Neighbors Organize to Improve Their Area

More than 100 Ventura Avenue area residents crowded a local seniors’ center Thursday night, clamoring to volunteer in a renewed effort to improve and beautify the aging community.

“If we don’t get a group together that can hold the politicians’ feet to the fire, we’ll never get anything done,” James Davison, a resident of Ramona Street, exhorted his neighbors. “Let’s get acquainted. That’s what we’ve got to do is get acquainted.”

After debating for an hour about how and when to organize, the group broke up into smaller clusters based on the problems they were most interested in solving. The topics they will tackle include troubles with families and schools and rebuilding the neighborhood’s spirit.

People exchanged telephone numbers and ideas and vowed to meet again, in their groups, within the month. Residents also organized a steering committee to oversee the smaller groups. The committee will meet on June 23, from 6 to 8 p.m., at the Ventura Avenue Adult-Senior Center at 550 N. Ventura Ave., where Thursday’s meeting was held.

Ventura Police Officer Jim Cubitt also called for volunteers to build and staff the neighborhood’s new police storefront, behind the Vons shopping center on Main Street and Ventura Avenue, which will open in July.

“It’s from the neighborhood,” he said. “And it’s for the neighborhood.”