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News from around the Ojai Valley

The bell tolls on plan for later school start times

Details: Published on Wednesday, 18 April 2018 14:24

Andra Belknap, Ojai Valley News reporter

Ojai Unified School District (OUSD) secondary school students will not, at present, get to sleep a little later in the morning.

The District's study committee on later start times recommended April 17 that the OUSD School Board not mandate later start times for Matilija Junior High School (MJHS) and Nordhoff High School (NHS).

Classes at NHS start at 7:40 a.m. while classes at the junior high begin at 7:44 a.m.

The committee found that sleep deprivation is a serious issue among OUSD students, but members weren't certain that a later start time would meaningfully change student's sleep habits, said OUSD Assistant Superintendent Sherrill Knox.

The Board received the committee's report and took no further action on the item.

The 16-member committee was comprised of OUSD administrators, teachers, students and parents.

The committee surveyed 677 Matilija and Nordhoff students on a range of issues, including the amount of sleep they get each night, their use of electronic devices, consumption of sugar and caffeine and students' assessments of their own health.

See also: “Local students could be waking up to a new reality — later start times,” Ojai Valley News, Sept. 7, 2017.

Students raise money for a new crosswalk

Details: Published on Tuesday, 17 April 2018 15:29

Photo courtesy of Warren Peterson

Oak Grove School's new crosswalk was designed by sixth grader Liliana Kraus.

Andra Belknap, Ojai Valley News reporter

When Oak Grove School students returned to campus April 9, a freshly painted, rainbow-colored, piano-themed crosswalk had been added to the school's parking lot.

The project was conceived by Oak Grove's Elementary Student Council, who noticed the crosswalk in front of the campus had faded. The Council is comprised of 10 Oak Grove elementary schoolers who are elected by their peers.

“They started by putting up handmade signs as (safety) reminders while they made plans for the permanent crosswalk,” said Warren Peterson, Oak Grove's director of outreach.

The new multi-colored crosswalk is in Oak Groves's parking lot, at the top of the school's West Lomita Avenue driveway.

Creek Road/Hwy. 33 changes to be finished in June

Details: Published on Tuesday, 17 April 2018 15:24

Perry Van Houten, Ojai Valley News reporter

Plans to reconfigure the Highway 33-Creek Road intersection near Oak View are still on track and the project should be completed sometime in June, according to the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans).

The changes, finalized in 2017, are designed to make it easier for drivers turning left onto southbound Highway 33 from Creek Road.

One of the main problems with the maneuver is that cars trying to enter the target lane from Creek Road must cross three lanes of traffic — two northbound and one southbound.

Making the move even trickier is that traffic there can be heavy and there are visibility issues due to southbound vehicles rounding a nearby curve on the downgrade out of Oak View.

Police blotter as of April 12

Details: Published on Thursday, 12 April 2018 14:13

Crimes

• Grand theft was reported at Highway 33 and Nye Road April 4.

• Battery was reported in the 600 block of Heather Street April 5.

• Identity theft was reported in the 200 block of North Padre Juan Avenue April 5.

• Vehicle burglary was reported at Casitas Vista Road and Highway 33 April 8.

• Burglary was reported in the 12900 block of Blue Heron Circle April 9.

• Burglary and vandalism were reported in the 1200 block of Loma Drive April 9.

• Petty theft and identity theft were reported on Creek Lane April 9.

Arrests

• A 42-year-old man was arrested in the 500 block of La Luna Avenue April 4 for misdemeanor warrants. Bail was set at $30,000.

Hey sediment, it’s curtains for you!

Details: Published on Thursday, 12 April 2018 14:09

Photo courtesy of Casitas Municipal Water District

A turbidity curtain in action at Santa Ana Creek March 23.

Perry Van Houten, Ojai Valley News reporter

Think of them as immense underwater strainers designed to keep the muck out of Lake Casitas.

Flotation devices called turbidity curtains — permeable barriers used to keep post-Thomas Fire debris and sediment from spreading — have been installed at inflow locations around the lake.

"The curtains allow water to pass through, and contain the silt and sediment behind them, which will then settle out," explained Julia Aranda, engineering manager for Casitas Municipal Water District (CMWD).

Each turbidity curtain is 100-feet long with a skirt depth of 20 feet.

A weight is attached to the bottom of the curtain to provide ballast, keeping the curtain vertical in the water.

In December, Casitas purchased 20 turbidity curtains from ABASCO, LLC of Texas, which also manufactures oil-spill-recovery products.

The price of each curtain was $2,417.

The total purchase price, including tow bridles, sales tax and shipping, was $55,310.45.

Council votes to finally adopt cultural resources protection resolution

Details: Published on Thursday, 12 April 2018 14:07

Andra Belknap, Ojai Valley News reporter

After three years of work, the Ojai City Council voted three to two April 10 to adopt a cultural resources protection resolution.

Julie Tumamait-Stenslie and Pat Tumamait, local representatives of the Chumash tribe, expressed frustration with the city's proposed resolution during the April 10 meeting, arguing they had not been consulted about changes made to the final document.

“I don't know how you guys sleep at night,” said Tumamait.“To reject the preservation of this city and the cultural resources is a big mistake because it's going to be here long after we're gone.”

See also: “Work continues on effort to develop a cultural resources ordinance,” Ojai Valley News, Oct. 5, 2017.

It’s official: Nukes are no longer allowed in the city of Ojai

Details: Published on Thursday, 12 April 2018 14:05

Andra Belknap, Ojai Valley News reporter

“While a seemingly small step in Ojai this evening, this is an historic event both locally, nationally and globally, and indeed, the eyes of the world are upon Ojai this evening,” proclaimed Robert Dodge as the Ojai City Council prepared to adopt a resolution declaring Ojai a nuclear-free zone.

The resolution, approved by way of the Council’s consent calendar, states that no nuclear weapon may be produced, transported, stored, processed, disposed of or used within city limits.

See also: “City goes nuclear in talks about appointees and weapons,” Ojai Valley News, Feb. 15, 2018.Further, the resolution states that the city will grant no contract to a person or business who “knowingly engages” in work related to nuclear weapons, unless no reasonable alternative exists.

Sixth-grade move is gathering steam

Details: Published on Thursday, 12 April 2018 14:04

Andra Belknap, Ojai Valley News reporter

The Ojai Unified School District’s (OUSD) School Board will host a special meeting April 19 to discuss potentially moving the District’s sixth graders to Matilija Junior High School.

Due to declining enrollment across the District, Matilija’s population of seventh and eighth graders is set to shrink to 325 students by the 2020-2021 school year if no changes are made.

OUSD Superintendent Andy Cantwell said District staff is busily gathering information for the April 19 session.

See also: “Sixth-grade move looks financially feasible,” Ojai Valley News, Feb. 20, 2018.

OUSD Assistant Superintendent Sherrill Knox is gauging the interest of current elementary-school teachers in being part of a transition team that would guide Matilija’s change from junior high to middle school, Cantwell said.

“If this were to move forward, current faculty will be involved in developing the concept,” Cantwell said.

Council may vote itself a pay raise

Details: Published on Thursday, 12 April 2018 14:03

Andra Belknap, Ojai Valley News reporter

The Ojai City Council voted four to one April 10 to direct city staff to draft an ordinance that would raise their stipends for the first time since 2006.

Ojai's five Council members each receive a $475 monthly stipend for their work. The proposed ordinance will raise that amount to $760 per month, an annual increase of $3,420 per member.

Mayor Johnny Johnston was the lone vote in opposition to the raise, arguing that the matter should be discussed during the Council's April 24 budget workshop.

Under California Government Code, Council salaries may be increased by five percent each calendar year.

Ojai's Municipal Code states that City Council members may receive a $75 monthly salary monthly and that amount may not be increased without an affirmative vote of the city's electorate.

In a staff report provided to the Council, Ojai City Manager Steve McClary stated that section of the municipal code is not currently operative.

The $75 amount was set in 1968, he said.

Commissioners' top priority for city staff is parking

Details: Published on Thursday, 12 April 2018 14:02

Perry Van Houten, Ojai Valley News reporter

With an eye on fixing the parking problem downtown, the Ojai Planning Commission met April 4 to talk about priorities for the city's Community Development Department (CDD).

“I don't know if this just coincides with my recent arrival, but it seemed like a good way for me to get up to speed on things,” said Luke Connolly, incoming community development director for the city of Ojai.

In February, Connolly became the sixth person in six years to serve as CDD director.

The discussion was aimed at not only prioritizing, Connolly said, but looking at short-term items that can be finished versus mid-term and long-term.

“To get these things in somewhat of a fixed order, to see what we tackle first and maybe get extended timelines as to how long it will take to get through some of these things,” Connolly said, “or even identifying resources we may need to complete these.”

Some area recreation trails could reopen soon

Details: Published on Wednesday, 11 April 2018 08:33

Ojai Valley News photo by Perry Van Houten

Signs posted at the trailhead announce the Gridley Trail is still closed as of April 10.

Perry Van Houten, Ojai Valley News reporter

Public access to some recreation trails closed because of fire and storm damage will likely be allowed over the next few weeks.

“Fingers crossed,” said Diane Rendano-Cross, assistant recreation officer for the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) Ojai Ranger District. “We are looking at a revised forest order that is going to shrink down the closure area.”

All USFS trails within the 281,893-acre Thomas Fire burn scar were closed Dec. 8.

Seventy miles of trails in the Ojai and Santa Barbara ranger districts of the Los Padres National Forest were in the fire's footprint.

Assessments by burned area emergency response (BAER) teams identified approximately 37 miles of trails in moderate- to high-burn-severity areas.

In addition to the trails, recreation sites and campgrounds were impacted by the largest wildfire in modern recorded California history.

“This one was historical in many ways,” Rendano-Cross explained. “The fire burned and then we got rain right away. Usually we have months to prepare for the storm damage.”

Power pole snaps hours before scheduled replacement, causing outage

Details: Published on Tuesday, 10 April 2018 14:44

Ojai Valley News photo by Tim Dewar

The top of a power pole near the Attitude Adjustment Shoppe snapped the morning of April 5, approximately 12 hours before SCE planned to replace it.

Andra Belknap, Ojai Valley News reporter

A Southern California Edison (SCE) troubleman identified an SCE power pole in Ojai as a high priority for replacement April 2.

SCE spokesman Steve Conroy said the pole, near the Attitude Adjustment Shoppe at 1129 Maricopa Highway, was supposed to be replaced during the evening of April 5.

The pole, however, didn't last that long.

The morning of the scheduled replacement, a top portion of the pole snapped, leaving approximately 1,600 Ojai customers temporarily without power and a portion of a nearby parking lot closed to traffic.

“They were literally 12 hours too late,” an Attitude Adjustment employee said.

Sixteen thousand volts travel through the power line impacted by the fractured pole, Conroy said, “a fairly high voltage.”

Food company hopes electric bikes will spark a change in local traffic

Details: Published on Tuesday, 10 April 2018 08:42

Ojai Valley News photo by Andra Belknap

Boku founders and staff members (from left) Sage Hippensteel, Reno Rolle, Reno Rolle Jr. and Lynn Rolle prepare to cruise from Boku's Ojai headquarters to the beach in Ventura on Electra e-bikes.

Andra Belknap, Ojai Valley News reporter

The owners of Boku International Inc., the superfood company that has recently taken residence at 987 W. Ojai Ave., has added a fleet of electric bicycles (e-bikes) to their Ojai headquarters.

Boku co-founder Reno Rolle said he hopes Ojai locals and visitors alike will want to rent the e-bikes.

“The concept is basically park and ride. Instead of crowding the streets with additional vehicle traffic, park your car, we have ample parking here at Boku, leave your car, get on an e-bike and experience Ojai along the bike trail,” he said.

Diversion changes will take some time: Nearly 3.7 million gallons lost during recent storms due to mechanical issues

Details: Published on Thursday, 05 April 2018 14:52

Perry Van Houten, Ojai Valley News reporter

Groundwater levels in the Ojai basin continue to rise due to recent rainfall.

“We're doing pretty well in comparison to the past several years,” said hydrogeologist Jordan Kear, who monitors water levels and quality for the Ojai Basin Groundwater Management Agency (OBGMA).

“We had so much rain last year, effectively three-years supply, and we used a little less than a normal year,” he said.

Kear is still seeing a rise in water levels and can't quantify the increase just yet.

“It's too early to say until the water level peaks,” he said.

The peak should come in late April or early May.

“It's been an interesting year,” Kear said, “a little different animal due to the fire.”

Rainfall that would normally be absorbed by the soil ran off instead.

Public comments taking bigger share of council meetings

Details: Published on Thursday, 05 April 2018 14:51

Andra Belknap, Ojai Valley News reporter

Ojai City Council meetings stretching into the 11 p.m. hour aren't a new thing, according to an Ojai Valley News survey of City Council agendas and minutes from as far back as 2007. Late-night meetings do appear to be becoming more frequent, however.

The Council's March 27 regular meeting ran for approximately 3 hours and 40 minutes. Council discussion continued for an additional 25 minutes the next day during a special noon session.

The Ojai Valley News surveyed a selection of Council agendas and minutes for the years 2014 through 2017 (the whole of the city's digital archive) as well as records from the years 2007 and 2012. The survey yielded two conclusions: regular City Council meetings stretching three and four hours have become more common over time and comments from members of the public are taking an increasing share of the meeting time.

Though public comments are typically limited to three minutes, the time limit doesn't appear to be enforced effectively.

For example, the City Council received six public comments in an 18-minute period during its Aug. 23, 2016 regular meeting. In contrast, the body used 73 minutes to hear six public comments during its Aug. 25, 2015 meeting.

Latest sports

Thacher track crew earns a trip to historic Penn Relays

041218 ps thacher track arcadia invitational 0412 full

Photo submitted

Thacher’s Jesse Van Newkirk smokes his leg of the distance medley relay at the Arcadia Invitational.

Mike Miller, Ojai Valley News sports editor

For the second time in three years, the Ojai Valley will send a boys’ relay team to the storied Penn Relays.

In 2015, the “Nordhoff Express,” comprised of Cameron Kunde, Varian Wilson, Elijah Balderas and Landis Meyer, went to Philadelphia and competed in front of 40,000 die-hard track-and-field fans. The foursome finished as the top USA team in the 4-by-800-meter relay to capture the Championship of America title.

Fast-forward three years and local middle-distance coach Ed Italo is at it again, this time at The Thacher School.

Italo currently has only six male distance runners in his training group, but that is apparently all he needs. The team of Colin Kirkpatrick, Ford Shaper, Edison Chadwick and Jesse Van Newkirk have managed to go from a group of runners with only a few weeks of training together to the 11th-ranked distance medley relay (DMR) team in the U.S.

“It’s crazy. I’m blown away by these kids and their determination,” proclamed Italo.

Root signs letter of intent: Hoopster will play for Pacific Union College

Photo submitted

Elissa Root signs her name to a national letter of intent and will play basketball at Pacific Union College in Napa Valley.

Ted Cotti, Ojai Valley News correspondent

Elissa Root, who graduated from Villanova Preparatory School in 2015, signed a letter of intent last weekend to play basketball for Pacific Union College.

Pacific Union College is a private liberal arts college in Angwin, Calif., 8 miles north of St. Helena in Napa Valley.

Root played basketball all four years at Villanova and was a member of the school’s 2011-2012 team that advanced to the CIF-Southern Section championship game and state regional semifinals.

Coach Ray Pierson’s Lady Wildcats also won the Nordhoff and Avalon basketball tournaments that year.

Peterson hammers competition in the pool

Ojai Valley News photo by Holly Roberts

Villanova Preparatory School senior Luke Peterson crushed the competition in the 1,500-meter event against neighboring Nordhoff High School. Peterson figures to make a run at a CIF title in his final year of high school competition.

Ranger Gridiron Club hosting annual golf outing

Ojai Valley News photo by Ken Brown

The Ranger Gridiron Club will host its annual golf tournament May 12 at the Soule Park Golf Course. This year’s event will feature a shamble format and will tee off at noon. The event serves as one of Nordhoff High School’s main football fundraisers. For more details on the event or to register, interested golfers can contact Mike Dawkins at 340-1057.

Underdog Nordhoff tennis program stuns powerhouse Cate

Ojai Valley News photo by Ted Cotti

Nordhoff’s Mikel Elizalde uses a backhand to return a shot in a match earlier this season.

Ted Cotti, Ojai Valley News correspondent

Nordhoff High School’s (NHS) boys’ tennis team rallied from an 8-5 deficit to defeat defending Tri-Valley League champions Cate, 10-5, in Carpinteria March 29.

“This was absolutely a huge victory for our boys,” said NHS head coach Todd Dickey, whose squad improved to 6-0 on the season and 2-0 in league. “Cate is a perennial top-10 team and a CIF power, but today we were absolutely solid, top to bottom, and showed great equanimity in a difficult environment.”

“It’s particularly sweet because they’re two divisions above us,” said senior Ian Perkins, “and because they’ve destroyed us and the rest of the league for so many years.”

Cate is Division 2 school while Nordhoff is Division 4.

The Rangers were paced by senior co-captain Victor Becker and his doubles partner, sophomore Dakota Martin, who improved their season mark to 13-5 with a three-set sweep that included Nordhoff’s only win of the day over Cate’s previously unbeaten No. 1 team.

Deason continues breakout season for U of A

Photo courtesy of University of Arizona Athletics

Former Nordhoff High School (NHS) baseball star Cody Deason started the 2018 NCAA baseball season as one of the top major league baseball (MLB) prospects in the country. Through the first half of his junior season at the University of Arizona, Deason has done nothing but help his draft position. So far this season, Deason is 3-1 with a 1.62 ERA. Through 39 innings pitched, the former Ranger has allowed 24 hits, seven earned runs and 41 strikeouts. Arizona’s opponents are hitting only .183 when he is on the mound. In his last game against the Washington State Cougars, Deason went 7.1 innings and struck out 10 batters in route to his third win of the season. The MLB draft will take place June 4 through June 6.

Besant Hill School makes history by fielding its very own golf team

Photo submitted

The Besant Hill School golf team includes (from left) Eli Myer, Clayton Weisberg, Nicolas Rosen, David Yan, Kadutoshi Saito and coach Kevin Henschel.

Mike Miller, Ojai Valley News sports editor

When Besant Hill athletic director Mike Biermann noticed he had a core group of students who enjoyed golf and who were rapidly improving, he decided it was time to start a golf team.

“This is my third year at the school and starting a golf team has always been in the back of my mind. Besant Hill has always had golf as a fitness program, but never an official team. Our kids play at the Ojai Valley Inn and Soule Park and they take lessons. When I saw that some of our kids were getting pretty good, I talked to them about starting a team and they were very interested right away,” said Biermann.

After Biermann created the CIF team, the Coyotes made school history when they competed for the first time, facing off against Villanova Preparatory School.

VPS wins first baseball game this season

Mike Miller, Ojai Valley News sports editor

The Villanova Preparatory School (VPS) baseball team notched its first win of the season, defeating Newbury Park Adventist, 17-1, in a March 28 non-league contest.

According to head coach Carson Brown, the Wildcats played well and managed to get their freshmen players lots of valuable game experience.

Impact players were junior Ryan Melsness who struck out nine batters in four innings and senior Jimmy Schmitt who had an inside-the-park home run.

The story of the game, however, was freshman Mackenzie Hicks — featured in the March 23 Ojai Valley News — who entered the game as a pitcher and threw a perfect inning using her underhand-softball motion.

Matilija Lady Eagles qualify for postseason

Photo submitted

The Matilija Junior High School Lady Eagles made another playoff appearance this year thanks to a strong second half of the season. The Lady Eagles lost in the playoffs to Anacapa Middle School in a close contest, but the coaching staff was pleased with their performance. This year’s team included (front row from left) Maggie Caputo, Sophia Fitch, Willow Williams, Alessandra Lucchesi, Juliet Ruiz, Stephanie Perez, Hannah Ignacio, Vanessa Ramirez, and (back row from left) coach Jeff Wells, Jasmine Umschied, Ella Ruf, Maple Umschied, Noelle Brown, Katie McArthur, Alexis Kehoe, Jennifer Donohue, and coach Mike Donohue.

Youth tennis players treated to clinic

Photo by Jill Cox

Ojai’s Mary O’Reilly participates in a recent youth tennis clinic.

Jill Cox,Ojai Valley News contributor

As a lead-up to the 118th Ojai Tennis Tournament, set for April 25 through April 29, the Ojai Valley Tennis Club (OVTC) organized and sponsored a tennis clinic for young, Ojai-area players March 31 at Libbey Park.

The 40 players were selected by Ojai Valley tennis coaches for their ability and enthusiasm for the sport. They were mostly from the Ojai Valley, with a few Rio Mesa and Santa Barbara students sprinkled in.

The tennis professionals donated their time and expertise to demonstrate and encourage technical skills on the court. They included Mike Burke, Ron Edwards, Ryan Gaston, Jim Kasser, Scott Burton, Katya Welborn, Stacy Potter and Fabio Lauretta. They provided three hours of instruction, rotating the players through a variety of drills.

Italo has Thacher distance runners posting top marks

Photo submitted

Thacher runners (from left) Ford Shaper, Jesse Van Newkirk, Edison Chadwick and Colin Fitzpatrick celebrate after winning the distance medley relay race at the California Relays.

Mike Miller, Ojai Valley News sports editor

Local track and field coach Ed Italo is at it again.

After coaching Nordhoff High School to middle distance running prominence, Italo now has a core group of runners from The Thacher School who are making noise at the state and national levels.

“This winter track season, I had three boys (Colin Fitzpatrick, Ford Shaper and Edison Chadwick) who dedicated themselves to training. All three exceeded my expectations at the California Winter Track and Field Championship meet,” said Italo.

Early struggles continue for Nordhoff Lady Rangers softball

Ojai Valley News photo by Ken Brown

Junior flame thrower Sidney Wimpee (left) winds up to deliver a pitch against Calabasas as teammate Angel Westbrook prepares for a possible grounder.

Mike Miller, Ojai Valley News sports editor

Even though the season is young and the Nordhoff High School (NHS) softball team hasn’t been able to get to full strength yet this spring, head coach Don Rodarte is concerned with the 0-6 start.

“You can preach and coach, but when the time comes, you need to make plays and we just haven’t done that on a consistent basis,” said Rodarte.

NHS faced St. Bonaventure March 27 in a hotly contested game that went in the Seraphs favor, 3-2.

The team followed that up a day later with a 12-1 loss to Calabasas in a game where nothing went right for the Lady Rangers noted Rodarte.

Against St. Bonaventure, Sidney Wimpee struck out six batters while giving up seven hits and two earned runs. At the plate, Courtney Haapanen had a double and a RBI while junior Taylor Erickson knocked in the other run.

Montessori School students enjoy a sports day

Ojai Valley News photo by Holly Roberts

Five-year-old Madison Wolf emphatically clears a hurdle, with plenty of room to spare, during the Montessori School of Ojai’s annual Sportathon recently. The event is a fundraiser for school projects. Students ran, jumped, crawled and slid through obstacle courses, ran laps on a dirt track or rode bikes, scooters or trikes around an asphalt track on the school's playground.