As Santa Barbara City College prepares for the Fall 2020 semester, two well-respected employees will be assuming new roles as deans.
Paloma Arnold has been selected as the next Dean of Student Affairs. …
Elizabeth M. Imhof, Ph.D., has been chosen as the new Dean of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.
The third annual Old Boney Mountain Hot Summer Night festival had an added mission this year—to encourage the community to support the almost 20 participating local businesses including restaurants and breweries that continue to operate while following social distancing rules. In addition, the July 11 virtual festival raised money for Rotary charities, first responders and the Grossman Burn Foundation for its care of burn survivors. Presented by Old Boney Mountain Hot Sauce Corp. and the Rotary Club of Newbury Park, the premiere sponsor was Farmers Insurance.
Here’s your COVID-19 update from the County of Ventura from Friday-Sunday. There are 533 new cases today (231 (43.3%) of which have a lab collection from July 27th or earlier), 4,217 additional people tested, and 0 additional deaths; this includes reports from Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Current doubling time is 43.8 days.
On Wednesday, August 5, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., the County of Ventura will host a virtual Community Forum open to all members of the public online via Zoom to discuss the intersection of race and law enforcement in our community. The Community Forum will consist of a panel of County leaders and community representatives who will participate in a roundtable discussion, followed by questions from the public.
The August 5th Community Forum will be moderated by Monique Nowlin, County of Ventura Diversity and Inclusion Task Force representative and Deputy Director of the Ventura County Area Agency on Aging. Panelists will include:
Vanessa’s story really embodies the spirit of the Carnegie Art Cornerstones mission. We aim to empower emerging artists to grow, create, and share their art. Our ability to do this in a traditional sense has been challenged, but artists like Vanessa, and the art she creates, are still incredibly important to our communities.
Cornerstones lifts emerging artists by providing them with resources, mentorship, and exposure that helps artists pursue dedicated careers – we believe this kind of work is vital to keeping art as the cornerstone of our local communities.
Good Evening, Here’s your COVID-19 update form the County of Ventura. There are 104 new cases today (53 (51.0%) of which have a lab collection from July 22nd or earlier), 636 additional people tested, and 2 additional deaths (86 year old female and 90 year old male, both with comorbidities). Current doubling time is 41.2 days. Currently, the County of Ventura is on the state monitoring list for case rate per 100,000 population over 14 days and % of ICU beds available; in order for us to get off the monitoring list, we need to have less than 850 reported cases in a 14 day period which is an average of 60 cases a day. Total, there have been 73 deaths (age range 29-107 years; 45 males and 28 females; 35 Non-Hispanic White, 31 Hispanic, 4 Non-Hispanic Asian, 1 Non-Hispanic Black, 1 Non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaskan Native and 1 Non-Hispanic Other). Current hospitalizations are 75 and current ICU is 25.
For the first time, CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) is accepting first-time freshmen and both lower division and upper division transfer student applications for its Spring 2021 semester.
Applications for spring 2021 will be accepted beginning August 1 and continuing through August 31.
CSUCI typically opens spring enrollment only for upper division transfer students, but the COVID-19 pandemic has changed circumstances for many students and CSUCI is seeking how to best meet those needs.
A newly detected cancer metabolic pathway could be a valuable target for therapy.
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Thanks to the generosity of over 50 funding partners and service delivery partners, United Way of Santa Barbara County’s (UWSBC) Fun in the Sun program has the capacity to support up to 350 children and families this year through a virtual format in light of COVID-19. Seven virtual sites are serving students from Carpinteria Unified School District, Santa Barbara Unified School District (4 school sites instead of its usual 2 school sites), Goleta Union School District, and school districts throughout the Santa Ynez Valley.
Doctors Without Walls – Santa Barbara Street Medicine (DWW–SBSM) has been nationally recognized for its healthcare efforts to benefit the homeless in the Santa Barbara community. Nominated by local Medi-Cal managed care plan CenCal Health, DWW–SBSM received an honorable mention from The Association for Community Affiliated Plans (ACAP) at its fifteenth annual Supporting the Safety Net Award program held last month. The earned recognition honors community organizations and individuals nationwide that exceed expectations for care by implementing health programs to benefit underserved populations.
James Donlon: actor, director, and playwright presenting his original performance work internationally for 5 decades. Film coach to Oscar winners.
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Pre-registration required, no fees
Sign up now, send email to info@teatrodelasamericas.org
The Oxnard Performing Arts Center Corporation (OPAC) is teaming up with Oxnard photographer and filmmaker Christian Ramirez of Mezz Studio to offer a day of free professional headshots for those on the jobseeking trail. The event is scheduled for Thursday, August 6 from 9:30 am to 1:30 pm.
A professional headshot plays an important role in creating a positive first impression and can be used in many ways: email accounts, email signatures, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, personal websites, portfolios, guest blogs, resumes, and more. Sixty percent of employers research job candidates via social media and OPAC wants to ensure that community members who have lost work due to COVID-19 are supported and equipped in their career search.
Last week we rummaged through Oxnard’s past and found some interesting and unsettling history regarding the former Colonial House restaurant and motel complex in the city’s downtown. The ambiance had been designed to invoke the feeling of the “Old South,” as if people were visiting a Southern plantation, with all that that implied.
In a new release by the VC Star is was reported on Tuesday, July 21, 2021 that the, “Oxnard Police Department Will Work With District Attorney’s Office to Vacate Civil Gang Injunctions”
The Little House By The Park and the Guadalupe Community Changers will lead a 2020 Census Car Caravan on Saturday, July 25, from 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. to rally residents to complete the census. More than one dozen vehicles will participate in the caravan, including cars from the Guadalupe Fire Department, Catholic Charities, Dignity Health, Mechanics Bank, and City Council member Liliana Cardenas. Residents are invited come out and cheer on the caravan, and then attend a Census Clinic at the Little House By The Park, at 4681 11th Street, from 2 to 5 p.m., where they can complete the 2020 Census questionnaire.
Report no.7 of UCLA’s Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture addresses the effects of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on Latino communities. As of July 8, 2020, a total of 6,519 people in California had died due to COVID-19?associated conditions. These deaths did not occur randomly in the state’s population. Rather, they occurred more in some racial/ethnic (R/E) populations than in others.
A doctoral candidate who has studied mental health amid the pandemic offers insights into coping strategies.
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Here’s your County of Ventura COVID – 19 update:
94 new cases
6,049 total cases
1,524 new people tested
3,100 recovered cases
90 hospitalized
22 current ICU
2,886 active cases under quarantine
63 deaths (1 additional death – 84 year old female with comorbidity)
98,648 total people tested
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, monies raised for the COVID-19 Joint Response Effort to support Santa Barbara County are still available to help individuals and families, as well as the nonprofits serving them, during this time of crisis. Those still in need of financial assistance are encouraged to apply for funding as soon as possible.
“United Way and its lead partners deeply appreciate our community’s trust in this collaborative effort as we get these funds into the hands of individuals and organizations that desperately need financial support,” said Steve Ortiz, CEO and President of the United Way of Santa Barbara County.
Registration for ESL classes are open for the fall semester 2020 at Oxnard College. Credit and non-credit classes start August 24 and will be delivered online with flexible morning and afternoon schedules.
Following the release of new state guidelines announced (on July 17) by Governor Gavin Newsom, all Ventura County school districts and charter schools will begin the new school year using distance learning without bringing students back to their campuses. The new guidance comes a day after most Ventura County schools had already committed to beginning the year with distance learning in support of the effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Here is your COVID-19 update from the County of Ventura.
224 new cases
1,588 new people tested
5,192 total cases
2,726 recovered cases
95 hospitalizations
31 in the ICU
57 deaths (1 additional death – 77 year-old male)
89,336 total people tested
The SMJUHSD Board of Education on Tuesday night unanimously adopted a Resolution to make Ethnic and Gender Studies a requirement for graduation, starting with the class of 2025.
An Ethnic and Gender Studies Committee was formed several years ago to develop a plan and respective courses in this area. Ethnic and Gender Studies class offerings, with a focus on social justice and multiculturalism, have grown in the past few years. There were eight courses and in multiple sections offered last year across all comprehensive high schools in the district. The committee will now develop a five-year plan to continue to expand course offerings and ensure a successful implementation of the new requirement for all students.
Last week I wrote about the change in a local school’s name, from that of Richard B. Haydock to that of Dr. Manuel Lopez. The former was a segregationist in Oxnard’s early history; the latter was a beloved unifier and promoter of civil rights in Oxnard’s recent history.
This week I want to bring attention to a former landmark in downtown Oxnard, the Colonial House, a restaurant and motel built by developer Martin V. Smith in the 1940s.
Last week I wrote an op-ed piece on racism that got quite a lot of circulation in the local electronic media. I want to lend some nuance to the often ugly race relations in American. I also wanted to give the reader a 62 year historical perspective through a few of my personal and traumatic race relation experiences I had in America. The negative comments from readers came fast and furiously as expected. Some of the exasperated readers wrote the usual racist advice and complaints, “get over it…stop whining…your comments are toxic…America belongs to white people…MAGA” and the old standard bile “If you don’t love this country then go back to Mexico”, but I also got positive feedback like, ”you should write a book… and the one that keeps me writing and helps me take on all the slings and arrows from the haters was, “you have to keep writing to tell our history.”
And then I read Caroline Randall Williams’s profound, painful and poignant article, My Body Is A Confederate Monument, in the New York Times and I was moved to tears and a solemn recommitment to speak truth to power as inspired by her searing and eloquent truth.
NEW THEATER OPENING SOON
once COVID restrictions allow us to open
………MEANWHILE via ZOOM………
VENTURA — Ventura County Clerk-Recorder, Registrar of Voters Mark Lunn announced that the November 3, 2020 Presidential General Election is a non-partisan run-off election, as well as a regular election date for cities, special districts, and school districts. Lunn stated,…
Gold Coast Health Plan (GCHP) has provided $20,500 in sponsorships to seven community organizations that are helping county residents during the pandemic.
“We saw the immense need caused by the pandemic and we wanted to do our part to ensure the health and wellbeing of our community,” said Margaret Tatar, GCHP’s interim chief executive officer. “We are grateful to our community partners for working tirelessly to meet the needs of Ventura County residents and help them get through this crisis.”
Some of us who are “old enough” remember when racism was so prevalent and “accepted” that it seemed to permeate the very air that we breathed. It surrounded us. Just as a fish doesn’t think about breathing underwater, and a bird thinks that flying is “no big deal,” many of us growing up in the 50s and 60s were vaccinated against the guilt that would shame us today.
The process to obtain our own theater began last year with negotiations with the City of Oxnard, which was completed on November 20, 2019, when Teatro President, Juan González, signed the lease to rent the building at 321 W. 6thStreet in Downtown.
Welcome to episode 5 of “MVC Insider.” In this episode,
Elena Waller, Agriculture Museum Manager,
discusses the history of tilling in Ventura County and showcases a number of tools that eventually led to the invention of the tractor!
Women’s Economic Ventures (WEV) is celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Spirit of Entrepreneurship awards by announcing this year’s winners online at spiritofentrepreneurship.org. The winners in 10 categories were selected from 30 finalists by a panel of independent judges from outside the tri-county area.
“It is important that we honor these amazing women for the remarkable businesses they have built and the impact they have on our communities,” said Kathy Odell, CEO of WEV. “Despite not being able to hold our annual awards dinner in person because of COVID-19, we are celebrating these women business leaders and acknowledging the various industries in which they have achieved success.”
The SBA has extended the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan application window through August 8, 2020 in response to the Paycheck Protection Program Extension Act. PPP is designed to help small business, nonprofits, veteran organizations, Tribal concerns, self-employed individuals, independent contractors, and other eligible borrowers keep their workers employed during the COVID-19 crisis.
Santa Barbara City College is pleased to announce that registration for Fall is now open to everyone in the community, whether to earn an associate degree, transfer to a four-year university or enjoy life enrichment classes through the School of Extended Learning.
Based on recent guidance provided by the state, county and Centers for Disease Control, a substantial majority of courses will be conducted online. A limited number of credit courses will be offered in a face-to-face or hybrid format, maintaining appropriate health and safety protocols. The list of face-to-face credit courses is available at www.sbcc.edu/classes.
Join us for a 2-part virtual conversation with artist Genevieve Gaignard and MCASB Curator Alexandra Terry to learn more about MCASB’s current exhibition Bloom Projects: Genevieve Gaignard, Outside Looking In.
In the first session, Genevieve and Alexandra will discuss the logistics of making an exhibition from inception to opening. They will share insights from the early stages of planning through to the physical installation of Genevieve’s exhibition.
We are excited to announce the launch of OC LIVE ONLINE, a web-based initiative that will bring arts and education programing direct to your computer or tablet or phone. Coming in August, OC LIVE ONLINE will include streaming presentations with leading figures in education and the arts, musical performances, virtual gallery tours, inspirational student voices, and a special series of homegrown encounters with our very own OC faculty.
Please consider making a gift to help support our activities and alternative care practices for members during this Covid-19 event.
Thank you!
Most days I scroll through my Facebook timeline to see how my family and friends are doing. I feel a variety of emotions, love, happiness, sadness, anger and compassion as I review their lives and their commentary. Sometimes I contribute some understanding to a topic. I often learn something about life from someone else’s viewpoint or history.
To quote the late artist genius Gil Scott-Heron in his seminal poem written in 1978, A poem for Jose Campos Torres, “I had said I wasn’t gonna write no more poems like this …
Much like brother Gil, I said I was not going to write any more articles about abuse, brutality and state sponsored law enforcement killings of our people; but then came the police/ICE murder of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Jakelin(7 yrs. old), Sandra Bland, Mariee (1 yr. old), Alton Sterling, Andres Guardado, Jamar Clark, Juan (16 yrs. Old),Wilmer (2 yrs. old), Freddie Gray, Walter Scott, Tamir Rice, Darlyn (10 Yrs. old), Carlos (1 yr. old), Laquan McDonald, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Meagan Hockaday, Alfonso Limon, Jose Zepeda, Robert Ramirez, Michael Mahoney, Elijah McClain, Paul Rea, and now Vanessa Guillen who disappeared mysteriously on April 22, 2020, and has not been seen or heard of since, to name just a few black and brown murder victim of police across this nation.
When Class of 2020 students enrolled at CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) as freshman, the Thomas Fire burned through two counties at the end of their first semester, followed by the Woolsey Fire, the Hill Fire and the Borderline shooting in 2018.
And when they went to graduate, a pandemic sent them home, sank the economy and turned their commencement victory lap into a virtual event. Now, they are trying to start their professional careers in a struggling economy.
ummer Sessions presents a new season of GRIT Talks, a series of free public lectures by notable faculty members.
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Registration is now open for South Coast Writing Project’s ‘Young Writers Camp Online’ July 20-31 on Zoom.
The Camps run at various dates and times through July; see individual descriptions below
SCWP is an education non-profit out of UCSB that’s been holding youth writing camps since 1993. This year we are taking our camps online and making them donation-only to support during COVID.
The Ventura County Public Health Department has responded to a COVID-19 outbreak at a farmworker housing facility in Oxnard. All residents of the facility are being tested. Currently, there are 95 positive cases with approximately 100 tests pending at the Ventura County Public Health Lab. The residents are in their 20s and 30s and currently have mild symptoms. They are being placed under quarantine or isolation depending on their test results.
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Oxnard and Port Hueneme is preparing to open its Fifth Street Clubhouse on June 29 to a limited number of youth. It is accepting applications from essential workers’ families, with priority to existing members, for a summer camp, Club CEO Erin Antrim announced on June 30. Other sites of the BGCOP are expected to open at a later date.
The COVID-19 pandemic radically changed life and learning circumstances for the entire CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) campus, but it also meant an expanded role for the University as a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI).
To that end, University leaders recently launched the “CARES Summer Grant Program,” which will provide funds for tuition for eligible students interested in taking summer classes. The funds come from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which was enacted by the U.S. Department of Education to aid institutions of higher learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Scholars organize a webinar series, beginning today, that addresses the plight of front-line workers amid the pandemic.
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LaserAway, the nation’s leader in laser hair removal and aesthetic dermatology, now has a new location at The Collection at RiverPark. The new clinic officially opened on June 15, 2020, and is now accepting appointments.
State Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson’s (D-Santa Barbara)’s Senate Bill 973 to address inequities in pay based on race and gender by requiring California’s larger employers to report salary data to the state passed off the Senate floor on a 29 to 9 vote. The bill now moves to the Assembly.
The month of June 2020 will end in historical landmark victories for our LBGTQ+ and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) communities. The Association of Mexican American Educators, Inc., Oxnard Chapter, applauds our Supreme Court Justices for supporting these communities and future generations.
We live in a great country with a history that is both magnificent and, at times, not so magnificent. Until very recently, we were the light of the world, the “shining city upon a hill,” as our country has been called in flights of oratory throughout modern history. Nonetheless, there have been several ugly periods of time in American history that should have us hanging our heads in shame: the massacres of Native Americans in the nineteenth century; the internment of Japanese Americans in the mid-1940s; the persecution and humiliation of Mexican American youth in Los Angeles by military servicemen and white Angelenos during World War II. Few of us are aware of the Reconstruction era, just after the Civil War when the black slaves were given their freedom. In school, many of us were taught that the slaves were freed and we went on to become a great industrial power. And we lived happily ever after. But the truth is otherwise.
We continue to see increasing numbers of COVID-19 cases in some regions of the County. I urge you not to panic, but to remember that jobs, businesses, and lives depend on continued use of precautions. These include:
Washing your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing, or having been in a public place.
Avoiding touching eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands.
Avoiding close contact with people who are sick, and staying away from large gatherings and crowds.
Putting distance between yourself and other people (at least 6 feet).
Wearing face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain. Face coverings may act as additional protection, but are not a substitute for physical distancing, which is the most effective way to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces daily.
Pursuant to authority granted in California Penal Code Section 919(b), the 2019-2020 Ventura County Civil Grand Jury inquired into the conditions and management of detention facilities in Ventura County.
Wednesday, July 1ST
11:00AM – 12:00PM
I’ll be discussing what we have done so far in response to the health crisis, what our current status is, and what our plans are for re-opening. I’d also like to take this opportunity to discuss with you how the Museum of Ventura County can best continue to meet current and future community needs, particularly in light of the global civil unrest and its regional manifestations and impacts.
?
Elena Brokaw
The Barbara Barnard Smith Executive Director
Masks: People in California are now required to wear masks when they are in public and unable to keep 6 feet distance from others. Read more at https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/CDPH%20Document%20Library/COVID-19/Guidance-for-Face-Coverings_06-18-2020.pdf.
A May 14, 2020 article in the Los Angeles Times reports that “With the coronavirus-induced shock to the economy crippling businesses of all sizes and leaving millions of Americans out of work, homelessness in the United States could grow as much as 45% in a year.” The data trend, which comes from research conducted by Dr. Brendan O’Flaherty, a professor of economics at Columbia University, is mirrored in our community. According to the most recent Point-in-Time count completed in January 2020, the study found 1,897 homeless residents countywide, with 914 (48%) living in the City of Santa Barbara. The chronically homeless in the county rose from 423 to 614, a 45% increase. While the nation continues to grapple with adequately addressing this issue, the Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara (HACSB) is moving forward with plans to build new housing specifically to address the needs of homeless individuals.
The Ventura County Complete Count Committee will lead a Census Caravan on Saturday, June 20. The caravan – which will have 20 vehicles and 20 different representatives from organizations such as Food Share, the Ventura County Library, Líderes Campesinas, the Boys & Girls Clubs, Center for Employment Training (CET), and MICOP – will start its route at 1:00pm in the city of Fillmore in front of City Hall and travel through the cities of Santa Paula, Port Hueneme, and end in Oxnard by 4:00pm.
Last week I wrote about the obvious impact of white privilege on the African American community. There has been an uptick in dialogue in this country regarding white privilege. Lynching of blacks in different forms continues to this day. Last year the college admissions scandal, in which affluent white parents gamed the system to their children’s advantage, came to light. And then this year, incidents of murderous police aggression against the black community were caught on video and widely circulated on social media. The good behavior of most police officers is completely eclipsed by these outrageous occurrences.
Lost in the conversation is the discussion about the repercussions of white privilege in the Latino/Hispanic, Native American and Asian communities as well as a myriad of others. In this article, I want to focus on the Latino—and specifically Mexican—community, since locally we are very much a majority-minority in some parts of Ventura County.
Editor’s note: Amigos805 welcomes guest columns, letters to the editor and other submissions from our readers. All opinions expressed in submitted material are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the viewpoint of Amigos805. Armando Vazquez. Courtesy photo. By…
Based on recent guidance provided by the state, county and Centers for Disease Control, SBCC will offer a substantial majority of credit courses online for the Fall 2020 semester.
As some courses are difficult to teach online, a limited number of courses will be offered in a face-to-face or hybrid format, maintaining appropriate health and safety protocols.
Read the press release for more details…
Governor Newsom (on June 18) announced that face coverings are required to be worn State-wide in the circumstances outlined in the State guidance. It does not substitute for existing guidance about social distancing and handwashing.
Additionally, our Santa Barbara County Public Health Officer has put a pause on further reopening of personal care services such as nail salons, tattoo parlors, businesses offering facials, electrolysis, and waxing, etc.
Despite these significant acts of warranted precaution, we are seeing that the majority of active cases in Santa Barbara County are regional in nature. During the Public Health Department presentation to the Board of Supervisors this week, we learned more about why so many of our cases have been in North County, versus a much smaller amount of cases in South County (34 cases total).
