Category: Business

Bilingual report: Update / Actualizaciones

A review of stories from our last edition  HERRERA WINS LATINO ISSUES FORUM VOTE, STRICKLAND LEADS FUNDRAISING: Jess Herrera came away with the Latino Issues Forum’s vote, but non-forum attendee State Sen. Tony Strickland is winning the campaign financing race…

Bilingual report: Briefs/Breves

COLLEGE ACCREDITATION VISIT: The Ventura County Community College District was visited by a site team from the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, Western Association of Schools and Colleges on April 16. The team was looking at the district’s…

Thank you for supporting our May print edition of Amigos805

  Dear reader, Thank you very much for supporting our efforts to make Amigos805 your key source of news for and about the vibrant Latino community in Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties. Your reaction to our first…

So. Cal Gas Co. presents $20,000 to Boys & Girls Club

The Southern California Gas Co. presented a $20,000 grant to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Oxnard and Port Hueneme on April 12 as part of a 2011 Education Initiative, the organization reported in a media release. The presentation,…

College district accreditation commission visit set for April 16

  The Ventura County Community College District (VCCCD) will be visited by site team members representing the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, Western Association of Schools and Colleges (Commission) on Monday, April 16, the college district reported in…

Gutierrez captures spirit of César Chávez Celebration

  Friend of Amigos805 Jess Gutierrez (photographer, writer, publisher and all things local Latino media) was busy Sunday,  April 1 capturing images at the 16th annual César Chávez Celebration, which began with a mass for field workers at Cristo Rey Church, 531 Cooper Road in…

KFI AM640 adds ‘The David Cruz Show’

LOS ANGELES – America’s top-rated talk radio station has added The David Cruz Show to its line-up and will start airing the program Sundays 6 to 8 p.m.  The multiple Emmy-Award winning network television journalist and former NBC4 TV News Anchor…

EDC-VC to present international shipping workshop on March 28

The Economic Development Collaborative-Ventura County’s Small Business Development Center of Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties is presenting a series of free workshops held at EDC-VC, 1601 Carmen Drive, Suite 215, Camarillo. “Introduction to International Shipping and Logistics,” presented by SBDC…

Laurus College celebrates its fourth campus opening in Oxnard during ribbon-cutting ceremony

OXNARD — Business leaders and entrepreneurs from Ventura County met the students and staff of Laurus College’s Oxnard Campus at a ribbon cutting Ceremony on March 21, the institution reported in a media release. The ceremony celebrated the opening of…

Bilingual report: Free bilingual tax assistance provided by VITA-United Way of Santa Barbara County

  The United Way of Santa Barbara County is coordinating free tax preparation and filing services through June for the community through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program and Financial Empowerment Partnership, the organization reported in a media release.…

Commentary: My Role Models — Teenage Entrepreneurs

By David Magallanes /  Guest contributor Last month I wrote about my visit to Solvang and how I watched what books my hand went for in the book section of a store that sold mystical items (candles, crystals, amulets, etc.).…

Ventura County film industry launches database

Ventura County Film411 to be a vital resource for production companies and industry professionals CAMARILLO — To promote Ventura County as an ideal location for film, television and commercial production and to help the local economy grow, the Economic Development Collaborative-Ventura County launched the online directory…

CEDC receives certificates of occupancy for 18 farmworker apartments in Oxnard

VENTURA —The Cabrillo Economic Development Corp. in Ventura announced on Thursday that it has received “certificates of occupancy” from the City of Oxnard for its newest affordable, apartment community for farmworkers, Camino Gonzalez. The $9.5 million project, located on a…

‘Starting a Small Business Workshop’ set for March 19 in Camarillo

The Economic Development Collaborative-Ventura County’s Small Business Development Center of Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties is presenting a series of free workshops held at EDC-VC, 1601 Carmen Drive, Suite 215, Camarillo. “Starting a Small Business Workshop” is a monthly workshop…

Youth benefit with dental services during ‘Dental Day’

Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics’ Dental Resident Dr. Cherry Ma, right, examines Abigail Perez’s teeth at the Direct Relief International (DRI) Dental Day, which was held March 10 at Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics’ Dental Clinic, the organization reported Monday in a…

Small Business Development Center adds advisors

Trio  join roster of about 30 business experts available free to companies CAMARILLO — Three business advisors with expertise in developing cash flow, productivity, accounting and taxation have joined the Small Business Development Center of Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties,…

CLU graduate students to be consultants for area businesses

SBDC’s Ray Bowman teaches new MBA class CAMARILLO — Twelve California Lutheran University MBA students are blending academics with real-world experience as they explore the field of small business consulting by providing services to three local businesses, the Economic  Development…

Premier issue of Amigos805 print edition coming in April

The premier issue of Amigos805, a 10,000-copy bilingual print edition, is coming to the region in April to better serve the community in the California Central Coast region. The publication is then scheduled to go weekly starting in May, the…

Williams introduces bills promoting energy efficiency

SACRAMENTO — Assemblymember Das Williams (D-Santa Barbara) recently introduced three bills aimed to help promote green energy technology, facilitate guidelines for efficiency upgrades and optimize investments in distributed generation, his office reported in a media release. AB 2339 will require…

United Way to hold ‘Girls’ Night Out’ fundraiser on Feb. 27 in Oxnard

Meathead Movers joins United Way of Ventura County  for a pampered evening benefiting the organization’s United Women’s Leadership Council CAMARILLO — For one night only, employees of Meathead Movers will replace their uniforms with tuxedoes and moving boxes with martinis to assist the…

Southern California Gas Co. awards $20,000 grant to Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Oxnard and Port Hueneme

BGCOP will use money for its College Bound program OXNARD —The Southern California Gas Co. presented a $20,000 grant to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Oxnard and Port Hueneme recently as part of a 2011 Education Initiative, the…

Latino Links: Economic trends

As the nation continues to recover from effects of the great recession, Latinos are expected to account for nearly three-quarters of the nation’s labor force from 2010 to 2020, according to a recent media release by the Pew Research Center…

Wells Fargo supports Women’s Economic Ventures through $25,000 grant

SANTA BARBARA — Non-profit Women’s Economic Ventures (WEV) has received a $25,000 grant from Wells Fargo for the organization’s continuum of programs, which helps women (and men) succeed at every stage of the business lifecycle, the organization reported Tuesday in a media…

Commentary: Don’t wait until it’s too late!

By Michael and Stephen Szakos / Guest contributors As we continue to work with the Ventura County community, we are saddened to see how many people wait until it’s too late to save their home, with expectations that a few days to…

Latino Links: Cultural trends

While the national television audience was fixated on activities going on inside the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Sunday night — Adele capturing six Grammy awards, heartfelt tributes to Whitney Houston who died on Saturday, and performances from various…

Capps votes for House Passage of the STOCK Act. Says stronger bill must be signed into law

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Rep. Lois Capps (D-Santa Barbara) on Thursday applauded the House of Representative’s passage of the Stop Trading On Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act.  Capps is a cosponsor of an earlier version of this legislation that would ban insider…

Capps applauds mortgage fraud settlement, urges additional action

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Lois Capps (D-Santa Barbara) on Thursday applauded the announcement that the federal government and 49 states, including California, reached a $25 billion agreement with the nation’s five largest mortgage servicers to penalize robo-signing and other bank…

Medical professionals to be honored at Ventura County Medical Resource Foundation gala on Feb. 16

Miguel Cervantes, MD, selected as Community Physican of the Year, will be among a group of 10 individuals and organizations to be honored at the Ventura County Medical Resource Foundation 19th annual Gala Awards Dinner at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 16…

Rocksteady Fitness to have Zumba party on Feb. 13

Arturo and Melissa Hernandez, owners of  Rocksteady Fitness, invite the community to attend a free Zumba party from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 13 at Diet Free Life, 4517 Market St., Suites 5 and 6, Ventura. Rocksteady Fitness provides Personal Training, Group…

EDC-VC honored for job creation

Center has quickly impacted area’s economic vitality CAMARILLO — The Economic Development Collaborative-Ventura County’s Small Business Development Center was instrumental in creating and retaining nearly 600 jobs in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties last year through its one-on-one business advising…

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,…

Free tax help available Feb. 8, 9 at Oxnard Public Library

The Oxnard Public Library is providing free income tax preparation assistance to income filers from 1 to 7 p.m. every Wednesday and Thursday through April 12 at the Main Downtown Library, Meeting Room B, 251 So. A St., Oxnard, the…

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…

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…

Volunteers to provide free tax preparation starting Jan. 30

Effort will return thousands of dollars to low-wage earners CAMARILLO — Low to moderate income workers can receive free help with tax preparation and income tax filing at a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) site located throughout Ventura County beginning…

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…

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…

Bilingual report: Breakfreee.org free financial seminar set for Jan. 26 in Oxnard

  Breakfreee.org is sponsoring a free session on finances from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 26 at the Downtown Oxnard Management District office, 445 So. B St., Oxnard. This presentation will be given primarily in Spanish. Supported by California Lutheran University, the…

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…

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…