The Santa Barbara City College Theatre Arts Department is proud to announce the winners of the Sara Evelyn Smith Monologue Competition. These talented students competed with monologues over a Zoom format and were awarded $1,000 each for the 2020-21 school year. The Sara Evelyn Smith Scholarship competition is judged by faculty members of the Theatre Arts Department and Anne Smith Towbes, who was a past member of the SBCC Foundation Board and instrumental in establishing the scholarship in 2001.
To better serve high school and community college students facing university admissions challenges caused by COVID-19, the California State University (CSU) will extend its fall 2021 priority application deadline to December 15, 2020. Students interested in attending any CSU campus can apply at the university’s application portal, Cal State Apply. (Refer to the Applicant Help Center for additional information and answers to application questions.)
California policymakers’ COVID-related fiscal actions result in a projected windfall, but an operating deficit looms.
As you all know, this year has been a year like no other, and it has been no exception for Casa De Vida. Yet, the Casa De Vida Board, Staff and myself have been left in awe as we have seen how God has continued to keep His hand upon this ministry.
This year marks our 15th anniversary, and we are truly grateful for God’s keeping power and the support and love from all our friends, families and business associates who have supported Casa De Vida in one way or another.
With Covid-19 we have had to make adjustments to the home’s daily schedule for precautionary measures. Family visits have been altered to shorter time periods and confined to one area of the house for the safety of everyone’s health. Church attendance, inside and outside AA/NA meetings turned into Zoom meetings. The zoom meetings have been great for the men because it has allowed them to interact with others throughout the United States who also struggle with addiction.
The Trade Desk (TTD) Chief Executive Officer and co-founder Jeff Green believes the same data science used at TTD can also be used to address disparities in education. So, CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) and TTD have teamed up to support students to stay in school and on track.
Based in Ventura, TTD is a billion-dollar global digital advertising company that uses data to help ad digital buyers best target their marketing efforts—to get the best value for their money, so to speak.
The 2020 election results are in! As the new administration prepares to take power we can feel our future changing. Yet many challenges remain, from the pandemic to systemic inequities and racism. What does it all mean for Oxnard College, our students, and the larger community?
Join OC Professor Tim Fontenette as he leads a powerful discussion of the 2020 election and its impact on our community. Joining Prof. Fontenette are OC President Luis Sanchez, Professor and Coach Erin Lawley, Professor Jose Maldonado, and Professor Dolores Ortis.
Girls Inc. of Carpinteria on Nov. 23 announced the launch of Operation Holiday Cheer, a holiday giving program created to provide local girls and families with a brighter holiday season following the challenges of this year. Girls Inc. will collaborate with Presenting Sponsor Cox Communications to purchase holiday gifts for local girls and their families.
Happy Thanksgiving from the Santa Paula Art Museum! We are feeling extra grateful following the success of our recent online Fine Art Auction Fundraiser. Thank you to everyone who participated. With your support of our auction and raffle, the Museum was able to raise over $40,000! Proceeds from the auction are more important than ever this year and will enable us to continue serving our community during this challenging time.
We especially want to thank the local artists who donated art to this year’s auction: Shannon Celia, Kevin Gleason, Annie Hoffman, Virginia Kamhi, Beverly Lazor, Susan Petty, Anette Power, Pamela Strautman, Patricia Prescott Sueme, Laura Wambsgans, Sharon Weaver, and Chris Zambon (click on any artist name to view their website).
We wish you a safe and joyful holiday. If you find yourself in need of inspiration this weekend, we invite you to a Virtual Artists Talk on how to find it (see below)! And don’t forget that Sunday, November 29 is #MuseumStoreSunday and #ArtistsSunday.
Moorpark College is pleased to announce that it has been chosen by the Campaign for College Opportunity as a 2020 Champion of Higher Education for the fifth consecutive year. Of the state’s 116 community colleges, only 12 received this prestigious award. A virtual ceremony was held Nov. 19 with California Secretary of State Alex Padilla and Assemblymember Marc Berman, who recognized the honorees from California community colleges and California State University campuses.
A very Happy Thanksgiving to all from the Museum of Ventura County! While most of us are settling in at home to celebrate a much quieter holiday than in past years, most will still put a roasted turkey on the table. To residents of the Santa Clara River Valley, a Deeter turkey was always part of the celebration in times past.
The Deeters left Oklahoma and settled in Fillmore in 1938 and opened the Deeter Turkey Ranch that same year. Son, Calvin Deeter, took over the ranch in the 1950’s.
With the pandemic dramatically redefining the landscape for California manufacturers, the Economic Development Collaborative is committed to helping businesses survive, recover, and thrive as they navigate through the challenges. In partnership with CMTC’s California Manufacturing Network, the EDC’s Small Business Development Center provides direct support to manufacturers across Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties.
Wishing our community a safe Holiday! Please wear a mask, social distance and only gather with members of your household. Your actions are saving lives and keeping businesses open.
Today, volunteers helped deliver special Holiday meals for the most vulnerable populations in Ventura County. More than 150 volunteers from across the community and from County agencies helped with this effort.
Nearly 1,000 deliveries and a total of 3,000 meals were provided. Along with the meals each recipient received a homemade holiday greeting card. The cards were received as part of the Ventura County Area Agency on Aging Holiday Greetings Campaign. Nearly 1,000 cards were received from children and adults alike from throughout the County.
CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) welcomed its inaugural class to the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree in the fall of 2020. Within the program, students can choose between two different concentrations: Nurse Educator and Family Nurse Practitioner. Nurses who already have a master’s degree in nursing may choose to complete post-master’s certificates in Family Nurse Practitioner and Nurse Educator.
CSUCI is the only university in Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties to offer an MSN program or a Post-Master’s Certificate program.
Happy Thanksgiving.
What do you feel seeing those words? Angry? Sad? Hopeful? Or a combination of all three? I thought it would be good to go back to when the national holiday was established – back in a time when Americans were grappling with political divisions greater than any before, the legacy of racism, and experiencing death and economic hardship unlike any time in our history.
A new Sawyer Seminar will explore the intersections of identity, migration and inequality in California, France and South Korea.
Good Evening , There are 610 new cases today (includes information from Friday, Saturday and Sunday), 6,715 additional people tested and 1 additional death of a 66 year old man with comorbidities. Current doubling time is 62 days. There are 75 people in the hospital and 18 in the ICU.
Tune in at 10 am (Tuesday, Nov. 24) for the weekly press conference update. View the press conference at www.venturacountyrecovers.org.
A feasibility study examining the possibility of bringing an early childhood education center to the campus of CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) is now available on the University’s website.
The study was a collaboration between several community partners including CSUCI, State Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin (D-Thousand Oaks), the Ventura County Community Foundation, and Reiter Affiliated Companies. Irwin was responsible for convening the stakeholders and obtaining $5 million in state funding to pursue the study.
The Santa Maria FFA Chapter was able to give 75 FFA families affected by the pandemic a free turkey for the holidays during a drive-through event Nov. 18.
The Santa Maria FFA Chapter asked for student’s whose families have been impacted by the pandemic to fill out a short survey, and then selected, based on need, the families that would be given a turkey for the Thanksgiving Day Holiday.
CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) is set to begin installing a solar array that will provide approximately 68% of the University’s electrical energy needs on an annual basis.
“CSUCI has been working diligently toward having a solar array that will provide clean, renewable energy for the campus and greatly reduce costs for electricity,” said Tom Hunt, CSUCI’s Interim Assistant Vice President for Facilities Services.
About 55 Santa Maria High School needy families received generous food donations from Catholic Charities Friday.
The distribution took place from 11 a.m. to noon at the campus where students and their families picked up grocery bags packed with rice, beans, cereal, pasta, vegetables, snacks and other nutritious necessities.
Saint School Community Liaison Patricia Lopez Barriga began contacting non-profit agencies in town after the families reached out to her for help.
The State has issued a limited Stay at Home Order generally requiring that non-essential work, movement and gatherings stop between 10 pm and 5 am in counties in the Purple Tier per the State’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy. The order will take effect at 10 p.m. Saturday, November 21 and remain in effect until 5 a.m., December 21, although it may be extended or revised as needed by the State.
To remain in compliance with Santa Barbara County and California State health and safety guidelines, we must unfortunately, once again, close our doors to the public. Thank you to those who visited by appointment this past month, and we look forward to seeing you all again soon!
It is important that we do our best to keep our Santa Barbara community safe during these times. We apologize for any inconvenience that this closure may cause, but stay tuned for more information on re-opening in the future!
The Community Environmental Council (CEC) is proud to announce it has been selected as a 2020 California Nonprofit of the Year by District 37 Assemblywoman Monique Limón.
“For 50 years, CEC has stood out as an environmental leader, both in Santa Barbara County and across California. They understand that issues like the climate crisis are too complex and too big to be solved by a single organization and work collaboratively to treat a healthy environment as both a human right and the foundation for a thriving world,” said Assemblywoman Monique Limón. “We need the leadership of CEC to build momentum to reverse the threat of the climate crisis and safeguard our communities. Their work today is critical.”
So there you are standing by yourself at a party, or at a dance, and you wander over to someone you’d like to get to know. Maybe you’re just curious about the person, or you find him or her attractive. Or perhaps you’ve been attending those webinars or listened to podcasts that instruct you in the art of determining whether someone is or isn’t a prospect for your business.
Maybe you’re an introvert and you feel clumsy in social milieus. But you just read a book with a title similar to, “How to Make Friends,” and you want to practice your new skills, as unpolished as they might be. So you approach someone. Now the hard part: what do you say? After all, “small talk” is a social minefield. One misstep could blow up a chance to make a good first impression.
This is a special update from the County of Ventura. We will send you today’s stats when they become available. This message is an urgent message to let you know that COVID-19 spreads at gatherings. Please do not host large gatherings for the Thanksgiving holiday. Keep it virtual or keep it small with three households or less. Keep it outside, socially distanced with a mask on. These simple steps can help to keep the numbers down, save lives and keep businesses open.
Today, you can get tested at the following locations:
The State of California has issued a limited Stay At Home Order effective 11/21 to 12/21 to stop all non-essential activities from 10 pm to 5 am.
Read more here.
Dear Community Member,
For the health and safety of the community, all Museum programs have been moved online. The Museum of Ventura County, the Agriculture Museum in Santa Paula, the Research Library & Archives, and the Albinger Archaeology Museum will be closed until further notice.
We will continue to offer a variety of diverse online programming, including Virtual Learning Modules, Zoom Conversations, family activities, and more! You are encouraged to explore below or visit our website.
Be safe, be well, and stay healthy. We look forward to welcoming you back at MVC when we reopen!
Clarivate Analytics names 14 UC Santa Barbara scientists and social scientists to its 2020 list of highly cited researchers.
Don’t forget the most important ingredients this Thanksgiving. While it’s safest not to gather, if you do, keep safety and good times in mind. Keep it short, outdoors, and small, with no more than two other households. Wear masks, stay at least six feet apart, and wash your hands. Help stop the spread of COVID-19.
With the recent change in Ventura County’s reopening status, the Santa Paula Art Museum is now temporarily closed until further notice. If there’s one thing we’ve learned from the past eight months, it’s that when life gives you lemons, you definitely have to get a little creative! That’s why we’ll continue to produce our free, monthly Art To-Go Bags for children in our community for as long as we are able (see below).
Our staff are also hard at work transforming one of the Museum’s back parking lots into an outdoor art experience that will be free and open to all. The forthcoming Art Park is inspired by one of our favorite paintings from the Museum’s permanent collection, and reimagines the artwork in three dimensions. Stay tuned for more information and an official opening date.
The Museum’s 10th Annual Fine Art Auction Fundraiser continues online through Sunday, November 22. It’s our most important fundraiser of the year. See the auction items that are getting the most attention below!
In response to a statewide spike in new coronavirus infections, Ventura County and 28 other counties were suddenly moved back to the most restrictive purple tier of California’s color-coded tracking system on Monday, November 16. Facing an unprecedented surge in COVID-19 cases, Governor Gavin Newsom said he was “pulling an emergency brake.”
Now that Ventura County is back in the purple tier, schools and districts that had already reopened are permitted to continue with in-person instruction according to state and local regulations. However, individual schools that have not yet reopened will need to wait until the County moves back to the less restrictive red tier and stays there for 14 days.
November 17 @ 1:00 pm
Google Analytics is a fantastic tool. Best part is, it’s free to use for everyone! No matter if you have a 2-page website or a massive e-commerce website, you can use Google Analytics to understand how your customers are using your website and where you can improve their experience. During this webinar, expert in business data analytics Mo Hossain will walk you through the steps of how to set up Google Analytics so you can start getting data from your own website.
Good Evening, There are 433 new cases (35 (8.1%) of which have a lab collection from November 9 or earlier), 5,429 additional people tested, and 1 additional death of a 90 year old female with comorbidities. There are currently 49 people hospitalized with COVID-19 and 11 of those patients are receiving care in the ICU.
Our current data published as of November 16th is 13.3 (purple tier) for the case rate, 4.5%% (orange tier) for the positivity rate and 6% for the health equity positivity (red tier) for the measurement period ending.
Each year, Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation (TBCF) spreads holiday cheer to families in the tri-counties who have a child battling cancer, and their siblings. They look to the community to help secure hundreds of gifts during the months of November and December. This year, their greatest needs are donations of $25 Amazon gift cards for teens and new, unwrapped toys for kids ages 6-11 valued at $25 each. These will be among the gifts given to over 200 children in need at their holiday drive-thru event in December. In addition to the $25 gifts, they will be sponsoring 35 families (85 children) through their Project Christmas Program.
COVID-19 is not only still with us, but it also casts a shadow over everything we think we know, including our understanding of the 3 Es that are the foundation of the Ventura County Civic Alliance: Environment, Economy, and Equity. Livable Communities has for years focused on land use and the creation of attractive and functional places to live and work with minimum impact on the environment. All of this has been impacted by COVID. While “livable” may start with wise land use, we know now that it truly is so much more encompassing.
Therefore, it is fitting that this quarter’s Livable Communities Newsletter explores the 3 Es and Livable Communities in a COVID-19 world:
Good Evening, There are 265 new cases (20 (7.5%) of which have a lab collection from November 6th or earlier), 1,665 additional people tested, and 1 additional death of a 36 year old female with comorbidities. There are currently 36 people hospitalized with COVID-19 and 10 of those patients are receiving care in the ICU.
Our current data published as of November 10th is 7.2 (purple tier) for the case rate and 3.0% (orange tier) for the positivity rate and 4.8% for the health equity positivity (orange tier) for the measurement period ending October 31st.
We are all working diligently to slow the spread of COVID-19 in our community by wearing masks, social distancing, and taking other necessary precautions. Thank you for your hard work! Another way to help is with COVID testing. It is easy, free, and nearby at a variety of convenient sites in the County. Because case rates have recently increased in Ventura County and other nearby counties, and the holidays are approaching, we are encouraging all Ventura County residents to get tested frequently starting now and throughout the holiday season. As you know, testing and tracing are key tools in stopping the spread of COVID-19.
We often hear about having to hire, refer to, or consult an “expert.” But what exactly is an “expert”?
Technically, an expert is someone with either substantial knowledge or skill in a particular endeavor. A data analyst might be consulted for his expertise in statistical studies, whereas a professional musician might be hired for her adroit skill with a particular musical instrument that she has practiced playing throughout her entire life.
If you’re planning a large Thanksgiving gathering with family and friends this year, think twice!
That’s because health officials are warning against such gatherings this year, and they are imploring the public to take important safety precautions to protect themselves and their loved ones against the coronavirus, which continues to pose a serious health threat in California and across the nation.
California State University (CSU) Chancellor Timothy P. White has appointed Richard Yao, Ph.D., to serve as interim president of California State University Channel Islands (CSUCI). Yao currently serves as CSUCI’s vice president for student affairs. Yao will assume the leadership of the university on January 11, 2021 with the departure of current CSUCI president Dr. Erika D. Beck, who will begin her new role as president of California State University, Northridge. Yao, who identifies as a Chinese Filipino American, becomes the first person of color to lead the campus.
This week, we bring you a special appeal from Ventura County leaders: Please get tested for Covid-19 at one of the free testing sites throughout the County. As the virus worsens across the country, the metrics that will take Ventura County from the red to the purple tier (which is the most restrictive) are on the rise. One way to help stem the spread of the virus and keep our numbers down is to get tested. Please watch the video below that walks you through the testing process. And please, stay safe!
You can subscribe for COVID-19 updates from the County here.
At their Nov. 12 meeting, the Santa Barbara City College Board of Trustees approved Ms. Joyce Coleman as the new Vice President, School of Extended Learning. Coleman has over 28 years of experience as a community college educator and administrator —18 years in California and 10 years in Minnesota and Oregon. She describes herself as someone who has provided equity-minded leadership, vision and effective management in all of the positions she has held. Her prior experience includes Dean of Students at Bakersfield College, Dean of Community Learning Programs at Mt. Hood Community College, Vice President of Student Services at Umpqua Community College, and Vice President of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management at Century College.
The Foundation at Hearst Castle has partnered with Hearst San Simeon State Historical Monument and State Park to launch a new, virtual education program. The multi-day online experience is an iteration of the innovative in-person opportunity the nonprofit organization introduced in 2018.
The STEAM Program at the Castle, a key initiative, encourages learning and discovery for middle school-aged students from underserved communities around California. It includes a tour of the unique museum and visit to the San Simeon Pier and beach — now by livestream. The tours align with STEM/STEAM disciplines, showing how pioneering architect Julia Morgan and her team used science, technology, engineering, art, and math to build W.R. Hearst’s dream home — and ultimately how that might apply to their future education and career paths
Working in partnership with local design firm, Landrec Playspaces, kidSTREAM is planning on opening the outside of the museum as a phased approach, and at 10% of the original budget.
Women’s Economic Ventures (WEV) annual Celebration of Small Business is launching a Virtual Shop Local Market to safely bring shoppers to local small businesses this holiday season. The marketplace will feature more than 50 local, women-owned and minority-owned small businesses who are part of the WEV community. The 26-day, dynamic online shopping portal will be open online from November 17 – December 13 and can be accessed by visiting WEV’s website at www.wevonline.org
Good evening, There are 72 new cases today (17 (23.6%) of which have a lab collection from November 3rd or earlier), 1,577 additional people tested, and 0 additional deaths. Currently, there are 35 people hospitalized with COVID-19 and 5 of those patients are receiving care in the ICU.
Our current data published as of November 10th is 7.2 (purple tier) for the case rate, 3.0% (orange tier) for the positivity rate and 4.8% (orange tier) for the health equity positivity rate for the measurement period ending October 31st.
Ventura College Foundation’s Weekend Marketplace will temporarily move to a new location on the Ventura College campus while solar panels are installed at its current site (East Parking Lot). The Marketplace will open at the campus’ West Parking Lot on November 28. The Marketplace will be closed November 21 and 22 in preparation for the move. The solar panel installation is expected to take 12 weeks to complete.
An anonymous donor has stepped forward and will match all donations up to $15,000 for every dollar donated to Students for Eco-Education and Agriculture (SEEAG). The “Give the Gift of Agriculture – Double Your Impact Challenge” runs through December 31 with a total fundraising goal of $30,000.
Some Ventura County schools could have to delay their plans to resume in-person instruction if the County falls back to the most restrictive level – the purple tier – on the state’s coronavirus watch list, which is looking increasingly likely. Due to a growing number of COVID-19 cases, County health officials anticipate the move back to the purple tier could happen as early as next Tuesday, November 17, but is most likely to occur a week after that on Tuesday, November 24.
