“An evening of Andean music with Quijeremá ?Al Son del Tunduki” will be presented at 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11 at the UCSB Multicultural Center Theater. Quijeremá is a dynamic force driven by sweeping bandola choruses with a firm foundation…
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."
District colleges placed on probation
The Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, Western Association of Schools and Colleges has moved all three of the Ventura County Community College District’s (VCCCD) colleges to “Probation” status due to deficiencies identified by the commission pertaining to the board…
Capps critical of bill that would open up the Central Coast to new offshore oil drilling
WASHINGTON —Rep. Lois Capps (D-Santa Barbara) slammed the House Republican leadership’s transportation bill, the so-called “Energy Security and Transportation Jobs Act” (H.R. 3410), which would mandate new oil and gas drilling in the federal waters off Santa Barbara and Ventura counties,…
Latino Links: Health trends
Latinos are among the U.S. ethnic groups hardest hit by air pollution, according to a recent report from the National Latino Coalition on Climate Change (NLCCC), Center for American Progress, National Resources Defense Council and National Wildlife Federation. The report…
LULAC to hold membership meeting on Feb. 4 in Ventura
The League of United Latin American Citizens will hold its next monthly membership meeting from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 4 at Clinicas del Camino Real, 200 So. Wells Road, Ventura. Contact Jorge Napoles, deputy district director, at jnapoles@clunet.edu or…
Mexican Consulate releases calendar of events for February
The Mexican Consulate in Oxnard on Wednesday released its calendar of events for February. Click here for a PDF version of the calendar. Visit www.consulmexoxnard.com
Commentary: Lifetime friends
By David Magallanes / Guest contributor Most of us have friends. Some friends rank higher than others in terms of “specialness.” Some friends are transitory; we’re friends because we happen to work in the same office or attend the same…
Commentary: You can always make something out of nothing — Simms Taback
By Mona AlvaradoFrazier / Guest contributor The other day I visited our local county museum and found one of my favorite “read to the kids” books. A retrospective journey through the career of Simms Taback filled half of the large…
Bilingual report: Mexican Consulate announces teacher exchange program
The Mexican Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Public Education invite educative authorities from Mexico and the United States to nominate candidates for the “Teacher Exchange Program Mexico-United States 2011,” the Mexican Consulate in Oxnard reported this week in a media release.…
UCSB graduate student Jaramillo awarded prestigious fellowship
SANTA BARBARA — UC Santa Barbara graduate student Alejandra Jaramillo has been awarded a prestigious fellowship with the UNESCO-L’Oréal Fellowships for Young Women in Life Sciences for 2011. She is one of only 15 recipients worldwide, the university reported Tuesday…
Bilingual report: Williams receives perfect score on pro consumer votes
SACRAMENTO — When it comes to votes on key consumer rights bills, the 2011 Consumer Federation of California (CFC) scorecard found that Assemblymember Das Williams (D-Santa Barbara) has sided with consumers 100 percent of the time. The first-term Assemblymember, has…
Commentary: Four possible solutions to avoid foreclosure
By Michael and Stephen Szakos / Guest contributors Just a week ago, we held an educational forum at the Oxnard Public Library. A large number of community members attended and walked away informed and armed with knowledge to move forward. “We were…
Mexican Consulate announces free Spanish language textbook program
The Mexican Consulate in Oxnard has reported that it is accepting applications for the annual Free Spanish Language Textbook Program through March 9. The collection of 55 books each include both textbooks and children’s fiction book in Spanish, used…
Latino Links: Economic Trends
A majority of Latinos (54 percent) believe the nation’s recession has hit them harder than any other group in the United States, according to a survey released last week by the Pew Hispanic Center. The survey found: 75 percent said…
Donations sought to aid Tarahumara Indians
California residents respond to crisis of drought and famine in Northern Mexico, home to the Tarahumara Indians OXNARD— The LUCHA-Tarahumara Relief Fund is still accepting donations to benefit the Tarahumara Indians, the organization reported recently. Tax-deductible donations can also be…
Commentary: Sometimes You need to ignore the network news and enjoy the beauty all around you
By Boyd Lemon / Guest contributor We are constantly bombarded in the media by all all of the heart breaking, gut-wrenching tragedy that permeates our world. But if you look around, you will see amazing beauty, too. Look at it,…
Election 2012: Endorsements coming fast
Race for Congress features former harbor commission president Amigos805.com staff report For those who have been watching, or seeking to avoid the nonstop media coverage of caucuses and primary races in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Florida — our time…
Commentary: Let’s have coffee
By David Magallanes / Guest contributor How do you go about managing your time, assuming that you do? Not everyone does, after all. Some of us are quite content to “go with the flow,” reacting to whatever blows toward us from the…
Verizon presents $17,200 check to Santa Barbara City College’s MESA program
SANTA BARBARA — Verizon presented a check for $17,200 to Santa Barbara City College (SBCC) Acting Superintendent/President, Jack Friedlander to support the college’s innovative MESA (Math, Engineering, Science, Achievement) program, college officials reported in a media release this week. This…
Commentary: American Library Awards 2012
By Mona AlvaradoFrazier / Guest contributor If the Pulitzer Prize is the Oscar of the book world, the American Library Awards for books is up there with the Nickelodeon Awards, sans the green slime. The ALA announced their Youth Media Awards of 2012…
CLU examines farmworker health risks with a $150,000 grant to fund Oxnard pesticide study
THOUSAND OAKS — California Lutheran University has received a $150,000 grant to research environmental justice in Oxnard, the university reported this week in a media release. The California Wellness Foundation awarded the two-year grant for two professors and selected…
UCSB’s Ríos receives $300,000 grant to study gang-associated youth
SANTA BARBARA — Victor Ríos, associate professor of sociology at UC Santa Barbara, has received a $300,000 grant from the William T. Grant Foundation for a study examining how the interactions between gang-associated youth and their parents, school professionals, police…
Don’t wait for last-minute foreclosure help
Amigos805.com staff report It was a full house at a foreclosure crisis educational forum held Jan. 21 at the Oxnard Public Library, reported David Cruz during his morning radio show Jan. 25 on KOXR AM-910. He made his comments during…
Volunteers needed for MICOP’s monthly meeting on Jan. 28
The Mixteco/Indigena Community Organizing Project will present its first monthly community meeting of 2012 starting at 3 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 28 at Harrington Elementary School, 2501 Gisler St., Oxnard. “If you’re available and would like to help out we will need…
Democrats continue to see gains in Latino voters in Florida
The number of Latinos registered in Florida as Democrats grew at an accelerated rate, according to data compiled and released this week by the Pew Hispanic Center in Washington, D.C. The final registration statistics for Florida’s Jan. 31 presidential primary…
EDC-VC releases latest ‘Economic 411 Report’
By Bruce Stenslie / Economic Development Collaborative-Ventura County California’s Labor Market Information Division released its December 2011 report … continuing for a fifth month in row improvements across our key indicators. For the details see www.calmis.ca.gov/file/lfmonth/vent$pds.pdf There are two key…
Women’s Economic Ventures (WEV) to hold orientation classes starting this week
Women’s Economic Ventures (WEV) will hold a series of orientations starting this week in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties, the organization reported recently in a media release. The orientation classes will be held: 6 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 24…
Social Justice Fund, CLU, CAUSE to present educational summit on Jan. 27
“The 100% Summit: A Tale of Two Counties — Bridging the Widening Gaps in Ventura County” will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, Jan. 27 at the Camarillo Methodist Church Hall, 291 Anacapa Drive, Camarillo. Presented by…
Former Lt. Gov. Bustamante endorses Herrera for Congress
OXNARD – Jess Herrera, candidate for Congress in the 26th District, received the endorsement of former California Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante, the highest elected Hispanic official to ever serve the State of California, the Herrera campaign announced in a media…
Garcia celebrates 101st birthday in Oxnard
Maria Garcia of Oxnard recently celebrated her 101st birthday. She was born in Jerez, Zacatecas on Jan. 13, 1911. Garcia, is the grandmother of four young mariachi players, Ely, Stephanie, Luis and Denise Garcia, said Javier Gomez, founder of the Inlakech…
Santa Barbara Supervisor Carbajal endorses Hannah-Beth Jackson for Senate
Democrat supported by more than 50 current and former local elected leaders Supervisor Salud Carbajal announced on Jan. 20 that he has endorsed Hannah-Beth Jackson for State Senate – joining colleagues Doreen Farr and Janet Wolf along with Assemblymember Das Williams,…
Latino Links: Media Trends
Hispanics view the Internet as a virtual “Plaza del Pueblo,” or town square, a place where they can be inspired and motivated to join the conversation, according to a new “Report on Hispanic Digital Influencers” released recently by 360i Digital…
De Colores Art Show to hold closing reception on Jan. 20 in Santa Paula
Xavier ‘Big X’ Montes will turn over show to artist Andrea Vargas at event on Jan. 20 Amigos805.com staff report For 18 years, Xavier ‘Big X’ Montes has led efforts to bring Latino art and culture to Santa Paula and…
¡Viva Arte de Santa Barbara! to present Los Soneros del Tesechoacán Jan. 20-22
¡Viva Arte de Santa Barbara! will present Los Soneros del Tesechoacán (Tay-say-chwa-KAHN) with free concerts at 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 20 at Isla Vista School, 6875 El Colegio Road, Goleta; at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 21 at Guadalupe City Hall; and at 7 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 22 at the Marjorie…
Commentary: Who are you?
By Boyd Lemon / Guest contributor Since the new age of introspection starting in the 1960s we are often told, “Know who you are.” Or, as Descartes put it centuries ago, “Know thyself.” Have you ever wondered what that really…
Commentary: Reflections on Martin Luther King Day
By David Magallanes / Guest contributor As I write, we celebrate the life and message of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a genuine American hero of the highest order. I am pleased as I compare the plight of the African Americans (called…
Tri-Counties Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning National Association earns certification
VENTURA COUNTY — The Tri-Counties Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning National Association (SMACNA) Apprenticeship program recently completed a stringent audit and was awarded the American Welding Society’s (AWS) official certification as an approved testing facility (ATF), the association reported this…
Commentary: National Stalking Awareness Month
By Mona AlvaradoFrazier / Guest contributor January is National Stalking Awareness Month, a time to focus on a crime that affects 3.4 million victims a year. This year’s theme —“Stalking: Know It. Name It. Stop It.” —challenges the nation to fight this dangerous…
Commentary: Do your homework. Rules are changing
By Michael and Stephen Szakos / Guest contributors As we continue to work on short sales throughout the community, we are finding out that the banks are changing the rules constantly, even from client to client. It is vital to obtain help…
Latino Links: Economic trends
The mortgage crisis has hit the Latino community particularly hard. The Center for Responsible Lending reported last year that Latinos were twice as likely to have lost their homes to foreclosure, or are seriously delinquent, compared to white borrowers. Latinos…
Commentary: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
By Mona AlvaradoFrazier /Guest contributor Soon we will celebrate and enjoy the holiday that commemorates Martin Luther King Jr. Day. In 1957, he was cited as one of the most admired religious leaders in the world. Time Magazine selected him, in 1957,…
Martin Luther King Jr. celebrations kick off with march in Oxnard on Jan. 16
> The Freedom March in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. will begin at 8 a.m. Monday, Jan. 16 at Plaza Park, Fifth and C streets, in downtown Oxnard. The march will continue on to the Oxnard Performing Arts Center,…
Commentary: Get rid of stuff — minimalize
By Boyd Lemon / Guest contributor I was introduced to minimalism when I got divorced and decided to live in the spare room of a friend and his wife and baby. I thought it would be a good transition from…
Bilingual report: Das Williams announces Assembly fellowship
SACRAMENTO — Assemblymember Das Williams this week announced that application information for the 2012-2013 Jesse Marvin Unruh Assembly Fellowship Program is available in his district and Capitol offices. The Assembly Fellowship Program provides the opportunity for aspiring public servants of…
Commentary: The young maiden and the snake
By David Magallanes /Guest contributor My family, like most families, shares photos of its members via email. It’s exhilarating to see the children and grandchildren, the native citizens of cyberspace, maturing over the years. It’s likewise powerfully poignant to see us older…
Bilingual report: Teatro de las Américas announces casting call
We begin the 2012 season casting for La zapatera prodigiosa / The Shoemaker’s Prodigious Wife! Greetings! Teatro de las Américas announces auditions for the play La zapatera prodigiosa/ The Prodigious Shoemaker’s Wife, by Federico García Lorca, Teatro reported in a…
Boys & Girls Clubs receive $600,000 to help juvenile offenders
Re-entry mentoring grant from Department of Justice one of only nine across nation OXNARD — The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Oxnard and Port Hueneme is seeking to reduce repeat crimes among juvenile offenders in Ventura County by…
Commentary: Hope for tomorrow
By Michael and Stephen Szakos / Guest contributors Over the past few weeks, we have shared some sad stories with you. Some tragic. Some seeming without hope. There is hope and there are answers! A family we helped recently purchased a new…
Los tres Reyes Magos entregaron cerca de 600 juguetes en la cuidad de Ojai
OJAI —El pasado sábado 07 de enero cerca de 600 niñas y niños se dieron cita en la Iglesia de Santo Tomás de Aquino para saludar a Melchor, Gaspar y Baltazar, siguiendo una de las tradiciones mexicanas más arraigadas, “El…
Foro sobre el Voto de los Mexicanos en el Exterior el Sábado 14 de Enero de 2012
Con el objetivo de apoyar al Instituto Federal Electoral (IFE), en México, en la promoción del Voto de los Mexicanos residentes en el exterior, particularmente para el registro a la Lista Nominal de Electores Residentes en el Extranjero (LNERE) que vence el…