Forty-five teachers and 727 elementary school students from the Port Hueneme School District and Oxnard School District have submitted entries for the 28th Annual California Strawberry Festival Youth Art Design Contest, the organization reported this week. The winner will receive…
Category: News
VCCF accepting proposals for farmworker housing grant
The Ventura County Community Foundation’s Fund for Farmworker Housing is accepting proposals from local organizations to help alleviate the local farmworker housing crisis, the organization reported in a media release. The majority of the $135,000 available will go to projects…
Film screening, photo exhibit on Mexican Revolution set for March 16, 17 at CSUCI
A film screening and opening reception for the exhibit “Mexico, the Revolution and Beyond,” will be held March 16 and 17 at California State University, Channel Islands. The university’s history program will join the Mexican Consulate in the English-language screening…
Healthcare Town Hall Meeting set for March 14
Gold Coast Health Plan will present a Town Hall Meeting at 6 p.m. Monday, March 14 at Clinicas de Camino Real Inc., 200 So. Wells Road, Suite 100, Ventura. The program will include information on changes that will affect individual…
UCSB Arts & Lectures honored for ¡Viva el Arte de Santa Bárbara! partnership
UCSB Arts & Lectures has been awarded the 2011 Association of Performing Arts Presenters/MetLife Arts Access Award for Engaging Underserved Communities in recognition of its ¡Viva el Arte de Santa Bárbara! partnership, UCSB reported in a media release. ¡Viva el Arte de Santa Bárbara!…
Ruiz wins first bout at Golden Gloves Tournament
Andy Ruiz of Oxnard has won his first bout at the Southern Calif Golden Gloves Tournament held March 8 at the Lincoln Park recreation center in Los Angeles, Manuel Herrera reported in a media release. With a score of 5-0,…
Speakers sought for Moorpark College’s Multicultural Day
Moorpark College is seeking presenters for its annual Multicultural Day 2011 to be held from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. April 12. The event, “Celebrating a Wealth of Culture,” presents an annual alternative day of instruction features insightful lectures, breathtaking performances,…
Immigration panel discussion set for March 9 in Thousand Oaks
The Democratic Club of the Conejo Valley will present a moderator-led immigration forum beginning with a reception at 6:15 p.m. Wednesday, March 9 at the Thousand Oaks Library, 1401 E. Janss Road, Thousand Oaks. Confirmed speakers include immigration attorney Gabriella Navarro-Busch;…
Enrique’s Journey author to speak March 9 at Moorpark College
Sonia Nazario, author of Enrique’s Journey, will speak at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 9 at Moorpark College, 7075 Campus Road, in the campus dining room. Enrique’s Journey, the 2010-11 One Campus One Book Selection, is about a teen who decides to pursue…
Latino Leadership Award profile: Joseph M. Medina
Editor’s note: Amigos805 will be presenting a regular profile of the winners of El Concilio Family Services’ 2011 Latino Leadership Awards, to be presented March 26 in Oxnard. The awards this year focus on educators who make a difference in the…
Latino Links: Health Trends
By Frank X. Moraga / Amigos805.com While 99 percent of Latinos in California over the age of 50 are concerned about having access to affordable health care, only 34 percent believe they have the amount of coverage they need, according…
Lois Capps: House budget bad for California’s security
Cuts to port and border security endanger safety and hurt economy The seven month spending bill passed by the House last month would weaken California’s security by reducing funding for critical security grant programs, Rep. Lois Capps, D-Santa Barbara, stated…
Das Williams: Help me balance the budget
Dear Friends, Last weekend we held our first town hall meeting in Ventura concerning the budget. The nonprofit, Next 10, demonstrated their California Budget Challenge, which allowed attendees to vote on Governor Brown’s proposals to balance the budget. The Ventura…
Latino Leadership Award profile: Fundi Legohn
Editor’s note: Amigos805 will be presenting a regular profile of the winners of El Concilio Family Services’ 2011 Latino Leadership Awards, to be presented March 26 in Oxnard. The awards this year focus on educators who make a difference in the…
Latino Links: Political Trends
By Frank X. Moraga / Amigos805.com While the DREAM Act failed to gain approval from the U.S. Congress, Latinos going to the polls in 2012 are expected to remember the failed proposal and the inability by both parties to achieve…
Lacayo Institute receives $100,000 grant from Verizon
Verizon has presented a $100,000 grant to expand the Henry L. “Hank” Lacayo Institute for Workforce & Community Studies (HLI) at CSU Channel Islands, Richard R. Rush, university president, reported in a media release. “We are pleased to have an…
Destino accepting grant applications to prepare college students
Destino: The Hispanic Legacy Fund is accepting proposals from local nonprofits so it can distribute $57,000 in grants for programs to boost college preparedness for Latino youth in Ventura County, the organization reported recently in a media release. The deadline…
Latino Leadership Award profile: Art Hernandez
Editor’s note: Amigos805 will be presenting a regular profile of the winners of El Concilio Family Services’ 2011 Latino Leadership Awards, to be presented March 26 in Oxnard. The awards this year focus on educators who make a difference in the…
Latino Links: Business/Finance Trends
By Frank X. Moraga / Amigos805.com The nation’s sluggish economy has had a significant impact on mortgage lending to Latinos, while the community is getting tax time help in Spanish. The Chicago Sun Times reports that lending to Hispanics plummets…
Public continues to oppose changing ‘Birthright Citizenship’
By Frank X. Moraga / Amigos805 While Arizona Republican lawmakers ponder a variety of legislative bills aimed at cracking down on undocumented immigration in the state, a Pew Research Center Poll released Feb. 24 continues to show the American public…
Community celebrates Flor y Canto in Guadalupe
Poets, musicians and community members from San Luis Obispo and several neighboring counties took part in the Raza Speaks: Flor y Canto celebration held Feb 19 at the the Guadalupe Cultural Arts & Education Center in the city of Guadalupe.…
Latino Links: Political Trends
By Frank X. Moraga / Amigos805.com The economy, immigration and other hot button issues continue to impact the perceptions Latinos have when supporting Republicans or Democrats, according to a recent poll. Meanwhile, in a demographic trend that could be repeated…
Rosary services set for Phillip F. ‘Phil the Barber’ Marquez
Rosary services for Phillip F. Marquez will be recited at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 24, at the San Buenaventura Mission, Ventura. Known as “Phil the Barber,” Marquez died at his home in Ventura on Feb. 15, after a brief illness with…
Latino Leadership Award profile: Carmen Guerrero
Editor’s note: Amigos805 will be presenting a regular profile of the winners of El Concilio Family Services’ 2011 Latino Leadership Awards, to be presented March 26 in Oxnard. The awards this year focus on educators who make a difference in the…
Boys & Girls Club of Ventura seeks community speakers
The Boys & Girls Club of Ventura is seeking community leaders to “share their life experiences, skills, talents and what it takes to become contributing, happy citizens of the community” through the club’s twice weekly “Speakers Series,” Dr. Susanne Lammot,…
Latino Leadership Award profile: Javier Gomez
Editor’s note: Amigos805 will be presenting a regular profile of the winners of El Concilio Family Services’ 2011 Latino Leadership Awards, to be presented March 26 in Oxnard. The awards this year focus on educators who make a difference in the…
Latino Links: Education Trends
By Frank X. Moraga / Amigos805.com This is also a good time of year for Latinos to consider their educational options. Many organizations are accepting applications for scholarships and grants for would-be college students. www.hispanicprwire.com recently published the release “Tips…
Young Leaders Society presenting Prom Dress Project
The Young Leaders Society has officially launched the annual Prom Dress Project, a prom dress recycling program for underprivileged students. The deadline to drop off prom dresses is Feb. 27, reported the Young Leaders Society, a program of the United…
Dr. Priscilla Partridge de Garcia to be featured workshop leader
Dr. Priscilla Partridge de Garcia, a Ventura County cinical psychologist, marriage and family therapist, will be a featured workshop leader for the March 11 USC Women’s Conference “Express, Encourage, Inspire”. She will be joining a plastic surgeon and a nutritionist…
CSU Channel Islands develops programs to prepare future university students
By Frank X. Moraga / Amigos805.com After years of planning, which included proposals to build on land overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Ventura and on farmland near the California Youth Authority in Camarillo, it was with great relief and excitement…
MICOP seeking literacy tutors
The Mixtec Advisory Committee 2011 is seeking volunteers for its new community-wide literacy effort. “Many Mixtec adults were unable to complete significant schooling as children, and many are unable to write their names, addresses or basic information,” Margaret Sawyer, executive…
Rio Mesa’s Folklórico Club seeking donations
The Rio Mesa High School Folklórico Club is seeking donations to pay for costumes so the group can perform at the Rio Mesa Dance Show “Switch It Up,” on May 6, at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center. The club has previously…
Sister City Committee holding fundraiser Feb. 16
The Oxnard-Ocotlán Sister City Committee is presenting a fundraiser to benefit visitation programs between the two cities from 4 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 16 at Yolanda’s Mexican Cafe, 1601 So. Victoria Ave., Oxnard. Yolanda’s will donate 20 percent of…
Latino Leadership Award profile: Elmelda P. Almanza
Editor’s note: Amigos805 will be presenting a regular profile of the winners of El Concilio Family Services’ 2011 Latino Leadership Awards, to be presented March 26 in Oxnard. The awards this year focus on educators who make a difference in the…
Teatro de las Américas presents Actors’ workshop in Spanish
Teatro de las Américas is presenting an Actors’ Workshop in Spanish for persons of all ages, no experience needed. Beginning Thursday, March 3, the workshop will meet from 7 to 10 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays at Teatro de las Américas’…
Mexican Consulate offering free Spanish-language textbooks
The government of México is presenting its “The 2011 Free Spanish Textbooks Program” to local educators and educational institutions, the Mexican Consulate in Oxnard reported this week. “This is a important tool for educators who are looking to improve their relationship…
CSUCI’s program seeks to make parks relevant to diverse youth community
California State University, Channel Islands working with National Parks Service in increase access Minority youth often have little history using parks for recreation and other outdoor activities. To reverse that trend, the National Parks Service Foundation is teaming up with…
Commentary: The ebb and flow of immigration to the U.S.
By Frank X. Moraga / Amigos805.com The number of undocumented immigrants coming the U.S. remained virtually unchanged in 2010 (11.2 million) over the prior year, according to new estimates by the Pew Hispanic Center. While the report focused on the…
Garcia Boxing Academy receives van from Barber Ford
Photo courtesy of the Robert Garcia Boxing Academy A custom van with a special van wrap mural was donated by Barber Ford in Ventura to the Robert Garcia Boxing Academy during a ceremony held Feb. 3 at the academy in…
Oxnard celebrates swearing in of new police chief
By Jess Gutierrez / Special to Amigos805 “It’s nice to say ‘chief,’ and it’s a female,” said Oxnard Councilwoman and Mayor Pro Tem Irene Pinkard loudly during the recent swearing in of Oxnard’s new Police Chief Jeri Williams, the first…
Commentary: Community advocate shared her strong spirit on a number of causes
Memorial service set for Feb. 5 for Avie Guerra By Frank X. Moraga / Amigos805 It was with much sadness that we learned this week of the passing of Marie Avelina Guerra. “Avie,” as we all knew her, was a strong…
FOOD Share launches ‘Tackle Hunger Super Bowl’ food drive
FOOD Share has launched its Tackle Hunger Super Bowl food drive, encouraging high school students, sports groups and the Associated Student Body to help collect 25,000 pounds of food from now through Feb. 28, Ventura County’s regional food bank reported…
California Strawberry Festival awards scholarships
The non-profit California Strawberry Festival has awarded $6,000 in scholarships to deserving students throughout Ventura County, Sumiko Kato reported recently. Kato is a board member and scholarship chairman of the Dr. Kato Scholarship Award Committee. Giving back is a part of the…
Rio School District accepting applications
The Rio School District is accepting applications for open enrollment, intra-district transfers Feb. 1 through March 1, the district reported in a media release. Intra-district transfers are transfers requested by resident district students who wish to enroll at a school site other…
Young Leaders Society holding mixer Jan. 27
The Young Leaders Society will hold its Post Holiday Mixer from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 27 at the Carnegie Art Museum, 424 So. C St., Oxnard. Reservations are due by Jan. 25. For more information, contact Pedro A.…
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. march photo gallery
Photos courtesy of Jess Gutierrez Photo slideshow by Mariana Llamas-Cendon / Amigos805 Hundreds of participants attended a march in Oxnard on Jan. 17 honoring the 25th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. The march began at Oxnard’s historic…
Seminar for small businesses starting Jan. 22 in Santa Barbara
“Seminarios para Negocios Pequeños — 2011” (Seminars for Small Businesses) will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays, Jan. 22, 29, Feb. 5, 12 at Santa Barbara City College, Wake Center Auditorium, 300 No. Turnpike Road, Santa Barbara. Topics include finanzas, impuestos, mercadotecnia, fl…
Oxnard resident wins Ventura Music Festival’s Student Jazz Competition
Oxnard resident Rachel Flowers, 17, earned top honors at the Ventura Music Festival’s annual Student Jazz Competition held Jan. 16 at Ventura’s Laurel Theatre, the festival reported in a media release. Flowers was awarded both the opportunity to play on stage with Cuban jazz…
Hundreds march in Oxnard in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
By Jess Gutierrez Hundreds marched from Oxnard’s Plaza Park to the Oxnard Performing Arts Center on Monday, Jan. 17 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the federal holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Under sunny warm weather, families, individuals,…
Board of Supervisors make history with appointment
For the first time in about 100 years, a Latino citizen, John Zaragoza, was appointed vice chair of the Ventura County Board of Supervisors. The appointment was made at the Jan. 11 Board of Supervisors meeting. Adolfo Camarillo, the only…