Ventura Port Commission wants to start new chapter after accusations of bad business decisions, racism
Wes Woods II
The Ventura Port Commission wants to begin a new chapter after accusations of bad business decisions and racism.
Some business owners in the Ventura Harbor claim the commission has spent too much money on unnecessary projects and settling lawsuits, and not enough on property improvements for tenants. They had hoped a new commissioner could lead to positive changes.
But in July, the Ventura City Council renewed the terms of two of its appointed commissioners. Some business owners supported Robert Bravo, a real estate broker and certified public accountant who served 12 years on the commission, but the council favored the incumbent, Christopher Stephens.
The commission recently vowed to start fresh, promising transparency and improved communications with those who do business at the harbor.
Commissioner Mike Blumenberg said during a Sept. 1 port commission meeting that he welcomed all public comment. He said the commission has not sought retribution against its critics, as some have claimed.
Lynn Mikelatos, a co-owner of The Greek, Mediterranean steak and seafood restaurant, said Blumenberg's comments rang hollow.
"They're not being good stewards and good leaders of the harbor," Mikelatos said of Blumenberg and its leadership.
Michael Wagner, founder of Andria's Seafood, called Blumenberg's rebuttal a "tired" excuse and said senior commissioners will always "band together" in defense. Wagner and Mikelatos wrote emails to the City Council requesting the selection of Bravo over Stephens. They said Stephens is part of a "good old boys" group of port district leadership that makes poor financial decisions.
On Aug. 2, the City Council voted 6-0 to approve the commission's recommendation to reappoint Stephens and Jackie Gardina. Councilwoman Lorrie Brown abstained, saying the public did not get a fair opportunity to comment at commission meetings.
“They did not want them to speak. It was very apparent to me as I watched it happen,” she said.
Councilman Jim Friedman said negative emails sent to the council about Stephens "are so full of falsehoods, they're laughable."
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Some tenants are upset because the three lawsuits that tenants have filed against the commission in the last three years have been dismissed. Some business owners blame Stephens and other commissioners for contributing to a culture that led to legal actions.
A July 2018 lawsuit filed by operators of the Coffee Dock & Post Officein Ventura Superior Court accused the Ventura Port District — an independent special district within the city of Ventura — of withholding consent to a lease transfer between them and two potential buyers of the cafe.
In December 2018, Chrysilios Chrysiliou of RDPH Properties Inc. sued the Ventura Port District, which is governed by the port commission. RDPH Properties wanted to lease a property at the harbor. The lawsuit claims that Port General Manager Oscar Pena called Chrysiliou "a goddamn foreigner."
In a related lawsuit, a property owner sued the port district in June 2020 for interfering in a sale and lease agreement. The lawsuit claims the port district and its commissioners are biased against Chrysilious and Sadove, a representative of the property. According to the lawsuit, Commissioner Everard Ashworth called Chrysilious a "goddamn foreigner" and made anti-Semitic remarks to Sadove, who is Jewish.
Friedman, who was a commissioner for six years before being elected to the City Council, said the port commission settled lawsuits because they did not want to spend thousands of dollars to fight the cases.
Friedman said he is Jewish and called the accusations of anti-Semitism "nonsense."
"They’re outright lies and I’m pretty disgusted we have to be here to have this discussion," Friedman said at the August council meeting.
Critics also fault the commission for spending too much time and money on a Ventura Shellfish Enterprise project in which mussels are farmed sustainably along the Ventura County coast.
Stephens said the shellfish project began before he was on the commission.
"The shellfish project still has some potential for the port district but we made a decision last year to end our direct involvement in the project," Stephens said.
He said the port commission would continue to advocate for shellfish farming as a potentially important source of revenue.
Stephens said he doesn't understand the accusations of stifling public comment at commission meetings. He said the commission limits comments to three minutes and that he has asked people to wrap up their comments, but he doesn't recall cutting off anyone.
"We abide by those rules," Stephens said. "We'll let people go a little longer."
This is Stephens' second four-year term as commissioner.
Wes Woods II covers West County for the Ventura County Star. Reach him at wesley.woodsii@vcstar.com, 805-437-