Economic Development Collaborative (EDC) — CIT Bank Awards EDC with $50,000 Grant

Helping businesses navigate new and fast-changing resources and ensuring that federal, local and private funds reached our local community has been the EDC’s priority throughout the pandemic.

In recognition of the extraordinary impact to small businesses and their need for capital, CIT Bank has awarded the EDC with a $50,000 grant.

This CIT Bank grant supports additional and existing capacity of the EDC Loan program. Through robust loan tracking software and additional loan loss reserves, this grant will help provide 40 grants and loans to small businesses in underserved markets.

Bilingual report — County of Ventura COVID-19 Update for July 7, 2021

COVID-19 Update

Since the last update on Wednesday, June 30, there have been 88 new COVID-19 cases and 12,185 new tests performed. 4 additional deaths of a 70 year old male, 96 year old female, 98 year old female, and a 58 year old male. Our thoughts and sincere condolences to the family and friends of those that have passed away.

70.1% of Ventura County’s population 12+ has received the first dose.
62.3% of Ventura County’s population 12+ has been fully vaccinated.
73.0% of Ventura County’s population 18+ has received the first dose.
65.8% of Ventura County’s population 18+ has been fully vaccinated.

Getting vaccinated is the best protection against COVID-19 and its variants.

Two AMR Ventura County team members earn EMS Awards

Two American Medical Response (AMR) team members in the Ventura County region have been honored with EMS Awards from the California Emergency Medical Services Authority. At the virtual awards ceremony on July 1, 2021, Charles Drehsen, AMR’s medical director, was recognized with the Distinguished Service Medal, and Jeffrey Shultz, AMR’s administrative paramedic supervisor, received the Meritorious Service Medal.

Bilingual report — Ventura County Air Pollution Control District, Clean Power Alliance, and Regional Energy Alliance Announce Upcoming Launch of the Largest Electric Vehicle Charger Installation Effort (Nearly $6 Million) in the County

Ventura County Air Pollution Control District (APCD), Ventura County Regional Energy Alliance (VCREA) and their partner, Clean Power Alliance (CPA) are excited to announce the upcoming tri-county regional launch of the California Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Project (CALeVIP) on July 27.

“CALeVIP is an exciting opportunity to bring more EV infrastructure to the region and help Ventura County meet California’s statewide goal of 5 Million ZEVs on the roads by 2030,” said County Supervisor Matt LaVere, Chair of the VCREA Board of Directors. “We are excited to work with our regional partners to make EVs accessible to all communities.”

Bilingual report — Oxnard’s Fire Chief Deployed to Surfside, Fla. for Behavioral Health Support to First Responders

The International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) requested Oxnard’s Fire Chief Alexander Hamilton to lead a team of peers from around the country to deploy to Surfside, Fla. They will provide peer and behavioral health support to the search and rescue teams who have been working around the clock since the devastating building collapse.

“It is an incredible honor to support the fire responders who are working 24/7 in response to this tragedy,” said Chief Hamilton. “Our goal is to ensure these dedicated professionals have the tools they need to process their experiences working on such a large-scale incident. We know how important behavioral health support is to our own personnel. Oxnard Fire Department benefited from the same mutual aid when we lost Capt. Scott Carroll, so on some level, this is an opportunity to pay that forward.”

Workforce Development Board of Ventura County Names New Chair, Vice-Chair

The Workforce Development Board of Ventura County (WDB) elected Peter Zierhut as chair and Stephen Yeoh as vice-chair.

Zierhut is Vice President, Outside Operations at Haas Automation, Inc. with company headquarters in Oxnard. This is his second time as WDB chair for Zierhut, having served in that capacity about 14 years ago. “We are at a critical time in Ventura County,” says Zierhut.  “Among my goals as chair is finding ways to match the available workforce in our county to the needs of businesses. This is especially important as life goes back to post-COVID normal. Businesses, including Haas Automation, are struggling to find people to meet their employment needs.”

Updated dates — Teatro de las Américas — Acting Class for Adults / Clase de Actuación para adultos

Welcome fellow Thespians! Join Director Robert Sánchez who will help you unlock your inner child by using your imagination. This acting class will focus on beginning performance techniques by introducing three basic tools an actor has in his/her repertoire: the body, voice, and imagination while exploring movement through improvisation, games, improvised scenes, dialogue, monologues, and self-awareness in an honest and believable way. 

Teatro de las Américas — We are open! / !Estamos abiertos!

As you probably know Teatro has its own home at 321 W. 6th Street in downtown Oxnard. We continue to be very grateful to Pablo García and his construction company which did a great job of converting a building that had been empty for 10 years into a small and intimate Teatro space. We are happy to be here and are getting very active, especially as the COVID pandemic is coming under control. You will be receiving announcements about all the activities soon, if not already.

Santa Barbara First District Supervisor Das Williams — Delta Variant & Redistricting Commission Meeting!

The Santa Barbara County Public Health Department has been notified by the UC Santa Barbara Virology Laboratory of two additional COVID-19 cases resulting from the Delta variant. The Delta variant is labeled as a variant of concern by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and is known to have increased transmissibility. Two cases resulting from the Delta variant had previously been identified through variant surveillance in late April 2021. County health officials are conducting thorough investigations on both new cases at this time.

United Way of Santa Barbara County’s 2021-2023 Strategic Plan Renews Commitment to School Readiness/Achievement and Financial Empowerment–Formalizes Focus on Crisis Response and Recovery Work

United Way of Santa Barbara County (UWSBC) has released its 2021-2023 Strategic Plan for moving forward in a rapidly-changing landscape.  

Through this plan, UWSBC renews its decades-long commitment to two programmatic focus areas – School Readiness and Academic Achievement, and Financial Empowerment. Additionally, the plan commits UWSBC to a new programmatic focus area – Response and Recovery in Times of Community Crisis. This recognizes that in recent years UWSBC programs and strategies have become important components of Santa Barbara County’s disaster response and recovery infrastructure. 

Bilingual report — County of Ventura — COVID-19 Testing Update

The County of Ventura is now partnering with COVID Clinic to offer free diagnostic COVID-19 PCR testing for eligible insured and uninsured individuals who live or work in Ventura County. The sites offered by 360 Clinic are in the process of transitioning to COVID Clinic.  

Who is eligible for a no cost test through COVID Clinic?
Testing continues to be provided at no cost when medically necessary. Examples of circumstances that require medical testing include but are not limited to:

Gold Coast Health Plan Celebrates 10 Years of Serving Ventura County’s Medi-Cal Members

Gold Coast Health Plan (GCHP), Ventura County’s Medi-Cal plan, is celebrating 10 years of providing health care services to Medi-Cal beneficiaries.

On July 1, 2011, GCHP began operations as the sixth County Organized Health System in California, bringing managed care to about 100,000 Medi-Cal beneficiaries in Ventura County. In 10 years, GCHP’s membership more than doubled to about 220,000 members and as it grew, the amount of staff did as well, from about 25 to nearly 200.

Bilingual commentary — Are We Painting Over Our History?

In 1949, George Orwell’s novel, “1984,” was published. What was predicted to happen in “1984” in a fictionalized Britain came about for us in the U.S. quite recently. “Orwellisms” seem to be guiding our country into a dark forest from which we seem unable to emerge, and possibly never will. Just as in “1984,” truth at this time appears to be amorphous, fluid, and often inverted.

Bilingual report — City of Oxnard Adopts First Positive Budget in a Decade

The Oxnard City Council and Housing Authority adopted a Fiscal Year 2021-22 Operating and Capital Improvement Budget of $632,752,937 on June 30, 2021, which includes the General Fund group, landscape maintenance and community facilities district funds, special revenue funds, assessment district funds, enterprise funds, internal service funds and Housing Authority funds.

The City’s General Fund revenues for the budget year are projected at $201.2 million. This is 30 percent greater than for Fiscal Year 2020-21 due to revenue from Measure E, which will support basic City services such as public safety, parks, community development, cultural and community services, road maintenance and administration provided through the General Fund.

Economic Development Collaborative (EDC) — Commercial Eviction Moratoriums Expired June 30

On June 30, 2021, the current commercial eviction moratoriums protections (Executive Order N-03-21) expired. The EDC understands the significant impact COVID-19 has had on our business community. If your business has experienced economic injury due COVID-19, you do not have walk alone. The following recommendations are for landlords and tenants during this unprecedented time.

CSUCI Mathematics faculty member Selenne Bañuelos, Ph.D. to co-direct a national mathematics research institute  

CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) Associate Professor of Mathematics Selenne Bañuelos, Ph.D., will join the Institute for Pure and Applied Math (IPAM) as an associate director “which is a HUGE deal,” said Associate Professor of Mathematics Cynthia Flores, Ph.D., a friend and colleague. 

Beginning in August, Bañuelos will spend a two- or three-year sabbatical at the institute, which is one of only seven in the nation funded by the National Science Foundation. Bañuelos will work with math researchers from all over the world at IPAM, which is housed at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). 

Bilingual report — County of Ventura COVID-19 Update for June 30 2021

COVID-19 Vaccination Clinics

Please note there have been changes to the hours of operation.

Vaccination clinics will be closed on Monday, July 5 in observance of the Fourth of July holiday

Ventura County Fairgrounds (Now closed)

North Oxnard – Public Health
2240 E. Gonzales Rd, Suite 140
Oxnard, CA 93036
Walk-in hours: Monday-Friday 10:30am-4:30pm. Open until 6:30pm on Thursdays.
Vaccine: Pfizer, Moderna, and Janssen

Oxnard Rose Avenue (New hours of operation)
(Babies R Us Building)
2340 N Rose Ave, Oxnard, CA 93030
Walk-in hours: Tuesday-Friday 11:00am-6:30pm, Saturday 9:00am-4:30pm
Vaccine: Pfizer, Moderna, and Janssen (Now offering Janssen)

South Oxnard C Street
(Tent in the parking lot, near Las Islas Clinic)
2500 S. C Street, Oxnard CA, 93033
Walk-in hours: Monday-Friday 10:30am-4:30pm
Vaccine: Pfizer, Moderna, and Janssen

Oxnard College (New hours of operation)
3250 S Rose Ave., Oxnard, CA 93033
Walk-in hours: 9:00am-5:30pm Saturday-Monday, 12:00pm-7:30pm Thursday-Friday
Vaccine: Pfizer and Janssen (Now offering Janssen)
*State operated.
Closed on July 4

Anyone in need of a second dose does not need an appointment to get vaccinated at the above clinics. Please be sure to select a clinic offering the vaccine you received for your first dose.

For more information, visit https://www.venturacountyrecovers.org/vaccine-information/

History in the Making! Port Celebrates Completion of Deepening Project with Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony

Today, Port of Hueneme made history celebrating the completion of its deepening project, a project in the works for over almost two decades. The Port can now proclaim a harbor depth of 40 feet. Joining Port officials was Colonel Julie A. Balten, Commander and District Engineer of the Los Angeles District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Many accolades were given to Congresswoman Julia Brownley for her steadfast commitment to secure approximately $20M in federal funds for dredging projects. Also in attendance were Port customers, contractors, the Navy and local, state and federal officials. The project promises to build upon the Port’s mission to create economic and social good by sustainably increasing Port capacity, creating 560 good paying jobs, and replenishing local beaches.

Bilingual report — Treatment to Local Wellhead will bring safe water to Somis Residents

Residents of Somis will no longer have to deal with discolored, but safe, water. The Ventura County Public Works Agency has started installing wellhead treatment to filter out the excess naturally occurring minerals that cause the discoloration. 

Somis is in the Ventura County Water District No. 19, which provides water supply and distribution services to area customers. District No. 19 currently has approximately 1,051 monthly service accounts, comprising 781 residential accounts, 235 agricultural accounts, and 35 commercial and industrial accounts. 

The water supply in Somis comes from local wells, supplemented with water purchased from the Calleguas Municipal Water District in Thousand Oaks. 

Set Out For Seaside Sojourn To Ventura Harbor Village Where Happiness Comes In Waves All Summer Long Coastal Classic Is Sea-spirational

The Endless Summer takes on new meaning with more and more travelers re-discovering iconic Highway 101/1 and the idyllic sun-kissed playground that is uniquely Ventura Harbor Village. With a stunning backdrop of majestic yachts, stunning sunsets, blissful weather with gentle ocean breezes paired to casual open-air and sit down dining and unique one-of-a kind boutiques, galleries, and specialty stores, this seaside enclave is the picture-perfect midweek getaway for couples, friends and families.  What’s more, admission and parking are FREE at Ventura Harbor Village all summer long!

Located on a spectacular stretch of prime Pacific coastline, this California “go to” spot is definitely worth the drive.  Below are top picks (some new) of how to celebrate summer at its best:

Bilingual report — County of Ventura COVID-19 Update for June 28, 2021

Ventura County renters and landlords who need help with rent or utility payments due to COVID-19 may qualify for assistance.

The CA COVID-19 Rent Relief program helps with unpaid or future rent & utilities. And now, it’s faster and easier to apply! Answer fewer questions & submit less paperwork. Visit http://HousingIsKey.com or call 833-687-0967 to schedule an appointment for local assistance.