Category: Cultural

Santa Barbara First District Supervisor Das Williams — Not Out of the Woods Yet & Preparation for Fire Season

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.

Museum of Ventura County — A Message to the MVC Community

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.
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Elena Brokaw
The Barbara Barnard Smith Executive Director

County of Ventura COVID-19 update for June 24 — People in California are now required to wear masks when they are in public and unable to keep 6 feet distance from others

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.

Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara Plans 30 New Affordable Units on Cota Street For Those Experiencing Homelessness

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.

Bilingual report — Ventura County Complete Count Committee to hold Census Caravan on June 20

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.

Bilingual commentary — “White Privilege” and Latinos

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. 

Guest commentary — On this Father’s Day our Mother Earth Weeps!

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…

SBCC — Plans for Fall semester instruction

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…

Santa Barbara First District Supervisor Das Williams — State-Wide Face Covering Mandate & Some Detail on Recent Covid Cases

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).

Ventura County Civil Grand Jury Announces Release of Report on Charter School Implementation of State Mandated Sex Education – AB329

The 2019-2020 Ventura County Civil Grand Jury surveyed eleven charter schools authorized either by a school district located in Ventura County or by the Ventura County Office of Education, concerning policies and procedures for implementation of curriculum on sexual health.

The California Healthy Youth Act (AB 329) requires parents/guardians of students in grades 7 through 12 be given written notice that the school will be providing mandated sexual health curriculum. The Grand Jury inquired by written survey:

Bilingual report — Community Invited to Take Action on Local Transportation System Reform

The Community Environmental Council (CEC), in partnership with Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG) and Just Communities, invites the community to participate in online and phone listening sessions as part of their Connected 2050/Conectados 2050 long-range planning effort.

The public is invited to request a listening session by visiting the Connected2050.org (English) or Conectados2050.org (Spanish) website. The public can also sign up to get updates and give input by texting “CONNECT” to (833) 956-0921.

Ventura County Public Health Department Issues Guidance for Reopening Additional Sectors

As Ventura County’s hospitalized COVD-19 cases have stabilized, the Ventura County Public Health Officer has issued new guidance permitting the reopening of additional businesses that were previously closed. Sectors that may reopen with modifications, social distancing protocols, and completion of the attestation process include, but are not limited to:

June News from Peoples’ Self-Help Housing

Diego Barraza, recent graduate from Santa Barbara High School and participant in the PSHH College Club! Diego has been accepted to UC Davis, where he will be pursuing a major in Environmental Science and Medicine this fall!

To celebrate more of our incredible graduating students, visit pshhc.org/graduation!

United Way of Ventura County’s Stuff The Bus Campaign — Day of Action

Sunday, June 21st is United Way’s Day of Action!

You can participate by joining
United Way of Ventura County’s
2020 Stuff the Bus campaign!

Provide essential school supplies for local students experiencing homelessness or from disadvantaged families. 

You can help pave the path to academic success for a child from a homeless or low-income family. Furthermore, your support not only provides essential school supplies – studies show that it also promotes learning, building self-esteem, and helps ensure that our youth stay in school. 

The Santa Paula Art Museum Is Open!

 The Santa Paula Art Museum is open again! The Museum and gift shop will be open regular hours: Wednesday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and Sunday from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Admission is $4.00 for adults, $3.00 for seniors, and free for students and members. For the safety and comfort of museum guests and volunteers, anyone inside the Museum is required to wear a face covering for the duration of their visit (per the California Department of Public Health, this excludes children age 2 years and under, and persons with a medical condition, mental health condition, or disability that prevents wearing a face covering).

See What’s Currently on View at the Santa Paula Art Museum

We are so excited to welcome you back to the Santa Paula Art Museum to enjoy two never-before-seen exhibitions: Inspiration and Influence and Santa Paula Sojourn! The Museum and gift shop will be open regular hours: Wednesday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and Sunday from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Guest commentary — Open Letter to Scott Whitney, Chief of the Oxnard Police Department

Hello Scott,

It has been a while since we last talked or met. I think the last time we talked was at the old Social Security building, a few times in the past two years when you announced to us (CORE) and other community organizations and leaders your intentions to revising the two original Oxnard Civil Gang Injunctions (OCGI). You law enforcement folks saw the adverse decisions being render by courts up and down California that much of the language of the ill-conceived and hastily drafted Civil Gang Injunctions in California were being challenged, and upon judicial review were not passing judicial muster and where in eminent danger of being struck down and rendered unconstitutional. Under your leadership the OPD, and the Ventura County District Attorney’s Offices, saw the writing on the wall and decided to drastically rewrite and modify significant language of the original OCGI.

Chiques Organizing for Rights and Equality (CORE) has been fighting for the abolishment of both the Colonia and Southside Oxnard Civil Gang Injunctions since their inception in 2003-2004 on the simple grounds that they are racist, profile a specific class of Oxnard residents (Latino men) and are outright unconstitutional, not to mention horrifically written and ambiguous ordinances. ABOLISH THE TWO OCGI NOW!!!!

Bilingual report — A message from County of Ventura CEO Mike Powers

We all watched in horror as Mr. George Floyd was killed by a Minnesota police officer, it is incumbent upon us to recognize the pain and the outrage of this injustice. Each time one of these needless and tragic events happens, it seems we all pledge and hope it will get better. And then this happens again. We have reached a tipping point from which we can never go back. My heart is with the family of Mr. Floyd, with the African American community and with all members of our community who are hurting, feeling hopeless, and afraid. 

It is time we seize this moment and work to stop these events from happening. Together, as a community we can and will do it. We must do more. It starts with having an open and honest dialogue with one another. We value our relationships with our community members and community groups. We are stronger together. We stand in solidarity with those who wish to ensure all have a sense of safety, belonging, justice, equity and peace regardless of race, gender, age, sexuality or other identities.

Bilingual commentary — The Pervasiveness of “White Privilege”

At this time, once again, we find ourselves discussing the unfortunate reality of “white privilege” in our unspoken, pernicious societal rules.  “White privilege” is that social construct that makes it easier for whites to work within the grand system, to manipulate it in their favor if they choose to do so, to benefit from the blessings of a social order without even trying, simply by virtue of the color of their skin. Whites often are not even conscious of the privileges extended to them at the expense of non-whites. Whites can almost be forgiven for being unaware—indeed, clueless—of the generational suffering of those who do not participate in the grace that flows from the fountain of privilege.

Museum of Ventura County — New MVC Insider + Albinger Archaeological Museum Virtual Tour and more!

PLANS FOR RE-OPENING
While all sites are still closed to the public, MVC is preparing to re-open with limited, members-only hours, in mid-July, expanding to the general public in August.

Thank you to all of you who completed our online survey. Your responses are critical in developing our re-opening plans. Our first priority upon re-opening will be the safety of guests and staff. We will have more information about what to expect when you visit the museum in the next e-blast. 

Meet the 2020 Ventura County Teacher of the Year

Eva Cherrie from Elmhurst Elementary School in Ventura VENTURA COUNTY — The Ventura County Office of Education (VCOE) is pleased to announce that Eva Cherrie from Elmhurst Elementary School in the Ventura Unified School District (VUSD) is the 2020 Ventura County…

Bilingual report — Food Distribution Events Planned Throughout Ventura County, California & Washington State to Support Essential Frontline Farmworkers During COVID-19 Pandemic

This Saturday, June 13th, the farmworkers’ rights group “Feeding the Frontline: Feeding our Farmworkers” will join with Latino activists and donors throughout California and Washington State to provide food distribution events for farm-working families who have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic even while working to feed Americans. These efforts will include events in six agricultural counties throughout California, including Ventura, Santa Barbara, Monterey, Tulare, Fresno, and San Benito counties.

“This pandemic underscores the invaluable contributions farmworkers provide our communities, state, and nation,” shared Roberto Juarez, who heads Clinicas Del Camino Real, an organization helping lead Saturday’s events. “What COVID-19 has done to farm workers is to simply lay bare and even exacerbate the inequities they were already facing – ranging from health care disparities to poor living conditions and low wages that families simply cannot live on. …”

CAP Media — Message to CAPS friends and family

Dear CAPS friends and family,  

Citizens all across the nation are letting their voices be heard in peaceful protest, condemning the reprehensible actions of police officers in Minneapolis that resulted in the horrific death of George Floyd.  All of us at CAPS Media were sickened and saddened by what we saw.   

We do not condone racism, discrimination, inequality or violence towards anyone.  We stand in solidarity with our community and support everyone in exercising their first amendment right to assemble and to petition government to redress grievances.   

Santa Barbara First District Supervisor Das Williams — Black Lives Matter

This has been an especially difficult last couple of weeks as we continue to fight the COVID-19 pandemic while being forced to confront the reality of systemic racism with the murders of several Black lives over the last few months – George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and Tony McDade. This isn’t the first time there have been protests in the streets over the taking of Black lives and a lot of the anger and pain you see is because of the reality for Black Americans knowing this won’t be the last time they have to protest in the streets to get justice and make change – and knowing that the next time the protest might be for them. We must take this time where we are already being forced out of the norm and out of our routine to look within our collective soul as a country and address the pain and discomfort of racism that has existed since the founding of our country. 

County of Ventura COVID-19 update for June 10 — Ventura County Pandemic Rental Assistance Program

The Ventura County Pandemic Rental Assistance (VCPRA) program may provide temporary rental assistance for Ventura County residents with very low incomes who owe past-due rent because of a hardship due to COVID-19. Online applications will be accepted June 17 – July 1, 2020. Learn more at www.vcemergency.com/rent.

CSUCI History students record personal stories during a pandemic in “plague journals”

“Neither the life of an individual nor the history of a society can be understood without understanding both” —C. Wright Mills, American Sociologist CAMARILLO — “During that first two weeks I walked around in circles uncertain of what to do…

United Way of Ventura County — Our diversity, equity, and inclusion values

Dear Friends,

These are challenging times for our community and country. But the challenges we’re facing also provide us with a tremendous opportunity for growth and progress. At United Way of Ventura County, embracing diversity, equity, and inclusion is not only the right thing to do, it is necessary to our success. To learn more about our diversity, equity, and inclusion values and commitments, please read our statement, linked here and available on our website.

Un mensaje de los doctores de las salas de emergencias del Centro Médico del Condado de Ventura y el Hospital de Santa Paula

Las comunidades de California continúan enfocándose en detener la propagación de COVID-19 a través del distanciamiento social. Estos esfuerzos son prometedores, pero una consecuencia involuntaria ha sido una brecha cada vez mayor entre las personas con padecimientos y los proveedores de atención médica. El departamento de emergencias del Hospital de Santa Paula ha visto una disminución en el número total de visitas a la sala de emergencias. “Esto es de esperar, cuando las personas no están saliendo fuera de casa”, explica el Dr. Richard Rutherford, médico de emergencias y director de calidad y seguridad de Seaside Emergency Associates. “Pero también nos preocupa que algunos miembros de nuestra comunidad se queden en casa cuando realmente tienen una emergencia médica”. A algunas personas les preocupa ser una carga al hospital durante una pandemia. Otros temen que puedan infectarse con el virus COVID. “Hemos visto pacientes con ataques cardíacos, derrames cerebrales y otras enfermedades críticas que han esperado demasiado para visitar el hospital”, lamenta el Dr. Rutherford. Demorar la atención médica de estos eventos potencialmente mortales puede dificultar que el equipo del departamento de emergencias recupere la salud de los pacientes.

Melissa Livingston named Director of the Ventura County Human Services Agency

By a unanimous vote on June 8, the Board of Supervisors concurred with the recommendation of County Executive Officer Mike Powers to appoint Melissa Livingston as the Director of the Human Services Agency.

“Melissa has been an influential County leader during her 40 years of service,” said County Executive Officer Mike Powers. “She has been a great partner and an integral member of our County leadership team in supporting the mission to provide comprehensive and compassionate services for our diverse communities. Dedicated, bright and compassionate, she has dedicated her life to helping the most vulnerable. She is exceptionally well qualified, and this is critical, especially as our community recovers from the impacts of COVID-19.”

Social Justice Fund for VC on the Challenges of Racism

The Social Justice Fund for Ventura County condemns police brutality, the continued police violence against our Black brothers and sisters, the over-policing of communities of color and all systems of oppression that have plagued this nation for far too long. We join in the grief for George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and the numerous others who have been murdered and victimized by this violence. This outrage cannot only be a moment! This needs to be a time for reflection and a call to action for all of us to actively engage in dismantling and elimination of the institutional, systemic and intentional racism that permeates throughout all levels of our society.

Ventura County Schools Preparing to Reopen Campuses

New State Guidelines Will Support Local Efforts VENTURA COUNTY — The California Department of Education (CDE) today released new guidelines for the safe reopening of the state’s public school campuses. The guidelines contain recommendations regarding a variety of measures to…

Guest commentary — The Vexations of History

Oxnard Police Department officers cut short the lives of Meagan Hockaday (d. 3/28/15), Alfonso Limon (d. 10/13/12), Michael Mahoney (d. 8/14/12), Robert Ramirez (d. 6/23/12), and Juan Zavala (d. 6/28/2014).

Consequently, any City of Oxnard official who empathetically condemns the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police must also memorialize their deaths. Especially Robert Ramirez, who like Floyd and Eric Garner in New York, could not breathe as the medical examiner of Ventura County determined his death a police homicide from prone restraint asphyxia—choking.

Only then can we, as a community, have an authentic conversation on police violence elsewhere.

Guest commentary — No Justice! No Peace!

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. By Armando Vazquez / Guest contributor Just…

Bilingual commentary — Emerging Into a New World

It’s happened throughout history: a catastrophic event occurs, whether that be war, pestilence, a sudden attack or a pandemic, and then the people who are impacted emerge into a very different world.  Think of a destroyed Europe immediately after World War II, the people of New York City after 9/11, the survivors of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fires that destroyed the city, the surviving dazed and severely injured citizens of Hiroshima and Nagasaki after the only atomic bombings in history and the people who had the good fortune of surviving the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1917 – 1918. 

Oxnard Performing Arts Center — June up

The PACC’s meeting and banquet rooms are now available to rent for events meeting the County’s health officer order. With five meeting rooms, outdoor areas, and two banquet rooms with a total combined square footage of over 14,611, the PACC has plenty of space to host county-approved gatherings. For more information, or to find out if your event meets these restrictions, feel free to call/ text us at (805) 385-8147 or email us at info@oxnardperformingarts.com. Please note, our office is also reopening by appointment only.

Oxnard-based El Lustrador Foundation update — Hope you are well/Esperando esten bien

We hope you and your families are doing well. Soon we well post photos of our help to our kids families at the Guatemala school. We are helping them with food because the COVID 19. Here we share an article in the main paper in Guatemala.Thank you for all your support.Deseamos que usted y su familia esten bien. Pronto compartiremos fotos de nuestra ayuda a las familias de nuestros niños en la escuela de Guatemala. Estamos ayudando con comida por el COVID 19. Aqui les compartimos un reportaje en uno de los periodicos mas importantes en Guatemala. Muchas gracias por todo su apoyo. …

Ventura County Activists Raise Funds to Support Essential Front-Line Farmworkers During COVID-19 Pandemic

Ventura County Latino and immigrant rights activists are taking action to support the region’s farm working families who continue to provide California residents with safe and healthy food options throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The campaign, known as “Feeding the Frontline: Feeding our Farmworkers,” has launched a GoFundMe campaign to provide groceries, supplies, and even Mariachi music to workers in the fields. The all-volunteer group is seeking community support to raise $15,000, which will help cover the cost of distributing food, supplies, and public health literature to these “frontline” families. The group’s next distribution event will occur this Saturday, June 6, 2020 from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. at the Garden Acres Mutual Water Company in Oxnard, California.

Santa Barbara First District Supervisor Das Williams — Significant Testing Capacity Available & Business Reopening Webinar

Yesterday, the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department provided an update to the Board of Supervisors on COVID-19. Despite the reopening of more businesses and people out and about at the beach and downtown, our indicators have remained well within the guidelines set by the State. In fact, we have seen a 27% reduction of active cases. However, we need more people to take advantage of our increased testing capability. Many of you emailed me about procuring a greater amount of testing and now we ask that you please use it! I know many of you were not utilizing our local testing sites because you wanted to make sure they were available for healthcare workers, and other essential workers, but now there seems to be testing capacity for everyone who is interested. Please see more information on testing below:

Online appointment registration: https://lhi.care/covidtesting

SCIART Opens Call for Entries for The NEXT Big Thing

Studio Channel Islands Arts Center (SCIART) invites artists to participate in the call for entries for SCIART’s exhibition, The NEXT Big Thing. The annual exhibition is an exciting showcase of contemporary art created by emerging artists, as well as nationally exhibited and award-winning artists, in all medium including video, film, performance, sound and installation art. This year’s show will be juried by art critic and journalist Leah Ollman. The exhibition will award three cash prizes. The deadline for artists to apply is July 12, 2020.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Conejo Valley (BGCGCV) offers Traditional Summer Camp

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Conejo Valley are gearing up to provide a fun-filled and educational Summer Camp for K-8th graders. 

Camp is offered at five Clubs including the Anderson Club located on the Los Cerritos Middle School Campus in Thousand Oaks, Johnston Club located on the Colina Middle School Campus in Thousand Oaks, Morton Club located on the Sequoia Middle School Campus in Newbury Park, the Notter Club, located on the Redwood Middle School in Thousand Oaks and the Grossman Club located on Chaparral Elementary School Campus.  Camp hours run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Righetti’s Annual Student Art Show and Film Festival join forces for a virtual art show

The power of art and film at Righetti High School has beaten these uncertain times with online assistance.

Righetti’s Annual Student Art Show and Film Festival have joined forces for a virtual art show at https://righettivisualarts.org/.

Student artists created art in various programs throughout the year, including drawings in colored pencil, graphite, and ink; paintings using tempera, watercolor, acrylic, and gouche; 3-dimensional art in paper mache, ceramics, and multi-media; as well as film and video, digital and film photography, and digital illustration. Because of the challenges of these times to students, the exhibited work represents a small sampling of the 500 students in these classes.