Category: News

Economic Development Collaborative (EDC) free event and webinar schedule

by Community Contributor • December 11, 2023 • Comments Off

SBA: HOW TO START A BUSINESS

December 18 @ 10:00 am

Are you interested in starting a business? If you are please join the Small Business Administration (SBA) Los Angeles District Office for a virtual workshop to learn about SBA’s 10 Step Guide on How to Start a Business. This virtual workshop targeted to new entrepreneurs. Topics covered from creating a business plan, finding capital, registering your business, getting necessary permits and/or licenses and getting a business bank account. This is a great opportunity to get any questions you may have answered and find out about the multiple resources available to help you. SBA programs and services are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis. For reasonable accommodation request please send an email to LADO@SBA.GOV at least 7 days in advance.

Bilingual report — 79 students graduate from Hancock nursing programs

by Community Contributor • December 11, 2023 • Comments Off

SANTA MARIA — A total of 79 students graduated from Allan Hancock College’s nursing program on Dec. 7, continuing the college’s legacy of training highly skilled healthcare workers.

The graduating class included 46 graduates from Hancock’s registered nursing program and 33 graduates from the college’s vocational nursing program. The graduates and their families celebrated with a ceremony at the Marian Theatre on the college’s Santa Maria campus. Both groups received commemorative pins marking their accomplishments.

“Training public servants is one of the most important missions of a community college,” said Hancock Superintendent/President Kevin G. Walthers, Ph.D. “I am honored that our nursing students have chosen this profession.”

Santa Barbara County First District Supervisor Das Williams — New Clean Energy Coming Online

by Community Contributor • December 11, 2023 • Comments Off

This week, Central Coast Community Energy 3CE announced signing a contract with Pattern Energy to receive electricity from SunZia Wind, a new renewable energy project in New Mexico that will be 12% of all the power for the 5 counties in our energy provider 3CE. While most of our renewable projects are in California, having a different “load profile” from a project in a neighboring region provides energy that is accessible at different times of the day than we typically get. This is a big deal for our efforts to have more reliability as we get closer to 100% carbon-free energy.

New Grief Support Groups at Livingston’s Camarillo Grief Center

by Community Contributor • December 11, 2023 • Comments Off

CAMARILLO — Livingston’s Camarillo Grief Center is adding new grief support groups that cater to specific bereavement needs this coming January. These close-ended support groups are Healing Grief Through Journaling (January 15th through February 8th), Loss Due to Accidental Overdose (January 16th through March 19th), and Loss of an Adult Child (January 18th through March 21st). For reservations, contact 805-389-6870 or online at lmvna.org/grief. Space is limited.

Museum of Ventura County — Last Chance to Double Your Donation!

by Community Contributor • December 11, 2023 • Comments Off

Don’t miss out on this fantastic opportunity to double your donation! Any gift received by December 10 will be 100% matched.

Just $15 can open the door to discovery for one child. Imagine the impact we can make by reaching ALL the schools in our County. We’re on a mission to raise $150,000 to double the number of tours and pay for more bus rides.

Every donation, no matter how big or small, has the power to ignite a child’s curiosity, nurture a college student’s career, and shape the future of Ventura County.

Kaiser Permanente donates $10,000 To SEEAG’s Ag-Education Programs

by Community Contributor • December 8, 2023 • Comments Off

VENTURA — Kaiser Permanente presented Students for Eco-Education and Agriculture (SEEAG) a $10,000 community health grant during SEEAG’s annual Ventura County Farm Day on November 4. The donation will help fund SEEAG’s Ventura County Youth Wellness Initiative.

SEEAG’s Youth Wellness Initiative addresses the nutrition knowledge gaps and food insecurity among a diverse socioeconomic demographic of students in Ventura County, with a focus on Title 1 elementary schools. SEEAG’s program is designed to inspire and empower students to increase the amount of locally-grown fruits and vegetables they eat while improving overall healthy eating habits and increasing physical activity. Since the program began in 2020, SEEAG has reached 15,500 third graders who participated in hands-on nutrition education during in-class learning and monthly Farm Fresh Wellness Fairs.

SBCC Nursing Program marks endings and new beginnings at Dec. 15 ‘pinning’ ceremony

by Community Contributor • December 8, 2023 • Comments Off

SANTA BARBARA — On Friday, Dec. 15, the most recent cohort of nursing graduates from Santa Barbara City College (SBCC) will formally complete the program with a “pinning” ceremony, earning themselves an Associate Degree in Science in Nursing (ADN). The graduates will have the distinction of completing the program having gone through real-life experiences of the Covid-19 pandemic in the medical field.

This particular cohort – made up of 18 Licensed Vocational Nursing (LVN) Bridge students and 20 ADN generic students – is special, according to Dept. Chair/Director, Associate Degree Nursing and ADN Program Director Mary Sullivan MSN-Ed, RNC- MNN, as they are “the last group that went through nursing school at SBCC during the full-on Covid-19 pandemic.” Curriculum for the program includes hands-on training at Cottage Hospital, where students and instructors from this cohort experienced varying degrees of challenges and stresses working in the medical field during and after the pandemic.

Bilingual report — County of Ventura recognizes employees for decades of dedication to public service

by Community Contributor • December 7, 2023 • Comments Off

VENTURA — On Tuesday, Dec. 5, the County of Ventura honored 25 employees during the regular Board of Supervisors meeting for decades of continuous service across county agencies. The awards are part of the County of Ventura’s Employee Continuous Service Recognition Program which honors staff who have reached career milestones with 25 years or more of service to the county.

“We as a Board take this opportunity to show our appreciation,” said Chair of the Board of Supervisors Matt LaVere. “We have 10,000 employees and I hope we, as a Board, are able to express our utmost appreciation for the work that our employees do every day to serve the residents of Ventura County. With the seniority that is present in the group honored today, it’s amazing to think of the brain power and the work they have done over the years to improve the quality of life in the county.”

Twenty-six recruits graduate from Hancock’s Law Enforcement Academy

by Community Contributor • December 7, 2023 • Comments Off

SANTA MARIA — Twenty-six recruits graduated from Allan Hancock College’s Basic Law Enforcement Academy on Dec. 6 at the college’s Public Safety Training Complex in Lompoc.?

The graduating recruits of Class #23-126 gathered with their friends and families to celebrate the completion of more than 856 training hours required to graduate from the academy and enter careers as peace officers. Nearly all of the recruits have already been hired by Central Coast law enforcement agencies.?

“You have strapped into the seat of one of the greatest rollercoaster rides of your life,” Grover Beach Police Chief John Peters told the graduates. “This profession will have you experiencing more things than you ever imagined.”

Bilingual report — A Win for Equitable Park Access: NatureTrack and Wilderness Youth Project Receive Nearly $400,000 through California Natural Resources Agency Grant

by Community Contributor • December 7, 2023 • Comments Off

SANTA BARBARA — In a significant stride toward fostering equitable access to parks and nature, NatureTrack and Wilderness Youth Project have been awarded grants totaling nearly $400,000 through the California Natural Resources Agency’s Youth Community Access program.

Gov. Gavin Newsom and First Partner Jennifer Seibel lead the state’s Outdoors For All Strategy, which recently allocated a total of almost $18 million to 71 projects statewide. Notably, two projects in Santa Barbara County—NatureTrack and Wilderness Youth Project—received grants to the tune of nearly $400,000.

Santa Ynez Valley-based NatureTrack received $97,400 to support outdoor field trips for underserved, low-income K-12 students in the north county of Santa Barbara County. Older youth will be recruited from local colleges to work as trip docents.

Museum of Ventura County — Announcing MVC’s NEW 2024 Membership Program!

by Community Contributor • December 7, 2023 • Comments Off

The Museum of Ventura County Relaunches its 100% Tax Deductible Membership Program, Offering Accessible Pricing and Exclusive Benefits

MVC’s updated Membership Program features monthly payment options, two new membership levels, an expanded selection of member events and benefits, exclusive member merchandise, and MORE! As admission fees are reinstated at MVC’s Downtown Ventura campus in 2024, the relaunched Membership Program affords visitors a completely tax-deductible alternative and maintains the institution’s dedication to accessibility.

Ventura County Community Development Corp. (VCCDC) — NEW PROGRAM – Get help with buying a home in Camarillo!

by Community Contributor • December 7, 2023 • Comments Off

At VCCDC, we are thrilled to partner with the City of Camarillo to bring you the Camarillo Workforce Housing Down Payment Assistance Program! This program is designed to help local working households purchasing in Camarillo achieve their dream of homeownership.

With up to $50,000 in the form of a ten (10) year deferred loan, low-and moderate-income first-time homebuyers can receive the financial support they need to make their homeownership dreams a reality. Plus, these funds can be combined with VCCDC’s other programs to maximize purchasing power.

UCSB — The Current — ‘Modernists defined organic architecture, Helena Arahuete is making it current’ and more news, events

by Community Contributor • December 7, 2023 • Comments Off

The Los Angeles-based architect’s 50-year career in organic architecture is the focus of the Art, Design & Architecture Museum’s current exhibition “From Within: The Architecture of Helena Arahuete.”