Commentary, Cultural, Government, Local, News, Youth

Guest Commentary — Which Way America, Democracy or Tyranny?

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I am a Mexican immigrants, who along with my entire family, I entered into the United States in 1958. I became a naturalized citizen of this country in 1997. The very first time I was eligible to vote, I voted, and I have been voting in local and national election ever since. All immigrants, no matter what part of the world we come from cherish our American citizenship. Not all of us however vote and that is a shame because some of us still think that our one vote does not matter. Our singular vote won’t make a damn bit of difference, and that my dear reader is how we got into some of this mess in the first place. So come November 3, 2020 vote, your VOTE matters!

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Cultural, Education, Local, News

Bilingual update — COVID-19 Update for Oct. 1 — County of Ventura meeting State reopening metrics Poised to enter Red Tier October 6

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(On Oct. 1), the State of California announced that the County of Ventura has met the State COVID-19 metrics for one week. If the County meets the metrics for an additional week the State will allow the County to move into the Red Tier of the State’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy. “I am excited Ventura County has been cleared to go to this next phase,” said Supervisor Kelly Long, Chair of the Board of Supervisors. “Ventura County has consistently exceeded the standards in five of the six initial metrics set by the state. Clearing this last hurdle is a testament to the public’s patience and adherence to safety protocols. I look forward to more latitude and flexibility for our local businesses and social activities that will help our local economy and improve our quality of life.”

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Business, Education, Government, Health, Local, News

CEC’s Solarize Program Sets One Megawatt Solar Goal for Regional Nonprofit Agencies

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The Community Environmental Council (CEC) announced a goal of achieving one megawatt of solar on regional nonprofit agencies by 2023, and has expanded their successful Solarize Nonprofit program to Ventura County to support this move toward a carbon neutral community. Nonprofits that own their buildings or are in long-term leases are encouraged to see if the no upfront cost program fits for them at SolarizeNonprofit.org. 

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Business, Family, Health, Local, News, Seniors

October Newsletter — Virtual Activities Launch in NEW Subscription Memberships!

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Back on March 16, when we had to close our physical doors in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, Friendship Center staff immediately began finding ways to reach out and support our community from a distance. Considering ourselves warriors against isolation within our group of senior friends, staff have worked hard on creating unique forms of engagement and inclusion for our members. These activities include our robust schedule of ten daily Zoom classes, weekly tele check-ins, letter writing and supply delivery, Take Care Totes, Drive-In activity hours, porch visits, resource referrals and more.

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Cultural, Local, News

Ventura Fish and Wildlife Office – Fall 2020 Newsletter

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The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with land managers and fire response agencies across California to monitor potential impacts of wildland fires on rare wildlife and plants. “While it’s still too early to understand the long-term impacts of the wildfires on rare wildlife, the primary short-term impact is loss of their habitat,” said Chris Dellith, senior fish and wildlife biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Some ecosystems are fire-adapted and require fire to be maintained; in some cases, native plants require fire regeneration as part of their life cycle. Read the story.

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Cultural, Events, Health, Local, News, Youth

Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation Extends Gold Ribbon Campaign to Oct. 15th Raising Funds for Families Who Have a Child with Cancer during a Pandemic

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Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation (TBCF) has campaigned all September for National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month to raise money for children facing cancer during COVID-19. They are only $15,000 away from meeting their Gold Ribbon Campaign (GRC) goal and they have extended their campaign to Oct. 15th to help meet it. 

“We are truly ecstatic that we have come so close to our goal this year,” said Eryn Shugart, Interim Executive Director, TBCF. “We knew, because of the constraints of the pandemic, that we were up against a challenge this year and we are so grateful to our supporters to ensure we close the gap.  We feel confident that extending this campaign will put us over the top.” 

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Business, Cultural, Government, Health, Local, News

Bilingual report — COVID-19 Update for Sept. 30

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Good evening, there are 80 new cases today (3 (3.8%) of which have a lab collection from September 23rd or earlier), 1,174 additional people tested, and 2 additional deaths (60 year old male, 87 year old female, all with comorbidities). The current doubling time was 157.7 days. There are 48 cases that are currently hospitalized, and 11 cases are being treated in the ICU. 

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Business, Education, Finance, Government, Local, News

EDC Legal Alert — Eviction Protections Extended to March 31

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On September 23, 2020, Governor Newsom signed Executive Order N-80-20. The Order extends to March 31, 2021 the time frame for local governments to provide commercial eviction protections due to COVID-19. The additional protection is not automatic, however. Commercial landlords and tenants will have to wait and see if local governments in Ventura County, Santa Barbara County or surrounding areas enact or extend the protections authorized by the Order.

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Business, Cultural, Education, Government, Local, News

Santa Barbara First District Supervisor Das Williams — Santa Barbara County Moves into Red Tier

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At the (Sept, 22) special Board of Supervisors hearing, we received an update on COVID-19. According to the California Blueprint for a Safer Economy metrics, Santa Barbara County has met the State’s red tier case rate and positivity rate criteria for two consecutive weeks. As a result, the risk of COVID-19 spread in Santa Barbara County has been downgraded, effective immediately, from widespread to substantial, allowing movement from the purple tier to the red tier. Currently we have 3 active cases in the South County Unincorporated Areas (which include Montecito, Summerland and the City of Carpinteria), 13 active cases in the City of Santa Barbara, and 170 active cases County-wide.

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Cultural, Education, Government, Local, News

Governor Newsom Signs State Sen. Jackson’s Bill Ensuring Civil Rights of College Student Survivors of Sexual Assault

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Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sept. 29 signed Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara)’s Senate Bill 493 to ensure California colleges and universities provide a transparent and fair process for all students involved in a sexual assault allegation. The bill goes into effect on January 1, 2022.

In direct response to the Trump Administrations’ attempts undermine Title IX — the federal civil rights law that prohibits sex discrimination in federally-funded schools — SB 493 will require state-funded colleges and universities to adopt common-sense procedures that ensure a fair, transparent, and consistent response to reports of sexual violence.

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Cultural, Education, Events, Family, Local, News, Youth

Santa Paula Art Museum — You Make All of Our Work Possible

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A lot has changed this year. What hasn’t changed at the Santa Paula Art Museum is our commitment to our mission and our desire to serve, uplift, and inspire everyone in our community.

While the Museum’s indoor galleries have been closed since March, our staff has been working to provide our community with a wide variety of virtual programming, as well as outdoor art classes, free classroom art kits, and over 1,800 free Art To-Go Bags. Click here to see what your continued support has helped the Museum to accomplish over the past 6 months.

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Education, Local, News

CSUCI health, diversity and island exploration get support from three different grants 

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Biomedical research should reflect the nation’s diversity both for equity and for more effective medical practices. The COVID pandemic is an example of how different populations are affected differently according to genetics, culture, socioeconomic pressures and availability of healthcare, to name a few factors.  

“We need to make sure biomedical research meets the well-being of all citizens,” said CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) Program Chair and Professor of Health Sciences Sonsoles de Lacalle, M.D., Ph.D. “We have different genetics, different mindsets, different cultures and we need to incorporate all of these variables. We know the same old, same old doesn’t work.”  

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Business, Cultural, Education, Government, Local, News, Youth

The Road to Reopening Ventura County Schools

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The prospect of students returning to their classrooms is getting closer to reality as the coronavirus situation in Ventura County starts to improve. Before schools are allowed to reopen to all students, Ventura County must move off the most restrictive level – the purple tier – on the state’s coronavirus watch list and stay off of it for two weeks.

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Cultural, Education, Family, Local, News, Youth

CSUCI Fall 2021 application period opens October 1 with changed requirements

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Freshmen and upper division transfer students are invited to apply for CSU Channel Islands’ (CSUCI) fall 2021 semester beginning Oct. 1 through Dec. 4.

The California State University (CSU) system has temporarily lifted requirements that first-time freshmen submit their SAT and ACT scores for admission for fall 2021. The temporary change will also apply to winter 2022 and spring 2022 admission cycles.

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Business, Health, Local, News

CFROG Announces New Executive Director

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The Climate First: Replacing Oil & Gas (CFROG) Board of Directors announced today that Liz Beall has been selected to serve as CFROG’s new Executive Director, effective this Thursday, October 1st, 2020. “CFROG’s Board is excited to welcome Liz Beall as our new Executive Director.” said John Brooks, President of CFROG’s Board. “Liz is an outspoken advocate for environmental justice and has the vision, perseverance, and knowledge needed to achieve CFROG’s goals.”

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Business, Government, Health, Local, News

EDC Business Alert- What do I do with the government aid I’ve received?

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We understand that the COVID-19 pandemic has been impacting business owners in many different ways. With each new regulation it can be difficult to apply general advice to your specific business.

Our no-cost, individualized consulting can help discuss what to do with the PPP, EIDL, and additional government aid you have received.

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Business, Education, Events, Family, Food, Government, Health, Local, News, Youth

Bilingual report — COVID-19 Update for Sept. 25

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Good afternoon, There are 51 new cases today (4 (7.8%) of which have a lab collection from September 18th or earlier), 833 additional people tested, and 3 additional deaths (68 year old female, 37 year old female, and 99 year old male, all with comorbidities). The current doubling time was 121.4 days.

Ventura County is currently in the purple tier which they have designated as widespread transmission as of September 22. Our current data published as of September 22 is 7.4 (purple tier) for the case rate and 3.8% (orange tier) for the positivity rate for the measurement period ending September 12; this will keep us in the purple tier until the next measurement which will be on September 29.

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Family, Food, Government, Health, Local, News

Food Distribution Event to be held Sept. 26 for Hispanic Heritage Month to Support Essential Frontline Farmworkers During COVID-19 Pandemic

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Latino community leaders and critical donors are taking action to support farm working families in Ventura County. These essential workers have not stopped working to feed Californians and the nation before, during, and after COVID 19 pandemic hit the US.  The campaign, known as “Feeding the Frontline: Feeding our Farmworkers,” will be hosting a food distribution event to commemorate Hispanic Heritage Month with a “Day of Service” on September 26, 2020. There would have been additional sites but for surges that have occurred in many of these communities.

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Business, Education, Events, Family, Government, Health, Local, News, Youth

Commentary — No time to stop filling out U.S. Census form, registering to vote

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The year 2020 will go down as one of the most challenging years this nation has faced. A continuing pandemic, large nationwide demonstrations for civil rights, a contentious election campaign season — all during a time when the nation was attempting to complete the 2020 Census.

Now, there is word that the Sept. 30 deadline to complete the Census may be pushed back to its original Oct. 31, 2020 pandemic-altered deadline: Please see — CNN —  Federal judge orders nationwide 2020 census counting to continue through October 31.

But since the ruling is subject to appeal, and nothing else appears predictable during 2020, it would be best to continue to fill out those Census forms as quickly as possible.

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Education, Government, Local, News

Oxnard City Hall getting a fresh new look with mural by Mauricio Ramirez

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Oxnard’s drab City Hall will soon be sporting a fresh new look  thanks to muralist Mauricio Ramirez.

The mural, which takes up the entire side of the three-story building, was highlighted in the Ventura County Star story of Dec. 8, 2019: Oxnard’s past, future to be represented in new City Hall murals

It is one of two murals being placed on the city hall building by Ramirez and Celeste Byers.

Ramirez’s mural, which focuses on Oxnard’s future, features a Latina graduate, rapper Anderson .Pakk., an African American girl and a child wearing traditional Mexican dress.

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Cultural, Education, Local, News

CSUCI Chicana/o Studies faculty member wins award for virtual lesson plans that include spinning vinyl and Penny Dreadfuls

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The year is 1938. The Third Reich is rising along with radio evangelism and The City of Angels is constructing the freeways that will transform it into a metropolis. When a grisly murder shocks the city, the first Chicana/o in the Los Angeles Police Department, Tiago Vega, and his partner, Lewis Michener, investigate while being pulled into the deep traditions of Mexican American folklore.

CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) Assistant Professor of Chicana/o Studies Nicholas Centino, Ph.D. was recently honored for his use of the compelling, atmospheric “Penny Dreadful: City of Angels” series on Showtime and several other creative teaching twists—innovation that continued when CSUCI’s classes went virtual with the COVID pandemic.

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Education, Government, Local, News, Politics

Bilingual report — Ventura County Clerk-Recorder, Registrar of Voters Mark Lunn Announces Important Details Regarding November 3, 2020 General Election

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Under Executive Order, the Governor declared the November 3, 2020 General Election an all Vote By Mail election in the state of California. County Clerk-Recorder, Registrar of Voters Lunn stated, “With the current Coronavirus pandemic and the confluence of the flu season upon us, I encourage all voters to utilize the Vote By Mail ballot they receive at home to take advantage of the health and safety measures that voting by mail provides.”

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