Representatives from the public and private universities and colleges visit high school campuses to meet with students and discuss post-secondary education opportunities By Andrea Estrada / UCSB The Early Academic Outreach Program (EAOP) at UC Santa Barbara will hold its annual spring Higher Education Week, a four-day event beginning on Tuesday, March 11. Representatives from universities, colleges and other institutions of higher education will visit high school campuses in Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties to meet with high school juniors and discuss post-secondary education opportunities. The visits include brief presentations on financial aid and college admissions followed by college...
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OXNARD — Rigoberto Vargas and Marvelle Berry have appointed to board of Boys & Girls Club of Greater Oxnard and Port Hueneme, the organization reported this week in a media release. Vargas is public health director at the Ventura County Health Care Agency. Berry is the human resources manager at the Oxnard Procter & Gamble site. “Rigoberto and Marvelle are committed to helping advance our entire community by helping children, and we are honored to have them join our board of directors. Both are influential leaders in the Oxnard community and will have a positive impact on our 9,000+ members through...
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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 are all very aware that as great as our country is, it is not a “perfect union,” as the ideal was described in the Preamble to the Constitution of the United States. We are not a paradise. But in the eyes of much of the world, we are the ultimate Utopia upon the planet, the essence of civilized society...
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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 I would like to thank the Cal State LA history department especially Enrique Ochoa for inviting me. I am always reluctant to accept awards because I am alive and grateful to still be teaching at the age 81. Why should a person be honored for doing what s/he is supposed to do? It is like getting a senior citizen’s discount....
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OXNARD — The Board of Directors of El Centrito Family Learning Centers in Oxnard has announced the appointment of Joseph A. Castañeda as its executive director, the organization reported in a media release. Castañeda will lead the organization’s team in delivering innovative, high quality educational and leadership programs that support families throughout Ventura County, the organization reported. The board of directors is confident in Castaneda’s ability and passion to build upon the organization’s 22-year legacy and guide the agency into its next phase of strategic growth and innovation. Castañeda is an experienced nonprofit leader who has championed education and advocacy...
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VENTURA — The VITA Art Center at the Bell Arts Factory will present the opening reception for Frank Romero exhibit from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, March 7 at 432 No. Ventura Ave., Ventura in Studio 30. The exhibit will continue through March 31. Visit http://bellartsfactory.org for more information.
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VENTURA — The City of Ventura, the Big Read and Bell Arts Factory will present “From Hell to Healing — The Art of Vietnam Vets” featuring the works of Vietnam veterans Jess Gutierrez, Orlando Menchaca, James Graca and Michael Arndt from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Friday, March 7 at the Bell Arts Factory, 432 No. Ventura Ave., Ventura, in the Community Room. The exhibit also includes the works of Los Angeles-based artists Mario Trillo and Steven Chavez. The exhibit will continue through March 26. Visit http://bellartsfactory.org for more information.
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VENTURA — The Tool Room Gallery at the Bell Arts Factory will present the opening reception for “Mujer”  from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, March 7 at 432 No. Ventura Ave., Ventura. The exhibit features the work of Judy Baca, Gayel Childress, and MB Hanrahan. The exhibit will continue through March 31. Visit http://bellartsfactory.org for more information.
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VENTURA — Las Contemporañeas at the Museum of Ventura County will present the inaugural Latina Short-Film Festival (LSFF) on Saturday, March 8. The LSFF begins with a dessert and champagne reception from 6:30-7:15 p.m. followed by an award to keynote speaker, Michele Serros, author, poet, and social commentator. The LSFF opens with Lucy Rodriguez Hanley, film producer of “The Big Deal,” a short film based on one of Serros short stories in “How To Be A Chicana Role Model,” an Imagen Award winner. A brief question and answer period follows. Several short films were submitted for the LSFF.  Selected films...
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SIMI VALLEY — CSU Channel Islands will present the Spring Lecture Series talk “Beyond the Latino Sports Hero: The Role of Sports in Creating Communities, Networks and Identities” at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 8 at the Simi Valley Public Library, 2969 Tapo Canyon Road, Simi Valley. To reduce or simplify the history of Latino sports around individual champions obscures the historical communities and social networks that helped produced them, the university reported in a media release. In this presentation, José Alamillo will focus on Latino sporting experiences in the U.S., from the late 19th century up to the present,...
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OXNARD — 14th Annual Latin Grammy Nominee for Best New Artist QUATTRO will partner with OMAG (Oxnard Music Advocacy Group) and the Oxnard High School Band in a fundraiser to support getting music programs back into local schools at 3 p.m. Sunday, March 9 at Oxnard High School, 3400 W. Gonzalez Road, Oxnard. The program includes a performance by the Oxnard High School Band followed by Quattro’s one hour performance. Ending with a collaboration between the Oxnard High School Band and Quattro The cost is $15 per adult and $5 for students. Visit: http://www.oxnardmusic.org for more information.
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 OXNARD — The Oxnard College Literature, Arts and Lecture Series will present “Latinologues” from 1 to 2 p.m. at the Oxnard College Performing Arts Center, 4000 So. Rose Ave., Oxnard. Award-winning actor-writer-director-producer-comedian Rick Najera will entertain the audience with monologues from his book, “Latinologues,” and will discuss the image that Latinos have in Hollywood from inside out, focusing on the need for diversity in the arts and how his book “Almost White” addresses it. Visit http://www.vcccd.edu/news_and_events/press_release.shtml?id=633 for more information.
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SANTA BARBARA — Sara Poot-Herrera, professor of Spanish and Portuguese and director of UC-Mexicanistas at UC Santa Barbara, has been elected a corresponding member of the Mexican Academy of Language, a cultural organization that aims to maintain the purity of the Spanish language, the university reported in a media release. She was cited for her scholarly and cultural accomplishments. One of only a few females — and the first female from California — to be elected to the academy, Poot-Herrera ranks among the most distinguished scholars in Mexico. “Being elected to the Mexican Academy of Language is one of the...
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VENTURA — The board of directors of the Ventura County Fairgrounds has elected Leah Lacayo president, the organization reported in a media release. The board also elected Bonnie Weigel vice president. Lacayo is serving her second appointment to the board of directors. Her first appointment included a term as president in 2005. She also is on the board of directors of the Alumni and Friends Association at CSU at Channel Islands and is a trustee ofthe Ventura County Fairgrounds Foundation. Weigel is president and CEO of FOOD Share of Ventura County and serves on the board of directors of the Ventura...
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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 American writer and poet Max Ehrmann (1872 – 1945) wisely advises us succinctly in his epic work, Desiderata: “Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.” As the years unfurl behind us, we leave behind a trail of both failures and achievements. This is the result of living. We must admit to the failures, learn from them, and carry their...
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VENTURA — The Majestic Ventura Theater will present Ramon Ayala in concert at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 21 at 26 So. Chestnut St., Ventura. Tickets are $49 to $80. Call 805-653-0721 or visit http://www.venturatheater.net/event/435641-el-gran-silencio-inspector-ventura/ for more information.
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SANTA BARBARA — Comedian Gabriel ‘Fluffy’ Iglesias to perform at 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 22 the Arlington Theatre, 1317 State St., Santa Barbara. Iglesias is launching his 2014 world tour, “Unity Through Laughter” with stops across the U.S. and internationally including Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Orlando, Atlanta, Houston, Atlantic City, Australia, Europe and Singapore. In 2013 Iglesias found himself sitting atop some of the entertainment industry’s most prestigious lists, with Forbes Magazine including Iglesias in its “Ones to Watch” list, and The Hollywood Reporter naming him to its “Top Five Grossing Standup Comedians.” Visit http://thearlingtontheatre.com for tickets and more information.
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OXNARD — The Oxnard College Institute for Latino Performing Arts presents ”CBS Diversity Comedy Showcase” on Saturday, Feb. 22  in the Oxnard College Performing Arts Center Auditorium, 4000 So. Rose Ave., Oxnard. There is a 6 p.m. reception, followed by the main event at 7 p.m. This special evening of comedy and discussion on the state of diversity in America will be directed, produced, and hosted by Rick Najera. For nine years, Creative Director Rick Najera has spearheaded the renowned CBS Diversity Showcase, spawning numerous careers and opportunities for graduates of the programs going on to such shows as Saturday Night Live,...
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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 Las Contemporañeas at the Museum of Ventura County will present the inaugural Latina Short Film Festival (LSFF) on Saturday, March 8. The LSFF begins with a dessert and champagne reception from 6:30-7:15 p.m. followed by an award to keynote speaker, Michele Serros, author, poet, and social commentator. The LSFF begins with Lucy Rodriguez Hanley, film producer of “The Big Deal,”...
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OXNARD — The Valentine’s Day event ’Love, Hate and Everything in Between’ will be presented from 5 to 10 p.m. Friday, Feb. 14 at Café on A, 438 So. A St., downtown Oxnard. Organized and curated by Gee Gee Ontiveros and S.T.A.C. (Save the Art Culture), the opening night art exhibit includes live music, poetry reading, food and a raffle. Also presented by Oxnard College MEChA, the Oxnard College Fashion Club and the Empowerment Group. Sounds by DJ Mistic. Performances by Wes Gutierrez of Hallow Atmosphere; Hittman Hamp, High Rist, Mic OD, Jessica Lynn Kimble, Dustin Cast, Darion Wells and...
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Special guest panel will discuss ‘The Blowout Generation and Sal Castro’ By Andrea Estrada / UCSB In March 1968, thousands of Chicano students walked out of their East Los Angeles high schools to protest decades of inferior or discriminatory education in their so-called “Mexican Schools.” During these historic walkouts — or “blowouts,” as they were known — the students were led by Sal Castro, a Mexican-American teacher who encouraged them to make their grievances public after school administrators and school board members failed to listen to them. A two-day conference at UC Santa Barbara, named in honor of Castro,...
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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 Valentine’s Day is upon us, once again. At this time of year, I typically buy roses for the women in my life, which these days consist of my daughter and my female ballroom dance instructors. Throughout most of my life, I had always thought of roses as “pretty flowers that smelled nice.”  That was about it. In the past, whenever...
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CAMARILLO — Pilar Pacheco, associate director of the Center for Community Engagement at CSU Channel Islands, has earned a prestigious statewide recognition for her impact on service-learning and campus-community partnerships throughout Ventura County and the CSU system, the university reported Thursday in a media release. Pacheco received California Campus Compact’s 2014 Richard E. Cone Award for Excellence & Leadership in Cultivating Community Partnerships in Higher Education in January. “We are grateful for Pilar’s leadership in furthering our work in California and we are pleased to highlight her exemplary work in the field of service-learning and civic engagement,” Elaine Ikeda, executive director...
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CAMARILLO — Angeles Small has been named executive director of the Social Justice Fund for Ventura County, the organization reported in a media release. Small has more than 15 years of experience in the management and development of organizations in United States and Mexico, having built her career focused on youth leadership development and community organizing, the organization reported in a media release. Additionally, she brings to the Social Justice Fund an extensive marketing background in media advertising and broadcasting. In efforts to include Ventura County youth in collective community leadership, Small has been a key partner for the Social...
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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 In news stories every day, the lives of the rich and famous are shoved in our faces. Any envy we might feel for their unimaginable wealth must be tempered by an awareness of the living hell many of them endure every day: the paparazzi, the stalkers, the swindlers, the addictions, the threats and the experience of living in a bubble,...
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