MY FRIEND KATHY is never one to miss a good shopping experience. If I want to go to the mall, she's always up for it. But I was surprised to learn awhile back that she avoided shopping Downtown.

Why? I asked her. "The people down there creep me out," she told me, referring to the panhandlers and chronically homeless who can often be unnerving to visitors.

So I kidnapped her one day, took her out to lunch and shopping and completely changed her point of view about Downtown. She had a great time and has returned several times since without me.

But one bad experience can have a lingering effect. As I listened to Downtown business owner Jim Rice plead last night to the City Council for the weekend police foot patrols to be fully restored, I realized just how desperate the merchants down there are feeling these days since the foot patrols were lost to recent budget cuts.

"Feeling safe and feeling comfortable where you are is what makes you go back to a place," Rice said. "The bad guys are winning here. When I bring investors to this town ... it is the single biggest issue. When I bring my friends from Westlake and Agoura, they say 'How do you live here? There's a bunch of crazy people here.' "

Apparently his speech made an impact on the council, too. They voted to restore the foot patrols through the summer months and revisit the issue this fall when it is known how much money has been collected from the 911 fee. Proceeds from the fee will go to pay for the costs of the city's 911 call center and free up money for additional police services. At this time, the plan is to hire an additional two-person team for problem areas such as Downtown.

THE COUNCIL ALSO VOTED to continue the funding for the city's efforts in the 10-year plan to end homelessness, which has brought a community outreach supervisor who works with the homeless population to get them off the streets.

In terms of the numbers of homeless, Ventura ranks second only to Oxnard in the county. And while all of these folks are certainly not causing trouble Downtown, the few who do -- along with those who have homes but are just unruly -- have the potential to cast a pall on our blossoming tourist trade, one of the few bright spots in the local economy.

These small investments in extra policing and social services will pay dividends for us all.

I am sorry to note, however, that the Ventura Visitors and Convention Bureau, which helps bring tourist dollars here in the first place, did not fare as well. The council approved a $60,000 cut to next year's anticipated funding on a 4-3 vote.

THE WAY ACTOR KEVIN COSTNER explained it, his long-time best friend Tim Hoctor, a Ventura realtor, "has these big ideas and it always begins with me."

"I really think we should do something for Ventura," was how Hoctor framed it to his friend. The famous actor, who grew up here and admits his heart never quite left, agreed. So Costner and Hoctor got together with city officials, local business folks - including entrepreneur Mark Hartley - and made it happen.

The result? A July 26 benefit party at 2 p.m. at Hartley's new restaurant The Watermark followed by a splashy red carpet premiere at Ventura's Downtown Century 10 for Costner's new Disney flick "Swing Vote," capped off by a street party at 8:15 p.m. headlined by Costner's band Modern West.

"It's Ventura. It's my community. ... I thought let's have a street party and make it all-American fun," he said.

The Academy Award-winning actor reminisced fondly about his childhood in Ventura at a press conference today held to officially announce the event. "Ventura was very big in my life," he explained. The star of "Bull Durham," "Dances With Wolves," and "Field of Dreams," spent many days fishing off the Ventura pier as a boy.

He lived in a house near Foothill and Wells in East Ventura and attended Saticoy Elementary, Cabrillo Middle School and Buena High, where he played basketball and befriended legendary Buena coach Joe Vaughn. "This was an idyllic life here in Ventura," he said. His family moved away when he was a sophomore. "It broke my heart when I left," he said.

He's made many visits back since making it big and has been occasionally spotted in the stands at Buena basketball games. Costner has a home up the road in Summerland and not too far from where his wife grew up near Santa Ynez. "We are old dogs. We go back to what we know. We'll probably do the majority of our living here in this area."

The tickets for the premiere and party at The Watermark - at $500 apiece - are already sold out, but the evening street party is free and open to the public. The Downtown Ventura Organization is currently working on parking alternatives for the thousands who are expected to show up.

MY SON LEARNED HOW to spell his first four-letter word from the graffiti on the Union Pacific train bridge over the 101 Downtown. "Mom, what does F - - - mean?" he asked as we went whizzing underneath. This is a family blog, so I won't fill in the blanks.

I went up to take photos of the bridge the other day and that particular word is still up there in all its glory, several years after our errant spelling lesson. It's surrounded by lots of other colorful words, too, as the photo above shows.

In a city concerned with coaxing tourists to get off on the California Street exit and stay awhile, that train bridge isn't exactly a welcome sign. Recognizing this, many good folks have tried to get Union Pacific Railroad to clean up its act and have been duly discouraged over the years.

It was one of the first things Chris Palmieri, a city streets supervisor, tried to tackle when he started his job a little over a year ago. "My calls (to Union Pacific) basically went unanswered," he said. "I don't know what their maintenance priorities are." The city's own graffiti abatement program strives to get taggings covered up within 48 hours, he said. But the train bridge is not under the city's purview and city crews can't paint over the graffiti without consultation and approval from two slow-moving entities -- CalTrans and Union Pacific.

So what this basically means is that taggers are now bringing their grandchildren down to look at what they spray-painted while hanging upside down over a freeway many years ago. I exaggerate. But it feels that way to many of us.

However, good news may be on the horizon for those who do not appreciate the charms of this particular street art. Our City Attorney's office has sent a letter to Union Pacific reminding them that it is a violation of our municipal code to have graffiti standing too long, Palmieri said. And talks are in the offing between all the parties involved to see what can be done.

NOW, TO BE FAIR, painting a train bridge that runs over a freeway isn't an easy undertaking. The 101 will need to be closed in sections and bucket trucks will need to be brought out to do the work. Because of overspray hazards, the entire bridge will need to be encased in plastic sheeting. "It's a bigger deal than just going up and painting it," Palmieri said.

And you have to wonder if they feel it's a fruitless effort to go through all this trouble only to have the graffiti magically reappear the following Saturday night. But I, along with many others, feel it's worth the effort and I suggest while they're at it they should install some high-beam lights and alarms to deter further incidents.

If that doesn't work, I'm OK with trained attack pigeons.

AS EACH STEEL GIRDER is put in place at the new building under construction at 60. S. California, Dan Frederickson's dream for Downtown Ventura comes a little closer to fruition.

Frederickson and his partners -- wife CiCie along with Paul and Natalie Orfalea -- are excited and relieved to have the project finally come together, Frederickson said. Most will remember the Orfaleas and Fredericksons from their association with another very successful Ventura-based enterprise -- Kinko's. Orfalea was the founder and Frederickson was president. The company was sold in 2004 to the FedEx Corporation.

Their latest Ventura enterprise will house more than 20,000 square feet of prime office and retail space. Small businesses will occupy the upper floors and retail space will be leased at the bottom; the top two floors will have ocean views. Frederickson will announce the bottom-floor tenants shortly.

Why a five-story office building Downtown? "It's basically to serve as an example for the type of development that I would like to see Downtown," Frederickson said. "It's for businesses who want to be Downtown and feel the Downtown culture and aesthetic."

Frederickson and his wife also make Downtown their home, as such he's been a big booster of the area and wins high praise from Ventura's Mayor Christy Weir. They are both founders of the Downtown Ventura Organization. "He's just a great guy," Weir said. "Dan has been a really positive influence Downtown. He is bringing Class A office space that will really contribute not only to the architectural beauty of the area but also to the economic vitality by bringing space for high-wage jobs."

As part of the project, a unique partnership was developed between the city and Frederickson. The project needed parking and Frederickson will lease 55-57 spaces for his tenants over a 25-year period from the city. A bridge from his building to the adjacent parking structure is being built. "This is proving to be the first attempt to generate significant revenue to the city for public parking," he said.

WORKING WITH CITY HALL on the project has sometimes been challenging, said Frederickson, who is known for his straightforward and outspoken manner. "The planning process was horrible, with little communication and little support from the Planning Department. It took about five years to get the permit to build," he said. "Some of the time was due to the changing Downtown Plan and modifications to the original design.

"Very simply, the city needs to proactively support and help expedite the development that the community wants."

But, he was careful to add, "Since my building has been approved, the city's been fantastic. Building and Safety have been supportive and very solutions-oriented to the problems that you are faced with when you build in a downtown. The building will be completed on time and on budget in no small part to their help and assistance."

Frederickson is a guy who gets things done. Recognizing the area's issues with the chronically homeless who are often alcoholics, he and his business partners put up the seed money to provide consulting to determine how and if Ventura could develop a "Sober Center." This idea is evolving into a network of Sober Centers around the county.

The busy real estate developer and his partners in OFFCO, LLC are also working on other projects. They own the Alessandro Business Plaza at 101 and Seaward in Ventura and are completing an office/medical park in Osage Beach, Mo. at the Lake of the Ozarks.

If all goes well, construction on the California Street building will be completed by November, Frederickson said. "I hope that the building adds to the continued success of our Downtown."

Pierpont homeowners have lost their court battle to force the speedy removal of mountains of sand piled up against their homes.

An injunction and a complaint was filed in March against the City of Ventura and State Parks on behalf of the beachfront homeowners who have sustained damage. In a ruling issued on Friday, Judge Henry Walsh wrote, "The plaintiffs have not exhausted their available administrative remedies with the defendants in securing permits to themselves abate the sand problem."

"The court denied the preliminary injunction and essentially told the property owners to apply for coastal permits to do the work themselves," said City Attorney Ariel Calonne.

"All I can say is that we're all disappointed that the urgency of moving the sand before September was denied by the judge," said Pierpont beachfront homeowner Rosemary Icardo.

Icardo's home is impacted by tons of sand which she is unable to move without a permit from the City of Ventura with approval by the Coastal Commission. The city, working with the state and Coastal Commission, recently presented Pierpont residents with a Sand Management Plan which has since generated controversy. It allows residents to move the sand, but stipulates they must also restore the beach to a natural environment with roped-off plantings and dunes which will abate the buildup. This work is to be done on public property and must be done between Sept. 15 and May 15 "to avoid impacting visitors, grunion and potential nesting birds."

The ruling came too late for Icardo and other impacted property owners who will now likely have to wait until September to move the sand. An engineer hired to look at her property concluded the wall connected to the foundation of her home is "showing evidence of great stress. It will fail. The failure will be catastrophic and it could be soon," she said.

The decision did not settle the issue of who is financially responsible to pay to move the sand -- residents, the city or the state -- as it did not rule on the merits of the case. Who actually owns the property that the dunes sit on is still in dispute. This 40-foot wide strip of sand that runs about a mile all the way down the beach in front of the homes is likely the only beachfront property in Southern California that nobody will claim.

The City Council on April 14 directed staff to seek a short-term solution to the sand issues and a shared-funding arrangement with residents to pay for a long-term solution. Those proposals will be brought back at a future meeting.

WHEN I FIRST MET Mark Hartley he was finishing up a phone conversation with country music superstar client LeAnn Rimes while at the same time giving his input at an important civic forum. Since that time I have had the occasion to be impressed many more times with this local entrepreneur.

A music agent and principal in the Fitzgerald Hartley Co. who works with some of the nation's top talent, Hartley could live anywhere he wants, but chose Ventura for its coastal charm. Since putting down roots here, he has also invested heavily in our thriving Downtown. Name a cool building and he has had a hand in transforming it. Even the Star Lounge received a facelift thanks to Hartley.

But it's his latest venture which has everyone talking. We've all been waiting patiently for the Watermark, a three-story dining extravaganza, to open on the corner of Chestnut and Main. It's housed in the historic Groene building.

I recently poked my head in the door to check on the restaurant's progress, as I often do when walking past, and was lucky enough to find Hartley in the house. He offered to give me a tour.

The project has taken longer than expected, Hartley said, because of the difficulties involved in adding a third story and an elevator to the handsome brick-and-tile building. The third level, with its retractable glass ceiling and panoramic views, is called W2O and will be open daily for lunch and late-night drinks and light meals. There's also a private dining room with an ocean view and terrace.

The main dining room, full of historic ambiance, polished marble and comfy banquettes, will specialize in steaks and seafood. The mezzanine level features a lounge area and a separate loft for wine tastings and special events.

THE DAY I VISITED, a special restoration expert was putting the finishing touches on the historic ceiling. "That's Harrison Ford's guy," Hartley explained. "I only have him for a little while."

Hartley has assembled the place a bit like William Randolph Hearst assembled San Simeon, with found pieces shipped from all over the country. And it's full of little touches that are uniquely his -- the jellyfish tanks on the third floor and commissioned works of art such as a painting by a local artist with an inset video of the artist painting it. The building, which once housed a bank, still has its vault. And that's where Hartley's keeping his special liqueurs.

A chef has just been hired and if all goes well, the Watermark and H2O will be open in June and will no doubt be packed with patrons. I can't wait.

In our slowing economy, with construction stalled all over town, it so wonderful to see the work going on in our Downtown. And we are lucky to have citizens like Hartley who love their town enough to invest in its future.

AS EXPECTED, the City Council last night pulled some items off the list of cuts for further study and I certainly agree with their choices. Some items of note:

• The Ventura Visitors and Convention Bureau was reassigned to a different budget category, which will mean a lesser blow to this entity charged with generating tourist dollars for Ventura. More study will be forthcoming on how to salvage the budget for advertising dollars and personnel to sell Ventura as a tourist destination. The Transient Occupancy Taxes collected on hotel stays in Ventura are the only revenue source which is increasing in this tough economy, as aptly illustrated by Victor Dollar of the Four Points by Sheraton: "We bought the property two years ago and our revenues have increased approximately $1 million."

• Rob Edwards of the Downtown Ventura Organization offered to have his group do cleanup work, and thus lighten the load on Public Works, in order to buy some hours for increased police foot patrols Downtown on Friday and Saturday nights. Mayor Christy Weir suggested that the new City Corps could be called on to help with Downtown duties, too. They may also be asked to help with Pierpont sand cleanup. I can't say enough wonderful things about this new group and its organizers!

• Also pulled for further consideration were police training programs and the closing of the Police Storefronts.

• The Cultural Arts grants to local non-profit groups, whose activities generate tax dollars for the area, will also be studied. These grants are slated for a $40,000 hit which will affect some of our arts groups who depend on this funding for part of their operating budgets.

The council voted to make the rest of the cuts detailed here and will finalize the budget at an upcoming meeting.

IN THE CONTINUING SAGA of city fees, the council voted to rescind the hotly debated weed-abatement inspection fee and will look at this fee and others in an upcoming meeting. The question is, City Manager Rick Cole asked, "Who should pay for the extraordinary costs of preparing for wildland fires?"

Cole apologized to both the council and the community for not bringing the new $99 fee forward for discussion back in June when it was brought to the council in a very lengthy report. "This was an error and we regret it."

Councilmember Neal Andrews conceded he did not understand how the fee would be implemented when it was brought to him. "I thought this was an enforcement fee and not an inspection fee."

IN MORE FEE NEWS: As of today -- the deadline to opt out of the monthly $1.49-per-line 911 fee -- only an estimated 10-15 percent of the eligible phone lines in the city have been registered to do so. These lines will participate in the per-use fee of $17.88 which will be waived for first-time calls and Good Samaritan calls.

The money raised from this fee will go to offset the costs of the city's 911 call center and free up money for additional officers which could be utilized in heavy-call areas like our Downtown. Other officers will be hired to reinstate the badly-missed School Resource Officer program. The Ventura Unified School District will pay half of the costs to reinstate the program.

The series of cuts the council made last night put an approximately $800,000 dent in the Police Department budget, with about $100,000 deferred for a decision at a future meeting. According to Assistant Police Chief Ken Corney, one casualty will be the Neighborhood Watch program, which may have to go entirely online with nobody to supervise it since the Police Service Officer position has been cut.

I'll detail the cuts to the Police Department budget in an upcoming blog entry.

It's Cinco de Mayo already and I haven't named a "Comment of the Month" winner for April. I'll take care of that now with a nod to blogger "Phreaddy's Wife" for her words on the "They're betraying all of us" all entry. Thanks, PW, I appreciate your thoughtful comment.

IN A DISCUSSION that will surely span many meetings, the Ventura City Council on Monday will start the process of cutting $4.3 million from the general fund operating budget for the next fiscal year.

The series of cuts were developed with the guidance of 12 committees comprised of more than 70 staff members and - a first this year - members of the Ventura Chamber of Commerce Budget Task Force. When looking at what to trim, the committees used the Budgeting for Outcomes process which prioritizes city services and analyzes what city tasks are best helping to meet the stated goals of the city's general plan. $3 million in mid-year cuts have already been made.

Because of the recent economic downturn across the state, all our cities are looking at declining revenues and accompanying budget cuts. The collection of sales taxes in Ventura is down nearly 20 percent and property tax collections are expected to decline.

The council is free to adjust and decline the proposed cuts, a process which is sure to draw lively discussion and multiple public speakers. "We can't absorb $4 million in cuts by buying cheaper pencils," Mayor Christy Weir said.

DON'T EXPECT A RUBBER STAMP from the council. "It will be important to protect items that strengthen or support the generation of revenues," Councilmember Ed Summers explained. "While there is a current downturn, several indicators show a stabilization at the end of this year or early next year. In looking at the impacts to Community Development and Planning, it would be negligent not to be in a position to attract capital and projects as soon as there are positive signs in the economy."

A full and rather lengthy list of the proposed reductions is available from the city's Web site. I'll highlight a few here:

• Reducing sidewalk, curb and gutter repair by 60 percent.
• Reducing the Pierpont lanes sand clearing schedule by 50 percent.
• Closing some sports-specific venues in the city's Recreation Classes and Camps.
• Reductions of 50 percent to renovations at selected parks.
• Reducing mowing, trimming, maintenance and cleaning in public parks and public areas.
• Eliminating the Pesticide-Free pilot program at the Community Park.
• Reducing the Cultural Arts Grants program to local arts groups by $40,000.
• Reducing the Ventura Visitors and Convention Bureau budget by $83,000.
• Eliminating the Sister Cities Program.
• Eliminating a support position for street fairs and festivals.
• Reducing the Community Partnerships Granting program to non-profit agencies by $44,000.
• Eliminating a grant analyst, secretary, two Police Service Officer positions, five cadets and other extra help in the police department.
• Reducing foot patrols in Downtown Ventura on Friday and Saturday nights.
• Reductions in standby and overtime pay for the police department.
• Eliminating funding for the Neighborhood Traffic Management Program.
• Eliminating the PSO position to staff police storefronts. The Montalvo site would be closed. The site at the Pacific View Mall would remain as a security area and the Westside center will be available for police activities but would not be staffed by police personnel.
• Altering two consultant contracts (Victoria Avenue Specific Plan and Saticoy and Wells Community Plan) which would place more work on staff but save approximately $215,000.
• Eliminating water testing in the Ventura Keys area.
• Reducing City Council meetings to three a month
• Mandatory 9/80 workweek for city staff (with the exception of police and fire) and shutdown of non-essential areas of City Hall during the winter holiday period.

Several capital improvement projects have already been deferred and the city is under a hiring freeze. Some programs, such as the family activities at the Westpark Community Center, will be underwritten through community partnerships. "We had a choice of reducing programs there or increasing revenue, and while it is going to be a major stretch, Westpark is so critical in the Westside, that we made the commitment to find an additional $29,000 a year," said Community Services Director Elena Brokaw.

With a list of cuts this long, it was wise to move City Council meeting start times to 6 p.m. That change begins Monday.

City staff are working on a postcard which will ask residents to list their budget priorities for the city. What do you think should be cut?

Note: The preview function in the comments is still not working. Please just hit "post."