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."

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…

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…

2-1-1 service continues to make its mark

By David M. Smith / President & CEO, United Way of Ventura County Early next month 2-1-1 Ventura County will begin its seventh year of service to the residents of our county — and what a remarkable service 2-1-1 has been.…

David Cruz Show to start Jan. 16 on KTLK 1150 AM

LOS ANGLES – Clear Channel Radio – Los Angeles is launching a new program, the David Cruz Show, starting Monday, Jan. 16, 2012. The program will air weekdays 3-6PMon KTLK, 1150AM, the company reported this week in a media release. “This…

Commentary: Help for Loneliness

By Boyd Lemon / Guest contributor Loneliness is a common complaint of single people, especially those of us who are “older” or more or less retired.  I’m 71 and single. In reality we are all alone inside our heads. Nobody…

Commentary: The Christmas Gifts

By David Magallanes / Guest contributor The following is an essay I wrote several years ago. In the Hispanic world, Christmas isn’t over until January 6, so I can still slip this one in: It was that time of year: time…

Commentary: What if the Mayans are right?

By Mona AlvaradoFrazier /Guest contributor Is December 21, 2012 the End or just a new winter solstice? Is it another Y2K or cause to start worrying? Just because the Mayan calendar ends on that date in 2012 doesn’t mean the world ceases to exist.…

Commentary: The truth shall set you free

By Michael and Stephen Szakos / Guest contributors  Happy New Year! May 2012 be a tremendous year for each of you. A fresh start. A new beginning. We know that 2011 was a very difficult year for many of you for various…

Commentary: Top ten in local education

By Denis O’Leary / Guest contributor We will see many lists within the next few days. I would argue that education is a topic of utmost importance and yet we will not see a resume of last year in this subject.…

Commentary: Time to turn the calendar to a new year

Amigos805.com staff report We wish everyone a happy and prosperous 2012. Residents of the 805 region and the rest of the nation in 2011 continued to battle back from the effects of the Great Recession. As noted recently by Bill Watkins, executive…

Commentary: The management of time

By David Magallanes / Guest contributor Here we are on a collision course with 2012, and many of us haven’t even begun to write down our resolutions.  Assuming the Mayan predictions aren’t true and that we actually will live through…

Commentary: Hope For 2012

By Michael and Stephen Szakos / Guest contributors  All of us on Team Szakos hope you had a wonderful holiday with your family and friends and we wish you nothing but the best for 2012! As we read in the news, watch…

New board members join Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Oxnard and Port Hueneme

OXNARD — Stephen MacIntosh, general manager of Republic Services, Inc.; Stuart Nielson, attorney with Arnold LaRochelle Mathews VanConas & Zirbel LLP; Robert Sills, community advocate; and Police Chief Jeri Williams, Oxnard Police Department have joined the Boys & Girls Clubs of…

United Way: Wishing you a great new year!

Dear Friends: With a focus on a new year upon us, please accept my thanks for your generous support throughout 2011. Because of your support, thousands of local residents have been rewarded with an enhanced quality of life. But during…

Das Williams: End-of-year report

It’s been an honor to serve you during this time of crisis and though it hasn’t always been easy due to the ongoing budget problems, I look forward to continuing the progress we’ve already made. As 2011 comes to an…

Capps writes to Entravision CEO urging him to reconsider cancellation of ‘Noticias Univision Costa Central’

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Lois Capps (D-Santa Barbara) on Dec. 21 released a letter she sent to Mr. Walter Ulloa, Entravision Chairman and CEO, to express her concern about the potential cancellation of “Noticias Univision Costa Central,” the only Spanish-language…

Commentary: The American Dream—Part III

By David Magallanes /Guest contributor I grew up next door to five cousins, all brothers, who may as well have been my brothers.  In fact, genetically, we are brothers. That’s because we are not only cousins — we’re “double cousins.” Their father…

NASCAR champion Tony Stewart volunteers as spokesperson for local Boys & Girls Clubs fundraiser

OXNARD — Three-time and reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart has volunteered to help the Boys & Girls Clubs Million Dollar Raffle as its spokesperson and has donated a VIP NASCAR experience that includes a personal meet-and-greet with…

Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics providing health care options in Santa Barbara region

  SANTA BARBARA – Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics (SBNC) is quickly becoming the choice for many in our community who can no longer afford healthcare insurance fees, the high cost of deductibles, and the care that come with it — including…

Commentary: Radio program an effective way to reach hardest hit segment of home mortgage crisis

By Michael and Stephen Szakos / Guest contributors To the morning radio audience along California’s Central Coast, Michael and Stephen Szakos of TEAM SZAKOS Real Estate are fast becoming the Batman and Robin of the continuing home mortgage crisis, as the duo…

EDC-VC releases latest Economic 411 report

Organization also announces annual meeting in conjunction with VCEDA’s annual installation on Jan. 19 By Bruce Stenslie / President/CEO, Economic Development Collaborative-Ventura County California’s Labor Market Information Division released its November 2011 report earlier today (Dec. 16), continuing for a…