Category: Commentary

Moving Companies Brace for Possible Record Number of Holiday Moves

by Community Contributor • November 30, 2021 • Comments Off

Between remote work opportunities, rising rent rates, people prioritizing being closer to family, and mass migration out of densely populated areas, 2021 has been an unprecedented year for moving trends. In fact, according to the Neighbor 2020-2021 American Migration Report, more than 20% more people have planned to move in 2021 compared to 2020. That leaves moving companies ramping up for what might turn into a record number of holiday moves.

If you are entertaining a move this holiday season, keep these things in mind:

Bilingual commentary — Mexico’s “Third-World” Reputation

by Community Contributor • November 19, 2021 • Comments Off

Much of the world regards the United States with either admiration, envy, jealousy, anger, mistrust, or outright hostility.

I have a cousin in Mexico who frequently mentioned the U.S. with rancor and a hint of animosity. She disdainfully described her own country as “Third World.”

However, I’ve come to understand that the term “Third World” is now considered derogatory. It’s no longer “politically correct” to refer to a country as “Third World.” The term is a relic of the Cold War. It was originally meant to designate countries that were not aligned with either NATO or the communist bloc. At the time, Mexico fit that description, and the term stuck.

Guest commentary — Despieto (Woke) and Seeing in Aztlan

by Community Contributor • November 19, 2021 • Comments Off

In Journey to Ixtlan, by Carlos Castaneda, Don Juan explains to Carlos, that after more than a decade, of “ordinary exploration” he is on the precipice of stopping the world and seeing for the first time, “You have simply stopped the world…Yesterday the world became as sorcerers tell you it is, in this world coyotes talk and so do deer, as I once told you, so do rattlesnakes and trees and all other living being. But what I want you to learn is seeing. Perhaps you know now that seeing happens when one sneaks between the worlds, the worlds of ordinary people and the world of sorcerers.”

Bilingual commentary — How We Can Stay Informed

by Community Contributor • November 12, 2021 • Comments Off

Last week I wrote about the importance of being informed. But as I mentioned in the article, it is even more important that we be properly informed and not misled by heavily biased news sources with ulterior motives.

So then the question we could ask ourselves is, “How can I stay adequately informed about news that matters?” What matters to us could be, for example, subjects such as politics, health, legal decisions, science, religion, family issues. We could also have a particular interest in specific regions of the world such as Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Africa, or the Americas. It would be best for us to be aware of local issues, especially when they have a direct impact on our lives.

Let’s look at a list of twelve things we can—or should or shouldn’t—do:

Guest commentary — The Artist in Retirement

by Community Contributor • November 12, 2021 • Comments Off

I hate it. I hate it when folks start talking to me about “retirement”. I detest that word. It is euphuism for ‘OK you old fart go away and die, and make it quick. You and your sorry useless ass is costing us; everyone, the hood, the country, the world. And most of all the family, their valuable time, resources and most especially their hard earned money. The precious money that we just don’t have to waste on you wretched and demented carcass. So be done with it quick, retire and die!’

But they won’t let it go. I’ll be gone soon enough! When I insists that if I stop what I love doing that I will die. They will tell me ‘stop it anyway. You know that it has always annoyed us, your stupid and indulgent artista pendejadas’. That is the point I say, art keeps me alive. Loco pendejo! They respond, enraged that I am so broke, slow witted and not quite dead, yet I continue to try to create. Yeah, moron we want you to die. We never knew what the hell you were doing anyway. And now all you are is old, stubborn, and forgetful. Always into your stupid writings that no one reads. No one cares old man, and you have not made one penny from your ‘art’. Never, not a single penny, ever from your art!

Bilingual commentary — The Importance of Being Informed

by Community Contributor • November 5, 2021 • Comments Off

For me, keeping abreast of the news is a lifelong habit. For some reason, I tend to think that everyone keeps up with the news at least as much as I do. But then not everyone is as obsessed with the news as I am! And there are others who are far more diligent than I am about analyzing the affairs of the world.

I often talk with people I know about something in the news on the national, state, or local level. I mistakenly assume that “everyone” knows what I’m talking about, but I’m often faced with a blank stare. They may be interested but not aware of the circumstances that make something newsworthy. They may be embarrassed that they don’t know what I’m referring to. Or they flat-out may not care.

And then again, sometimes I’m the one with the blank stare.

Bilingual commentary — The “Day of the Living”

by Community Contributor • October 29, 2021 • Comments Off

In a few days, on November 2, we of Mexican heritage will be celebrating one of our most cherished traditions: honoring the departed souls of our family members on “Día de los Muertos”—the Day of the Dead.

This day is one of our cultural treasures. Our observance on this day is the culmination of the blending of three powerful influences: 1) the Aztec obsession with natural cycles, including life and death; 2) the medieval Spanish practice, brought by the conquerors of Mexico, of honoring the dead; 3) the Roman Catholic belief in the everlasting life of the dearly departed. The Aztec final resting place, Mictlán, was transmuted into the Christian heaven.

Bilingual commentary — What Became of Fernando Valenzuela?

by Community Contributor • October 22, 2021 • Comments Off

Last week I wrote about the demise of Chávez Ravine, originally a neighborhood of primarily Mexican American families and its metamorphosis into the world-famous Dodger Stadium. But initially this transformation came at a cost to the Dodgers.

Mexican Americans resented the disrespectful treatment that the inhabitants of the early Chávez Ravine had received at the hands of government. They had been on the land for generations, yet the City of Los Angeles appeared to dismiss their concerns, rights, and sense of dignity when the land was earmarked for “redevelopment.” The families were told that they had to move, but they were promised “first choice” of the new units in the proposed housing project.

Bilingual commentary — Wild Geese and White Pelicans

by Community Contributor • September 24, 2021 • Comments Off

A number of years ago, I was pursuing a college degree in liberal arts at Oxnard College (OC). I wanted to soften the sharp edges of the decades of technical education that I had acquired up to that point. The classes that I took at OC imparted to me a vision of the world that no physics, math, or engineering class could ever have given me.

Some of my most cherished classes in the liberal arts program taught me to appreciate poetry. Those classes in poetry were taught by one of my colleagues, English professor Shelley Savren.

One of the poems that deeply impressed and mesmerized me was Mary Oliver’s Wild Geese. It conveys sheer, unvarnished truths—the ones that are not easy to confront and that we don’t want to admit are relevant to our lives.

Mustang Marketing looks to the future with new brand identity

by Community Contributor • September 20, 2021 • Comments Off

Mustang Marketing, Ventura County’s premier full-service marketing agency, has unveiled a new brand identity. The updated logo embodies the qualities that have made the company successful over the past three decades while also capturing its future.

“Since 1986, our clients have come to depend on our ability to infuse the right combination of seriousness, fun, strategy and creativity into marketing pieces, and this logo represents all of those traits,” said Mustang Marketing President Dianne McKay. “While staying true to what we’re known for, we’re also excited by what lies ahead, and this new identity clearly reflects that, too.”

Community Environmental Council and Electric Drive 805 Coalition Partners Invite Public to Learn About Benefits of Driving Electric through Oct. 2

by Community Contributor • September 20, 2021 • Comments Off

The Community Environmental Council (CEC) and Electric Drive 805 coalition partners are proud to sponsor a variety of free, in-person and virtual events leading up to and throughout National Drive Electric Week through October 2, 2021. The public is invited to learn about the wide range of electric vehicles (EVs) that can fit most every lifestyle and budget.

Legislature Passes Assemblymember Irwin Bill Package

by Community Contributor • September 20, 2021 • Comments Off

ssemblymember Jacqui Irwin (D-Thousand Oaks) announced that 6 bills that she authored have passed the State Legislature and have been sent to the Governor for his signature or veto. The six bills cover a wide range of issues impacting her constituents in the 44th Assembly District and across California. They are as follows:

United Way of Ventura County — Pumpkin Spice United Way

by Community Contributor • September 13, 2021 • Comments Off

Fall officially begins next week and it’s hard to believe that 2022 is just around the corner. Like many businesses, institutions, and nonprofits, we’ve been challenged by the ever-changing ebb and flow of the pandemic, which has frequently disrupted our operations and has forced us to move forward amidst great uncertainty. But thanks to your continued generosity, your United Way has been able to navigate these storms. Because of your generosity, our programs have continued to serve those in need. Because of your generosity, our homelessness initiative has exceeded expectations since its launch almost two years ago.

We recognize that we will continue to face adversity and uncertainty in the months ahead, but together, united, we will continue to serve our community and change lives.

Bilingual report — Choosing the Enemy

by Community Contributor • September 10, 2021 • Comments Off

Sometimes we reach for an artifact, a bauble, a seashell, or a book because something—we don’t know what—attracts us to the object. It’s almost as if the object chooses us.

I’ve often randomly reached for books or watched a movie or documentary. For reasons unknown to me, they caught my attention and ended up giving me a new perspective that helped me understand more about the world around me. These sources of information have pulled my life into different orbits, and at times even changed the course of my existence completely and irrevocably. One of my latest book choices certainly had me reconsidering some of the things that I had observed and learned throughout my life.

UCSB — The Current — ‘A Dose of Levity’ and more news

by Community Contributor • September 1, 2021 • Comments Off

Naked Shakes will perform Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” live, in person and outdoors.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service — Check out our latest stories for August 2021…

by Community Contributor • August 30, 2021 • Comments Off

Food, water and shelter for California’s only freshwater turtle are all becoming scarcer across the Western U.S. Wildlife experts say that worsening drought conditions, habitat loss and fragmentation, and invasive species could threaten the long-term survival of western pond turtles in the wild.

“Turtles, in general, are among the most imperiled vertebrates in the world,” said Cat Darst, assistant field supervisor with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Ventura, California.

That’s why federal, state and private partners across four western U.S. states and Mexico have developed a range-wide management strategy to help guide efforts to enhance, protect and restore habitat that is vital for western pond turtles in the future.

Bilingual commentary — The Mask Wars

by Community Contributor • August 27, 2021 • Comments Off

Several months ago, I was sitting in a doctor’s office waiting to be called in. Facial masks are required. After all, this is a medical building. Given our circumstances over this past year and a half, medical staff is intensely focused on maintaining an atmosphere in which patients can feel relatively safe.

I was reading a book as I waited. I didn’t notice that my mask had fallen below my nose. The receptionist kindly reminded me to lift the mask up so that it covered my face properly. I apologized and immediately took care of the problem.

Bilingual commentary — Pregnant People—What’s That About?

by Community Contributor • August 13, 2021 • Comments Off

I was calmly reading an article in my favorite newspaper one morning when I came across the term “pregnant people.” I nearly choked on my coffee. Words get my attention, and I had never in my life seen those two words together.

I started to mumble about “liberals” (although I am one, with conservative leanings). I wondered if this was some far-left conspiracy to ignore womanhood or reduce it to “peoplehood.” Before I went off writing letters to the editor and state representatives or clamoring to appear on talk shows to rant about liberalism gone amok, I thought I had better investigate. I needed to find out what this nomenclature was all about.

Santa Barbara County Food Action Network Summer Newsletter

by Community Contributor • August 9, 2021 • Comments Off

Summer is in full swing across our food system – stone fruit, tomatoes, summer squash, fresh beans, and corn are abundantly available at farmers markets and farm stands across the County. As you’ll read in our Mid-County Community Profile, many local ranchers, fishermen, chefs, home cooks, and gardeners are preserving the harvest to cultivate food sovereignty, curb food waste, promote food access and food security, and ultimately build resilience into the food system.

Bilingual commentary — Coming to Terms with My Heritage

by Community Contributor • August 5, 2021 • Comments Off

At the time, it was hard to imagine that patiently spitting into a plastic tube would unlock some of the secrets of my ancestry. But such is the process that allows 23andMe, a “genetic service” that provides DNA testing, to provide ancestral information to their customers.

The results of such genetic inquiries can range from shocking to embarrassing to simply confirming what we may already know—or at least suspect—about our family background.

Following Robbery of Senator Boxer, CDAA Calls for Withdrawal of Dangerous Theft Legislation

by Community Contributor • July 28, 2021 • Comments Off

There was nothing petty about what happened to former U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer yesterday—it was a violent robbery, and it was awful. This crime occurred in broad daylight in Oakland’s Jack London District, a popular tourist destination that also happens to be in the California Senate District of Senator Nancy Skinner. The same Nancy Skinner who proposed declaring such horrific crimes misdemeanor petty thefts under SB 82.

Santa Barbara First District Supervisor Das Williams — Highway 101 Highlight, COVID Update, & more news

by Community Contributor • July 26, 2021 • Comments Off

Yes, concrete. I like to highlight innovative programs in our district, and the Highway 101: Carpinteria to Santa Barbara project has a big one. The new concrete mix site (see photo) is going in by the southbound on-ramp at the North Padaro Lane. This enables concrete for the new freeway lanes to be mixed on-site and reduces truck routes by 6-16 miles per trip, saving an estimated 463,771 truck miles for the Carpinteria, Padaro, and Summerland segments. This also reduces water use by 400,000 gallons (concrete mixed on-site uses less water), reduces off-site neighborhood impacts, and saves taxpayers between $10-$15 million. Old concrete is also being recycled across the freeway (see left edge of photo). Crews are also installing a new concrete surface that is a quieter and has a longer lifespan. For more project information, visit www.SBROADS.com.

Bilingual commentary — A Week Without a Car

by Community Contributor • July 22, 2021 • Comments Off

I thought I would try something new and different this week. I’m pretending that I don’t have a car. I have had a car ever since I graduated from high school, so I knew this was going to feel “different.”

Several weeks ago I started studying the bus routes in Oxnard and saw that, except for the harbor area, I could take a bus just about anywhere I want to go within the city of Oxnard from my home in Port Hueneme, provided I was willing to walk a bit. But I walk or run just about every day of my life, so that’s not an issue for me.

Bilingual commentary — How Peter Rabbit Inspired a Black Female American Composer

by Community Contributor • July 16, 2021 • Comments Off

Once upon a time, there was a little Black girl who used to compose music in her head as she read stories about Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter. She “heard” music as she gazed upon the lyrics of Peter’s morning song. She thought that everyone could compose music in their head like she did.

Last year, Emily Wilson interviewed the gifted African American composer Nkeiru Okoye (click on the link to read the interview and for YouTube videos of her work), who as a girl did not recognize her formidable gift. Her story, in more than one sense of the word “classic,” is a classic American story that spans a full range of human experiences: giftedness, discouragement, prejudice, encouragement, recognition, and ultimately triumph. As a young adult, she studied at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and earned a doctorate in music theory and composition at Rutgers University, one of only nine “colonial colleges.” These colleges have deep roots, as they were chartered before the American War of Independence.

Bilingual commentary — Poverty, Food Access, and Health

by Community Contributor • July 9, 2021 • Comments Off

The news media and the health establishment continually preach to us about the importance of eating a healthy diet (substantial portions of fresh, seasonal, raw fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and limited red meat intake). A healthy diet, in turn, enhances our lives, allowing us to be more active and productive.

This is all well and good for those who have access to foods that are rich in nutrients and low in fat and calories. But many of us living in this part of California amid agricultural abundance may take for granted the food that is available to us. We may not be fully aware of the “food deserts” [NOTE: not “food desserts”!] scattered throughout many of our neighborhoods. “Food deserts” condemn many of those living in impoverished communities to poor health, sinking them even further into poverty.

Teatro de las Américas — We are open! / !Estamos abiertos!

by Community Contributor • July 6, 2021 • Comments Off

As you probably know Teatro has its own home at 321 W. 6th Street in downtown Oxnard. We continue to be very grateful to Pablo García and his construction company which did a great job of converting a building that had been empty for 10 years into a small and intimate Teatro space. We are happy to be here and are getting very active, especially as the COVID pandemic is coming under control. You will be receiving announcements about all the activities soon, if not already.

Bilingual commentary — Are We Painting Over Our History?

by Community Contributor • July 2, 2021 • Comments Off

In 1949, George Orwell’s novel, “1984,” was published. What was predicted to happen in “1984” in a fictionalized Britain came about for us in the U.S. quite recently. “Orwellisms” seem to be guiding our country into a dark forest from which we seem unable to emerge, and possibly never will. Just as in “1984,” truth at this time appears to be amorphous, fluid, and often inverted.

Social Justice Fund for Ventura County Monthly Update

by Community Contributor • June 25, 2021 • Comments Off

Happy Juneteenth! We hope you are all enjoying getting back together with friends and loved ones. As the COVID restrictions continue to ease and the weather warms up, our social justice work continues.

Here are this month’s highlights from the Social Justice Fund for Ventura County (SJFVC):

Community Environmental Council, UC Cooperative Extension and Agricultural Commissioner Announce New Report Aimed at Building Agricultural Resilience in Ventura County

by Community Contributor • June 24, 2021 • Comments Off

Community Environmental Council (CEC), the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) of Ventura County, and the Ventura County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office announce the release of Cultivating Resilience in Ventura County: Protecting Against Agricultural Vulnerabilities And Bouncing Forward After Disaster, a report designed to build climate resilience for Ventura County and the agricultural sector at large.

VCCDC Community Matters Newsletter – June 2021

by Community Contributor • June 21, 2021 • Comments Off

Pictured here are the children of Abel and Beatriz outside their new home. Abel and Bea are the latest family to find their dream home through VCCDC!

Their journey with us began in 2014 when they started working with our Homeownership Specialists and went on to purchase a home in Oxnard in 2015. However, with seven children, Abel and Bea were growing out of their 3 bedroom Oxnard home fast. They continued to participate in education classes and credit coaching over the years and more recently worked with us to get their credit score high enough to purchase a bigger home for their growing family. Last month, with some down payment assistance, they closed on their 5 bedroom home in Fillmore and moved the family in. The children can’t believe all the new space they have to run around!

Bilingual commentary — A Man Named “Tonto”

by Community Contributor • June 18, 2021 • Comments Off

I can recall evenings sitting around the new television in the home I shared with my parents and siblings in the 1950s. The TV with a small screen that displayed black-and-white images was a new and wondrous phenomenon for Americans, who were just beginning to experience it. My father seemed enthralled by the magic of images beamed from across Los Angeles to the antenna mounted on our roof and into the television—that mysterious apparatus that was powered by glowing red vacuum tubes and voltages that could kill a horse.

Bilingual commentary — Experiencing the “Dog Person” Life

by Community Contributor • June 11, 2021 • Comments Off

I have never owned a dog. I don’t plan on ever owning a dog. I am (obviously) not a “dog person.” Some mornings on my walks along the water at the marina (dogless, of course), I feel that I am in the minority. I must look like the “odd person,”—the outlier—without a dog.

But for a brief period yesterday evening, when my daughter invited me to go for a walk with her at the marina, I was able to experience the joys of the “dog person” life.

Bilingual commentary — Walking on Water, Walking Into Walls

by Community Contributor • June 4, 2021 • Comments Off

People in our lives who can “do no wrong,” such as doctors, teachers, religious leaders—and, yes, even some lawyers and politicians—are said to “walk on water.” This is in reference to the biblical story about the time that the disciples of Jesus were crossing the Sea of Galilee. Jesus was not with them. The water was turbulent, and they feared for their lives. According to the narration, they suddenly saw Jesus walking toward them on the water. One of the disciples, Peter, armed with the faith that moves mountains, got out of the boat and likewise started walking on the water toward Jesus. That is, until his faith wavered, at which point he began sinking like a rock, just as any of the rest of us would.

Bilingual commentary — John Cox’s Bear

by Community Contributor • May 28, 2021 • Comments Off

John Cox, a businessman and political activist, has been a perennial candidate for political office. He has not quite yet achieved his goal. He has run for Congress, a county office in Illinois, and even president of the United States. More recently, he ran for governor of California, but lost to Gavin Newsom, a former mayor of San Francisco, in the 2018 election. Now he is one of the current Republican candidates vying for the governorship of California in the effort to recall Mr. Newsom this year. Cox has his eye on being the incumbent in California’s gubernatorial election in 2022.

Bilingual report — Camarillo and Oxnard Airport Master Plan Update

by Community Contributor • May 26, 2021 • Comments Off

The Ventura County Department of Airports would like to thank community members who participated in the public workshop that was recently conducted to kick off the Camarillo and Oxnard Airport Master Plan update. Based on the feedback received to date, the Department has decided to pause the Master Plan process for a period of approximately one year or more if needed to broaden community engagement.

The intent of the Airport Master Plan Update is to both share information and listen to community members to seek their input and vision for how the two County owned Airports should serve our local communities and region. The County hopes to have a shared understanding through broadened engagement, of the community’s concerns and interests in how the Airports are being planned and operated to best serve all in our communities.

Bilingual commentary — Is the Pandemic Our New “Sputnik Challenge”?

by Community Contributor • May 21, 2021 • Comments Off

As young as I was in the latter part of the 1950s, I was acutely aware of the Space Race between the United States and the Soviet Union. I recall that we were hell-bent on “beating those Communists.” Except that we didn’t. Twice.

Both the United States and the Soviet Union were planning to launch the world’s first satellite. Whoever accomplished this would be recognized as the world’s technological leader. The Soviets beat us to the punch in 1957 when they launched into orbit their Sputnik I satellite. In comparison with modern satellites, it was nothing sophisticated. But its impact on the American psyche was profound.

Bilingual report — During EMS Week, AMR reflects on COVID-19 response

by Community Contributor • May 20, 2021 • Comments Off

After a long year of hardships caused by COVID-19, Ventura County is finally starting to gain the upper hand in the pandemic. And during EMS Week, American Medical Response (AMR), America’s leading provider of ground medical transportation services, is thanking its team for all they did to help keep the community safe and healthy.

Since May 2020, AMR and its subsidiary, Gold Coast Ambulance, have contributed more than 36,300 hours to transporting COVID-19 patients, assisting with COVID-19 testing and helping provide vaccinations. During this time, AMR administered a total of 594,064 COVID-19 tests. In addition, as a whole, Ventura County has administered more than 766,480 vaccines — an accomplishment AMR’s support helped to make possible.

Bilingual report — National Police Week and Peace Officers Memorial Day 2021

by Community Contributor • May 17, 2021 • Comments Off

In honor of National Police Week and Peace Officers Memorial Day, the Board of Supervisors and County of Ventura recognizes the service and sacrifice of federal, state, local and Tribal law enforcement.

This week is a time to honor our law enforcement officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our communities and communities throughout our nation.

Ventura County Civic Alliance — Livable Communities Newsletter

by Community Contributor • May 17, 2021 • Comments Off

1. Economy: There is strong business case for racial equity that is independent of the human to human considerations that we all have felt. Would you believe that ensuring that people of color across the country have equitable wages will lead to an additional $1 trillion in earnings (a 15% gain), an additional $800 billion in spending, and an increase of $450 billion in federal taxes collected? Equity is great for business!

Bilingual commentary — To College or Not to College?

by Community Contributor • May 14, 2021 • Comments Off

As I was coming of age in the 1960s, the United States economy was galloping along after the end of World War II and still heading for its peak. By then, we had established ourselves as the wealthiest and most powerful country in the world.

In the 1950s and ‘60s, college was the indisputable ticket to the middle class, which at the time was an indicator of affluence. Young people were acquiring college educations to graduate and fuel the engines of prosperity. Single-income families were the norm. Except for the scourge of racial discrimination, it was by some measures almost an idyllic society compared to today’s problem-ridden existence for far too many Americans.

But now, even some wealthier families are questioning the intrinsic, assumed value of a college education.

UCSB — The Current — ‘A National Distinction’ and more news

by Community Contributor • May 11, 2021 • Comments Off

Professors Denise Montell, Linda Petzold and Glenn Fredrickson have been elected to the National Academy of Sciences.

United Way of Ventura County — Respond. Recover. Reimagine

by Community Contributor • May 10, 2021 • Comments Off

Later this morning, I’ll be rolling up my sleeve for the second COVID-19 vaccine dose. While I’m not looking forward to the potential side effects, I know I’ll feel safer seeing friends and family at various celebrations and gatherings that have been put on hold for far too long. You can learn more about why the vaccine is one of our most powerful tools to ending the pandemic at www.vaccinateall58.com.

Santa Barbara Food Action Network — Spring Member Newsletter

by Community Contributor • May 10, 2021 • Comments Off

Spring is a vibrant time for our food system – farmers are harvesting their first crops of the year, eaters are savoring the abundance, and many of you are busy working on and/or trying to garner funding for projects (see below for the latest funding opportunities).

This season, SBCFAN is sharing stories of collaboration that are activating closed loop systems and projects that build resilience, access, justice, and sovereignty into the food system – read our South County Community Profile to learn more.

Bilingual commentary — Native America Was Not “Nothing”

by Community Contributor • May 7, 2021 • Comments Off

Former senator from Pennsylvania Rick Santorum echoed last week what many of us learned in school about the history of early America: that the original white “settlers” who arrived from distant shores had planted the seeds of American culture. In fact, he said that there was “nothing here” when the colonizers arrived. He flatly declared that “there isn’t much Native American culture in American culture.”

Mr. Santorum’s baseless claims about the absence of Native American influence on our national character is a continuation of white nationalist propaganda that ignores, or at least gravely understates, the vast impact of Native American culture upon ours. To say, as he did, that the first settlers to arrive on our eastern shores “birthed a nation from nothing” is to erase the wisdom and knowledge that was already present and predated the birth of the United States by several millennia.

Guest commentary — 21st Century Community Safety Requires Love and a Rigorous Ethnically and Culturally Congruent Mental Health Component

by Community Contributor • May 7, 2021 • Comments Off

At the Keys to Empower You in the System (KEYS) Leadership Academy, which was housed at the Café on A, Oxnard, we believed that the best community safety is where all adults, young adults, kids and everyone else in Oxnard (all the cities of this nation) feels a real sense of civic involvement and transparency, responsibility of ownership, peace, love and respect. We know full well that safety is mostly perceptual, thus any community safety program must incorporate a rigorous mental health and wellness component. We have relied much too long on “traditional policing” alone to bring us safety. As a sobering reminder, let us not forget that Oxnard is yearly designated by highly reputable demographers as one of the safest cities in the country for it size in the entire nation.

Yet, we have often let others assign us the “bum rap” about “crime riddled Oxnard”.

El Concilio Family Services — InformaGente Extra! – Los Tigres del Norte: Vacúnate

by Community Contributor • May 7, 2021 • Comments Off

En este video de servicio público, los miembros de la legendaria banda Los Tigres del Norte animan a todos a recibir la vacuna para el COVID-19 porque es muy importante cuidar a nuestros seres queridos, nuestra familia, nuestros amigos y todos los que nos rodean.

Listos California, en asociación con la Liga de Ciudadanos Latinoamericanos Unidos (LULAC) y la Fundación Nacional Hispana para las Artes (NHFA), produce la serie de conversación en línea “InformaGente” para fomentar una cultura de preparación para emergencias entre las comunidades latinas.

Bilingual commentary — When Religion Channels Into Politics

by Community Contributor • April 29, 2021 • Comments Off

A Gallup news item from last month describes the precipitous drop in religious affiliation in the United States since the turn of the century—not that long ago. In just over 20 years, the number of those who declare themselves members of a church, mosque, or synagogue has decreased more than 20%. In fact, according to the Gallup poll cited in the report, less than half of Americans claim to belong to a religious organization.

Open Letter to our Justice and Police Reform Movements Friends and Supporters

by Community Contributor • April 29, 2021 • Comments Off

Dear Sisters and Brothers in the Police Reform and Social Justice Movement,

We pray that you dear folks are well. We send you all our love, peace and happiness. It has been a long while since we have enjoyed each other wonderful company. So as I reach out, perhaps in an untimely and out of the blue manner, please be sure that we understand the hardship of the times and if replying to this note is difficult or impossible at this trying time, of course, we understand. You can contact me at: ava1040@yahoo.com

That being said I, I am sure you folks as well, have anguished over all of the mayhem, and killings that are being levelled upon our sisters and brothers of color throughout this nation by the police. And we are left with a feeling, almost always, of total impotence because we feel powerless to do anything about the deadly cop violence or reforming the police. I have been filled with an impotent sense of dread and paralysis too!

Then something happened to me just very recently that made me re-think this police reform conundrum and I do not feel so hopelessly impotent now. I have a vision, not an original vision, to be sure, but a clear vision nonetheless, sparked by what I thought was an innocuous effort on my part to reach out to my justice and police reform brethren in this time of acute pain and suffering.

Bilingual commentary — The Termite Doll House

by Community Contributor • April 23, 2021 • Comments Off

More destructive than earthquakes, thunderstorms and floods, termites are a potent force of nature. Termites are insidious. They are one of the biggest threats to our homes, though they are minuscule, nearly invisible, and silent.

In 2018, the National Pest Management Association produced a video that would strike fear into the heart of any homeowner: Tiny Termite House. A team of researchers built the “Tiny Termite House,” a miniature, doll-house version of a typical “dream home.” It even had hardwood floors, electricity, and plumbing. Upon completion, the researchers introduced a mass of termites onto the idyllic “property,” much like a swarm might arrive to colonize their chosen real estate. The researchers then filmed and watched the results over time with a combination of horror, awe, and fascination. The video shows the massive, horren

Guest commentary — The Obsolete American Police Model Must Be Abolished — Now

by Community Contributor • April 23, 2021 • Comments Off

The genesis and perpetuation of the monstrous, murderous, and maligent powers of the police in America is a 245 year work in progress in the consolidation of absolute police/military power and control in communities of color throughout this nation We cannot erase, forget or ignore the past 500 years of police/military oppression by the police/military in our communities. Likewise we cannot wait another day to begin the systemic demolition and destruction of the current police/military model that currently operates with deadly racist impunity in this country. In Oxnard, and throughout the nation, the community must take over the management and supervision of its police department.

The first crucial and mandatory step toward real and progressive 21st-century police reform in Oxnard is the community taking over the vital role of departmental management and policy administration of the Oxnard Police Department (OPD). The initial step is not about defunding the cops, because it deflects and detracts from the number one problem that every police department in the nation has, including the OPD, which is cops supervising cops! For 100+ years the Oxnard City Council and by silent complicit acquiescence of the residents, we have let the “foxes” patrol with unfettered power, control, and impunity the community’s “chicken coop”. How has that worked out, for people of color, the homeless, the disenfranchised, the immigrant, and the youth, Oxnard?

OC LIVE Online — Motivation and Movement ~ A Discussion with Women

by Community Contributor • April 22, 2021 • Comments Off

In this episode we revisit WEspeak spring 2019 with an inspirational speech given by Oxnard College student, Crystal Harris, live on stage. With the theme of “moving forward,” Crystal joins Oxnard College Communication Studies Professor Dr. Amy Edwards, Film Professor Anitra N. Lawson and Oxnard College Student Health Coordinator Dr. Deanna McFadden for a powerful conversation about protecting mental and emotional health, fighting to overcome trauma, and living your best life!

Bilingual report — Statement from County Executive Officer Michael Powers Regarding Guilty Verdicts in the Trial of Derek Chauvin

by Community Contributor • April 21, 2021 • Comments Off

/// in Minneapolis a jury found Derek Chauvin guilty of all three counts for the murder of George Floyd. Our hearts go out to George Floyd’s family and to the families and communities across our country who have experienced racial injustice and horrific violence. Today, justice was served. There cannot be healing without justice and there is still much work to do to create true justice that prevents senseless killings.

Today’s decision does not minimize the pain or solve issues of hate, but it can mark the beginning of community healing and real change across our nation. Police brutality cannot be tolerated. I appreciate our local partnership with law enforcement and the leadership of our Sheriff and District Attorney in their commitment to racial justice. This tragic incident underscores the need for law enforcement to continue to be a partner in the community. Now more than ever is a time to come together to listen, communicate and engage in order for us to move toward an equitable society. We must address the unacceptable continued violence and hate toward people of color and commit to using our individual and collective voices to end the divisiveness of racial injustice.

Social Justice Fund for Ventura County Monthly update — Continue travel to just and equitable society

by Community Contributor • April 21, 2021 • Comments Off

While the Social Justice Fund for Ventura County is pleased that the jury found Derek
Chauvin guilty for the murder of George Floyd, we must not veer away from the long
road we still must travel to reach a just and equitable society. Chauvin’s trial has been a
traumatic and painful experience to watch, as we were continuously forced to relive the
gruesome murder George Floyd. Chauvin’s conduct was the byproduct of the historical
injustices inflicted on Black and Brown people in our Country and a legacy of the
unacknowledged racism, which permeates throughout our criminal justice system. This
case was merely a single demonstration of one person being held accountable. We
must not be distracted from our continuous fight for systemic change, true justice, actual
fairness, societal equity and inclusion.

Bilingual commentary — The Scourge of Random Capitalization

by Community Contributor • April 16, 2021 • Comments Off

I grew up with a father, a typesetter by trade, who was obsessed with the rules of grammar, spelling and punctuation. Starting in my school years, informally proofreading everything that was printed on paper was as natural as breathing air. I hardly realized I was doing it. Now, fast-forwarding several decades, I am a recent graduate of an online proofreading course. I have become like my father, obsessed with the rules of grammar, spelling, and punctuation.

Lately, I have become acutely aware of several troubling trends in writing among the general public.

Bilingual commentary — Tragicomedy in the Pandemic Era

by Community Contributor • April 9, 2021 • Comments Off

This past week I had an appointment with a friend, a shop owner I’ve known for several years. Like so many other shop owners this past year, her business has been closed more than it’s been open. Our encounter felt a bit eerie as we took those first tentative steps up from the depths of the Great Pandemic Lockdown.

Ventura County Animal Services update

by Community Contributor • April 6, 2021 • Comments Off

Welcome to our first VCAS newsletter! We will be sending this out quarterly to help you stay informed about all the great work we are doing at Ventura County Animal Services.

Although this has been very difficult year for us all, we remain 100% committed to all live-saving activities! To help illustrate these efforts, please take a moment and view our 2020 Annual Report. It contains a lot of great information about who we are and what we do each and every day to care for the thousands of homeless animals who enter in our care each year.

We hope you enjoy reading all about VCAS!

United Way of Ventura County — United We Can End Homelessness

by Community Contributor • April 5, 2021 • Comments Off

This Friday, we have a wonderful speaker for you to hear at our first annual United to End Homelessness Symposium. I will have the honor of interviewing author and Pulitzer Prize winner, Dr. Matthew Desmond. His book Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City, was named one of Time’s Best Nonfiction Books of the Decade. It was also hailed by Bill Gates: “Desmond has written a brilliant portrait of Americans living in poverty. He gave me a better sense of what it is like to be poor in this country than anything else I have read.”

Bilingual commentary — Are We Hoarding, Collecting, or Being Prudent?

by Community Contributor • April 2, 2021 • Comments Off

As I was setting up some equipment for a video I wanted to make, I realized that I had lost a small mounting screw that I needed. I started looking for it all over the house until it dawned on me that this search could take hours, if not days. I could have spent precious time wandering around hardware stores searching for a replacement. In any case, without that piece, I was “dead in the water,” not able to proceed with my project.

Food Action Network — Tell SB County to support localized food system enterprises, economic opportunities for farmers, and agricultural land viability

by Community Contributor • March 31, 2021 • Comments Off

The County of Santa Barbara is developing an ordinance amendment to allow activities and practices that will be incidental and complementary to traditional agriculture uses on land zoned AG-II. The goal is to expand economic opportunities for farmers and improve the County’s overall agricultural land viability. This is a fantastic opportunity to promote policy support for decentralized and localized food system enterprises, processing hubs, composting, etc.

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