CAMARILLO — During this spring, California State University Channel Islands (CSUCI) has already awarded $189,900 in scholarships for 71 students — 47 of whom currently attend Ventura County high schools. These scholarships reflect CSUCI’s continued investment in local students and their families, helping to ensure that a CSUCI education is affordable while supporting an educational experience shaped by close faculty mentorship and hands-on learning opportunities.
SANTA BARBARA — For Santa Barbara High School student Ofelia Jarabo, dance is more than just a performance. It’s a celebration of culture, history, and community. When she stepped into the role of president of the Baile Folklórico Club, she was determined to keep the tradition alive on campus.
But with the need for traditional skirts and transportation funding for performances, the challenge seemed overwhelming. That’s when Jarabo discovered the Santa Barbara Education Foundation’s Student Grants program.
Thanks to the grant, the club was able to purchase traditional skirts that not only enhance performances but also deepen students’ connection to their cultural heritage. For Jarabo, the impact goes beyond just costumes.
VENTURA — The County of Ventura has issued the first certificate of occupancy for a home rebuilt following the Mountain Fire, marking a significant step forward in the community’s recovery. The fire, which started November 6, 2024, burned through unincorporated Camarillo and surrounding areas, destroying 182 homes and damaging additional structures. The disaster displaced hundreds of residents and launched a long-term recovery effort involving multiple county agencies and community partners.
SANTA BARBARA — The Community Environmental Council (CEC) has announced its 2026 Environmental Heroes, honoring Megan Birney Rudert and Assemblymember Gregg Hart for their leadership and innovation in advancing climate solutions. The awards will be presented at the 56th annual Santa Barbara Earth Day Festival, returning to Alameda Park April 25–26, 2026.
One of the longest-running Earth Day celebrations in the country—and among the largest on the West Coast—the Santa Barbara Earth Day Festival is a beloved community tradition that brings together thousands of attendees for a weekend of environmental action, education, and celebration. The free, two-day event will take place Saturday, April 25 from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and Sunday, April 26 from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
THOUSAND OAKS — Habitat for Humanity of Ventura County (Habitat Ventura) hosted its annual Collegiate Challenge from March 22nd to 28th. The week-long event is an alternative spring break program that brings college students to work alongside the organization’s Home Repair team. This year’s cohort of ten volunteers, drawn from chapters of Theta Tau at UC Merced and Northern Arizona University, spent the week completing repairs across four homes in Thousand Oaks. Work included painting, replacing doors, completing appliance and electrical work, installing showers, and repairing stairs. Each project addressed the kind of deferred maintenance that can put a senior’s ability to stay in their home at risk.
“I couldn’t do this without them. Literally, from the outside of my house, which they did last year, to the inside of my house, which they’re doing this year,” said Rebecca T., a Thousand Oaks resident whose home received repairs.
UC Santa Barbara’s Top News & Featured Events
April 9, 2026
? Top News
Daniel Blumenthal in his lab
To advance quantum technology, miniaturization is the name of the game
Daniel Blumenthal’s research group is working to shrink large lasers, optical components and quantum optical light-matter experiments down to the size of a deck of cards.
The County of Ventura has issued the first certificate of occupancy for a home rebuilt following the Mountain Fire, marking a significant step forward in the community’s recovery. The fire, which started November 6, 2024, burned through unincorporated Camarillo and surrounding areas, destroying 182 homes and damaging additional structures. The disaster displaced hundreds of residents and launched a long-term recovery effort involving multiple county agencies and community partners.
CESI’s 2026 conference, “California’s Housing Crisis: Roots of the Problem and What Lies Ahead,” is now fully available—bringing together opening remarks, cutting-edge research, a dynamic panel, and candid Q&A throughout.
Explore three short highlight videos tackling housing affordability, economic inequality, and the mounting pressures facing communities across California.
This is more than a recap—it’s a call to action. Join the conversation, challenge the status quo, and help drive the long-overdue change Californians deserve.
Wednesdays, April 15 through June 3, 2026
6:30 – 8:30 p.m. PDT via Zoom
(Plus occasional weekends for in-person field trips)
You don’t have to be a scientist or politician to make a difference in the climate movement. Real progress happens neighbor by neighbor. CEC’s Climate Stewards Certification Program, in partnership with the University of California Environmental Stewards program, equips everyday people to lead that change, offering a clear path toward meaningful local action.
CAMARILLO — Ventura County’s artists, cultural leaders, and creative entrepreneurs are invited to gather for ReFrame, a one-day convening designed to strengthen the region’s creative economy and support the people who power it. The 3rd annual event is taking place Sunday, April 12, 2026 from 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM at Studio Channel Islands Art Center (SCIArt) in Camarillo. It brings together creatives from across the county to learn, connect, and explore how arts and culture can drive both community wellbeing and economic vitality.
VENTURA COUNTY — The Ventura County Fire Department will honor 43 employees, first responders, and civilians for excellence in support of the department’s public safety mission at our annual awards ceremony on Thursday, April 23 at the Ronald Regan Library in Simi Valley.
Two Ventura County residents will be awarded life-saving citation medals for their critical role helping a member of our community during a life-threatening emergency.
SANTA BARBARA — Stanley Isaac Clothier was born on April 8, 1921, in Lakeside, Montana, a tiny town along Flathead Lake, not far from Glacier National Park. His life began at the tail end of the “Roaring Twenties,” a time when jazz filled the air, prohibition shaped culture, and the nation stood on the brink of the Great Depression.
But Stan’s beginnings were far removed from the energy of city life. He was raised in a log cabin built by neighbors in a “housing bee,” without electricity or plumbing, warmed by a potbelly stove. One of seven children in a hardworking homesteading family, his early years were shaped by resilience, resourcefulness, and a deep connection to the land. His father, Asa, had himself journeyed west by covered wagon as a child, an echo of the American frontier that still defined Stan’s upbringing.
Dear VC CoLAB Members and Supporters:
I want to share an important update with you directly.
After seven years serving as Executive Director, I have made the difficult decision to leave VC CoLAB. I have accepted the position of CEO of the Farm Bureau of Ventura County, where I will continue advocacy work with a focused emphasis on agriculture.
Help us meet this moment.
To defend climate progress on the Central Coast, we must raise $75,000 by May 15 — and your gift will be doubled thanks to a generous match from our Board and President’s Council.
Make your matched gift today ?
More than 50 years ago, an oil spill off our coast exposed the risks of fossil fuels — and led to the creation of the Community Environmental Council.
Today, we face renewed threats.
In case you missed it,
The art world has this essay on repeat, have you read it? Would love to hear your thoughts.
“American art is suffering a polycrisis that combines a lack of belief in and support for its artists born after 1975, the structural de-centering of artists in the art industry, and the subsequent stagnation and possible breakdown of formal innovation in art.” New York Real Estate and the Ruin of American Art by Josh Kline
2,097 deaths were reported to the Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office during the 2025 calendar year. Jurisdiction was accepted for 1,078 of these deaths, requiring further investigation and certification. Postmortem examinations were performed on 796 cases. Of the cases investigated, 216 deaths were due to overdose with illicit drugs, medications, alcohol or other substances.
Of the 216 overdose deaths, 199 were accidents, 14 were suicides, two deaths were of undetermined manner, and one death was a homicide. Of these overdose deaths, men accounted for 154 deaths (71.3%) and women accounted for 62 deaths (28.7%).
Researchers in Ania Bleszynski Jayich’s lab use a mechanical resonator to enable greater entanglement for potentially more powerful sensors.
Read more about the diamonds
Do you know a farmworker looking for housing?
Take a look at our sites available for immediate move-ins!
***
¿Conoce a algún trabajador agrícola que esté buscando vivienda?
¡Dale un vistazo a nuestras propiedades disponibles para mudanza inmediata!
THOUSAND OAKS — Hope Gonzalez is the kind of student every institution strives to support – and donors like you make it possible. She launched her first business while still in high school and came to Cal Lutheran’s School of Management with the support of a generous scholarship. What followed is exactly what your support enables.
Hope did not limit her education to the classroom. She immersed herself in speaking events, took on leadership roles in student organizations, competed in high-stakes competitions, represented major brands as a campus ambassador, and participated in transformative field experiences. She seized every opportunity and turned them into momentum.
EN ESPAÑOL: PRESENCIAL: QUICKBOOKS ESENCIAL Y DESARROLLO DE HABILIDADES: TALLER INTERACTIVO PARA NEGOCIOS PRESENTADO POR LA CIUDAD DE OXNARD
9 de abril a las 9:00 am
Acompañe a la ciudad de Oxnard, al Colaborativo de Desarrollo Económico y a Accelerate CA en este taller práctico e interactivo, diseñado tanto para usuarios principiantes y usuarios expertos de QuickBooks en Oxnard. Si está comenzando desde cero o lleva años utilizando QuickBooks y desea perfeccionar sus habilidades, esta sesión abordará las funciones esenciales y explorará temas más avanzados en función de las preguntas de los participantes. Registro: 8:30 am. Dirección: Biblioteca Pública de Oxnard – Biblioteca Principal, 251 S A St, Oxnard, CA 93030. El programa Accelerate California: Inclusive Innovation Hub (Accelerate CA) está financiado por el Estado de California y administrado por el Defensor de la Pequeña Empresa de California (CalOSBA, por sus siglas en inglés). Precio: GRATIS.
HAGA CLIC AQUÍ PARA INSCRIBIRSE
VENTURA COUNTY — Even though the June 2nd Gubernatorial Primary election is two months away, active registered voters in Ventura County can expect to begin receiving important election-related mail from the County Elections office in the next few weeks.
It starts with the 60-day voter information postcard, which will arrive in early April, approximately 60 days before Election Day. The postcard provides information about receiving and returning your vote by mail ballot, and the vote center daily schedule for those who prefer to vote in person.
SANTA BARBARA — Following a multi-year effort to gather images of paintings by one of Santa Barbara’s best known and most beloved plein air painters, Sullivan Goss is proud to announce the publication of the first hardbound monograph devoted to the art of MEREDITH BROOKS ABBOTT.
Beautifully bound in sage green linen with soft gold debossed type and with 145 full color plates plus assorted illustrations, the gallery hopes that the book will be as treasured as the artist has been over her long career. Almost six decades of painting are represented.
SOMIS — AMCAL Multi-Housing, Inc. in partnership with the County of Ventura will be performing off-site roadway improvements to the recently completed Somis Ranch Apartments to enhance safety for future residents, as well as the general public. The improvements, which will take placealong State Route 34 (SR-34) will include two new bus stops, new right and left-turn lanes, and a new traffic signal at the entrance of the housing development. Additionally, minor roadway widening, drainage upgrades, updated signage and striping, and the addition of a bike lane will occur.
VENTURA COUNTY — United Way of Ventura County’s Women United Education Awards Luncheon will once again be honoring single mothers who are pursuing their education with Graciela Casillas as the Keynote Speaker. “We are so excited to have Graciela speak about her inspiring journey as a World Champion Boxer, an educator, and a mother” said President & CEO of United Way of Ventura County, Mitchel Sloan.
“Call Rudy. (123) 456-0911. Mary B.”
Circa 2003, I found this note in my campus mailbox at California State University Channel Islands (CSUCI). Mary B. was a family therapist, former Oxnard school board official, and an alumna, almost certainly in Chicano Studies, of San Fernando Valley State College (SFVSC) before it was renamed California State University at Northridge (CSUN).
The year before, Maria De La Luz, a colleague in the advising department at my campus, forwarded me and Lillian, a Chicana faculty camarada, a June 5, 2002, email from Dr. Rodolfo “Rudy” F. Acuña—with the subject heading California State University Channel Islands—originally sent to non-profit, private, and public Ventura County employees and managers in education, defense, healthcare, and law enforcement. Many people copied in the missive were Chicana/o Movement products of the 1960s and ’70s, a good number CSUN-Chicana/o Studies alumni like Mary B., for whom el movimiento never ended.
The time you all have been waiting for has arrived!
The Arte Del Pueblo Application is now OPEN. Click the link HERE to access it.
Friendly reminder.
– Please read the application in its entirety before submitting.
– Make sure all your information is correct. What ends up being submitted is what we will end up printing on your artwork’s label.
– Completing this application DOES NOT guarantee you a spot in the exhibition. You MUST drop off your artwork on a drop off date.
VENTURA COUNTY — Ahead of every major election cycle, the Ventura County Elections Division hires hundreds of local community members to serve as the temporary elections workers that play a key role in ensuring elections are executed in a safe, secure, and efficient manner. From working at a vote center, verifying signatures, transporting mail ballots, and providing information on the voter assistance hotline, there are many opportunities to get involved with the upcoming June 2, 2026 Gubernatorial Primary Election.
SANTA BARBARA — The Community Environmental Council (CEC) released its 2021-2025 Impact Report, marking the conclusion of its most ambitious strategic plan and highlighting the power of community-driven climate action across the Central Coast.
The report reflects five years of progress advancing clean energy, climate-smart agriculture, and community resilience — despite significant challenges including the COVID-19 pandemic, shifting federal policies, and the loss of more than $1.5 million in anticipated federal climate funding.
SANTA BARBARA — Hospice of Santa Barbara (HSB) is pleased to officially announce Trenton Hammel as a member of its Board of Directors. Trenton has been serving on the board since July 2025, contributing his expertise and leadership to advance HSB’s mission.
Trent Hammel is a local seasoned financial professional with over 20 years of experience serving families, foundations, and institutions in the Santa Barbara community. He currently serves as a Senior Wealth Strategist at Northern Trust, where he works with his clients to develop and coordinate personalized financial, philanthropic, and legacy strategies. His work is grounded in trust, collaboration, and a deep understanding of the values that guide long-term planning and generational wealth planning.
