Local news briefs

CAMARILLO — CSU Channel Islands (CI) hosted its second Migrant Summer Leadership Institute (MSLI) for migrant high school students and their parents from July 11-26, university officials reported in a media release.

The institute, funded through a grant from the California Department of Education, exposes migrant children and their parents to the opportunities and benefits of a college education and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) learning.

As part of the program, the MSLI presented the Parent Institute, a two-day residential program for 40 parents selected from around the state. Parents attended sessions explaining the benefits of a college education, financial aid and scholarships, pre-college and college coursework, college life and how to support their college-bound students.

The MSLI Student Institute is a two-week residential program composed of 100 high school students selected from around the state. The program offers students a taste of college life and learning on the CI campus. The curriculum includes classes taught by university professors; leadership and team-building activities; peer mentoring and career coaching; field trips to Santa Cruz Island and the California Science Center; and a variety of speakers, experiments and fun STEM learning activities. Students resided in the student housing at Santa Cruz Village throughout the program.

CI was one of two institutions awarded the $250,000 MSLI grant, based on a detailed proposal. The California Department of Education awards contracts to two public universities each year to conduct summer institutes for students and parents as part of its effort to help migrant students overcome educational disruption and make a smooth transition to college. The institutes’ curriculum is designed by university professors and staff to offer academic enrichment activities, leadership opportunities, college preparation and exposure to STEM.

 

SANTA BARBARA — UC Santa Barbara Professor of Chicano Studies Mario T. García seeks to answer what sets Latino immigrants apart and what they have in common in his recently published book “The Latino Generation: Voices of the New America” (University of North Carolina Press, 2014).

“The Latino Generation involves not only Mexican-Americans but also other Latinos, like Central Americans and others who come of age in the 1980s and ’90s,” García, who studies Chicano history from a generational standpoint, stated in a media release. His other studies have examined Mexicans in the United States who were the result of the U.S.–Mexico War of the 1840s, which he calls the “Conquered Generation,” and the massive influx of immigrants from south of the new border in the following generation that he calls the “Immigrant Generation.”

The group that follows is called the “Mexican-American Generation,” which consisted of a mix of new immigrants and second-generation Mexicans in the U.S., who felt the effects of the Great Depression and World War II. The 1960s and ’70s brought the Civil Rights Era and the “Chicano Generation.”

“Demographically, the members of the Latino Generation are children of immigrants who have come in the later ’60s and the ’70s. But also, they are the children of Central American refugees who started coming in the ’80s,” García said. They are bound by other factors, including globalization and the U.S.’s need for laborers in the service industry.

This generation is also unique in that Latinos now represent the largest minority in the U.S., and with that growth comes the social and political sway that accompanies large markets and voting blocs, García said.

 

CAMARILLO — The Ventura County Veterans Fund at the Ventura County Community Foundation awarded more than $100,000 in grants to local nonprofits that help veterans adjust to civilian life, the organization reported in a media release.

The awards were presented at a public reception to seven nonprofits that meet a variety of veterans’ needs, including college and career preparation and emotional therapy.

“Because these organizations are local and they better understand the challenges our veterans face, their services will yield even improved outcomes and opportunities to the returning warriors they serve,” said Hugh Ralston, outgoing VCCF president and CEO.

Programs receiving the 2014 grants were:

• $5,000 to Healing in America for the Healing the Returning Warriors program.
• $20,000 to Turning Point Foundation for the H2H Housing First Veterans Project.
• $25,000 to Reins of H.O.P.E. for the H.O.P.E. for Warriors Ventura County Veterans Services Program.
• $10,000 to Oxnard College for counseling students through the “Boots to Books” program.
• $25,200 to the CSU Channel Islands Foundation for the Veterans Affairs Internship Program.

 

CENTRAL COAST — More than $8 million in federal grants have been awarded to help working-class Central Coast residents with housing and economic opportunities, Rep. Lois Capps, D-Santa Barbara, reported in a media release.

The grants come through three different programs:

Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) provide federal funding to local governments to develop viable urban communities by providing affordable housing and expanding economic opportunities for low and moderate income individuals.

The HOME program expands the supply of affordable housing to low and very-low income families by providing grants to fund housing programs that meet local needs and priorities.

The Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) program provides funding to engage homeless individuals and families living on the street; improves the number and quality and operations of emergency shelters for homeless individuals and families; provides essential services to shelter residents, rapidly re-house homeless individuals and families, and prevents families and individuals from becoming homeless.

“These grants will go a long way to making housing more affordable for more people,” Capps said. “From providing affordable housing to low income residents, to engaging homeless individuals and providing resources and support to those without a home, these grants help our local agencies provide critical services to the people who need it most.”

Ventura County received a total of $1,978,239 in funding, including $1,531,833 in CDBG funds and $46,406 through the HOME program.

The City of Ventura received a total of $1,061,314 in funding, including $739,298 in CDBG funds and $322,016 through the HOME program.

Santa Barbara County received a total of $2,575,961 in grant funding, including $1,511,673 in CDBG funds, $126,795 in ESG funds, and $937,493 in HOME funds.

San Luis Obispo County received a total of $2,489,332 in funding, including $1,627,673 in CDBG funds, $726,163 through the HOME program, and $135,496 through the ESG program.

 

VENTURA COUNTY — The Ventura County Health Care Agency (VCHCA) has been awarded a $4.1 million Health Care Innovation Award by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to implement a new “Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Access to Community Health” (CATCH) program.

The coordinated health care program is designed to improve the stability of patients with COPD and reduce emergency room visits, inpatient days and overuse of primary care physicians. It also includes patient education and self-management training; care management; community referral and coordination; home visitation; monitoring and feedback; and follow-up and reassessment.

The program also seeks to identify patients not yet diagnosed with COPD to begin early treatment and prevent aggravation of the chronic condition.

“We are proud of Dr. Renee Higgins, chief operations officer, Ambulatory Care Administration, and her team for their creative approach to improving COPD patient care,” Barry Fisher, director of VCHCA, stated in the release. “Although COPD patients cannot undo damage to their lungs, with coordinated care, they can prevent further damage, better manage their disease and feel better.”

 

CAMARILLO — Joe Flores, fleet and facilities manager at Roadrunner Shuttle, recently participated on a panel on the positive impact of propane autogas as an alternative fuel at the 2014 Alternative Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo in Long Beach, which attracted more than 3,500 people, the company reported in a media release.

Flores said Roadrunner’s use of propane — also known as LNG — in its airport shuttles and throughout its fleet has boosted the company’s bottom line and is an environmentally friendly fuel choice.

Studies show propane autogas exhaust has 60 to 70 percent fewer smog-producing hydrocarbons than gasoline. It reduces a vehicle’s carbon footprint by 60 percent because it produces less carbon monoxide, reduces nitrogen by 20 percent, and emits up to 24 percent fewer greenhouse gases. Flores also said propane costs 50 percent less than gasoline and it burns cleaner, which results in lower engine maintenance costs.

“Environmental sustainability and stewardship are a top priority for Roadrunner Shuttle and our clients. We are the only Ventura County private transportation company to convert its shared-ride operations to clean-burning alternative fuels. We’re proud that 80 percent of our fleet uses alternative fuel or low emissions vehicles,” said Charles Sandlin, Roadrunner’s general manager.

The ACT Expo was North America’s largest clean fleet show, representing all vehicle weight classes and alternative fuels.

 

THOUSAND OAKS — Ten California Lutheran University faculty members, including Jose Marichal and Veronica Guerrero, have been promoted in rank or awarded tenure.

Marichal and Haco Hoang of the Political Science Department were advanced to the rank of full professor.

Marichal, of Thousand Oaks, earned a bachelor’s degree in communication and English from Florida State University, a master’s degree in political science from Florida Atlantic University and a doctorate in political science from the University of Colorado.

Guerrero, an assistant professor and former director of the Master of Business Administration program, and David Powell, a professor and the director of the Master of Public Policy and Administration program, were elected to tenure.

Guerrero, of Newbury Park, has a bachelor’s degree in business administration and marketing from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, an MBA from San Jose State University and a doctorate in organizational leadership from Pepperdine University.

Michael Gerson and Jodie Kocur of the Graduate School of Psychology, Maura Martindale of the Graduate School of Education, Bryan Rasmussen of the English Department and John Tannaci of the Chemistry Department were elected to tenure and advanced to the rank of associate professor. Michael Gagliardo of the Mathematics Department was advanced to the rank of associate professor.