Category: Local

Rick Najera’s Latino Thought Makers Holiday Special Comes to Oxnard College, Dec. 7

Nationally Recognized Stage Show to Feature Broadway Star Bianca Marroquin, Last Comic Standing’s Francisco Ramos, Inspirational Comedian Ernie G and award-winning host Rick Najera OXNARD —  In collaboration with the Ventura County Community College District and Oxnard College, Rick Najera’s Latino Thought Makers Holiday Special will take…

Museum of Ventura County to present community outreach meeting on Nov. 10 at the Mexican Consulate in Oxnard

OXNARD — The next Community Outreach Meeting will be at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 10 at the Mexican Consulate, 3151 W. Fifth St., Suite E 100. “We have been getting valuable feedback from you, our Museum family, at our Community Outreach Meetings–thank…

Santa Paula Art Museum to present Gallery Talk: Sergio and Diane Hernandez on Nov. 10

SANTA PAULA — Join us on Thursday, November 10, at 3:00 p.m. for a gallery talk with featured artist Sergio Hernandez and his wife Diane. The pair will share the story of Con Safos magazine, one of the earliest Latino literary publications,…

VIP student scientists, self-carving pumpkins and elephant toothpaste all part of 2016 Science Carnival on Nov. 5

CAMARILLO — Crowd-pleasers like exploding pumpkins, screaming Gummi bears, banana pianos and colored fire will have an encore performance at the 2016 Science Carnival, but some new activities will make their debut, too. The CSU Channel Islands (CI) 2016 Science Carnival will…

The Collection at RiverPark gives a “Toast” to bartenders with new social media program

OXNARD — The Collection at RiverPark has introduced a new way to get to know the center’s talented line-up of bartenders along with their signature cocktails. “Toast” is a social media campaign that interviews a new bartender each month from…

UCSB’s Mario Garcia being honored in separate events for distinguished contributions to the history of Latino activists

By Jim Logan / UCSB Few scholars have done more to document the lives and activism of Mexican-Americans than Mario García. For more than four decades the professor of Chicano and Chicana studies and of history  at UC Santa Barbara has given voice to the…

Braille Institute Santa Barbara Recognizes National White Cane Safety Day with White Cane Walk and Proclamations

SANTA BARBARA — On October 13, Braille Institute Santa Barbara recognized White Cane Safety Day with a special awareness and education effort. Community leaders and Braille Institute staff, students and volunteers marched in solidarity for the White Cane Walk along De La Vina…

SBCC Receives $5.3 Million Grant to Support “Removing Barriers to STEM Success”

SANTA BARBARA — Santa Barbara City College has received a $5.3 Million federal grant to support students pursuing a career in Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM). The project, “Removing Barriers to STEM Success,” will provide resources for faculty wishing…

Family Service Agency announces $500K in funding for evidence-based Holistic Defense Program

SANTA BARBARA — Family Service Agency (FSA) has received a $498,524 grant from the Laura and John Arnold Foundation to conduct a pilot study of Adult Holistic Defense Case Management (AHDCM) in partnership with the Santa Barbara County Public Defender’s Office.…

Bilingual commentary: Walls, Gates and Velvet Ropes

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 David Magallanes…

Travel: Taking the low, slow ride

Two exhibits bring the world of the lowrider alive at the New Mexico History Museum and the New Mexico Museum of Art in Santa Fe By Frank X. Moraga / Amigos805 So here I am, walking through a pair of…

YMCA Heritage Club: Strengthening Youth, Families, and the Community for Generations to Come

CENTRAL COAST — The Channel Islands YMCA has served the Central Coast community since it was established in 1887 and currently operates six health and fitness facilities, a Youth and Family services branch, and more than 20 child care locations.…

20th Mexican Literary Colloquium, Nov. 11 through 13 at UCSB, takes its metaphorical cue from a missing 19th-century cannon

By Jim Logan / UCSB You might say there was something lost in translation when Santa Barbara named a street Canon Perdido. It should have been Cañon Perdido, after a cannon that disappeared on the beach in 1848. Without that…

Law authored by State Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson to encourage young people to vote takes effect

SACRAMENTO – A law authored by State Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) to encourage young people to vote by allowing voter pre-registration beginning at age 16 has just taken effect. In 2014, Jackson authored Senate Bill 113 and Governor Jerry Brown signed it…

Montecito Family YMCA: 7 Healthy Habits for Your Family to Help Solve Childhood Obesity

California now ranked No. 1 in percentage of children considered overweight or obese; Childhood obesity has more than tripled during the past 30 years MONTECITO – September is Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, and while the dangers of childhood obesity are…

Bilingual commentary: A Visit to Mom and Dad

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 David Magallanes…

CenCal Health Launches Campaign to Educate Provider Community on Behavioral Health Services in SB, SLO Counties

CENTRAL COAST – CenCal Health, in partnership with the Central Coast Medical Association, The Holman Group, Santa Barbara County Behavioral Wellness and San Luis Obispo County Behavioral Health Department recently hosted three seminars in Santa Barbara, Santa Maria, and San…

Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics Awarded $11,000 to Support their Continued Leadership in Community Health Care

Foundation recognizes health center as vital member of California’s safety net SANTA BARBARA — Blue Shield of California Foundation has just awarded a grant of $11,000 in unrestricted funds to the Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics in recognition of their critical role in…

Santa Barbara Heart & Stroke Walk/Run Raises More Than $210,000 to Fight Heart Disease and Stroke

CENTRAL COAST — More than 1 in 3 Americans have some form of cardiovascular disease. Santa Barbara resident and owner of Tri-County Produce, John Dixon is all too familiar with this devastating disease. He was born with heart disease and had…

Governor signs Jackson’s bills on Title IX rights, teaching healthy relationships skills in school

SACRAMENTO – Gov. Jerry Brown has  signed a bill by State Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) to ensure that students and schools are aware of their rights and responsibilities under Title IX, the landmark federal law that prohibits gender discrimination in education. Senate…

Ventura County Public Works Agency gives lessons on Ventura County water use at CSUCI’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute

VENTURA COUNTY — Ventura County Public Works Agency (VCPWA) can add college educators to its impressive body of work. The agency has been invited to lead an 8-week course for California State University, Channel Islands’ Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLL)…

Ventura County Heart & Stroke Walk/Run Raised Nearly $150,000 to Fight Heart Disease and Stroke

CENTRAL COAST — Cardiovascular diseases are the number one killer of both men and women in the U.S. – killing about 2,200 Americans each day – one every 40 seconds. To combat these statistics, the American Heart Association (AHA) hosted…

Bilingual commentary: The Rose Bush

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 David Magallanes…

United Way of Ventura County provides update on ‘Building Healthy Smiles’ initiative

Dear Friends, We have so much to share with you in this newsletter. Thanks to your generosity, our programs are expanding and serving more local residents throughout Ventura County. Please scroll down and take a moment to read more about…

‘California’s water crisis must be attacked now to guarantee water will be flowing from taps’

LAS VEGAS —  “California’s water crisis must be attacked now to guarantee water will be flowing from taps,” veteran water expert Mohammed Hasan told the Tri-State seminar in Las Vegas this Tuesday. Addressing water professionals from California, Nevada and Arizona, Hasan discussed…

El Carrillo Affordable Housing Development Celebrates 10 Years of Housing the Homeless

SANTA BARBARA — The Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara (HACSB) celebrated the 10th Anniversary of El Carrillo, the first development of its kind in Santa Barbara to offer permanent, affordable housing with supportive services for homeless individuals.…

Community Philanthropy Teams Up to Fund New Vehicle for Youth and Family Services YMCA

SANTA BARBARA  – Noah’s Anchorage, a program of Youth and Family Services YMCA, was the grateful recipient of a new vehicle to aid in the necessary daily transportation of youth in the program. The vehicle purchase was funded by donations from the…

Bilingual commentary: The Specter of Demonization

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 David Magallanes…

CSU Channel Islands now accepting applications for Fall 2017

OXNARD — CSU Channel Islands (CI) is currently accepting admissions for the fall of 2017. Enrollment staff members advise high school seniors and transfer students to apply early at www.csumentor.edu “The college application process can be stressful for students,” said CI Assistant Vice…

Foster VC Kids, Ventura County Office of Education Collaborate on Innovative Support Systems for Foster Youth

Parent Teacher Forum to be held Oct. 11 VENTURA COUNTY — School stability is extraordinarily difficult for youth that experience life in foster care. Less than 50% of foster youth graduate from high school and only 3% go on to…

Lloyd Properties donates 860 acres to local land trust

VENTURA — The Lloyd Ranch has been a part of the Ventura community for over a century, providing stewardship of a large section of the Ventura hillsides since the early 1900’s and contributing to Ventura’s economic vitality for decades. On Sept.…

You Can’t Buy Love – But You Can Adopt It!

Santa Barbara Humane Society Celebrates Adopt-a-Dog Month with “Name Your Price” Adoption Promotion SANTA BARBARA — October is national Adopt-a-Dog Month, a public awareness campaign to bring attention to the millions of homeless dogs living at animal shelters throughout the…

LULAC Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month by Urging Latinos to Register to Vote

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Hispanic Heritage Month is a time when our nation reflects on the contributions Hispanics have made to our history and culture. For the third year, LULAC joins the Hispanic Heritage Month of Action campaign in an effort to encourage the…