Local news

Santa Barbara County Second District Supervisor Janet Wolf recently visited the Center for Lifelong Learning (CLL) at SBCC Wake Campus, where she met staff and teachers and toured the campus with CLL Executive Director Andy Harper. Supervisor Wolf visited CLL classes and also met Dean Diane Hollems and teachers of credit and non-credit classes, the center reported in a media release.

The SBCC Center for Lifelong Learning officially launched on Sept. 9, with more than 500 classes for fall term, including 50 new offerings, and a new lecture and special event series, “CLL Presents.” The Center for Lifelong Learning is “home” to five major program categories previously offered as part of SBCC Continuing Education.

“It is a great validation for CLL to have the support of local leaders, like Supervisor Wolf, as we work to serve our diverse community’s need,” Harper stated in the release. “CLL is here to bring our community together around learning, personal growth, and engagement with each other.”

Adults of all ages may sign up for evening, weekday and Saturday classes and workshops. Many classes are still beginning throughout November and December. Fall term ends Dec. 14. The SBCC Center for Lifelong Learning mission is to be responsive to the diverse lifelong learning needs of adult members of the Santa Barbara community. CLL aims to be the educational, cultural and social hub for the Santa Barbara community, continuing a nearly 60-year tradition of excellence. CLL is online at www.sbcc.edu/CLL, and on Facebook (sbccCLL) and Twitter (@sbccCLL).

 

The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program is seeking volunteer tax preparers for its free service that provides income tax preparation to low- and moderate-income individuals and families earning up to $52,000 for the 2013 tax year, the United Way of Ventura County reported in a media release.

Volunteers, especially those with bilingual abilities, are needed in three areas — tax preparation, intake/screening, interpreters. No experience is necessary.

The Earn It! Keep It! Save It! program is a collaborative of public, private and governmental partners supporting this effort. IRS certified volunteers ensure that filers have access to free tax preparation and receive all eligible tax credits and deductions, including the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), Child Tax Credit, Education Tax Credit and Child Care deduction.

Last year, 60 local VITA volunteers served hard-working individuals and families by:

Filing more than 1,500 returns

Returning over $2.2 million in tax refunds back into the community

Saving taxpayers over $200,000 in tax preparation fees

VITA volunteers are asked to serve 3 to 4 hours per week during the tax season (Feb.-April 2014). Free classroom and online training is available and all tax preparation volunteers must complete an IRS certification. Volunteers are also needed to assist with intake and translation at nine VITA sites located throughout the county.

Visit http://www.volunteerventuracounty.org/user/events/one_v2.tcl?event_id=10605824233 for more information.

 

The Ventura County Public Works Agency (VCPWA) will perform a countywide exercise to determine how well the county can respond to severe storms from 8 a.m. to nonn Tuesday, Nov. 5. The annual “Storm Day” test incorporates realistic simulations of rainfall events severe enough that they usually occur only once in 50 years, officials reported in a media release. “Storm Day” will mark the “breaking in” of the newly upgraded VCPWA operations/storm center. The tests of emergency response methods and communications also will include the Ventura County Watershed Protection District (VCWPD) – part of VCPWA – and the county Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services (OES). VCWPD Operations and Maintenance crews will mobilize their heaviest vehicles and equipment, including 25-ton cranes and wheeled excavators. During the exercise, 80 Watershed Protection District staff will report to their emergency duty stations. Field operations staff will call out Storm Patrols who will “find” and report damaged facilities, flooding and other emergency conditions. Once damage is “found,” staff will then mobilize the appropriate resources to address the problem.

 

The Oxnard Fire Department is encouraging all local residents to check their smoke alarm batteries as they set their clocks back on Nov. 3.

By checking smoke alarm batteries and testing the devices when daylight-saving time begins and ends, residents can ensure their houses are as fire safe as possible, Sergio Martinez, Oxnard’s new fire marshal, stated in a media release.

Nationally, almost two-thirds of fire deaths occur in homes without a working smoke alarm. Properly installed and maintained smoke alarms provide a vital layer of protection, and significantly reduce the chances of injury or death from fire.

“Our goal is for every home in the City of Oxnard to have a working smoke alarm,” Martinez said. He encourages residents to test their smoke alarms once a month.

In addition to checking and replacing batteries, Martinez also encouraged local residents this weekend to dust or vacuum smoke alarms to eliminate any built-up residue, replace detectors more than 10 years old, develop and practice a home escape plan and ensure that everyone in the residence knows how to respond when a smoke detector sounds.

The Oxnard Fire Department can provide and install free smoke detectors for Oxnard residents 65 and older. To request a free smoke detector, visit any Oxnard fire station, the Fire Administration office, or call Inspector Chad Carroll at 805-385-7705.

 

Gonzalo Fernandez, owner of small business financing advisory firm GBF Consulting, has joined the Economic Development Collaborative-Ventura County’s SBDC as an adviser. Fernandez will assist Small Business Development Center clients in the areas of analyzing and securing business loans, and strategic planning. Fernandez joins the about 30 advisers offering Ventura County companies no-cost general and specialized business assistance, including manufacturing, international trade, and government contracting and procurement.

“Gonzalo is an experienced banker with a proven track record of developing and growing SBA lending programs throughout California,” Ray Bowman, SBDC director, stated in a media release. “His financial expertise is invaluable for our SBDC clients looking to access capital to grow their existing businesses or to start a new one.”

A Thousand Oaks resident, Fernandez has held senior management positions at national, regional and community banks. Most recently, he served as the senior vice president program manager in the small-business lending division for First California Bank, where he was responsible for creating and managing the bank’s SBA program. Fernandez also serves as an adviser for SCORE Ventura County and Women’s Economic Ventures.

Fernandez, who is bilingual in Spanish and English, has a business degree from La Salle Business College, Havana, Cuba, and an executive program in management certification from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management.