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    Gary Sinise Foundation Brings its Concert for Defenders to Ventura County on April 13 to Honor its First Responders

    Carol Miller
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    Gary Sinise Foundation Brings its Concert for Defenders to Ventura County on April 13 to Honor its First Responders

    Gary Sinise & the Lt Dan Band will headline the free community celebration along with a special performance by Grammy nominated artist Five For Fighting

    WHAT:  On Saturday April 13 the Gary Sinise Foundation hosts its Concert for Defendersat California Lutheran University to honor Ventura County’s first responders and those we lost during the recent Borderline tragedy and the Woolsey and Hill fires. The event is open to the public and free-of-charge, offering an evening of music, food and fun, as well as the opportunity to pay tribute to those who serve selflessly to protect our freedom, security, and well-being.

    Gary Sinise & the Lt Dan Band will headline the community celebration along with a special performance by Grammy nominated artist Five For Fighting.As Gary Sinise is a member of this community, it is his hope that a healing community strong concert will provide some support in honor and remembrance of the sacrifices during this time. 

    We ask those wanting to attend to please RSVP at www.ConcertForDefenders.com

    WHEN:           Saturday, April 13, 2019

                           Doors Open at 4:00PM

    WHERE:        California Lutheran University

    William Rolland Stadium

    60 West Olsen Road

    Thousand Oaks, CA  91360

    WHY:         In November of 2018, the communities of North Los Angeles and Ventura Counties were devastated by the tragic shooting at Borderline Bar and Grill and the Hill and Woolsey fires. First responders rushed to the scene of the shooting in Thousand Oaks, and within hours were responding to the fast-moving wild fires, evacuating thousands who were in harm’s way. 12 families suffered a tragic loss at Borderline, and families in the area lost loved ones and property as the fires moved quickly west toward the Pacific Ocean. 

    Our first responders are individuals who have chosen jobs of service. They repeatedly put their lives in danger to ensure the people’s safety and security. And many times, their responsibilities require long hours away from their loved ones. The mission of the Gary Sinise Foundation is to serve and honor the needs of our defenders and their families, working each day to show our appreciation for their service to our communities and our country. 

     

    About Gary Sinise Foundation:

    The Gary Sinise Foundation honors America’s defenders, veterans, first responders, their families and those in need. Through its R.I.S.E.program (Restoring Independence Supporting Empowerment), specially adapted smart homes are being constructed for severely wounded veterans nationwide. Each one-of-a-kind home is customized to ease the everyday burdens of a wounded hero, their family, and caregivers. Other programs include Relief & Resiliency Outreach, Invincible Spirit Festivals, Gary Sinise &the Lt. Dan Band, Arts & Entertainment Outreach, Serving Heroes, First Responders Outreach, and Soaring Valor.Snowball Express, serves the children of our fallen military heroes, surviving spouses, and Gold Star families. For more information, please visit GarySiniseFoundation.org.

     

    The Gary Sinise Foundation

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    MOORPARK COLLEGE Hosts Second Annual Writers Festival

    Debra Tash
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    MOORPARK COLLEGE Hosts Second Annual Writers Festival

    Moorpark College will host its second Writers Festival Friday, April 5, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. This celebration of writers and their work is open to all Ventura County students, faculty, staff, and high school juniors and seniors. The Festival will prepare budding writers to generate and develop new work to share at the day’s open mic.

    Nationally acclaimed performers and writers Meliza Bañales, Liska Jacobs, Christiana Morgenroth, Mark Sarvas, David Rocklin, and Crystal Salas will run lively and engaging workshops in fiction, poetry, zines and stand-up comedy. Additionally, each speaker will provide feedback for up to five manuscripts on a first-come, first-served basis.

    “Last year’s festival was well organized, with so many pieces attended to in the organization: scholarships for deserving students, free lunch for attendees, open mic session for volunteers, skillful and highly regarded presenters, and well-organized feedback process,” says Gail Field of Conejo Writers Group. “There was an atmosphere of camaraderie as well as enthusiasm for writing and learning. I can’t wait for this year’s event!”

    The Festival will start with registration and breakfast snacks, a welcome and introduction from Festival Director, Sandra Hunter, and Ventura Youth Poet Laureate Unique Shehee. Participants are welcome to join morning workshops in poetry, fiction, stand-up comedy and intro to zines. After a Corner Bakery lunch, the teachers will provide readings and Q&A sessions. Participants can also attend a performance workshop. The day ends with an open mic hosted by poets Crystal Salas and Meliza Bañales.

    The Writers Festival will be hosted at Moorpark College (7075 Campus Road Moorpark, California). Early bird reservations are $40 from March 1 – April 5 or $20 per attendee for groups of 10 or more students. Admission includes parking, workshops, morning refreshments, a boxed lunch, admission to the afternoon open mic, and an optional manuscript review.

    For more information, please visit http://bit.ly/mcwf2019. For group reservations, please contact Tracy Stewart at [email protected] or (805) 553-4761.

    Author Bios:

    • MELIZA BAÑALES (Missy Fuego) is an award-winning writer, slam poet, educator, literary critic and performer. She is the author of SAY IT WITH YOUR WHOLE MOUTH and LIFE IS WONDERFUL, PEOPLE ARE TERRIFIC, a finalist for the 2016 Lambda Literary Awards.
    • LISKA JACOBS’ debut novel, CATALINA was voted one of the Best New Books of 2017 by the Chicago Review of Books, 28 Must-Read Fall Books by the HuffPost, and 12 Must-Read Books of November by Pop Sugar. Jacobs was the co-editor of DUM DUM, a literary zine. She is a Moorpark College alumnus. www.liskajacobs.com
    • CHRISTIANA MORGENROTH is a writer and comedienne, and the host of PERSONALLY SPEAKING, a popular stand-up comedy show in Los Angeles. She graduated from USC with a degree in Cinematic Arts. Morgenroth is a Moorpark College alumnus: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clmorgenroth
    • DAVID ROCKLIN’s second novel, THE NIGHT LANGUAGE, won the 2017 Foreword Indies Award. His debut novel THE LUMINIST (2011) was called “an absolute spellbinder”(Kirkus). He is the host of Roar Shack, a Los Angeles-based fiction reading series held each month in Echo Park in partnership with 826LA. www.davidrocklin.com
    • CRYSTAL SALAS is a 2016 Fellow for the Kenyon Review’s Young Writers Workshop and was named as one of “40 Poets To Watch Under 40” by the Ventura County Arts Council. She co-founded POETRY SOLVES PROBLEMS, and coaches at Get Lit. She is studying for her MFA at UC Irvine. Salas is a Moorpark College alumnus. http://www.littlebirddigs.com
    • MARK SARVAS is a literary critic and a contributing editor at the Los Angeles Review of Books. His second novel, MEMENTO PARK, has been highly acclaimed since its release in June 2018. It was called “a gripping mystery novel about art” by author Salman Rushdie, and a “thrilling, ceaselessly intelligent investigation into the crime known as history” by novelist Joseph O’Neill. Sarvas teaches novel writing in the UCLA Writers Program. http://www.marksarvas.com

     

     

    MOORPARK COLLEGE, one of three colleges in the Ventura County Community College District, was founded in 1967. It is set on 150 beautiful acres, nestled in the foothills on the southeastern flank of Ventura County, about 40 miles from UCLA, and approximately 75 miles from UC Santa Barbara. It is also a short drive from CSU Northridge, CSU Channel Islands, and California Lutheran University. Moorpark College was recognized in the Huffington Post in March of 2015 as the fourth-best community college in the nation. It has an excellent reputation for university transfer preparation, and its signature career/technical programs include nursing, radiation technology, biotechnology, and exotic animal training, which incorporates the world-renowned America’s Teaching Zoo. The college also offers a dynamic range of classes and programs in the visual and performing arts, and its pristine athletic fields and mild climate provide an excellent home for student athletes.

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    ‘Unplanned’ Hits Theaters, Recounts The Emotional Story Of A Former Abortion Clinic Worker

    Debra Tash
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    ‘Unplanned’ Hits Theaters, Recounts The Emotional Story Of A Former Abortion Clinic Worker

    Grace Carr | Reporter

    .

    “Unplanned” hit theaters Friday and tells the story of a former Planned Parenthood director whose life changed after working at a clinic.

    The film was released in over 1,000 movie theaters nationwide. It tells the story of former Planned Parenthood clinic director Abby Johnson, who worked at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Bryan, Texas, until 2009 when she left the organization after assisting in an ultrasound-guided abortion of a 13-week-old unborn baby. Johnson was Planned Parenthood’s youngest director of a clinic in the nation.

    She helped over 22,000 women have abortions during her time at the clinic. Planned Parenthood named Johnson employee of the year in 2008. She worked at the abortion provider for eight years before leaving the group. Johnson had two abortions before leaving Planned Parenthood.

    “The film is a kingdom project that has the potential to shift culture,” actress Robia Scott told The Daily Caller News Foundation.

    Scott plays Cheryl, the clinic’s director, in the film.

    The film does not condemn abortion outright, but aims to give the audience a clear picture of what occurs in clinics.

    “It’s a movie about love, hope and redemption, not condemnation,” directors Cary Solomon and Chuck Konzelman told TheDCNF.

    Ashely Bratcher, who plays Johnson, said she was intentional about never calling abortion “murder” in the film, because the movie is not about condemnation.

    Viewers watch the progression of a woman who entered the abortion industry to help women and discovers that Planned Parenthood is a business whose biggest money-maker is abortion.

    The goal of the film is to “inform the public so that abortion advocates truly know what they are supporting,” Johnson told TheDCNF. Putting her life on screen for the world to see is “a very vulnerable feeling,” she added, but ultimately worth it in order to “start a household dialogue on abortion.”

    “It’s not about making abortion illegal, it’s about making it unthinkable,” Johnson’s husband, Doug, told TheDCNF. He played an important role in Johnson’s departure from Planned Parenthood. (RELATED: We Talked To Former Planned Parenthood Workers. Their Stories Are Chilling)

    Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz tweeted about the film.

     

    At its conclusion, the film offers a help line to audience members who’ve had abortions or are struggling with a difficult abortion experience.

    WATCH:


    After leaving Planned Parenthood, Johnson founded And Then There Were None (ATTWN) in 2012 to help abortion workers leave the industry. The group also provides support to women who’ve had abortions and are suffering. Johnson has helped roughly 500 former abortion workers leave their jobs and find careers outside of the abortion industry.

    Her group sent tickets to a number of Planned Parenthood clinics across the U.S. hoping clinic workers will see the film, Doug told TheDCNF. They also sent free tickets to dozens of pro-choice advocates, according to Doug.

    Unplanned is rated R for “some disturbing/bloody images” of aborted babies.

    Planned Parenthood did not respond to TheDCNF’s request for comment.

     

    Follow Grace on Twitter.

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    Conejo Valley Kiwanis 10th Trivia Night Fundraiser

    Carol Miller
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    Conejo Valley Kiwanis 10th Trivia Night Fundraiser

    Who:   Conejo Valley Kiwanis

    What:  Our 10th Trivia Night fundraiser

    When:  Thursday, April 25, no-host dinner begins at 5:30pm, game begins at 7:00pm

    Where:  BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse, 3955 East Thousand Oaks Blvd

    Why:  When you present their flyer to your server, BJ’s will donate 20% of all food and non-alcoholic beverage sales to our Foundation to benefit local family and children’s services:  Manna-Conejo Valley Food Bank, Auxiliary of Ventura County Children’s Services, Lutheran Social Services Meal and Shelter Program, NPHS and Agoura High School Key Clubs, Sycamore Canyon and Sequoia Middle School Builders Clubs

    Details:  $10 per player, form teams of 4, prizes to all members of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd place teams.  We’ll also have raffle baskets with ticket vouchers for our Fourth Annual Wine and Food Event on October 10 at Los Robles Gardens.

    Conejo Valley Kiwanis

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    Simi Valley Historical Society – TIME WARP 1969 Free Event April 27th

    Carol Miller
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    Simi Valley Historical Society – TIME WARP 1969 Free Event April 27th

    “Check it out!” The Simi Valley Historical Society invites the public to an “outta’ sight” picnic at Strathearn Historical Park and Museum – 137 Strathearn Place, Simi Valley, 93065 – to celebrate the 50th anniversary of City of Simi Valley’s incorporation in 1969. The free (no “bread” to get in) event will be from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 27, 2019.

    Attendees are encouraged to “time warp” back to 1969 by dressing in their “grooviest” garb and bringing a picnic lunch, blankets, and/or lawn chairs to the party. Snacks, face painting, and balloon animals will be available from vendors, and picnic-goers will be able to “hang loose” as they “rock out” to the tunes of a live band, play games from “back in the day,” show off their hula hoop and yoyo skills, view vintage photos of the community, interact with special presenters, view classic cars and fashions, visit buildings and displays in the Historical Park and Museum, and more!

    So mark your calendars now and plan to “take five” and “make the scene” as part of the ”in crowd”  that will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of the City of Simi Valley’s incorporation at the “Time Warp Picnic” at Strathearn Historical Park and Museum from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 27, 2019. “Be There or Be Square!”

     

    Simi Valley Historical Society

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    April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month

    Carol Miller
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    April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month

    April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month and the Ventura Police Department will be joining law enforcement agencies statewide stopping drivers who violate California’s hands-free cell phone law.

    During the month of April, additional police officers will be on patrol looking specifically for drivers on their phones.

    Distracted driving is dangerous, especially when it involves a cell phone. According to preliminary data from the California Highway Patrol (CHP), 66 people were killed and more than 6,500 injured in 2017 from distracted driving-related crashes.

    “Cell phones remain one of the top distractions for drivers,” said Corporal Al Gomez. “Like any bad habit, it can be hard to break, but this habit can have life-altering consequences.”

    A 2018 observational survey by the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) on driver cell phone use found about 4.5 percent of drivers are still using their cell phone illegally, a nearly 27 percent increase from 2016.

    “That text or phone call will never be worth losing a life over,” said Sergeant Mike Brown. “That is
    why curbing distracted driving is high on our priority list.”

    Under the most recent cell phone law that went into effect in 2017, drivers are prohibited from having a phone in their hand for any reason and can only use their phone in a hands-free manner. The phones must be mounted on the dashboard, windshield or center console, and can only be touched once with the swipe or tap of a finger to activate or deactivate a function. First-time offenders face a $162 fine.

    If you need to make a call or text someone, pull over and park at a safe location. Struggling to stay off the phone while driving? Put your phone in a place you can’t reach, like the backseat or trunk.

    Funding for distracted driving enforcement operations are provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

    Ventura Police Department

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    California’s water infrastructure could be tested this spring as massive winter snowpack melts away

    Debra Tash
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    0
    California’s water infrastructure could be tested this spring as massive winter snowpack melts away
    By Mike Branom

    As waterlogged storms repeatedly pounded California this winter, social media was filled with variations on a distinct photo theme. The subject was a freshly plowed road wedged between towering white walls of snow measuring 10 or 20 feet tall. As long as vehicles had safe passage, a wintry trench would be fine — that snow had to go somewhere after all.

    But with an early-spring heat wave in the forecast, it’s time to start thinking about what a massive amount of snowmelt will mean for the state — that water has to go somewhere, after all.

    Despite snowpack in the Sierra Nevada measuring 153 percent above normal, it should be noted that experts aren’t expecting anything too terrible for California. When the National Weather Service recently issued its spring outlook, minor flooding was foreseen in the Golden State, unlike the deluges seen in the Midwest along the Mississippi and Missouri rivers…

    Read the rest of the story on The Washington Post

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    Twitter Temporarily Suspended ‘Unplanned’ Movie Account On Opening Weekend

    Debra Tash
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    Twitter Temporarily Suspended ‘Unplanned’ Movie Account On Opening Weekend

    Mary Margaret Olohan | Reporter

     

    “Unplanned,” a film on a former abortion clinic director who became pro-life, opened in theaters Friday, but Twitter temporarily suspended the movie’s account Saturday, causing pro-lifers to question its reasoning.

    Twitter suspended the account Saturday morning and reinstated it later in the day.

    Unplanned Suspended Without Explanation Saturday Morning

    “Unplanned” Twitter account (Screenshot/Twitter)

    The Daily Caller News Foundation reached out to the social media platform for comment and learned a different account violated Twitter rules, causing the system to suspend related accounts, according to Twitter. When Twitter took a second look, it decided the “Unplanned” account should not be suspended and reinstated it.

    Twitter did not specify what other related account had caused this.

    “Twitter just suspended @UnplannedMovie during the weekend of its theatrical release.@jack why are they suspended?” Rose tweeted. “You’ve banned both my & @LiveAction account from all promotions simply bc we’re pro-life. Have you banned this account because it challenges your pro-abortion bias?”

    “Unplanned” tells the story of Abby Johnson, a former Planned Parenthood clinic director and one of the youngest directors of a Planned Parenthood in the nation. Johnson said she left Planned Parenthood in 2009 after assisting in an ultrasound-guided abortion of a 13-week-old unborn baby. (RELATED: ‘Unplanned’ Hits Theaters, Recounts The Emotional Story Of A Former Abortion Clinic Worker)

    “Thankfully our supporters quickly rallied for ‘Unplanned’ because they are seeing the unbelievable effect it is having across the country, the healing taking place, and the hypocrisy of those who are trying to shut it down,” Johnson told TheDCNF. “I urge everyone- pro-life or pro-choice- to see ‘Unplanned’ and realize exactly what they support.”

    Johnson also pointed out the disparity between the rally cry of anti-Kavanaugh supporters and the treatment pro-life women are given.

    “Liberals want women to be heard, for their stories to be told for us all to ‘trust women’ — except for when it’s a woman who had a radical change of heart on abortion,” Johnson added.

    The “Unplanned” account reported Saturday afternoon it gained 10,000 new followers since the temporary suspension.

     

    Follow Mary Margaret on Twitter.

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    AIB2B Hosted an Emotionally Charged Forum on Controversial Issues, Marijuana and Sex Education

    Debra Tash
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    0
    AIB2B Hosted an Emotionally Charged Forum on Controversial Issues, Marijuana and Sex Education

    The Asian Industry B2B invited members of the business, nonprofit, religious, government, and educational communities to attend a special bilingual (Mandarin and English) event that addressed issues of concern in the Chinese communities of the San Gabriel Valley.

    The event had an attendance of over 120 people from diverse backgrounds. Longo Toyota was the venue host and food from Town Sent Restaurant in Covina was served. Event sponsor was City Councilman and immediate past mayor of Arcadia, Peter Amundson. The Chinese community united to answer the question, “Are public school values aligned with Asians?” World Journal, China Press, News Agency America, ETTV America and The Epoch Times were on site.

    The event kicked off with a short film based on the powerful marijuana protests. The film chronicled the Chinese parents who are unhappy about the marijuana plant being built in such close proximity to a school, only half a mile away. The City Council voted 4-1 to move ahead with the project. Efforts around the protests and the film creation were led by Orange Club leader, Saga Zhou, who spoke briefly on the topic. Some cheered, some expressed dissatisfaction.

    Presenting another dimension to the issue, Andy Huang, CEO of Nerovana Corp, and a cannabis business specialist, spoke about the benefits of legalization, statistics and nuances around cannabis and THC that was educational to the audience, no matter where they stood. Dr. Kewei Zhou, a respected biologist, spoke on differences between CBD and THC, hitting on an important point that pure CBD is hard to find as chances of THC contamination are high, especially around unregulated businesses. Both Andy and Kewei made arguments around regulation and legalization.

    The second half of the event featured a discussion of the California Department of Education framework curriculum changes on sex education, which exposes middle schoolers to graphic demonstrations of contraception, and elementary schoolers and kindergarteners to the gender identity spectrum, required by law with no ability for parents to opt out. Two experts in the field spoke, including Gina Gleason of Faith and Public Policy and Karen England of Capitol Resource Institute, who traveled from out of state to address the Chinese community. This portion was translated and members of the audience clarified facts, while challenging that transgenderism was not just an American issue, but one that is dealt with in China.

    Former West Covina mayor Mike Spence and El Monte school district members were in attendance, but didn’t make much comment as the different sides were presented.

    Despite some heated moments, the community still came together in a civil manner to learn more nuances about these important issues, ultimately judged as enriching and educational by the attendees.

    About Asian Industry B2B (AIB2B): AIB was founded by community leader, Marc Ang, for businesses and professionals in the east San Gabriel Valley to gather once a month, every second Wednesday. The mission is to build an intimate network of quality professionals engaged in charity, cultural and political activities, to foster meaningful collaborations, enrich business owners’ lives and support a platform to elevate the Asian American community through local business leaders.

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    Another Demonstration Of Why The Majority Of Californians Distrust Government

    Debra Tash
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    2
    Another Demonstration Of Why The Majority Of Californians Distrust Government

    ..

    By Michele Hanisee

     

    If you want an example of why a staggering 61% of Californians distrust their state government, look no farther than Governor/Emperor Gavin Newsom.

    In the past seven years, California voters three times voted on death penalty initiatives and made clear they want the death penalty in place and enforced. This week, in spite of the express will of the voters, Governor Newsom announced a moratorium on the death penalty while he remains in office because the death penalty was “inconsistent with our bedrock values and strikes at the very heart of what it means to be a Californian.”

    While Emperor Newsom’s move was celebrated by the anti-death penalty cadre in California, it was hardly a profile in courage. A courageous politician would have made it clear while running for Governor that one of his first acts would be to halt implementation of the death penalty. Not Newsom. Instead, as recently as 2016 while campaigning for a failed initiative to repeal the death penalty, Newson promised in this video interview he “would be accountable to the will of voters” and “not get my personal opinions in the way of the public’s right to make a determination of where they want to take us as it relates to the death penalty.”

    Emperor Newsom likely resorted to the moratorium because the passage of Proposition 66 and the ensuing challenges to any remaining stay orders issued by the courts were creating a very real likelihood that executions could occur during his term.

    Since the death penalty was reinstated by initiative  it can only be altered by the voters, or as specifically provided for in the initiative language. Similarly, commutations or pardons for twice-convicted felons (which constitute a large number of those on death row) require the approval of the Supreme Court, a fact ex-Governor Brown discovered to his chagrin this past year.

    Emperor Newsom’s order trampled on justice for the victims of the brutal killers who a jury decided should be put to death. There are 24 murderers on death row who have exhausted all appeals and should be executed. We will highlight those cases and their victims in upcoming blogs.

     

    Michele Hanisee is President of the Association of Los Angeles Deputy District Attorneys, the collective bargaining agent representing nearly 1,000 Deputy District Attorneys who work for the County of Los Angeles.

     

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