Category: Business

Women’s Economic Ventures names Amgen’s DeAnna Steiger, Ph.D. as Board Chair

by Community Contributor • January 8, 2026 • Comments Off

CENTRAL COAST — Women’s Economic Ventures (WEV) has named DeAnna Steiger, Ph.D. as its Board Chair, effective January 1, 2026, as the non-profit enters its 35thyear of serving women and entrepreneurs in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties.

Steiger will serve a two-year term and succeeds Melissa Livingston, retired Director of the Ventura County Human Services Agency and a longtime WEV Board member. Livingston will remain on the Board for one additional year.

Steiger has served on WEV’s Board since 2022 and most recently chaired the organization’s Development Committee. During that time, WEV strengthened its fundraising strategy and grew participation in the League of Extraordinary Women, the organization’s annual giving circle. The organization also expanded donor engagement and stewardship through major fundraising efforts tied to International Women’s Day and National Give to Women and Girls Day.

Friendship Center Adult Day Care Center— The Friendly Finch: January 2026

by Community Contributor • January 8, 2026 • Comments Off

It’s 2026! I don’t know about you, but I was ready for 2025 to come to a close. Something about the end of the year always makes me a little antsy; and this year especially, as we step into something monumental here at Friendship Center: 2026 is our 50th anniversary year.

It’s incredible, and honestly a wee bit impossible, to imagine the thousands of people who have been reconnected to our community through our programs, the families who have found relief, and the moments of pure joy that mattered more than anyone could have known at the time. We aren’t taking this anniversary year as an opportunity to only look back, but rather as a chance to honor the love and care that built something lasting, something that continues to endure.

HRCC graduation video “Your Future Starts Here” receives major award on behalf of the Tri-Counties HRCC program

by Community Contributor • January 7, 2026 • Comments Off

The video celebrates the accomplishments of graduates from the High Road Construction Careers (HRCC) program — a pre-apprenticeship pathway supported and funded by the California Workforce Development Board (CWDB) in coordination with the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency (LWDA) through annual state fund allocations. HRCC is a three-county program uniting local building and construction trades councils, workforce development boards, educational partners, and community-based organizations across San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura Counties to deliver structured training, a standard core curriculum, and direct pathways into state-certified apprenticeships.

Cottage Health’s Grotenhuis Pediatric Clinics move to New Santa Barbara location

by Community Contributor • January 7, 2026 • Comments Off

“With all specialties under one roof and expanded space, this new clinic strengthens collaboration among our teams,” said Chief Pediatric Medical Officer Dr. Miriam Parsa. “Being right across from the hospital also supports smoother coordination when children require other services.”

Museum of Ventura County — Free Admission for All in January

by Community Contributor • January 7, 2026 • Comments Off

The beginning of a new year is the perfect time for something new! Throughout January, enjoy FREE admission for all at the Museum of Ventura County. Join us to explore, reflect, and connect.

Open Thursday to Sunday

11 a.m. – 5 p.m.

100 East Main Street, Ventura

Free admission is made possible by the generous support of Bill and Elise Kearney.

Economic Development Collaborative (EDC) announces free event and webinar schedule

by Community Contributor • January 5, 2026 • Comments Off

SBA: HOW TO START A BUSINESS

January 12 @ 10:00 am

Are you interested in starting a business? If you are please join the Small Business Administration (SBA) Los Angeles District Office for a virtual workshop to learn about SBA’s 10 Step Guide on How to Start a Business. This virtual workshop targeted to new entrepreneurs, covers topics from creating a business plan, finding capital, registering your business, getting necessary permits and/or licenses and getting a business bank account. This is a great opportunity to get any questions you may have answered and find out about the multiple resources available to help you. This webinar will be held online via Microsoft Teams. Please register to obtain the login information. Please note, if you are planning to use a mobile device or tablet to access this webinar, you must first download the Teams app to your device. SBA programs and services are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis. For reasonable accommodation request please send an email to lado@sba.gov at least 7 days in advance. Price: Free.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Cottage Health welcomes its first baby of 2026

by Community Contributor • January 5, 2026 • Comments Off

SANTA BARBARA — Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital welcomed its first baby of the new year.

New parents, Jessica and Laurence welcomed their first child, a baby girl named Isla, at 4:41 am on Thursday, January 1, 2026, at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital (SBCH).

Weighing 8 pounds and 16 ounces and measuring 20.5 inches, Baby Isla’s arrival marked an exciting start to the new year.

As the family begins this new chapter, a sentiment they shared felt especially fitting: “A beginning is the time for taking the most delicate care.” — Frank Herbert, Dune

Ventura Music Festival — When was the last time…?

by Community Contributor • January 5, 2026 • Comments Off

If you are a Ventura Music Festival family member, some of our 2025 concerts are surely on your list.

While tradition says, “celebrate your 30th wedding anniversary with pearls,” the Ventura Music Festival presented or cosponsored its most ambitious ever 30th season in 2025 — with a string of 30 treasured performances over eight months for audiences of every music taste in a dazzling array of music styles.

Friendship Center — You did this!

by Community Contributor • January 5, 2026 • Comments Off

Thank you from all of us at Friendship Center for an incredibly impactful 2025.

We look forward to celebrating 2026

(our 50th Anniversary Year!)

with you.

My Way Home (Doing business as Ventura County Community Development Corp.) — Thank you for an impactful 2025!

by Community Contributor • January 5, 2026 • Comments Off

As we come to the close of 2025, I want to begin by saying thank you for being part of our community.

We were able to accomplish a lot of great things in 2025, including:
Assisting 265+ families in achieving or preserving homeownership
Providing 1,130+ individuals with free homeownership and financial education
Providing 515+ families with access to free financial coaching
Financing $15M+ in first mortgages for low- and moderate- income families for the purchase of safe and affordable homes
Awarding or facilitating $1.4M+ in down payment and closing cost assistance for low- and moderate- income families

Casa De Vida Inc. — Looking ahead with gratitude

by Community Contributor • January 5, 2026 • Comments Off

As we near the end of another year, we want to take a moment to say thank you. Your generosity, prayers, and encouragement have meant more to us than we can fully express.

This year brought its share of challenges for Casa De Vida. There were moments of uncertainty that tested our faith and endurance. Yet through it all, God remained faithful, and our community continued to stand with us.

As we reach the end of this final quarter, we are grateful to share that things are beginning to improve. Support has increased, stability is returning, and we are entering the new year with renewed hope. Your belief in this mission has helped us make that progress.

House Farm Workers congratulates local advocate and attorney Barbara Macri-Ortiz

by Community Contributor • January 3, 2026 • Comments Off

VENTURA COUNTY — Nov. 15, 2025, was a rainy, dark night, especially since the power at the Four Points by Sheraton in Ventura was out. Guests arrived unaware of the power outage and ran from their cars into the hotel lobby to shelter from the rain, ready to warm up and enjoy the Ventura County Bar Association’s Awards Dinner, only to find a dark room with a small table staffed by a kind VCBA member and a tiny battery-operated light.

Attendees did not scare away, and spirits did not fall; everyone embraced the low-lit event, as it was still a grand celebration of Barbara Macri-Ortiz, who would be honored with the Ben E. Nordman Public Service Award.

805UNDOCUFund — Impacts of ICE Raids in the Past 4 Days

by Community Contributor • January 3, 2026 • Comments Off

In the past 4 days, nearly 3 out of every 4 kidnappings occurred in Santa Maria.This level of concentration cannot be explained away as “targeted enforcement.” It reflects systemic racial profiling, particularly against Latino and Indigenous migrant communities, including Mixtec and other Indigenous peoples.

This terror is not incidental — it is the intended outcome.

These actions undermine constitutional protections, violate due process, and impose collective punishment on entire communities. The psychological toll, trauma, chronic stress, fear, will last long after these raids end.

Community Alert: Escalating ICE raids across the Central Coast 805. UndocuFund issues urgent call for Community and Financial Support

by Community Contributor • January 3, 2026 • Comments Off

CENTRAL COAST — 805UndocuFund is urgently alerting the community to a devastating escalation in immigration enforcement activity across Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties over the past several days. These actions are causing profound harm to immigrant families, workers, and entire communities, with lasting consequences for public health, safety, and the regional economy.

Over the weekend alone, 805UndocuFund’s 805 Rapid Response Network alongside autonomous community patrol and defense groups SBResiste, and Carpinteria Sin Fronteras, documented 58 ICE kidnappings across the Central Coast:

• Saturday, December 27, 2025:

35 total — 33 in Santa Maria and 2 in San Luis Obispo

• Sunday, December 28, 2025:

23 total — 13 in Lompoc, 8 in Santa Maria, and 2 in Santa Barbara

• Monday, December 29, 2025, ICE continues operations in Santa Maria and San Luis Obispo, terrorizing residents, destabilizing workplaces, and leaving families in crisis.

Bilingual report — Economic Development Collaborative (EDC) reminder applications deadlines for California Competes Tax Credit Program

by Community Contributor • January 3, 2026 • Comments Off

The California Competes Tax Credit (CCTC) is an income tax credit available to businesses that want to locate in California or stay and grow in California. Businesses of any industry, size or location compete for over $180 million available in tax credits by applying in one of the three application periods each year. Applicants will be analyzed based on fourteen different factors of evaluation, including number of full-time jobs being created, amount of investment and strategic importance to the state or region.

Application Period Timeline: For fiscal year 2025-2026, GO-Biz will accept applications for the California Competes Tax Credit during:

January 5, 2026 – January 26, 2026
March 2, 2026 – March 16, 2026

Copyright Notice

by Community Contributor • January 1, 2026 • Comments Off

Amigos805 does not accept any illustrations, photos or other images and written material that are in violation of copyright law. Individuals and organizations may be required to provide proof of such copyright authorization. Otherwise, please provide only website links to your upcoming events.