The County of Ventura and Board of Supervisors will host a public event to raise the Progress Pride flag in recognition of LGBTQ+ Pride Month. The event is open to the media and the public.
Lumina Alliance has received a $600,000 grant funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to expand parenting, healthy relationships, and sexual health education in local elementary, middle, and high schools over the next 5 years.
In collaboration with the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence, Lumina Alliance will support parents, caregivers, and youth by providing them the tools necessary to prevent sexual and intimate partner violence before it starts through three innovative programs.
June is a special month at VCCDC! We celebrate National Homeownership Month! At the core of our mission is the belief that a home is more than a place to live. It is the cornerstone of any individual’s and family’s economic, environmental and social well being.
SBA: HOW TO START A BUSINESS
June 5 @ 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. Topics covered 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. 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.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
SANTA PAULA — Take a tour of artist Andrea Vargas’ solo exhibition, “On the Ranch,” with Vargas as your guide! It’s a rare chance to meet the artist before she returns to Santa Fe for the summer. Andrea will explain the stories behind her all-new artworks and why she will always be drawn to the Santa Paula and Ventura County landscape. “On the Ranch” is on view now through September 10, 2023.
Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis, now officially a presidential candidate, has been implementing a tumultuous “War on Woke.” His crusade within the ongoing culture wars has infamously targeted transgender, LGBTQ, “personal pronouns,” and sexual identity issues.
Mr. DeSantis has gone so far as to place Disneyland directly in the crosshairs of his political weaponry. Disneyland dared to publicly disagree with one of his more contentious edicts against the gay population in his state. The governor has conjured a maelstrom of hatred to rile up and anger his base.
MCASB is honored to present a Poetry Night in partnership with the Santa Barbara County Office of Arts and Culture as part of our First Thursday events. The Laureate Series features local poets Lee Herrick, Madeline Miller, and special guest Solange Aguilar, hosted by Melinda Palacio (@poetpalacio).
MCASB tiene el honor de presentar una Noche de Poesía en colaboración con la Oficina de Arte y Cultura del Condado de Santa Bárbara como parte de nuestros eventos del Primer Jueves. La Laureate Series cuenta con poetas locales: Lee Herrick, Madeline Miller, y la invitada especial Solange Aguilar, presentada por Melinda Palacio (@poetpalacio).
The Gevirtz School and the Santa Barbara County Education Office were awarded $950,000 to support up to 40 graduate students pursuing teaching credentials.
Construction on the Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara’s (HACSB) newest affordable housing project, Vera Cruz Village, is nearing completion. Vera Cruz Village will be located at 116 E. Cota Street and is designated for special needs and homeless individuals. The Housing Authority developed this project in response to the critical need for more permanent supportive housing units in the city of Santa Barbara.
Many of the incoming residents at Vera Cruz Village will have few possessions and little to no income, which is why 2nd Story Associates, HACSB’s affiliate nonprofit, is encouraging local community members to offer additional support in the form of monetary donations through its Furnishing Hope program.
CAMARILLO — Glaciers, geysers, volcanoes, spectacular sea birds and dramatic coastlines distinguish the small island nation on the edge of the Arctic Circle, Iceland. The people, animals, customs and food are also distinctive with delicacies like fermented shark meat and…
The topic of housing, in short, is complicated.
Why build, where to build, and who to build for arouses fierce debate and throws into sharp relief the complex issues surrounding the housing crisis.
From white papers to opinion pieces, emerging legislation to ballot measures, quarterly we will be curating a variety of resources to help you become an informed advocate for affordable housing.
Thank you for joining us for this pilot of The Blueprint; we invite you to subscribe below to receive future editions.
When CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) Sociology alumnus Vanessa Gonzalez was invited to apply to become tutor in the Learning Resource Center, she hesitated.
“I took a statistics course in Sociology and afterward, my professor nominated me to be a tutor and at first I felt like, am I smart enough to be a tutor?” Gonzalez said. “When I applied to become a tutor, it was different for me than for people who were born in the U.S. and would get a social security number.”
Not only is Gonzalez thriving as a tutor, but for an undocumented Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) student like Gonzalez, the LRC has been a community, a confidence-builder, and has helped shape her career plans.
“This job makes me see I want to go into a career where I help people,” said Gonzalez, a 2022 graduate.
And now the LRC has received International Tutor Training Program Certification (ITTPC) from the College Reading & Learning Association (CRLA).
Help us kick off the 11th Annual Homeownership Virtual Conference with our MC, broadcast network journalist and commentator, David Cruz! You will hear from our Presenting Sponsors, Citi, U.S. Bank and Wells Fargo and our clients, Gabrielle and Kevin, will each share their experience and journey to homeownership. Plus learn how you can get a chance to win up to $200 in gift cards!
Kid’s Drum Circle: Celebrating National Children’s Day
Sunday, June 4, 2023
1:30PM—3:00PM
@ The Agriculture Museum
Free Admission, Parental Supervision Required
Drum circles unite communities and can teach world traditions. Drum circles also enhance interpersonal skills, increase self-awareness, encourage self-control, reduce stress, and reduce anti-social behavior. Come play in the Kid’s Drum Circle, led by John Laques.
“Our economy is tough,” said Peter Rupert, a professor of economics and director of the Economic Forecast Project, which featured the Fed’s Christopher Waller and San Francisco chief economist Ted Egan during its 2023 South Coast Summit.
The Ventura College Foundation presented 439 scholarships for the 2023-24 academic year totaling $670,406 during its 34th Annual Scholarship Awards ceremony, May 18, at the Ventura College Athletic Center.
Of the 235 scholarship recipients, many received multiple scholarships with an average amount of $2,417 for continuing students and $3,557 for students transferring to four-year universities in the Fall. At minimum, each student received a $1,000 scholarship.
CAMARILLO – Thirty-three trainees from the 60th Ventura County Regional Training Academy graduated (May 26), joining the Ventura County and City of Ventura fire departments as probationary firefighters.
“Our standard is excellence, delivered with pride,” Fire Chief Dustin Gardner said. “These new firefighters have shown throughout their training that they are ready to deliver that level of service to our community. Now, the work to live up to that promise and their new badges begins.”
The Ventura County Fire Department added 31 of those firefighters to its ranks. The new firefighters will allow the department to add a paramedic squad in Simi Valley and replace firefighters who have retired or left the department. The two other firefighters will join the Ventura City Fire Department.
SBA: HOW TO START A BUSINESS
May 30 @ 2:00 pm
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. Topics covered 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. 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.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
Declared a national holiday in 1971, Memorial Day is observed in remembrance of our veterans and the men and women who died while in service to our nation.
VENTURA — The Ventura County Board of Supervisors graduated from Ventura County Public Works (VCPWA) University. The university was set up to provide detailed information to the Supervisors of the work, goals, and accomplishments of VCPWA. Each Supervisor received detailed briefings on:
Central Services with services in clerical, fiscal, real estate, health and safety, technology, facilities, payroll, and human resources.
Engineering Services which include the capital program, project management, facilities contracting, land development flood damage mitigation, and land surveying.
Roads & Transportation and the planning, design, funding, operating, and maintaining of the 542 miles of the county’s unincorporated road system and public transit needs for the unincorporated areas.
Over 200 guests of Family Service Agency attended Dreams in Bloom on Saturday May 13 at the Santa Barbara Woman’s Club at Rockwood—where they turned compassion into action. The sold-out event raised a record $250,000 to benefit the children, families, and seniors served by FSA—which includes Santa Maria Valley Youth & Family Center and Guadalupe’s Little House by the Park.
“We are humbled and energized by the support of our community,” said CEO Lisa Brabo. “This event is a great way to connect with our supporters and share our mutual passion for investing in the lives of the people we have the honor of serving.”
The Channel Islands Maritime Museum (CIMM) is thrilled to announce the gift of four exquisite and unique Pacific Ocean sea glass portraits to the Museum. The portraits will be featured in the natural science/whale hallway exhibition area of CIMM. The natural science/whale area features prominently in Museum tours and the Museum’s educational programming for local students.
Teachers from throughout Ventura County are being honored with grants for developing innovative lessons for their students. At a ceremony tonight in Camarillo, the Ventura County Office of Education will present 9 IMPACT II grants to 15 teachers. Individual winners will receive $500 each and teams will receive $1,000.
County Clerk-Recorder & Registrar of Voters Michelle Ascencion announced the start of the 14-Day public comment period for Ventura County’s new draft of the Voter’s Choice Act (VCA) Election Administration Plan (EAP) Renewal. Comments can be made directly on the Elections website at www.VenturaVote.org or they can be sent to the Elections Division email at elections@ventura.org, from May 22 through June 5.
On Friday, May 19, 5,283 students from across the Ventura County Community College District were celebrated for their accomplishments during commencement ceremonies held at Moorpark, Oxnard and Ventura colleges.
Among the colleges’ cohorts, the class of 2023 earned 7,321 associate degrees and 4,467 certificates. Many VCCCD students earn multiple degrees and certificates when they graduate, taking with them skills and expertise as they launch their careers or transfer to four-year institutions.
“I commend all of our graduates for the perseverance and hard work it took to reach this impressive milestone,” said Chancellor Rick MacLennan. “Commencement is a wonderful tradition that simultaneously celebrates academic achievement and marks the beginning of a new journey. I wish each of our graduates the very best wherever their next pursuits may lead them. We are all proud and delighted to have been a part of their journey.”
SBA: HOW TO START A BUSINESS
May 30 @ 2:00 pm
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. Topics covered 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. 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.
Dear Friend,
It’s mental health awareness month, and that subject is on our minds every month at People’s.
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), “one in five US adults experience mental illness each year, and less than half of them receive treatment.” Fortunately for our residents, our onsite professional and specially trained permanent supportive housing services team members are available to anyone needing assistance, support, referrals and advocacy when facing mental health issues. For many who we serve, and particularly for some who are transitioning out of years of housing instability, the provision of People’s Supportive Housing Program services is one of most critically key ingredients for promoting mental health wellness and to facilitate a successful housing experience. Your support of our services directly meets these needs every day.
VENTURA COUNTY — Dr. César Morales, Ventura County Superintendent of Schools, is pleased to announce that Debbie Dogancay from Newbury Park High School (NPHS) in the Conejo Valley Unified School District is the 2023 Ventura County Teacher of the Year.…
Tuesday, May 23 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm
Montecito Union School
385 San Ysidro Road
The County is investigating mitigation options for flooding in Montecito. A flood mitigation master plan will be created to guide the planning, design, and construction of improvements to mitigate flooding impacts to the community. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions share feedback with County Flood Control.
Project updates and information can be found on the County website at: www.countyofsb.org/mfcmp.
Individuals with general questions about the master plan efforts can also call the Flood Control District at (805) 568-3440 during business hours or email FCContact@countyofsb.org.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ventura County (BBSVC), a youth mentoring organization which serves over 1,000 youth in the agency’s mentoring programs annually, celebrated the 50th anniversary of the annual BBSVC Golf Classic on Monday, May 8. Through sponsorships, donations, auctions, and more, the tournament at Spanish Hills Club (Camarillo) raised over $150,000, with additional funds continuing to come in through the event’s active mobile auction platform. The Golf Classic raises the much-needed funds to help change the trajectory of youth facing adversity in Ventura County by creating lifelong mentoring friendships.
In recognition of Asian-American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month in May, the County of Ventura and the Ventura County Arts Council, in collaboration with PINAYSPHERE, who curated the collection, are hosting the “Flourish and Flow” art exhibition. Open through June 7, 2023 in the Atrium Gallery, located in the County of Ventura Government Center in the Hall of Administration, this is the first AAPI artist exhibition hosted by the County.
Graduation ceremonies were held May 2 – 11 in Oxnard and Santa Paula to celebrate 90 small business owners who completed Women’s Economic Ventures (WEV’s) Emprendimiento Program for entrepreneurial Hispanic and Indigenous Ventura County community members. The 90 participants successfully completed WEV’s free, 8-week business training program taught in Spanish and are now each eligible to apply for a $7,500 microgrant award to grow their existing small business.
Students who are planning to enroll in an area community college in Fall of 2023, but who would eventually like to earn a four-year degree at CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) might qualify for a new dual admissions program that will guarantee them admittance to the University.
The Transfer Success Pathway program is for 2023 high school graduates enrolling in community college who may have faced academic, financial or personal hardships that prevented them from entering any CSU, including CSUCI, in Fall of 2023.
After hosting more than 22,000 community members back to Alameda Park for the Santa Barbara Earth Day Festival at the end of April — the first time since 2019 — CEO Sigrid Wright announced today the success of CEC’s 50th Anniversary Protect Our Climate Campaign. Over $16.97 million was pledged to immediately tackle the urgent threat of climate change on the Central Coast, exceeding the $15 million goal.
Inspired by CEC’s proven reputation for developing and scaling innovative local solutions to complex problems, over 300 donors pledged $16.97 million to reverse and repair from climate change in San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. Of this, roughly $10.25 million is funding a growth sprint of CEC’s climate programs and the build-out of an innovative Environmental Hub in downtown Santa Barbara. The remaining pledges — about $6.75 million — will be fulfilled in coming decades through long-term legacy gifts, ensuring the future sustainability of the organization. The unexpectedly strong support shown by donors making legacy commitments in their estate plans led to the campaign surpassing its goal. View a complete list of campaign contributors here.
Calling all community organizations in Ventura County! We want your help to create a timeline game for the upcoming 150th Anniversary celebrations that represent our county.
We’re searching for historical photos that highlight the people, places, events, and accomplishments that define and celebrate your community. Your photo could be selected to appear in the Ventura County Timeline Game, which will be played at our pop-up tent during five community celebrations throughout the county, from June 23 to November 2, 2023. If you have a photo that could help tell the story of Ventura County over the past 150 years, we want to hear from you!
Have you visited the Santa Paula Art Museum’s Cole Creativity Center lately? There’s so much happening here this summer, from camps and classes to student exhibitions and Kids’ Art Fest. Check out our upcoming offerings below, and be sure to scroll to the bottom of this email for an exciting announcement!
At California Lutheran University, 356 storage boxes, in view behind glass walls, are filled with the archived papers of Ventura County’s longest-serving congressman, Elton W. Gallegly, a member of the House of Representatives from 1987 to 2013. The Gallegly Center Archive and Collection, housed within Cal Lutheran’s Pearson Library, is now open.
They won! A team of CSU Channel Islands(CSUCI) Computer Science students won first place against 11 other colleges across the nation in a supercomputer competition involving some of the most prestigious laboratories in the U.S.
The team, called the High Performance Dolphins, competed with teams from other universities like Texas Tech, Cal Poly, Morehouse and UC Santa Cruz in the “2023 Winter Classic Invitational Student Cluster Competition.”
Researchers identified the pathway in fruit flies that reduces the sensation of pain from heat. Remarkably, the molecule responsible in adult flies has the opposite role in fly larvae.
As a laid-back, bucolic, coastal paradise, Lompoc always offers visitors an amazing place to relax, discover, and indulge.
With summer just around the corner, Lompoc presents even more reasons to come, stay, play and explore.
For travelers spending their summer in many other parts of California, they might endure temperatures that approach –or even exceed–triple digits. But in Lompoc, average high temperatures register a picture-perfect 74 degrees in both July and August.
No matter what visitors choose to do in Lompoc this summer, they can enjoy the destination in cool comfort, likely with some soothing breezes. Travelers will be able to relax and chill—in more ways than one.
Below is a closer look at some of the many 2023 summer offerings Lompoc has to offer https://explorelompoc.com/events/page/2/:
Caltrans District 7 invites you to participate in our ongoing climate change and active transportation study for the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) corridor between Malibu and Oxnard. Share your insights to help us uncover opportunities to enhance access and preserve the environment along this corridor.
Kid’s Drum Circle: Celebrating National Children’s Day
Sunday, June 4, 2023
1:30PM—3:00PM
@ The Agriculture Museum
Free Admission, Parental Supervision Required
Drum circles unite communities and can teach world traditions. Drum circles also enhance interpersonal skills, increase self-awareness, encourage self-control, reduce stress, and reduce anti-social behavior. Come play in the Kid’s Drum Circle, lead by John Laques.
The City of Santa Paula, in partnership with Limoneira, Calavo Growers, Lewis Group of Companies and the Santa Paula Chamber of Commerce, hosted a welcome event for new residents at the Harvest housing development on May 12. The event is aimed to introduce new residents to the community and help them get acquainted with public services and local businesses that make Santa Paula unique.
“The City is thrilled to welcome so many new residents to our community. As Santa Paula continues to grow, we are looking into creative ways to assist residents in obtaining information and building relationships,” said Mayor Andy Sobel. “We are grateful for the partnership of Limoneira, Calavo Growers, Lewis Group of Companies and the Santa Paula Chamber of Commerce in bringing our community together.”
“Asian American Studies at UCSB is a leading department for the field, and we believe that formal recognition at the graduate level is essential,” said Lisa Sun-Hee Park, a professor and the new program’s graduate advisor.
Thirty-three trainees from the 60th Ventura County Regional Training Academy will graduate May 26 and join the Ventura County and City of Ventura fire departments as probationary firefighters.
Reporters and photographers are invited to cover the ceremonies and demonstrations.
· WHO: Firefighter trainees, executive staff, elected officials
· WHAT: Academy 60 Graduation
· WHERE: VCFD’s Regional Training Center, 104 Durley Ave., Camarillo, CA 93010
· WHEN: May 26, starting at 1 p.m.
· WHY: To celebrate their accomplishments and assign them to their first fire stations
CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) Political Science major Shayonna Huley is among 20 college students across the United States to be awarded the 2023 APSA Ralph Bunche Summer Institute (RBSI) fellowship.
At the end of May, Huley will travel to Duke University in North Carolina to participate in the five-week intensive summer program, which is co-sponsored by Duke University and the American Political Science Association (APSA).
“This is a competitive, highly thought of program for students likely to pursue graduate studies in Political Science,” said Dana Baker, who is Chair of Political Science and Global Studies.
VENTURA COUNTY SCORE: MARKETING PLAN 101 – CREATE YOUR ROADMAP TO SUCCESS
May 16 @ 10:00 am
Are you overwhelmed by all the choices for marketing your business? Not sure where your time and money would be well spent? Are you just following what everyone else is doing and hope it works for you too? If this is you…then it sounds like you may need a marketing plan! Without a plan in place, you could potentially waste thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours trying to grow your business.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
Over decades, the Livable Communities Newsletter has reported on issues that support livable communities in Ventura County. We have been positive and hopeful. However, we all know that nothing is perfect. Some of Ventura County’s road to being a true livable community must include a discussion about what is not going well. In this edition we will cover three elements along the path that are at times struggling:
1. Real help to make housing affordable
The State Legislature in Sacramento has been passing laws with the goal of building more housing throughout California. None of the bills that were signed into law require that any of the housing that will be “built”, “expedited”, or “encouraged” has to meet affordability standards.
2. Good density versus bad density
Boston architect and urban designer Michael Dennis: “Some tall buildings are necessary for density. Tall buildings are not necessarily bad—though most are.”
3. Converting office buildings to housing
Converting empty office space to housing—especially in modern buildings with large floor plates—will be very difficult and costly. “Colleagues with greater knowledge of office building construction informed me that the building types and their mechanical systems might not be easily retrofitted for residential,” says architect and urban designer Laurence Qamar.
The Economic Development Collaborative would like to recognize National Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month. Observed annually in May, AANHPI Heritage Month is a time to reflect upon and celebrate the remarkable role of the AANHPI community in our nation’s history. To commemorate AANHPI Heritage Month, the Small Business Administration highlights resources, funding and training available to all AANHPI-owned small businesses and entrepreneurs.
