Santa Barbara Latino Philanthropic Leaders Raise Over $15K to Support Board Leadership Development and Invite New Members to join the 2022 Giving Cycle

The Santa Barbara Latino Giving Circle (SBLGC) announced that it will invest over $15,500 in three nonprofits in the greater Santa Barbara region. The SBLGC is part of the Latino Community Foundation’s (LCF) Latino Giving Circle Network™, a philanthropic group harnessing the collective power of paying it forward and civic engagement.

The three organizations selected for funding fall into the group’s priorities of board leadership development and mental health: 

Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy (Santa Barbara) – CAUSE is a base-building organization for social, economic and environmental justice with Central Coast working class and immigrant communities.

Future Leaders of America (Santa Maria) – develops youth resiliency and leadership to create long-lasting systemic change by empowering and mobilizing youth leaders to advocate for policies that improve their lives and the lives of their peers and their communities.

Leading from Within (Santa Barbara) – Leading From Within invests in leaders who drive and create change.

Clinicas del Camino Real Inc. celebrates Annual Toy Distribution 2021

As 2021 comes to a close, we look back at the immense challenges we’ve all faced this year. This year has without a doubt been difficult and a little different for everyone. Keeping in mind the patients and their families who put their trust in Clinicas; we recognize that creating joy during the holiday season is just as important as providing quality health care to our community.

Kaiser Permanente makes changes to ‘A Healthier Future’ Rose Parade float participation due to rising COVID-19 positivity rate

Taking into consideration that our Southern California region is experiencing a 26% COVID-19 positivity rate, and Los Angeles County currently has a 17.6% positivity rate and in consultation with our infectious disease experts, we have decided to continue to have our “A Healthier Future” float participate in the Tournament of Roses Parade.?Unfortunately, we will not feature our 20 front-line medical heroes as float riders and “out-walkers.” We must prioritize the health and safety of our front-line medical staff and ensure we are able to treat patients during this recent surge of COVID-19 cases caused by the omicron variant.  

Bilingual report — Ventura County Clerk-Recorder, Registrar of Voters Lunn Announces Signatures-In-Lieu Period for June 7, 2022 Statewide Direct Primary Election

County Clerk-Recorder, Registrar of Voters Mark Lunn announced (Dec. 30) that signatures-in-lieu of the filing fee petitions for the June 7, 2022 Statewide Direct Primary Election may be obtained from the Ventura County Elections Division beginning Monday, January 3, 2022, for the following offices:

Bilingual report — Dec. 29, 2021 – COVID-19 Update

Since Monday there have been 1,052 new COVID-19 cases reported and 12,750 new tests completed. There are 92 people hospitalized and 18 in the ICU. There has been 4 additional deaths of a 58 year old male, 60 year old female, 78 year old male, and a 93 year old female. Our sincere condolences to the family and loved ones of the community members who passed away.The R-effective for Ventura County is 1.08. Delays in case reporting lead to underestimates of R-eff. It is possible that testing patterns over the Christmas and New Year holidays will result in abnormal trends.

End-of-year message from Ventura County Animal Services

What a year this has been for all of us! Despite the many challenges that 2021 brought, we are happy to report that our agency remained committed to our life-saving mission, having reunited thousands of lost animals with their families, and found new, loving homes for thousands more. Innovative programs we have created over the years continue to grow and evolve as the needs of our community change. But none of our many accomplishments would have been possible without the passionate dedication of our staff and volunteers who give their heart and soul to each and every animal, every day.

Ventura County Community Development Corporation Receives $50,000 Bank of America Grant Award

The Ventura County Community Development Corporation (VCCDC) received a $50,000 grant from Bank of America to help continue the organization’s mission to increase homeownership and economic stability to low- and moderate-income families and individuals in Ventura, Santa Barbara, Kern, and Los Angeles Counties. This is the largest support received to-date by Bank of America Charitable Foundation, which underscores VCCDC service and outreach to an underserved market.

Guest commentary — Lady Whiskers and the Miracle of Christmas

Roughly four Christmas ago Debbie and I where unceremoniously run out of Oxnard. We had lost our lease at the Café on A location that we had occupied and provided programs and services to at-promise youth and their families for three decades. No matter how much we “negotiated” with the landlords and the Oxnard City Manager at the time, they were determined to kick us out. They told us impatiently and obliquely that they had other plans. Yesterday, I returned to Oxnard, the pain of the eviction, almost gone. I bravely drove down the old part of downtown Oxnard, on to A Street. What has replaced our beloved Café on A is a smoke shop, soon I suspected they will sell cannabis products out the location. The irony of this building tenant change makes me both want to laugh and cry, all at the same time!

Jan. 6 — Santa Barbara Museum of Art will present Art Matters Lecture ‘Buried by Vesuvius: Conserving a Monumental Drunken Satyr Bronze Statue from Herculaneum’

The Santa Barbara Museum of Art will present Art Matters Lecture
“Buried by Vesuvius: Conserving a Monumental Drunken Satyr Bronze Statue from Herculaneum,” with Erik Risser, Associate Conservator of Antiquities, J. Paul Getty Museum, at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022.

In advance of the international loan exhibition Buried by Vesuvius: Treasures from the Villa dei Papiri at the Getty Villa in Los Angeles in 2019, the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli (MANN) generously lent the bronze statue of a Drunken Satyr for study, analysis, and conservation.

CANCELED — Jan. 7 — Channel Islands Maritime Museum announces live Coast Guard Demonstration event

The Channel Islands Maritime Museum (CIMM) is pleased to announce a US Coast Guard Live Rescue Demonstration on Friday, January 7 at 2:00 pm. The Coast Guard Demonstration will take place on the water in Channel Islands Harbor directly in front of the Maritime Museum which is located at 3900 BlueFin Circle. This outdoor event is free and open to the public. Visitors may also watch the demonstration from the two inside floors of the Museum. However, the purchase of Museum admission is required for those who would like to view the demonstration from inside of the Museum. (Masks are required for those visitors who wish to view the event from inside the Museum).

Jan. 13 — Santa Barbara Executive Roundtable Presents: Jumpstart Your Marketing Strategies in 2022

Business professionals seeking to increase publicity for their companies in 2022 can learn the latest marketing tips and tricks at an upcoming, virtual meeting of the Santa Barbara Executive Roundtable (SABER) on Thursday morning, Jan. 13.

Jonathan Boring and Jennifer Goddard Combs, two of the Central Coast’s leading experts in marketing and digital communications, will present “Jumpstart Your Marketing Strategies in 2022” via Zoom from 8:30-10:00AM (PST). The presentation will cover a variety of digital and traditional marketing techniques, and offer inspirational ideas for boosting publicity and sales.

Jan. 18 — Book Launch Event for At Heaven’s Door with Eben Alexander & William Peters

FREE Book Launch event of At Heaven’s Door. This virtual event features a conversation between the New York Times best-selling author of Proof of Heaven Eben Alexander and the Founder of the Shared Crossing Project’s and author, William J. Peters.

Alexander and Peters will discuss the awe-inspiring stories of Shared Death Experiences that helped Peters create this incredibly powerful work. Drawing from years of research and personal experiences, Alexander and Peters will provide a closer look into near death experiences and shared death experiences–why they happen and what they mean for all of us.

Jan. 19 — Channel Islands Maritime Museum Speaker Series Welcomes Award-Winning Artist Karen Loew

The Channel Islands Maritime Museum (CIMM) is proud to host a Coast Guard Art Program (COGAP) presentation featuring award-winning artist Karen Loew at its Speaker Series on January 19, 2022. This evening will also be the opening reception for the Museum’s latest temporary exhibition “Coast Guard Art” in the Museum’s Brenda and Gary Farr Gallery.

Ms. Loew will be illustrating her presentation with images of selected works from the COGAP Collection. As chair of the Coast Guard Art Program, Ms. Loew has traveled across the globe to document activities of the Coast Guard and display her work. A recipient of the Coast Guard Distinguished Public Service Award, the highest recognition given to those who have made outstanding contributions in advancing the Coast Guard’s missions, Ms. Loew has had thirty paintings accepted into the Coast Guard Art Program Collection. Ms. Loew as an artist has received COGAP’s top honor, the George Gary Award for Artistic Excellence, for her work “Harbor Rendezvous” (shown below).

Jan. 20 — UCSB Arts & Lectures presents Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative Journalist Andrea Elliott on ‘Invisible Child: Poverty, Survival and Hope in an American City’ (Rescheduled to March 9)

UCSB Arts & Lectures presents New York Times and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Andrea Elliott on Invisible Child: Poverty, Survival and Hope in an American City, Wednesday, March 9 at 7:30 p.m. Pacific at Campbell Hall. The presentation is part of the Justice For All series, featured in the 2021-2022 CREATING HOPE programming initiative.

Andrea Elliott puts a human face to topics ranging from child poverty to Muslim life in the U.S. Her recent five-part series,Invisible Child, examined homelessness through the lens of an 11-year-old Brooklyn girl. The series won a George Polk Award, helped reignite a conversation about the dire state of poverty in America and inspired a bestselling book of the same name. Previously, Elliott’s coverage of Islam in America broke new ground in the study of radicalization and earned her a Pulitzer Prize for feature writing.

Jan. 21 — UCSB Arts & Lecture to present Ballet Hispánico Noche de Oro: A Celebration of 50 Years Eduardo Vilaro, Artistic Director (Rescheduled to April 29)

Join UCSB Arts & Lectures as they present Ballet Hispánico, Noche de Oro: A Celebration of 50 Years and Eduardo Vilaro, Artistic Director on Friday, April 29 at 8:00 p.m. at The Granada Theatre.

Named one of America’s Cultural Treasures by the Ford Foundation, Ballet Hispánico celebrates Latinx cultures through innovative performances that elevate diverse artists and ignite cultural pride. This 50th anniversary program from the pioneering, New York-based company features Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s biting, West Side Story-inspiredTiburones. The award-winning Lopez Ochoa, a sought-after choreographer who excels at narrative ballet, has created works for 68 dance companies worldwide. Noche de Oro also includes Gustavo Ramírez Sansano’s “fairly irresistible” (The Boston Globe) 18+1 and Vicente Nebrada’s Arabesque.

Jan. 23 — Santa Barbara Museum of Art to present Parallel Stories Controlling the Narrative: Both/And

The Santa Barbara Museum of Art will present “Parallel Stories Controlling the Narrative: Both/And” at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 23.

In a conversation and reading, Emily Rapp Black, award-winning author of Poster Child: A Memoir and The Still Point of the Turning World, a New York Times bestseller, explores art and disability in her most recent book Frida Kahlo and My Left Leg. With elegance, tenderness, and zero sentimentality, she deconstructs the mythologies of words like bravery and resilience and recognizes in Kahlo a twin at the art of creating to silence pain. Joining her is colleague Alex Espinoza, Tomás Rivera Endowed Chair of Creative Writing at UC Riverside and author of novels Still Water Saints and The Five Acts of Diego Léon, and the recent nonfiction book Cruising: An Intimate History of a Radical Pastime.

Jan. 26 — Housing Trust Fund Ventura County hosts 2022 ‘Our Community Promise’ Annual Public Meeting

Housing Trust Fund Ventura County (Housing Trust Fund VC), will host their 2022 “Our Community Promise” Annual Public Meeting on Wednesday, January 26, 2022 from 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. via Zoom. Register for this free informative event about housing equity and affordability at www.housingtrustfundvc.org.

Jan. 26 — ‘Coffee With A Black Guy’ presents ‘Processing Loss: A conversation on mental health and the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 deaths on BIPOC communities’

“Coffee With A Black Guy” presents “Processing Loss: A conversation on mental health and the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 deaths on BIPOC communities” via Zoom at 7 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 26.

CWABG founder James Joyce III, will be joined in conversation by Michael Cruse, Bereavement Services Manager for Hospice of Santa Barbara who will offer a “Human” perspective and the role of “Culture” on the subject of bereavement and mourning.  That couple with the impacts of several highly visible cultural losses and the processing of loss throughout our history – think Strange Fruit, provides context for an engaging and enlightening conversation about processing loss and grief. 

Jan. 26 — CLU School Management to present ‘Being a Successful Latina in a German Company in the U.S.’ and more events

We are excited to invite Judith Sanchez Lopez, SVP General Manager at Jafra USA to be our next speaker in our Forward Together webinar series. Judith is an international leader with more than 28 years in the beauty and cosmetics industry. She is a visionary with a strategic mindset and a focus on developing high-potential teams to achieve results and ensure business profit and growth. She has deep experience in launching and driving business growth in a variety of LATAM countries, South America, the USA, and Asia.

Jan. 26 — Museum of Ventura County to present ‘Legal Issues for Artists: Protecting Your Works from the Moment of Creation and Beyond’

The Museum of Ventura County & the Ventura County Bar Association Present “Legal Issues for Artists: Protecting Your Works from the Moment of Creation and Beyond” from noon to 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 26.

Inviting artists of all media, at all stages of their career, to attend this informational panel, free, live via Zoom.

Jan. 27 — Santa Paula Art Museum — Clubs, Classes, and Collabs!

Premiere Party: En Plein Air: An Exploration of Malibu and Ventura County

Presented by California Art Club

Saturday, January 15, 2022, from 4 PM to 6 PM
Free admission

An exhibition of plein air scenes from Malibu and Ventura County by 32 artist members of the famed, century-old California Art Club. All of the artworks are for sale. En Plein Air will be on view through May 8, 2022.

Jan. 29 — Association of Mexican American Educators – Oxnard Chapter to hold Oxnard Panda Express Fundraiser

The Association of Mexican American Educators – Oxnard Chapter will hold an AMAE Oxnard Panda Express Fundraiser for scholarships from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 29 at 2121 N. Rose Ave., Suite 480, Oxnard.

“Help us in funding our local scholarships to high school students,” the organization reported.