Volume 20 / Number 73 / February 2025 Your Livable Communities Newsletter VISIT OUR WEBSITE For almost 20 years, the Ventura County Civic Alliance Livable Communities working group has been publishing its quarterly newsletter. These newsletters were grounded by the American…
The Ventura County Community Foundation, your community foundation, has been in awe of this county’s love and generosity since we first opened our doors in 1987, and when we come together and bring our passions and talents to support our neighbors, anything is possible. From community leadership to philanthropic consulting, we work hand-in-hand with our neighbors to envision an engaged and thriving community inspired by growing generosity.
We invite you to visit our brand-new website and get to know your community foundation below. You may learn something new about the good work happening in your community! Thank you for joining us on this exciting journey into the future of philanthropy in Ventura County.
Vincent holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Bucknell University and earned a J.D. from the University of San Diego School of Law. He served as legal counsel for numerous departments at the City of Santa Barbara from 2004 until his retirement in 2018.
His previous board experience includes serving on various committees with the Foundation for Santa Barbara City College for ten years, including a four-year term as Board President. He is also active in volunteering and fundraising for several local charities such as Calm, the Alzheimer’s Association and Transition House.
VENTURA COUNTY — Dr. César Morales, Ventura County Superintendent of Schools, was recognized last week by the California Association of Latino Superintendents & Administrators (CALSA) for his outstanding contributions to educational leadership. Dr. Morales received the prestigious M.A.S. Award—representing Mentorship, Advocacy, and Sponsorship—during the CALSA aPODERar Symposium in San Francisco.
The award was presented by Dr. Terry Walker, Director of the CALSA Women’s Leadership Network, who commended Dr. Morales for his commitment to creating opportunities for advancement in educational leadership.
The Center for Economics of Social Issues invites you to register now for its upcoming conference, which will be held on February 28th at California Lutheran University’s campus. We implore you to come and see what is going on around you. The conference will release a comprehensive study that sheds light on the urgent challenges of enjoying a dignified life on the central coast of California.
Trump Is Sending Migrants to Guantánamo Bay to Look Tough Your weekly summary from the Council. LATEST ANALYSIS Sending Migrants to Guantánamo Bay Is a Costly, Optics-Driven Shift in Immigration DetentionPresident Trump ordered the Secretary of Homeland Security to expand…
Ventura Music Festival Proudly Presents our Annual Gala Fundraiser
Bob Eubanks’ — BACKSTAGE WITH THE BEATLES
A Once-in-a-Lifetime Concert Experience and (optional) Intimate Award Dinner with Bob Eubanks & Ivor Davis
Saturday, March 22, 2025
5:00 PM Concert ? 7:30 PM Gala & Award Show
Top of the Harbor Room, Crowne Plaza Ventura Beach
I hope this message finds you well. I want to take a moment to provide important safety information regarding the upcoming storm impacting our community.
The Ventura County Sheriff Office – Emergency Services and the National Weather Service are closely monitoring a moderate storm expected to impact Ventura County from Wednesday through Friday. Rainfall is anticipated to begin Wednesday morning, peak Thursday afternoon, and taper off by Friday morning.
Storm Details:
Rainfall Projections: 1”-3” along the coast and valleys, 3”-6” in the hills and mountains.
Rainfall Rates: .10”-.33”/hr, with the remote possibility of .50”-1”/hr during thunderstorms.
Wind: Gusty Westerly winds of 20-40 MPH throughout the region.
Residents are urged to stay updated with weather forecasts and monitor their homes for any changing conditions.
“The importance of this project to our City cannot be overstated, as it plays a crucial role in enhancing public safety. We sincerely appreciate the continued efforts of our state legislature and agency partners, who are committed to collaborating on these important improvements in Oxnard,” said Mayor Luis Mc Arthur.
Stoll, who previously had his own legal practice in Camarillo, advises companies in all areas of employment disputes. He has extensive experience in labor relations, with special focus on agriculture, wage and hour litigation, collective bargaining, employment risk analysis, personnel management employment contracts, union issues, sexual harassment/workplace violence prevention and management and supervisor training. He also represents clients at trial and in arbitrations.
SANTA BARBARA — On Friday, February 7, 2025, the Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara (HACSB) celebrated the official groundbreaking of the Bella Vista affordable housing project. The Bella Vista development is located at 200 N. La Cumbre Rd in Santa Barbara.
The 48-unit development will provide much-needed affordable housing for families with low and very low incomes. The project will feature a two and three-story building, with 48 apartments constructed on top of a podium. The development will also include a semi-subterranean garage with 58 parking spaces for the tenants and a 10 space surface parking lot for the guests accessed off Via Lucero.
“We want to ensure that every student has the opportunity to participate in our hands-on Farm-to-Food Lab programs. Covering transportation costs helps remove a major financial barrier,” says Caitlin Paulus-Case, SEEAG executive director. “We often hear from students that their trip to Farm Lab is their very first field trip. It leaves a lasting understanding of the connection between agriculture and the food we eat.”
On view now through March 9, 2025
Joanne Julian decided early on to be an artist. Born and raised in the San Fernando Valley, Julian inherited a strong immigrant work ethic and sense of discipline from her first-generation Armenian American parents. From her father, Joanne also acquired a fondness for gardening; from her mother, a love of art, dancing, and music. Julian’s first art lessons at age 12 included formative exercises in line and inspired her love of draw
?During the workshop, Hancock staff will be available to help participating students and their parents fill out a FAFSA (Free Application?for?Federal Student Aid) or a California Dream Act application. Students will also be able to apply?for?state and federal grants, including a Cal Grant, which offers?cash?for?college?and does not have to be repaid.?The application process takes about one hour to complete. Spanish-speaking staff will also be available.
Bludog Telecom provides Voice over Internet Protocol or VoIP phone systems to businesses. These systems are a modern and reliable way for companies to communicate with customers while saving hundreds or even thousands of dollars compared to traditional business phone services. Additional communications tools such as text messaging, voicemail and video conferencing can be integrated into the system and presented using a single, streamlined interface. Known as Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS), these integrated communications systems allow businesses to manage a variety of customer interactions all in one place.
VENTURA COUNTY — Housing Trust Fund Ventura County (Housing Trust Fund VC) proudly welcomes five distinguished community leaders to its Board of Directors in 2025. The new class of directors includes Elsa Brown, Maruja Clensay, Garry Collett, Angel Garcia and Sean Morreale. These new additions bring a wealth of expertise in finance, government affairs, housing development, and real estate investment, helping to further position Housing Trust Fund VC as a leader in addressing the area’s affordable housing crisis. Their expertise and dedication will support Housing Trust Fund VC as the organization continues to drive forward its mission to increase affordable housing options throughout Ventura County. Housing Trust Fund VC extends its utmost appreciation to outgoing Board members—Marni Brook, Jennie Buckingham, Carrick DeHart, and Emilio Ramirez—for their dedicated service and unwavering commitment to advancing housing affordability. Their leadership and contributions have made a lasting impact.
SANTA BARBARA — The Cottage Obstetrics & Gynecology (Ob/Gyn) Clinic is pleased to announce the addition of two obstetrician-gynecologists, Dr. Britta Gray and Dr. Helen Matthews, along with certified nurse midwife Maribeth Claassen. This expansion of the care team furthers the clinic’s mission to enhance access to comprehensive Ob/Gyn services for women.
Joining Medical Director Dr. Lisa Lepine, the expanded team will continue caring for patients at the Cottage Ob/Gyn Clinic, located at 2416 Castillo Street, Unit A, in Santa Barbara.
The Cottage Ob/Gyn Clinic is a practice led by women specialists offering comprehensive medical services—from routine wellness examinations to diagnosis and treatment of gynecological conditions, and complete obstetric care from pre-conception to pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum visits.
SACRAMENTO — Assemblymember Steve Bennett (D-Ventura) introduced AB 506 to increase transparency from online pet brokers on the original source of a pet. This bill is part of a legislative package aimed at stopping the puppy mill pipeline, including AB 519 (Berman) and SB 312 (Umberg).
California has made concerted efforts to disrupt the lucrative puppy mill industry, the operations of which have been underpinned by online brokers. These anonymous sellers leverage steep nonrefundable deposits against consumers as a paywall to withhold where they’ve acquired the animal and the conditions in which it was raised.
OXNARD — The Oxnard Performing Arts Center Corporation (OPAC) announces that a critical agenda item concerning the future of the Oxnard Performing Arts & Convention Center (PACC) will be presented before the Oxnard City Council on February 18, 2025. This meeting will serve as a pivotal moment for the community, stakeholders, and supporters of OPAC as the City deliberates the future management of the venue.
As of March 1, 2020 the current operator for both the Auditorium and the Community Center is Sterling Venue Ventures (SVV), more widely known as The Canyon. Their two agreements – one for each side of the complex – are set to expire or be rolled over on March 1, 2025. OPAC has formally requested – and will request again on February 18, 2025 – its own agreement with the City to operate the Community Rooms / Center, which includes two ballrooms, five classrooms and several outdoor courtyards.
We’re kicking off 2025 with great momentum, and we’re excited to share January’s highlights with you! Here’s a look at what’s happening at the VC Taxpayers Association.
Advocacy in Action: Our Executive Director, Ryan Grau, joined the Pacific Coast Business Times podcast Civil Dialogues, this week for an interview with Henry Dubroff. Ryan highlighted our collective efforts in advocating for transparency over the past year in the medical industry, school boards, local city budgets, bond measures, and more. We’re proud of the progress we’ve made and will continue working hard to ensure taxpayers’ voices are heard.
To watch the podcast, please visit: Spotify, Apple or Amazon.
OXNARD — Brinkman and Company, AAC, an accountancy firm focused on providing expert tax planning, preparation and other accounting services for individuals, families, professionals and businesses, has opened a new office in Oxnard.
Located at 300 E Esplanade Drive, Suite #1680, Oxnard, the office is the firms’ second location in Ventura County. Another office is located at 302 N. Montgomery Street in Ojai.
In the last 10 years, Oxnard-based Gibbs International Truck Centers has donated $1.3 million in financial and equipment to support the two-year program. Since the program began in 2015, the company has donated commercial diesel trucks, engine blocks, tools and lab space, and helped write the curriculum and hire instructors. It provides paid internships and scholarships to students in the program and has hired graduates.
CAMARILLO — Gold Coast Health Plan (GCHP) (Feb. 5) announced the distribution of $225,000 in sponsorships to community-based and national organizations to support Ventura County and neighboring communities to provide relief to victims of the recent fires and strengthen preparedness efforts for future emergencies.
In response to the growing needs arising from the devastation of the recent fires in Camarillo and the Greater Los Angeles area, GCHP distributed $225,000 in total funding to support the following organizations:
At the workshop, participants will learn about financial assistance, up to $350,000 per household, to help them purchase a home in safer, lower-fire-risk areas of California. The assistance, which is forgiven after five years, is designed to help bridge the affordability gap between what applicants can afford with a First Mortgage Loan and the purchase price of an eligible property.
Across the country, deportation is often discussed as an absolute end. What seems to be missing in the conversation is that for the deported people and their families, it’s the beginning of a new set of legal obstacles that often require advocates on both sides of the border to resolve. It is also the beginning of a new and often hard life chapter.
SANTA BARBARA — Professor Tania Israel at the UC Santa Barbara Gevirtz Graduate School of Education, has received the 2025 Award for Distinguished Senior Career Contributions to Psychology in the Public Interest from the American Psychological Association (APA). Israel is in the Counseling, Clinical, & School Psychology Department at the Gevirtz School and is also the Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion.
The APA award recognizes an individual whose single extraordinary achievement or a lifetime of outstanding contributions meet one or more of the following criteria: (a) courageous and distinctive contribution in the science or practice of psychology that significantly supports efforts toward a solution to one of the world’s intransigent social problems, (b) distinctive and innovative contribution that makes the science and/or practice of psychology more accessible to a broad and diverse population, and (c) an integration of the science and practice of psychology that serves the public interest and advances social justice and human welfare.
As we recover as a community from the major fires in LA, and as we remember the Thomas Fire and the Montecito Debris Flow, MCASB in partnership with Paseo Nuevo, and many organizations and individuals, will host a free intergenerational and family-friendly event on the Arts Terrace and throughout Paseo Nuevo on Sunday, February 9th from 11 am-2 pm. There will be opportunities to come together as a community around the healing power of art, art making, and learning about how we can all participate in building our future together.
Event-goers will have the opportunity to take part in many different activities, highlights include a guided painting workshop, art kit making stations, and Collecting Art to Change Lives: Art Collecting 101 – a conversation with arts industry leaders with insights and encouragement for collecting art now to support our LA arts community as it heals and rebuilds.
SACRAMENTO — Assemblymember Steve Bennett (D-Ventura) introduced AB 367 to increase the performance of fire hydrants supplying water to Ventura County firefighters in their battles against wildfires. The legislation raises baseline standards of emergency preparedness for water districts servicing homes…
VENTURA — A new episode of the Ventura Voices podcast is now available, featuring an in-depth conversation with Deputy City Manager Brad “Brick” Conners on the latest updates to Ventura’s golf services. The episode explores ongoing recovery efforts, facility improvements, and plans to enhance the golfing experience at Buenaventura Golf Course and Olivas Links.
Closed since January 2023 due to severe flood damage, Buenaventura Golf Course has undergone extensive remediation efforts. In this episode, Conners details the progress made, the challenges faced, and the City’s commitment to rebuilding the course stronger than before. While the permanent course design is still in development, the City, in partnership with Kemper Sports Management, has identified a temporary solution that will allow golfers to return to Buenaventura in spring 2025.
Contribute to the County’s Recreation Master Plan
The Recreation Master Plan sets out a roadmap for public parks, trails, and facilities to meet countywide needs. Chime in by mail and via email or join a virtual meeting on February 6th!
As a Ventura County resident, we are asking for your input to help shape the future of arts and culture in our community – and win tickets to our signature events and venues!
Take just 10 minutes to tell the County how you experience arts and culture, and you could win free tickets* to:
How Ventura County Medical System is Draining Taxpayer Dollars
Ensuring efficiency and accountability in government spending is often a slow and complex process. However, the Ventura County Taxpayers Association (VCTA) is dedicated to making sure taxpayer dollars are managed responsibly and transparently in our public institutions.
This newsletter aims to inform Ventura County residents and encourage action from the Board of Supervisors and other decision-makers to adopt three steps it must take to restore public trust and ensure responsible financial management at the Ventura County Medical System (VCMS).
LONG BEACH — The California State University (CSU), the largest and most diverse public four-year university in the country, announced (on Feb. 5) a first-of-its-kind public-private initiative with some of the world’s leading tech companies, including Adobe, Alphabet (Google), AWS, IBM, Instructure, Intel, LinkedIn, Microsoft, NVIDIA, OpenAI, and the Office of California Governor Gavin Newsom that will leverage the power of artificial intelligence to create an AI-powered higher education system that could surpass any existing model in both scale and impact.
The CSU’s unprecedented adoption of AI technologies will make trainings, learning, and teaching tools—including ChatGPT—available across all 23 CSU universities, ensuring that the system’s more than 460,000 students and 63,000 faculty and staff have equitable access to cutting-edge tools that will prepare them to meet the rapidly changing education and workforce needs of California. The CSU expects to make these tools available within the next few weeks.
Confirmed ICE presence in Ventura County
Multiple ICE agents were confirmed to be stopping cars and knocking on doors in Ventura County last week. Farm Bureau of Ventura County reached out to Congresswoman Julia Brownley. January 29th, Congresswoman Julia Brownley sent a letter to Acting Homeland Security Secretary Benjamine Huffman and Acting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Caleb Vitello demanding answers about recent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations conducted in Ventura County. These operations, which took place in Oxnard and Santa Paula, have sparked widespread fear and raised serious concerns about the agency’s tactics and respect for due process. Read the full letter here.
VENTURA COUNTY — Housing Trust Fund Ventura County (Housing Trust Fund VC) announces over $316,000 in donations received in 2024 to support the development of additional affordable homes in Ventura County. A donation of $50,000 was made on the final day of the year by PennyMac Financial Services (PennyMac) from the PennyMac Corporate Giving Fund. Another donation of $31,875 was made by the California Foundation for Stronger Communities (CFSC). Together, both end-of-the-year donations pushed the total to the highest amount received in donations by Housing Trust Fund VC in one year since the organization began in 2011. Both donations were unsolicited, a testament to the reputation and goodwill of Housing Trust Fund VC as an affordable housing leader in the region.
SAN LUIS OBISPO — Lumina Alliance is honored to announce a vital $963,000 investment from Must! Charities, expanding resources for survivors of sexual assault and intimate partner violence in San Luis Obispo County. This partnership will enhance Lumina Alliance’s donor and volunteer programs, improve crisis and therapy services, and expand housing options—ensuring more survivors have access to safe, stable support as they rebuild their lives.
“This support from Must! Charities will create meaningful change for survivors in our community,” said Jennifer Adams, CEO of Lumina Alliance. “Must! Charities’ commitment allows us to expand our services, reduce wait times for therapy—especially for Spanish-speaking clients—and create a lasting impact for survivors seeking safety and healing.”
SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY — Uplift Central Coast is proud to announce the award of $9 million in Catalyst Predevelopment Funding to 36 organizations committed to advancing economic resilience, environmental sustainability, and equitable growth across the Central Coast. These organizations, representing all six counties, span diverse industries and address critical needs in areas such as workforce development, aerospace, education and job training, childcare and community development, and climate resilience and sustainable agriculture.
SANTA BARBARA — How do seniors on fixed incomes cover the costs for life-enhancing or medical-related items that they need but can’t afford and that aren’t covered by health insurance? The simple answer is that most of them generally can’t. …
CAMARILLO — Gold Coast Health Plan (GCHP) connected more Medi-Cal members with vital health care screenings and immunizations in 2023, surpassing regulatory health care quality metrics and ranking it as one of only four managed care plans in the state to meet required performance levels.
The state Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), the agency that oversees the Medi-Cal program, requires managed care plans like GCHP to report annually on a set of health care quality performance measures known as the Managed Care Accountability Set (MCAS). Health plans are evaluated in 18 measures in four key health categories: children’s health, reproductive health and cancer prevention, chronic disease management, and behavioral health.
The Community Environmental Council (CEC) is working to rapidly move the California Central Coast to 100% efficient, clean, and renewable electricity to power our homes, businesses, and cars.
In 2023, CEC established Electrify Your Life (EYL), a free service offering personalized support and resources in Spanish and English to help make the switch to green tech solutions like electric vehicles, electric vehicle charging, solar, and home energy efficiency improvements affordable. We’ve helped more than 1,000 residents, businesses, and nonprofits stack incentives that they may not otherwise know they qualify for to save big on going electric.
