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Tri County’s Only MulticulturalNewspaper Newspaper TheThe Tri County’s Only Multicultural
TRICOUNTY COUNTY TRI
ENTRY ENTRY
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SEPTEMBER 14, 2018
THE
VOL. XXVI NO. 47
FIRST AFRICANAMERICAN E.G.O.T.
CROWD
By Chris Frost chris@tricountysentry.com
Photo by Chris Frost
Con Funk Shun rocks the crowd at the Oxnard Jazz Festival.
Oxnard Beach Park was bouncing Sept. 8, as the 3rd Annual Oxnard Jazz Festival drew a huge crowd that enjoyed the day and spent most of their time partying and dancing. The day featured performers: ConFunkShun, Greg Adams & East Bay Soul, Kelly Zirbes, Mindi Abair and the Boneshakers, Paul Brown, Pete Escovedo, Rick Parma and TIERRA. Attendees also enjoyed arts, crafts, food and many shopper delights at the Vendor Marketplace. Publicist Sheryl Aronson said Chuck Dennis, the promoter of the festival, made sure great acts came to Oxnard. “He bases it on the demographics of Oxnard, and then he invites different groups to come,” she said. “We have
Photo by Chris Frost
Dancing and partying highlighted the Oxnard Jazz Festival.
By Chris Frost chris@tricountysentry.com
Latin Jazz, Rhythm and Blues, and smooth jazz. It’s a great combination of music.” She spent her time making sure that lots of media come to the show. “I interview the artists, take photos and everything,” she said. The Oxnard Jazz Festival is community oriented, she said,
and a little bit smaller. “People come, and you can look out there and see the community of people,” she said. “They party, dance, and it’s fabulous.” She said Dennis has a team of people who reach out to the vendors at the festival. “It’s been a great day,” Aronson said.
Opening act Sunny Sinclair was all smiles after her performance and said she sings smooth jazz. “At first, you’re nervous and clenching your hands and sweating a little bit, but when you see the crowd you let it go,” she said. “I’m still a little nervous, but the feeling has passed.” n Jazz Festival, see page 3
ELECTRIC CAR SHOW BRINGS THE FUTURE TO OXNARD By Chris Frost chris@tricountysentry.com The future was running wild at Channel Islands Harbor, Sept. 9, as the Annual Electric Vehicle Car Show rolled into the neighborhood and drew many attendees loaded with questions. Cars were on display from Nissan, Chrysler, Tesla, Ford, Fiat, BMW, and others, as people test drove vehicles, and spoke to sales representatives about making a purchase. People also got to see motorized electric bicycles for those who want to step into the future without making a significant investment. Ride and Drive Coordinator Cathy Bullard organized the show and is a founding member of Electric Vehicle Advocates of Ventura County. “I decided that I didn’t want to
MILLICAN NAMED INTERIM CFO IN OXNARD
Photo by Chris Frost
Ride and Drive Coordinator Cathy Bullard answers questions at the Electric Vehicle Car Show.
have a gasoline vehicle anymore,” she said. “The license plate on my car says I luv zero gas. My objective is having a car that didn’t require gas or oil. I bought a Nissan Leaf in 2011, and I’ll never go back.” The first thing she noticed
about her Leaf is how smooth and quiet it drives. “There is no noise, and the motor is completely silent,” she said. “You feel like you are gliding on the ice when you drive.” Reviews that tie the distance
you can travel to how many accessories the driver uses, she said, are not accurate. “People notice a little bit of a difference when you’re cranking the heat,” she said. “I have run mine with the air conditioning blasting; we have 100-degree days here, that doesn’t seem to make a difference." Bullard said traveling on a steep hill affects its range. “I drive to Thousand Oaks, so I drive up the Kineo grade every day,” she said. “What I notice with the Leaf is that I lose 10 miles of range when I go 2.5 miles up the grade, but because of the regenerative features of the vehicle, if I coast as I go down the grade I get those 10 miles lost back. It regenerates going downhill by not pressing on the accelerator.” She said pressing the brakes n Electric Car, see page 3
On a 3-2 vote, the Oxnard City Council approved David Millican as its Interim Chief Financial Officer (CFO) during their Sept. 11, meeting. City documents report the finance department faced severe, on-going challenges in the last few years, including staff tenure, workload demands, conflicts in work priorities, interruptions due to ad hoc report requests, training and development of new staff, an inefficient working environment and an outdated finance system. Assistant City Manager Jesus Nava said the council is familiar with Millican. “He is a retiree from CalPERS (California Public Employees' Retirement System), so there are specific requirements the city must follow to comply with government codes,” Nava said. “It is an interim appointment to the position of CFO because we require specialized skills that are needed by the city and the governing body.” There is open recruitment for a permanent replacement, he said, so the city will get dispensation from CalPERS. “The interim appointment must be of limited duration, not to exceed 960 hours during the fiscal year,” he said. “The appointed retiree shall not receive any benefits, incentives, compensation in lieu of benefits or any other form of compensation in addition to the hourly rate.” Nava said the hourly rate is $96.15 and is for 960 hours. “We calculated a maximum payment of $92,310,” he said. “The recruitment for the permanent CFO closes in mid-Oct. We hope to have somebody on-board by late Nov. or early Dec." During public comments, Oxnard resident Pat Brown said she’s watched Millican give financial reports and answer questions and is impressed. “I have found him to be informative, a real cool head, and doesn’t get excited or wound up about anything,” she said. “I don’t know how he does it, but I think it’s years of experience.” Each time Millican speaks, Brown said n Millican Named , see page 6