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Category: Women
Bilingual report — County of Santa Barbara January 13 Board of Supervisors Meeting
The next regular meeting of the
County Board of Supervisors is scheduled for
9 a.m. Tuesday, January 13, 2026
County Administration Building, Fourth Floor
105 East Anapamu Street, Santa Barbara
The public may participate virtually or in person at the County Board Hearing Room
in Santa Barbara or Santa Maria.
Women’s Economic Ventures names Amgen’s DeAnna Steiger, Ph.D. as Board Chair
CENTRAL COAST — Women’s Economic Ventures (WEV) has named DeAnna Steiger, Ph.D. as its Board Chair, effective January 1, 2026, as the non-profit enters its 35thyear of serving women and entrepreneurs in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties.
Steiger will serve a two-year term and succeeds Melissa Livingston, retired Director of the Ventura County Human Services Agency and a longtime WEV Board member. Livingston will remain on the Board for one additional year.
Steiger has served on WEV’s Board since 2022 and most recently chaired the organization’s Development Committee. During that time, WEV strengthened its fundraising strategy and grew participation in the League of Extraordinary Women, the organization’s annual giving circle. The organization also expanded donor engagement and stewardship through major fundraising efforts tied to International Women’s Day and National Give to Women and Girls Day.
Museum of Ventura County — Free Admission for All in January
The beginning of a new year is the perfect time for something new! Throughout January, enjoy FREE admission for all at the Museum of Ventura County. Join us to explore, reflect, and connect.
Open Thursday to Sunday
11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
100 East Main Street, Ventura
Free admission is made possible by the generous support of Bill and Elise Kearney.
Cottage Health welcomes its first baby of 2026
SANTA BARBARA — Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital welcomed its first baby of the new year.
New parents, Jessica and Laurence welcomed their first child, a baby girl named Isla, at 4:41 am on Thursday, January 1, 2026, at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital (SBCH).
Weighing 8 pounds and 16 ounces and measuring 20.5 inches, Baby Isla’s arrival marked an exciting start to the new year.
As the family begins this new chapter, a sentiment they shared felt especially fitting: “A beginning is the time for taking the most delicate care.” — Frank Herbert, Dune
My Way Home (Doing business as Ventura County Community Development Corp.) — Thank you for an impactful 2025!
As we come to the close of 2025, I want to begin by saying thank you for being part of our community.
We were able to accomplish a lot of great things in 2025, including:
Assisting 265+ families in achieving or preserving homeownership
Providing 1,130+ individuals with free homeownership and financial education
Providing 515+ families with access to free financial coaching
Financing $15M+ in first mortgages for low- and moderate- income families for the purchase of safe and affordable homes
Awarding or facilitating $1.4M+ in down payment and closing cost assistance for low- and moderate- income families
House Farm Workers congratulates local advocate and attorney Barbara Macri-Ortiz
VENTURA COUNTY — Nov. 15, 2025, was a rainy, dark night, especially since the power at the Four Points by Sheraton in Ventura was out. Guests arrived unaware of the power outage and ran from their cars into the hotel lobby to shelter from the rain, ready to warm up and enjoy the Ventura County Bar Association’s Awards Dinner, only to find a dark room with a small table staffed by a kind VCBA member and a tiny battery-operated light.
Attendees did not scare away, and spirits did not fall; everyone embraced the low-lit event, as it was still a grand celebration of Barbara Macri-Ortiz, who would be honored with the Ben E. Nordman Public Service Award.
805UNDOCUFund — Impacts of ICE Raids in the Past 4 Days
In the past 4 days, nearly 3 out of every 4 kidnappings occurred in Santa Maria.This level of concentration cannot be explained away as “targeted enforcement.” It reflects systemic racial profiling, particularly against Latino and Indigenous migrant communities, including Mixtec and other Indigenous peoples.
This terror is not incidental — it is the intended outcome.
These actions undermine constitutional protections, violate due process, and impose collective punishment on entire communities. The psychological toll, trauma, chronic stress, fear, will last long after these raids end.
Community Alert: Escalating ICE raids across the Central Coast 805. UndocuFund issues urgent call for Community and Financial Support
CENTRAL COAST — 805UndocuFund is urgently alerting the community to a devastating escalation in immigration enforcement activity across Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties over the past several days. These actions are causing profound harm to immigrant families, workers, and entire communities, with lasting consequences for public health, safety, and the regional economy.
Over the weekend alone, 805UndocuFund’s 805 Rapid Response Network alongside autonomous community patrol and defense groups SBResiste, and Carpinteria Sin Fronteras, documented 58 ICE kidnappings across the Central Coast:
• Saturday, December 27, 2025:
35 total — 33 in Santa Maria and 2 in San Luis Obispo
• Sunday, December 28, 2025:
23 total — 13 in Lompoc, 8 in Santa Maria, and 2 in Santa Barbara
• Monday, December 29, 2025, ICE continues operations in Santa Maria and San Luis Obispo, terrorizing residents, destabilizing workplaces, and leaving families in crisis.
