VCReporter 4-16-2020

Tiger King | Strawberry season during the pandemic | VenTiki Lounge and Lanai

NEWS, ENTERTAINMENT, ENVIRONMENT • VENTURA COUNTY’S FREE WEEKLY • WWW.VCREPORTER.COM • APRIL 16, 2020

Bars mix things up to stay in business

2—

— April 16, 2020

CONTENTS

vcreporter.com 10 4

6

COVER

A new brew: Bars mixing it up to stay in business during shutdown

by Kateri Wozny

OPINION

Volume 44 | Issue 16

DEPARTMENTS

Power to Speak We cannot let this global health pandemic evolve into a child abuse pandemic

by Eric Z. Dersom

Advice Goddess _______________________ 20

The real reason for the U.S.’s slow response to the pandemic

by Jamshid Damooei, Ph.D.

Free Will Astrology _____________________ 20

NEWS

A peak season like no other: Strawberry harvest during the pandemic

After Dark ___________________________ N/A Arts Listings _________________________ N/A Happenings _________________________ N/A Food + Drink __________________________ 18 Surf Report __________________________ N/A

County strengthens public safety orders: New restrictions for gatherings and essential businesses COVID News and Updates Kindness Corner: Nourishing frontline workers Ventura resident aboard USNS Mercy: Navy hospital ship supports local hospitals

Cover: Michael Delahunty, owner of The Local in Camarillo. Photo submitted

In Brief: online

by Kimberly Rivers

12 14 16 18

ART + CULTURE

Out of step: House of Dance struggles to keep its doors open

by Alicia Doyle

MUSIC

On the Record: New music to listen to now

by Alan Sculley, Last Word Features

FILM + MEDIA

Out of the Box: Wild life

by Nancy D. Lackey Shaffer

5 O’CLOCK SOMEWHERE

Quarantiki time

by Nancy D. Lackey Shaffer

FOLLOW US | WWW.VCREPORTER.COM For Classifieds and Special issues and additional content

Please remember to recycle newsprint

QUARANTIKI TIME | PAGE 18 (Photo courtesy Nancy D. Lackey Shaffer)

April 16, 2020 —

—3

OPINION

vcreporter.com

Power to Speak

We cannot let this global health pandemic evolve into a child abuse pandemic

by Eric Z. Dersom Even in the best of times, child welfare systems in California are beleaguered, underfunded, and stressed. There are too few social workers for foster children and their troubled birth families, and these caseworkers are often overworked within a huge bureaucratic system. The invisible, stealthy, silent enemy that is COVID-19 has thrown all of this dysfunction into even more chaos.

More and more, child welfare departments are starting to limit in-person emergency visits to only the most severe cases. Thus, welfare check-ups are going down just when the potential for child abuse is rising. The court’s mandated visits between biological families and children are stopped because of the pandemic. And shutdowns at family courts are burdening all parties.

The closing of schools has been a disaster for abused children.

Teachers are the primary reporters of suspicious bruises or behavior suggesting child abuse. But now those protective eyes and ears are not on children who may be being

seriously hurt at home.

Sadly, history has shown us that child abuse increases when there is heightened family stress such as that now being brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.

But there can be other valuable “eyes and ears” on children: Court Appointed Special Advocates — called “CASAs” — who play a powerful part in California’s foster care system statewide. A CASA volunteer is a trained community member who becomes a sworn officer of the court by the Juvenile Court Judges to represent the best interests of a court-dependent child.

CASAs ensure these children have a voice [and provide] the court with carefully gathered information [that] helps the court make a sound decision about the child’s best interest. In our program today, there are 248 CASAs who are helping 326 foster children and youth in our community.

Supervised in their advocacy work by CASA program professionals, CASA volunteers are effective and influential advocates for children in court and in school.

Moreover, they are mentors and friends. CASAs help children get

the medical and educational support they need, and they work with the professionals in the child welfare system towards either reunification with a family (if services are completed) or towards adoption and a permanent living plan for the child.

COVID-19 has dramatically upended the landscape for CASA programs. CASAs can no longer visit their case children face-toface, and can only connect through text, phone, or Facetime. CASAs try to help their children from the required “social distance,” but it is difficult. There are now no outings to a park, a library, or an ice cream shop — those “ordinary” times a CASA shares with a child who may be deprived of such experiences.

Most importantly, many Juvenile Dependency courts are now either shut down or operating on limited schedules, and so the critical court advocacy that CASAs offer to foster children is on temporary hold.

All the while, the child is living in temporary and often less-than-ideal foster circumstances, not sure what the future holds or where he or she will be living next month or next year. Older foster youth are suffer-

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Nancy D. Lackey Shaffer STAFF WRITER Kimberly Rivers CONTRIBUTORS Michael Cervin, David Michael Courtland, Ivor Davis, Emily Dodi, Alicia Doyle, Dane Edmondson, Chuck Graham, Chris Jay, Daphne Khalida Kilea, Karen Lindell, Paul Moomjean, Mike Nelson, Tim Pompey, Emily Savage, Kathy Jean Schultz, Alan Sculley, Kit Stolz, Mark Storer, Alex Wilson, Leslie A. Westbrook, Kateri Wozny GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Bret Hooper, Shannon Mead, Tonya Mildenberg SALES TEAM LEADER Warren Barrett ADVERTISING SALES Jon Cabreros, Barbara Kroon RECEPTION/LEGALS Tori Behar

ing from lost jobs or, if they were attending college, a lost school year — the chance increases for them to become homeless, hungry, sick, trafficked or tempted into crime.

Advertising information, call 805.648.2244 The truth is: we need Classified Ads, ext. 200 | Display Ads, ext. 207 CASAs now more than ever. And we need more EDITORIAL AND ADVERTISING OFFICE 700 E. Main Street • Ventura, CA 93001 of them. We know we Fax 805.648.2245 will be seeing a rise in child abuse and in chilThe Ventura County Reporter is distributed every Thursday in Ventura, Oxnard, Port dren entering foster care.

Hueneme, Camarillo, Ojai, Thousand Oaks, Westlake Village and Agoura Hills. The Reporter is available free of charge, limited to one copy per reader. The Reporter may It is essential that the be distributed only by Reporter authorized distributors. No person may, without prior CASA system in Caliwritten permission of the Reporter, take more than one copy of each Reporter issue. The Reporter is copyright ©2019 by Times Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. No part fornia be shored up and of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part in any form or by any means without permission in writing by the publisher. An adjudicated Newspaper of General adequately supported Circulation (SP50329). Submissions of all kinds are welcomed. However, the publisher by public and private assumes no responsibility for unsolicited material. A stamped, self-addressed envelope must accompany all submissions expected to be returned. Subscriptions are $99/yr. funders.

Even at the height of this pandemic, CASA of Ventura County is still recruiting volunteers, accepting applications, PRESIDENT Steve Strickbine VICE PRESIDENT Michael Hiatt and conducting informational sessions and training “virtually” while we practice social distancing. What better way to spend time at home Eric Z. Dersom is CFO of CASA of than training to be a CASA? We Ventura County, www.casaofventuracounty.org. need you!

Power to Speak

The real reason for the U.S.’s slow response to the pandemic

by Jamshid Damooei, Ph.D.

Our response to the coronavirus pandemic started with denial of the severity of the problem and advanced to an ongoing struggle to bring together the available resources as we face escalating challenges every day. We hear that there are a wide variety of infrastructure inadequacies that include an insufficient number of hospital beds and a struggle to stretch the available medical and emergency personnel. It is ironic that we are ready to spend trillions of dollars overcoming the emergencies, but have little interest in solving the existing problems caused by decades of neglect. It is clear that we have never suffered from a lack of resources for solving our problems but only a lack of political will.

The real reason for our inability to mount an appropriate response 4— — April 16, 2020

is our misunderstanding of the nature of health care services and preparation for emergencies.

They are public services just like firefighting, law enforcement and the military. We cannot expect the private and for-profit sectors to prepare for emergencies and decide how to gather our resources. We enjoy a relatively robust rapid response to wildfires in California only because we learned to provide more resources for meeting the existing and escalating needs.

A large portion of our healthcare system is in the hands of private and for-profit sectors.

Their objective is not to provide services to those in need. They respond to demands for health care, and their objective is to maximize their profits. Maximizing profit is not wrong, but sacrificing the health of our people to profit maximization is wrong.

There is a big difference between need and demand. Demand for a good or a service happens when a person wants it and has the ability to pay for it. Need is based on recognizing the right of people and communities to have a service or a good. It is an entitlement that extends to all.

Our failure to distinguish between demands and needs brought us to where we are now.

We spend twice as much on our healthcare system as a percentage of gross domestic product than the average of the 36 Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development countries to which we belong. Yet, we have left tens of millions of people without insurance or with inadequate insurance. This means that our health care system does not actually serve all, but only the fraction of our population who have a demand for the care they need. This is why

there are only 2.8 hospital beds per 1,000 people in the United States whereas Japan has more than 13, Korea more than 12, Germany 8 and China, with a population of 1.4 billion, has 4.3.

By not recognizing health care as a need and the right of every individual, we risk losing thousands of lives during a crisis — or even in a typical year without any crisis. We have been losing lives every single year because of our economic system. COVID-19 just brought existing problems to the boiling point.

Now, in the time of crisis, we are asking why, but there is still no real debate about our structural problems. I wonder if there will ever be a time when we talk about the real causes.

COVID-19 has opened up a dark window into the cruel way we treat ourselves as a society. To do better, recognizing health care

as a need is the first step. We then need to prioritize public spending on health care and be realistic about calculating that need. Italy recognizes health care as a need, but has failed to spend enough on it. Italy has an old population with a median age of 47 years, but it only has 3.2 hospital beds per 1,000 people. Japan, which also has an old population, has more than four times the number of beds per 1,000 people. Italy has had to ration its offering of health care to seniors and we may be forced to do the same, yet no one is talking about this.

If we do not learn from our mistakes, we will repeat them. Let us have no doubt about that.

Jamshid Damooei, Ph.D, is executive director of the Center for Economics of Social Issues and director of the Economics Program at California Lutheran University.

April 16, 2020 —

—5

COVID-19 NEWS

vcreporter.com

County strengthens public safety orders New restrictions for gatherings and essential businesses

by Kimberly Rivers

O

kimberly@vcreporter.com

n April 9, Ventura County Public Health Officer Robert Levin issued an order adding new requirements to orders previously issued in March aimed at protecting public health amidst the novel coronavirus pandemic. The order was in effect when issued and is effective until April 19, unless rescinded or extended by Levin.

“We cannot underestimate COVID-19, a virus that knows no boundaries, infects people of all ages, and can cause significant illness and death, particularly among people who are elderly or who have underlying serious health conditions,” said Dr. Levin in a written statement issued with the order.

“The Stay Well At Home Order has

been updated to further help save lives and protect our community.”

New restrictions for gatherings The order clarifies that “All gatherings are prohibited.” A gathering is defined as “public and private gatherings of two or more persons” who live in different homes. Gatherings larger than two people are only allowed “for the limited purposes of operating an essential business or to perform essential governmental functions or services.” The order allows “no more than seven people” who are “staff of organizations or associations” to “gather for the sole purpose of preparing and facilitating live-stream.”

The order clarifies that members of larger families or households are “permitted to engage in essential

travel or essential activities together.”

In the event of graveside funeral services, “gatherings of 10 or fewer persons are permitted.”

Long-term care facilities The public health order states that “Seniors confined together in a Long-Term Care Facility are at particular risk. An outbreak there might result in numerous deaths.” For that reason Levin advises that COVID19 positive patients at long term care facilities be moved to hospitals.

Instructions for essential businesses The order also requires that all essential businesses prepare and by April 12 post near the entrance a

“Social Distancing Protocol” for all locations where employees or the public will visit. The protocol must be easily visible and provided to all employees. Evidence of implementation must be provided to any enforcement agency “upon demand.” The protocol must include plans for how the number of people entering, waiting in line and working will maintain a minimum six-foot distance from others and how the business will provide means to sanitize hands in appropriate place. Businesses must ensure that employees who have a cough or fever are not to come to work or enter the business.

Other restrictions for essential businesses include: • Bicycle repair and supply shops may only sell bicycles online when “all bicycles are delivered to a place of residence or essential business.”

COVID News and Updates

by Kimberly Rivers kimberly@vcreporter.com

Insurance companies ordered to refund premiums

On April 13, California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara issued orders that require insurance companies, including those providing personal auto insurance, to issue appropriate refunds of premiums for March and April if the insured driver was impacted by the stay at home orders.

“With Californians driving fewer miles and many businesses closed due to the COVID-19 emergency, consumers need relief from premiums that no longer reflect their present-day risk of accident or loss,” said Lara. “Today’s mandatory action will put money back in people’s pockets when they need it most.”

The order will extend through May if shelter in place orders continue. A separate order extends insurance coverage for those with expired driver’s licenses and vehicle registration.

Insurance types included in the order are: private passenger automobile, commercial automobile, workers compensation, commercial multi-peril, commercial liability and medical malpractice. The order also states that it includes “any other 6— — April 16, 2020

insurance where the risk of loss has fallen,” due to the pandemic.

Insurance companies must “provide a premium credit, reduction, return of premium,” or other appropriate adjustment “as soon as possible” and no later than August 2020.

Lara has previously requested a 60-day grace period to avoid cancellations of policies due to nonpayment.

View the order online at www. insurance.ca.gov/0400-news/0100press-releases/2020/upload/ nr038AutoPremiumRefundsCOVID04132020.pdf.

County’s first blood plasma donation

On April 8, Dwight Everett of Camarillo became the first “convalescent plasma” donor in the county. He thinks he caught the novel coronavirus while on a cruise ship, he tested positive, then received and tested negative for the virus on March 14.

“Individuals who have recovered from COVID-19 may have immune-boosting antibodies in their plasma; that plasma — called ‘convalescent plasma — could be used to treat critically ill COVID19 patients,” explained Dr. Lynn Jeffers, chief medical officer at St. John’s Pleasant Valley Hospital.

Everett’s plasma was used to treat a patient at SJPV.

The plasma donation took place at the Ventura office of Vitalant, a nonprofit network of blood donation locations. Vitalant is working across Ventura County with multiple hospitals to identify qualified donors and collect plasma to treat COVID-19 patients. All donors must be evaluated and cleared by a physician. For information on registering to donate plasma visit: www.vcemergency. com/donate/plasma.

One-stop 211 service All Ventura County residents can dial 2-1-1 to be connected to a wide array of services and information. Many resources are available, from financial assistance to meal deliveries for homebound seniors to help for those at risk from domestic violence.

211 Ventura County is part of Interface Children and Family Services. Since March 5, there have been over 15,182 calls fielded by the service. Another 33,274 people were connected to resources through the organization’s texting program.

“Besides our staff, we have over 50 volunteers assisting now, including 30 employees of Boys and Girls Club from three clubs closed due to COVID-19,” said Erik Sternad, executive director of Interface.

Calls range from people having anxiety about the virus, seniors needing food, people losing jobs

and complaints from renters about landlords seeking early rent payments. People who call are connected to resources which include “telemedicine” services, including mental health support.

Domestic violence help, human trafficking prevention and youth crisis services are all continuing through both virtual help and the shelters operated by Interface, which are still open.

Direct numbers for specific help and support: 24-hour Domestic Violence and Human Trafficking Hotline: 1-800636-6738 24-hour Youth or Housing Crisis Hotline: 805-469-5882 Mental Health Intake Line (Mon-Fri. 8am-5pm): 805-485-6114 ext. 662

Crisis calls increase Oxnard-based Coalition for Family Harmony reports a 10 to 15 percent increase in calls to its hotline for victims of domestic abuse and violence since stay-at-home orders were issued.

“Financial and emotional stresses are taking a toll. Victims are calling our hotline, fearful about staying in their home with an abuser but also worried about leaving and possibly being exposed to COVID-19,” says Dr. Caroline Prijatel-Sutton, Coalition For Family Harmony executive director. “They are in desperate sit-

• Residential real estate services, including renting, leasing and home sales, may engage in activities “provided that appointments and other residential viewings must only occur virtually.” If virtual viewing is not possible, it must be “by appointment with no more than two visitors at a time, both of whom must” live together, joined by the agent/owner showing the unit. “In-person visits are not allowed when the occupant is present in the residence.”

• Auto sellers may only sell online “provided that all vehicles are delivered to a place of residence or essential business.”

Read the entire order online, access the business protocol form and view the guidance for long term care facilities at: www.vcemergency.com/ newsroom.

uations.”

The Coalition offers individual and group counseling sessions, operates a 24/7 bilingual hotline (800300-2181) and can help develop a plan to exit a dangerous situation.

When that is not possible, it will also offer plans on how to be safe, and how to call the police if needed.

Call 805-983-6014 for questions regarding services or visit www.

TheCoalition.org

Ojai Valley School donates food

Ojai Valley School, a private school, has donated food from the OVS kitchen to HELP of Ojai, a nonprofit organization supporting seniors and others in need in the Ojai Valley. The food will be part of HELP of Ojai’s program delivering 180 meals each day to seniors who are unable to get to grocery stores, or for whom it is unsafe to do so.

County accepting waivers for property tax payments Beginning April 11, Steven Hintz, Ventura County Treasurer-Tax Collector, will be accepting waiver applications for “late-payment penalties and fees” for the second payment of 2019-20 secured property tax bills.

NEWS

vcreporter.com A written statement issued by Hintz reported that he will consider “significant economic hardship . . . caused directly by the COVID19 virus pandemic” that prevented property owners from making payments on time (Feb. 1 and April 10, 2020).

If the waiver is granted, the new payment date will be August 31, 2020. That is the final date for payment. No other extensions will be available.

The application form, submitted “under penalty of perjury,” is available online at ventura.org/ttc/.

The form will be mailed to those who request it if they are unable to download it. Applicants should attach documentation to support their hardship. A separate application must be submitted for each property.

Payments made under a waiver cannot be paid online or by a credit card.

More information at the Treasurer-Tax Collector’s office: 805-654-3738 or email HelpingHand@ventura.org.

County DA highlights price gouging rules

The Ventura County District Attorney’s office has set up a price gouging hotline for residents to report incidents of exorbitant prices pursuant to new state rules.

On April 3, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued Executive Order N-44-20, which states that retailers may not charge more than they did on Feb. 4 for many categories of products including food, medical and emergency supplies.

There are exceptions if the seller’s costs have increased or if their prices were reduced on Feb. 4. Additionally, products being sold by a seller that were not being sold on Feb. 4 are now subject to a price cap. Retail prices cannot exceed the cost to seller to purchase or manufacture the item, plus a 50 percent markup.

Violations of these provisions are considered a misdemeanor punishable with six months in jail, a $1,000 fine, or both.

If you suspect price gouging in Ventura County, call the District Attorney’s office: 805-662-1737 or email DAOpricegouging@ ventura.org.

CalEPA takes Earth Day Online

April 22 is the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day. Due to the pandemic, community events and festivals are cancelled. The California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA) is part of a national movement involving local, state and federal agencies creating safe ways for the public to celebrate Earth Day through online hangouts, community social distancing clean-ups and more.

“While sheltering in place, I invite all Californians to join Earth Day 50 celebrations online and take steps to save the planet from home,” said Jared Blumenfeld, secretary of CalEPA. California residents are encouraged to use various hashtags on social media — #CalE-

Ventura resident aboard USNS Mercy Navy hospital ship supports local hospitals

by Kimberly Rivers

O

kimberly@vcreporter.com

arthDay50, #HowISavethePlanet — and share photos and videos of their ecofriendly activities that day. The movement can continue beyond Earth Day with people sharing images everyday. CalEPA will also offer practical actions to protect the environment, and will have educational activities for children throughout the month.

More information online: www.calepa.ca.gov.

Unable to pay your rent?

Report it now.

California tenants are urged by California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to pay as much of their rent as possible, but that if they are short or unable to pay, to report it as soon as possible.

“I urge families who are facing an inability to pay their rent due to COVID-19 to act swiftly and take control of their rights under the Governor’s executive order,” said Becerra in a written statement. He is referencing Gov. Gavin Newsom’s order halting evictions. “The order allows certain evictions to be delayed, but tenants must act quickly or risk losing their rights.”

Tenants must first notify their landlord in writing as soon as possible, but no later than seven days after rent is due. The written notice must state that the tenant is unable to pay full rent “due to reasons related to COVID-19.”

Then tenants should gather any documents that show they are unable to pay their rent, including notices of layoff, bank statements and medical bills.

Many cities and counties, including Ventura County, have taken additional measures to protect tenants.

A printable form tenants can use to notify their landlord is available online: https://oag. ca.gov/system/files/attachments/press-docs/ Tenant%20to%20Landlord%20notice%20 form%20UPDATED.pdf.

Tenants who receive an eviction notice or lawsuit and need legal guidance should contact their local legal aid organization, which they can find at www.calbar.ca.gov/Public/ Need-Legal-Help/Free-Legal-Help.

n March 29, Kimberly Wyss, U.S. Navy Hospital Corpsman Third Class, from Ventura, prepares to assist the first patients who will board the U.S. Navy Ship Mercy docked to serve in Los Angeles.

The ship will be serving nonCOVID-19 patients from the area to make room in hospitals for the anticipated surge of patients needing care related to COVID-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus pan- Photo by Ryan M. Breeden, U.S. Navy Mass Community Specialist 2nd Class. demic.

There were 800 medical professionals on crewmembers on the ship tested positive for board with about 15 patients.

COVID-19 and are in isolation off of the ship.

This mobilization is part of collaboration Any person they were in contact with are being between the Department of Defense and the quarantined, all but one have tested negative.

Federal Emergency Management Agency Procedures are in place on the ship to protect (FEMA). FEMA is the lead agency. the safety of all crew members and patients on This week the Navy announced that seven board.

April 16, 2020 —

—7

NEWS

vcreporter.com

A peak season like no other Strawberry harvest during the pandemic

by Kimberly Rivers

V

kimberly@vcreporter.com

entura County is entering peak strawberry season in the midst of a global pandemic. Agricultural workers have been deemed essential and the unique requirements of social distancing and enhanced hygiene practices create new needs and challenges for those doing the harvesting.

“We are doing more, trying to make sure the guidance stays updated,” said Carolyn O’Donnell, communications director with the California Strawberry Commission (CSC), an agency of the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA). She said a current major focus in responding to the pandemic is it to “get up-to-date information” to the fields “as quickly as possible,” as procedures seem to be changing almost constantly.

Other procedures related to food-

borne illnesses are important, too, but O’Donnell stressed that there is no current evidence of novel coronavirus being transmitted through food.

According to the CDFA website, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), California Department of Public Health and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), “have all stated that there are no reports at this time of human illnesses that suggests COVID-19 can be transmitted by food or food packaging. The CDC is reporting that, in general, because of poor survivability of the coronavirus on surfaces, there is likely a low risk of spread from food products or packaging that are shipped over a period of days or weeks at ambient, refrigerated or frozen temperatures.”

“The basis of all of this is a culture around food safety for the past 10 or 12 years,” O’Donnell said, which cre-

ates a strong foundation for responding to the current pandemic. The CSC has been providing training around not working while sick and regular hand washing for years.

The most recent training in early March was slightly modified amid murmurs of the virus. “We modified our training to emphasize staying healthy, working healthy and hand washing.” Training materials include flip charts, signs and videos.

“What I’m worried most about, it is the worst possible time for the pandemic to peak . . . at the same time that strawberry season is peaking,” said Lucas Zucker, policy and communications director with Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy (CAUSE), a local organization that advocates for farmworker interests and other issues. “The best news is right now, there is not a huge outbreak among local farmers, yet.”

California’s strawberry season

Kindness Corner

Nourishing frontline workers

by Kimberly Rivers

T

kimberly@vcreporter.com

he mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, friends and loved ones who are working in all positions at area hospitals are getting some extra support and nourishment from local restaurants, who in turn are getting support to keep their kitchens open.

The Oxnard-based Law Offices of Hiepler and Hiepler have sponsored 350 meals from the local Urbane Café for staff at St. John’s Regional Medical Center and St. John’s Pleasant Valley Hospital.

“We are grateful to Mark and Michelle Hiepler for their generous support of our physicians, nurses and staff,” said Darren Lee, president and CEO. “Mark, a graduate of Camarillo High School, wanted to recognize the heroes close to home and support local restaurants that are struggling during this unprecedented time.”

Two other local restaurants have started programs to support free meals for healthcare workers.

“We need your help during these challenging times to keep our business alive and to support our healthcare workers,” said Hernan Lopez. He and his wife, Corina, own The Blend Superfood Bar at The Collection in Oxnard. He

8—

— April 16, 2020

Staff at St. John’s Pleasant Valley Hospital in Camarillo enjoy meals from Urbane Cafe sponsored by Law Offices of Hiepler and Hiepler. Photo submitted.

has set a goal of raising $10,000 through a Go Fund Me page that will pay for 1,000 meals and keep employees working during a major slowdown in business.

To claim a free meal, healthcare professionals simply need to show their medical ID and/or the medical IDs of those whose orders they are picking up. The Blend’s menu includes a variety of healthy açaí bowls, smoothies and juices.

“There are some amazing teams of medical workers and first responders who are working long hours and risking their time and health for us, so we want to give back to them,” said Sarah Pritchett, owner of Ragamuffin Coffee Roasters, also at The

Collection in Oxnard. “During a hard time we have to stick together and stay positive.”

Pritchett is inviting community members to purchase snack packs to be donated to local healthcare workers. Pack options include freshly baked pastries, jug of latte, granola with yogurt, croissant sandwiches and coffee.

Ragamuffin Coffee Roasters: email hello@ragamuffinroasters. com or visit www.ragamuffinroasters.com.

The Blend Superfood Bar Go Fund Me campaign: www.gofundme.com/f/help-support-the-blendamp-fuel-health-care-workers.

Rows of strawberries in Oxnard, CA. Photo courtesy of California Strawberry Commission.

starts now in Oxnard. “The season rolls up the coast to Santa Maria, then to Salinas. During that peak season there is a powerful incentive [for farmworkers] to work extremely hard and fast, sometimes at the expense of their own safety,” said Zucker. He explained that for many farmworkers, spring means that winter savings have been drained, and the busy strawberry season is the opportunity to “get financially back on their feet.”

During strawberry season, most growing operations shift to paying workers a piece-rate rather than hourly wage. Zucker said Oxnard workers are paid about $2 for a large flat of strawberries.

“Safety precautions — like staying six feet apart or washing hands for 20 seconds — can easily fall by the wayside. Twenty seconds can feel like an eternity.” Even with many growers taking more steps aligned with best practices during the pandemic, there is still concern.

“They are doing better than usual.

I’ll tell you, normally we get a lot of complaints,” Zucker said, noting that hand-washing stations often run out of soap or paper towels. But he said it seems “most growers are now taking extra precautions.”

Local agencies such as the Farmworker Resource Program are assisting in getting information out to workers. 30,000 educational outreach materials have been inserted into paycheck envelopes, and videos are pushed out using WhatsApp, to reach those who may not read or write. The materials are all provided in English, Spanish and Mixtec.

O’Donnell said these methods have been used in the past, and were heightened during the Thomas, Woolsey and Hill fires. She added that the idea of only working when you’re healthy is normal protocol, and all field crews should understand that if they are sick at all to stay home. “We have stressed that for a really long time.”

But she said the CSC is not responsible for regulation or ensuring all workers see or hear their information, or that employers properly implement them.

“We don’t have any regulatory authority over farmworker hygiene, or adherence to state/federal laws on

sick leave,” said Ed Williams, Ventura County Agricultural Commissioner. He confirmed hygiene practices would be under the authority of Ventura County Public Health and then usually enforced by law enforcement. Labor issues like sick leave would fall under the purview of state and federal labor boards. The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (CalOSHA) investigates complaints related to workplace safety filed by employees or representatives of employees.

Inspections by any of those regulatory agencies are complaint driven.

“No one wants to file a claim during the pandemic . . . if you file with CalOSHA, they don’t do unannounced inspections,” said Zucker. “The industry will often say ‘we are overregulated, look at all the agencies.’ It’s a patchwork riddled with holes.”

Part of the pandemic response in agriculture in the county has involved weekly calls with stakeholders including advocates, growers and agencies — all trying to stay ahead of the virus.

Zucker points to a few local growers who are getting it right. “Brokaw Nursery and ranch, they immediately expanded sick leave. Good Farms and Reiter, they are the biggest ag employer in Ventura County, they are a huge mega ag corporation and have all these affiliated farms [in the county]. Some do a good job, and as a company they put out some good health directives to their contractors.” But, he said, “At the end of the day, it’s the retailer, the distributor level . . . If Driscoll was doing random spot inspections, a lot more of the strawberry farms would be taking it really seriously.” He did offer that even the large companies may lack the capacity to do those kinds of checks.

“I would be curious to see if they are inspecting their own supply chain.”

Ventura County Farmworker Resource Program information: 805-385-1899, email HSA-AGFRP@ventura.org or visit www.ventura.org/human-services-agency/farmworker-resources/.

CalOSHA rules for workplace safety for agricultural work environments: www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/Coronavirus/ COVID-19-Infection-Prevention-in-Agriculture.pdf

April 16, 2020 —

—9

FEATURE

vcreporter.com

A New Brew

Oak & Iron owner Andrew Pletcher. Photo submitted.

Bars mixing it up to stay in business during shutdown

by Kateri Wozny

W

hen the Ventura County Public Health Department’s “Stay Well at Home” Order went into effect on March 20, Bill Kracht, owner of The Shores in Oxnard and O’Leary’s Tavern in Ventura, immediately thought about his employees.

“I started looking into financial solutions; government money, state money and more for my employees than for myself and how they would survive for two to four weeks,”

Kracht said.

Kracht has owned The Shores for about two years and O’Leary’s Tavern for five years. He was required under the order to temporarily close O’Leary’s, which does not serve food. Bars that serve food, such as The Shores, are allowed to remain open for takeout or delivery.

“None of the [bar/restaurant]

owners around town thought this would come to life,” Kracht said.

“No one thought they were going

No one thought they were going to shut anyone down.” to shut anyone down and just limit the amount of people to 50 percent capacity.”

Most of his employees – nine

Bill Kracht, owner of The Shores in Oxnard and O’Leary’s Tavern in Ventura. Photo submitted.

10 —

— April 16, 2020

from O’Leary’s, 24 from The Shores – are going on unemployment, but Kracht is still trying to help them by providing minimal work.

Two employees at The Shores – a bar manager and a kitchen manag— Bill Kracht er – are currently working.

“I have a couple cooks and servers that I’m going to have do some computer work so I can continue to pay them,” Kracht said. “The younger cooks can do deep clean in the kitchen.”

Charlene Pichon, a full-time bartender at The Shores, is one of the employees that has filed for unemployment. In the meantime, she is looking to perform home reorganizing services for community members and has also been creating a library and homeschool setting for her children.

“Money-wise it’s been really challenging,” Pichon said. “I’m seeing what I can do with what I have to keep my kids entertained and generate some kind of income.”

Kracht said the service industry is driven more by tips and not the minimum wage.

“I don’t believe the minimum wage should be $15 (an hour),” Kracht said. “The minimum wage was not to sustain a family, just a way to come into the workforce.

I’m more worried what avenues the employees have and if they could

file for unemployment with no wait period.” Kracht also mentioned that the United States Bartenders Guild is taking donations through its COVID-19 Relief Campaign to help bartenders pay rent and other bills.

The California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) is also temporarily providing regulatory relief to accommodate bars and restaurants during the state’s “Safer at Home” order, depending on the license type. The Shores is allowed to sell alcoholic beverages to go in a packaged container and secured lid, but only with a purchase of food. The beverage must be kept in the customer’s trunk or another area that is not occupied in the vehicle.

“Everything is tied to food,” Kracht said.

Since the order went into effect, food sales at The Shores average about $500 in a two-day period. “As a rough estimate, I need $1,000 a day to break even,” Kracht said.

Kracht says that some Shores patrons have offered monetary donations, but “the hardest thing is standing at the door and saying no, I can’t take your [charitable] money,” he explained. “The best way to help any small business, even if you don’t want food, is to go buy a gift card at the restaurant and use it later on to help the owner pay rent and bills.”

“I am very appreciative of all of my customers,” Kracht said. “I hope

FEATURE

vcreporter.com thing,” Pletcher said. “Many small businesses need your support. If [the community] can commit to one to two meals a week, that’s going a long way.”

The bar also plans on having mixology classes a few times a week via Instagram and Facebook Live.

“Whiskey Wednesdays” ($40 for three tastings, $60 for four tastings) will feature different whiskey or bourbon providers.

“We are not even a year old and we have been embraced by the community,” Pletcher said. “That motivates us to turn around and keep going.”

For more information, visit www. shopoakandironto.com.

The Local

Oxnard resident Jamie Lee Kelly picks up a to-go order from The Shores with assistance from front house manager Stacey Gibson. Photo submitted

Ireland native Michael Delahunty, owner of The Local in Camarillo, was looking forward to having a St. Patrick’s Day celebration in his pub but could see what was happening on the horizon.

everyone comes and supports us when they can.” www.theshoresoxnard.com.

Oak & Iron

Craft cocktail bar Oak & Iron in Thousand Oaks voluntarily shut down on March 15 before the public health order took effect, which resulted in five employees being laid off. The bar’s one-year anniversary was on April 4.

“It was in the best interest of the community and to abide by the six-foot social distancing rule,” said owner Andrew Pletcher. “Everybody who had worked at the time of the closure can walk in that same day and get their job back [when the order is lifted.]”

Lead bartender and beverage director Paul Jones was kept on as part of an unemployment workshare. serving food to go, we are their “We want to provide comfort beverage partner and will fulfill that cocktails to our customers,” Jones obligation,” Pletcher said. said. “I feel very hesitant about Currently, Pletcher said purthe future and optimistic with the chased costs are about 85 percent opportunity that I lower than when have.” they are normally Oak & Iron is open. currently serv“The first 24 ing wine bothours [of the tles ($16.99 to order] we were $134.99), cockselling wine mixtails ($14 to $22) ers just to surand house-made vive,” Pletcher mixers ($18) to said. “It really go. They are also hit me that our partnered with — Michael Delahunty insurance wasn’t next door restaugoing to cover us rant Bad Ass Tacos under the city because they don’t cover virus-relatof Thousand Oaks’ conditional use ed closures.” permit. Customers are allowed to Fifty percent of proceeds will pickup the products between 3 p.m. go toward helping Oak & Iron’s and 7 p.m., seven days a week. employees.

“As long as they’re open and “This will help give them some-

The Local in Camarillo. Photo submitted.

“It was just going to be too busy and we could see [the public health order] coming,” Delahunty said, who made the decision to close the bar temporarily on March 15.

That first two weeks, he said he and his wife were looking at their financial situation. The couple have two children and another baby on the way.

“I needed to look at my inner circle and what we could do to survive,” he explained. “Then I looked at the pub. You have to be smart, bottles aren’t cheap and there are so many unknowns and you have to go through all of them before you jump back in.”

The Local re-opened on April 1 with beer growlers ($14) and house made cocktails ($10) to go.

“We want to see how April goes to get a better timeline of when we’ll be busy and not busy,” Delahunty said. “I might bring back food trucks on Fridays.”

Customers can also shop for merchandise online, including hats, t-shirts, hoodies, branded glasses, gift cards and stickers featuring each of his two employees.

“It’s been stress on all of them,” Delahunty said. “I’m trying to help them out and give them a percentage of the stickers that are sold. I got 1,000 stickers and have about 300 of them left.”

On April 9, the pub celebrated its two year anniversary with growler beer specials.

“Looking at the glass half full, we have a bar and a loyal following,” Delahunty said. “Even though it’s scary times, I feel blessed to have a bar to go through these scary times.

We’re all going to eventually get through this somehow.”

For more information, visit www. thelocalcamarillo.com.

We’re all going to eventually get through this somehow.”

Oak & Iron Head Bartender Paul Jones.

Photo submitted.

April 16, 2020 —

— 11

ART AND CULTURE

vcreporter.com

Students participate in a summer dance party at House of Dance in Ventura.

(Photo courtesy of Patricia Monico)

Out of Step

House of Dance struggles to keep its doors open

by Alicia Doyle alicia@aliciadoyle.com

S

12 —

— April 16, 2020

ince opening in 2002, the House of Dance in Ventura has been like a second home to students of all ages who frequent the studio for classes and a sense of camaraderie. Serving children as young as age 7 to older adults in their 80s, the studio has also hosted numerous events, including dance parties, father-daughter dances, birthday parties, bridal and baby showers and weddings.

“My landlord is always saying that I’m the hidden gem,” said owner Patricia Monico, of Ventura.

But since the coronavirus hit, forcing many businesses to shut their doors to protect the safety of the community, Monico is concerned about the future of House of Dance and is especially worried about her older students who must remain socially isolated until the crisis is over.

“I’ve got several students in their 80s and many of them dance three or four times a week — that’s what keeps them going,” she said.

“This is their physical and mental outlet. It’s not just a physical thing for a lot of people, especially the older people who live alone; this is their outlet for social activities.”

She noted that she has received several depressing emails from her students since the virus hit Ventura County.

“I sent another email out yesterday just touching base with everyone,” Monico said. “I’m letting them know I’m still trying to get this place up and running.”

Meanwhile, a Go Fund Me campaign is underway to generate money that will support her dance instructors that have been unable to work during the quarantine. As of April 13, $4,585 had been raised toward a $6,000 goal. To make a donation, visit www.gofundme. com/f/support-local-wcs-instructors-during-quarantine.

“This will help our instructors out of work, and some of it will go to the rent, because if I don’t have a building, I don’t have any place for them to go,” Monico said. “I’m also running a special on my website; hopefully people will pay for their classes that are coming up, hopefully soon.”

Monico, who began her dance life in 1977, competed in ballroom through 1997. She has won numerous awards over the years, including first place at the Western Regional Challenge Cup in cha cha, rumba, tango, mambo, salsa and swing. She has also danced in two 24-hour dance-a-thons to raise money for AIDS, and danced on Holland America and Royal Caribbean cruise lines. Additionally, House of Dance has reaped several honors, including being named the Best Dance Studio in the Ventura County Reporter in

2005, 2009 and 2015. Monico herself was named the Best Dance Instructor in the Ventura County Reporter in 2017.

Dance classes offered at her studio include salsa, cha cha, East and West Coast swing, waltz, foxtrot, tango, Argentine tango, rumba, samba, nightclub two-step, the hustle and country two-step.

If the quarantine is imposed for two or three more months, however, “I don’t know if I can ever catch up,” said Monico.

Some people have suggested she take out a loan to help make ends meet.

“You still have to pay that back – it’s not free money,” Monico said. “If I can’t pay my rent in three months, I can’t pay off a loan in three months. I worry about how long this is going to set us back. This affects everyone who walks in my doors; it’s not just me — it’s everybody.”

As far as the future is concerned, she is trying to remain optimistic.

“I am thinking positive — if I don’t, I might as well just totally walk away,” she said. “But I can’t do that. This is my passion. This is something I feel is important to the community, my students, and people who walk in the door.”

House of Dance, 3007 Bunsen Ave., Ventura. For more information, visit www.pmhouseofdance.com or call 805-650-2719.

A MESSAGE FROM YOUR VENTURA COUNTY WATER PROVIDERS:

A MESSAGE FROM YOUR VENTURA COUNTY WATER PROVIDERS:

REST ASSURED, REST ASSURED, YOUR TAP WATER A MESSAGE FROM YOUR YOUR TAP WATER WATER VENTURA COUNTY PROVIDERS IS SAFE AND ISREST SAFEASSURED, AND RELIABLE. RELIABLE. YOUR TAP WATER IS SAFE AND The Coronavirus (COVID-19) does not present a threat to our water supplies.

RELIABLE. Ventura County water providers :

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) does not present a threat to our water supplies.

Ventura County water providers continually monitor and test the quality of your water, and are committed to providing a safe supply.

You can be certain your continually monitor and test the quality If you have questions or drinking water remains safe, of your water, and are committed to concerns please contact your The Coronavirus (COVID-19) does not local questions water provider,or or visit If you have providing supply. available, and plentiful. presenta asafe threat to our water supplies. www.calleguas.com. concerns please contact your Ventura County water providers local water provider, or visit You can bemonitor certain continually and your test thedrinking water quality ofsafe, your water, and are and plentiful. www.calleguas.com. remains available, committed to providing a safe supply.

April 16, 2020 —

— 13

ONTHERECORD

vcreporter.com on

y: Honeymo

Beach Bunn

New music to listen to now

by Alan Sculley, Last Word Features

W

ith many of us now sheltering at home during the coronavirus crisis, we can take some comfort in knowing the music industry continues to crank out a steady stream of new albums. Here are some new releases that are making my days a bit more enjoyable.

Early James: Singing For My Supper

Singing For My Supper, James’ full-length debut, is a good example of how inspired production, coupled with well-written songs, can lift an album to a truly magical place.

Things start with James, whose idiosyncratic voice gives him an immediately distinctive presence, and his solid songs. But the creative sonic treatments provided by producer Dan Auerbach (of the Black Keys) really enhance James’ strengths on Singing For My Supper. For instance, “Way of the Dinosaur” could have been merely an agreeable acoustic folk tune, but Auerbach and James put heft into the song with washes of ambient sound, backing vocals and judicious use of electric guitar.

On “Clockwork Town,” the soulful character of the song gets highlighted as James’ vocals float over touches of organ and pedal steel, while a light but insistent rhythm with some Latin accents push the song forward. It’s an intoxicating mixture. “High Horse” is another example of the production and arrangement elevating a song to considerable heights. Things start on a delicate note in the verses only to swell into a lovely string-laden instrumental segment that reaches a

lush apex before the song settles back to a gentle and thoroughly satisfying finish. James’ stripped back 2018 debut EP suggested he could write interesting and thoughtful folkcentric songs. But with Auerbach sprinkling his production fairy dust — instead of applying simpler acoustic instrumentation and straightforward production — Singing For My Supper emerges as a truly special album.

The Weeknd: After Hours

As is becoming his habit, The Weeknd is blowing up the Internet and topping the charts with After Hours. If I can offer one minor complaint, it’s that the songs on After Hours are somewhat similar — they blend vintage synth-pop and sleek R&B and typically stay in ballad or moderately peppy mid-tempo territory. But there’s no arguing about the quality of the songs, which at times piercingly chronicle the hurt and sometimes contradictory emotions of romantic breakups. The songs (which include the standout chart-topping singles “Heartless” and “Blinding Lights”) work for another basic reason: The Weeknd and his collaborators know how to write appealing vocal melodies. And the sprightly beats and perky synth tones that support the vocal melodies only add to the warm and often upbeat feel of the songs on After Hours. It all makes for another solid effort from one of today’s top hit-makers.

Chelsea Lovitt: You Had Your Cake, So Lie In It

Lovitt seems to have a thing

for classic musical styles, ranging from ‘60s country to vintage rock and guitar pop, but her sensibilities are also modern enough that You Had Your Cake, So Lie In It feels contemporary in the same way Margo Price or Miranda Lambert are giving their traditional country roots a fresh twist. The best news is that, however one describes Lovitt’s music, it’s good — in fact, frequently better than good — on songs like “Bind,” which delivers a blast of ringing guitars and potent hooks, “Anybody Else,” which has a rockabilly kick, and “If I Had a Dollar,” which combines hard twang and ’60s-ish rock. Add in some humor and the occasional lyrical bite (“If Stupid People Could Fly” and the title track are prime examples) and You Had Your Cake, So Lie in It shapes up as quite the coming out party for Lovitt.

It e, So Lie In ad Your Cak H u Yo : tt vi Chelsea Lo

Nora Jane Struthers: Bright Lights, Long Drives, First Words

On her fifth solo album, Struthers enters a new phase in her life, having recorded the disc while she was eight months pregnant with her first child.

In many songs, Struthers ruminates about the pluses and minuses of the transient life of a touring musician.

Her thoughts are presented clearly as Struthers incisively shares what’s on her mind, making what could have become a song cycle too specific to her own life relatable on a much broader level. Musically, Bright Lights, Long Drives, First Words is a significant step away from the rootsy and more rustic sound of Struthers’ previous album, Champion. This time, Struthers mixes old-time country twang with a healthy kick of electric rock and roll on such

songs as “The Turnpike,” “We Made It” and “The Hunger,” while also including a few stripped-back acoustic tunes (“A Good Thing” and “Take All Your Time”). It all makes for a compelling and invigorating album that deftly walks the line between full-on rock and classic country.

Beach Bunny: Honeymoon

If you’ve been missing Paramore or any other female-fronted punk-

pop acts from a decade or so ago, Beach Bunny is here to save the day with Honeymoon. There’s plenty of youthful angst and energy here, much of it courtesy of singer Lili Trifilio. Her lyrics cover a range of common relationship issues, but Trifilio sounds earnest enough and there are a few nice turns of phrase along the way. And Trifilio and her Beach Bunny bandmates know how to craft pop hooks for maximum impact, which makes Honeymoon a consistently fun and often irresistible effort.

Early James: Singing For My Supper

ht ruthers: Brig Nora Jane St Words t rs Fi s, Drive Lights, Long After Hours The Weeknd: 14 —

— April 16, 2020

April 16, 2020 —

— 15

OUT OF THE BOX

vcreporter.com

Wild life

by Nancy D. Lackey Shaffer

Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness Directed by: Rebecca Chaiklin and Eric Goode Starring: Joe Exotic, Carole Baskin, Bhagavan Antle, John Finlay Rated TV-MA 5 hrs., 17 min. (8 episodes)

F

rom the start, Tiger King is a bumpy ATV ride into the outlandish: exotic animals, misfits, magic, reality television, feuds, rivalries, Hollywood, gun culture and PETA — and that’s just the first episode. Centering on the story of one Joe Exotic — aka the Tiger King — this true-crime documentary series on Netflix delves into the world of big cat collectors and roadside zoos, where cults of personality abound and the layers of weird are many and varied.

At the center is Joe Schreibvogel-Maldonado-Passage, better known as Joe Exotic, the flamboyant, gun-toting founder of Oklahoma’s Greater Wynnewood Exotic

Bhagavan “Doc” Antle

16 —

— April 16, 2020

Animal Park (G.W. Zoo for short) and one of the most prolific (some might say notorious) tiger breeders in the U.S. He’s also great television, offering up a campy on-camera persona for filmmakers Rebecca Chaiklin and Eric Goode as well as ample footage from his own cheesy music videos and bombastic spots on JoeExotic.tv. Exotic sees all the world as his personal stage, and the cameras seem to have always been rolling long before Chaiklin and Goode showed up.

A frequent subject of Exotic’s televised rants is Carole Baskin of Big Cat Rescue, an animal rights activist on a mission to take down all the roadside zoos and outlaw private ownership of big cats. The years-long feud between Exotic and Baskin became more and more contentious, culminating in a murder-for-hire plot that landed Exotic in prison for 22 years.

While that particular journey forms the backbone of Tiger King, the story swerves again and again into other sideshow acts. A small sample: a polyamorous commitment ceremony between Exotic and

Joe Exotic

his two young lovers, an employee who loses a limb, a fellow collector named Bhagavan “Doc” Antle who runs his Myrtle Beach Safari with a group of young women he seems to treat like his own personal harem, a shady “angel investor” and a restaurateur turned federal informant. Oh, and then there’s Exotic’s bid for U.S. president in 2015, followed by a 2017 run for Oklahoma governor (his campaign manager previously worked at Walmart).

Just when you think things can’t get more bizarre, they do.

There’s an overlying seediness to most of the operations covered in the documentary. Cages are small, grounds are often unkempt, everyone is running around with loaded guns and humans and animals alike eat expired meat from Walmart. There are grotesque scenes where Exotic shoots and blows up Baskin in effigy. Despite Exotic’s protestations of love for his exotic animals, it’s hard to see how any of them could be adequately cared for under these con-

Carole Baskin

ditions. Zoo employees are candid about the back-breaking work for poor pay, and the squalid living quarters. And what did become of so many of Doc Mantle’s cubs, anyway?

It’s hard to imagine why so many willingly choose to work for the likes of Exotic and Antle. At best, we see people so enamored of charismatic men and their cats that they were willing to forgive a lot. But a darker perspective is that these men are predators with a knack for taking in transients, ex-cons, drug addicts, the young and impressionable — people with few other prospects who found coming to the park easier than leaving it.

With her cheerful and sensible demeanor and conservationist leanings, Baskin stands in stark contrast to these shadier, over-the-top personalities. But there are disturbing aspects to her story as well, including the unsolved disappearance of her second husband, Don Lewis. Make no mistake: Exotic, who has repeatedly accused Baskin of murdering Lewis and feeding his body to the animals at her Big Cat Rescue, is a biased observer with

an axe the size of Florida to grind.

But the details of Lewis’ disappearance (and the millions of dollars at stake) raise unsettling questions nonetheless.

As compelling as Tiger King is, it has been justifiably criticized for its sensationalism and an inadequate look at the conditions of captive big cats. There’s no mention, for example, of the numerous accusations of animal cruelty and abuse levied at Joe Exotic through the years. Antle, Baskin and Exotic have all publicly decried the docuseries and their portrayal.

And as this strange, sordid tale wraps up, we do wonder about the thousands of tigers (and lions, panthers, leopards and other species) who are being bred for sale, trade and cub-petting sessions.

The set-ups, backstabbing, failed plots and injustices endured by the various players were brought on, essentially, by their own actions.

The only innocent parties are the exotic animals in the path of this trainwreck of human drama, and by series’ end, there doesn’t seem to be a solution in sight for their sad fate. And that is the biggest tragedy of all.

April 16, 2020 —

— 17

5 O’CLOCK SOMEWHERE

vcreporter.com

Quarantiki time VenTiki Lounge and Lanai 701 E. Main St., Ventura 805-667-8887 www.ventikiloungeandlanai.com $6-$140

by Nancy D. Lackey Shaffer

T

nshaffer@timespublications.com

here are a lot of things I miss while staying safe at home, and chief among them is happy hour at VenTiki Lounge and Lanai in Downtown Ventura. Easily one of the most popular and recognizable spots in Ventura County — and possibly Southern California; I’ve run into more out-of-towners here than I can count — it’s known for its tropical hipster ambience that calls back to the glory days of Polynesian pop and a carefully curated menu of expertly crafted, dangerously strong drinks.

Fear not, tiki enthusiasts! VenTiki has not left you stranded. The

18 —

— April 16, 2020

popular bar is currently mixing up enough libations for takeout to fill a (small) outrigger canoe.

Call ahead or order online — we found both processes very easy. The hard part is deciding what to choose.

Available right now (they change things up weekly to keep it fresh): mai tais, jet pilots, zombies, hurricanes and the vodka-laden Altar of Sacrifice. A few are offered as a single serving, but most come in 16-ounce mason jars, with enough for two to three drinks ($38-50).

Are you sheltering in place with a group? Consider the QuaranTiki Trifecta ($140), with one “ration” each of the classic mai tai, jet pilot and zombie — in total, 48 ounces of boozy goodness. For $100, you can also get a 32-ounce Zombie Apocalypse — more money, but with three types of premium rum, a little goes a long way.

The other special edition for these

B.I.R.D. Ration Kit and a mason jar of Blue Hawaiian. Photo by Nancy D. Lackey Shaffer

times is the B.I.R.D. Ration Kit. Short for Beverage Individually (packaged) Ready to Drink, the kit features two containers of premixed cocktails — one classic tiki drink, one a signature drink from a VenTiki bartender; both promised to be

“STRONG!!” Only 50 are available for pickup every week, and the contents change.

A recent order included a 16-ounce Blue Hawaiian and a B.I.R.D. Ration Kit. Arriving for pickup, I noticed tape neatly laid out on the patio, meant to direct traffic while adhering to social distancing requirements. The entrance to the bar is now guarded by a cart where goods change hands (there’s a big bucket of sanitary wipes right there).

Setting out my order, the server insisted I take a fat bag of crushed ice — “good ice” as he called it; I complied. I was also instructed to shake everything up well before consuming.

The Blue Hawaiian in its mason jar was a bright sight to behold: a pretty tropical green (yellow pineapple juice plus blue Curaçao; whatcha gonna do?) with swizzle sticks and umbrellas attached with twine, and a message of thanks taped to the jar.

Very festive! The B.I.R.D. box was painted orange and sealed with a tiki sticker. I couldn’t wait to open these “gifts” at home.

Inside the box we found an orange Tofunga Punch and a red Cobra’s Fang accompanied by a small recipe booklet, swizzle sticks and umbrellas. We gave each container several shakes, poured them over the “good ice” and garnished.

My living room on a drizzly day was no substitute for VenTiki’s whimsical lanai, but the delicious drinks — the punch was quite citrusy with hints of rum and spice, while the Fang offered up a fruity sweetness — definitely gave me a sunnier disposition.

After a bit of time and a bite to

eat, we had our second round — the Blue Hawaiian. My hurricane glasses were the ideal size and shape for this colorful concoction. VenTiki had set us up with a bag of mint for garnish, which was a nice touch . . . even if we had actually forgotten about it. No matter: With or without mint, this tropical classic was flawless.

I was surprised to enjoy cocktail takeout as much as I did. The balance, the flavors, the ease — just shake and pour — it was a real treat and a nice departure from my basic homemade drinks. These uncertain times haven’t dampened VenTiki’s spirits, and those tasty to-go tipples are giving a much-need lift to my own.

Blue Curaçao mixed with pineapple juice makes the Blue Hawaiian green, but it is delicious nonetheless.

April 16, 2020 —

— 19

ADVICE GODDESS

by amy alkon

(whereas avoiding it is unlikely to lead to a shiny new boyfriend suddenly sliding down your chimney, Santa-style).

To figure out whether you can afford the risk, apply a concept from economic psychology: “Risk tolerance.” This is a term for how much stomach somebody has for the possible loss of an investment they make — all their dollars leaping out of it and swan-diving en masse into a toilet, with the final straggling dollar kicking the flusher on its way down.

Essential to determining your risk tolerance is figuring out the possible costs if a thing between you and this guy goes all crashy-burn. For example, there could be financial costs if you end up needing to move. You should also factor in your tolerance for drama, like embarrassing public encounters with a Mr. Romantic turned Mr. Should Be In A Jacket With A Lotta Buckles. Also consider your fiscal and emotional fortitude for what psychologists Joseph Luft and Harrington Ingham called “unknown unknowns”: crazy stuff most of us just wouldn’t imagine happening, like much of the adult world getting grounded by the government.

If you decide to give it a go with him, consider taking things slowly.

This is generally prudent but especially so when you could have a stalker who doesn’t have to follow you home because he lives there, too. If you’re

in the staff restroom.

Unless there’s a policy forbidding co-workers from dating, asking this guy out should not lead to you and your job being forced to part company. Surely, you know that. Chances are your goal of asking the guy out is getting tangled up in your groping around for an excuse to avoid doing it.

This is understandable. The prospect of failing at a goal — especially a romantic goal — is stressful, but there’s a way to make failed efforts take less of a bite out of you. It turns out that in goal pursuit, there’s safety in numbers — in simultaneously pursuing a flock of goals rather than just one goal at a time. A single bird can get shot down, but it’s hard to shoot down a whole flock at once unless your weapon of choice is an alien death ray.

Consider replacing being goal-oriented with the broader approach: being goal systems-oriented. A goal is simply a result you’re trying for — a single result, like “get Joe Shelfstocker to go out with me.” The singularity is the problem. If Joe turns you down, you’ve failed at your goal. Hard out.

Goal systems are more forgiving.

While a goal is a lone target — win or lose, all or nothing — a goal sys-

When you fail at a single goal, if it’s simply one of many in your goal system, you’ve got cushioning.

2B Or Not To Be

This guy recently moved into my apartment building, and we seem to have a spark. I’d like to go out with him. However, because we live in the same building, this might be a bad idea. If it goes badly, things could get really awkward or even horrible.

Should I just try to forget about him?

— Tempted Let’s just say this has some negative potential — along the lines of throwing back a bottle of pinot noir all by yourself and then deciding to cut your bangs at 1 a.m.

Though going for it with this guy could go seriously wrong, there’s also the potential for it to go seriously right. Risk can be a path to reward

like me, you love to make an interesting entrance, but that probably doesn’t include getting into your apartment via rope ladder.

Love In The Paycheck Republic

I’m a 20-year-old girl with a big crush on my very cute boy co-worker.

Day after day, week after week, I want to invite him out for drinks, but then I chicken out. I ask myself all the usual questions, like, “What if he says no, and work gets embarrassing?” and, “What if he tells the boss, and then I get fired?”

— Procrastinating Endlessly You’d be asking him to go for drinks, not asking him to straddle you

tem,as explained by social psychologist Arie Kruglanski, is a network of “interconnected goals.” A goal system would be, “Work toward having love in my life.” This goal system would be the home of your goal of getting a date with the guy, but it would take up residence with a bunch of brother, sister, and cousin goals, such as: Work on building up confidence. Get a cuter haircut. Go out more.

When you fail at a single goal, if it’s simply one of many in your goal system, you’ve got cushioning. Your failure is just a momentary bummer within a world of to-dos, at least some of which you’ll manage to pull off.

Being goal-system-driven gives you the emotional air bag to go forward all “carpe diem!” — “seize the day!” — instead of downshifting to “cogit, ergo spud”: “I think I’ll act like a potato” (um, loosely translated). (c)2020, Amy Alkon, all rights reserved. Got a problem? Write Amy Alkon, 171 Pier Ave, #280, Santa Monica, CA 90405, or e-mail AdviceAmy@aol.com. @amyalkon on Twitter. Weekly podcast: blogtalkradio.com/amyalkon Order Amy Alkon’s new book, “Unf*ckology: A Field Guide to Living with Guts and Confidence,” (St. Martin’s Griffin, 2018).

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY ARIES

(March 21-April 19):

Aries artist Vincent van Gogh got started on his life’s work relatively late. At ages 25 and 26 he made failed attempts to train as a pastor and serve as a missionary. He didn’t launch his art career in earnest until he was 27. During the next ten years, he created 860 paintings — an average of 1.7 every week — as well as over 1,200 additional works of art.

For comparison, the prolific painter Salvador Dali made 1,500 paintings in 61 years. During the coming twelve months, Aries, you could achieve a van Gogh-like level of productivity in your own chosen field — especially if you lay the foundations now, during our stay-athome phase.

TAURUS

(April 20-May 20):

Most authors do their writing while sitting on chairs in front of desks. But long before there were standing desks, poet Rainer Maria Rilke and children’s author Lewis Carroll wrote their books while standing up. Novelist Henry James had eight desks, but typically paced between them as he dictated his thoughts to a secretary. And then there have been weirdoes like poet Robert Lowell and novelist Truman Capote. They attended to their craft as they lay in their bed. I suggest you draw inspiration from those two in the coming weeks. It’ll be a favorable time to accomplish masterpieces of work and play while in the prone position. .

GEMINI

(May 21-June 20):

While sleeping, most of us have over a thousand dreams every year. Many are hard to remember and not worth remembering. But a beloved few can be life-changers. They have the potential to trigger epiphanies that transform our destinies for the better. In my astrological opinion, you are now in a phase

20 —

— April 16, 2020

by rob brezsny

when such dreams are more likely than usual. That’s why I invite you to keep a pen and notebook by your bed so as to capture them. For inspiration, read this testimony from Jasper Johns, whom some call America’s “foremost living artist”: “One night I dreamed that I painted a large American flag, and the next morning I got up and I went out and bought the materials to begin it.” (Painting flags ultimately became one of Johns’ specialties.)

CANCER

(June 21-July 22):

Ford Madox Ford (1873–1939) was a renowned author who wrote The Good Soldier, a novel that has been called “one of the 100 greatest novels of all time.” Yet another very famous author, Henry James (1843– 1916), was so eager to escape hanging out with Ford that he once concealed himself behind a tree so as to not be seen. You have astrological permission to engage in comparable strategies during the coming weeks.

It won’t be a time when you should force yourself to endure boring, meaningless, and unproductive tasks.

LEO

(July 23-Aug. 22):

I hope that during the coronavirus crisis you have been entertaining wild truths and pondering the liberations you will initiate when the emergency has passed. I trust you have been pushing your imagination beyond its borders and wandering into the nooks and crannies of your psyche that you were previously hesitant to explore. Am I correct in my assumptions, Leo? Have you been wandering outside your comfort zone and discovering clues about how, when things return to normal, you can add spice and flair to your rhythm?

VIRGO

(Aug. 23-Sept. 22):

I like this quote by the author Jake Remington: “Fate whispers to the warrior, ‘You cannot withstand the storm.’ The warrior whispers back, ‘I am the storm.’” Although this passage is more melodramatic than necessary for your needs in the coming weeks, I think it might be good medicine that will help you prevail over the turbulence of the coronavirus crisis. Getting yourself into a storm-like mood could provide you with the personal power necessary to be unflappable and authoritative. You should also remember that a storm is not inherently bad. It may be akin to a catharsis or orgasm that relieves the tension and clears the air.

LIBRA

(Sept. 23-Oct. 22):

Libran rapper and activist Talib Kweli says, “You have to know when to be arrogant. You have to know when to be humble. You have to know when to be hard and you have to know when to be soft.” You Librans tend to be skilled in this artful approach to life: activating and applying the appropriate attitude as is necessary for each new situation. And I’m happy to report that your capacity for having just the right touch at the right time will be a crucial asset in the coming weeks. Trust your intuition to guide you through every subtle shift of emphasis.

SCORPIO

(Oct. 23-Nov. 21):

Scorpio artist Marie Laurencin (1883–1956) enjoyed a colorful fate. One of the few female Cubist painters, she was a prominent figure in the Parisian avant-garde. She was also the muse and romantic partner of renowned poet Guillaume Apollinaire. But there came a turning point when she abandoned her relationship with Apollinaire. “I was twenty-five and he was sleeping with all the women,”

she said, “and at twenty-five you don’t stand for that, even from a poet.” Is there a comparable situation in your life, Scorpio? A role you relish but that also takes a toll? Now is a favorable time to re-evaluate it. I’m not telling you what you should decide, only that you should think hard about it.

SAGITTARIUS

(Nov. 22-Dec. 21):

Sagittarian sculptor and architect Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1596–1680) was a prodigious, inventive creator. One scholar wrote, “What Shakespeare is to drama, Bernini may be to sculpture.” He designed and built public squares, fountains, and buildings, many in Rome, which embodied his great skills as both sculptor and architect. Unlike many brilliant artists alive today, Bernini was deeply religious. Every night for 40 years, he walked from his home to pay a devotional visit to the Church of the Gesù. According to my reading of the astrological factors, now would be an excellent time for you to engage in reverential rituals like those—but without leaving your home, of course. Use this social-distancing time to draw reinvigoration from holy places within you or in your memory.

CAPRICORN

(Dec. 22-Jan. 19):

As I understand the current chapter of your life story, you have been doing the unspectacular but yeoman work of recharging your spiritual batteries. Although you may have outwardly appeared to be quiet and still, you have in fact been generating and storing up concentrated reserves of inner power.

Because of the coronavirus crisis, it’s not yet time to tap into those impressive reserves and start channeling them into a series of dynamic practical actions. But it is time to formulate the practical actions you will take when the emergency has passed.

AQUARIUS

(Jan. 20-Feb. 18):

Aquarian poet Jacques Prévert offered a variation on the famous Christian supplication known as the Lord’s Prayer. The original version begins, “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.” But Prévert’s variation says, “Our father who art in heaven: Stay there.” Being an atheist, he had no need for the help and support of a paternal deity.

I understand his feeling. I tend to favor the Goddess myself. But for you Aquarians right now, even if you’re allergic to talk of a divine presence, I’ll recommend that you seek out generous and inspiring masculine influences. According to my reading of the astrological omens, you will benefit from influences that resemble good fathering.

PISCES

(Feb. 19-March 20):

How skillful are you in expressing what you want? Wait. Let me back up and reformulate that. How skillful are you in knowing what you want and expressing the truth about what you want to the people who might ultimately be able to give it to you or help you get it?

This is the most important question for you to meditate on in the coming weeks. If you find that you’re fuzzy about what you want or hazy about asking for what you want, correct the problems.

Homework: For three days, uphold your highest ideal in every little way you can imagine.

Report results at FreeWillAstrology.com Go to RealAstrology.com to check out Rob Brezsny’s expanded weekly audio horoscopes and daily text message horoscopes. The audio horoscopes are also available by phone at 1-877-873-4888 or 1-900-950-7700.

surety insurer on the form included with the Proposal form, a cashier's check drawn by a National bank, a check certified by a National bank or cash. An electronically transmitted copy of the bid bond form, included in the Proposal form, may be used but the form must have the original signatures of the principal and surety. Copies of the completed bond will not be accepted.

Bidders must have a Class A California Contractors license, and will be required to furnish a Performance Bond and a Payment Bond, each in the amount of 100% of the contract price.

In accordance with Section 22300 of the Public Contract Code, securities may be substituted for funds withheld.

Bidders, contractors, and other interested parties can obtain wage rates pertaining to Ventura County projects at the link provided below.

California general prevailing wage rates for construction can be obtained from the following Web site: http://www.dir.ca.gov/DLSR/ PWD/index.htm.

The awarded contractor must post copies of the prevailing wage determinations at each job site.

4/16/20 CNS-3359459#/30057

LEGAL

Bids VENTURA COUNTY WATERSHED PROTECTION DISTRICT NOTICE INVITING FORMAL BIDS Sealed bids will be received in the bid box at the County Surveyor's Public Counter, 3rd Floor, Administration Building, 800 South Victoria Avenue, Ventura, California 93009-1670, until 2:00 p.m. on May 07, 2020, and afterwards publicly opened, for Arroyo Simi Stabilizer Repairs, for Specification No. WP20-06, which consists of removal of existing damaged 1/4-ton concreted rock riprap bank protection; repair of damaged 1/4-ton concreted rock riprap bank protection, and repair of a scour sinkhole by injecting slurry to fill the void; construction of 1-ton concreted rock riprap cutoff wall, 1-ton concreted rock riprap splash pools; and appurtenant work.

The estimated cost of construction is $ 524,000.

The plans, specifications and proposal forms for this project are filed in the office of the Ventura County Surveyor and are, by reference, made a part of this Notice.

Construction bidding documents, including plans, specifications, addenda and any supplementary documents are now available on the Ventura County Web Site at: https://www.vcpublicworks.or g/esd/contracting/ Then click on “Contract Bidding Opportunities” and then “eBidBoard Website” where the documents may be viewed, downloaded and printed.

Printed copies of the document can be purchased at most commercial printing companies that have internet access.

Due to the current COVID-19 crisis, printed copies are not available by purchase through the County of Ventura A List of Plan Holders is available on the Website shown above.

An abstract of bids received will be available at the same web site under Bids & Subs.

When projects are awarded, the award notification to the State will be posted under Awarded Contracts.

Bids must be submitted on the proposal form furnished with said documents. Subcontractor list must include a valid Contractor's License Number. Contractor and any subcontractors must be registered with the Department of Industrial Relations prior to bid time and shall be verified during bid verification processes.

Each bid must be accompanied by a bid guarantee in the amount of not less than 10% of the amount bid, PAYABLE TO THE VENTURA COUNTY WATERSHED PROTECTION DISTRICT and guaranteeing that the bidder will enter into a contract in accordance with the terms of the bidding documents if award is made. The bid guarantee shall be in one of the following forms: a bid bond written by an admitted surety insurer on the form included with the Proposal form, a cashier's check drawn by a National bank, a check certified by a National bank or cash. An electronically transmitted copy of the bid bond form, included in the Proposal form, may be used but the form must have the

Lien Sale Notice NOTICE OF PUBLIC SALE OF ABANDONED PERSONAL PROPERTY NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to California Civil Code section 1993.07 and Govt. Code Section 6066, a public auction will take place on May 16, 2020, 7:00 p.m., at 2919 N. Ventura Avenue, Ventura, California.

The following property will be sold: tools; fabrication equipment; drills; grinders; automobile and truck hydraulic lifts; hoists; air compressors; wheels; tires; ladders; exercise equipment; truck bed storage containers; sea containers; liquids; off-road vehicles; snow mobiles; storage racks and shelves; trailers; welders; welding supplies; diagnostic testing equipment; truck beds; gas powered tire cutter; tire installation machine; chains and straps; office equipment; desk; computers; telephones; and heavy equipment.

The auction will be conducted by Precision Warehouse, 3502 Dry Creek Rd., #2, Paso Robles, CA 93446, telephone number: (805) 835-7085, email: info@ precisionwarehouse.com, and www.precision warehouse.com/online-equipment-auctions. Which will describe the items available.

Further described as Martin Henderson d/b/a Double R Towing liquidation.

The terms of sale are: cash in lawful money of the United States, with sale going to the highest bidder in competitive bidding. The property must be paid for and removed by the purchaser at the time of sale.

PUBLISHED: Ventura County Reporter; 4/9/20 and 4/16/20./30006 LIEN SALE Bob Carlson's Towing, 1300 Fleet Ave Ventura, CA. To be sold at 10:00 am on 4/28/2020: 13-CHEV License: 7TBJ391 / CA Vin:1G1JG6SB7D4175046 Double R Towing, Inc., 2619 N Ventura Ave Ventura, CA. To be sold at 10:00 am, on 4/28/2020: 95-KAWK CF#:4077NX Hull#: KAW47855E595.

Jim's Fillmore Towing, 1575 Ventura St Fillmore, CA. To be sold at 10:00 am,

cense: 7TBJ391 / CA Vin:1G1JG6SB7D4175046 Double R Towing, Inc., 2619 N Ventura Ave Ventura, CA. To be sold at 10:00 am, on 4/28/2020: 95-KAWK CF#:4077NX Hull#: KAW47855E595.

J i m ' s F i l l m o r e T o w i n g, 1575 Ventura St Fillmore, CA. To be sold at 10:00 am, on 4/28/2020: 13-NISS License: 6YRV948 / CA Vin: 1N4AL3AP7DN487172.

Roy's Towing, Inc., 1344 1/2 Thousand Oaks Blvd Thousand Oaks, CA. To be sold at 10:00 am, on 4/28/2020: 20-CARRYON License: NONE / UNK Vin: 4YMBU1019LN006055.

PUBLISHED: Ventura County Reporter; 4/16/20./30066

Probate NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF ANTONIA J. DAVID, aka ANTONIA JUANA DAVID, DECEDENT Case No: 56-2020-00541197PR-PW-OXN To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of: ANTONIA J. DAVID, aka ANTONIA JUANA DAVID. A Petition for Probate has been filed by: MICHAEL F. DAVID in the Superior Court of California, County of VENTURA. The Petition for Probate requests that: MICHAEL F. DAVID be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent.

The petition requests the decedent’s will and codicils, if any, be admitted to probate. The will and any codicils are available for examination in the file kept by the court.

The petition requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval.

Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority.

A hearing on the petition will be held in this court as follows: May 13, 2020 at 9:00 a.m. in Dept. J-6. Address of court: Superior Court of California, County of Ventura, 4353 E. Vineyard Avenue, Oxnard, CA 93036, Juvenile Justice Complex.

If you object to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written April 16, 2020 — the court — 21 objections with before the hearing. Your

attorney knowledge- IF YOU OBJECT to the Saviers Road, Oxnard, CA There are other legal requireA hearing on the peti- able in California law. granting of the petition, 93030 ments. You may want to call tion will be held in this You may examine the you should appear at the The names and business ad- an attorney right away. If you dresses of the buyer are: do not know an attorney, you court as follows: May file kept by the court. If hearing and state your may want to call an attorney 13, 2020 at 9:00 a.m. in you are a person inter- objections or file written Yogurt Creations Group, LLC 8040 El Camino Real referral service. If you canDept. J-6. Address of ested in the estate, you objections with the court Atascadero, CA 93422 not afford an attorney, you court: Superior Court of may file with the court a before the hearing. Your The assets to be sold are de- may be eligible for free legal California, County of Ven- Request for Special No- appearance may be in scribed in general as: Fur- services from a nonprofit legtura, 4353 E.Contact Vineyard niture, and publication equipal services program. You tice (form DE-154)ex.200 of the person or by| Deadline your attorTori Behar 805.648.2244 | tori@vcreporter.com is Monday, 11 a.m.fixtures for Thursday ment and are located at: can locate these nonprofit A v e n u e , O x n a r d , C A filing of an inventory and ney.

2819 Saviers Road, Oxnard, groups at the California Leg93036, Juvenile Justice appraisal of estate asIF YOU ARE A CREDIT- CA 93033 al Services Web site Complex.

OR or a contingent The business name used by (www.lawhelpcalifornia.org), sets or of any petition or If you object to the account as provided in c r e d i t o r o f t h e d e - the seller at that location is: the California Courts Online granting of the petition, Probate Code section Self-Help Center cedent, you must file Tutti Frutti Yogurt. you should appear at the 1250. A Request for Spe- your claim with the court The anticipated date of the (www.courtinfo.ca.gov/selfProbate hearing and state your cial Notice form is avail- and mail a copy to the bulk sale is 05/04/20 at the help), or by contacting your objections or file written able from the court clerk. personal representative office of Chicago Title Com- local court or county bar asobjections with the court Attorney for Petitioner: appointed by the court pany, 475 W. Channel Is- sociation. NOTE: The court before the hearing. Your Robert B. England (State within the later of either lands Blvd., Suite 108, Port has a statutory lien for Hueneme, CA 93041. waived fees and costs on any appearance may be in Bar No. 91193), Fer- (1) four months from the This bulk sale is subject to settlement or arbitration person or by your attor- guson Case Orr Pater- date of first issuance of California Uniform Commer- award of $10,000 or more in ney. a civil case. The court's lien son LLP, 1050 S. Kimball letters to a general per- cial Code Section 6106.2.

If you are a creditor or a Rd., Ventura, CA 93004, sonal representative, as If so subject, the name and must be paid before the court of the person with address will dismiss the case. contingent creditor of (805) 659-6800. defined in section 58(b) of the decedent, you must PUBLISHED: Ventura the California Probate whom claims may be filed is ¡AVISO! Lo han demandado. file your claim with the C o u n t y R e p o r t e r ; Code, or (2) 60 days Chicago Title Company, 475 Si no responde dentro de 30 W. Channel Islands Blvd., días, la corte puede decidir court and mail a copy to 4 / 2 / 2 0 , 4 / 9 / 2 0 a n d from the date of mailing Suite 108, Port Hueneme, en su contra sin escuchar su the personal representat- 4 / 1 6 / 2 0 . / 2 9 9 3 0 or personal delivery to CA 93041, and the last date versión. Lea la información a ive appointed by the court you of a notice under sec- for filing claims shall be continuación. within the later of either NOTICE OF PETITION tion 9052 of the Califor- 05/01/20, which is the busi- Tiene 30 DIAS DE CALENness day before the sale date DARIO después de que le (1) four months from the TO ADMINISTER nia Probate Code. specified above. entreguen esta citaciónon y date of first issuance of ESTATE OF: Other California stat- Dated: 4/5/20 papeles legales para letters to a general perGARY MAURICE utes and legal authority Yogurt Creations Group, LLC presentar una respuesta por sonal representative, as THOMAS may affect your rights By: S/ Liam Grant escrito en esta corte y hacer defined in section 58(b) of CASE NO. 56-2020que se entregue una copia al as a creditor. You may Sole Managing Member the California Probate 00541246-PR-LA-OXN demandante. Una carta o want to consult with an 4/16/20 Code, or (2) 60 days To all heirs, beneficiaries, attorney knowledgeCNS-3359097#/30064 una llamada teléf.onica no lo protegen. Su respuesta por from the date of mailing c r e d i t o r s , c o n t i n g e n t able in California law. escrito tiene que estar en or personal delivery to creditors, and persons YOU MAY EXAMINE the Summons formato legal correcto si deyou of a notice under sec- who may otherwise be in- file kept by the court. If sea que procesen su caso en tion 9052 of the Califor- terested in the WILL or you are a person interSUPERIOR COURT la corte. Es posible que haya OF CALIFORNIA nia Probate Code. estate, or both of GARY ested in the estate, you un formulario que usted COUNTY OF RIVERSIDE Other California stat- MAURICE THOMAS. p ueda usar para su may file with the court a SUMMONS utes and legal authority A PETITION FOR PRO- Request for Special Norespuesta. Puede encontrar (CITACION JUDICIAL) estos formularios de la corte may affect your rights BATE has been filed by tice (form DE-154) of the Case No. y más información en el as a creditor. You may FREDRICK THOMAS in filing of an inventory and (Numero del Caso): Centro de Ayuda de las Corwant to consult with an the Superior Court of appraisal of estate asRIC 1904772 tes de California (www.suattorney knowledge- California, County of sets or of any petition or NOTICE TO DEFENDANT corte.ca.gov), en la bibli(AVISO AL DEMANDADO): able in California law. VENTURA. oteca de leyes de su account as provided in You may examine the T H E P E T I T I O N F O R Probate Code section ISMAEL HERRERA, an indi- condado o en la corte que le vidual; and DOES 1 through file kept by the court. If PROBATE requests that 1250. A Request for Spequede más cerca. Si no 20. you are a person inter- FREDRICK THOMAS be cial Notice form is avail- YOU ARE BEING SUED BY puede pagar la cuota de ested in the estate, you appointed as personal able from the court clerk. PLAINTIFF:(LO ESTÁ DE- presentaciónon, pida al secretario de la corte que le dé may file with the court a representative to adminis- Attorney for Petitioner MANDADO EL DEMANDun formulario de exenciónon Request for Special No- ter the estate of the de- ROBERT A. ARABIAN ANTE): ARCH CBT SPE, de pago de cuotas. Si no LLC, a California limited liabtice (form DE-154) of the cedent. presenta su respuesta a SBN 177963 ility company; and, NPI filing of an inventory and THE PETITION requests GIFFORD, DEARING tiempo, puede perder el caso DEBT FUND I, LP, a Califorappraisal of estate as- authority to administer the ABERNATHY, LLP por incumplimiento y la corte nia limited partnership. sets or of any petition or estate under the Inde- 515 S. FIGUEROA ST. NOTICE! You have been le podrá quitar su sueldo, dinero y bienes sin más adaccount as provided in pendent Administration of STE 2060 sued. The court may decide Probate Code section Estates Act . (This au- L O S A N G E L E S C A against you without your be- vertencia.

Hay otros requisitos legales 1250. A Request for Spe- thority will allow the per- 9 0 0 7 1 ing heard unless you reEs recomendable que llame spond within 30 days. Read cial Notice form is avail- sonal representative to 4/16, 4/23, 4/30/20 a un abogado inmediatathe information below. able from the court clerk. take many actions without mente. Si no conoce a un CNS-3359352#/30061 You have 30 CALENDAR Attorney for Petitioner: obtaining court approval. abogado, pueda llamar a un DAYS after this summons servicio de remision a Robert B. England (State Before taking certain very and legal papers are served Notice of Bulk Sales abogados. Si no puede pagar Bar No. 91193), Fer- i m p o r t a n t a c t i o n s , on you to file a written rea un abogado, es posible que guson Case Orr Pater- however, the personal sponse at this court and have NOTICE TO CREDITORS cumplía con los requisitos son LLP, 1050 S. Kimball representative will be rea copy served on the plaintiff.

OF BUL SALE para obtener servicios leA letter or phone call will not Rd., Ventura, CA 93004, quired to give notice to in(Secs. 6104, 6105 U.C.C.) gales gratuitos de un proprotect you. Your written reEscrow No. 132030118 (805) 659-6800. terested persons unless grama de servicios legales sponse must be in proper Notice is hereby given to PUBLISHED: Ventura they have waived notice sin fines de lucro. Puede enlegal form if you want the C o u n t y R e p o r t e r ; or consented to the pro- creditors of the within named court to hear your case. contrar estos grupos sin fines seller that a bulk sale is 4 / 2 / 2 0 , 4 / 9 / 2 0 a n d posed action.) The inde- about to be made of the as- There may be a court form de lucro en el sitio web de : California Legal Services, 4/16/20./29930 pendent administration sets described below. that you can use for your re(www.lawhelpcalifornia.org), Monday at 11am authority will be granted The names and business ad- sponse. You can find these en el Centro de Ayuda de las court forms and more informfor Thursday unless an interested per- dresses of the seller are: Cortes de California, son files an objection to Carlos Martine and Vicente ation at the California Courts ( w w w . s u c o r t e . c a . g o v ) o Online Self-Help Center Martine poniéndose en contacto con the petition and shows Contact: (www.courtinfo.ca.gov/selfla corte o el colegio de good cause why the court 2311 Crystal Downs Court help), your county law library, Tori Behar Oxnard, CA 93036 should not grant the au- The location in California of or the courthouse nearest abagados locales.

AVISO: Por ley, la corte tiene thority. you. If you cannot pay the filthe chief executive office of derecho a reclamar las (805) 648-2244 A HEARING on the peti- the seller is: same as above ing fee, ask the court clerk for cuotas y los costos exentos tion will be held in this As listed by the seller, all oth- a fee waiver form. If you do por imponer un gravamen Ext. 200 c o u r t a s f o l l o w s : er business names and ad- not file your response on sobre cualquier recuperación time, you may lose the case de $10,000 o más de valor 06/10/20 at 9:00AM in dresses used by the seller by default, and your wages, Email Your Ad: Dept. J6 located at 4353 within three years before the money and property may be r e c i b i d a m e d i a n t e u n tori@vcreporter.com E. VINEYARD AVENUE, date such list was sent or de- taken from you without fur- acuerdo o una concesión de livered to the buyer are: arbitraje en un caso de O NARD, CA 93036 ther warning from the court.

Panaderia Vanessa, 1221 derecho civil. Tiene que There are other legal requireIF YOU OBJECT to the Saviers Road, Oxnard, CA Visit us 9am-5pm at: pagar el gravamen de la ments. You may want to call granting of the petition, 93030 corte antes de que la corte 700 E. Main Street you should appear at the The names and business ad- an attorney right away. If you pueda desechar el caso. do not know an attorney, you Ventura, CA 93001 dresses of the buyer are: The name and address of the hearing and state your may want to call an attorney court is: (El nombre y objections or file written Yogurt Creations Group, LLC referral service.

If you canEl Camino Real dirección de la corte es): objections with the court 8040 not afford an attorney, you Atascadero, CA 93422 before the hearing. Your The assets to be sold are de- may be eligible for free legal RIVERSIDE COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT, 4050 appearance may be in scribed in general as: Fur- services from a nonprofit leg- MAIN STREET, RIVERSIDE, person or by your attor- niture, fixtures and equip- al services program. You CA 92501. can locate these nonprofit ment and are located at: ney.

The name, address and teleat the California Legphone number of plaintiff's atIF YOU ARE A CREDIT- 2819 Saviers Road, Oxnard, groups Online 24/7 al Services Web site CA 93033 torney, or plaintiff without an OR or a contingen t vcreporter.com (www.lawhelpcalifornia.org), The business name used by attorney, is: (El nombre, la c r e d i t o r o f t h e d e - the the California Courts Online seller at that location is: dirección y el número de cedent, you must file Tutti Frutti Yogurt.

Self-Help Center teléfono del abogado del de22 — — April 16, 2020your claim with the court The anticipated date of the (www.courtinfo.ca.gov/self- mandante, o del demandand mail a copy to the bulk sale is 05/04/20 at the help), or by contacting your ante que no tiene abogado, personal representative office of Chicago Title Com- local court or county bar as-

Classifieds | Legals LEGAL

CLASSIFIEDS and LEGALS Deadline

pagar el gravamen de la corte antes de que la corte pueda desechar el caso.

The name and address of the court is: (El nombre y dirección de la corte es): RIVERSIDE COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT, 4050 MAIN STREET, RIVERSIDE, CA 92501.

The name, address and telephone number of plaintiff's attorney, or plaintiff without an attorney, is: (El nombre, la dirección y el número de teléfono del abogado del demandante, o del demandante que no tiene abogado, es): TOM R NORMANDIN 102265 – Prenovost, Normandin, Bergh & Dawe, A.P.C., 2122 N. Broadway, Suite 200, Santa Ana, CA 92706, (714) 547-2444.

DATE (Fecha): SEP 19 2019 Clerk, By, E. Escobedo (Secretario), Deputy (Adjunto).

[Seal].

PUBLISHED: Ventura County Reporter; 3/26/20, 4/2/20, 4/9/20 and 4/16/20./29628 SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA COUNTY OF VENTURA. NOTICE OF HEARING BY PUBLICATION WELFARE & INSTITUTIONS CODE 366.26 J 072414 HEARING DATE: 07 01 2020 TIME: 0 :30 am COURTROOM: J1 In the matter of the Petition of the County of Ventura Human Services Agency regarding freedom from parental custody and control on behalf of Jonathan Fleischer, a child. To: Lindsay Fleischer, Unknown father, and to all persons claiming to be the parents of the above-named person who is described as follows: name Jonathan Fleischer, Date of Birth: 02/11/2020, Place of Birth: Santa Barbara, CA, Father's name: Unknown, Mother’s name: Lindsay Fleischer.

Pursuant to Welfare and Institutions Code Section 366.26, a hearing has been scheduled for your child. You are hereby notified that you may appear on 07/01/2020, at 8:30 a.m., or as soon as counsel can be heard in Courtroom J1 of this Court at Juvenile Justice Center 4353 Vineyard Ave. Oxnard, CA 9 3 0 3 6 . YOU AR E FU RTHER ADVISED as follows: At the hearing the Court must choose and implement one of the following permanent plans for the child: adoption, guardianship, or long term foster care. Parental rights may be terminated at this hearing. On 07/01/2020, the Human Services Agency will recommend termination of parental rights. The child may be ordered placed in long term foster care, subject to the regular review of the Juvenile Court; or, a legal guardian may be appointed for the child and letters of guardianship be issued; or, adoption may be identified as the permanent placement goal and the Court may order that efforts be made to locate an appropriate adoptive family for the child for a period not to exceed 180 days and set the matter for further review; or, parental rights may be terminated.

You are entitled to be present at the hearing with your attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, you are entitled to have the Court appoint counsel for you. A thirty-day continuance may be granted if necessary for counsel to prepare the case. At all termination proceedings, the Court shall consider the wishes of the child and shall act in the best interest of the child. Any order of the Court permanently terminating parental rights under this section shall be conclusive and binding upon the minor person, upon

rights may be terminated.

You are entitled to be present at the hearing with your attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, you are entitled to have the Court appoint counsel for you. A thirty-day continuance may be granted if necessary for counsel to prepare the case. At all termination proceedings, the Court shall consider the wishes of the child and shall act in the best interest of the child. Any order of the Court permanently terminating parental rights under this section shall be conclusive and binding upon the minor person, upon the parent or parents, and upon all other persons who have been served with citation by publication or otherwise. After making such an order, the Court shall have no power to set aside, change, or modify it, but this shall not be construed to limit the rights to appeal the order. If the Court, by order or judgment, declares the child free from the custody and control of both parents, or one parent if the other no longer has custody and control, the Court shall, at the same time, order the child referred to the licensed County adoption agency for adoptive placement by that agency.

The rights and procedures described above are set forth in detail in the California Welfare and Institutions Code Section 366.26. You are referred to that section for further particulars. Michael J. Planet, Executive Officer and Clerk, County of Ventura, State of California. Dated: 04/08/2020 by: Crystal Jimene Deputy Clerk, Children and Family Services Social Worker.

4/16, 4/23, 4/30, 5/7/20 CNS-33590 6#/30062

Trustee Sale A.P.N.: 693-0-020-215 Trustee Sale No.:2019-2246 Title Order No: 1407292CAD Reference No: 6801 Haack NOTICE OF TRUSTEE S SALE UNDER A NOTICE OF A NOTICE OF DELIN UENT ASSESSMENT AND CLAIM OF LIEN. YOU ARE IN DEFAULT UNDER A NOTICE OF DELIN UENT ASSESSMENT DATED 5 24 201 .

UNLESS YOU TA E ACTION TO PROTECT OUR PROPERTY, IT MAY BE SOLD AT A PUBLIC SALE. IF YOU NEED AN EXPLANATION OF THE NATURE OF THE PROCEEDING AGAINST YOU, YOU SHOULD CONTACT A LAWYER. Notice is hereby given that on 4 23 2020 at 11:00 AM, S.B.S. Lien Serices, As the duly appointed Trustee under and pursuant to Notice of Delinquent Assessment, recorded on 5/29/2018, as Document No. 20180529-00060525-0 Book , Page of Official Records in the Office of the Recorder of Ventura County, California, The original owner: John M Haack and Robert D Haack and the heirs or devisees of Genevieve M Haack Deceased their interests being subject to the administration of the estate of said decedent in Ventura County Probate Case No. P70689 Wherein John M Haack and Robert D Haack are the appointed administers of said estate. The purported new owner: John M Haack and Robert D Haack and the heirs or devisees of Genevieve M Haack Deceased their interests being subject to the administration of the estate of said decedent in Ventura County Probate Case No. P70689 Wherein John M Haack and Robert D Haack are the appointed administers of said estate. WILL SELL AT PUBLIC AUCTION TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER payable

Robert D Haack and the heirs or devisees of Genevieve M Haack Deceased their interests being subject to the administration of the estate of said decedent in Ventura County Probate Case No. P70689 WhereinTrustee John MSale Haack and Robert D Haack are the appointed administers of said estate. WILL SELL AT PUBLIC AUCTION TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER payable at time of sale in lawful money of the United States, by a cashier’s check drawn by a State or national bank, a check drawn by a state or federal credit union, or a check drawn by state or federal savings and loan association, savings association, or a savings bank specified in section 5102 of the Financial Code and authori ed to do business in this state.): AT THE MAIN ENTRANCE TO THE GOVERNMENT CENTER HALL OF JUSTICE, 00 SOUTH VICTORIA AVENUE, VENTURA, CALIFORNIA All right, title and interest under said Notice of Delinquent Assessment in the property situated in said County, as more fully described on the above referenced assessment lien. The street address and other common designation, if any of the real property described above is purported to be: 2627 Hartland Circle Westlake Village CA 91361 The undersigned Trustee disclaims any liability for any incorrectness of the street address and other common designation, if any, shown herein. Said sale will be made, but without covenant or warranty, express or implied, regarding title, possession, or encumbrances, to pay the remaining principal sum due under said Notice of Delinquent Assessment, with interest thereon, as provided in said notice, advances, if any, estimated fees, charges, and expenses of the Trustee, to wit: $10,775. 9 accrued interest and additional advances, if any, will increase this figure prior to sale. The claimant: VILLAGE GLEN PROPERTY OWNERS ASSOCIATION under said Notice of Delinquent Assessment heretofore executed and delivered to the undersigned a written Declaration of Default and Demand for Sale, and a written Notice of Default and Election to Sell.

The undersigned caused said Notice of Default and Election to Sell to be recorded in the county where the real property is located and more than three months have elapsed since such recordation. NOTICE TO POTENTIAL BIDDERS: If you are considering bidding on this property lien, you should understand that there are risks involved in bidding at a trustee auction. You will be bidding on a lien, not on the property itself. Placing the highest bid at a trustee auction does not automatically entitle you to free and clear ownership of the property.

You should also be aware that the lien being auctioned off may be a junior lien. If you are the highest bidder at the auction, you are or may be responsible for paying off all liens senior to the lien being auctioned off, before you can receive clear title to the property. You are encouraged to investigate the existence, priority, and si e of outstanding liens that may exist on this property by contacting the county recorder's office or a title insurance company, either of which may charge you a fee for this information.

If you consult either of these resources, you should be aware that the same lender may hold more than one

ority, and si e of outstanding liens that may exist on this property by contacting the county recorder's office or a title insurance company, either of which may charge you a fee for this information.

If you consult either of these resources, you should be aware that the same lender may hold more than one mortgage or deed of trust on the property. NOTICE TO PROPERTY OWNER: The sale date shown on this notice of sale may be postponed one or more times by the mortgagee, beneficiary, trustee, or a court, pursuant to Section 2924g of the California Civil Code. The law requires that information about trustee sale postponements be made available to you and to the public, as a courtesy to those not present at the sale.

If you wish to learn whether your sale date has been postponed, and, if applicable, the rescheduled time and date for the sale of this property, you may call FOR SALE INFORMATION, PLEASE CALL (855)986-9342, or visit this Internet Web site www.superiordefault.com using the file number assigned to this case 2019-2246. Information about postponements that are very short in duration or that occur close in time to the scheduled sale may not immediately be reflected in the telephone information or on the Internet Web site. The best way to verify postponement information is to attend the scheduled sale. THE PROPERTY IS BEING SOLD SUBJECT TO THE NINETY DAY RIGHT OF REDEMPTION CONTAINED IN CIVIL CODE SECTION 5715 b .

PLEASE NOTE THAT WE ARE A DEBT COLLECTOR AND ARE ATTEMPTING TO COLLECT A DEBT AND ANY INFORMATION WE OBTAIN WILL BE USED FOR THAT PURPOSE. Date: 3 13 20. S.B.S LIEN SERVICES, 31194 La Baya Dri e, Suite 106, Westlake Village, California, 91362.

By: Annissa Young, Trustee Sale Officer 04 02 20, 04 09 20, 04 16 20 TS#2019-2246 SDI17941/29630

Fic. Business Name FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE NO. 20200406-10005633-0 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: 1) GOLDEN STATE SELF STORAGE, 2) GOLDE N STATE STORAGE, 400 W. Ventura Blvd., Ste. 100, Camarillo, CA 93010, Ventura County, State of Incorporation / Organi ation, CA, Ojai Oil Company, 400 W. Ventura Blvd., Ste. 100, Camarillo, CA 93010. This business is conducted by: A Corporation. The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on: 6/15/2010. I declare that all Information In this statement Is true and correct (A registrant who declares information as true any material matter pursuant to Section 17913 of Business and Professions Code that the registrant knows to be false is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ( 1.000).) /s/ Ojai Oil Company, Sarah Powell Monroe Allen, Sarah Powell Monroe Allen, Assistant Secretary.

NOTICE - in accordance with subdivision (a) of Section 17920, a fictitious name statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the county clerk, except, as provided in subdivision of section 17920,

Allen, Sarah Powell Monroe Allen, Assistant Secretary.

NOTICE - in accordance with subdivision (a) of Section 17920, a fictitious name statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the county clerk, except, as provided in subdivision of section 17920, where it expires 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursuant to section 17913 other than a change in residence address or registered owner.

A new fictitious business name statement must be filed before the expiration. The filing of this statement does not of itself authori e the use in this state of a fictitious business name in violation of the rights of another under Federal, State, or Common Law (see Section 14411 ET SE ., Professions Business Code). This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Ventura on April 6, 2020.

PUBLISHED: Ventura County Reporter; 4/16/20, 4/23/20, 4/30/20 and 5/7/20./30068 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE NO. 20200330-10005484-0 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: REAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT LIMITLESS, 325 E. Hillcrest Drive #130, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360, Ventura County, State of Incorporation / Organization, CALIFORNIA, B.L. MADISON, INC, 325 E. Hillcrest Drive #130, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360. This business is conducted by: A Corporation.

The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on: N/A. I declare that all Information In this statement Is true and correct (A registrant who declares information as true any material matter pursuant to Section 17913 of Business and Professions Code that the registrant knows to be false is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1.000).) /s/ B.L. MADISON, INC, Lisa Madison, Lisa Madison, Secretary.

NOTICE - in accordance with subdivision (a) of Section 17920, a fictitious name statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the county clerk, except, as provided in subdivision of section 17920, where it expires 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursuant to section 17913 other than a change in residence address or registered owner.

A new fictitious business name statement must be filed before the expiration. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a fictitious business name in violation of the rights of another under Federal, State, or Common Law (see Section 14411 ET SEQ., Business & Profession s Code). This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Ventura on March 30, 2020.

PUBLISHED: Ventura County Reporter; 4/9/20, 4/16/20, 4/23/20 and 4/30/20./29991 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE NO. 20200303-10004210-0 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: BEST IN SHOW CLASSIC PARTS, 1300 Saratoga Ave., Unit 2106, Ventura, CA 93003, Ventura County, Jeremias Jauregui, 1300 Saratoga Ave., Unit 2106, Ventura, CA 93003. This business is conducted by: An Individual. The registrant commenced to transact busi-

(are) doing business as: BEST IN SHOW CLASSIC PARTS, 1300 Saratoga Ave., Unit 2106, Ventura, CA 93003, Ventura County, Jeremias Jauregui, 1300 Saratoga Ave., Unit 2106, Ventura, CA 93003. This business is conducted by: An Individual. The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on: 03/03/2020. I declare that all Information In this statement Is true and correct (A registrant who declares information as true any material matter pursuant to Section 17913 of Business and Professions Code that the registrant knows to be false is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1.000).) /s/ Jeremias Jauregui, Jeremias Jauregui. NOTICE - in accordance with subdivision (a) of Section 17920, a fictitious name statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the county clerk, except, as provided in subdivision of section 17920, where it expires 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursuant to section 17913 other than a change in residence address or registered owner. A new fictitious business name statement must be filed before the expiration. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a fictitious business name in violation of the rights of another under Federal, State, or Common Law (see Section 14411 ET SEQ., Business & Profession s Code). This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Ventura on March 3, 2020.

PUBLISHED: Ventura County Reporter; 3/26/20, 4/2/20, 4/9/20 and 4/16/20./29490

LEGAL

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE NO. 20200302-10004104-0 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: DEANA NICOLE SKIN CARE AND HAIR, 317 W. Channel Islands Blvd., Port Hueneme, CA 93041, Ventura County, Deana Nicole Pinckard, 3276 Corona St., Camarillo, CA 93010. This business is conducted by: An Individual. The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on: N/A. I declare that all Information In this statement Is true and correct (A registrant who declares information as true any material matter pursuant to Section 17913 of Business and Professions Code that the registrant knows to be false is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1.000).) /s/ Deana Nicole Pinckard, Deana Nicole Pinckard. NOTICE in accordance with subdivision (a) of Section 17920, a fictitious name statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the county clerk, except, as provided in subdivision of section 17920, where it expires 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursuant to section 17913 other than a change in residence address or registered owner. A new fictitious business name statement must be filed before the expiration. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a fictitious business name in violation of the rights of another under Federal, State, or Common Law (see Section 14411 ET SEQ.,

or registered owner. A new fictitious business name statement must be filed before the expiration. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a fictitious business name in violation of the rights of another under Federal, State, or Common Law (see Section 14411 ET SEQ., Business & Profession s Code). This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Ventura on March 2, 2020.

PUBLISHED: Ventura County Reporter; 3/26/20, 4/2/20, 4/9/20 and 4/16/20./29657 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE NO. 20200310-10004789-0 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: JON MAR BAR, 467 Alpine Ave., Ventura, CA 93004, Ventura County, Jonathan Rey Marrufo, 467 Alpine Ave., Ventura, CA 93004. This business is conducted by: An Individual. The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on: 03/10/20. I declare that all Information In this statement Is true and correct (A registrant who declares information as true any material matter pursuant to Section 17913 of Business and Professions Code that the registrant knows to be false is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1.000).) /s/ Jonathan Rey Marrufo, Jonathan Rey Marrufo. NOTICE - in accordance with subdivision (a) of Section 17920, a fictitious name statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the county clerk, except, as provided in subdivision of section 17920, where it expires 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursuant to section 17913 other than a change in residence address or registered owner. A new fictitious business name statement must be filed before the expiration. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a fictitious business name in violation of the rights of another under Federal, State, or Common Law (see Section 14411 ET SEQ., Business & Profession s Code). This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Ventura on March 10, 2020.

PUBLISHED: Ventura County Reporter; 4/2/20, 4/9/20, 4/16/20 and 4/23/20./29929

Bids COUNTY OF VENTURA NOTICE INVITING FORMAL BIDS Sealed bids will be received in the bid box at the County Surveyor's Public Counter, 3rd Floor, Administration Building, 800 South Victoria Avenue, Ventura, California 93009-1670, until 2:00 p.m. on MAY 12TH, 2020, and afterwards publicly opened, for CALLE ORINDA STORM DRAIN REPAIR, for Specification No.: RD20-0 , which consists of pavement resurfacing including Public Access Notice, Mobili ation, Traffic Control Construction Signing, Water Pollution Control, Existing Utility Roadway Facilities, Excavation Safety, Potholing, Clearing Grubbing, Pipe Investigation, Sawcut, Unclassified Excavation Export, Unclassified Fill, Slurry Cement Backfill, Pipe Structure Abandonment, Minor Concrete, 24 Reinforced Concrete Pipe, Monolithic Catch Basin Connection, Tack Coat As-

ied by a bid guarantee in the Facilities, Excavation Safety, amount of not less than 10% Potholing, Clearing Grubof the amount bid, PAYbing, Pipe Investigation, ABLE TO THE COUNTY OF Sawcut, Unclassified ExcavaVENTURA and guaranteetion Export, Unclassified ing that the bidder will enter Fill, Slurry Cement Backfill, into a contract in accordance Pipe Structure Abandonwith the terms of the bidding ment, Minor Concrete, 24 documents if award is made.

Reinforced Concrete Pipe, The bid guarantee shall be in Monolithic Catch Basin Conone of the following forms: a nection, Tack Coat Asbid bond written by an admitphalt Concrete Hot Mix appurtenant work. ted surety insurer on the form The estimated cost of conincluded with the Proposal struction is $350,000.00. form, a cashier's check The plans, specifications and drawn by a National bank, a proposal forms for this check certified by a National project are filed in the office bank or cash. An electronicof the Ventura County Surally transmitted copy of the veyor and are, by reference, bid bond form, included in the made a part of this Notice.

Proposal form, may be used Construction bidding docubut the form must have the ments, including plans, speoriginal signatures of the cifications, addenda and any principal and surety. Copies supplementary documents of the completed bond will are now available on the not be accepted.

Ventura County Web Site at: Bidders must have a Class A https://www.vcpublicworks.or California Contractors lig/esd/contracting/ cense, and will be required to then click on Contract Bidfurnish a Performance Bond ding Opportunities and then and a Payment Bond, each in eBidBoard Website where the amount of 100% of the the documents may be contract price. viewed, downloaded and In accordance with Section printed.

22300 of the Public Contract Printed copies of the docuCode, securities may be subment can be purchased at stituted for funds withheld.

Bidders, contractors, and othmost commercial printing er interested parties can obcompanies that have internet tain wage rates pertaining to access.

Ventura County projects at Due to the current COVID-19 the link provided below. crisis, printed copies are not California general prevailing available by purchase wage rates for construction through the County of Vencan be obtained from the foltura. lowing Web site: A List of Plan Holders is http://www.dir.ca.gov/DLSR/ available on the WebPWD/index.htm. siteshown above.

The awarded contractor must An abstract of bids received post copies of the prevailing will be available at the same wage determinations at each web site under Bids & Subs. job site.

When projects are awarded, 4/16/20 the award notification to the CNS-33594 9#/30060 State will be posted under Awarded Contracts.

Bids must be submitted on the proposal form furnished Health/Beauty with said documents. Subcontractor list must include a valid Contractor's License Number. Contractor and any habir Southwick, Nasubcontractors must be returopath, Ayur edic gistered with the Department Herbalist, Herbal treatof Industrial Relations prior to ments for weight-loss, inbid time and shall be verified flammation pain, high during bid verification problood sugar, all digestive cesses.

Each bid must be accompanconditions, high cholesied by a bid guarantee in the terol, high blood presamount of not less than 10% sure, skin conditions, livof the amount bid, PAYer detoxification niteABLE TO THE COUNTY OF time urination. Call 05VENTURA and guarantee30 -34 0. visit ing that the bidder will enter www.KSouthwick.com into a contract in accordance with the terms of the bidding documents if award is made.

Theraputic The bid guarantee shall be in Massage one of the following forms: a bid bond written by an admitted surety insurer on the form included with the Proposal form, a cashier's check $10 drawn

by Massage a National bank, a Extra Best • Deep Tissue Massage check certified by a National • Hot Stone Therapy In Town! bank or cash. An electronically transmitted of the Hours: Opencopy Every Day! 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. bid bond form, included in the 1 HOUR FULL BODY Proposal form,REFLEXOLOGY may be used 1 HR. FOOT but form Foot must have w/the Herbal Bath the original signatures of the 2802 E. Ventura • 805-648-2869 principal andMain surety. St., Copies of the completed bond will not be accepted.

Bidders must have a Class A California Contractors license, and will be required to furnish a Performance Bond and a Payment Bond, each in the amount of 100% of the contract price.

In accordance with Section 22300 of the Public Contract Code, securities may be substituted for funds withheld.

Bidders, contractors, and other interested parties can obtain wage rates pertaining to Ventura County projects at the link provided below.

California general prevailing wage rates for construction can be obtained from the foll o wtori@vcreporter.com ing Web s i t e : (805) 648-2244 Ext. 200 http://www.dir.ca.gov/DLSR/ PWD/index.htm.

— 23 The awarded contractor must April 16, 2020 — post copies of the prevailing

Oriental Massage

$35

$49.99

Choose us for your next le al notice

24 —

— April 16, 2020