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."

In Stone to perform April 2 at Sugar Beets

In Stone will be performing starting at 9 p.m. Saturday, April 2 at Sugar Beets Restaurant & Bar, 455 So. A St., Oxnard. For dinner reservations, call 805.240.7777. Click here for more information.

Guest column: Just who do we think we are?

By David Magallanes / Guest columnist I’m fascinated by the whole topic of personal uniqueness. We’re all somewhat aware of it. Certainly, everyone in our home or in our office or in our classroom is different. In fact, very different,…

Avila photography solo exhibit set for April 1 in Ventura

The reception for “… to take a good picture,” the Carlos Avila Photography Solo Exhibit, will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, April 1 at the Bell Arts Factory, 432 No. Ventura Ave., Ventura. The lecture will begin…

Healthcare Reform celebrates one-year anniversary

Attendees celebrate the one-year anniversary of the passage of the Affordable Care Act during a presentation held March 28 at the Oxnard Public Library in Oxnard. “The health care law has provided critical benefits for families, seniors, and small businesses…

Community celebrates El Concilio’s Latino Leadership Awards

It was a full house when El Concilio Family Services presented its 22nd Latino Leadership Awards on March 26 at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center. The awards this year focused on educators who make a difference in the community. The…

Community attends Braceros presentation at Museum of Ventura County

Jose Alamillo, a professor at CSU Channel Islands, speaks with Port Hueneme Mayor Sylvia Muñoz Schnopp during the presentation “The Braceros of Ventura County,” a traveling exhibit in collaboration with California State University Channel Islands, illustrating the impact of the…

Robert Lopez purchases Topa Tower Club

After 24 years of service and dedication to the Topa Tower Club, Robert Lopez, who most recently served as the club’s general manager, has purchased the private member city club in Oxnard, Consortium Media Services reported March 30 in a media release.…

El Centrito presenting Parent Promoters of Education Conference starting April 1

El Centrito Family Learning Centers will present its free Parent Promoters of Education Conference in Spanish from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 1, 2 and 8  at All Saints Episcopal Church, 144 So.“C” St., Oxnard. The parent-to-parent training model is designed…

Arts Obispo presents monthly artwalk April 1

ARTS Obispo will present its monthly first Friday “Arts After Dark” artwalk from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, April 1 in downtown San Luis Obispo. The event features an exhibit of established and emerging local artists in 28 venues including…

CAUSE reports library services bill gains supporters

The Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy (CAUSE) is a sponsor for a bill introduced by Assemblymember Das Williams (D-Santa Barbara) that would give communities a voice on how their public libraries are run, the organization reported this…

Das Williams reports on more funds for small business loans

The State Treasurer’s office is expanding its loans to small businesses through the California Capital Access Program  (CalCAP), Assemblymember Das Williams, 35th district, reported Tuesday, March 29. CalCAP encourages Banks, Credit Unions, Savings Institutions, and Community Development Financial Institutions to make…

Shirt sales support Little Stingers Wrestling Club

Fernando Carmona of First Impression Printing in Oxnard could be found Saturday morning, March 27 in front of the Oxnard High School gymnasium at a booth helping to sell tee-shirts and other items in support of the Little Stingers Wrestling…

Kilpatrick’s “Hope” exhibit opens March 29 in Ventura

The exhibit “Hope,” featuring the work of Hilda Kilpatrick, will be presented March 29 through April 23 at the Buenaventura Art Gallery, 700 E. Santa Clara, Ventura. A reception will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday, April 2. Kilpatrick’s…

Ventura College to celebrate César Chávez Day on March 30

“Across the San Joaquin Valley, across California, across the entire nation, wherever there are injustices against men and women and children who work in the fields-there you will see our flags-with the black eagle with the white and red background,…

Expert to discuss Chicana/o art on March 31 at CLU

Changes in Chicana/o art through the years will be highlighted during a lecture from 5 to 6 p.m. Thursday, March 31 at California Lutheran University, the university reported in a media release. Charlene Villaseñor Black will present “Chicana/o Art: Tradition…

Guest column: Roses for a daughter

On the day before Valentine’s Day last month, I took roses to my married daughter.  I buy her flowers every Valentine’s Day because I want to show her that I honor her, and that I will always love her, more…

MICOP seeking volunteers for March 26 community meeting

The Mixteco/Indigena Community Organizing Project is seeking volunteers to work with small groups to provide literacy training for this weekend’s monthly community meeting. The community meeting will be held from 3 to 5:30 p.m. Saturday, March 26 at Harrington Elementary…

Latino Leadership Award profile: Alex Rivera

Editor’s note: Amigos805 is presenting a regular profile of the winners of El Concilio Family Services’ 2011 Latino Leadership Awards, to be presented March 26 in Oxnard. The awards this year focus on educators who make a difference in the community.…

MusicaLatitudes presenting concert March 27 honoring César Chávez

Los Ministerios de Latinos y Latinas de la Iglesia Presbiteriana de Pasadena y MusicaLatitudes is presenting “César Chávez: Por mis frutos me conocerán,” a concert at 7 p.m. Sunday, March 27 at Iglesia Presbiteriana de Pasadena, 585 E. Colorado Blvd.,…

Braceros — soldiers in the fields

World War II-era program has impact to this very day. Exhibit opens March 24. By Mariana Llamas-Cendon /Amigos805.com The Bracero Program had a profoundly personal impact on the life of Jose Alamillo. His father, grandfather and other family members left…

Ventura College East Campus holds ‘Expo ’11” on March 24

The Ventura College East Campus will hold “Expo ’11”  from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Thursday, March 24 at 115 Dean Drive, Suite A, Santa Paula. Exhibitors will provide information on community programs, student services, activities and clubs, with the…

Social Justice Fund presents Teen Multimedia Contest

March 26 is the deadline to submit entries to the Teen Multimedia Contest being presented by the Social Justice Fund for Ventura County, the organization reported recently. Open to teens 13 to 18 years of age, the winning work will…

Latino Leadership Award profile: Pilar Pacheco

Editor’s note: Amigos805 is presenting a regular profile of the winners of El Concilio Family Services’ 2011 Latino Leadership Awards, to be presented March 26 in Oxnard. The awards this year focus on educators who make a difference in the community.…

Rio School District to hold Dual Immersion Academy information meeting March 22

Parents of incoming kindergarten students are invited to learn about the Rio School District’s Dual Immersion Academy at an information meeting from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, March 22 at Rio Real Elementary School, 1140 Kenney St., Oxnard, the district reported in a media release. Open to students countywide, the Dual Immersion Academy begins in…

Guest column: Cosmic laws

By David Magallanes / Guest columnist I’ll admit, I was not a normal adolescent. As a teenager growing up in a Los Angeles suburb, I would spend hours underneath the night sky. Or at least as “night” as it would get…

Future Leaders presenting program for women March 19

Future Leaders of America presenta “El Desarrollo de la Mujer.” Como madres y estudiantes, es importante contar con las habilidades de liderazgo necesarias para tener éxito en su vida familiar, escuela, trabajo, comunidad, y otras áreas de la vida. El…

Castañeda presenting at event on March 20

Enedina Castañeda, a  Santa Maria Valley educator and author of Del Puño y Mente de Una Mujer…Poemas,” will be among a group of women participating in the “Mujeres Con Valor” conference from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday, March 20 at…

Latino Leadership Award profile: Lupe Murillo

Editor’s note: Amigos805 is presenting a regular profile of the winners of El Concilio Family Services’ 2011 Latino Leadership Awards, to be presented March 26 in Oxnard. The awards this year focus on educators who make a difference in the community.…

Free VITA tax services set for March 18 at Oxnard College

Free tax preparation services for taxpayers with annual incomes of $49,000 or less will be held from 4 to 9 p.m. Friday, March 18 at Oxnard College, 4000 So. Rose Ave., Room CSSC-101, Oxnard, Assemblymember Das Williams, 35th District, reported…

Oxnard, Port Hueneme students submit entries to Strawberry Festival

Forty-five teachers and 727 elementary school students from the Port Hueneme School District and Oxnard School District have submitted entries for the 28th Annual California Strawberry Festival Youth Art Design Contest, the organization reported this week. The winner will receive…

Luis Valdez ‘From the roots’ set for March 15 at CSUCI

The Chicana/o Studies Performance and Teatrics Lecture Series presents playwright, director and founder of El Teatro Campesino Luis Valdez during the program “From the roots: The flowering of El Teatro Campesino,” at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 15 at California State…

VCCF accepting proposals for farmworker housing grant

The Ventura County Community Foundation’s Fund for Farmworker Housing is accepting proposals from local organizations to help alleviate the local farmworker housing crisis, the organization reported in a media release. The majority of the $135,000 available will go to projects…

Film screening, photo exhibit on Mexican Revolution set for March 16, 17 at CSUCI

A film screening and opening reception for the exhibit “Mexico, the Revolution and Beyond,” will be held March 16 and 17 at California State University, Channel Islands. The university’s history program will join the Mexican Consulate in the English-language screening…

Healthcare Town Hall Meeting set for March 14

Gold Coast Health Plan will present a Town Hall Meeting at 6 p.m. Monday, March 14 at Clinicas de Camino Real Inc., 200 So. Wells Road, Suite 100, Ventura. The program will include information on changes that will affect individual…

UCSB Arts & Lectures honored for ¡Viva el Arte de Santa Bárbara! partnership

UCSB Arts & Lectures has been awarded the 2011 Association of Performing Arts Presenters/MetLife Arts Access Award for Engaging Underserved Communities in recognition of its ¡Viva el Arte de Santa Bárbara! partnership, UCSB reported in a media release. ¡Viva el Arte de Santa Bárbara!…

Guest column: Why did he paint?

By David Magallanes / Guest columnist I was at home one day this past week, immersed in tasks (I tend to dive—headfirst—right into them) that I was knocking off my to-do list when my cousin Phil called. Phil and I grew…

Ruiz wins first bout at Golden Gloves Tournament

Andy Ruiz of Oxnard has won his first bout at the Southern Calif Golden Gloves Tournament held March 8 at the Lincoln Park recreation center in Los Angeles, Manuel Herrera reported in a media release. With a score of 5-0,…

Speakers sought for Moorpark College’s Multicultural Day

Moorpark College is seeking presenters for its annual Multicultural Day 2011 to be held from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. April 12. The event, “Celebrating a Wealth of Culture,” presents an annual alternative day of instruction features insightful lectures, breathtaking performances,…

Immigration panel discussion set for March 9 in Thousand Oaks

The Democratic Club of the Conejo Valley will present a moderator-led immigration forum beginning with a reception at 6:15 p.m. Wednesday, March 9 at the Thousand Oaks Library, 1401 E. Janss Road, Thousand Oaks. Confirmed speakers include immigration attorney Gabriella Navarro-Busch;…

Enrique’s Journey author to speak March 9 at Moorpark College

Sonia Nazario, author of Enrique’s Journey, will speak at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 9 at Moorpark College, 7075 Campus Road, in the campus dining room. Enrique’s Journey, the 2010-11 One Campus One Book Selection, is about a teen who decides to pursue…

Latino Leadership Award profile: Joseph M. Medina

Editor’s note: Amigos805 will be presenting a regular profile of the winners of El Concilio Family Services’ 2011 Latino Leadership Awards, to be presented March 26 in Oxnard. The awards this year focus on educators who make a difference in the…

NBC News correspondent to talk at CLU

Miguel Almaguer, an award-winning national correspondent for NBC News, will speak at 7 p.m. Monday, March 7 in Samuelson Chapel at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks. Almaguer will discuss his experiences as a journalist and how he worked his…

Latino Links: Health Trends

By Frank X. Moraga / Amigos805.com While 99 percent of Latinos in California over the age of 50 are concerned about having access to affordable health care, only 34 percent believe they have the amount of coverage they need, according…

Guest column: Poverty and language

By David Magallanes / Guest Columnist I’ve lived around both English and Spanish all my life. I can’t help but feel that the Spanish language is much more conscious of poverty than is English. I believe that poverty is wired…

Lois Capps: House budget bad for California’s security

Cuts to port and border security endanger safety and hurt economy The seven month spending bill passed by the House last month would weaken California’s security by reducing funding for critical security grant programs, Rep. Lois Capps, D-Santa Barbara, stated…

Das Williams: Help me balance the budget

Dear Friends, Last weekend we held our first town hall meeting in Ventura concerning the budget. The nonprofit, Next 10, demonstrated their California Budget Challenge, which allowed attendees to vote on Governor Brown’s proposals to balance the budget. The Ventura…

Latino Leadership Award profile: Fundi Legohn

Editor’s note: Amigos805 will be presenting a regular profile of the winners of El Concilio Family Services’ 2011 Latino Leadership Awards, to be presented March 26 in Oxnard. The awards this year focus on educators who make a difference in the…