The Community Environmental Council’s (CEC) Winter 2026 Climate Stewards cohort begins in just one week! This is your final opportunity to join a growing community of climate advocates turning concern for our planet into meaningful, local action. You don’t need a background in science, advocacy, or policy to join — just a desire to learn, connect, and collaborate to amplify climate action.
“THRIVE reflects our belief that the arts are essential to a healthy, connected community, ” said Casey Comstock-Mills, Programs and Development Director at TOArts. “This project invites people of all ages and backgrounds to pause, reflect on what gives them hope, and share those moments with others—strengthening both personal well-being and community connection. ”
PORT HUENEME — The Port of Hueneme recently helped kick off an exciting new robotics season at Hueneme High School, joining students, educators, and families for the school’s FIRST Robotics Competition season launch: a celebration of innovation, teamwork, and hands-on STEM learning.
The Port is proud to sponsor Hueneme High School’s robotics team, the Thunder Vikes, as they prepare to compete in this year’s FIRST Robotics season. The sponsorship reflects the Port’s ongoing commitment to expanding STEM opportunities and building strong career pathways for local students.
During the kickoff event, Port Commissioners Mary Anne Rooney and Celina Zacarias together with CEO Kristin Decas presented the Port’s sponsorship check to the team, officially launching the partnership and underscoring the Port’s investment in education and workforce development.
Marine science professor Bob Miller helped create the first framework to identify and compare marine blackouts, which can severely impact kelp forests, seagrass beds and other light-dependent marine life.
OXNARD — Ventura County gathers in unity. The Martin Luther King, Jr. Committee of Ventura County invites you to the 40th Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Observance, held in person on Monday, Jan. 19, 2026 in Oxnard.
Theme:
A Living Legacy: Cultivating Compassion and Justice in Ventura County
SANTA MARIA — A community-led action brought together grassroots organizers, rapid response volunteers, youth leaders, and musicians to stand in solidarity against ongoing immigration enforcement violence across the Central Coast during the ICE OUT 805 Solidarity Concert/March on Jan. 15, 2025 in Santa Maria, representatives of the 805UNDOCFUND reported on their Facebook page.
Led by those carrying a banner that read “ICE OUT OF CALIFORNIA” the protesters marched down the residential streets in Santa Maria calling for the end of ICE activities in the region.
It’s 2026 now, and sometimes I want to feel smug about having watched technology blossom as I grew into adulthood. After all, I’ve seen tech evolve from vacuum tubes to transistors to integrated circuits to incredibly powerful central and graphics processing units to AI accelerators. So, I’m supposed to feel comfortable with technology, right?
Wrong, as I embarrassingly discovered when playing video games with my grandson Andrew, age 7, recently. He challenged my dignity…and won commandingly. Digital natives like him are light years beyond those of us “of a particular age” who used to think that holding a remote with a cord in our hand meant power.
THOUSAND OAKS — TOArts has appointed Victor Fakrogha, Aerin LeDuc-Gummeson, and Dr. Michael Hart to its Board of Directors, expanding the organization’s leadership with expertise spanning finance, arts advocacy, and higher education. The appointment reflects TOArts’ continued commitment to strengthening arts access, community engagement, and long-term organizational impact across the region.
• Business Leader of the Year – Nick Deitch, R.A., Principal, RRM Design Group
• Educational Leader of the Year – Dr. Cynthia Herrera, Vice Chancellor of Institutional Effectiveness, Ventura County Community College District
• Non-Profit Leader of the Year – Robin Britt (Cohort XXIV), Executive Director, Community Conscience
• Public Sector Leader of the Year – Mark Stadler (Cohort XXVII), Sr. Program Administrator, Crisis Intervention Training Program, Ventura County Sheriff’s Office
• Alumna of the Year – Danielle Borja (Cohort XXIV), President/CEO, Greater Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce
Pre-applications available now at pshhc.org/BGA
Presolicitudes disponibles ahora en pshhc.org/BGA
VENTURA — At its first regular meeting of 2026, the Ventura County Board of Supervisors elected 2nd District Supervisor Jeff Gorell to serve as Chair of the Board of Supervisors and 5th District Supervisor Vianey Lopez to serve as Vice Chair.
Each January, the Board selects a Chair and Vice Chair from among its five members to serve one-year terms. The Chair presides over all Board meetings, helps set agendas in coordination with the County Executive Office, and represents the Board in ceremonial functions and intergovernmental matters. The Vice Chair serves in the Chair’s absence and supports leadership duties as needed.
THOUSAND OAKS — California Lutheran University’s Franco Basili placed third in the 4th Romano Gandolfi International Competition for Choral Conductors, his first international competition strictly focused on conducting. Choral directors from around the world participated in the biennial competition held in Parma, Italy. It aims to spread the passion for choral music and help rising conductors establish an international conducting career.
“It is definitely an honor for me,” said Basili, DMA, an assistant music professor at Cal Lutheran and the director of Choral Activities. “The other competitors were fantastic. It has been a bucket list item to do one of these competitions to meet other conductors and see what I can learn from them.”
“At a time when federal support for climate action is shrinking, communities are increasingly being asked to lead,” said Kathi King, Course Instructor and CEC’s Director of Outreach and Education. “The Climate Stewards program builds the local capacity needed to meet the climate crisis head-on, empowering people to take meaningful action and drive solutions in their own communities.”
“Crooked Palm’s transformation from an abandoned industrial site to protected land is a victory for Ventura and all Californians. Restoring this land protects habitat, strengthens regional climate resilience, and opens healthy access to the outdoors in a community where it’s needed most,” said Guillermo Rodriguez, Vice President of the Pacific Region and California State Director for Trust for Public Land. “For the first time in more than a century, this land will increase connection to the Ventura River and provide the public with the physical and mental health benefits that come with close-to-home access to nature.”
SANTA BARBARA — Join ¡Viva el Arte de Santa Bárbara! (Viva) for free community performances by Mariachi Reyna. The performances are part of Viva’s mission to make world-class performing arts accessible to students, families, and underserved communities throughout Santa Barbara County.
FREE PUBLIC PERFORMANCES
Friday, January 16 | 7 PM Isla Vista Elementary
Saturday, January 17 | 7 PM | Guadalupe City Hall
Sunday, January 18 | 6 PM | Marjorie Luke Theatre
Perhaps the greatest accomplishment of Mariachi Reyna de Los Angeles®, the first all-female mariachi in the United States, is that they have paved the way for other female mariachi groups to exist at the professional level. Reyna, which was formed in 1994, has truly broken the stereotypes surrounding Mariachi music. In a musical landscape of songs that are often written by men, and for men, Reyna has created their own history.
Vision Board Workshop
With: Adriana Castro
Free workshop.
All materials included.
Saturday, January 17, 2026
From 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Teatro de las Américas
321 W. 6th Street, Oxnard, CA
SBA: HOW TO START A BUSINESS
January 12 @ 10:00 am
Are you interested in starting a business? If you are please join the Small Business Administration (SBA) Los Angeles District Office for a virtual workshop to learn about SBA’s 10 Step Guide on How to Start a Business. This virtual workshop targeted to new entrepreneurs, covers topics from creating a business plan, finding capital, registering your business, getting necessary permits and/or licenses and getting a business bank account. This is a great opportunity to get any questions you may have answered and find out about the multiple resources available to help you. This webinar will be held online via Microsoft Teams. Please register to obtain the login information. Please note, if you are planning to use a mobile device or tablet to access this webinar, you must first download the Teams app to your device. SBA programs and services are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis. For reasonable accommodation request please send an email to lado@sba.gov at least 7 days in advance. Price: Free.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
SANTA BARBARA — The Music Academy of the West proudly announces its 2026 Board officers and welcomes six members of the community to the board. This remarkable group will help grow the Music Academy’s mission to provide musicians and audiences alike with transformative music experiences through public performances and community programs. Board officers and members began their terms on January 1, 2026, and September 16, 2025, respectively.
Welcoming Returning Board Officers
We take great pride in announcing the Music Academy’s 2026 Board officers, now in their second year of service, whose guidance will help the Music Academy’s future. With their deep commitment to music education, they bring a wealth of expertise and a shared passion for the arts:
As the year comes to a close, we want to pause and say thank you.
(2025) brought real challenges – and even in just the last few days, ICE has once again caused real fear and harm in our communities. Neighbors are showing up for one another with care, courage, and solidarity, reminding us that safety and resilience come from deep community organizing and connection.
This year you and your CAUSE staff, leaders, and coalition partners were able to meet this moment – showing up alongside families, tenants, farmworkers, and youth when it mattered most, while continuing to strengthen our organizing and shared values.
Several weeks ago, I had the chance to practice a skill that has greatly benefited me several times throughout my life: choosing nonconfrontational language over words that bring out the knives.
I was doubting the fairness of a bill sent to me by a home service provider. I didn’t think it was justified, given the circumstances, but I was willing to talk with the billing department and hear their perspective. After all, I reasoned, it was entirely possible that they deserved to be paid every cent they were charging me
While searching for exoplanets, scientists observe the first-ever impacts between large objects in a nearby star system.
Read more about the discovery
The next regular meeting of the
County Board of Supervisors is scheduled for
9 a.m. Tuesday, January 13, 2026
County Administration Building, Fourth Floor
105 East Anapamu Street, Santa Barbara
The public may participate virtually or in person at the County Board Hearing Room
in Santa Barbara or Santa Maria.
The new year welcomes new goals, fresh momentum, and the chance to plan out your events with intention. At CEC’s Environmental Hub (1219 State St., Santa Barbara), you can host your 2026 gatherings in a space that’s both memorable and meaningful, while simultaneously supporting a climate-safe future for the Central Coast. Every booking powers CEC’s critical work to protect our region from climate impacts.
CENTRAL COAST — Women’s Economic Ventures (WEV) has named DeAnna Steiger, Ph.D. as its Board Chair, effective January 1, 2026, as the non-profit enters its 35thyear of serving women and entrepreneurs in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties.
Steiger will serve a two-year term and succeeds Melissa Livingston, retired Director of the Ventura County Human Services Agency and a longtime WEV Board member. Livingston will remain on the Board for one additional year.
Steiger has served on WEV’s Board since 2022 and most recently chaired the organization’s Development Committee. During that time, WEV strengthened its fundraising strategy and grew participation in the League of Extraordinary Women, the organization’s annual giving circle. The organization also expanded donor engagement and stewardship through major fundraising efforts tied to International Women’s Day and National Give to Women and Girls Day.
Scientists overcame storms and bureaucratic setbacks to investigate the ocean’s carbon cycle, revealing more about how tiny organic particles, known as marine snow, transport carbon.
The beginning of a new year is the perfect time for something new! Throughout January, enjoy FREE admission for all at the Museum of Ventura County. Join us to explore, reflect, and connect.
Open Thursday to Sunday
11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
100 East Main Street, Ventura
Free admission is made possible by the generous support of Bill and Elise Kearney.
SBA: HOW TO START A BUSINESS
January 12 @ 10:00 am
Are you interested in starting a business? If you are please join the Small Business Administration (SBA) Los Angeles District Office for a virtual workshop to learn about SBA’s 10 Step Guide on How to Start a Business. This virtual workshop targeted to new entrepreneurs, covers topics from creating a business plan, finding capital, registering your business, getting necessary permits and/or licenses and getting a business bank account. This is a great opportunity to get any questions you may have answered and find out about the multiple resources available to help you. This webinar will be held online via Microsoft Teams. Please register to obtain the login information. Please note, if you are planning to use a mobile device or tablet to access this webinar, you must first download the Teams app to your device. SBA programs and services are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis. For reasonable accommodation request please send an email to lado@sba.gov at least 7 days in advance. Price: Free.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
Justice in Motion – Celebrating Our Fellows: Part 1
Thanks to everyone who attended “Celebrate on November 8” at Studio Channel Islands Camarillo!
New 2025 Social Justice Fellows Julio Alcala, Shantel Ortiz, and Jon Cesario shared their inspirational messages of fairness, equity, human rights, and hope, including an impassioned call to action for justice for at-risk youth from Jon, who went off script.
If you are a Ventura Music Festival family member, some of our 2025 concerts are surely on your list.
While tradition says, “celebrate your 30th wedding anniversary with pearls,” the Ventura Music Festival presented or cosponsored its most ambitious ever 30th season in 2025 — with a string of 30 treasured performances over eight months for audiences of every music taste in a dazzling array of music styles.
VENTURA COUNTY — Nov. 15, 2025, was a rainy, dark night, especially since the power at the Four Points by Sheraton in Ventura was out. Guests arrived unaware of the power outage and ran from their cars into the hotel lobby to shelter from the rain, ready to warm up and enjoy the Ventura County Bar Association’s Awards Dinner, only to find a dark room with a small table staffed by a kind VCBA member and a tiny battery-operated light.
Attendees did not scare away, and spirits did not fall; everyone embraced the low-lit event, as it was still a grand celebration of Barbara Macri-Ortiz, who would be honored with the Ben E. Nordman Public Service Award.
In the past 4 days, nearly 3 out of every 4 kidnappings occurred in Santa Maria.This level of concentration cannot be explained away as “targeted enforcement.” It reflects systemic racial profiling, particularly against Latino and Indigenous migrant communities, including Mixtec and other Indigenous peoples.
This terror is not incidental — it is the intended outcome.
These actions undermine constitutional protections, violate due process, and impose collective punishment on entire communities. The psychological toll, trauma, chronic stress, fear, will last long after these raids end.
CENTRAL COAST — 805UndocuFund is urgently alerting the community to a devastating escalation in immigration enforcement activity across Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties over the past several days. These actions are causing profound harm to immigrant families, workers, and entire communities, with lasting consequences for public health, safety, and the regional economy.
Over the weekend alone, 805UndocuFund’s 805 Rapid Response Network alongside autonomous community patrol and defense groups SBResiste, and Carpinteria Sin Fronteras, documented 58 ICE kidnappings across the Central Coast:
• Saturday, December 27, 2025:
35 total — 33 in Santa Maria and 2 in San Luis Obispo
• Sunday, December 28, 2025:
23 total — 13 in Lompoc, 8 in Santa Maria, and 2 in Santa Barbara
• Monday, December 29, 2025, ICE continues operations in Santa Maria and San Luis Obispo, terrorizing residents, destabilizing workplaces, and leaving families in crisis.
The California Competes Tax Credit (CCTC) is an income tax credit available to businesses that want to locate in California or stay and grow in California. Businesses of any industry, size or location compete for over $180 million available in tax credits by applying in one of the three application periods each year. Applicants will be analyzed based on fourteen different factors of evaluation, including number of full-time jobs being created, amount of investment and strategic importance to the state or region.
Application Period Timeline: For fiscal year 2025-2026, GO-Biz will accept applications for the California Competes Tax Credit during:
January 5, 2026 – January 26, 2026
March 2, 2026 – March 16, 2026
Amigos805 does not accept any illustrations, photos or other images and written material that are in violation of copyright law. Individuals and organizations may be required to provide proof of such copyright authorization. Otherwise, please provide only website links to your upcoming events.
