OXNARD — From an all-time record of 1,800 entries, the “berrilious” design of 11-year-old Itzel Gonzalez from César Chávez Elementary in Oxnard was selected as the winner of the 31st Annual California Strawberry Festival Youth Art Design Contest, the festival’s organizers reported in a media release. Festival representatives held a pizza party and award presentation with her entire 6th grade class on April 23 to celebrate the announcement. Gonzalez received a $100 gift certificate (teacher, Maricruz Perez, was awarded a $50 gift certificate), Gonzalez given the honor of having her design showcased before a crowd of thousands in the Community Connections...
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Editor’s note: Part of a continuing series of stories profiling the award-winners of El Concilio Family Services 2014 Latino Leadership Awards. The awards gala will be held on Saturday, May 31 at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center. Click here to register or to become a sponsor or call 805-486-9777 for more information. Amigos805 staff reports Edlyn Vallejo Peña was born and raised in Simi Valley where her parents settled after leaving Cuba in the early 1960s. Peña, who’s child was diagnosed with autism at the age of two, managed to turn this personal challenge into a successful effort to examine the role colleges...
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Editor’s note: Amigos805 welcomes guest columns, letters to the editor and other submissions from our readers. All opinions expressed in submitted material are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the viewpoint of Amigos805. By Armando Vazquez / Guest contributor This week the Oxnard Police Department and the Oxnard School District contemplated the joint partnership of creating a police administered “community center” in La Colonia, using the old Cesar Chavez School building as the center of operations; after community input and deliberation the Oxnard School District Trustees elected to pass on the idea, we commend the Trustees for their decision. This...
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Editor’s note: Amigos805 welcomes guest columns, letters to the editor and other submissions from our readers. All opinions expressed in submitted material are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the viewpoint of Amigos805. By Melissa Baffa / Executive director of Friends of the Channel Coast State Parks It almost sounds like the opening line from a stand-up comic’s routine: “What would happen if you combined resources from the State of California, a private company, a non-profit organization, and a political office?” But this is no joke; this is happening right now. California State Parks has formed a very successful partnership...
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Editor’s note: Amigos805 welcomes guest columns, letters to the editor and other submissions from our readers. All opinions expressed in submitted material are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the viewpoint of Amigos805. By David Magallanes / Guest contributor One of the hallmarks of being an older member of the “boomer generation” is our memory of rehearsing for the unthinkable, but very horrific, possibility of nuclear war with the Soviet Union. When I was a child in elementary school, we had monthly “drills” that had us crouching under our desks, covering our heads with our arms in hopes of...
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SANTA BARBARA — PODER (People Organized for the Defense and Equal Rights of Santa Barbara Youth) will gather with other community members to voice opposition to the gang injunction prior to City Council’s first-ever public vote on the matter at 4 p.m. Tuesday, April 22 at the the Santa Barbara City Hall, 735 Anacapa St., corner of Anacapa and De La Guerra, Santa Barbara, the organization reported in a media release. Since the introduction of the gang injunction as a policy measure three years ago, City Council has refused to place it on the Council’s agenda as an actionable item...
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OXNARD — Oxnard College to present the Spring Show 2014 performance of the Ballet Folklorico Mestizo, with special performances by Oxnard Scholars After School Program, Lemonwood and Ramona Folklórico Students and Angels on Harps, at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 25 and Saturday, April 26 at the Oxnard College Performing Arts Building, 4000 So. Rose Ave. in Oxnard., organizers reported in a media release. General admission is $10. Advance tickets can be purchased at the Student Business Office, 805-986-5811 or at the ticket box office at 6 p.m. on the evening of the performances. Event Contact: Mati Sanchez, Tel. 805-986-5800, ext....
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OXNARD — Future Leaders of America will be hosting a Science/Technology/Engineering/Mathematics (STEM) Career Seminar for 60 high school and junior college students from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, April 26 at the Center for Employment Training, 761 So. C St., Oxnard, the organization reported in a media release.  The purpose of the FLA Career Seminars is to empower youth with information about career pathways, goal setting, and professional culture as we encourage them to pursue higher education. Dr. Ramon Flores, director of Knowledge Management & Information Technology at the Center for Seabees & Facilities Engineering, will deliver the...
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SANTA ANA — The 6th Annual “Noche de Poesia, Canto y Literatura,” in honor of poetry month, will be held from 4:40 to 9 p.m. Saturday, April 26 in Santa Ana, reports Santa Maria poet Enedina Castañeda. Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Santa Ana), will provide the welcoming remarks. The event, hosted by League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) Bolivia Council, will be held at the Ebell Club of Santa Ana, 625 French St., Santa Ana “Noche de Poesia” is an annual cultural event hosted by LULAC-Bolivia #3188 where poets, artists, and contemporary authors from various countries come together and share their...
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CAMARILLO — Representatives of hospitals, health systems and the Public Health Department will present a “state of Ventura County’s health” during the “Public Health and Hospital Needs Assessment Findings” session at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, April 29 at the VCCF Nonprofit Center in Camarillo. The free presentation is part of the Ventura County Community Foundation’s Community Leadership Series. The panelists will present key findings of their latest federal- and state-mandated Community Health Needs Assessment Reports and then engage in a discussion led by nonprofit consultant Jill Fioravanti, who assisted in Kaiser Permanente’s Ventura County assessment. A question-and-answer session will follow. Panelists...
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Editor’s note: Amigos805 welcomes guest columns, letters to the editor and other submissions from our readers. All opinions expressed in submitted material are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the viewpoint of Amigos805. By Rodolfo F. Acuña / Guest contributor The United States is the land of illusions. Like Disneyland, it is more fiction than reality. The American Dream is part of surreal world, constructed as a form of social control that distorts the memory Americans blinding to the injustices, inequalities and imperfections of American society. Like old Shirley Temple movies, Americans are princes and princesses who pass through bad...
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Editor’s note: Part of a continuing series of stories profiling the award-winners of El Concilio Family Service 2014 Latino Leadership Awards. The awards gala will be held on Saturday, May 31 at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center. Click here to register or to become a sponsor or call 805-486-9777 for more information. Amigos805 staff reports Frank P. Barajas, a professor at California State University Channel Islands, was born and raised in Oxnard and is a graduate of Oxnard High School and Moorpark College. He earned his bachelor’s degree in history from CSU Fresno and his doctorate degree from Claremont Graduate University. His father was...
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“Woman: Verses in Flight “ Summary Recital Words host: Dr. Dagoberto Ramos “In the academic setting of the University of Southern California, USC Campus , on March 30, 2014 , the International Women’s Day program, entitled I celebrate ” Verses in Flight ,” was masterfully presented by Santa Maria educator and Mexican poet. Poems were presented in Spanish, English and Nahuatl. Items came from the sandy beaches of Guadalupe, colorful wildflower vines, and even eucalyptus leaves collected from the road, which were distributed to the attentive audience that gathered there, coming from Arizona and elsewhere . This tardeada transported...
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CAMARILLO — The ninth annual Noche de Fiesta, presented by El Club de Español, will be held from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 16 in Malibu Hall 100. Come celebrate the diversity of the Hispanic cultures as we feature the Caribbean rhythms of Invasión Latina, a popular Los Angeles-based ensamble of Latin American musicians, organizers reported in a media release. Also sample our Latin American food selections before the concert. This event, which has been brought to you by Instructionally Related Activities (IRA) and El Club de Español, is free and open to the campus and local community....
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Editor’s note: Amigos805 welcomes guest columns, letters to the editor and other submissions from our readers. All opinions expressed in submitted material are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the viewpoint of Amigos805. By David Magallanes / Guest contributor This past week, my favorite newspaper, the Ventura County Star, published a list of the life spans for several cities in the county.  According to this report, people who live in the 91361 zip code, which is the Thousand Oaks/Westlake area, have an average life span considerably longer than in zip code 93041, which is Port Hueneme, which happens to...
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OXNARD — Two university professors, a college and career counselor, an attorney, a coordinator of a college-readiness program, a gifted high school student, a successful high school and a police sergeant will be recognized when El Concilio Family Services presents its 25th annual Latino Leadership Awards at a gala on Saturday, May 31 at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center. “The Honorees, each in their own unique way have gone beyond and contributed in a great way to make life better for Latinos and for citizens in the county,” said Yvonne Gutierrez, executive director of the Oxnard-based organization. “El Concilio...
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SANTA PAULA — Ventura College Santa Paula will present the ‘Panel Discussion: Transforming Adversities to Resounding Victories!’ from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, April 10 at 957 Faulkner Road, Santa Paula. Featured panelists include: Councilwoman for the City of Oxnard, Carmen Ramirez, Esq. Health Educator, Katalina Navarro Motivational Speaker for the SGI Victory over Violence campaign, Dominique Fuster Moderated by Suz Montgomery, senior advocate, educator, community activist and media host of the cable show, Schmooze with Suz. The event is sponsored by: Associated Students of Ventura College (ASVC) Cabrillo Economic Development Corporation (CEDC) CantuTax Professional Tax Services, Santa Paula Clinicas del Camino Real...
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  Beautification event to be co-hosted by Ventura County Supervisor Zaragoza, SoCal Gas  VENTURA – Friends of Channel Coast State Parks, the nonprofit cooperating association that serves the Channel Coast district of the California State Parks, will be joining with Ventura County Supervisor John Zaragoza and SoCal Gas to host a volunteer event in honor of Earth Day at McGrath State Beach on Saturday, April 12, Zaragoza reported in a media release. McGrath State Beach, which narrowly escaped closure in 2011 due to a failing sewer line, has continued to be plagued by problems, suffering nearly continuous flooding since the...
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By Marcos Vargas / Executive director of the Central Coast Alliance for a Sustainable Economy Friends, Here’s an exciting opportunity to open your heart for the hardworking youth who give so much outside of school to lead organizing campaigns for quality education, immigrants’ rights and a healthy environment. By giving right now to CAUSE’s Summer Youth Program you can double your impact! You may know of our Summer Youth Fellowship, a paid leadership development program for local high school and community college students committed to changing their communities. Youth fellows learn community organizing and advocacy skills while planning community...
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Editor’s note: Amigos805 welcomes guest columns, letters to the editor and other submissions from our readers. All opinions expressed in submitted material are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the viewpoint of Amigos805. By David Magallanes / Guest contributor We have to recognize that our economic world is very different now. When I used to apply for jobs, there was no such thing as uploading résumés into some abstract digital “cloud” via the Internet. There was no Internet. Now people who seek work and do this are no more certain of their application actually arriving anywhere or into anyone’s...
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Editor’s note: Amigos805 welcomes guest columns, letters to the editor and other submissions from our readers. All opinions expressed in submitted material are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the viewpoint of Amigos805. By Mona AlvaradoFrazier/ Guest contributor Criminal Justice professionals from Ventura County gathered together on March  29, 2014 to present career seminars for the students of Future Leaders of America. Mayor Pro Tem Carmen Ramirez welcomed the 60 high school and community college students. The Honorable Gilbert Romero, Judge of the Superior Court, made the keynote address. Presenters included representatives from the District Attorney and Public...
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Ventura-based GOCARE Inc. seeks to expand its efforts to business education in Nicaragua By Frank X. Moraga / Amigos805 Nicaragua is the poorest country in Central America and the second poorest in the Western Hemisphere. Much of the nation’s infrastructure was destroyed during a revolution in the late 1970s and a civil war during the 1980s. As a result, about 50 percent of Nicaraguans currently live below the poverty line, with 80 percent living on less than $2 per day, according to the U.N. Development Programme. Despite the challenges, education is highly valued in the nation, with many believing it...
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By Frank X. Moraga / Amigos805 You just never know when that moment of inspiration arrives — when you are set on a career path that will guide the rest of your life. My moment of inspiration came after I finished my four-year hitch with the U.S. Navy and started classes at Ventura College. It was while attending the college’s “Media in Minorities” conference that I became inspired to pursue a career in journalism. After listening to the late Frank del Olmo and the late George Ramos of the Los Angeles Times, and local Latino photojournalist Jess Gutierrez, I...
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WASHINGTON, D.C. — Rep. Lois Capps (D-Santa Barbara), along with many of her colleagues, demanded that the House of Representatives vote on a comprehensive immigration reform bill by signing a discharge petition on H.R. 15, the bipartisan Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act. A nearly identical bill passed the Senate in June with extensive bipartisan support, Capps reported March 26 in a media release. A discharge petition is a procedural exercise that, if it receives 218 votes, can force a vote on the House floor even when it is opposed by the House majority leadership. H.R. 15...
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Editor’s note: Amigos805 welcomes guest columns, letters to the editor and other submissions from our readers. All opinions expressed in submitted material are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the viewpoint of Amigos805. By David Magallanes / Guest contributor Over the past few days, there has been much anticipation and excitement, particularly in the Hispanic community, regarding the newly-released movie, César Chávez. The March 27, 2014 edition of the Ventura County Star quoted Marc Grossman, spokesman for the César Chávez Foundation: “When Chavez worked in the fields, he would come home after a long day and tell...
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