FEATURE
THE YEAR THAT WAS
2020 in the rearview mirror by Nancy D. Lackey Shaffer
F
nshaffer@timespublications.com
or two and a half months, life in Ventura County was the same old same old. We had science, politics and the environment on our minds. Kids designed an experiment bound for space, a NASA engineer talked about the missions to Mars, everyone was looking to the Super Tuesday March 3 primary and the city of Ventura embroiled thousands of residents in the Ojai Valley in a water rights adjudication that has yet to be concluded. By March 19, we were living in a vastly different world — and our coverage reflects the mounting concern and massive changes to everyday living brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. While we managed to find other things to talk about from time to time, COVID-19 was the driving force behind nearly everything that happened for most of the year. Here we take a look at the stories that stood out in 2020.
JANUARY
Children are indeed the future, and our Jan. 1 edition featured the students of Ventura Missionary School, who partnered with NASA and Quest Institute to design an experiment testing heat transfer in outer space. The experiment was later rebuilt for eventual travel to the International Space Station. Stories we also covered in January included a look at the Petrochem site in the Ventura River Watershed, the water rights adjudication initiated by the city of Ventura with regards to some 10,000 property owners in the Ojai Valley and the work of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office’s Human Trafficking Task Force. Jet Propulsion Laboratory engineer Kobie Boykins Mars rover Curiosity, which landed on the Martian discussed his work on NASA’s Mars missions. surface on Aug. 6, 2012. Photo courtesy of NASA
FEBRUARY
February saw the beginning of our election coverage, as we informed readers about the various races and candidates on the ballot for the March 2020 primary, including the U.S. House of Representatives, State Senate and Assembly, Ventura County Supervisors and Superior Court. Our Feb. 12 issue covered Valentine’s Day, and Photo contest first place winning entry by we celebrated by showing our love of Michelle Stevens. photography, awarding prizes to the top three winners and displaying several more in a series of wonderful “honorable mentions.” We hit the ground running at the end of the month, with a feature on Ventura County’s Legacy Runners — those who have completed every single L.A. Marathon since the first one, which took place in 1986.
MARCH
In honor of Women’s History Month, we planned on featuring as many stories about women as possible. We started off strong, sharing the life and times of centenarian Tomie Katsuda of Oxnard and lifelong activist Lupe Anguiano. By the time the March 19 issue hit newsstands, however, life in Ventura County had changed dramatically. The coronavirus and the COVID19 disease caused by it — already declared a pandemic, and spreading rapidly across Asia and Europe — led to school and business closures, a rush on toilet paper and a nearly collective silence as all enterprise except the most essential came to a standstill, thanks to a statewide stayat-home order issued by California Gov. Gavin Newsom on a March 19. Our editorial team went into overdrive to keep up with the constant influx of pandemic-related updates and news coming in. We also reported on Dr. Sabine Hazan and her team at Progenabiome, who were working on a series of clinical trials aimed at developing a treatment protocol for COVID-19.
MAY
After taking a look at the bar scene in April, in May we checked in with local restaurants to see what strategies — mainly takeout specials and teaming up with World Central Kitchen — they used to keep going. We extolled on the virtues and pleasures of electronic bicycles, discussed one university dance teacher’s approach to online learning and presented our annual summer movie preview . . . with all the new releases coming to the small screen.
Robin Gardner (left) and Peter Miller are the founders and owners of Dogleg electric bicycles in Ventura. Photo by Kimberly Rivers 8—
APRIL
Alexa Coughlin shows a mask she has sewn for local healthcare workers. Photo submitted.
Unsurprisingly, our coverage in April was dominated by COVID-19 — and efforts made across the county to try to inform, protect, engage, feed and inspire people. We wrote about the citizens who took to their sewing machines, workshops and even 3D printers to make up for the shortage in masks and other personal protective equipment. Museums and galleries threw pretty pictures, video tours, interviews and more online, and local bars tried to stay afloat with to-go cocktails. We did manage to share the drama unfolding at a bald eagle nest at Lake Casitas — a rare and welcome departure from everything pandemic.
JUNE
In a salute to Ventura County’s graduating class, 2020 high school seniors shared their thoughts on what completing their education amidst a shutdown was like. Later we covered the Black Lives Matter protests and examined the legacy of Junipero Serra in light of demands for the removal of his statue from in front of Ventura City Hall. We ended the month on a story about the power of community created by a meditation group.
Jason Cotter during the June 7, 2020, VC BLACKOUT in Ventura. Photo by Jonathan Dixon
— December 31, 2020
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