If you’re an income eligible renter who has experienced a financial hardship due to COVID-19 and have past due rent, or you’re a landlord who has experienced a loss in income because of unpaid rent, you may be eligible to get financial assistance now through the CA COVID-19 Rent Relief program.
The program is not first come first served, rather priority will be given to those households with the greatest risk of being evicted.
Who Can Apply?:
Recuerde el sábado abierto solo para la asistencia a la solicitud de ciudadanía.
Recientemente anunciado, USCIS está volviendo a la prueba cívica de 2008. No espere en comenzar su solicitud de ciudadanía.
The Ventura County Fire Department honored five people for their lifesaving actions, a volunteer of the year and the outstanding achievements of employees with its 25th Annual Awards, announced today.
Each year, the department recognizes firefighters, dispatchers and members of the public who go above and beyond in the service of others. This year’s awards ceremony is being held virtually to maintain safety measures during the coronavirus pandemic. A video of the event is available on our YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/itSkWxrHE0o. Additionally, it will be broadcast on CAPS Channel 6, starting March 28 at 8 p.m.
A groundbreaking study is the first to map ocean areas that, if strongly protected, would help solve climate, food and biodiversity crises.
Race to Justice Spring 2021 virtual events include: Olympian Allyson Felix; Gullah musicians Ranky Tanky; Father of the Environmental Justice Movement Dr. Robert Bullard; Urban Planner, Artist and Activist Theaster Gates; Author of the bestselling memoir Just Mercy, Bryan Stevenson; Advocate and Public Policy Expert Heather McGhee; and UCSB Reads Author Patrisse Cullors
California COVID-19 Rent Relief Program/Programa de ayuda para el pago de renta debido al COVID
There are 97 new COVID-19 cases. There have been 6,016 new tests performed.
There have been 3 additional deaths: 66 year old male, 68 year old male and 75 year old male.
We extend our deepest sympathy to the families of those who have passed away.
We are thrilled to release our limited edition collaboration with Santa Barbara-based artist and designer, DJ Javier.
This limited edition was created to communicate a sense of diversity and inclusion within the surf community. The design features a group of characters with varying skin tones, genders, and styles, all of whom carry surfboards, as they walk together in the same direction.
Welcome the arrival of springtime, with summer soon to follow, by purchasing your own DJ Javier x MCASB beach towel before they’re gone! Visit our web store to get yours today!
The County of Ventura will move to the State’s Red Tier beginning 12:01 am Wednesday, March 17, 2021.“This is great news for our community and an opportunity to work together to support our local businesses as we move forward in reopening our economy,” said County Executive Officer, Michael Powers.
In alignment with the state’s reopening framework, masking, distancing and infection control practices remain in place.
The County of Ventura will move to the State’s Red Tier beginning 12:01 am Wednesday, March 17, 2021.“This is great news for our community and an opportunity to work together to support our local businesses as we move forward in reopening our economy,” said County Executive Officer, Michael Powers.
In alignment with the state’s reopening framework, masking, distancing and infection control practices remain in place.
VCCDC is celebrating the success of its first From Here Forward program recipient! Last month, Mia Martinez, a long-time Ventura County resident, closed on her first home with the help of $100,000 in down payment assistance from VCCDC. The From Here Forward Program is made possible with CalHome home buying assistance funds from the State of California and it provides gap funding for homebuyers who were physically or economically displaced by the Thomas or Woolsey Fires in Ventura County. Like many Ventura County residents, after the Thomas and Woolsey Fires, Mia’s rent went through the roof with 10% increases every year as housing supply shortages were exacerbated in Ventura County and landlords raised rents. With over 50% of her income going towards her rent, she had no other choice but to move in with family into a 10×10 bedroom for her and her granddaughter. Read more about Mia’s story and watch an orientation about the From Here Forward Program to learn how this program can help you buy a home!
United Way of Santa Barbara County’s (UWSBC) annual Fun in the Sun (FITS) summer learning program returns June 21st through July 30th and is now accepting applications for staff and local students to participate. The free six week program will address summer learning loss and COVID-19 learning loss through academic and social emotional programming.
UWSBC is anticipating an in-person program at all six sites depending on COVID-19 mandates. Students will engage in academic rotations focused on literacy and STEAM (Science, technology, engineering, arts and math) as well as participate in social, emotional and mental wellness activities. Should COVID-19 conditions worsen, UWSBC will provide a virtual program.
With support from the Moore and Simons foundations, scientists advance their study of the origins of eukaryotic cells.
On Mar. 4, KCLU’s Caroline Feraday interviewed Luz Reyes-Martín, SBCC’s Executive Director of Public Affairs and Communications, about the back to work courses offered by the School of Extended Learning for those affected by coronavirus job cuts. Listen to the interview here…
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) today announced that 2 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered to Californians in some of the state’s hardest-hit communities, increasing immunity where the state’s transmission rates and disease burden have been the highest during the pandemic. With this equity metric met, and because vaccines slow the spread of disease and serious illness, the previously announced update to the Blueprint for a Safer Economy to account for progress with vaccine administration goes into effect.
Ballet Hispánico, the nation’s renowned Latinx dance organization recognized as one of America’s Cultural Treasures, is partnering with ¡Viva el Arte de Santa Bárbara!, an Arts & Lectures community arts program for a two-month virtual residency. From January 26 through March 18, Ballet Hispánico will teach 40 virtual workshops at three Santa Barbara County schools, serving more than 130 elementary to high school students as they explore cultural identity through the lens of Con Brazos Abiertos.
The workshops will culminate in a live virtual event sharing the process of the residencies with the school communities of Isla Vista Elementary, Kermit McKenzie, and Santa Barbara High School.
While all population groups were affected by the COVID-19 surge from the summer through the winter of 2020?2021, California’s Latino population was among the hardest hit. Looking at increases in age-specific death rates, we can appreciate how many more Latinos than non-Hispanic whites (NHW) in every age group were killed by COVID-19. …
The surge from the summer through the winter of 2020?2021 affected all racial/ethnic groups, but it hit California’s Latinos particularly hard. In every age group, the disparity between Latino and non-Hispanic white death rates remained roughly the same throughout this period, ranging from two times to seven times as high, depending on age.
Some of us Ventura County residents may be in high school or recently graduated, trying to find a path forward as we wrestle with a daunting number of higher education and career choices. Some of us may be middle-aged and “drifting,” or restless in our current careers.
Then there are those of us who are retired and looking for something new to challenge us. Perhaps we have a new interest—and the time to pursue it. Retirees may even be seeking a career that is either an extension of their life’s work, or possibly something quite different from what they had done for decades.
On March 23-25, 2021, more than 30 Oxnard firefighters will shave their heads to promote and raise funds for childhood cancer research through the St. Baldrick’s Foundation.
“Firefighters often become heroes to people whose lives they save in emergencies. By shaving our heads bald, we hope to raise awareness of the heroic children battling cancer,” said Chief Hamilton. “It’s a unique way to stand in solidarity with these children while also literally creating a buzz for an honorable cause.”
Pioneer Valley High School Trailblazer Hiking and Environmental Club members recently Zoomed into the Carrizo Plains in southeastern San Luis Obispo County.
The student club hosted guest speaker Chuck Graham who presented his new photo book “Carrizo Plain “Where the Mountains Meet the Grasslands”
The state has announced that once 2 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine are administered in the most vulnerable communities in the state that the state will modify the case rate requirements. The case rate requirements are tied into the different colored tiers. If the case rate requirement is adjusted and Ventura County meets the metric we will move to the Red Tier next Wednesday the 17th.
Looking forward. Here’s what can be open (following the state issued guidance for each sector) once the County is in the Red Tier:
California. Considering how much the Santa Paula Art Museum has learned and benefited from women creatives, we think the two celebrations coincide perfectly. Thank you to all of the amazing women who support the Museum; that includes our women artists, docents, donors, teachers, board members, and our all female staff.
Scroll down to see all of the ways that we are honoring women artists this month and in the year ahead. We are also looking forward to announcing the Museum’s reopening date in the coming weeks!*
*The Santa Paula Art Museum remains temporarily closed to the general public in accordance with COVID restrictions. Please call or email the Museum to make a private viewing appointment.
Study finds that conditions at home drive Syrian refugees’ decisions to return to their native country.
Shout out to the wonderful team of Nurses and Disaster Service Workers who are serving at COVID-19 vaccine sites throughout our County! Thank you Ventura County for the many kind emails and letters about your positive experiences receiving the vaccine. The site staff appreciates the messages!
The Channel Islands Maritime Museum (CIMM) is happy to announce its April event/contest as part of its continuing 30th anniversary year celebration and Earth Day.
The Museum is calling for mini “eco-boat” contest entries which are boats that utilize recyclable or compostable materials. Entries should be no larger than 24” in length. Winning entries will be chosen based on the most creative use of materials. Wood, paper, glass, aluminum, cardboard, and plant fibers (including cotton fabric, canvas, hemp, non-nylon rope, etc.) are all acceptable materials. Plastics and foams may not be used in the construction of boats. Prizes will be awarded in four age categories: Adults (18 years and older), Young Adults (13-17 years of age), Kids (7-12 years of age), and Kids (6 years and under).
The VC Mobile Library distributes Face Mask Kits to children and families thanks to a partnership with the Ventura County Area Agency on Aging. Kits contain face masks, hand sanitizer, COVID-19 safety and good hygiene information, a resource guide for coping with COVID and where to find help. Brothers, Luis and Sebastian recently enjoyed selecting new books from the Mobile Library. They are smiling behind those masks! Learn more about the Ventura County Library at the following link: www.vencolibrary.org/.
Do you want to help steer the ship for the next 10 years? The Port of Hueneme is seeking input on its 2030 Strategic Plan! Your voice is important, and your Port wants to hear it! Fill out the survey and let us know which way to go! www.portofh.org/survey
Te gustaría ayudar a manejar el barco por los siguientes 10 años? ¡El Puerto de Hueneme busca tu opinión para su Plan Estratégico del 2030! ¡Tu voz es importante y tu Puerto quiere oír tu opinión! ¡Llena la encuesta y ayúdanos a tomar dirección! www.portofh.org/survey
After a four-month hiatus, Season 2 of “MVC Insider” resumed this past Friday, February 26, 2021. The Smith-Hobson Family Collections Manager Renee Tallent took us back a full century to talk about the 1920s hairstyle technique “Marcelling.” Renee explored the different variations of curling irons available on the market sold to achieve the perfect natural wave.
Mark your calendars for Friday, March 12, 2021 at 10am? and tune-in on Facebook Live for another episode of “MVC Insider” with Chief Curator of Exhibits & Collections Anna Bermudez! Anna will take viewers through the exhibit Hulega! Photographs from the Frontlines at the Agriculture Museum in Santa Paula. Set a reminder on Facebook or YouTube.
We are delighted to invite you to submit your artistic concepts for our Earth Day Mural, hosted in partnership with The Arts Fund, Community Environmental Council, Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara, Paseo Nuevo, and Santa Barbara BCycle. Application Deadline: Wednesday, March 31, 2021, 5 PM PST.
Today is International Women’s Day, a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. In honor of this day, we’d like to honor the matriarch of United Way, Frances Wisebart Jacobs.
In 1887, Jacobs and other Denver faith-based community leaders put together an idea that became the nation’s first united campaign, benefitting 10 local health and welfare agencies. These leaders created an organization to collect the funds for local charities, to coordinate relief services, to counsel and refer clients to cooperating agencies, and to make emergency assistance grants for cases that could not be referred. That year, Denver raised $21,700 for this greater good and created a movement that would become United Way.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has awarded more than $27 million to support projects across the country to protect, restore or enhance almost 28,000 acres of coastal wetlands and adjacent upland habitats under the National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant Program.
The California State Coastal Conservancy, The Nature Conservancy and other partners will receive $1 million to begin restoring the 650-acre Ormond Beach wetlands in Oxnard, California, to improve water quality, resiliency to sea-level rise and reverse degradation of a portion of the wetlands.
?Nueva Línea Telefónica de Acceso Comunitario para el Registro de Vacunas contra COVID-19!
In order to return to the things we enjoyed pre COVID-19, such as gatherings, travel, live entertainment, in-person education and indoor dining, it is critical that we increase the amount of COVID-19 testing in our County, as well as mask up, physical distance and vaccinate when it is our turn.
Right now, it is as important as ever to get tested for the COVID-19 virus because frequent testing is the best way (short of getting vaccinated once available) to make sure positive cases are identified quickly and get isolated in order to stop further spread.
COVID-19 Vaccines are available for adults age 65 and older, healthcare, food and agriculture, education and childcare, emergency services and qualifying regional center family caregivers. More information at the following link: www.venturacountyrecovers.org/vaccine-information/.
Appointments open each week on Mondays at 7 am online am on the phone line for those with limited internet access: www.venturacountyrecovers.org/vaccine-information/portal/
?If you have limited internet access you can also call the registration hotline at 805-477-7161. The phone line is staffed M-F 8-5. Appointments are set aside for both online registration and the phone line.
The Area Agency on Aging provides transportation services for older adults that are in need of transportation to a vaccine appointment or for COVID-19 testing. This includes people that need lift assist as well as gurney transportation. The driver will take the individual, wait for them, help them at the site and take them home. To schedule a ride call 805-477-7300. Please note, you must have a vaccine appointment before you schedule a ride to a vaccine site.
With eyes toward reopening in the coming weeks, the Santa Paula Art Museum has four stellar exhibitions lined up for the summer and fall months, which will showcase artists and locales that stretch the length of the California coast. All of the exhibits will be available to view online at www.santapaulaartmuseum.org during their respective run dates, as well as open to the public when allowed by local public health directives.
“Erin Hanson: Colors of California” will mark Hanson’s most comprehensive collection of California’s multitudinous landscapes. Combining the emotional resonance of the 19th century Impressionists with the lavish color palette of Expressionism, Erin Hanson’s unique style of oil painting has come to be known as “Open Impressionism.” Hanson’s exhibit at the Santa Paula Art Museum will include an expansive collection of landscapes inspired by Ventura County, Santa Barbara, Paso Robles, Monterey County, Mendocino, and other scenic locales. The exhibit will be on view May 1, 2021 to July 25, 2021. Visit Erin’s website at www.erinhanson.com.
COVID-19 Vaccines are available for adults age 65 and older, healthcare, food and agriculture, education and childcare, emergency services and qualifying regional center family caregivers. More information at the following link: www.venturacountyrecovers.org/vaccine-information/.
More appointments are available at this time. Register at www.venturacountyrecovers.org/vaccine-information/portal/
Ventura County Community Development Corporation (VCCDC) is celebrating the success of its first “From Here Forward” program recipient. Last month, Mia Martinez, a long-time Ventura County resident, closed on her first home with the help of $100,000 in down payment assistance from VCCDC. With available funding for more families, VCCDC is inviting residents to apply for this special program.
CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) is one of the Hispanic-Serving Institutions across the nation that invested in “25 Years of Hispanic-Serving Institutions,” a research project conducted by Washington D.C.-based Excelencia in Education.
Excelencia—an institution dedicated to the advancement of Latinx students in higher education across the nation—is co-hosting a virtual event, “California Briefing on 25 Years of HSIs in Accelerating Latinx Student Success,” on Tuesday, March 2, at 10:30 a.m. In addition to CSU Channel Islands, partnering institutions include CSU Northridge, CSU Monterey Bay, CSU San Bernardino, Fresno State, the California State University system, California Community Colleges, and the University of California Merced.
The public is invited to register for the free presentation at: https://www.csun.edu/node/11001/california-briefing-25-years-hsis.
Trinity Pacific Christian School in Thousand Oaks is the first and second place winner of the 2021 Ventura County Mock Trial with Santa Susana High School in Simi Valley taking third place.
The winning teams were announced this evening after seven days of competition that were held entirely online for the first time ever due the COVID-19 pandemic. Twenty-six teams from 22 high schools throughout Ventura County participated in this year’s competition, which is coordinated by the Ventura County Office of Education. Here is how the top eight teams placed:
During its special City Council meeting on February 20, 2021, the Ventura City Council approved the appointment of Jeannette Sanchez-Palacios, who took an oath of office, to fill the District 4 vacancy after interviewing 14 candidates.
Under Section 705(c) of the City of Ventura’s Charter, the City Council approved an appointment process to fill the District 4 vacancy on February 1, 2021. The vacancy was created after City Councilmember Erik Nasarenko was appointed as the new District Attorney for Ventura County on January 26, 2021.
Island Packer Cruises, established in 1968, has recently begun to operate daily scheduled trips for day visitors and campers from Ventura Harbor Village to Scorpion Anchorage in Channel Islands National Park – The Galapagos of North America.
The new pier at Scorpion Anchorage now allows Island Packers, the official park concessionaire, to offers safe and accessible access at Scorpion Anchorage.
More COVID-19 Vaccine appointments will open on Monday morning. The online appointment portal will be available beginning at 7 am at the following link: www.venturacountyrecovers.org/vaccine-information/portal/.
The registration phone line will also have appointments available beginning at 8 am. The phone line is for those with limited access to the internet. The phone number is 805-477-7161.
Learn more about the eligible sectors at the following link https://www.venturacountyrecovers.org/vaccine-information/
Listen to this Spanish-language interview with Katie Pena, director of TRIO programs at Oxnard College, and Luis Garcia, student services assistant, as they talk about TRIO programs, which provide services for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. The interview aired on 102.1 FM y 910 AM La Mexicana (KOXR), 96.7 FM La Mejor (KLJR), and 102.9 FM Radio Lazer (KXLM).
Upon the death of a parent, we children find ourselves scrambling about, muddling through the logistics: finding a mortuary, arranging religious and/or memorial services, choosing a cemetery and possibly meeting with family and friends for that last goodbye at the burial grounds. Of course, much of this can be pre-arranged.
It was announced yesterday that education and childcare, food and agriculture and emergency response sectors are now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine.
Information about appointments can be found at the following link.
www.venturacountyrecovers.org/vaccine-information/portal/. Appointments open Monday mornings beginning at 7 am online and 8 am on the phone line.
If you have limited internet access you can call the registration hotline at 805-477-7161. The phone line is staffed M-F 8-5. Appointments are set aside for both online registration and the phone line.
It was announced (Feb. 24) that education and childcare, food and agriculture and emergency response sectors are now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine.
Information about appointments can be found at the following link.
www.venturacountyrecovers.org/vaccine-information/portal/. Appointments open Monday mornings beginning at 7 am online and 8 am on the phone line.
If you have limited internet access you can call the registration hotline at 805-477-7161. The phone line is staffed M-F 8-5. Appointments are set aside for both online registration and the phone line.
The Area Agency on Aging provides transportation services for older adults that are in need of transportation to a vaccine appointment or for COVID-19 testing. This includes people that need lift assist as well as gurney transportation. The driver will take the individual, wait for them, help them at the site and take them home. To schedule a ride call 805-477-7300. Please note, you must have a vaccine appointment before you schedule a ride to a vaccine site.
Si experimenta dificultades financieras, puede ser elegible para ahorrar un 20% en su factura de gas natural a traves del programa CARE de SoCalGas. Solicite facilmente ….Más información aqui
In this special episode, OC Business Professor Tim Fontenette hosts a panel discussion on the history, meaning and legacy of Black History Month. This iconic celebration is a staple of the educational and cultural calendar – what has its impact been and should we re-imagine it for the 21st century?
Joining Prof. Fontenette are OC Personal Growth Professor and Counselor Ross Fontes, OC History Professor Josh Leiser, and special guest Perry Martin, Jr., Business Professor at Moorpark College.
