Wednesday, July 1ST
11:00AM – 12:00PM
I’ll be discussing what we have done so far in response to the health crisis, what our current status is, and what our plans are for re-opening. I’d also like to take this opportunity to discuss with you how the Museum of Ventura County can best continue to meet current and future community needs, particularly in light of the global civil unrest and its regional manifestations and impacts.
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Elena Brokaw
The Barbara Barnard Smith Executive Director
In honor of their 15-year anniversary, local PODS®?Moving & Storage is doing their part to give back to a different charity in the community each month. This June, transitional housing organization, The City Center is the special recipient of a $1500 donation from PODS.?
Ventura County Certified Farmers’ Market Association (VCCFMA) announces its 4th of July schedule for 2020.
The Downtown Ventura Market held on the corner of Santa Clara & Palm Streets will be closed on Saturday, July 4. All other markets will remain open.
A researcher uncovers why most of the geological records left by ancient rivers preserve processes more commonplace than extraordinary.
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VENTURA COUNTY — Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, extreme-value grocery retailer, on June 24 launched its tenth consecutive Independence from Hunger Food Drive to combat food insecurity. From June 24 – July 31, 2020, the campaign will collect cash donations and pre-made bags of nonperishable foods in-store at Grocery Outlet’s 350 locations that will be distributed to local food agencies partners. In addition to the local store donations, Grocery Outlet has initiated a “Million Dollar Match,” a pledge to match up to $1 Million of donations made to the stores to multiply Independence from Hunger’s effort to support food agencies across the nation.
Masks: People in California are now required to wear masks when they are in public and unable to keep 6 feet distance from others. Read more at https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/CDPH%20Document%20Library/COVID-19/Guidance-for-Face-Coverings_06-18-2020.pdf.
Coming to our members Tomorrow — The COVID-19 crisis is a challenge for us all. We are working hard to offer alternative ways of providing care for all our members, but we need your help now more than ever.
A May 14, 2020 article in the Los Angeles Times reports that “With the coronavirus-induced shock to the economy crippling businesses of all sizes and leaving millions of Americans out of work, homelessness in the United States could grow as much as 45% in a year.” The data trend, which comes from research conducted by Dr. Brendan O’Flaherty, a professor of economics at Columbia University, is mirrored in our community. According to the most recent Point-in-Time count completed in January 2020, the study found 1,897 homeless residents countywide, with 914 (48%) living in the City of Santa Barbara. The chronically homeless in the county rose from 423 to 614, a 45% increase. While the nation continues to grapple with adequately addressing this issue, the Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara (HACSB) is moving forward with plans to build new housing specifically to address the needs of homeless individuals.
An organization that recognizes excellence in sustainability practices has given CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) one of its highest ratings.
The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) commended CSUCI for earning a gold rating in AASHE’s Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS).
“STARS was developed by the campus sustainability community to provide high standards for recognizing campus sustainability efforts,” said AASHE Executive Director Meghan Fay Zahniser. “CSUCI has demonstrated a substantial commitment to sustainability by achieving a STARS gold rating and is to be congratulated for their efforts.”
CENTRAL COAST — CenCal Health, the publicly-sponsored health plan for Medi-Cal in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, announces the appointment of Dr. Keith Emmons as its new Medical Director. Emmons will initially lead the department of Health Services’…
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Conejo Valley (BGCGCV) is pleased to announce a new member to its Board of Governors, Steve Mosko.
Mosko is Chief Executive Officer of Village Roadshow Entertainment Group (VREG), one of the world’s leading global entertainment content companies. VREG produces content across film, television and digital platforms.
The Simi Valley Family YMCA and Yarrow Family YMCA (in Westlake Village) will reopen Wednesday July 1. The Conejo Valley YMCA remains closed pending implementation of additional social distancing measures. Conejo Y members can use the Simi Valley and Yarrow facilities.
“We understand how important our Y is to the health and wellness of our community,” says Ronnie Stone, President/CEO of the Southeast Ventura County YMCA, which oversees the three local Y branches. “We hope to see our members back at the Y as soon as they feel comfortable.”
Ventura County Business Assistance Grant Program applications launch June 24-July 8, 2020. The program includes grants of $5,000 for small businesses to alleviate impacts from COVID-19. Learn more at www.vcreopens.com.
Consulado de Mexico en Oxnard — Cámara de Comercio Hispana de Santa Bárbara / Greater Santa Barbara Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
As California faces another wildfire season and potential public safety power shutoffs (PSPS) amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara)’s Senate Bill 1207 to require California nursing homes to have backup power for at least 96 hours during an emergency passed off the Senate floor yesterday on a 36 to 0 vote. The bill now moves to the Assembly.
The County of Ventura has created a COVID-19 Business Assistance Grant Program to provide grants of $5,000 awarded to small businesses and nonprofit organizations located in Ventura County to alleviate impacts from COVID-19.
With strict safety protocols and modifications, on-campus research operations gradually resume after COVID-19 cessation.
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When the Community College Public Relations Organization (CCPRO) held its annual awards ceremony on June 10 – a virtual watch party via Zoom this year – Santa Barbara City College walked away with three first place awards, two second place awards and one third place award.
“Shore Lore: How Prohibition Changed Ventura County” opens Saturday, July 4 – Aug 24, 2020 at the Channel Islands Maritime Museum. We look back on the 100th Anniversary of Prohibition and how Ventura Country dealt with the 18th Amendment.
The Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) has announced that the Ventura County Public Health Department is among the first 25 local public health departments in the nation and the first in the State of California to be awarded reaccreditation status. The accreditation demonstrates a consistent and continued commitment to collaborative efforts to keep communities throughout Ventura County safe. The rigorous accreditation process requires commitment to quality and performance improvement.
The California Labor Market Information Division released its May 2020 report earlier today, showing that at least as measured by the unemployment rate we’ve turned the corner toward recovery. Ventura County’s unemployment rate improved from a revised 13.9% in April to 13.5% in May. This parallels the April to May improvement in the national unemployment rate reported earlier this month. While the national improvement wasn’t so much a surprise, as much of the country began to re-open businesses well ahead of California, I’ll admit that we anticipated Ventura County’s rate to go up in May, even by as much as 5 points. It’s a welcome relief that it hasn’t, though recovery remains a long way off. For the May data, go to www.labormarketinfo.edd.ca.gov/file/lfmonth/vent$pds.pdf
LaserAway, the nation’s leader in laser hair removal and aesthetic dermatology, now has a new location at The Collection at RiverPark. The new clinic officially opened on June 15, 2020, and is now accepting appointments.
CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) will enter the fall semester with membership in the prestigious Sigma Theta Tau International Nursing Honor Society, which was founded in 1922 at what is now the Indiana University School of Nursing.
Adding CSUCI’s most accomplished nursing students to the 90-country, 135,000-member strong group of professional nurses has been a goal for Professor Emeritus of Nursing Karen Jensen, R.N., Ph.D., ever since the very first students graduated from CSUCI’s Nursing program in 2010.
SANTA BARBARA — As COVID-19 continues to re-shape life in the U.S., one thing for certain is that the record-high increase in unemployment goes hand in hand with a shortage of affordable housing. This is especially hard for senior residents facing homelessness in Santa Barbara, and who live on a reduced income and may rely on part-time work to make ends meet but are in danger of losing their jobs due to lay-offs or closures.
The Santa Maria Joint Union High School District is asking parents to complete a simple seven-question survey to assist in the planning of school reopening amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Questions focus on student attendance area, in-person instruction options, remote learning options, sports participation, internet availability and a possible delay to the start of school for staff training. The survey was released through the All Call System to parents late Friday.
The Ventura County Complete Count Committee will lead a Census Caravan on Saturday, June 20. The caravan – which will have 20 vehicles and 20 different representatives from organizations such as Food Share, the Ventura County Library, Líderes Campesinas, the Boys & Girls Clubs, Center for Employment Training (CET), and MICOP – will start its route at 1:00pm in the city of Fillmore in front of City Hall and travel through the cities of Santa Paula, Port Hueneme, and end in Oxnard by 4:00pm.
Oxnard College student Ashley M. Gonzales has joined the Ventura County Community College District Board of Trustees as the Student Trustee for the 2020-21 academic year. Gonzales was selected through a districtwide student election in April and installed at the June 16 board meeting. She joins the elected board comprised of Chair Bernardo M. Perez, Vice Chair Josh Chancer, and Trustees Dianne McKay, Larry Kennedy and Gabriela Torres.
Last week I wrote about the obvious impact of white privilege on the African American community. There has been an uptick in dialogue in this country regarding white privilege. Lynching of blacks in different forms continues to this day. Last year the college admissions scandal, in which affluent white parents gamed the system to their children’s advantage, came to light. And then this year, incidents of murderous police aggression against the black community were caught on video and widely circulated on social media. The good behavior of most police officers is completely eclipsed by these outrageous occurrences.
Lost in the conversation is the discussion about the repercussions of white privilege in the Latino/Hispanic, Native American and Asian communities as well as a myriad of others. In this article, I want to focus on the Latino—and specifically Mexican—community, since locally we are very much a majority-minority in some parts of Ventura County.
