CENTRAL COAST — CenCal Health, the publicly-sponsored health plan for Medi-Cal in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, announces the appointment of Dr. Keith Emmons as its new Medical Director. Emmons will initially lead the department of Health Services’…
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Conejo Valley (BGCGCV) is pleased to announce a new member to its Board of Governors, Steve Mosko.
Mosko is Chief Executive Officer of Village Roadshow Entertainment Group (VREG), one of the world’s leading global entertainment content companies. VREG produces content across film, television and digital platforms.
The Simi Valley Family YMCA and Yarrow Family YMCA (in Westlake Village) will reopen Wednesday July 1. The Conejo Valley YMCA remains closed pending implementation of additional social distancing measures. Conejo Y members can use the Simi Valley and Yarrow facilities.
“We understand how important our Y is to the health and wellness of our community,” says Ronnie Stone, President/CEO of the Southeast Ventura County YMCA, which oversees the three local Y branches. “We hope to see our members back at the Y as soon as they feel comfortable.”
Ventura County Business Assistance Grant Program applications launch June 24-July 8, 2020. The program includes grants of $5,000 for small businesses to alleviate impacts from COVID-19. Learn more at www.vcreopens.com.
As California faces another wildfire season and potential public safety power shutoffs (PSPS) amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara)’s Senate Bill 1207 to require California nursing homes to have backup power for at least 96 hours during an emergency passed off the Senate floor yesterday on a 36 to 0 vote. The bill now moves to the Assembly.
The County of Ventura has created a COVID-19 Business Assistance Grant Program to provide grants of $5,000 awarded to small businesses and nonprofit organizations located in Ventura County to alleviate impacts from COVID-19.
With strict safety protocols and modifications, on-campus research operations gradually resume after COVID-19 cessation.
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When the Community College Public Relations Organization (CCPRO) held its annual awards ceremony on June 10 – a virtual watch party via Zoom this year – Santa Barbara City College walked away with three first place awards, two second place awards and one third place award.
“Shore Lore: How Prohibition Changed Ventura County” opens Saturday, July 4 – Aug 24, 2020 at the Channel Islands Maritime Museum. We look back on the 100th Anniversary of Prohibition and how Ventura Country dealt with the 18th Amendment.
The Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) has announced that the Ventura County Public Health Department is among the first 25 local public health departments in the nation and the first in the State of California to be awarded reaccreditation status. The accreditation demonstrates a consistent and continued commitment to collaborative efforts to keep communities throughout Ventura County safe. The rigorous accreditation process requires commitment to quality and performance improvement.
The California Labor Market Information Division released its May 2020 report earlier today, showing that at least as measured by the unemployment rate we’ve turned the corner toward recovery. Ventura County’s unemployment rate improved from a revised 13.9% in April to 13.5% in May. This parallels the April to May improvement in the national unemployment rate reported earlier this month. While the national improvement wasn’t so much a surprise, as much of the country began to re-open businesses well ahead of California, I’ll admit that we anticipated Ventura County’s rate to go up in May, even by as much as 5 points. It’s a welcome relief that it hasn’t, though recovery remains a long way off. For the May data, go to www.labormarketinfo.edd.ca.gov/file/lfmonth/vent$pds.pdf
LaserAway, the nation’s leader in laser hair removal and aesthetic dermatology, now has a new location at The Collection at RiverPark. The new clinic officially opened on June 15, 2020, and is now accepting appointments.
CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) will enter the fall semester with membership in the prestigious Sigma Theta Tau International Nursing Honor Society, which was founded in 1922 at what is now the Indiana University School of Nursing.
Adding CSUCI’s most accomplished nursing students to the 90-country, 135,000-member strong group of professional nurses has been a goal for Professor Emeritus of Nursing Karen Jensen, R.N., Ph.D., ever since the very first students graduated from CSUCI’s Nursing program in 2010.
SANTA BARBARA — As COVID-19 continues to re-shape life in the U.S., one thing for certain is that the record-high increase in unemployment goes hand in hand with a shortage of affordable housing. This is especially hard for senior residents facing homelessness in Santa Barbara, and who live on a reduced income and may rely on part-time work to make ends meet but are in danger of losing their jobs due to lay-offs or closures.
The Santa Maria Joint Union High School District is asking parents to complete a simple seven-question survey to assist in the planning of school reopening amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Questions focus on student attendance area, in-person instruction options, remote learning options, sports participation, internet availability and a possible delay to the start of school for staff training. The survey was released through the All Call System to parents late Friday.
The Ventura County Complete Count Committee will lead a Census Caravan on Saturday, June 20. The caravan – which will have 20 vehicles and 20 different representatives from organizations such as Food Share, the Ventura County Library, Líderes Campesinas, the Boys & Girls Clubs, Center for Employment Training (CET), and MICOP – will start its route at 1:00pm in the city of Fillmore in front of City Hall and travel through the cities of Santa Paula, Port Hueneme, and end in Oxnard by 4:00pm.
Oxnard College student Ashley M. Gonzales has joined the Ventura County Community College District Board of Trustees as the Student Trustee for the 2020-21 academic year. Gonzales was selected through a districtwide student election in April and installed at the June 16 board meeting. She joins the elected board comprised of Chair Bernardo M. Perez, Vice Chair Josh Chancer, and Trustees Dianne McKay, Larry Kennedy and Gabriela Torres.
Last week I wrote about the obvious impact of white privilege on the African American community. There has been an uptick in dialogue in this country regarding white privilege. Lynching of blacks in different forms continues to this day. Last year the college admissions scandal, in which affluent white parents gamed the system to their children’s advantage, came to light. And then this year, incidents of murderous police aggression against the black community were caught on video and widely circulated on social media. The good behavior of most police officers is completely eclipsed by these outrageous occurrences.
Lost in the conversation is the discussion about the repercussions of white privilege in the Latino/Hispanic, Native American and Asian communities as well as a myriad of others. In this article, I want to focus on the Latino—and specifically Mexican—community, since locally we are very much a majority-minority in some parts 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. Armando Vazquez. Courtesy photo. By…
Ventura County Public Works Agency (VCPWA) awarded longtime personnel, Sean Hanley, Kelly Hahs and Tony Sheppard as the 2020 Employees of the Year. Each year, peers recognize fellow employees for their skills and outstanding job performance in the respective categories of operations & maintenance, office, and management.
A record number of migrant students have enrolled in a program that will provided important educational opportunities this summer in Ventura County. A total of 850 students have signed up for at-home summer instruction offered by the Migrant Education Program at the Ventura County Office of Education (VCOE). The program provides services to students who frequently change schools as their families move throughout the state to follow work opportunities in the agriculture industry.
KidSTREAM, Ventura County’s children’s museum, which is committed to providing hands-on exhibits and programs based on science, technology, reading, engineering, arts and math (STREAM), announced the addition of three new members to its board of directors: Wendy Acevedo-Solis, Iris Ilao, and Michael Jump.
“We are incredibly honored to have Wendy, Iris, and Mike join a team that is committed to bringing kidSTREAM to fruition; We are equally thrilled that each new board director brings strength and passion to their commitment to serve all the children of Ventura County” said Michael Shanklin, kidSTREAM’s Executive Director.
Based on recent guidance provided by the state, county and Centers for Disease Control, SBCC will offer a substantial majority of credit courses online for the Fall 2020 semester.
As some courses are difficult to teach online, a limited number of courses will be offered in a face-to-face or hybrid format, maintaining appropriate health and safety protocols.
Read the press release for more details…
Governor Newsom (on June 18) announced that face coverings are required to be worn State-wide in the circumstances outlined in the State guidance. It does not substitute for existing guidance about social distancing and handwashing.
Additionally, our Santa Barbara County Public Health Officer has put a pause on further reopening of personal care services such as nail salons, tattoo parlors, businesses offering facials, electrolysis, and waxing, etc.
Despite these significant acts of warranted precaution, we are seeing that the majority of active cases in Santa Barbara County are regional in nature. During the Public Health Department presentation to the Board of Supervisors this week, we learned more about why so many of our cases have been in North County, versus a much smaller amount of cases in South County (34 cases total).
The 2019-2020 Ventura County Civil Grand Jury surveyed eleven charter schools authorized either by a school district located in Ventura County or by the Ventura County Office of Education, concerning policies and procedures for implementation of curriculum on sexual health.
The California Healthy Youth Act (AB 329) requires parents/guardians of students in grades 7 through 12 be given written notice that the school will be providing mandated sexual health curriculum. The Grand Jury inquired by written survey:
COVID-19 is having a severe impact on the country’s food supply and demand. At the same time, the unemployment rate is skyrocketing, driving more people to seek first-time food assistance than ever before. Southern California-based produce recovery nonprofit Food Forward is stepping up to meet the need in Ventura County during this crucial time.
Click here for the entire e-newsletter The Economic Development Collaborative is proud to offer the following webinars at no-cost. Register today! EDC WEBINARS FOR THE WEEK OF JUNE 22nd THE BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO INSTAGRAM- PART 3 Wednesday, June 24th…
The Community Environmental Council (CEC), in partnership with Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG) and Just Communities, invites the community to participate in online and phone listening sessions as part of their Connected 2050/Conectados 2050 long-range planning effort.
The public is invited to request a listening session by visiting the Connected2050.org (English) or Conectados2050.org (Spanish) website. The public can also sign up to get updates and give input by texting “CONNECT” to (833) 956-0921.
To help lift spirits during the worldwide lockdown while providing a lively musical event, Step For- ward Entertainment is producing a special virtual concert celebrating the music of the legendary artist, Neil Sedaka to benefit The Actors Fund Covid-19 Relief efforts.
The concert titled, “Steppin Forward Virtually to Celebrate the Music of the Legendary Neil Sedaka” will be streamed on Saturday, June 20th and Sunday, June 21st at 7pm EDT, 4pm PDT and repeated on Thursday, June 25th at 10pm EDT, 7pm PDT, presented by Robert R. Blume/Step Forward Entertainment and Pat Labez, in coop- eration with both Neil Sedaka Music and The Actors Fund. Krystin Goodwin, TV/Film actress and Fox reporter covering Entertainment and Trending News on Sirius XM Radio will serve as host.
As Ventura County’s hospitalized COVD-19 cases have stabilized, the Ventura County Public Health Officer has issued new guidance permitting the reopening of additional businesses that were previously closed. Sectors that may reopen with modifications, social distancing protocols, and completion of the attestation process include, but are not limited to:
The Ventura College Foundation’s Jerry Arellano Veteran Resource Center Library Program received $59,000 in new funding to provide textbook stipends to U.S. veteran students attending Ventura College.
Veterans will be given up to $250 per semester for two semesters. To receive the textbook-buying stipend, recipients must donate at least one of their books purchased with the stipend to the Jerry Arellano Veteran Resource Center Library so future students can have access to textbooks at no cost. The library is named after Arellano, a Marine veteran and long-time firefighter including service at Station 32 at Edwards Air Force Base.
Ventura County Business Assistance Grant Program applications launch June 24-July 8, 2020. The program includes grants of $5,000 for small businesses to alleviate impacts from COVID-19. Learn more at www.vcreopens.com.
Diego Barraza, recent graduate from Santa Barbara High School and participant in the PSHH College Club! Diego has been accepted to UC Davis, where he will be pursuing a major in Environmental Science and Medicine this fall!
To celebrate more of our incredible graduating students, visit pshhc.org/graduation!
Sunday, June 21st is United Way’s Day of Action!
You can participate by joining
United Way of Ventura County’s
2020 Stuff the Bus campaign!
Provide essential school supplies for local students experiencing homelessness or from disadvantaged families.
You can help pave the path to academic success for a child from a homeless or low-income family. Furthermore, your support not only provides essential school supplies – studies show that it also promotes learning, building self-esteem, and helps ensure that our youth stay in school.
Neuroscientist Emily Jacobs has been awarded a $5M NIH grant to advance women’s health.
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We are so excited to welcome you back to the Santa Paula Art Museum to enjoy two never-before-seen exhibitions: Inspiration and Influence and Santa Paula Sojourn! The Museum and gift shop will be open regular hours: Wednesday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and Sunday from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Students pursing an online bachelor’s degree in Business from CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) have a new academic director at the helm, Assistant Professor of Management Maria Ballesteros-Sola.
Ballesteros-Sola, who holds a masters and a doctorate of business administration, is taking the lead for a year while the current director, Assistant Director of Marketing Ekin Pehlivan, Ph.D., is on sabbatical.
Girls Inc. of Carpinteria on June 16 announced the recipients of its 2020 scholarship awards, presenting over $7,000 in funds to local girls and outgoing seniors Yaritza Hernandez (pictured), Michelle Alpizar, Adriana Campuzano and Rudy Jimenez.
The Public Defender’s Office resumed in-person services this week. There is a pop-up site located in the courtyard between the Hall of Administration and the Hall of Justice at the Ventura County Superior Court located at 800 S. Victoria Ave. The pop-up tables will be open weekdays at 8:00 a.m. and will remain open during the morning and afternoon criminal case calendars.
Current clients and new clients that want but cannot afford their own attorney for a criminal matter, are asked to enter the Government Center from Telephone or Hill Roads and park in lots E or F. Then proceed to the courtyard between the Hall of Administration and the Hall of Justice to check in at the Public Defender table.
