Author: Amigos805.com

Frank X. Moraga is publisher / editor of Amigos805, providing information for and about the vibrant Latino community in Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties — "Bringing cultures together by sharing information."

Hospice of Santa Barbara offers advice for parents, teachers after elementary school shooting tragedy

SANTA BARBARA — Hospice of Santa Barbara is providing information for those in our community who have questions and concerns related to the recent shooting tragedy that killed 20 children and 7 adults in an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, the organization reported in…

Bilingual report: El Centrito, MICOP to present ‘Piñata Making Workshop’ on Dec. 14

OXNARD — El Centrito Family Learning Centers, in partnership with Mixteco/Indigina Community Organizing Project (MICOP), will host the fifth annual “Piñata Making Workshop” from 1 to 4 p.m. Friday Dec. 14  at El Centrito’s main campus, 450 So. K St. (The…

El Concilio Family Services expands criteria for Latino Leadership Awards nominations

  El Concilio Family Services in Oxnard has announced that it has expanded the criteria beyond education for nominations for the 24th annual Latino Leadership Awardes, to be presented June 7, 2013 at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center, Oxnard. The…

Clinicas to distribute toys to its patients through Dec. 21

Clinicas del Camino Real Inc. will be distributing toys at its clinics throughout Ventura County through Dec. 21, the health care provider reported Monday in a media release. For the past four years, during the holiday season, Clincas del Camino…

Bilingual commentary: Pearl Harbor

By David Magallanes /Guest contributor A few days ago we commemorated the 71st anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Honolulu, Hawaii. For the ancient Hawaiians, the place was called Wai Nomi; that is, Pearl Water. It must have been a…

MICOP seeks volunteers for ‘Fiesta Navideña 2012’ on Dec. 15

Volunteers are needed support the annual Mixteco/Indigena Community Organizing Project’s “Fiesta Navideña 2012,” which will be held on Saturday, Dec. 15 in El Rio and Oxnard. “There are still volunteer opportunities for this Saturday’s Fiestas in Oxnard and El Rio…

La Hermandad, MICOP, One Step A La Vez among local groups benefiting from McCune Foundation grant

Deadline for next grant program is Jan. 14, 2013 The McCune Foundation has awarded more than $360,000 for community organizing and social justice initiatives in Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties. Sixteen groups received grants in November to organize residents in…

Ros of Lamia Financial to rejoin board of Partnership for Philanthropic Planning of Greater Los Angeles

THOUSAND OAKS — Juan C. Ros, CFP®, a wealth manager and philanthropic specialist with Lamia Financial Group, LLC, in Thousand Oaks, will rejoin the board of directors of the Partnership for Philanthropic Planning of Greater Los Angeles (PPP-LA), Lamia reported Thursday…

Bilingual report: Deadline is midnight Dec. 6 to register for ‘Santa to the Sea’ race to benefit El Concilio

El Concilio Family Services in Oxnard will benefit from the fifth annual “Santa to the Sea” Half Marathon, Relay, 5K Run and 1K Kids Run on Sunday, Dec. 9. The deadline is midnight, Thursday, Dec. 6. Call El Concilio at…

Bilingual report: Teatro de las Américas’ PASTO-Re-La opens Dec. 7 in Oxnard

Teatro de las Américas will present “PASTO-Re-La” from Dec. 7 through 15 at the Oxnard College Performing Arts Center Black Box Theater, 4000 So. Rose Ave., Oxnard. Presented in Spanish with English supertitles; tickets for the family-friendly program are available…

Public Utilities President Mike Peevey to speak at CI’s Lacayo Institute on Dec. 10

CAMARILLO – The Lacayo Institute for Workforce & Community Studies at CSU Channel Islands (CI) will host its first Lacayo Forum on Monday, Dec. 10, 2012, featuring Michael R. Peevey, President of the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC).  The Lacayo…

Bilingual report: ‘Always Running..’ author Luis Rodriguez to speak Dec. 5 at Oxnard College

Author and poet Luis Rodriguez, best known for his 1993 memoir, “Always Running — La Vida Loca Gang Days in L.A.,” will be the guest speaker during Oxnard College’s “One Book One Campus” presentation from noon to 1:30 p.m. Wednesday,…

Deadline is Dec. 12 for matching donation for farm worker housing

VENTURA COUNTY — Dark, small, crowded, dilapidated… substandard and unacceptable. These are words that are commonly used to describe the housing available to farm worker families in Ventura County, and yet farm workers sustain agriculture in our community and bring…

Bilingual report: Ventura College, Ventura College Santa Paula offer English language improvement classes

Ventura College offers a variety of options for those who wish to improve their English language skills, the Ventura County Community College District reported in a media release. The new English for Multilingual students (EngM) are for students who do not…

Ventura College Santa Paula open for registration

The Ventura College Santa Paula site is now open for registration, offering a semester of classes and resources available to the community, the Ventura County Community College District reported in a media release. Classes begin January 14, 2013. Visit the…

Bilingual report: Community welcomes magic of holiday season

From Las Posadas to the Feast for la Virgen de Guadalupe and El Día de Reyes Magos, many religious activities are planned By Frank X. Moraga / Amigos805 December has always been a magical time. While Halloween provided the gentle…

Bilingual commentary: Human Touch — Judgment, then understanding

By David Magallanes / Guest contributor Huff, huff, puff, puff … inhale, exhale.  It was another evening of routine discipline as I plowed my body around the running track at the local park. The landscape was predictable in this neighborhood: the…

Bilingual commentary: Taos Pueblo: A unique Christmas celebration

By Stacey Wittig / Vagabonding Chica – Travel Writer Freezing air from snow-capped mountains pinches your nose as you walk toward Taos Pueblo on Christmas Eve. Moving into the crowd gathered around the adobe chapel, you hear people speaking hushed Spanish,…

CLU gets $1.6 million Upward Bond grant

THOUSAND OAKS — The U.S. Department of Education has awarded California Lutheran University a $1.6 million grant to continue and expand its TRIO Upward Bound Math and Science Center over the next five years, the university reported Thursday in a…

Letter to the Editor: A Potential Antidote to Gang Violence: Membership in a Boys & Girls Club

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.  To the editor: Congratulations…

Bilingual commentary: The Guardians

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…

Commentary: When grief is home for the holidays

Editor’s note: Amigos805 welcomes guest columns, letters to the editors 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 /…

Bilingual report: Host families needed in late December for Los Aguiluchos marching band

OXNARD — El Concilio Family Services in Oxnard reports that host families are needed for Los Aguiluchos for Dec. 26 and 27th. The marching band, from Puebla, Mexico, will perform at the 124th annual Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade on Tuesday,…

Bilingual commentary: Mysterious processes

Editor’s note: Amigos805 welcomes guest columns, letters to the editors 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…

Santa Barbara: Housing Authority opens new affordable housing development

SANTA BARBARA — The Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara, community leaders and invited guests celebrated the grand opening – and ahead-of-schedule completion – of the Bradley Studios, the organization reported in a media release. Since January, the Housing…

Bilingual report: Oxnard officially launches Spanish broadcast of city council meetings

OXNARD — In an effort to reach Spanish speaking residents, provide easier access to information about city government, and create an inclusive decision making process for all residents of Oxnard, the City of Oxnard will officially begin broadcasting city council…

El Centrito co-founder receives prestigious grant from The California Wellness Foundation

OXNARD — Since the economic recession struck, nonprofit agencies throughout the country have struggled to stay afloat and sustain services at sufficient levels to meet the increasing demand. El Centrito Family Learning Centers, an Oxnard nonprofit that provides bilingual education services…

MICOP seeks volunteers for monthly Mixteco community meeting on Nov. 17

Volunteers are needed support the monthly Mixteco/Indigena Community Organizing Project community meeting from 3 to 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 17 at Harrington Elementary School, 2501 Gisler St., Oxnard. “We have a lot planned for this meeting, including giving out flu shots which…

Primera pelea profesional para el joven Daniel Covielles en California el 17 de noviembre

OXNARD — En el marco de la promoción al deporte y con el objetivo de apoyar a nuestros connacionales amateur o profesionales, el boxeador Daniel Covielles Ordoñez llevará a cabo su primera pelea profesional el próximo 17 de noviembre  contra…

Guest commentary: Local Vulture Magic

Editor’s note: Amigos805 welcomes guest columns, letters to the editors 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 Elizabeth Alvarez /…

$1.2 million in scholarships available through Ventura County Community Foundation

CAMARILLO — The Ventura County Community Foundation is accepting applications from Ventura County students for more than $1.2 million in scholarships for the 2013-2014 school year, the Camarillo-based organization reported on Tuesday. Applying for a scholarship at VCCF is a…

Guest commentary: The Latino Problem

Editor’s note: Amigos805 welcomes guest columns, letters to the editors 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 / LULAC…

Inlakech Cultural Arts Center celebrates Día de los Muertos in Camarillo

Conejo Mountain Funeral Home, Memorial Park and Crematory, along with the Inlakech Cultural Arts Center in Oxnard, presented the annual “Día de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead)” celebration featuring “Comida, Altars, Prayer, Laughter and Tears,” on Saturday Nov. 3…

Café on A in Oxnard celebrates Día de Los Muertos

The Café on A hosted a Día de los Muertos celebration: “Community, Cultura y Conciencia” on Friday, Nov. 2 in downtown Oxnard. Presented by Union del Barrio and Café on A, the $5 donation benefited the KEYS Youth Leadership Academy.…

Pew Hispanic Center reports on Latino voters during 2012 election

Latinos voted for President Barack Obama over Republican Mitt Romney by 71% to 27%, according to an analysis of exit polls by the Pew Hispanic Center, a Project of the Pew Research Center.1 The report was released Wednesday by the Washington,…

Visit our slideshow to see highlights of the Museum of Ventura County’s Día de los Muertos celebration

“Night of the Living, Day of the Dead!” was the theme for this year’s Día de los Muertos celebration on Friday, Nov. 2 at the Museum of Ventura County in Ventura. The museum’s Las Contemporaneas Committee presented an evening of…

Visit our new slideshow of recent Ventura, Oxnard College events

Amigos805 has launched a new blog site that will feature slideshows and videos of recent events. Visit our site at www.amigos805.wordpress.com Our latest sideshows featuring the opening of two Latino-theme exhibits at Ventura College and Halloween-related activities at Oxnard College. Upcomimg…

Oxnard College to present ‘La Flauta Latina’ performance on Nov. 7

The Oxnard College Literature, Arts and Lecture Series will present “La Flauta Latina: A Flutists Musical Journey” from 1 to 2 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 7 at the Oxnard College Performing Arts Center, 4000 So. Rose Ave., Oxnard. Thousand Oaks Philharmonic Flutist Niccole Modell will perform…

Bilingual commentary: Queen Melisende of Jerusalem

Editor’s note: Amigos805 welcomes guest columns, letters to the editors 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…