Paula Lopez, award-winning anchorwoman of KEY News in Santa Barbara, and poetry therapist Perle Longo will be honored when the Association for Women in Communications — Santa Barbara Chapter, presents its “2012 Women of Achievement Awards: From Breaking News to…
Category: Business
June edition of Amigos805 has hit the streets
The June print edition of Amigos805 is now available. Click on image above for a pdf of the edition. Click here for a list of locations where you can pick up a copy of the 10,000-copy edition. Thank you readers…
Guest Commentary: Successful business networking tips
By Shawn McCarthy / Guest contributor Networking is the process of developing contacts and relationships to increase your business, enhance your knowledge, expand your sphere of influence or serve the community. In its most basic form, “business networking” is leveraging your…
FOOD Share receives more than 124,000 pounds of donations
Due to the success of the 2012 ‘Stamp Out Hunger’ food drive, FOOD Share, Ventura County’s regional food bank, recently added nearly 125,000 pounds of donated food to the shelves of its Oxnard warehouse distribution center, the organization reported this…
Cancer Prevention Fair served community in Santa Barbara
EDC-VC receives county funding to promote job growth
Community Development Block Grant funding for loans programs and business assistance CAMARILLO – To spur new hiring and employment growth, the Ventura County Board of Supervisors recently approved $442,502 in funding for the Economic Development Collaborative-Ventura County’s business assistance and…
Businesses to benefit from SCORE, SBDC partnership
Memorandum of Understanding formalizes organizations’ working relationship CAMARILLO –Startups and growing businesses have long benefited from business assistance services from the EDC-VC’s Small Business Development Center of Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties and Ventura County SCORE. Now the two nonprofit organizations…
Safety improvement project scheduled for Nyeland Acres
Ventura County Supervisor John Zaragoza, in his capacity as chair of the Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC), on Friday announced that major safety improvements will soon be constructed on the portion of Ventura Boulevard within Oxnard city limits adjacent to…
Local student awarded full-tuition scholarship from Boys & Girls Clubs, University of Phoenix
OXNARD – Boys & Girls Clubs alumni Kara Brown was one of 20 recipients nationwide to receive a full-tuition scholarship from Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) and University of Phoenix to complete an undergraduate or master’s degree. More than 200 Boys…
Deadline approaching for June print edition of Amigos805
Also check out our Amigos805 On Scene email newsletter on May 24 for discount coupons The deadline is rapidly approaching for the June print edition of Amigos805. Thank you dear readers and advertisers for supporting our efforts to make Amigos805…
Capps announces $3.2 million in grants to Clinicas to expand health services
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Lois Capps (D-Santa Barbara) on Monday announced that Ventura-based Clinicas Del Camino Real has been awarded two grants totaling nearly $3.2 million from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to fund renovation and construction projects…
Amigos805 May print edition has hit the streets
The May print edition of Amigos805 has hit the streets in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties. Click on the image above to see a PDF of the edition.
Bilingual Commentary: Cinco de Mayo. Not Cinco de Drinko
By Frank X. Moraga / Amigos805 A cultural battle is being waged on the streets of America and those fighting it must at times feel like the Mexican patriots on May 5, 1862 — shivering during a cold morning in…
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…
Deadline approaches to RSVP for May 4 ‘Youth Empowerment Summit’ at Oxnard College
The registration deadline is Tuesday, May 1 for the annual “Youth Empowerment Summit,” which will be held from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, May 4 at Oxnard College, 4000 So. Rose Ave., Oxnard, the Young Leaders Society reported…
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…
Easy way to get email updates from Amigos805
Now there is an easier way to sign up for the Amigos805 enewsletter if you are seeking regular email updates on issues and events for and about the vibrant Latino community in Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties. Just…
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,…
SBCC’s foster youth students program receives grant from Vons Foundation
SANTA BARBARA — The Vons Foundation has presented a grant of $2,500 in its continued support to benefit the Santa Barbara City College’s foster youth students, the Foundation for Santa Barbara City College (SBCC) reported this week in a media…
Arts in Public Places RFP workshop set for April 14 in Oxnard
The Black and Brown Youth Arts and Cultural Alliance will hold a Request for Proposal workshop for Arts in Public Places (AIPP) projects in Oxnard at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, April 14 at the Acuna Gallery @ Café on A, 438…
Commentary: The elephant in the room — Chronic unemployment
By David Magallanes / Guest contributor No one wants to look at it. After all, maybe it will just go away. We avoid even mentioning it, lest we give it power, lest it be true. If we do discuss it,…
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…
Commentary: Media panel persecution (I mean, candidates panel presentation)
By Frank X. Moraga / Amigos805 It was certainly an educational meeting for us all at the Latino Issues Forum, held Thursday, April 5 in a hotel ballroom in Oxnard. The forum, featuring questions put to candidates for the 26th…
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…
Amigos805 print edition is now hitting the streets — See distribution list
Click on image above for PDF version of the April 2012 edition of Amigos805 Hello everyone. The bilingual print edition of Amigos805 is now hitting the streets. Click here for our distribution list, which is growing by the hour In…
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…
Bilingual report: Teatro seeking donations for garage sale, holding equipment sale
Teatro de las Americas is starting the year raising the money needed to bring you three plays later in the year, the organization reported on Wednesday in a media release. “We begin with a garage sale on Saturday, March 24, at…
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…
Food Network viewing party of the Kitchen segment set for Jan. 30
A viewing party for the Jan. 30 segment of the Food Network’s popular “Diner’s Drive-Ins and Dives” show, featuring the Kitchen in Oxnard, will be held from 5 to 9 p.m. Monday, Jan. 30 at 529 So. A St., Oxnard. Big screen…
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…
Women’s Economic Ventures (WEV) to hold orientation classes starting this week
Women’s Economic Ventures (WEV) will hold a series of orientations starting this week in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties, the organization reported recently in a media release. The orientation classes will be held: 6 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 24…
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…
Foreclosure crisis educational forum set for Jan. 21 in Oxnard
A free foreclosure crisis educational forum will be presented from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 21 at the Oxnard Public Library, 251 So. A St., Oxnard. Presented by Mike Szakos & Associates, the program will feature a variety of companies…
Tri-Counties Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning National Association earns certification
VENTURA COUNTY — The Tri-Counties Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning National Association (SMACNA) Apprenticeship program recently completed a stringent audit and was awarded the American Welding Society’s (AWS) official certification as an approved testing facility (ATF), the association reported this…