small businesses. Community Room of the Camarillo Public Library, 4101 Las Posas Road, Camarillo, 805-388-5222, camarillolibrary.org.

PARTY | 4:30-7 p.m. Come spend an eve

ning with the Students for Eco-Education and Agriculture (SEEAG) team at Topa Topa’s Colt Street location in Ventura! Celebrate with us as we prepare for our 10th Annual Ventura County Farm Day, happening on Saturday, Nov. 5. Ticket purchases include two (2) drink tickets for Topa Topa’s bar, and a meal ticket for Game Over cater ing. You’ll hear from our Farm Day team, our youth education program staff, and from some of our Farm Day sponsors. Stick around and enjoy some live music, a silent auction and more! $50. 4880 Colt St., Ventura. More information and tickets at www.eventbrite.com/e/ventura-coun ty-farm-day-kickoff-party-tickets-38706341609.

GLOW HIKE AT HARMON CANYON PRESERVE

| 6:15 p.m. What glows in the dark at Harmon Canyon Preserve? Scorpions of course! (Well, they actually fluoresce under blacklight, but we will get into that!) Come learn more about these fascinating creatures, as well as other nighttime ecology at the preserve. This is a naturalist-guided hike, so expect a slow pace where discovery and discussion are the goals, rather than a destination. Space is limited to 15 guests. Harmon Canyon Preserve, 7511 Foothill Road, Ventura, www.venturalandtrust.org/ octoberglowhike.

defy labels — and at times physics and good taste — by redefining the genre of magic and inventing their own very distinct niche in com edy. $67-117. Fred Kavli Theatre of the Bank of America Performing Arts Center, 2100 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks, 805-4492787, www.bapacthousandoaks.com.

SATURDAY

VENTURA COUNTY HEART WALK | 7:30 a.m. Heart disease, stroke and other cardio vascular diseases claim the lives of more than 870,000 men, women and children every year. Funds raised at the Heart Walk support efforts to improve care and outcomes for heart dis ease and stroke patients, advocate for stronger public health policies and fund innovative scien tific research to improve survival and find cures. The event, sponsored by UCLA Health, Amgen and Dignity Health, includes a two-mile walk, drum circle performances, Zumba demonstra tions, live music and more. Memorial Field at California Lutheran University, 160 Memorial Parkway, Thousand Oaks. Register to join at VenturaHeartWalk.org.

to make the best use of local, state, and fed eral incentives. Free; registration at cec.pub/ NDEW2022.

A MODERN HISTORY OF JERUSALEM | 1-3 p.m. via Zoom. Jerusalem has a complex his tory, both ancient and modern. This course will begin with World War II and trace the city’s modern history in an attempt to understand the political forces that have shaped it. Taught by Jason Hensley. Part of the Fifty and Better series offered by California Lutheran University’s Center for Lifelong Learning. Courses are $40 each; two-part lectures are $15 each; fall bun dle (all lectures) for $180; household fall bundle (two members of the same household) for $230. More information and registration at www. callutheran.edu/centers/lifelong-learning/fif ty-better/upcoming-sessions.html.

CHAIR YOGA | 3-4 p.m. Take a moment to stretch! Instructor Lisa Clements Feeney will teach chair yoga suitable for everyone. No experience needed. Community Room of the Camarillo Public Library, 4101 Las Posas Road, Camarillo, 805-388-5222, camarillolibrary.org.

OAK PARK FIRE SAFE COUNCIL TOWN HALL MEETING | 6-8 p.m. With California’s recent heat wave and fire season in full swing, the Oak Park Fire Safe Council’s event is a call to action for residents to learn about the specif ics of home and defensible space hardening from experts. Ventura County Supervisor Linda Parks, the Ventura County Fire Department, rep resentatives from the Santa Monica Resource Conservation District and the Ventura Regional Fire Safe Council will all be in attendance. The council will also discuss current projects including the Wildfire Risk Assessment and an upcoming Community Wildfire Protection Plan. Oak Park Community Center, 1000 Kanan Road, Oak Park, news.ventura.org/en/oak-park-firesafe-council-announces-a-town-hall-meeting/.

AUTHOR DEBORAH HOLT LARKIN | 7 p.m.

The author of A Lovely Girl: The Tragedy of Olga Duncan and the Trial of One of California’s Most Notorious Killers will be at Timbre Books to sign copies of her book. 1924 E. Main St., Ventura, 805-628-3370, timbrebooks.com.

WORK IN PROGRESS SHARING | 7:30 p.m. Two dance productions followed by a Q&A with the choreographer and performers. One is under development by choreographer Gianna Burright and performed by Nataie Allen and Nicole Hagen; the other is Burright’s “soLOW (2022),” which was performed at LA Dance Project in Mashup Dance Companies International Women Day Festival and else where. $15. NAMBA Performing Arts Space, 47 S. Oak St., Ventura, 805-628-9250, www.nam baarts.com.

STORY TIME AT THE MUSEUM | 3-4 p.m. The Museum of Ventura County has been partnering with the Ventura County Library to bring bilin gual (in English and Spanish) in-person Story Time every first Friday of the month at 3pm. Join us for stories, then play and learn in the Evelyn and Howard Boroughs Chumash Children’s Garden, a fabulous and FREE outing for ALL! Museum of Ventura County, 100 E. Main St., ven turamuseum.org.

JACKBOX PARTY GAMES FOR TEENS | 3:304:45 p.m. Bring your own device and play Jackbox Party Games with other teens in the Young Adult Center. YA Library at the Camarillo Public Library, 4101 Las Posas Road, Camarillo, 805-388-5222, camarillolibrary.org.

VENTURA COUNTY FARM DAY KICKOFF

SPELLBOUND MAGIC MASHUP | 7 p.m. Oxnard Performing Arts Center Corporation (OPAC) along with The House of MAGIC Foundation for the Arts are proud to present this one-night show that brings some of the best names in magic to the stage for a fun-filled, family-friendly evening of magic and entertain ment. Through the event, the nonprofits aim to raise funding for their programs that bene fit the underserved, children at risk, and people with disabilities. $15-500. Oxnard Performing Arts Center, 800 Hobson Way, Oxnard, www. thomagic.org/events/magic-mashup.

PENN AND TELLER | 8 p.m. From hum ble beginnings busking on the streets of Philadelphia to acclaimed sold-out runs on Broadway to the longest running and one of the most-beloved resident headline acts in Las Vegas history, magic’s legendary duo continues

STEP INTO YOUR WILD WHOLENESS: NATURE-BASED RESILIENCY FOR CHALLENGING TIMES | 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. This program is an experiential exploration of our human psyches as unique expressions of the universal forces and patterns of wilderness and nature. Our “wilder” minds possess astonish ing resources, and during this day, we’ll begin to access these depths and potentials. Led by Brian Stafford and hosted by Taft Gardens and Nature Preserve. $80. Registration and more information at www.taftgardens.org/events.

WILLOUGHBY PRESERVE TO THE SEA GUIDED HIKE | 9 a.m. Enjoy a free guided hike that begins on Ventura Land Trust’s Willoughby Preserve on the Ventura River and ends at the coastal estuary at Surfer’s Point. Learn about the cultural and natural history of the Ventura River and this unique riparian and coastal habitat.

Magicians extraordinaire Penn and Teller come to the Bank of America Performing Arts Center on Friday, Oct. 7, at 8 p.m.

The Ventura Center for Spiritual Living will offer a Pet Blessing Ceremony on Saturday, Oct. 8, at 10 a.m.

On

Land Trust hosts a Willoughby Preserve to the Sea Guided Hike,

The Surf ’N’ Suds Beer Festival returns to San Buenaventura Beach on Saturday,

starting

PET BLESSING CEREMONY | 10 a.m. In honor of Saint Frances of Assisi –– patron saint of the animals, birds, and ecology –– Rev. Bonnie Rose will be performing a blessing of pets with holy water, prayer, music and readings. To participate, pets must be socialized, contained or restrained by leash or animal carrier. Guests are encouraged to bring a picture instead for larger animals or those not suitable/comfortable for the indoor space. To honor pets who have passed away, Rose invites animal lovers to bring pictures for the annual memorial altar. Ventura Center for Spiritual Living, 101 S. Laurel St., Ventura, 805643-1933, www.venturacsl.org.

FUSED GLASS WORKSHOP AT POPPIES | 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Create an eye-catching pendant or holiday ornament from fused glass! Artist Paula Jennet, who has been teaching fused glass

and mosaics for six years, will lead the workshop. Students will learn to use fusible glass, paint, decal transfers and more to make a one-of-akind piece. Items will be fused overnight and can be collected by the end of business the following day. The class will meet on the back patio. $50 plus $5 to the instructor for materials (or $15 for dichroic). Poppies, 323 E. Matilija St., Ojai, poppiesartandgifts.indiemade.com.

OJAI STUDIO ARTISTS 2022 TOUR | 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Offering visitors a rare inside look at the working spaces of more than 70 artists in the Ojai Valley, this year’s Ojai Studio Artists (OSA) Tour is the biggest event in the group’s 38-year history. The tour is FREE, with donations encouraged. Guests must register online to receive the map and information to guide them through the valley. More information and registration at www.ojaistudioartists.org/ ojai-studio-artists-fall-tour-offers-more-varietythan-ever/.

SURF ’N’ SUDS BEER FESTIVAL | 11:30 a.m.4:30 p.m. It’s a beer festival with a surf twist, featuring 70+ breweries and other beverage purveyors; live music; food and merchant vendors; beer pong and more! All alcohol samples included with entry ticket; food and merchandise sold separately. Shuttles from a variety of locations and free bicycle valet by VC Cool. 21+ event. VIP entry begins at 11:30 a.m.; 12:30 p.m. for general admission. $20-70. San Buenaventura State Beach, 901 San Pedro St., Ventura, surfbeerfest.com.

BANK OF BOOKS VENTURA BOOK SIGNING |

1-3 p.m. R. Scott Bolton, Begin Rumble Strip and Neath. Bank of Books, 748 E. Main St., Ventura, www.bankofbooks.com.

SOUND EXPERIENCE WITH DAMIAN | 1-3 p.m. We are excited to bring Damian Gallagher back to Meditation Mount for a sound bath and breathwork experience. This will be a monthly experience, held every second Saturday, in the Auditorium. This is an opportunity to connect more deeply with the inner self. Most of the experience is meant to be received in a restful pose lying on your back (Savasana), however, you are welcome to position your body in any way that feels good for you. At different points in the session, Damian may move through the space with various instruments. Breathwork instructions will be offered during the session and are considered optional. Please bring a yoga mat and anything to make you feel comfortable, such as a blanket or pillow. Gates open at 2 p.m. $25. 10340 Reeves Road, Ojai. Registration required; visit meditationmount.org/events.

CAMARILLO READS: AUTHOR TALK WITH HÉCTOR TOBAR | 2-3 p.m. The Camarillo Public Library is proud to present Camarillo Reads: One City, One Book. Our selection this year is The Barbarian Nurseries by Héctor Tobar. He will be discussing The Barbarian Nurseries, followed by a Q&A. Tickets will be available at the second floor Reference Desk; maximum two tickets per individual. Community Room of the Camarillo Public Library, 4101 Las Posas Road, Camarillo, 805-388-5222, camarillolibrary.org.

OKTOBERFEST | 2-7 p.m. German food, drink and music by Garrera playing Oktoberfest classics, plus a photo booth and a scarecrow contest. Show up in German attire to get a free drink ticket! $10 pre-sale, $15 at the door, $35 VIP, free for ages 12 and under. Oxnard Farm Park, 1251 Gottfried Place, Oxnard, oxnardfarmpark.org.

DÍA DE LOS MUERTOS PAPER MACHÉ

WORKSHOP | 2:30-5:30 p.m. Local sculptor Jose Galvan will lead this workshop to make two large-scale sculptures of El Catrin and La Catrina for Día de Los Muertos. No registration required – just stop by. Adults and children welcome. Free. Oxnard Performing Arts Center, 800 Hobson Way, Oxnard, oxnardperformingarts.com.

BANK OF BOOKS SANTA PAULA BOOK

SIGNING | 4-7 p.m. Tony Baker, Begin Rumble Strip and Neath. Bank of Books, 748 E. Main St., Ventura, www.bankofbooks.com.

COMMUNITY MEMORIAL HEALTHCARE FOUNDATION BENEFACTORS’ BALL | 5 p.m. Enjoy cocktails, dinner, dancing, a live auction and awards presentation to take place

at the Commemorative Air Force Museum in Camarillo. Honored at this year’s event will be Dr. Thomas Brugman (Physician of the Year), Dr. Mel Cheatham (Retired Physician of the Year) and Jim and Tish Harris (Community Leaders of the Year). Cocktail or 1940s-theme attire encouraged. $300-$2,400. Tickets and more information at www.benefactorsball.org.

STARRY SOIREE CELEBRATION | 6 p.m. Rubicon Theatre Company begins its 25th year with a celebration headlined by Emmy, Tony, Grammy and SAG Award Nominee Norm Lewis. Attendees will be treated to a concert of musical theater hits sung by Lewis, Broadway’s first African-American “Phantom” and one of the most celebrated artists of stage and screen. Pre-show wine and hors d’œuvres, silent auction and a post-concert talkback with the Broadway Star. The concert will take place in the garden of a local arts champion with Rubicon staff members Kirby and Beverly Ward serving as celebration hosts. $300 tickets include a $250 tax-deductible donation. Tickets available by calling 805-6672900 or visiting www.rubicontheatre.org.

SUNDAY

FALL MEDICINAL PLANT WORKSHOP | 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Join Lanny Kaufer and special guest Professor Emeritus Jim Adams of USC School of Pharmacy for a workshop based on Adams’ ground-breaking pharmacological studies on local native plants and his personal commitment to sharing the traditional medicinal practices he learned from Chumash healer Cecilia Garcia. He will be joined by plant educator Enrique Villaseñor and acupuncturist Michelle Wong. Participants will learn how to make California plant medicines, how to process foraged foods, and the history of California Indians. No dogs or smoking. Light rain will not cancel; heavy rain will. $100/person. Register now at

HerbWalks.com or by calling 805-646-6281.

SECOND SUNDAY ART MARKET AT POPPIES | 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Participating artists will show handcrafted items of all sorts: pottery, jewelry, original art, knit and crocheted items and more. Market takes place in front of the store. Poppies Art and Gifts, 323 E. Matilija St., Ojai, 805-798-0033, www. poppiesartandgifts.com.

WATERSHED HIKE AT MOUNT PINOS WITH FRIENDS OF THE SANTA CLARA RIVER | 10 a.m. Jim Danza, chair of FSCR and an Oxnard College Professor, will co-lead the hike and provide fascinating natural history of the watershed and its importance. Part 1 is the first hike to Mount Pinos and Sawmill Peak, a roughly 5-6 mile moderate hike with 600 feet elevation gain in a beautiful forest setting with great views. Starting at the Chula Vista Trailhead in Los Padres National Forest, Forest Route 9N24, Frazier Park. Carpool options and more information at www. meetup.com/friends-of-the-santa-clara-riverevents- restore-recreation/.

NATURAL HISTORY WALK WITH LANNY KAUFER | 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Please join Ojai author/naturalist Lanny Kaufer of HerbWalks. com for a natural history walk at Taft Gardens and Nature Preserve. Arrive at 9:45 a.m.; the walk will start promptly at 10 a.m. We will explore trails through the wild parts of the property, identify and discuss native plants, and observe birds and animal tracks in the context of local ecology. $35. More information and registration at www.taftgardens.org/events.

2022 PONIES BY THE SEA CAR SHOW | 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Mustangs from all eras will be on display at the Ponies by the Sea Car Show, hosted by the Tri-County Mustang Club. Free for attendees, proceeds from registration fees will benefit Guide Dogs of America. There will be food trucks, music, games, and more! An

Create an eye-catching pendant or holiday ornament during the Fused Glass Workshop at Poppies in Ojai on Saturday, Oct. 8, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.

“Magician to the Stars” Mondre (pictured) will join other talented entertainers at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center on Friday, Oct. 7, at 7 p.m. for the Spellbound Magic Mashup.

awards ceremony will give prizes to winners of People’s Choice, Best of Show, Best Paint, Best Engine, Doggie’s Choice, and a special “Most Likely to get a Ticket,” given by the California Highway Patrol. For general questions, please call 805-751-8262. For more information on registration, please call Sue at 805-642-0887 or email carshow@tricountymustangclub.com.

Harbor View Park at Channel Islands Harbor, 3850 Harbor Blvd., www.channelislandsharbor.org/ event/2022-ponies-by-the-sea-car-show/.

OJAI STUDIO ARTISTS 2022 TOUR | 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Offering visitors a rare inside look at the working spaces of more than 70 artists in the Ojai Valley, this year’s Ojai Studio Artists (OSA) Tour is the biggest event in the group’s 38-year history. The tour is FREE, with donations encouraged. Guests must register online to receive the map and information to guide them through the valley. More information and registration at www.ojaistudioartists.org/ ojai-studio-artists-fall-tour-offers-more-varietythan-ever/.

SANTA PAULA SOCIETY OF THE ARTS OPEN STUDIO | 1-3 p.m. This is a casual get-together of artists of all kinds, levels and mediums. Talk with other artists, share tips and more. Bring your own art supplies (please no strong-smelling products). We’ll furnish tables and chairs, refreshments and a fun time. Old Train Depot, 963 Santa Barbara St., Santa Paula, 805-5251104, www.thespsa.com.

MICAH THE MAGICIAN | 2-3 p.m. Straight from The Magic Castle, magician Micah Cover will share his highly interactive Parlour Act. With storytelling, mentalism, card miracles and more, Micah’s magic will make YOU the STAR of the show — and even the MAGICIAN! Register on our online event calendar. Community Room of the Camarillo Public Library, 4101 Las Posas Road, Camarillo, 805-388-5222, camarilloli-

brary.org.

TECHNOLOGY HELP | 2-4 p.m. Technology can be confusing, let us help! Stop by the second floor Tech Lab on Sundays for assistance with your tech questions. Tech Lab of the Camarillo Public Library, 4101 Las Posas Road, Camarillo, 805-388-5222, camarillolibrary.org.

STAR WARS READS DAY | 2-5 p.m. Enjoy a Star Wars-themed story and craft to celebrate all things Star Wars! Wear your Star Wars costume and take a selfie at our Star Wars station. For all ages. Children’s Library of the Camarillo Public Library, 4101 Las Posas Road, Camarillo, 805388-5222, camarillolibrary.org.

FULL MOON YIN YOGA AND INTUITIVE FLOW | 3-6 p.m. All are welcome to gather in community on the Hunter’s Full Moon to connect with nature, inner wisdom and creative flow at Taft Gardens and Nature Preserve. Harmonize with your intentions for the autumnal season, ground with a mindful nature walk, cultivate Self-trust through meditation and move your body with love and freedom. Then, bask in the full moon energy with a Sound Bath Savasana. Led by Michelle Chua of Root 2 Rise Yoga. $45. More information and registration at root2riseyoga. org/ojai.

MONDAY

THE OTHER SIDE OF NASHVILLE | 10 a.m.12 p.m. via Zoom. In this class, we will explore the incredible and mostly unknown secret of Nashville: the wealth and variety of non-country music that has its roots there. Taught by Tony Moon. Part of the Fifty and Better series offered by California Lutheran University’s Center for Lifelong Learning. Courses are $40 each; two-part lectures are $15 each; fall bundle (all lectures) for $180; household fall bundle (two members of the same household) for $230.

HAPPENINGS

More information and registration at www. callutheran.edu/centers/lifelong-learning/fifty-better/upcoming-sessions.html.

OJAI STUDIO ARTISTS 2022 TOUR | 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Offering visitors a rare inside look at the working spaces of more than 70 artists in the Ojai Valley, this year’s Ojai Studio Artists (OSA) Tour is the biggest event in the group’s 38-year history. The tour is FREE, with donations encouraged. Guests must register online to receive the map and information to guide them through the valley. More information and registration at www.ojaistudioartists.org/ ojai-studio-artists-fall-tour-offers-more-varietythan-ever/.

WOMEN IN STEM: DR. SONSOLES DE LACALLE | 4-5 p.m. What’s it like having a STEM career? How do you get there? Join us for a discussion led by Dr. Sonsoles de Lacalle, Department Chair of Health Sciences at California State University Channel Islands. Aimed at ages 13-18. Young Adult Library of the Camarillo Public Library, 4101 Las Posas Road, Camarillo, 805-388-5222, camarillolibrary.org.

VENTURA COUNTY WRITERS SALON | 6-8 p.m. The Ventura County Writers Salon meets on the 2nd and 4th Monday of each month. If you’re looking for a fiction writing group that will complement your high-class adventure, add spice to your innovative work of science fiction or bring order and balance to your historical period piece, look no further than the Ventura County Writers Salon! All genres of fiction are welcome. Conference Room of the Camarillo Public Library, 4101 Las Posas Road, Camarillo, 805-388-5222, camarillolibrary.org.

TUESDAY

CAMARILLO QUILTERS ASSOCIATION | 9:30

a.m. Certified Laura Heine Instructor Susy Nash will be talking about Collaging “Laura Heine Style,” with many samples. All are welcome to join us. Members have access to a free fabric table, extensive library and reduced cost for classes and retreats. Pleasant Valley Community Center, 1605 Burnley Drive, Camarillo, camarilloquilters.com.

ITALIAN BAROQUE OF BERNINI, CARAVAGGIO AND GENTILESCHI | 10 a.m.12 p.m. via Zoom and HyFlex. The Baroque art style in Italy emerges as part of the Catholic Counter-Reformation’s effort to reinspire the faithful back to the Church. Understanding the power of art, the Church began to commission grand scale works of art to communicate directly with the public. This class will give an overview of the development of this distinctive style. Taught by Katherine Zoraster. Part of the Fifty and Better series offered by California Lutheran University’s Center for Lifelong Learning. Courses are $40 each; two-part lectures are $15 each; fall bundle (all lectures) for $180; household fall bundle (two members of the same household) for $230. More information and registration at www.callutheran.edu/centers/lifelong-learning/ fifty-better/upcoming-sessions.html.

TUESDAY MORNING BOOK CLUB | 11 a.m.12 p.m. The Tuesday Morning Book Club meets the second Tuesday of each month at 11:00 a.m. in the Conference Room. Stop by and check us out.Find out what we will be reading next here: sites.google.com/site/bookgroupsclub/tuesday-morning-group. Conference Room of the Camarillo Public Library, 4101 Las Posas Road, Camarillo, 805-388-5222, camarillolibrary.org.

GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE: PRINCIPLES, IMPLICATIONS AND CHALLENGES | 1-3 p.m. via Zoom. The goal of this six-week course is to present the audience with not only the most accurate scientific information, but also an explanation of how these principles come together using real-world examples and predictive computer models. Taught by Grady Hanrahan. Part of the Fifty and Better series offered by California Lutheran University’s Center for Lifelong Learning. Courses are $40 each; two-part lectures are $15 each; fall bundle (all lectures) for $180; household fall bundle (two members of the same household) for $230. More information and registration at www.callutheran.edu/ centers/lifelong-learning/fifty-better/upcoming-sessions.html.

HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH TEEN CRAFTERNOON: MOLA FOLK ART | 4-5:30 p.m. September is Hispanic Heritage Month. For

Art lovers won’t want to miss the Ojai Studio Artists 2022 Tour, taking place Saturday-Monday, Oct. 8-10, at several locations throughout the Ojai Valley. Pictured: OSA artist Christopher Noxon in his studio.

Emmy, Tony, Grammy and SAG Award Nominee Norm Lewis (pictured) headlines Rubicon Theatre Company’s Starry Soiree Celebration on Saturday, Oct. 8, at 6 p.m.

HAPPENINGS

this crafternoon, we are celebrating Panama by making molas. Molas are created by the Kuna tribe from the San Blas Blas region of Panama and are used to make blouses. Traditional designs are bright colored and feature geometric patterns. Ages 13-18. YA Library of the Camarillo Public Library, 4101 Las Posas Road, Camarillo, 805-388-5222, camarillolibrary.org.

EXPLORING THE MYSTERY OF OWLS | 7-8:30 p.m. via Zoom. Have you ever been curious about owls? If you would like to learn more about these mysterious nocturnal birds, please join Ventura Audubon’s October program with nature photographer Isabelle (Izzy) Edwards. Izzy will share her journey learning to find and photograph these elusive raptors, discuss owl conservation efforts and how to ethically approach such sensitive birds without harming them. Our program will be virtual via Zoom. For more information and the Zoom link go to www.venturaaudubon. org/monthly-speakers. Izzy’s Instagram handle is @northwest_wildlife.

WEDNESDAY

CLEAN AIR SUMMIT AND EXPO | 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. At this inaugural summit and expo, the Gold Coast Transit District has invited key stakeholders and experts in clean transportation and climate action to convene and discuss pressing topics at the local, regional, and state level in transitioning to zero-emissions, and innovative efforts to address air quality. An educational leaders summit will take place 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. while the free expo 1-4 p.m. will draw those interested in sustainable clean air transportation practices and provide an opportunity to tour the newest electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, electric bikes and more. GCTD Operations and Maintenance Facility, 1901 Auto Center Dr., Oxnard. More information and registration at www.gctd.org/ about/events/summit/.

RELIGIOUS ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN: FROM THE ROMAN CATACOMBS TO MODERN TIMES | 10 a.m.-12 p.m. via Zoom. Beginning with the Early Christian and Jewish period during Roman times, we explore the influences of symbolism and pictorial representations of religious images in Europe and the Middle East, ending our journey with sleek contemporary structures. Taught by Eleanor Schrader. Part of the Fifty and Better series offered by California Lutheran University’s Center for Lifelong Learning. Courses are $40 each; two-part lectures are $15 each; fall bundle (all lectures) for $180; household fall bundle (two members of the same household) for $230. More information and registration at www.callutheran. edu/centers/lifelong-learning/fifty-better/upcoming-sessions. html.

LEGENDS OF ISRAEL’S KINGS | 1-3 p.m. via Zoom. The legends of Israel’s kings have been preserved through the writings of the Hebrew Scriptures and Jewish tradition. This course will dive deep into these rarely-told stories, will enliven them through context, and will examine the depth of ancient folklore and the messages that they convey, even to today. Taught by Jason Hensley. Part of the Fifty and Better series offered by California Lutheran University’s Center for Lifelong Learning. Courses are $40 each; two-part lectures are $15 each; fall bundle (all lectures) for $180; household fall bundle (two members of the same household) for $230. More information and registration at www.callutheran.edu/centers/lifelong-learning/ fifty-better/upcoming-sessions.html.

MINDFULNESS FOR KIDS 7-12 | 5-6 p.m. Help your kids learn to understand and control their emotions with three simple techniques: pause, breathe and smile. Presented by Certified Mindfulness Instructor Danette Banyai. Register on our online event calendar. Children’s Library of the Camarillo Public Library, 4101 Las Posas Road, Camarillo, 805-388-5222, camarillolibrary.org.

LIFE DRAWING SESSIONS AT THE MUSEUM | 6:30-8:30 p.m. Join us for a series of three open model drawing sessions with clothed and nude models. Chairs and easels will be provided; artists must bring their own supplies, paints not permitted. This is a great opportunity for artists of all skill levels to work from a live model to develop their life drawing skills. 10-35 participants per class. Note: This is not an instructional class. $35 for members and students; $65 for nonmembers. RSVP by Oct. 7. Museum of Ventura County, 100 E. Main St., Ventura, 805-653-0323, venturamuseum.org. MARIANO RANCHO PRESERVE COMMUNITY MEETING: ACCESS | 7-8:30 p.m. Ventura Land Trust’s first of three Mariano Rancho Preserve Community Meetings will focus on VLT’s plan for public access to the preserve, including access locations on the 1,645-acre property, parking, and pedestrian access. Spanish language translation services will be offered at the event. Contribute to the conversation by using our online form to enter up to three questions or comments. We’ll use your input to shape our presentation, and your question may be presented during the Q&A session of the event. Poinsettia Pavilion,

3451 Foothill Road, Ventura. More information and RSVP at www.venturalandtrust.org/access.

THURSDAY

THE BINDING OF ART AND FAITH | 10 a.m.-12 p.m. via Zoom. In this course, we will examine the creation of art and its impact on the development of faith, religion and spirituality; and inversely how faith, religion, and spirituality influenced art. Taught by Christine Maasdam. Part of the Fifty and Better series offered by California Lutheran University’s Center for Lifelong Learning. Courses are $40 each; two-part lectures are $15 each; fall bundle (all lectures) for $180; household fall bundle (two members of the same household) for $230. More information and registration at www.callutheran.edu/centers/ lifelong-learning/fifty-better/upcoming-sessions.html.

THE SOMIS THURSDAY CLUB | 11:30 a.m. Local women’s club meeting and catered lunch. This month’s program will be entertainment by Wendy Morgan Hunter singing songs from Operas and Broadway. Visitors and prospective members are welcome. Please call 805-469-5059 or email patti.dizazzo@ gmail.com to RSVP.

SENIOR MOVIE AND LUNCH | 12-3 p.m. The second Thursday of the month, the Community Center Auditorium of the Pleasant Valley Recreation and Park District features lunch and a fun activity. This month’s film will be the Halloween classic Hocus Pocus. $5 includes movie and pasta lunch. 1605 E. Burnley St., Camarillo, 805-482-1996. Information and registration at www.pvrpd.org/movie-lunch.

A MODERN HISTORY OF JERUSALEM | 1-3 p.m. via Zoom. Jerusalem has a complex history, both ancient and modern. This course will begin with World War II and trace the city’s modern history in an attempt to understand the political forces that have shaped it. Taught by Jason Hensley. Part of the Fifty and Better series offered by California Lutheran University’s Center for Lifelong Learning. Courses are $40 each; two-part lectures are $15 each; fall bundle (all lectures) for $180; household fall bundle (two members of the same household) for $230. More information and registration at www.callutheran.edu/centers/ lifelong-learning/fifty-better/upcoming-sessions.html.

STAR WARS READS DAY: R2-D2 PENCIL HOLDER | 4-5:30 p.m. Explore a far, far away galaxy and make an R2-D2 pencil holder. For ages 13-18. Young Adult Library of the Camarillo Public Library, 4101 Las Posas Road, Camarillo, 805-388-5222, camarillolibrary.org.

CYBERSECURITY FOR FAMILIES | 6-7 p.m. October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Senior Deputy Victor Holmes from Camarillo Sheriff’s Community Resource Unit will update parents on important cybersecurity issues. Community Room of the Camarillo Public Library, 4101 Las Posas Road, Camarillo, 805-388-5222, camarillolibrary.org.

COMMUNITY NEEDS, OPPORTUNITIES AND RESOURCES

CHANNEL ISLANDS CHORAL ASSOCIATION | Community singers are needed! Audition now for the California State University, Channel Islands University Chorus, composed of CSUCI students, faculty, staff and alumni as well as community singers. Auditions are by appointment with Dr. KuanFen Liu. The chorus meets Monday evenings, 6:30-9:15 p.m., in Malibu Hall 100. Concerts on Dec. 2 and 4. To request an audition, email downbeatplus@gmail.com. More information at cicachoir.org.

Saturdays, 9 a.m.-12 p.m.,

Totally

through Oct. 22. Community Memorial Health System’s Centers for Family Health and Midtown Medical Group, in conjunction with Ventura County Public Health, will provide free flu shots to people over 6 months of age. For the health and wellbeing of our community, it is recommended that all people over the age of 6 months receive the flu vaccine every year. Clinics are held from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. Walk-ins are encouraged. LOCATIONS: Oct. 8: 422 Arneill Road, Suite B, Camarillo; 655 N. Ventura Ave., Oak View; 2921 Saviers Road, Oxnard; 3641 W. Fifth St., Oxnard. Oct. 15: 852 W. Ventura St., Fillmore; 120 N. Ashwood Ave., Ventura. Oct. 22: 2361 E. Vineyard Ave., Oxnard; 242 E. Harvard Blvd., Suite C, Santa Paula; 138 W. Main St., Suite E, Ventura. For more information call 805-652-6353.

INFORMATION ON THE HIGH SCHOOL AT MOORPARK COLLEGE | Through March 28.

The High School at Moorpark College allows students to earn both their high school diploma and college credits at the same time. HSMC is located on the Moorpark College campus where high schoolers, beginning their freshman year, take both high school and college-level classes. The school is open to any student in Ventura or Los Angeles counties. HSMC will host in-person information nights on Nov. 1, Jan, 24 and Feb. 28. Virtual sessions are offered Nov. 29 and March 28. For more information, call Dr. Shirleen Oplustic at 805-378-6312 or contact her via email at soplustic@mrpk.org. Additional information can also be found at www.hsmc.mrpk.org.

INKTOBER FOR TEENS | Through Oct. 31.

The month of October is known as Inktober, where participants draw an image every day in October based on a list of prompts. Want to participate? Stop by the Young Adult Desk and pick up an Inktober assignment. Turn in five drawings inspired by the prompts by Oct. 31 for a chance to win a prize. Young Adult Desk of the Camarillo Public Library, 4101 Las Posas Road, Camarillo, 805-388-5222, camarillolibrary.org.

LANDLORD ENGAGEMENT PROGRAM | Are you a Ventura County property owner/housing provider seeking stable tenancies, rental income, and a way to help our neighbors who need a home? Do you have a housing unit to lease in the near or immediate future? We are seeking studios to 3+ bedrooms. United Way will provide financial and supportive services to ensure a smooth and mutually beneficial housing process. Join the effort and receive a leasing bonus of up to two times the rent charged for the unit! This incentive is available for landlords and is separate from any costs incurred by program participants. For more information or to learn more about the Landlord Engagement Program, contact Carie Bristow at carie.bristow@vcunitedway.org or 805.485.6288 x235.

MENTORS NEEDED FOR WOMEN UNITED EDUCATION AWARD RECIPIENTS | Women United is seeking potential mentors in professional positions who would like to guide a single mother college student and help her reach her career goals. Anyone who has professional experience in a business environment and is willing to meet with a mentee for 2-3 sessions during the semester (in person or via Zoom) is encouraged to apply. To learn more, contact Leslie Osuna at leslie.osuna@vcunitedway.org or 805.485.6288, ext. 224.

QUILT RAFFLE | Through Oct. 15. The Ojai Valley Museum is holding a raffle for a beautiful quilt made by the Ojai Community Quilters. Tickets are on sale now; the winner will be drawn on Ojai Day, Oct. 15. Tickets are available at the museum. All proceeds benefit museum programs. 130 W. Ojai Ave., Ojai, 805-640-1390, info@OjaiValleyMuseum.org, www.ojaivalleymuseum.org.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR FREE TAX PREPARATION | Help low-income families and individuals improve their financial stability by joining our Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) team of tax preparers and interviewers for the 2022 Tax Year. Volunteers prepare federal and state tax returns at no cost at multiple sites across Ventura County and are asked to commit four hours per week during the VITA tax season, Feb. 1-April 30, 2023. No experience is necessary; training is provided. A two-session training course (in-person and virtual) will be offered on Nov. 12 and 19, 2022 at Moorpark College. To learn more or to register, visit volunteerventuracounty.org/ need/detail/?need_id=372430.

ONGOING/UPCOMING EVENTS

DEPRESSION AND BIPOLAR SUPPORT ALLIANCE MEETING | Tuesdays, 6:30-8 p.m. This Ventura-based peer support group for those experiencing depression and bipolar disorder will resume its free weekly meetings at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Ventura. Enter by way of the main door. Please bring your own N95 mask. For more information, contact Wendell Jones at 805-640-6472, wenj16630@sbcglobal.net or DBSAlliance.org. 5654 Ralston St., Ventura.

FALL HARVEST FESTIVAL AT UNDERWOOD FAMILY FARMS | Through Oct. 31. We invite all to celebrate the season with us at our 25th Annual Fall Harvest Festival, featuring a corn maze, labyrinth, gourd tunnel, photo ops, pumpkin playhouse and more. Pick out a jack-olantern at the enormous pumpkin patch! Open daily 9 a.m.-6 p.m. $14 per person, MondayFriday; weekend tickets available online only. Free for children under 2; $2 discount for seniors 65+, military, veterans and emergency first responders. Themed weekends throughout the month. Oct. 8-9: Farm Country. Oct. 15-16: Antique Tractors. Oct. 22-23: Wild West. Oct. 29-30: All About Pumpkins. 3370 Sunset Valley Road, Moorpark and 5696 E. Los Angeles Ave., Somis, underwoodfamilyfarms.com.

FAMILY STORYTIME | Mondays, 4 p.m. Every Monday the South Oxnard Library hosts an allages storytime with Miss Joanne in the Children’s Area. South Oxnard Branch Library, 4300 Saviers Road, Oxnard, 805-385-8129, www.oxnard.org/ library/south-oxnard-branch-library/.

FREE RANGE COMEDY IMPROV CLASS | Fridays, 7-9 p.m. through Nov. 11. Students will learn the basics of comedy improv through improv exercises and games, then perform their own showcase at completion. $125 for the sixweek class held at the Camarillo Academy of Performing Arts, 2460 Las Posas Road, Camarillo. For more information, call 413-862-2433, email freerangecomedy@gmail.com or visit freerangecomedy.com.

HOPE AND HELP FOR OVEREATERS | Saturdays, 10-11 a.m. Is your eating out of control? Are you feeling fat? Overeaters Anonymous can help. 133 S. Laurel St., Ventura (building next to the church). For more information call Amy at 805-340-5882. Donations only.

JEST IMPROV | Saturdays, 2-4 p.m. Need to laugh or be silly? JEST Improv holds weekly, improv drop-in classes for beginners and all experience levels, Saturdays, 2-4 p.m. at Diversity Collective, 2471 Portola Road, Ventura. Classes are $15 each, or $10 each with JEST membership. More information at www.jestimprov.com.

PUMPKIN PATCH AT LIMONEIRA RANCH |

10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 30. The Limoneira Ranch, with wide open green vistas framed by mountains is the site of our fall fun in October. Each year our we strive to make our Pumpkin Patch bigger and better with great food, crafts, live entertainment, FFA Petting Zoo, famous 5.5 acre Corn MAiZE and of course our Pumpkin Chucker. Presented by the Rotary Club of Santa Paula. $12 general admission; $5-15 for attractions. Free admission for ages 2 and under and free parking. Please no dogs. 12471 Foothill Road, Santa Paula, 888522-1884, sppumpkinpatch.com.

SOUND MEDITATION | Fridays and Sundays. Morning and sunset sound meditation sessions will take place weekly in person at the Viewpoint at Meditation Mount. Sunday morning sessions 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. with Suburbanoid. Friday evening sessions 6:15-8:15 p.m. with Trinity of Sound. $25; registration is required. 10340 Reeves Road, Ojai. For exact dates and times, visit meditationmount.org/events.

SUNSET YOGA AND SOUND MEDITATION | Thursdays, 6:30-8 p.m. Connect with your mind, heart and body in a picturesque outdoor garden setting overlooking the beautiful Ojai Valley. Please bring your own yoga mat and props, and a blanket (optional) for closing meditation, which will be accompanied by crystal singing bowls. $20; registration is required. 10340 Reeves Road, Ojai. For exact dates and times, visit meditationmount.org/events.

Ron Artis II &

GENRE: Magical Realism Fictional Memoir

GENRE: Magical Realism Fictional Memoir

GENRE: Magical Realism Fictional Memoir

Excerpts from this novel--The Pollinator In His Own Words--read by the author, exemplify the intimate relationship between two art forms: painting and writing. The protagonist of this tale, through the mystic art of surfing, slowly develops the ability to fly.

Excerpts from this novel--The Pollinator In His Own Words--read by the author, exemplify the intimate relationship between two art forms: painting and writing. The protagonist of this tale, through the mystic art of surfing, slowly develops the ability to fly.

Excerpts from this novel--The Pollinator In His Own Wordsread by the author, exemplify the intimate relationship between two art forms: painting and writing. The protagonist of this tale, through the mystic art of surfing, slowly develops the ability to fly. As the story evolves, he discovers that he can, during flight, by way of olfactory engendered clairvoyance, accumulate and store inter nally essential love; eventually he is able to bestow this love. The following excerpts, inspired by the paintings of Edward Hopper, occur in the story when the protagonist is beginning to collect such essences of primal bliss.

Excerpts from this novel--The Pollinator In His Own Wordsread by the author, exemplify the intimate relationship between two art forms: painting and writing. The protagonist of this tale, through the mystic art of surfing, slowly develops the ability to fly. As the story evolves, he discovers that he can, during flight, by way of olfactory engendered clairvoyance, accumulate and store inter nally essential love; eventually he is able to bestow this love. The following excerpts, inspired by the paintings of Edward Hopper, occur in the story when the protagonist is beginning to collect essences of primal bliss.

Excerpts from this novel--The Pollinator In His Own Words--read by the author, exemplify the intimate relationship between two art forms: painting and writing. The protagonist of this tale, through the mystic art of surfing, slowly develops the ability to fly. As the story evolves, he discovers that he can, during flight, by way of olfactory engendered clairvoyance, accumulate and store internally essential love; eventually he is able to bestow this love. The following excerpts, inspired by the paintings of Edward Hopper, occur in the story when the protagonist is beginning to collect such essences of primal bliss.

Excerpts from this novel--The Pollinator In His Own Words--read by the author, exemplify the intimate relationship between two art forms: painting and writing. The protagonist of this tale, through the mystic art of surfing, slowly develops the ability to fly. As the story evolves, he discovers that he can, during flight, by way of olfactory engendered clairvoyance, accumulate and store internally essential love; eventually he is able to bestow this love. The following excerpts, inspired by the paintings of Edward Hopper, occur in the story when the protagonist is beginning to collect such essences of primal bliss.

GENRE: Magical Realism Fictional Memoir

GENRE: Magical Realism Fictional Memoir

Excerpts from this novel--The Pollinator In His Own Words--read by the author, exemplify the intimate relationship between two art forms: painting and writing. The protagonist of this tale, through the mystic art of surfing, slowly develops the ability to fly. As the story evolves, he discovers that he can, during flight, by way of olfactory engendered clairvoyance, accumulate and store internally essential love; eventually he is able to bestow this love. The following excerpts, inspired by the paintings of Edward Hopper, occur in the story when the protagonist is beginning to collect such essences of primal bliss.

EXCERPTS on YouTube

As the story evolves, he discovers that he can, during flight, by way of olfactory engendered clairvoyance, accumulate and store internally essential love; eventually he is able to bestow this love. The following excerpts, inspired by the paintings of Edward Hopper, occur in the story when the protagonist is beginning to collect such essences of primal bliss.

As the story evolves, he discovers that he can, during flight, by way of olfactory engendered clairvoyance, accumulate and store internally essential love; eventually he is able to bestow this love. The following excerpts, inspired by the paintings of Edward Hopper, occur in the story when the protagonist is beginning to collect such essences of primal bliss.

EXCERPTS on YouTube

OPENING THEATER

COMIC BOOK ARTIST Oct. 8-15 . When a set of magic pens brings a comic book villain to life, a new team of superheroes comes to the rescue – created by an ambitious janitor with dreams of being an illustrator. $13. Presented by Young Artists Ensemble’s Hillcrest Players at Hillcrest Center for the Arts, 403 W. Hillcrest Dr., Thousand Oaks, 805-381-2747, www.hillcrestarts.com.

OPENING ART

643 PROJECT SPACE Through Oct. 31. Channel Islands Marine Debris Art Show, an exhibit of art created by students, faculty and community members from marine debris found on Santa Cruz and Santa Rosa islands to highlight one of the most widespread pollution problems facing the world’s ocean and waterways. Reception on Friday, Oct. 7, 6 p.m. 643 N. Ventura Ave., Ventura, www.643projectspace.com.

ATRIUM GALLERY Oct. 6-Nov. 11. Impact Project Art Exhibit, featuring works by immigrant, LGBTQ and Black communities in Ventura County, as well as art by K-8 students who participated in Focus on the Masters’ educational outreach program, Learning To See. Reception on Friday, Oct. 8, 4:30-6:30 p.m. Hall of Administration, Ventura County Government Center, 800 S. Victoria Ave., Ventura, vcartscouncil.org/atrium-gallery/.

CAMARILLO ART CENTER Saturday, Oct. 8, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.: Saturday Gourd Workshop. Contact Kathleen at NYG745@ gmail.com for more information. Through Oct. 30: Autumn Festival. 3150 Ponderosa Drive, Camarillo, www.camarilloartcenter.org.

HARBOR VILLAGE GALLERY AND GIFTS

Through Nov. 7: Under $50 Fundraiser, over 60 8x8 works made and donated by

BAA members; all proceeds will support BAA. Ongoing: Buenaventura Art Association members showcase and sell their work. Masks and social distancing required. 1559 Spinnaker Drive #106, Ventura Harbor Village, 805-644-2750, www.facebook.com/ HarborVillageGalleryGifts.

AUDITIONS/CALLS TO ARTISTS

DAB ART Ongoing. The contemporary art organization is currently seeking submissions of work in any media for group and solo exhibitions at H Gallery and Studios in Ventura. Submit three to 20 images; $35 entry fee. For submission guidelines, online application and more information, visit www.dabart.me/ventura-2.

ONGOING THEATER

THE BELLE OF AMHERST Through Oct. 9. A one-woman play by William Luce based on the life of poet Emily Dickinson and starring Anna Kotula. $18-20. ARTSpace Black Box Theater, 2956 School St., Simi Valley, jgartdept@sbcglobal.net, www.actorsrepofsimi. org/about-us/artspace-black-box-theater/.

HMS PINAFORE Through Oct. 16. Also known as The Lass That Loved a Sailor , this musical romantic comedy centers on a captain’s daughter who attempts to elope with her secret love, a humble sailor. Presented by the Ventura County Gilbert and Sullivan Repertoire Company. $13-28. Hillcrest Center for the Arts, 403 W. Hillcrest Dr., Thousand Oaks, 805-381-2747, www.vcgsrc.org.

THE LATINX EXPERIENCE: FEATURING JOURNEY OF THE SKELETONS, A DIA DE LOS MUERTOS STORY Through Oct. 9. In this touching comedy, family members try-

ing to reconnect with loved ones during Dia de los Muertos experience adventures and challenges on their journey through the underworld. Each performance will also feature Latino dancers, poets, musicians and storytellers, as well as some workshops. $10-20. The Elite Theater, 2731 Victoria Ave., Oxnard, www.theelite.org/news/ the-latinx-experience/.

VENTURA COUNTY POETRY PROJECT Thursday, Oct. 6, 6:30 p.m. live and via Zoom: Poetry reading and open mic at the EP Foster Library (also streamed live), 651 E. Main St., Ventura. More information at vcpoetryproject.org.

WALTER CRONKITE IS DEAD Through Oct. 16. Two women on opposite sides of the political spectrum find themselves stranded together at an airport during a storm, leading

to an enlightening conversation and experience for them both. $20. Ojai ACT, 113 S. Montgomery St., Ojai, 805-640-8797, ojaiact. org.

ONGOING ART

AGRICULTURE MUSEUM Opened June

16: Save the Pollinators: A Youth-Led Environmental Restoration Project. Ongoing: Farm to Market , an interactive exhibit promoting healthy lifestyles through role play; plus antique tractors, farming implements, a living beehive and more. Hours: ThursdaysSundays, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. 926 Railroad Ave., Santa Paula, 805-525-3100, venturamuseum. org/visit-agriculture-museum/.

BEATRICE WOOD CENTER FOR THE ARTS

Through Oct. 29. It’s About Time, featuring work by members of the Ventura County Potters’ Guild (Beato Gallery). 8585 OjaiSanta Paula Road, Upper Ojai, 805-646-3381, www.beatricewood.com.

CHANNEL ISLANDS MARITIME MUSEUM

Through Dec. 19: Resilience: Art of the Channel Islands, work by five local artists inspired by the flora and fauna of the Channel Islands. Ongoing: Maritime art covering Asian, European and American seafaring history; the Marple Model Ship Collection; exhibits on whales, sailors and the Port of Hueneme and more. 3900 Bluefin Circle, Oxnard, 805-984-6260, cimmvc.org.

DUDLEY HOUSE HISTORIC MUSEUM

Ongoing. The National Historic Landmark was built in 1892 by Selwyn Shaw for lima bean farmer B.W. Dudley, and is one of the last pioneer farmhouses in Ventura. On display are artifacts and other elements showcasing aspects of life from 1895 to 1925. Open for tours the first Sunday of the month. COVID protocols will be strictly followed. 197 N. Ashwood Ave., Ventura, 805-642-3345, dudleyhouse.org.

FOX FINE JEWELRY Through Nov. 6. Day of the Dead , featuring work by Tricia Anders and Checkos (Sergio Martinez de Jesús) inspired by Día de los Muertos. 560 E. Main St., Ventura, 805-652-1800, www.foxfinejewelry.com.

H GALLERY Through Oct. 16. Art in the Time of Corona, Vol. 2 (Year 2), work inspired by or made during the pandemic. 1793 E. Main St., Ventura, www.dabart.me/ in-the-service-of-civilization.

KWAN FONG GALLERY Through Oct. 23.

On the Range: Works by Terry Spehar-Fahey, featuring art inspired by the ranching families of Idaho. California Lutheran University, 160 Overton Court, Thousand Oaks, 805-4933697, blogs.callutheran.edu/kwanfong.

MULLIN AUTOMOTIVE MUSEUM Ongoing. The famed auto museum pays tribute to French automotive design, with coaches from the 1800s, Bugattis from the 1920s30s, Concours d’Elegance winners and more.

Hours: Friday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.;

CLU’s William Rolland Gallery features work by Cole M. James through Oct. 27. Pictured:

in the Ancestors,” Cole M. James, digital work printed on vinyl, 40 x 50 inches. Courtesy of the artist.

This is the last weekend to see The LatinX Experience: Journey of the Skeletons at The Elite in Oxnard.

Pictured, from left: Memo (Saul Escobedo), Colmillos (Albert Smith) and Michtlantecuhtii (Juliana Acosta).

of

features work by John Galan inspired by his

advance tickets required. 1421 Emerson Ave., Oxnard, 805-385-5400, mullinautomotivemuseum.com.

MURPHY AUTO MUSEUM Ongoing.

Impressive display of vintage automobiles and Americana, as well as the Gold Coast Modular Railroad Club and the car-centric art in the Fireball Art Gallery. Muscles and Mojo car show in the parking lot every first and third Sunday of the month. The museum is now open Saturdays and Sundays, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. 1930 Eastman Ave., Oxnard, 805-4874333, www.murphyautomuseum.org.

MUSEUM OF VENTURA COUNTY Through Aug. 3 1, 2023: All That Glitters Is Not Gold, the Jazz Age in Ventura County; Chromatic: The Museum in Six Colors. Through Dec. 31, 2023: Always Keep Creating: The Resiliency of Carol Rosenak. Through Feb. 28, 2023: Behind the Curtain: An Insider’s Look at The George Stuart Historical Figures®. Ongoing: MVC Gallery Marketplace, exhibits devoted to the Chumash, the history of Ventura County, online exhibits and resources and more. 100 E. Main St., Ventura, 805-6530323 or venturamuseum.org.

OJAI VALLEY MUSEUM Opened July 29: Perception and Persistence, works by Ojai Studio Artists that explore the push/pull of thinking. Ongoing: Small exhibitions on a range of topics related to the history of the Ojai Valley, as well as virtual talks and more. Walking tours of Historic Ojai resume Oct. 22. Now open Friday-Sunday. 130 W. Ojai Ave., Ojai, 805-640-1390, www.ojaivalleymuseum.org.

OLIVAS ADOBE HISTORIC PARK Ongoing. The Olivas Adobe is now open the sec ond Sunday of each month for visitors, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. The historic park invites all plein air artists to come out to the site for cre ative inspiration, from the rose garden and 160-year-old fuchsia to the rancho and the

bell tower. In addition, Laura Jean Jespersen’s The Romance of the Adobe will be on exhibit in the small adobe. There will be raffles, historic interpreters, an al fresco gift shop and more. 4200 Olivas Park Drive, Ventura, www.cityofventura.ca.gov/OlivasAdobe.

POPPIES ART AND GIFTS Ongoing. Gifts, jewelry, decor and more made by local art ists. 323 E. Matilija St., Ojai, 805-798-0033, www.poppiesartandgifts.com.

RANCHO CAMULOS MUSEUM Ongoing. The 40-acre landmark and museum is one of the best surviving examples of an early California rancho and honors the area’s Spanish and Mexican heritage. “Last Sundays at the Landmark” take place the last Sunday of every month, and include docent-led tours, music and more. Open every Sunday for docent-led tours; group and special-fo cus tours by appointment. Situated off of Highway 126, two miles east of Piru. 805521-1501, www.ranchocamulos.org. realART Ongoing. The art gallery in Whizin Market Square features works by a variety of contemporary artists. Whizin Market Square, 28861 Agoura Road, Agoura Hills, 310-4524000, buyrealart.com.

RONALD REAGAN PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY

AND MUSEUM Through Oct. 9: The Secrets of WWII. Ongoing: Permanent exhibits include Air Force One, an F-117 Nighthawk stealth fighter, an M-1 Abrams tank and more. 40 Presidential Drive, Simi Valley, 800410-8354, www.reaganfoundation.org.

SANDRA AND JORDAN LABY GALLERY

Opened July 21. An Historical Eye, oil paint ings, dye sublimations and gold-leaf prints from renowned artists Michael O’Kelly, to be displayed on the newly created arts space downstairs at the Rubicon Theatre Company. 1006 E. Main St., Ventura, 805-667-2900, www.rubicontheatre.org.

SANTA PAULA ART MUSEUM Through

Jan. 8, 2023: Remedios (Remedies), a solo exhibition by Conejo Valley artist John Galan.

With artworks rich in symbolism and vibrant hues inspired by his Mexican heritage, Galan’s exhibit explores the connections between mind, body, nature and healing. Through Nov. 6: Hiroko Yoshimoto: New Works, 40 new works in her “Biodiversity” series. The museum is now open, Wednesdays-Sundays.

Free family days the first Sunday of the month. 117 N. 10th St., Santa Paula, 805525-5554 or www.santapaulaartmuseum.org.

SIMI VALLEY CULTURAL ARTS CENTER

Through Nov. 6. Not of the Hands, But of the Heart, with photographs by artists that exhibited at the center nearly a decade ago and who studied with Retired Professor Emeritus John Gray of Moorpark College.

3050 Los Angeles Ave., Simi Valley, 805-5837900, www.simi-arts.org.

SPICETOPIA Ongoing. The spice and tea shop in downtown Ventura now shows works by members of the Buenaventura Art Association. 576 E. Main St., 805-628-3267, www.spice-topia.com.

STUDIO CHANNEL ISLANDS Through Nov. 19. Colorspace, vibrant works by Carlos Grasso, Ariane Leiter, Margaret Korisheli and Barry Frantz. 2222 E. Ventura Blvd., Camarillo, 805-383-1368, studiochannelislands.org.

VENTURA POTTERY GALLERY Ongoing. Talented ceramic artists from across Ventura County make up the Ventura County Potters Guild, and they display their works — housewares, home decor,

figurines and more — at the guild’s gal lery and shop in Ventura Harbor. 1567 Spinnaker Drive, Suite 105, Ventura, 805644-6800, venturapottersguild.org/gallery.

VITA ART CENTER Through Nov. 2 The New Normal: Art and Politics, exploring art ists’ engagement with politics and their vision of the world. 28 W. Main St., Ventura, 805-644-9214, www.vitaartcenter.com.

WILLIAM ROLLAND GALLERY Through Oct. 27. Cole M. James: Call Them In, images and objects offered to the artist’s ances tors which “are grounded in expression of power, the personal, and the prison indus trial complex.” California Lutheran University, 160 Overton Court, Thousand Oaks, 805-4933697, rollandgallery.callutheran.edu.

The

County Gilbert and Sullivan Repertoire Company presents its fall production, HMS Pinafore, at the Hillcrest Center for

Face