Category: Local

CSUCI ranks 15th in the nation for social mobility

by Community Contributor • November 22, 2021 • Comments Off

CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) has ranked 15th out of the 1,549 four-year institutions listed in the just-released 2021 Social Mobility Index (SMI).

That’s up five rungs from the 2020 SMI, when CSUCI held the rank of No. 20 in the nation —still in the top 20 U.S. colleges and universities according to how effectively they enroll students from low-income backgrounds and enable them to graduate into well-paying jobs.

The eighth annual 2021 SMI was released while COVID-19 continues to disproportionately impact low-income students, forcing many to abandon, delay, or alter their pursuit of a college degree and the potential that degree provides for social mobility.

CSUCI Interim President Richard Yao, Ph.D. is well aware of the additional pressure placed on all students by the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly those historically underserved in higher education, so the SMI ratings came as welcome news.

Naval Base Ventura County and Port of Hueneme join forces to help relieve U.S. supply-chain congestion

by Community Contributor • November 22, 2021 • Comments Off

Naval Base Ventura County (NBVC) in partnership with the Oxnard Harbor District (OHD)/Port of Hueneme (POH) has activated a standing joint use agreement (JUA) to provide U.S. Navy resources onboard Port of Hueneme in direct support of decreasing port congestion in Los Angeles County and reducing the national supply-chain shortage, Nov. 22, 2021.

“NBVC recently welcomed a large cargo vessel,” said Daniel J. Herrera, assistant program director for port operations, NBVC. “Ports America already off-loaded a large number of forty-foot containers into lot 22 onboard Port Hueneme which is merchandise expected to have direct impact with helping to support holiday supply demands.”

Pandemic Leads Many to Look to New Career Options

by Community Contributor • November 22, 2021 • Comments Off

The pandemic has led to one of the greatest periods of job loss, career changes and a restructuring of how work is performed, (i.e. working remotely, flexible schedules, etc.). While much of this has deeply impacted the economic wellbeing of millions of Americans and has caused stress and disruption, there may be some longer term positive outcomes. As the economy starts to recover and jobs are becoming more abundant, the crisis has given many of us some flexibility and time to think about our careers and our lives…perhaps bordering on existential questions like… “Who are we?” “Who do we want to be?” “Where can we best contribute?” And most importantly, “What kind of work is actually meaningful for us and our work-life balance that we have now come to appreciate in this changing period–weighing the need to support ourselves and our families with a growing urge to do something new as this crisis has subsided?”

County of Ventura — COVID-19 Update for Nov. 19

by Community Contributor • November 19, 2021 • Comments Off

Thumbs up for Fridays and booster shots! All adults 18+ are encouraged to get their booster shots – 6 months after Pfizer or Moderna, 2 months after J&J. Make an appointment at MyTurn.ca.gov or call 833-422-4255. Appointments are not required at county clinics. Check the schedule at www.vcrecovers.org/vaccine.
Thank you Ventura County, let’s keep moving forward!
Photo by Laenen Photography

Bilingual report — CenCal Health Rolls Out New Vaccination Response Plan on Central Coast

by Community Contributor • November 19, 2021 • Comments Off

As part of a statewide Vaccination Response Program developed by the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), CenCal Health is implementing a multi-strategy initiative to increase protection against COVID-19. CenCal Health is the Medi-Cal health plan for both Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties with nearly 210,000 members, primarily children, families and seniors with low-income. The goal of the new initiative is to fully vaccinate members who are not vaccinated or received only one dose due to vaccine-hesitancy, lack of transportation or a disability that keeps them homebound. In addition, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently recommended that children 5 to 11 years receive the pediatric COVID-19 vaccine.

Bilingual commentary — Mexico’s “Third-World” Reputation

by Community Contributor • November 19, 2021 • Comments Off

Much of the world regards the United States with either admiration, envy, jealousy, anger, mistrust, or outright hostility.

I have a cousin in Mexico who frequently mentioned the U.S. with rancor and a hint of animosity. She disdainfully described her own country as “Third World.”

However, I’ve come to understand that the term “Third World” is now considered derogatory. It’s no longer “politically correct” to refer to a country as “Third World.” The term is a relic of the Cold War. It was originally meant to designate countries that were not aligned with either NATO or the communist bloc. At the time, Mexico fit that description, and the term stuck.

Guest commentary — Despieto (Woke) and Seeing in Aztlan

by Community Contributor • November 19, 2021 • Comments Off

In Journey to Ixtlan, by Carlos Castaneda, Don Juan explains to Carlos, that after more than a decade, of “ordinary exploration” he is on the precipice of stopping the world and seeing for the first time, “You have simply stopped the world…Yesterday the world became as sorcerers tell you it is, in this world coyotes talk and so do deer, as I once told you, so do rattlesnakes and trees and all other living being. But what I want you to learn is seeing. Perhaps you know now that seeing happens when one sneaks between the worlds, the worlds of ordinary people and the world of sorcerers.”

November News from People’s Self-Help Housing

by Community Contributor • November 19, 2021 • Comments Off

We are truly thankful this season for your partnership with us.

Your support has sustained so many this year who have continued to experience adversity. For each of our 5,000 residents, you have helped them encourage each another, raise healthy families, and have covered them with your care and concern. We give thanks that so many of you are regular, monthly, and annual supporters of our programs and services. To those who came alongside our mission and gave for the first time this year, I am so grateful for you.

Every one of you have helped foster new opportunities, improve lives, and have helped thousands of households thrive. Through support of our 11 learning centers, you have ensured that our youth have bright futures, for our older residents have made supportive services available to everyone. And for those patiently waiting on our housing lists for a place to call their own, you’ve opened up our pipeline so that another 1,000 homes are on the way!

Food System Resilience Loan Program Provides Equitable Access to Financing for Santa Barbara County Food Businesses

by Community Contributor • November 18, 2021 • Comments Off

The Santa Barbara County Food Action Network (SBCFAN) and the Economic Development Collaborative (EDC) have launched the Food System Resilience Loan Program, a unique financing option for local food businesses that provides an equitable opportunity to access financing, address gaps in our food system, and ensure that their businesses thrive.

Bilingual report — VCPWA Water and Sanitation Ensures a Greener Ventura County with SB 1383 Solid Waste Regulation Compliance

by Community Contributor • November 18, 2021 • Comments Off

Ventura County Public Works Agency, Water and Sanitation (PWA-WS) went before the Ventura County Board of Supervisors on November 16th to ensure the County of Ventura complies with new state solid waste laws and regulations, as prescribed by the state enacted Senate Bill 1383 (SB 1383).

SB 1383 is the most significant waste reduction mandate to be adopted in the state of California in the last 30 years and becomes effective January 1, 2022. The statewide effort was enacted to reduce emissions of short-lived climate pollutants (SLCP’s), which contribute to climate change and resident health. SB1383 requires the state to reduce organic waste by 75 percent and increase edible food recovery by 20 percent by 2025. The bill also aims to reduce methane, a greenhouse gas emission far more detrimental than carbon dioxide.

UCSB — The Current — Highly Cited Excellence

by Community Contributor • November 18, 2021 • Comments Off

Clarivate Analytics names 9 scientists and social scientists to its 2021 list of highly cited researchers.