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Free Water Surveys Offered
to Residential Customers
 Ventura Water is helping residential customers find ways to save water by offering free on-site water surveys. The Residential Water Survey program is a free service to help single-family customers save water inside and outside the home. The survey, generally about one hour long and conducted by a Water Conservation Specialist, includes:
- A review of your water bill
- Instructions on how to read your water meter
- An indoor survey of toilets, showers and faucets for leaks
- An outdoor survey of grass type and identifying irrigation system leaks
- Free water-saving devices like low-flow showerheads and faucet aerators
- Water-saving advice based on your home results
Customers will receive a summary checklist at the end of the survey. To schedule a survey, contact Customer Care at (805) 667-6500 or visit myvtawater@cityofventura.net. Whisenhunt Communications is helping Ventura Water spread the word about measures the city of Ventura is taking to conserve water in light of the drought.
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VCEDA's 44th Annual Business Outlook Conference Examines Future of Health Care in VC
 "The Future of Health Care in Ventura
County: A Healthy Workforce" is the theme of the 44th Annual Business Outlook Conference presented by the Ventura County Economic Development Association (VCEDA).
The conference is Friday, October 17 from 8:30 a.m.
to 11:50 a.m. at the Ventura County Office of Education Conference Center, 5100 Adolfo Rd., Camarillo.
More than 250 business leaders from around the county attend the event each year.The keynote speaker is Dr. Harlan Levine, chief executive of the City of Hope Medical Foundation. Levine oversees the ambulatory and outpatient practices of City of Hope's main campus and its community clinics. Levine's topic is, "How Health Care Reform Impacts the Care You Receive."
The conference will also feature a panel of representatives with expertise in insurance, managed care, wellness and big data. Panelists include Gary Wilde, president and CEO of Community Memorial Health System. The panelists will discuss health care delivery systems, health care insurance, technology's impact on medical care, the future cost of health care and wellness.
The cost to attend is $75 per person for VCEDA members and $100 for non-members. Admission includes breakfast. For more information or to make a reservation (download registration form here), call VCEDA at 805-676-1332.
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CMHS Free Symposium on
October 25 to Focus on
Tobacco-Related Cancers
 Learn more about tobacco-related cancers at a free symposium Community Memorial Health System is holding on Saturday, Oct. 25 at the Ventura Beach Marriott.
The annual Cancer Symposium, which runs from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., will include presentations by leading physicians and specialists. Thomas Fogel, M.D., will give opening remarks and serve as moderator. Topics to be covered include cancers of the head, neck, esophagus, stomach, lungs, bladder and kidneys. Dr. Irwin Grossman will discuss lung screening using low-dose computed tomography (CT).
A light continental breakfast will be offered before the event, at 7:30 a.m., and a question-and-answer session with the panel of experts will follow the presentations. Also, a "Tobacco Bus of Horrors" tour will be available to attendees during a mid-morning break and following the symposium. The symposium is co-sponsored by the American Cancer Society, Cancer Support Community, Community Memorial Hospital's Cancer Resource Center, the CMHS HealthAware Program, Grossman Imaging Center, Ventura County Hematology Oncology Specialists and KVTA radio. Space is limited, and reservations are required. Call 800-838-3006, or visit www.cmhshealth.org/rsvp.
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Volunteers Give Local Beaches and Waterways a "Pick-Me-Up"
 California Coastal Cleanup Day on Sept. 20 was a major success in Ventura County and across the state. California Coastal Cleanup Day began in 1985 and has grown to become one of the largest volunteer events on the planet.
 This year proved to be even larger than last year. Over 2,942 Ventura County volunteers - families, students, service groups and neighbors - picked up 7,880 pounds of trash and 1,194 pounds of recyclables from our coast, creeks, rivers, lakes and shorelines, according to the Ventura County Coalition for Coastal & Inland Waterways.
Statewide, 54,124 volunteers participated at 850 sites in 55 of California's 58 counties. They removed more than 576,571 pounds of trash and more than 109,494 pounds of recyclable material, totaling well over 686,065 pounds. That's 343 tons!
While bags were provided at each cleanup site, volunteers were asked to bring their own reusable bag or bucket to collect trash and recyclables. Organizers estimate that there were 50,000 fewer bags used at this year's event than in previous years. Whisenhunt Communications client Harrison Industries was a major supporter and promoter of the cleanup effort.
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California Bans Plastic
Carryout Bags
 Beginning July 1, 2015, grocery stores, large retailers and pharmacies will no longer hand out plastic carryout bags to customers at the point of sale. Smaller stores, such as convenience and liquor stores, will be required to comply with the law on July 1, 2016. Senate Bill 270, signed by Gov. Jerry Brown in late September, authorized the ban on plastic bags as well as a 10-cent purchase price for recyclable paper bags. The 10-cent charge is to encourage consumers to bring their own reusable bags. The bill also seeks to create green jobs by establishing standards and incentives for plastic bag manufacturers to transition to making reusable bags. The intent of this law is to reduce litter and marine pollution caused by plastic bags. It is estimated that Californians throw away 14 billion plastic bags each year, creating 123,000 tons of waste. Plastic bags are easily windblown and become non-biodegradable litter, which breaks down into smaller pieces that can accumulate in our local waterways. Plastic bag litter poses a threat to marine animals and birds that may mistake them for food or become entangled in them. Unlike other types of plastic, single-use plastic carryout bags are not accepted in most recycling programs, including the city of Ventura's, because they can become entangled in the recycling equipment. Ventura residents are encouraged to bring their own reusable bags when heading out to shop. Reusable bags are already sold in most stores or handed out for free at street fairs and local events. To receive a complimentary reusable bag from the City of Ventura, please call the Environmental Sustainability Office at (805) 652-4525.
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Melissa H. Sayer is a member of the Business Law Group at A to Z Law in Oxnard. She can be reached at msayer@atozlaw.com or (805) 988-9886.
Everybody likes things to be simple. I know I do. But I am part of a profession that is often accused of willfully complicating things. Sometimes that accusation has merit. But sometimes lawyers make things complicated because they have to be ... if they're going to be simple.
Let me explain.
Odds are pretty good that if you are reading this, you have operated a smartphone or driven a car with an automatic transmission. These are both fairly simple to operate. But both are only simple because the engineering inside is tremendously complicated.
Legal agreements work the same way. I often see people go into business with each other who want to keep their agreements simple. "We trust each other, so let's just keep it simple," they say. The business prospers and with growth comes new challenges and opportunities. The business may need to expand, bring on more owners, or raise additional capital. How are these handled? Who has the authority to decide? I'm continually surprised at how often companies stall just when they are getting successful because the owners can't agree on how to proceed. Many times they can't move forward precisely because they did not want to "complicate" things by thinking through the inevitable changes a growing company faces.
Other times a company struggles and fails to launch or one of the owners wants to move on. Unfortunately, this happens more than we would like. A company that works through what happens when the business dissolves may at least be able to get its principals out cleanly and on speaking terms with each other. Sadly, a "simple" company may go out in a blaze of litigation and broken relationships. "Complicated" isn't always best, but leaving things "simple" can end up being complicated.
This article was first published in the Santa Paula Chamber of Commerce newsletter, October 2014 edition.
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Check Out WC's
Website
Visit Whisenhunt Communications' website www.whizcomm.biz.
Read about the company and its team of media and graphics experts.
Founded in 1990, Whisenhunt Communications specializes in helping businesses, school districts, governmental agencies and nonprofit organizations reach targeted audiences.
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