SANTA PAULA — The Santa Paula Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce a robust lineup of community events throughout September 2026. From the beloved monthly Cruise Night — kicking off a festive Labor Day weekend — to a Candidates Forum ahead of the November election, a ribbon cutting celebrating new housing investment and a downtown business mixer, September promises to be one of the most active and community-centered months of the year in historic Santa Paula.
This month, Free Family Day returns! Plus, don’t miss the premiere of Gail Faulkner: A Lasting Impression, an artist talk with Ojai artists Wrona Gall and Ted Gall, more than a dozen new classes, and more.
VENTURA — Students for Eco-Education and Agriculture (SEEAG) has received a $40,000 grant from AgWest Farm Credit to help prepare and develop the organization’s new Southbank Learning Farm, a 3.63-acre agricultural education and workforce development site located behind the Ventura County Juvenile Facilities in Oxnard.
The grant will support the development of a unique community resource where agriculture serves as a catalyst for education, career exploration, food security, environmental stewardship, and new opportunities for local youth.
Classicist Helen Morales discusses Parton’s radical empathy and the cultural power that let her hold contradictions — and people — together.
“We are thrilled to welcome Midpoint Organic Transplants to the Ojai food and farming community,” said Whitney Clapper, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Farmhand Foundation. “By providing organic farmers with the high-quality starts they need to keep growing healthy food, Midpoint is filling a vital role in our regional food system. Having this resource close to home strengthens our local growers, supports the continued production of fresh, thoughtfully grown food, and helps build a more resilient agricultural community for the future. Farmhand Foundation was proud to help Midpoint get off the ground through grant writing, encouragement, and plenty of cheerleading along the way, and we look forward to continuing to support their work however we can as they grow.”
• Back-to-School Distribution
• World Oceans Day — 4th Annual
• Classic Car Show
• 13th Annual Banana Festival — Sept. 26, 2026
VENTURA — Fifteen years ago, Salena Bracamontes took a leap into business ownership and opened the doors to her own State Farm agency. Today, she’s built so much more than a successful business with the Salena Bracamontes Insurance Agency, she’s built a dedicated team, lasting relationships with clients, and a reputation for showing up for the people and community she cares about.
For HACSB, however, the rating is not simply a measure of financial strength. It is another tool to advance the agency’s mission. HACSB measures success in human terms: more families with safe and stable homes, more seniors able to age with dignity, stronger neighborhoods, and more residents connected to opportunities and pathways to self-sufficiency.
“AB 2125 protects small farmers and individual water rights holders by ensuring they are properly notified of adjudications that impact their rights,” said Assemblymember Steve Bennett. “In Ventura County, the Las Posas adjudication affected thousands of residents, many of whom never received notice.”
“It is especially exciting to win a place for CSUCI in a fiercely competitive grant sought after by our nation’s greatest science institutions. Only 5% of applications were selected for funding,” said Feister. “This honor is a testament to the strength of the research being done at CSUCI and the expertise of our faculty. We may be a small institution, but we’re doing research that can make a meaningful contribution to some of the nation’s most ambitious scientific and technological efforts.”
Are you a homeowner age 62 or older?
You may have questions about how your home can support your financial goals during retirement.
My Way Home offers free reverse mortgage counseling to help senior homeowners understand how a reverse mortgage works and whether it may be right for their individual situation.
Exhibitions & Events
Sept 1 – 13
Sing Karaoke and
Create Your Own Art!
‘Robot Karaoke’ written in bold yellow and blue text over an image of silhouetted people singing karaoke.
Image courtesy of Jamie Brew
ROBOT KARAOKE
Thursday, September 3, 5 – 8 pm
On your 1st Thursday Art Walk, sing songs you know with never-before-sung lyrics generated from bizarre Internet datasets. Spam emails to the tune of “Sweet Caroline” OkCupid profiles in the style of “Pink Pony Club” The choice is yours! Comedian and writer Jamie Brew creates parodies for you to perform in real time using software from the utmost frontier of karaoke research. This event celebrates the final month of the special exhibition RANDOM-ACCESS MEMORY: Internet Art. FREE.
LEARN MORE
Earlier this year, the local 6th grader was attending a Girl Scout camporee when her best friend and fellow Scout suddenly began choking on a marshmallow and couldn’t breathe. Without hesitation, Gemma recognized the emergency and sprang into action. She administered back blows, successfully clearing the obstruction. She then stayed by her friend’s side, comforting and reassuring her until adults arrived.
For over 75 years, California YMCA Youth & Government has provided high school youth with a learning program modeling California’s legislature and courts. The program offers teen participants the opportunity to learn how government works, collaborate with others, make new friends and build skills such as critical thinking, persuasive public speaking, writing and research.
Help the County Plan for Disasters – Share your feedback!
What hazards concern you most in Ventura County and what should we be doing now to prepare for them?
That’s what Ventura County’s Hazard Mitigation Plan is all about. Simply put, it’s a roadmap for identifying the disasters most likely to impact our communities and taking steps before they happen to reduce damage and protect the people, places and services we rely on. And we need your input!
Take our short survey by September 15th and tell us
VENTURA COUNTY — Cabrillo Economic Development Corporation (Cabrillo EDC) and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Oxnard and Port Hueneme announced the successful completion of their inaugural Summer to Remember program, an eight-week enrichment initiative that served 15 children living at Dolores Huerta Gardens Apartments in Oxnard from June 22 through August 14. The program brought free, on-site academic support, recreation and creative programming directly to the community where these children live, marking Cabrillo EDC’s first partnership that expands summer services for young residents.
A couple of weeks ago, I randomly chose a book to read from one of the “little libraries” that people put up in their front yards. Despite considering myself somewhat of an optimist, a book by Timothy Egan, The Worst Hard Time, caught my eye.
This book is about the Great American Dust Bowl, that period of our history marked by immense environmental, economic, and agricultural hardship. The Dust Bowl coincided with the Great Depression, something that my parents and grandparents lived through—and fortunately survived.
One of California’s safest cities is preparing for a September debate over why its 15 fixed Flock license plate reader cameras remain in place after Ventura County data was made available to out-of-state and federal agencies in violation of California law.
During a one-month period in early 2025, out-of-state agencies ran more than 364,000 searches against the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office’s Flock network, even though VCSO believed national access had been disabled since 2023. Immigration enforcement was referenced in the justifications for 299 searches. Flock has acknowledged that the access was unauthorized but said its technical logs cannot fully explain how it occurred.
Friendship Center is 50! Wow!
For 35 years this September, I have the joy of being part of this very special community. Many of you receiving this email, I know personally. I’ve had the privilege of connecting with so many members, families, and friends through my many roles at Friendship Center, from directing our buses and taking members on field trips to leading our Connections program, working at our Montecito and Goleta locations, running the Gold Program, and now serving as our Membership Liaison.
VENTURA — The Ventura County Board of Supervisors recently recognized twenty-five County of Ventura employees for their longstanding commitment to public service and whose careers collectively span 680 years. Celebrated during the Board of Supervisors regular meeting on Tuesday, August 18, the employees marked career milestones of 25, 30 and 35 years of employment with County agencies. Over the course of their careers, the employees have helped deliver essential services, respond to changing community needs, and provide the experience and expertise that keep County operations moving forward.
With each honoree marking at least 25 years of County service, their careers represent decades of institutional knowledge and commitment to public service that have helped shape the programs and services Ventura County residents rely on today.
Lea en español | Received this from a friend? Subscribe! eNewsletter | August 2026 Here’s to 56 years! This month, nearly 200 People’s team members from throughout the Central Coast came together to mark the milestone. Friend, The coming months will…
Thursday, September 10 | 5:30–9:30 PM
Sherwood Country Club, Thousand Oaks
Step back into the glamour of the 1920s for an unforgettable evening celebrating Ventura County’s remarkable role in the early days of filmmaking. Join us for Taste of History: The Silent Movie Era, featuring fine dining, vintage-inspired cocktails, live entertainment, dancing, and an exciting live auction.
The evening will also feature the presentation of the Museum of Ventura County’s Lifetime Achievement Awards honoring Chuck Cohen and Joanie Young. Celebrate their extraordinary contributions to Ventura County and their lasting impact on our community.
One Step A La Vez is in an important season of growth, reflection, and renewal. As we look toward the future, we also want to honor the people whose dedication and service have helped shape our organization. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Amanda Garza, Diana Madrigal and Yuliana Suarez, who recently departed One Step after many years of commitment to our youth, families, and community. Their time, energy, care, and talents have left a lasting impact, and we are deeply grateful for all they contributed to One Step’s journey.
VENTURA — The Ventura County Environmental Health Division (Division) received confirmation from the California Department of Public Health that a bird collected in the city of Camarillo on August 1, 2026, and two birds collected in the city of Ventura on August 3, 2026, tested positive for West Nile virus (WNV). All mosquito breeding sources in the area where the birds were collected will be inspected and treated if evidence of mosquito breeding is observed. Ventura County Public Health and Environmental Health are closely monitoring WNV activity, including the increase in WNV cases and the recent WNV-related death in Los Angeles County.
Public Health confirms that no human cases of WNV have been identified to date in 2026 in Ventura County.
Computer scientist Michael Beyeler and colleagues use a deep-learning model to design patterns of electrical stimulation for electrodes temporarily implanted in a blind participant’s brain.
Read more about the findings
Only one week left to secure Early Bird pricing for the 36th Latino Leadership Awards. Join El Concilio Family Services on Friday, October 2, 2026, and reserve your seats before prices increase on September 2.
OXNARD — Food Share of Ventura County invites the entire community to celebrate a historic milestone in the fight against hunger as the organization breaks ground on the future home of Ventura County’s food bank on Friday, September 11, 2026, from 3:00–5:00 p.m. at 1425 Mariner Drive in Oxnard.
The free community celebration will mark the ceremonial groundbreaking of Food Share’s new 85,000-square-foot facility, a transformational project designed to dramatically expand the organization’s capacity to serve Ventura County for decades to come.
The groundbreaking is part of Feeding Our Future, Food Share’s $50 million capital campaign to build a food bank capable of meeting both today’s unprecedented need and the needs of a growing community well into the future.
VENTURA COUNTY — Over 200 community leaders, alumni and partners gathered Thursday, Aug. 20th, at the Ventura County Office of Education for The Big Reveal Party, where the organization formerly known as Ventura County Leadership Academy introduced its new name, Leadership Ventura County, alongside an expanded slate of leadership programming built to reach more of Ventura County.
While Leadership Ventura County’s new identity marks a visible change, organization leaders say the programming behind it is the real story: a broader, more accessible approach to developing leaders across the region.
“Our new name, Leadership Ventura County, is really about access,” said Pattie Braga, Executive Director. “With Leadership Class, Leadership Explore, Leadership Elevate, and Leadership Connect, we now have programs tailored to where someone is at personally or within their career, whether that’s a nine-month deep dive or a first step into their community. This next chapter is about opening that door wider for more people across the county.”
SANTA BARBARA — Registration is now open for the inaugural California Ocean Summit, a landmark three-day convening taking place December 9–11, 2026, in Santa Barbara. Bringing together leading ocean scientists, policymakers, investors, innovators, and advocates from across California and beyond, the Summit will showcase solutions, mobilize capital toward ocean impact, and build the cross-sector relationships needed to turn shared ambition into coordinated ocean action.
