Category: News

County of Ventura COVID-19 update for June 11 — COVID-19 drive through testing sites

COVID-19 drive through testing sites are located at:
Ventura College, 4667 Telegraph Rd., Ventura CA 93003
Moorpark College, 7075 Campus Rd., Moorpark, CA 93021
Ford Dealership, 128 S. Hallock Dr., Santa Paula, CA 93060
NEW LOCATION: Oxnard College, 4000 S. Rose Ave., Oxnard, CA 93033 (Fri-Tue)
No appointment or insurance is needed.
Hours of operation: Monday – Friday 10 am to 7 pm.
No cost.
You simply drive up and get tested while seated in your vehicle.
www.vcemergency.com

Meet the 2020 Ventura County Teacher of the Year

Eva Cherrie from Elmhurst Elementary School in Ventura VENTURA COUNTY — The Ventura County Office of Education (VCOE) is pleased to announce that Eva Cherrie from Elmhurst Elementary School in the Ventura Unified School District (VUSD) is the 2020 Ventura County…

Bilingual report — Food Distribution Events Planned Throughout Ventura County, California & Washington State to Support Essential Frontline Farmworkers During COVID-19 Pandemic

This Saturday, June 13th, the farmworkers’ rights group “Feeding the Frontline: Feeding our Farmworkers” will join with Latino activists and donors throughout California and Washington State to provide food distribution events for farm-working families who have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic even while working to feed Americans. These efforts will include events in six agricultural counties throughout California, including Ventura, Santa Barbara, Monterey, Tulare, Fresno, and San Benito counties.

“This pandemic underscores the invaluable contributions farmworkers provide our communities, state, and nation,” shared Roberto Juarez, who heads Clinicas Del Camino Real, an organization helping lead Saturday’s events. “What COVID-19 has done to farm workers is to simply lay bare and even exacerbate the inequities they were already facing – ranging from health care disparities to poor living conditions and low wages that families simply cannot live on. …”

Peoples Self Help Housing — Join us as we build stronger communities, together

Dear Friend,
The past weeks have been difficult for so many reasons. COVID-19 continues to disrupt daily life and the justified civil unrest around our country has left our communities searching for solutions. We are committed to building inclusive neighborhoods where everyone is welcome and everyone thrives, and we stand united with all those promoting peaceful pathways to social justice.

Being part of the NeighborWorks America network, an affiliation of nearly 250 nonprofit organizations across the country, helps us creates opportunities for people to improve lives and strengthen their communities. Each year in June, we take a week to celebrate the achievements of the network and highlight the power of safe and stable housing.

This unprecedented year of 2020 sees us “Building Together’ and asking our community to submit their thoughts on “What Home Means to Me”. You can share and enjoy those inspiring thoughts at pshhc.org/buildingtogether.

Lisa Barron Recognized Nationally as a 2020 Maytag Dependable Leader

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Conejo Valley (BGCGCV) is pleased to announce that Lisa Barron, Director of the Rocky & Lon Morton Boys & Girls Club in Newbury Park has been recognized nationally as a 2020 Maytag Dependable Leader. 

Through a national partnership, Maytag and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) selected Barron as a recipient of this year’s distinction resulting in a financial grant for BGCGCV. The Maytag Dependable Leader Award recognizes Club officials who are committed to making a difference in the lives of youth and who are dependable and exceptional role models.

CAP Media — Message to CAPS friends and family

Dear CAPS friends and family,  

Citizens all across the nation are letting their voices be heard in peaceful protest, condemning the reprehensible actions of police officers in Minneapolis that resulted in the horrific death of George Floyd.  All of us at CAPS Media were sickened and saddened by what we saw.   

We do not condone racism, discrimination, inequality or violence towards anyone.  We stand in solidarity with our community and support everyone in exercising their first amendment right to assemble and to petition government to redress grievances.   

Bilingual report — Ventura County Fire Department — 8:00 AM Status Updates for Elizabeth & Lime Fires

** LIME FIRE INCIDENT UPDATE **

Size: 450 acres
Containment: 20%
Expected Containment: Unknown
Total Personnel on Fire: 250

Current Situation:
Firefighters continue to build and improve containment lines around the fire,

Acres/Tamaño: 450
Contención: 20%
Fecha esperada de contención total: Desconocido
Personal total: 250

Situación actual: Los bomberos continúan contruyendo y mejorando las líneas de contención alrededor del incendio.

Ventura County Civil Grand Jury Announces Release of Report on Cybersecurity Strategies for Cities in Ventura County

The 2019-2020 Ventura County Civil Grand Jury investigated cybersecurity strategies of the Cities in Ventura County to assess each City’s preparedness to defend against data breaches and ransomware and identify opportunities to implement improvements.

Cyberattacks on local governments increased across the nation during 2019. Half resulted in ransomware demands. As the reports of these attacks on cities unfolded, it became clear that better preparation could have assisted those cities to avoid major and costly data breaches.

Santa Barbara First District Supervisor Das Williams — Black Lives Matter

This has been an especially difficult last couple of weeks as we continue to fight the COVID-19 pandemic while being forced to confront the reality of systemic racism with the murders of several Black lives over the last few months – George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and Tony McDade. This isn’t the first time there have been protests in the streets over the taking of Black lives and a lot of the anger and pain you see is because of the reality for Black Americans knowing this won’t be the last time they have to protest in the streets to get justice and make change – and knowing that the next time the protest might be for them. We must take this time where we are already being forced out of the norm and out of our routine to look within our collective soul as a country and address the pain and discomfort of racism that has existed since the founding of our country. 

County waives fees for various services to help businesses with impacts of COVID-19

VENTURA COUNTY — To help address the financial impact on businesses due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the County Board voted unanimously to waive service rates and fees for many County services. The Resource Management Agency and Fire Protection District will be…

Santa Paula Art Museum — Can’t Wait to See You Soon!

All Natural Tie-Dye

We are beyond excited that Ventura County has given museums the green light to reopen! Our staff are busy working to ensure that the Santa Paula Art Museum will continue to be a safe space for all of our visitors and volunteers, and we will announce our official reopening date very soon.

We hope you’ve enjoyed the Museum’s “Art to the Rescue” curated resources and stay-at-home art project ideas over the past 12 weeks. We thought we’d conclude with a few sunny activities to try this summer like all natural tie-dying, which is eco-friendly and very in right now!

LEARN MORE

County of Ventura COVID-19 update for June 10 — Ventura County Pandemic Rental Assistance Program

The Ventura County Pandemic Rental Assistance (VCPRA) program may provide temporary rental assistance for Ventura County residents with very low incomes who owe past-due rent because of a hardship due to COVID-19. Online applications will be accepted June 17 – July 1, 2020. Learn more at www.vcemergency.com/rent.

CSUCI History students record personal stories during a pandemic in “plague journals”

“Neither the life of an individual nor the history of a society can be understood without understanding both” —C. Wright Mills, American Sociologist CAMARILLO — “During that first two weeks I walked around in circles uncertain of what to do…

United Way of Ventura County — Our diversity, equity, and inclusion values

Dear Friends,

These are challenging times for our community and country. But the challenges we’re facing also provide us with a tremendous opportunity for growth and progress. At United Way of Ventura County, embracing diversity, equity, and inclusion is not only the right thing to do, it is necessary to our success. To learn more about our diversity, equity, and inclusion values and commitments, please read our statement, linked here and available on our website.

Ventura County awarded highest credit ratings despite impacts of COVID-19 Refinancing results in major savings

The nation’s two top credit ratings firms – Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s – have awarded the County with their highest short-term rating and reaffirmed its triple A long-term credit rating – the highest possible rating.  These ratings will enable the County to refinance and borrow funds at lower interest rates to fund critical needs, saving substantial taxpayer resources over time.

The high credit rating allowed for the County to refinance the Ventura County Medical Center Hospital Replacement Wing Bond on June 3 at a lower rate. This will save approximately $2 million annually in debt service payments resulting in $34 million net present value savings.

Un mensaje de los doctores de las salas de emergencias del Centro Médico del Condado de Ventura y el Hospital de Santa Paula

Las comunidades de California continúan enfocándose en detener la propagación de COVID-19 a través del distanciamiento social. Estos esfuerzos son prometedores, pero una consecuencia involuntaria ha sido una brecha cada vez mayor entre las personas con padecimientos y los proveedores de atención médica. El departamento de emergencias del Hospital de Santa Paula ha visto una disminución en el número total de visitas a la sala de emergencias. “Esto es de esperar, cuando las personas no están saliendo fuera de casa”, explica el Dr. Richard Rutherford, médico de emergencias y director de calidad y seguridad de Seaside Emergency Associates. “Pero también nos preocupa que algunos miembros de nuestra comunidad se queden en casa cuando realmente tienen una emergencia médica”. A algunas personas les preocupa ser una carga al hospital durante una pandemia. Otros temen que puedan infectarse con el virus COVID. “Hemos visto pacientes con ataques cardíacos, derrames cerebrales y otras enfermedades críticas que han esperado demasiado para visitar el hospital”, lamenta el Dr. Rutherford. Demorar la atención médica de estos eventos potencialmente mortales puede dificultar que el equipo del departamento de emergencias recupere la salud de los pacientes.

Melissa Livingston named Director of the Ventura County Human Services Agency

By a unanimous vote on June 8, the Board of Supervisors concurred with the recommendation of County Executive Officer Mike Powers to appoint Melissa Livingston as the Director of the Human Services Agency.

“Melissa has been an influential County leader during her 40 years of service,” said County Executive Officer Mike Powers. “She has been a great partner and an integral member of our County leadership team in supporting the mission to provide comprehensive and compassionate services for our diverse communities. Dedicated, bright and compassionate, she has dedicated her life to helping the most vulnerable. She is exceptionally well qualified, and this is critical, especially as our community recovers from the impacts of COVID-19.”

Social Justice Fund for VC on the Challenges of Racism

The Social Justice Fund for Ventura County condemns police brutality, the continued police violence against our Black brothers and sisters, the over-policing of communities of color and all systems of oppression that have plagued this nation for far too long. We join in the grief for George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and the numerous others who have been murdered and victimized by this violence. This outrage cannot only be a moment! This needs to be a time for reflection and a call to action for all of us to actively engage in dismantling and elimination of the institutional, systemic and intentional racism that permeates throughout all levels of our society.

LightGabler’s Kathleen Fellows Named to 2020 Super Lawyers’ Rising Star List

Kathleen M. Fellows, an attorney with the Camarillo-based employment law firm LightGabler, has been named to the 2020 Super Lawyers’ Rising Star list of southern California attorneys. Each year, no more than 2.5 percent of lawyers are selected by the research team at Super Lawyers to receive this honor. This is the second year that Fellows has been selected. She was previously named in 2019.

Ventura County Schools Preparing to Reopen Campuses

New State Guidelines Will Support Local Efforts VENTURA COUNTY — The California Department of Education (CDE) today released new guidelines for the safe reopening of the state’s public school campuses. The guidelines contain recommendations regarding a variety of measures to…

Guest commentary — The Vexations of History

Oxnard Police Department officers cut short the lives of Meagan Hockaday (d. 3/28/15), Alfonso Limon (d. 10/13/12), Michael Mahoney (d. 8/14/12), Robert Ramirez (d. 6/23/12), and Juan Zavala (d. 6/28/2014).

Consequently, any City of Oxnard official who empathetically condemns the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police must also memorialize their deaths. Especially Robert Ramirez, who like Floyd and Eric Garner in New York, could not breathe as the medical examiner of Ventura County determined his death a police homicide from prone restraint asphyxia—choking.

Only then can we, as a community, have an authentic conversation on police violence elsewhere.

Guest commentary — No Justice! No Peace!

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 Just…

Ventura Botanical Gardens Announces Re-Opening With New Hours

The Ventura Botanical Gardens (VBG) recently announced the COVID reopening date of Saturday, June 6. The Gardens have been closed due to both the pandemic and subsequent new construction including sponsorship sites and entrance development.

With the re-opening, new COVID protocols are in play. The Merewether Welcome Center entrance is now set up for non-contact social distancing. The exit has been moved to the back of the education structure—signs will point the way. There will be a limited entry of 50 visitors in the entirety of the Gardens. These protocols are based on National Public Gardens guidelines and are subject to change.

With Homework Drop-offs, Phone Calls, Texts and Zoom, Preschool Educators Never Stopped Teaching During Pandemic

Friday, March 13 of this year was suddenly the last day of school for the 894 children that attend preschool through the Children’s Services program at Community Action Commission of Santa Barbara County (CAC). Immediately after the weekend, beginning March 16, the 250 teachers and staff members for the core program Head Start and CAC’s other educational programs for young children began instruction again – albeit not in the classroom.

Democratic Club of the Conejo Valley weekly ‘ZOOM CONEJO DEMS COFFEE’ on Saturdays

CONEJO DEMS COFFEE SPECIAL DISCUSSION ABOUT THE EVENTS SURROUNDING GEORGE FLOYD We will welcome special guests… Michelle Grue, PhD candidate in Education and local mom Gregory K. Freeland, PhD, Associate Dean, Inclusion & Research/Creative Works and Professor of Political Science RSVP Here Link…

County prepares $20 million grant program to assist businesses and renters

In an effort to assist businesses and residents, the County of Ventura’s CEO’s Office is finalizing a $20 million Economic Stabilization and Recovery Program aimed at providing relief to businesses and families by utilizing funding from the Federal Coronavirus Relief Fund. These programs will launch on June 17. Residents and business owners can subscribe for updates at www.vcreopens.com to be informed when applications become available.

Righetti High School FFA members take part in awards distribution celebration

Student achievement was recognized for Righetti High School FFA members at a drive-thru event Monday, June 1, in place of the traditional Awards Banquet forced to be canceled because of social distancing rules of Covid-19.

Recognized were more than 38 State FFA Degree recipients, 20 senior who completed their ag programs, this year’s Star Greenhand, Star Chapter Farmers, outstanding senior, Regional Proficiency Award winners and scholarships awards. Also handed out to seniors were FFA graduation cords and sashes to wear over caps and gowns.

Santa Maria Joint Union High School District prepares for June 5 drive-by graduation ceremonies. See other district news here

Righetti High School officials is advising students, motorists and area residents to expect traffic delays and road closures during the June 5 graduation parade.

The California Highway Patrol and the SB Sheriff’s Office will be strictly enforcing all traffic laws. 

Bilingual commentary — Emerging Into a New World

It’s happened throughout history: a catastrophic event occurs, whether that be war, pestilence, a sudden attack or a pandemic, and then the people who are impacted emerge into a very different world.  Think of a destroyed Europe immediately after World War II, the people of New York City after 9/11, the survivors of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fires that destroyed the city, the surviving dazed and severely injured citizens of Hiroshima and Nagasaki after the only atomic bombings in history and the people who had the good fortune of surviving the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1917 – 1918. 

Delta High School had its drive-through graduation/parade on June 4

Delta High School had its drive-through graduation/parade on June 4

DHS – About 300 grads

Johnny Arguijo – Valedictorian

Nancy Elias Lopez – Salutatorian?

Arguijo received the Minerva Scholarship, Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara Scholarship and the Kiwanis Club of Santa Maria Honor Student Award. Lopez earned the Breanna Nicole Rodriguez Scholarship, Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara Scholarship and the Kiwanis Club of Santa Maria Honor Student Award.

Oxnard Performing Arts Center — June up

The PACC’s meeting and banquet rooms are now available to rent for events meeting the County’s health officer order. With five meeting rooms, outdoor areas, and two banquet rooms with a total combined square footage of over 14,611, the PACC has plenty of space to host county-approved gatherings. For more information, or to find out if your event meets these restrictions, feel free to call/ text us at (805) 385-8147 or email us at info@oxnardperformingarts.com. Please note, our office is also reopening by appointment only.

CSUCI student’s letter to Lin-Manuel Miranda will be shared on Apple TV’s “Dear…” series

A letter she wrote to “Hamilton” and “In The Heights” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda landed CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) Performing Arts major Melina Ortega a place in Apple TV’s “Dear…,” which premieres Friday, June 5.

Emmy Award-winning filmmaker R.J. Cutler created the 10-part docu-series to tell the stories of some of America’s pop culture icons through the eyes of those inspired by them.

Bilingual report — Ventura County Public Works Agency and Southern California Edison Enhance Safety by Upgrading Streetlights

In an effort to make unincorporated streets safer, Ventura County Public Works Agency (VCPWA) and Southern California Edison (SCE) are working together to begin work on May 26 to replace existing high pressure sodium vapor fixtures with energy efficient Light Emitting Diode (LED) lights. 

Oxnard-based El Lustrador Foundation update — Hope you are well/Esperando esten bien

We hope you and your families are doing well. Soon we well post photos of our help to our kids families at the Guatemala school. We are helping them with food because the COVID 19. Here we share an article in the main paper in Guatemala.Thank you for all your support.Deseamos que usted y su familia esten bien. Pronto compartiremos fotos de nuestra ayuda a las familias de nuestros niños en la escuela de Guatemala. Estamos ayudando con comida por el COVID 19. Aqui les compartimos un reportaje en uno de los periodicos mas importantes en Guatemala. Muchas gracias por todo su apoyo. …

Ventura County Activists Raise Funds to Support Essential Front-Line Farmworkers During COVID-19 Pandemic

Ventura County Latino and immigrant rights activists are taking action to support the region’s farm working families who continue to provide California residents with safe and healthy food options throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The campaign, known as “Feeding the Frontline: Feeding our Farmworkers,” has launched a GoFundMe campaign to provide groceries, supplies, and even Mariachi music to workers in the fields. The all-volunteer group is seeking community support to raise $15,000, which will help cover the cost of distributing food, supplies, and public health literature to these “frontline” families. The group’s next distribution event will occur this Saturday, June 6, 2020 from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. at the Garden Acres Mutual Water Company in Oxnard, California.

SEEAG And Growers Provide Over 4,000 Bags Of Fresh Produce To Local Farm Workers

Students for Eco-Education and Agriculture (SEEAG) organized produce donations from 13 different growers to fill over 4,000 bags of fresh produce for farm workers in need. The produce was distributed weekly in April and May.

Participating growers were Gill’s Onions, Houweling’s Group, San Miguel Produce, Earthtrine Farm, Saticoy Lemon Association, Duda Farm Fresh Foods, Petty Ranch, Calavo, Mission Produce, Tamai Family Farms, Fig Tree Farms, Chivas Skin Care and Bennett’s Honey Farm.

Santa Barbara First District Supervisor Das Williams — Significant Testing Capacity Available & Business Reopening Webinar

Yesterday, the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department provided an update to the Board of Supervisors on COVID-19. Despite the reopening of more businesses and people out and about at the beach and downtown, our indicators have remained well within the guidelines set by the State. In fact, we have seen a 27% reduction of active cases. However, we need more people to take advantage of our increased testing capability. Many of you emailed me about procuring a greater amount of testing and now we ask that you please use it! I know many of you were not utilizing our local testing sites because you wanted to make sure they were available for healthcare workers, and other essential workers, but now there seems to be testing capacity for everyone who is interested. Please see more information on testing below:

Online appointment registration: https://lhi.care/covidtesting

SCIART Opens Call for Entries for The NEXT Big Thing

Studio Channel Islands Arts Center (SCIART) invites artists to participate in the call for entries for SCIART’s exhibition, The NEXT Big Thing. The annual exhibition is an exciting showcase of contemporary art created by emerging artists, as well as nationally exhibited and award-winning artists, in all medium including video, film, performance, sound and installation art. This year’s show will be juried by art critic and journalist Leah Ollman. The exhibition will award three cash prizes. The deadline for artists to apply is July 12, 2020.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Conejo Valley (BGCGCV) offers Traditional Summer Camp

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Conejo Valley are gearing up to provide a fun-filled and educational Summer Camp for K-8th graders. 

Camp is offered at five Clubs including the Anderson Club located on the Los Cerritos Middle School Campus in Thousand Oaks, Johnston Club located on the Colina Middle School Campus in Thousand Oaks, Morton Club located on the Sequoia Middle School Campus in Newbury Park, the Notter Club, located on the Redwood Middle School in Thousand Oaks and the Grossman Club located on Chaparral Elementary School Campus.  Camp hours run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Righetti’s Annual Student Art Show and Film Festival join forces for a virtual art show

The power of art and film at Righetti High School has beaten these uncertain times with online assistance.

Righetti’s Annual Student Art Show and Film Festival have joined forces for a virtual art show at https://righettivisualarts.org/.

Student artists created art in various programs throughout the year, including drawings in colored pencil, graphite, and ink; paintings using tempera, watercolor, acrylic, and gouche; 3-dimensional art in paper mache, ceramics, and multi-media; as well as film and video, digital and film photography, and digital illustration. Because of the challenges of these times to students, the exhibited work represents a small sampling of the 500 students in these classes.