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…
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."
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…
Latino Links: Political Trends
By Frank X. Moraga / Amigos805.com While the DREAM Act failed to gain approval from the U.S. Congress, Latinos going to the polls in 2012 are expected to remember the failed proposal and the inability by both parties to achieve…
Lacayo Institute receives $100,000 grant from Verizon
Verizon has presented a $100,000 grant to expand the Henry L. “Hank” Lacayo Institute for Workforce & Community Studies (HLI) at CSU Channel Islands, Richard R. Rush, university president, reported in a media release. “We are pleased to have an…
Destino accepting grant applications to prepare college students
Destino: The Hispanic Legacy Fund is accepting proposals from local nonprofits so it can distribute $57,000 in grants for programs to boost college preparedness for Latino youth in Ventura County, the organization reported recently in a media release. The deadline…
Latino Leadership Award profile: Art Hernandez
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…
Latino Links: Business/Finance Trends
By Frank X. Moraga / Amigos805.com The nation’s sluggish economy has had a significant impact on mortgage lending to Latinos, while the community is getting tax time help in Spanish. The Chicago Sun Times reports that lending to Hispanics plummets…
Guest column: The Mexican Experience of an American
By David Magallanes / Guest columnist Tonight I attended a rosary for the father of some friends that I have known for many years. These friends make up a large American family of Mexican origins with an honorable reputation in the…
Public continues to oppose changing ‘Birthright Citizenship’
By Frank X. Moraga / Amigos805 While Arizona Republican lawmakers ponder a variety of legislative bills aimed at cracking down on undocumented immigration in the state, a Pew Research Center Poll released Feb. 24 continues to show the American public…
Community celebrates Flor y Canto in Guadalupe
Poets, musicians and community members from San Luis Obispo and several neighboring counties took part in the Raza Speaks: Flor y Canto celebration held Feb 19 at the the Guadalupe Cultural Arts & Education Center in the city of Guadalupe.…
Latino Links: Political Trends
By Frank X. Moraga / Amigos805.com The economy, immigration and other hot button issues continue to impact the perceptions Latinos have when supporting Republicans or Democrats, according to a recent poll. Meanwhile, in a demographic trend that could be repeated…
Rosary services set for Phillip F. ‘Phil the Barber’ Marquez
Rosary services for Phillip F. Marquez will be recited at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 24, at the San Buenaventura Mission, Ventura. Known as “Phil the Barber,” Marquez died at his home in Ventura on Feb. 15, after a brief illness with…
Latino Leadership Award profile: Carmen Guerrero
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…
Boys & Girls Club of Ventura seeks community speakers
The Boys & Girls Club of Ventura is seeking community leaders to “share their life experiences, skills, talents and what it takes to become contributing, happy citizens of the community” through the club’s twice weekly “Speakers Series,” Dr. Susanne Lammot,…
Latino Leadership Award profile: Javier Gomez
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…
Latino Links: Education Trends
By Frank X. Moraga / Amigos805.com This is also a good time of year for Latinos to consider their educational options. Many organizations are accepting applications for scholarships and grants for would-be college students. www.hispanicprwire.com recently published the release “Tips…
Guest column: The craft of wishing
By David Magallanes / Guest columnist I’ve always enjoyed walking through a bookstore, perusing the books on the shelves, just as I used to do as a child when my father would take me with him to the Los Angeles…
Young Leaders Society presenting Prom Dress Project
The Young Leaders Society has officially launched the annual Prom Dress Project, a prom dress recycling program for underprivileged students. The deadline to drop off prom dresses is Feb. 27, reported the Young Leaders Society, a program of the United…
Dr. Priscilla Partridge de Garcia to be featured workshop leader
Dr. Priscilla Partridge de Garcia, a Ventura County cinical psychologist, marriage and family therapist, will be a featured workshop leader for the March 11 USC Women’s Conference “Express, Encourage, Inspire”. She will be joining a plastic surgeon and a nutritionist…
CSU Channel Islands develops programs to prepare future university students
By Frank X. Moraga / Amigos805.com After years of planning, which included proposals to build on land overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Ventura and on farmland near the California Youth Authority in Camarillo, it was with great relief and excitement…
MICOP seeking literacy tutors
The Mixtec Advisory Committee 2011 is seeking volunteers for its new community-wide literacy effort. “Many Mixtec adults were unable to complete significant schooling as children, and many are unable to write their names, addresses or basic information,” Margaret Sawyer, executive…
Rio Mesa’s Folklórico Club seeking donations
The Rio Mesa High School Folklórico Club is seeking donations to pay for costumes so the group can perform at the Rio Mesa Dance Show “Switch It Up,” on May 6, at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center. The club has previously…
Sister City Committee holding fundraiser Feb. 16
The Oxnard-Ocotlán Sister City Committee is presenting a fundraiser to benefit visitation programs between the two cities from 4 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 16 at Yolanda’s Mexican Cafe, 1601 So. Victoria Ave., Oxnard. Yolanda’s will donate 20 percent of…
Latino Links: Health Trends
By Frank X. Moraga / Amigos805.com Maintaining a healthy heart and protecting yourself during the flu season are a couple of health trending reports released recently. In recognition of American Heart Month, Hispanicprwire.com recently released “Celebrating Healthy Hearts in the…
Latino Leadership Award profile: Elmelda P. Almanza
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…
Teatro de las Américas presents Actors’ workshop in Spanish
Teatro de las Américas is presenting an Actors’ Workshop in Spanish for persons of all ages, no experience needed. Beginning Thursday, March 3, the workshop will meet from 7 to 10 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays at Teatro de las Américas’…
Latino Links: Digital Media Trends
By Frank X. Moraga / Amigos805.com The power of Latinos on the Internet is being debated in couple of reports released recently. Latinos are less likely than whites to access the Internet, have a home broadband connection or own a…
Guest column: Putting out fires, or lighting up our world?
By David Magallanes / Guest columnist In his book, “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People,” Stephen Covey challenges his readers to consider using his “Time Management Matrix,” which consists of four quadrants. We can occupy our time performing tasks…
Limoneira president to speak Feb. 11 at CSU Channel Islands
Harold S. Edwards, president and CEO of the Limoneira Co., will be a featured speaker at California State University, Channel Islands on Friday, Feb. 11. Edwards is appearing as part of the spring speaker series presented by the Martin V.…
Valentine’s dance on Feb. 12 to benefit missionaries
Los Misioneros de Espiritu Santo present “Cena Baile de Gala 2011″ from 6 p.m. to midnight, Saturday, Feb. 12 at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center, 800 Hobson Way, Oxnard. Entertainment includes Animando Grupo “Los Teknicos.” Admission is $50. The event…
Mexican Consulate offering free Spanish-language textbooks
The government of México is presenting its “The 2011 Free Spanish Textbooks Program” to local educators and educational institutions, the Mexican Consulate in Oxnard reported this week. “This is a important tool for educators who are looking to improve their relationship…
CSUCI’s program seeks to make parks relevant to diverse youth community
California State University, Channel Islands working with National Parks Service in increase access Minority youth often have little history using parks for recreation and other outdoor activities. To reverse that trend, the National Parks Service Foundation is teaming up with…
Commentary: The ebb and flow of immigration to the U.S.
By Frank X. Moraga / Amigos805.com The number of undocumented immigrants coming the U.S. remained virtually unchanged in 2010 (11.2 million) over the prior year, according to new estimates by the Pew Hispanic Center. While the report focused on the…
‘Come Together’ talk set for Feb. 8 at UCSB
The panel discussion “Come Together, Interethnic collaborations for equity and social change in the 1970s,” will be presented at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 8 at the UCSB Multicultural Center, in the MCC Lounge, Santa Barbara. This panel discussion is presented…
Garcia Boxing Academy receives van from Barber Ford
Photo courtesy of the Robert Garcia Boxing Academy A custom van with a special van wrap mural was donated by Barber Ford in Ventura to the Robert Garcia Boxing Academy during a ceremony held Feb. 3 at the academy in…
Oxnard celebrates swearing in of new police chief
By Jess Gutierrez / Special to Amigos805 “It’s nice to say ‘chief,’ and it’s a female,” said Oxnard Councilwoman and Mayor Pro Tem Irene Pinkard loudly during the recent swearing in of Oxnard’s new Police Chief Jeri Williams, the first…