Category: Local

Teatro de las Américas to present ‘The Truth Can’t Be Trusted / La verdad sospechos’ through April 19

OXNARD — Teatro de las Américas will present “The Truth Can’t Be Trusted / La verdad sospechosa” at 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 5 p.m. Sundays, April 9 through 19 at the Oxnard College Performing Arts Center, 4000 S. Rose…

County Chief Probation Officer Mark Varela named president of statewide association

VENTURA – Ventura County Chief Probation Officer Mark Varela has been named as the president of the Chief Probation Officers of California (CPOC), county officials reported in a media release. The 55-year-old organization is based in Sacramento and Varela is…

Bilingual commentary: Rain, Gods and Saints

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 David Magallanes / Guest contributor As…

CSU Channel Islands to present ‘Si, Se Puede — Four Latina recent Math Ph.D’s share their journeys’ on April 8

CAMARILLO — CSU Channel Islands will present “Si, Se Puede — Four Latina recent Math Ph.D’s share their journeys” beginning with a reception from 4 to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 8 at El Dorado Hall 110. Join four Latina recent PhDs to…

Santa Paula Museum of Art to present Gallery Talk: ‘How Coming from Uruguay Influenced My Work’ with Sylvia Raz on April 9

SANTA PAULA — The Santa Paula Museum of Art will present its next Gallery Talk: “How Coming from Uruguay Influenced My Work” with Sylvia Raz at 3 p.m. Thursday,  April 9 at 117 N. 10th St., Santa Paula. Artist Sylvia Raz…

CSU Channel Islands to present ‘Farmworker Immersion Project with VC CLUE’ on April 10

CAMARILLO — CSU Channel Islands will present the “Farmworker Immersion Project with VC CLUE” from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, April 10. The project places students in the community learning about farmworker rights and immigration issues. We will visit farmworkers, their…

Literary Quinceañera for author’s ‘My Very Own Room / Mi propio cuartito’ to be held in Ventura on April 12

VENTURA — In honor of Dia del Niño/Dia del Libro (Day of the Child/Day of the Book) the community of Ventura County is invited to a literary Quinceañera, a special birthday party for Amada Irma Perez’s (Ventura) first picture book, My…

Guest commentary: His Mexican

Age of the brokers 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 Rodolfo…

April cover story: The legacy of César E. Chávez continues

Community marches, forums, service-learning projects and film screenings to be presented in the region By Frank X. Moraga / Amigos805 It’s hard to imagine that César E. Chávez, who was born in the desert lands near Yuma, Arizona, was a big…

Local news briefs

VENTURA COUNTY — Moorpark College, Oxnard College and Ventura College are offering a variety of classes this summer from general education to career technical education, basic skills and transfer courses, the Ventura County Community College District reported in a media…

Local business information

> The Economic Development Collaborative — Ventura County has launched its “Virtual Business Advisor,” a web-based economic development tool at http://www.qlbs.com/Qonline/EDC/  The free assessment and business assistance program is for businesses of any size, in any industry. EDC-VC is hosting…

Local health information

  > Clinicas del Camino Real Inc. will provide information on Covered California and free health screenings at selected locations throughout the month of April in Ventura County. Visit http://www.clinicas.org/outreach/calendar/2015-04 to find times, dates and locations.   > The Ventura…

Bilingual commentary: The Big Band Dance

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 David Magallanes / Guest contributor Last…

Bilingual report: State Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson — On César Chávez Day, let us remember his call for justice, service

SACRAMENTO – The life of civil rights leader and labor organizer César Chávez will be celebrated on Tuesday, March 31. In honor of that day, State Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) released this statement: “As we approach what would have been his 88th…

Historian, author Vicki L. Ruiz to speak on ‘The Right to Remember: Latina Labor Leaders in California Agriculture’ at CSUCI on April 1

CAMARILLO — CSU Channel Islands (CI) will host Latina scholar, historian and author Vicki L. Ruiz for “The Right to Remember: Latina Labor Leaders in California Agriculture, 1939-1961,” Wednesday, April 1, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. in the John Spoor Broome Library,…

Oxnard College to present César Chávez Celebration on March 31

OXNARD — Oxnard College will present a free César Chávez Day Celebration and documentary screening from 7 to 10 p.m. Tuesday, March 31 at the Oxnard College Performing Arts Center, 4000 S. Rose Ave., Oxnard. Part of the Latinologues / Rick Najera…

Hancock graduate selected as ‘One of Top 30 Students in California Community Colleges’

SANTA MARIA — A recent Allan Hancock College graduate has been recognized as one of the top 30 students enrolled in California’s 112 community colleges. Daniela Calderon was one of 30 students from 24 community colleges selected to the Phi…

Guest commentary: The Oxnard Multicultural Mental Health (OMMH) Coalition is established

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 I have…

Bilingual commentary: Wellness Center provides help for those struggling with mental health conditions

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 the Wellness Center Depression,…

Bilingual commentary: Attachment vs. Passion

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 David Magallanes / Guest contributor Most…

CSU Channel Islands panel explores local Latina women baseball teams around WWII during presentation on March 25

CAMARILLO — With the men off fighting World War II, women were left to take over jobs and in some cases, baseball diamonds. The 1992 Movie “A League of Their Own” dramatized the creation of the wartime All-American Girls Professional…

Frank Barajas to speak on the ‘Rise of the Chicano Movement in Southern California, 1960-1975’ starting March 27

CAMARILLO — CSU Channel Islands Professor Frank Barajas will present the program “Curious Uprisings: The Rise of the Chicano Movement in Southern California, 1960 to 1975″ starting March 27 as part of the six-week Osher Lifelearning Institute (OLLI) course at CSUCI.…

Ventura College to host 28th annual Latina Leadership Network Conference through March 28

VENTURA — Ventura College will host the Latina Leadership Network’s (LLN) 28th Annual Conference, “Latina Leadership: Pursuing Equity in the 21st Century”  from March 26 through 28, college officials reported in a media release. The conference will focus on the impact…

Guest commentary: No, it is not wrong to celebrate Cesar Chavez Day!

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 Rodolfo F. Acuña / Guest contributor In…

Bilingual commentary: When failing math really hurts

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 David Magallanes / Guest contributor It…

Former Allan Hancock College ESL instructor to walk nearly 500 miles to fundraise for scholarship in memory of Fidel Herrera

  Michael McMahon plans to help his former mentor fulfill a lifelong dream of creating a scholarship at Hancock for ESL students SANTA MARIA — For more than 20 years, Fidel Herrera taught English as a second language (ESL) classes…

Guest commentary: Oxnard — The Arts City of Ventura County

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 The city…

Guest commentary: Impaction meeting bizarre

The illusion in the making 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.…

Early Academic Outreach Program brings colleges and universities to high schools in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties

By Andrea Estrada / UCSB The Early Academic Outreach Program (EAOP) at UC Santa Barbara will hold its annual spring Higher Education Week, a four-day event beginning on Tuesday, March 10. Representatives from universities, colleges and other institutions of higher…

March cover story: Opening their hearts, home to foster children

Foster VC Kids seeks to double amount of foster caregivers in Ventura County By Frank X. Moraga / Amigos805 While National Foster Care Awareness Month actually falls in May, Elizabeth Thasiah wants to raise that awareness immediately because of the…

Bilingual commentary: No girls at the Altar

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 David Magallanes / Guest contributor Just…

Local news briefs

CARPINTERIA — Girls Inc. of Carpinteria has announced that Arianna Lopez, an 18-year-old senior and a long-time Girls Inc. of Carpinteria participant, has been selected as a 2015 scholarship winner in the competitive Girls Inc. National Scholar Program. She was…

Local business information

> The Office of Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin, District 44, has announced a regional workshop designed to help business owners understand the application process to apply for the “California Competes Tax Credit” from 10 a.m. to noon Friday, March 6 at…

Local health information

> Clinicas del Camino Real Inc. will provide information on Covered California and free health screenings at selected locations throughout the month of March in Ventura County. Visit http://www.clinicas.org/outreach/calendar/2015-03 to find times, dates and locations.   > The Ventura County…

Bilingual report: Teatro de las Américas to present ‘A Night of Boleros — Our Parents’ Songs’ at Oxnard College on March 5

OXNARD — Teatro de las Américas will present “A Night of Boleros — Our Parents’ Songs” from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, March 5 at Oxnard College, 4000 S. Rose Ave., Oxnard. Teatro de las Américas and Oxnard College inaugurate their 2015…

Art exhibit reception for ‘Isabel Martínez: Un diálogo en arte y cultura’ to be held at CSU Channel Islands on March 5

CAMARILLO — The art exhibit “Isabel Martínez: Un diálogo en arte y cultura” will open with a reception from 6 to 7 p.m. Thursday, March 5 at CSU Channel Islands. The exhibit, continuing from March 5 through April 4, celebrates everyday women…

‘Expectation’ exhibit to be presented at Tool Room Gallery in Ventura on March 6

VENTURA — The Museum of Ventura County will present “Expectation,” a new series by Women’s History Month artist Marissa Magdalena Sykes and photographer Marie Gregorio-Oviedo, at the Tool Room Gallery at the Bell Arts Factory, 432 N. Ventura Ave., Ventura.…

Discussion on ‘Understanding Disenfranchisement of Latino Men and Boys’ by Dr. Aida Hurtado to be held at CSU Channel Islands on March 10

CAMARILLO — The discussion “Understanding Disenfranchisement of Latino Men and Boys” by Dr. Aida Hurtado will be held from noon to 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 10 at CSU Channel Islands, Broome Library 1320. Hurtado, a UCSB Professor Luis Leal Endowed Chair of…

Guest commentary: Chaos and the science of mass criminalization

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 In his…

First CEO of Homeboy Industries to speak at CLU’s Corporate Leaders Breakfast on March 3

THOUSAND OAKS — Thomas Vozzo of Thousand Oaks, the first CEO of Homeboy Industries, will discuss his efforts to make the nonprofit more self-sufficient at California Lutheran University’s Corporate Leaders Breakfast in Agoura Hills at 8 a.m. Tuesday, March 3 at the…

Oxnard College to present Tinto Tango in concert on March 4

OXNARD — The 2015 Oxnard College Spring Literature, Arts and Lecture Series will present Tinto Tango in concert and dance performance from 1 to 2 p.m. Wednesday, March 4 at the Oxnard College Performing Arts Center, 4000 S. Rose Ave., Oxnard.…

UCSB Multicultural Center to present the Cup of Culture film screening of ‘La Mission’ on March 4

SANTA BARBARA — The UCSB Multicultural Center will present the Cup of Culture film screening of “La Mission” at 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 4 at the MCC Theater. Growing up in the Mission District of San Francisco, Che Rivera has always had…

Ventura College Santa Paula Site to present information on California Dream Act on Feb. 26

SANTA PAULA — The Ventura College Financial Aid Office will discuss changes in California legislation in regards to AB540 and how undocumented students are now eligible for Financial Aid and other resources from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 26 at…

UCSB Multicultural Center to present film screening, discussion of ‘No Más Bebés Por Vida / No More Babies for Life’ on Feb. 25

SANTA BARBARA — The UCSB Multicultural Center will present the Cup of Culture film screening and discussion of “No Más Bebés Por Vida / No More Babies for Life,” the story of Mexican-American women who were sterilized at the Los Angeles County-USC…