Be sure to do your Holiday shopping with local merchants! Vol. Vol. 3, 13, No. No. 11 5 Published Every Other Published Wednesday Every Other Established Wednesday 2007 December 4 – December March 10 17, - 23, 2019 2010 City Council Member Christy Weir enjoying Thanksgiving with Jean. VUSD students help to feed hungry families. Ninth Annual Thanksgiving Aera Energy Outreach Dinner employees team The Elf Giveaway is something bigger than the by Jill Forman holidays. It started as a family dinner… The next year, the park folks asked up with Ventura Jeri and Joe Bendot, the residential their friends. Visit Ventura caretakers of Community Presbyterian And so the tradition was started. City staff and Church, had a Thanksgiving dinner for This year, close to 700 meals were is giving away their family in the Fellowship Hall ten served to anyone who came. Almost 100 students to feed years ago. volunteers set up, served, bussed tables, a host of The following year, they asked their washed dishes, socialized with the diners hungry families friends from the park to join them. Continued on page 15 Aera Energy teamed up with staff generous gifts from the City of Ventura to put the “giving” in Thanksgiving by providing by Visit Ventura 140 families from the City of Ventura Tis the season to think Elf! As in a full Thanksgiving meal with all the Visit Ventura’s Elf Giveaway, yes. But trimmings. also as in mischievous fun, lips-sealed For years the staff at the City of secrets, and the magical Big Picture too. Ventura and students from the Ventura Now through Christmas Day, Visit Unified school district. have collected Ventura is giving away a host of generous canned goods, side items and monetary gifts, kindly donated by Ventura’s donations to purchase food for the fun-loving and community-caring Thanksgiving meals distributed at businesses. The giveaway works simply. Westpark Community Center. This year Follow Visit Ventura on Instagram (@ however, Aera Energy stepped forward VisitVentura) and tag a friend and you’re and offered to purchase more than 140 entered to win two prizes -- one for each City’s Urban Forestry Department’s new 4,000 gallon water truck doing its job. turkeys to complete the meals. of you. Winners will be randomly chosen “The families benefitting from that day. Enter as many times as you City of Ventura repurposes water these donations are in great need and want. Elves don’t care much for rules. wouldn’t have a Thanksgiving at all if it And nope, the Visit Ventura Elf won’t for local park landscapes weren’t for these donations,” explained tell you what the gifts are, because what Anita Diaz, Westpark Coordinator. “The elf blabs away secrets? And we should all Over the next month, Ventura Water flush out sediment, corrosion and City staff and the Teen Voice students enjoy a sense of mystery. But, as a holiday and Parks, Recreation, and Community remove “bio–film” that adheres to pipes have been collecting food and gifting gift of sorts, the Visit Ventura Elf will Partnerships (PRCP) will work together over time. Thanksgiving food baskets for years. tell you that, in the final happy runup to repurpose an estimated 200,000 “Water main flushing is a necessary This year, with Aera’s help, we are able to to the finale, she will be giving away two gallons of water during the annual main part of maintaining and operating a serve even more families.” one-night stays at Four Points Sheraton line flushing program to irrigate City drinking water distribution system to Teams of City staff, students and Ventura Beach (December 23), Crowne parks and trees rather than discharging ensure high quality drinking water. Aera employees gathered at Westpark Plaza Ventura Beach (December 24), and water into streets and storm drains. The Ventura Water is committed to inno- to pack the brightly colored Aera bags the Ventura Beach Marriott (December City’s water service area is a complex vative solutions that maintain water with canned goods and other Thanks- 25 -- Merry Christmas!) system of 380 miles of pipelines ranging quality standards and limit water waste,” giving items in preparation for Tuesday It’s a fun contest for visitors and from 4 inches to 36 inches in diameter. said Ventura Water General Manager when they personally hand over the Continued on page 3 Routine maintenance is required to Continued on page 3 Continued on page 2 2 December 4 – December 17, 2019 Ventura BREEZE Business Peirano’s Market & Delicatessen is officially open. Co-owners Linda Jordan and Jim Rice are very happy to be ready for business in time for the holiday busy season. The market and deli, which took more than three years to open, is located at 204 E. Main St. in the Historic Peirano’s building which was built in 1877. The market and deli features California-Italian cuisine created by a Culinary Institute of America-trained chef, has an outdoor patio with views of the San Buenaventura Mission and offers up both locally sourced and imported foods from Italy. www.deliventura.com Aera Energy employees team up Newell, Aera Public Affairs. “It is Continued from page 1 through our partnership that we bags and a large turkey to top it have created opportunities to really off. The effort results from Aera’s make a difference in people’s lives. long-time partnership with the This work makes our community City’s Westpark Community a better place to live because we Center. invest in it as a company and as “We are part of this community individuals. We look forward to and Westpark is the hub of continuing working with them to Ventura’s westside which is right help our neighbors throughout the in our backyard,” says Michele holidays.” Ventura BREEZE December 4 – December 17, 2019 3 Business We’ve Moved & Re-Opened! New husband, Larry Drake decided Come Visit Us At Our NEW Location! New location not only could they be life partners but business partners as well. A building became available that they thought 805 Emporium and name might work. After redoing the interior, the shop is ready for and they invite for 805 Gift you to come see what’s happening. They have great greeting cards, vintage items, antique furniture, seasonal Collectibles Emporium decor and gifts. The inspiration de- 805 Emporium, formerly 805 Gift partment will be increasing in the next Gifts Emporium, is reopening with a new few months as well. Go say hello and location and a new look. lt was a hard and see what’s new at the 805 Emporium, Antiques sad goodbye when 805 Gift Emporium now located at 2500 Channel Drive, had to close its doors last year. Owner at the end of Howard St. Look for Nancy Farrar missed her customers and the Turquoise door. The hours are the store so much and has been grateful 11:00 - 4:00 Thursday, Friday and for the many who kept in touch as the Saturday. Phone contact is 805-340- 2500 Channel Dr., Suite A 805.340.4393 Call for Holiday Hours months went by. 4393 and 805-744-1948. City News this year’s high of 45%. Additionally, Ventura’s local water sources continue to be challenged by environmental, regula- tory, operational, and legal constraints. Each year following the rainy season staff evaluates the City’s water supply and demand while considering chal- lenges, uncertainties and reliability associated with Ventura’s water sources through the annual Comprehensive Water Resources Report. Vince is a valuable addition to Ventura Water. City of Ventura repurposes water Continued from page 1 Ventura Water Susan Rungren. In recent years, the City of Ventura has welcomes new taken a proactive approach to minimize water waste during mandatory waterline Wastewater flushing. In 2017, Ventura Water began operating the Neutral Output Discharge Utility Manager Elimination System (NO-DES) unit, a Vince Ines is an Oxnard native. In state-of-the-art truck that connects to fire More than a 2002, he started working for the City hydrants and circulates, filters, and puts Meat Market! of Oxnard as an Operator in Training water back into the distribution system Mouthwatering and worked his way up to Operations saving millions of gallons of water. Manager and Chief Plant Operator Beginning on the Westside and where he oversaw the Oxnard Waste- moving East, the City of Ventura will be water Plant & Advanced Water Puri- flushing at approximately 200 locations Holiday fication Facility. He currently holds where water mains end and pose water certifications as a Grade 5 Wastewater quality challenges. Instead of running Treatment Operator and a Water the water to waste it will be captured Treatment Operator Grade 2. and transported using the City’s Urban Meats! Vince is a valuable addition to the Forestry Department’s new 4,000 gallon Ventura Water team. In his new role, water truck and applied to turf and trees he hopes to continue to educate the at Arroyo Verde Park, Camino Real Park, Beef is Prime 30-day Aged community about the benefits of waste- Barranca Vista, Chumash Park, Hobert Beef Prime Rib Roasts $17.95/lb water and recycled water. Park, and Community Park in addition to In his free time, Vince enjoys linear park spaces and city trees. cut/tied and seasoned spending time with his family and “Overseeing Ventura’s 42 parks New York Roasts $17.95/lb coaching his kid’s sports teams. and being water efficient remains a top priority for the Parks Department,” Nancy Porterhouse – cut to order $19.95/lb O’Connor Director of PRCP explained.