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Life & Times Transcript
05/10/06 Val Zavala>> Tonight on Life and Times -- They don't like shelters and Skid Row is too dangerous. Could camping out be an answer for the homeless? Tina Barrett>> I chose River Haven because it's a safe spot. I didn't want to be in a program. I wanted to be here. I enjoy the camping. I enjoy this lifestyle. Val Zavala>> And then, he's not your typical developer. He passed up the bucks to give a boost to artists, kids and a Ventura neighborhood. These stories and more on tonight's Life and Times. Announcer>> Life and Times is made possible through the generous support of the L.K. Whittier Foundation dedicated to improving the quality of life by supporting innovative endeavors in the fields of medicine, health, science and education. And by a generous grant from Jim and Anne Rothenberg. Val Zavala>> If you were a homeless person, where would you rather be? On the streets, in a shelter or in a campsite near a river? Well, it seems like a simple idea. Let people who don't have homes camp out in a natural area, and the city of Ventura is giving that idea a try. But as Hena Cuevas tells us, even good ideas have their limits. Hena Cuevas>> A few blocks from downtown Los Angeles, this is the picture of homelessness: people living on the streets in makeshift tents on Skid Row. But there is an alternative. Just a short hour drive away in the city of Ventura down an unmarked dirt road, you'll find this: a campsite. Tucked behind the daisies is River Haven, a tent city for the homeless run by the homeless. This is where thirty-one year old Tina Barrett lives. Tina Barrett>> I chose River Haven because it's a safe spot. I didn't want to be in a program. I wanted to be here. I enjoy the camping. I enjoy this lifestyle. Hena Cuevas>> Two dozen people and about seventeen dogs live in River Haven. Tina Barrett>> This is just my baby. You know, he's part of my family. Hena Cuevas>> Barrett moved here with her four year old daughter after she was laid off in January. She now has a part-time job and is able to pay two hundred dollars a month into a communal account. That buys her the privilege of living in this campsite. Tina Barrett>> I look at it as my home. Other people look at it as a tent. I don't look at it as a tent. It's my home. Hena Cuevas>> The tents are also home to twenty-five other residents who all abide by strict rules: no alcohol or drugs. And the group votes on who stays and who goes. The land they're on belongs to the city of Ventura and is intended for recreation use. In 2004, about a hundred fifty squatters were living along the Ventura River, but according to City Manager, Rick Cole, the city was forced to move them out because of the threat of flooding. Rick Cole>> We needed to move people out of the riverbed and out of harm's way and it was a tumultuous, intense, emotional time as people really were afraid of losing the sense of community that they had developed in the riverbed. Hena Cuevas>> That winter, the river flooded to record levels. Many of the squatters had nowhere to go. They didn't want to stay in a shelter and were used to living outdoors, so the city gave them permission to use this land away from the river on a temporary basis. Rick Cole>> We thought, well, let's do this for a year and made no commitments one way or the other. We won't commit that it's over in a year. We won't commit that it will go a day past a year. Let's see how a year works. Hena Cuevas>> So in September 2005, the tents went up on higher ground. From the beginning, it was different from other shelters. For starters, residents are allowed to have pets and couples can stay together. Kim Devine>> It functions very much like a commune. Hena Cuevas>> Social worker, Kim Devine, works for Turning Point, the nonprofit that helps run River Haven. She says it may sound like a great place to live, but make no mistake, they're still living in a tent. Kim Devine>> No, this is not an easy thing. It's a heck of a lot easier to live in my neighborhood and go to a forty hour a week job on some levels than it is to be out here and try to do this, you know, with a disparate group of people and figuring out how to help everybody get along. Hena Cuevas>> Another example of transitional housing for the homeless was started here at the Dome Village near downtown in 1993. It's been around for almost thirteen years now, but will soon close its doors due to an increase in rent and it's unclear where these people will be going. However, officials in Ventura say that their plans for River Haven don't include having it around that long. Peter Brown>> Living in a tent forever is not a great solution for these people or for our community. Hena Cuevas>> Peter Brown is the manager of Community Services for the city of Ventura. Mark Single>> "Actually, one of the smalls, she has to do one that size right there on the spot. That's the only one we can put in there and still leave a decent room here so they could go down through here if they needed to." Peter Brown>> "Yeah, I don't think that will be a problem. That'll give you a little more room in here?" They continue to impress the city with their ability to be self-governing and to not engage in the behaviors that many homeless people are often hung with. Hena Cuevas>> River Haven has been around for six months now and, so far, he says there's been no major problems. Peter Brown>> We haven't had any police action out here, for example. If we were having a lot of police activity out here and illegal activity going on, we would look at this project a little bit differently. Rick Cole>> From the very beginning, they've made clear to us, "You've given us a chance and we are not going to blow it. We're going to make you proud." And they have. Hena Cuevas>> More than sixty percent of the residents are employed and most do move on like Barrett who is leaving in two months. Tina Barrett>> This is a stepping ground for me. It gives me a chance to save money. It gives me a chance to, you know, actually just gives me the chance to save money and get out of here. Hena Cuevas>> There's no limit to how long people can stay here, but according to Brown, some residents may be getting a little too comfortable here. Peter Brown>> There are some people that would want to live out here for the rest of their lives? Yeah, I think there probably are. We're early in this project and we haven't decided how we're going to handle that yet. I don't think we're entirely comfortable thinking that people are going to live out here for the rest of their lives. Mark Single>> Then I made myself a bunk bed with our donations of plywood and stuff and two-by-fours and made a little storage underneath too. Hena Cuevas>> That's the case of thirty-eight year old Mark Single, one of the originals and now a leader of the group. He's on welfare and says River Haven gives him stability. Mark Single>> I'll be here for a while (laughter). For as long as this is going, I'll be here. If it keeps going, then I'll kind of back out and let the people run it, you know, but I want to be a part of it for as long as it can be. Hena Cuevas>> So if this is only temporary, will there be a permanent place for these homeless people to go? One alternative would be to build housing, but not on this site since it's not zoned for residential use. For now, they will be here at least for another year and, if things continue the way they are, the city is willing to renew for another twelve months into 2008. Rick Cole>> It's a chance for them, without distraction, to build and maintain that sense of community. So it's not an ideal location, but it has worked and, as long as it works, we're going to continue to support it. Hena Cuevas>> That's good news for those on the long waiting list and Barrett is aware that she needs to give her spot to someone else. Tina Barrett>> I know that I need to move on and let somebody else have a chance. There's other people out there that need a chance. I'm not the only one. Hena Cuevas>> I'm Hena Cuevas for Life and Times. Announcer>> Kcet.org is the place to look for the very latest on Life and Times. You'll find previews of upcoming stories, plus transcripts and audio of past episodes and links to some of our most interesting features. Just go to kcet.org, scroll down the page and click on "Life and Times". Val Zavala>> Have you ever seen a home get demolished and thought, "What a shame. All those doors, windows, kitchen counters, sinks, plumbing, and perfectly good lumber all headed to the landfill"? Well, you're not the only one who's thought of that and now Sam Louie has found a group who is beating demolition crews to the punch. Sam Louie>> When demolition crews tear down homes and buildings, most of the debris ends up as trash often in our landfills. But did you know there's an alternative, with the possibility of saving the scrap? In North Hollywood, these homes are getting gutted. Everything from the rooftop to the floorboards to the windows are being stripped bare and removed. In the end, even the skeletal wooden frames of these houses will be taken apart just to make room for a new condominium complex. But unlike most demolition projects, most of what's torn down will be resold and reused. Lorenz Schilling>> That entails saving just about everything that's reusable down to the studs in the walls, the floorboards, the fixtures, both plumbing and lighting, brick, roof tile. You name it. If it's reusable, pretty much everything but the drywall and the stucco. Sam Louie>> Lorenz Schilling is with the ReUse People, a nonprofit organization that promotes deconstruction and the reuse of building materials. Lorenz Schilling>> There's always been selective salvage that happens throughout the country of vintage kind of artifacts, but we think it's high time that we go a little further and save everything that's reusable. Sam Louie>> As a result, the ReUse People now dedicate themselves to this mission. They partnered with Habitat for Humanity and salvage yards to resell these items during the deconstruction. Lorenz Schilling>> These are perfectly good French doors. They'll go to Habitat for Humanity and they'll be resold. At Habitat, you'll be able to buy these for probably seventy-five to a hundred dollars, whereas they'd cost you about, you know, four or five hundred dollars, if not more, at Home Depot. Sam Louie>> This deconstruction project takes about four weeks as opposed to plain demolition which could be done in just several days, but the advantage is that up to eighty-five percent of these materials will be salvaged and reused. And on this particular project, the ReUse People came across some quality items such as the vintage Spanish roof tiles worth several thousand dollars. Lorenz Schilling>> If you'll see, these tiles are about probably eighty or ninety years old. They were actually made by forming them on the pant leg of the individual who made them. You can actually see the finger marks on the tile itself. Sam Louie>> These homes were also built with old-growth timber, highly prized for its sturdiness. Lorenz Schilling>> Old-growth roughs on true two-by-four and this is just great material, very popular. You can't find wood like this new anymore. This will all be saved. All the studs in the walls will be saved. Everything over four feet in length. Sam Louie>> So with all the benefits of deconstruction, why isn't this being done more often? Part of it has to do with the extra time spent saving and sorting the materials. Mark Handel>> There's a natural tendency for developers to do things as expediently as possible. I mean, time is obviously money. Sam Louie>> Mark Handel is the developer and it's his first time using the ReUse People. He says the biggest hurdle is the extra cost. On this project, he'll pay twice the amount of normal demolition, but he was reassured that he'd get a tax break. Mark Handel>> I'm not going to be disingenuous. The Habitat for Humanity and the ReUse People obviously make it financially -- I wouldn't say advantageous -- but they attempt to diminish the financial burden by creating a tax incentive. Sam Louie>> But he also felt compelled to change the negative perception that developers don't care. Mark Handel>> Developers have not the best reputation in town and we're aware of that and we want the community and the people that we work with to know, hey, we don't mind coming to the table and doing something that we can all agree is a positive offshoot of our work. Lorenz Schilling>> And it's a win-win-win program that we have where homeowners can save money. You know, down the road, we make materials available to low-income families that can't always afford to go to Home Depot. We provide good jobs in the community. Sam Louie>> In the end, Schilling hopes this idea of reuse will get recycled by more and more developers and homeowners. I'm Sam Louie for Life and Times. Val Zavala>> They are the unsung heroes of the bug world, researchers whose work has saved crops from countless disasters. Anne McDermott goes to UC Riverside to visit the Insectary. Anne McDermott>> Oh, yuck. Look at this cockroach. Creepy, isn't it? Well, this is a Madagascar Hissing Cockroach and he's got thousands of relatives here at the Insectary at the University of California Riverside, relatives like the Stick. But don't worry. The folks here won't let them escape. On the other hand, they are let out from time to time to become movie stars. [Film Clip] Anne McDermott>> Yes, that's Harrison Ford in "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" and you're about to meet some of his co-stars. [Film Clip] Anne McDermott>> Yes, the Insectary supplied about eight thousand American Cockroaches and about a hundred Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches, all for this film, but fortunately the wiggly, crawling creatures didn't quit their day jobs, jobs as research tools. All kinds of insects serve the scientists at the Insectary. Dr. Paul Atkins, for instance, is conducting experiments with hundreds -- no, make that thousands -- of mosquitoes. What's the goal? Well, actually, to save the world or at least a sizable chunk of it. Dr. Paul Atkins>> And what we want to do is try and find ways to prevent them from transmitting pathogens. Anne McDermott>> Malaria? Dr. Paul Atkins>> Malaria, Yellow Fever. Anne McDermott>> Diseases that kill people, thanks to mosquito transmission. Atkins says that he thinks he and other scientists are on the right track to getting a handle on this worldwide problem, though real success is likely still years away. Meanwhile, out in the field, Dr. Mark Hoddle and one of his students are collecting Glassy-Winged Sharpshooters. Dr. Mark Hoddle>> These adults are winged and they fly to the yellow because it's an attractive color to them and it mimics a plant. We're able to monitor their population densities or relative abundance throughout the year. Anne McDermott>> He collects them to figure out how to get rid of these bacteria-spreading pests. He's trying to save Napa Valley. Dr. Mark Hoddle>> This is a major concern for grape growers because grapes are extremely susceptible to this bacteria and Sharpshooters love feeding on grapes. Anne McDermott>> They're trying to eradicate this pest by introducing good bugs, bugs that will hurt the Sharpshooters' ability to reproduce. Dr. Mark Hoddle>> We went back to the home range and we found some small parasitic wasps which don't sting humans. They only attack the Sharpshooter. We have released those in California and those wasps have established. They're now spreading and they are causing apparently the decline of Glassy-Winged populations in this state. Anne McDermott>> This, of course, is just a small sample of what's going on in and around UC Riverside's Insectary. There are dozens of projects involving thousands of insects underway here. And don't forget the Entomology Museum where they have three million specimens on display. Lots of bugs and lots going on here, including the occasional moonlighting job. [Film Clip] Anne McDermott>> I'm Anne McDermott for Life and Times. Announcer>> To send a comment or a question to our program, you can reach us by mail at this address: Life and Times 4401 Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, California 90027 You can also call our viewer comment line (323) 953-5555) or contact us the fast way by e-mail at kcet.org. Val Zavala>> Developers don't often win popularity contests, but Josh Addison is different. He could have torn a building down and built condos, but instead, he looked around the neighborhood and decided to make a very different kind of investment. I went to Ventura to see it for myself. Downtown Ventura is going through a renaissance. Stylish, upscale stores and restaurants are steadily replacing the old mom and pop thrift stores. Buildings are going condo and, although development like this can be good, it can also leave some residents behind. Just a few minutes north of downtown on Ventura Avenue is a modest neighborhood where most of Ventura's Latino residents live. No trendy shops or pricey restaurants here. By the looks of it, redevelopment has bypassed this community -- or has it? Meet Josh Addison, perhaps Ventura's most civic-minded developer. Yes, that's him, the one who looks like he just came back from the beach. For more than half a century, his family has owned this building. It was once a thriving mattress factory. Josh Addison>> We've owned it since 1952 when it was a mattress factory and, two years ago, we began converting it into an Arts Factory. Val Zavala>> "So this room actually used to be a store?" Josh Addison has turned this old mattress factory into artists' studios and a community center. He could have made a lot more money tearing it down to build condos or leasing it to a retailer. Elena Brokaw>> He could turn it into one of those t-shirt warehouses where you can get three t-shirts for ten bucks. He could turn it into a ninety-nine cent store. He could raze the building and make condos here. That's been happening a lot in Ventura. Val Zavala>> Elena Brokaw is Ventura's Community Services Director. Elena Brokaw>> He came and talked to us early on and said, "What do you think the market is for places where artists can work? What if I turned the whole workspace in the mattress factory into artists' studios?" We said, "Please, we need you to do that." Then the rest is history. Val Zavala>> So how many artists do you have working in the building? Josh Addison>> Right now, we have twenty-eight artists working in the building and we have five more studios under development that will be completed in a couple of months. Val Zavala>> And who's in here? Josh Addison>> Linda Peterson is in here. Val Zavala>> Hi, Linda. Linda Peterson>> Hi, how are you? Val Zavala>> Good. Linda Peterson>> This is Rambo. Val Zavala>> So you work with Polaroids? Photography? Linda Peterson>> I work with Polaroids, so a lot of this is hand-done. I do it with tools. Val Zavala>> What do you think of this whole building? Linda Peterson>> Oh, my gosh. Close your ears now (laughter). This man walks on water for me. I think he did something so phenomenal for the community. It is indescribable. I'm at a loss for words because I think it's really done a lot. It's done a lot for us artists. I mean, this is just a dream come true for me and, I think for the community, it's spectacular. It is just spectacular. Val Zavala>> Where did you work before you moved here? Linda Peterson>> Out of my house. Val Zavala>> You hear that a lot. Linda Peterson>> Oh, just things everywhere. And to come here and be able to spread out and have a nice place, and the interaction with the other artists is phenomenal. You know, the give and take between us is just fantastic. Val Zavala>> Now this is Larissa? Josh Addison>> Hi, Larissa. Larissa>> Hi, Josh. How are you? Josh Addison>> I'm fine. What are you working on? Larissa>> I'm working on my Marina Park entryway sign project. Josh Addison>> All right, that's right. Val Zavala>> Is this stained glass? Larissa>> This is all stained glass. Val Zavala>> It is stained glass. Josh Addison>> So these are all the panels? Larissa>> These are all the panels. Josh Addison>> And this is going down to the entrance to Marina Park, right? Down in the Pierpont neighborhood? Val Zavala>> Oh, how great. Josh Addison>> Yeah. It's the signage for a community park down there. It's going to be such a great -- Val Zavala>> -- so you do it in sections and then they move it over and place it? Larissa>> I'm going to move it over. Val Zavala>> You're going to move it over. How long is it going to take you to do all these? Larissa>> It has to be done by June 30. Val Zavala>> Oh, my gosh. That's pretty soon. Josh Addison>> And you're using big pieces on this one. All your other work is these micro tiny pieces. Larissa's work process is so demanding. She just is so focused and so many hours. It's really amazing. Val Zavala>> If there's one thing Josh supports more than artists, it's kids. He's got three girls of his own. [Film Clip] Val Zavala>> They and their friends have come to the Arts Factory for art classes which are also open to the neighborhood kids for free. Elena Brokaw>> My favorite thing is all of the kids' classes that they have here. The avenue is a place where, you know, there are a lot of families who live here and the kids just walk on over with their parents or whatever and come in here for free classes after school. It's been an amazing asset for this community. Josh Addison>> What are you doing, Linda? Val Zavala>> Linda Carson is a ceramics artist who shares a space with her husband, a painter. Josh Addison>> This table is approximately half, right? It looks like about as much space as you have. Val Zavala>> "It's looking like one-quarter, three-quarters here. You're going to have to fight back (laughter)." It took a million dollars to renovate this twenty thousand square foot building, and how much is the rent? About half the market rate. "So it costs you personally two fifty a month?" Linda Carson>> Yeah. Val Zavala>> Wow. Josh Addison>> And this is over five hundred square feet of space that we're standing in, so it's a little but under a dollar a square foot. Val Zavala>> Under a dollar a square foot. Josh Addison>> Which is well below the market. Bob Shepherd, this is Val. Val Zavala>> "Hi, how are you?" For Bob Shepherd, finding a place big enough for his looms was a Godsend. "What makes this good?" Bob Shepherd>> Look at that skylight. And there's a portal, good restaurants down the street, cheap Mexican food. Val Zavala>> The Mexican food he's talking about is just a few blocks away. Juan Gonzalez is more than happy to see artists move into the neighborhood. Juan Gonzalez>> The community has improved, I think, and a lot cleaner, a lot safer. I think we're moving in the right direction. Val Zavala>> Do artists like Mexican food? Juan Gonzalez>> Yes, they do (laughter). They like spicy food also. Val Zavala>> It's taken Josh Addison two years to renovate the old mattress factory, but he's not finished yet. Josh Addison>> I have a waiting list of over a dozen people who want space, so we're going to make a few more studios in here. We'll still have a waiting list in case there are any vacancies. What we're doing is taking this original structure and cleaning it up and restoring it and retrofitting it to current seismic standards, new foundation, and really getting it back on its feet. It's got good bones. It's got a lot of very nice old clear timber in it. Within about three or four months, it will be available to use. Val Zavala>> Hello. Josh Addison>> Hi, Susan. Susan Cook>> Welcome. Val Zavala>> Thank you. This is amazing. Gorgeous colors. Susan Cook>> Thank you. Val Zavala>> Susan Cook used to remodel homes before she took up painting. Susan Cook>> I wanted to be part of what's happening in Ventura. Val Zavala>> What is happening in Ventura? Susan Cook>> Well, it's a renaissance for art basically. I think that Ventura looks at the artists as a valuable commodity. Val Zavala>> The Bell Arts Factory is just one building with a new life, so why are city officials so excited? Because it brings Ventura one step closer to a larger vision of making the city an arts center, what they call a cultural destination. Elena Brokaw>> This project, I think, is so crucial for the turning point of Ventura. This is the private sector stepping up. The public sector, or the city, has supported the arts pretty steadily for the last ten years plus. Josh's move to create affordable spaces for artists to live is a wonderful turning point for our community. Val Zavala>> And that's our program. I'm Val Zavala. For everyone at Life and Times, thanks for watching. We'll see you next time. Announcer>> Life and Times was made possible through the generous support of the L.K. Whittier Foundation dedicated to improving the quality of life by supporting innovative endeavors in the fields of medicine, health, science and education. And by a generous grant from Jim and Anne Rothenberg. Sponsored in part by:  | |
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