The Midtown Ventura Community Council will hold its regular monthly meeting this Thursday, January 9.

The featured guest will be Dr. Roger Rice, the superintendent of the Ventura Unified School District, (VUSD), who will speak on several subjects and answer questions that arise.

Currently, VUSD has appointed a citizen advisory group, known as the 7-11 Committee, which is looking at the district’s properties to give a recommendation to the school board on whether any should be considered surplus with the VUSD Board making any final decisions if any changes need to be made.   

First on their agenda that evening will be a local update from the Ventura Police Department regarding local issues related to crimes and safety in the community.

The Spotlight on Volunteers/Nonprofits for January will be the Ventura Homeless Prevention Fund, (VHPF), which started here in Ventura in 2014 and has a wonderful success rate of helping families to stay in their existing housing. VHPF Board member Debora Schrieber will give a short explanation of their origin and accomplishments.

The final agenda item will be Ken Maryanski, partnership specialist with the U.S. Census Bureau, will speak on the importance of the upcoming Census.

The U.S. Census Bureau is gearing up for the nation's largest peacetime effort: the decennial count of the population. The Census helps determine the distribution of more than $675 billion of federal funds annually and the allocation of seats in the House of Representatives, provides data for state and local redistricting, and offers key demographic information for business decisions. The 2020 Census won't launch until March, but the bureau is currently seeking to partner with local organizations to help promote the count and is recruiting applicants for the hundreds of Census jobs.

The meeting starts at 7 pm in Cooper Hall at Grace Church, 65 MacMillan Avenue. For more information, contact Chair Dan Long at 805-653-6573.