Category: Education

UCSB Arts & Lectures announces the 2025-2026 Season Lineup

by Community Contributor • June 19, 2025 • Comments Off

SANTA BARBARA — UCSB Arts & Lectures (A&L), the Central Coast’s premier arts presenting organization, announces its 2025-2026 season of live events. Series subscriptions go on sale Wednesday, June 18 at 10 a.m. Single tickets go on sale Tuesday, August 19 at 10 a.m. UCSB Arts & Lectures (A&L) offers a wide range of phenomenal cultural and artistic experiences in 2025-2026 – from fascinating talks by today’s thought leaders to command performances by some of the world’s premier dance companies, actors and musicians – at venues from UCSB to downtown Santa Barbara and beyond. The 2025-2026 season includes an exciting mix of returning friends, rising stars and new discoveries. This upcoming season is particularly rich in premieres, debuts and works commissioned by Arts & Lectures.

NeighborWorks Week 2025: Cabrillo Economic Development Corp. brings vital resources to residents

by Community Contributor • June 19, 2025 • Comments Off

VENTURA COUNTY — Cabrillo Economic Development Corporation (Cabrillo EDC) concluded its 2025 NeighborWorks Week celebrations with two community-focused events that brought critical services and resources directly to residents. Under this year’s theme, “Creating Homes, Building America,” Cabrillo EDC’s resource fairs united neighbors, service providers, and local leaders to facilitate connections and opportunities.

CSUCI Biology faculty member and students return endangered fish after rescuing them from the Palisades fire

by Community Contributor • June 19, 2025 • Comments Off

CAMARILLO — A crisis that began with the Los Angeles fires came full circle this week with a CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) Environmental Science & Resource (ESRM) faculty member, his students, and other agencies and organizations returning endangered fish back to a safe environment after five months.

On June 17, ESRM faculty member Brenton Spies and students from a CSUCI summer research program helped to return Northern tidewater gobies back into the Topanga Lagoon after the fish spent five months in two Southern California aquariums, the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach and Heal the Bay Aquarium in Santa Monica.

“The fish are doing really well,” Spies said. “They were kind of on a vacation, getting fed twice a day, with no stress of predators.”

Ventura Land Trust acquires Welcome Center Building

by Community Contributor • June 19, 2025 • Comments Off

The building, which closed escrow on March 31, will house a Welcome Center open to the public and VLT offices. The Welcome Center will have exhibits and information on VLT preserves and the natural history of the region, as well as meeting and event space. Remodeling and exhibit design for the ground-floor Welcome Center is starting now.

Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors to meet June 24

by Community Contributor • June 19, 2025 • Comments Off

View this email online The next regular meeting of the County Board of Supervisors is scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday, June 24, 2025 County Administration Building Board Hearing Room, Fourth Floor 105 East Anapamu Street, Santa Barbara The public may participate…

Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara — Announcing the Jury! – Call for entries

by Community Contributor • June 17, 2025 • Comments Off

Arte Del Pueblo is now on view until July 27th!

Thank you to everyone that came to the opening reception. We really enjoyed spending time with you all and celebrating these amazing artists together.

Make sure to come visit us before the exhibition is over… And keep an eye out for upcoming events surrounding Arte Del Pueblo!

Economic Development Collaborative (EDC) free event and webinar schedule

by Community Contributor • June 17, 2025 • Comments Off

SBA: HOW TO DO BUSINESS WITH NASA’S JET PROPULSION LABORATORY (JPL)

June 18 @ 11:00 am

Join SBA for an exclusive session featuring representatives from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), managed by the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), to learn how your small business can engage in federally funded space research and technology initiatives. “How to Do Business with Federal Agencies” series is designed to empower small businesses with the knowledge and tools to successfully navigate federal contracting, build strategic relationships and unlock new growth opportunities within government agencies.” This event will take place online using Microsoft Teams; please register to obtain the login information. Please note that if you plan 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. Please email lado@sba.gov at least 7 days in advance for reasonable accommodation requests.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Help United Way of Ventura County provide backpack with essential school supplies for 1,000 local homeless youth

by Community Contributor • June 17, 2025 • Comments Off

United Way’s Stuff the Bus campaign aims to increase school readiness of homeless youth and lessen the financial burden of back-to-school expenses on their families. Over 8,000 youth have been identified as homeless in Ventura County. The average cost for back-to-school supplies for one child is almost $600, which can be a challenge for low-income families.
Studies show that barriers to school readiness can lead to increased absenteeism, developmental delays, poor literacy, and decreased emotional well-being. Students who come from low-income families are also seven times more likely to drop out of school than those from families with higher incomes.
New school supplies are essential for a student’s success in school. By providing homeless students with essential school supplies, our campaign helps pave the path to academic success by ensuring that students start the school year with the tools they need to learn. With your support, we can increase school readiness among homeless youth in our community and help them stay in school.

Workzones ignites Santa Barbara’s startup scene

by Community Contributor • June 17, 2025 • Comments Off

SANTA BARBARA — As layoffs and “return-to-work” mandates increase, more people are forging careers as independent contractors and entrepreneurs. Workzones, a premier coworking community located in downtown Santa Barbara, is playing a pivotal role in this transformation, not just a provider of flexible office spaces, but also as a supportive launchpad for the region’s startups.

For more than a decade, Workzones has served the Santa Barbara independent worker and business community by offering shared co-working facilities, flexible private offices and meeting and event space. More recently, the company has expanded its offerings to meet the growing demand for mentorship and support among startups and fledgling entrepreneurs.

Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics’ partnership with physician’s assistance program is growing the next generation of community healthcare healers

by Community Contributor • June 17, 2025 • Comments Off

SANTA BARBARA — The A.T. Still University Central Coast Physician Assistant (CCPA) program has two incoming students at Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics. (SBNC). The program seeks students who align with their mission and whose personal goals include serving diverse medically underserved populations and who are professional, culturally humble, and have a desire to serve these communities. Applicants who are first-generation college students will also be given special consideration in the review process.

Gabriel Estrada has gained firsthand medical experience as a medical assistant at Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics for three years. The UCSB graduate earned a degree in Biological Sciences in 2022. He learned that SBNC had become affiliated with the A.T. Still CCPA program and believed that, for him, the PA route was preferable to medical school.

SBCC to begin construction on Physical Education Replacement Building

by Community Contributor • June 16, 2025 • Comments Off

SANTA BARBARA — Santa Barbara City College (SBCC) is pleased to announce the commencement of construction on the highly anticipated Physical Education Replacement Building Project, beginning Monday, June 16, 2025. This significant milestone marks the start of the (soft) demolition, abatement, and general construction mobilization efforts on campus.

To ensure safety and visibility, fencing will be installed around the construction zone, showcasing architectural renderings of the new facility along with a QR code directing viewers to the official project website: sbcc.edu/measure-p/physical-education-building-replacement

Ventura Music Festival — Summer is in the Box Office!

by Community Contributor • June 16, 2025 • Comments Off

See what’s up next, join the VMF volunteer party, and get your Summer tickets! OTTMAR LIEBERT Friday, June 27 at 7:00 PM The Majestic Ventura Theater Information & Tickets Prepare for an unforgettable evening as 5-time GRAMMYnominee Ottmar Liebert brings…

County of Ventura Supervisor Jeff Gorell — Wildfire and Emergency Preparedness presentations — Are you ready?

by Community Contributor • June 16, 2025 • Comments Off

want to personally invite you to attend one of the Wildfire and Emergency Preparedness presentations I am offering across District 2. I have worked closely with the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services (OES) and the Ventura County Fire Department to make sure these valuable presentations are available to the public — because when it comes to protecting our families and homes, preparedness truly saves lives.

These community presentations will cover key topics like wildfire risks in our area, how to create defensible space around your home, evacuation planning, emergency alerts, and other practical steps you can take now to be ready.

I am thankful to have Fire and Sheriff Emergency Service experts available to offer four opportunities for you to attend this same presentation, held at Municipal Advisory Council (MAC) meetings throughout District 2 on the following dates:

MICOP — With Dignity & Respect: ICE Out of Ventura County! See related news stories here

by Community Contributor • June 13, 2025 • Comments Off

(Amigos805.com Editor’s Note: Also see national new stories about immigration raids in the 805 region courtesy of ABC7 News, KTLA 5, NBC LA and MSNBC.

VENTURA — In response to escalating federal immigration raids, the deployment of National Guard troops at peaceful protests in Los Angeles, and the confirmed presence of ICE activity across Ventura County the “ICE Out of Ventura County and 805 Immigrant Coalition,” with community partners held a press conference on June 12 in front of the County of Ventura Government Center.

“ICE Out of Ventura County” is a call to action against the ongoing criminalization and militarization targeting our immigrant and Indigenous neighbors.

(MICOP also announced that a press conference was also on June 12 at the Joseph Centeno Betteravia Administration Building in Santa Maria featuring a variety of migrant community support organizations.)

“These past few days have been incredibly painful for our community, beginning with the unjust raids targeting our hardworking brothers and sisters across various industries in Los Angeles. But nothing prepared us for the devastation of what happened here at home,” stated MICOP’s Community Organizing Director Juvenal Solano, “On Tuesday, June 10, our city of Oxnard was the target of mass raids—families ripped apart in an instant, children left waiting for parents who never came home. The heartbreak is unbearable. The rage is deep.”

Bilingual commentary — Delighting in Cruelty

by Community Contributor • June 13, 2025 • Comments Off

Every day since the beginning of this year, I listen to the news from reliable, respected sources. Since the beginning of the year, I often find myself wondering why our federal government seems to delight in what seems to be a policy of cruelty.

Consider the following recent issues:

the blitzkrieg mass firings of new and experienced government employees
the hostile takeover of cultural centers
the treatment of immigrants, both legal and illegal …

El Concilio Family Services — Need to renew your permanent resident card?

by Community Contributor • June 13, 2025 • Comments Off

OXNARD — Let El Concilio help you stay protected and prepared! *** Nuestro equipo acreditado a nivel federal está listo para ayudarlo. Ofreciendo renovaciones gratuitas de tarjetas de residencia permanente. Renovaciones Solo para Tarjetas que han vencido o vencerán dentro de los próximos 6 meses.

Atentamente,
El Concilio Family Services

Farm Bureau of Ventura County — Western Center for Ag Health and Safety Training on June 13 for foreman and supervisors Immigration Enforcement in the Agricultural Workplace

by Community Contributor • June 13, 2025 • Comments Off

Join the Western Center for Agricultural Health and Safety on Friday, June 13th at 9 am to learn how leaders in the agricultural workplace can prepare and respond to immigration enforcement. The primary audience is crew leaders and frontline supervisors. The webinar will be in Spanish with simultaneous English interpretation. This webinar will not be recorded.

Bilingual report — El Concilio Family Services — Unidos con las familias inmigrantes: Respuesta a las recientes redadas de ICE ~~ Standing United with Immigrant Families: Response to Recent ICE Raids

by Community Contributor • June 13, 2025 • Comments Off

Today has been deeply troubling. The recent surge in ICE activity, now reaching into our own neighborhoods, brings fear and pain to many. These actions do more than disrupt lives — they strike at the heart of our communities and the values we hold dear.

What impacts one of us ultimately impacts us all. Immigrants are the backbone of Southern California — their contributions, resilience, and leadership are part of our collective identity.

United Way of Ventura County — Stuff the Bus (June 9-July 31) and more news

by Community Contributor • June 13, 2025 • Comments Off

United Way of Ventura County’s 2025 Stuff the Bus campaign has officially launched! Help us reach our goal of providing 1,000 backpacks stuffed with essential school supplies for local homeless middle schoolers. Currently, over 8,000 youth have been identified as homeless in Ventura County and over 30% of homeless youth are of middle school age. Listed below are ways you can help this year’s campaign.

Bilingual report — City of Ventura announces free speaker series for seniors focused on health, safety, and well-being on June 17, July 15, Aug. 19, Sept. 16, Oct. 21, Nov. 18

by Community Contributor • June 13, 2025 • Comments Off

VENTURA — The City of Ventura invites residents aged 50 and older to participate in a free monthly Ventura Council for Seniors (VCS) Speaker Series, running from June through November 2025. Each session is designed to empower seniors and caregivers with valuable information on health, safety, and well-being.

“This series is all about supporting our older adult community with tools to live independently, safely, and confidently,” said Janine Cobian, Recreation Supervisor. “Whether you’re navigating Medicare, making your home safer, or just looking to stay informed, there’s something for everyone.”

Meetings are held in-person on the 3rd Tuesday of each month from

Oxnard Film Society announces upcoming screenings June 16; July 7, 14, 21

by Community Contributor • June 13, 2025 • Comments Off

On Monday, June 16, we present NYTimes Crirtics’ Pick, SANTOSH screening at 3:30pm and 6:30pm. “As well as working rivetingly as a procedural thriller and a psychological study, Santosh has a hard, documentary-like edge, exploring Indian social phenomena with intense analytical focus.”

UCSB — The Current — ‘College of Engineering named for former dean, Robert Mehrabian’ and more news, events

by Community Contributor • June 12, 2025 • Comments Off

Mehrabian, who served as the fourth engineering dean at UCSB from 1983-1990, was responsible for major growth and advancement of the relatively young college during his tenure.

Santa Paula Art Museum — Inbox Art Exhibit: Anne Ward’s ‘Painted Seasons’

by Community Contributor • June 11, 2025 • Comments Off

On view now through July 6, 2025

Anne Ward grew up in the Westchester neighborhood of Los Angeles, wanting to be an artist. She was always painting and drawing and was given her first set of oil paints by her Aunt Peg at age 13. After completing a degree in history at UCLA, Ward went to work as an assistant to the director on films like “Wyatt Earp” and “French Kiss.” While working in France, Anne discovered the thrill of painting outdoors and returned home fully devoted to the pursuit of painting.

Bilingual report — Twenty-one recruits graduate from Allan Hancock College’s Basic Law Enforcement Academy

by Community Contributor • June 11, 2025 • Comments Off

SANTA MARIA — Twenty-one recruits graduated from Allan Hancock College’s Basic Law Enforcement Academy on June 11 during a ceremony at the college’s Public Safety Training Complex in Lompoc.

The graduating recruits of Class #25-129 celebrated the completion of an intensive 872-hour California Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) course, which prepares them for careers as peace officers. The program emphasizes professionalism, integrity, and public service, with training in community policing, search and seizure, firearms, ethics, investigation procedures, physical training, and emergency vehicle operations.