The League of United Latin American Citizens is calling on the city of Oxnard to halt the practice of hiring former Oxnard Police Department Officials as “gang suppression” consultants and hire an external auditor to examine “perceived conflicts of interest,”…
Commentary: Why read multicultural literature?
By Mona AlvaradoFrazier / Guest contributor Last month a survey found that nearly 80 percent of U.S. adults believe multicultural books are important for children, but one-third say they are hard to find. The Ezra Jack Keats Foundation, a non-profit organization…
It was ‘Magic’ for Tri-Counties Sheet Metal Workers Apprenticeship Program
Instructor opens the door of opportunity to high school students during MAGIC Camp for high school girls. Members of the Tri-Counties Sheet Metal Workers Apprenticeship Program in Ventura, were thinking pink the week of July 15 at MAGIC Camp (Mentor…
Lacayo named grand marshal of Ventura County Fair Parade
Henry “Hank” Lacayo will be the grand marshal of the 2011 Ventura County Fair Parade. The parade will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 6 on Main Street in downtown Ventura. He was selected by the board of directors…
Mexican Consulate posts latest video update
The Mexican Consulate in Oxnard has released its latest video update. *** El nuevo Boletín Digital Consultanos es una herramienta audiovisual que provee información sobre las actividades del Consulado. Click here for a link to the video
Commentary: Expectations
By Boyd Lemon / Guest contributor Our minds generally are responsible for determining how “happy” we are in life, assuming we have enough to eat and shelter from the weather, though I have seen homeless people who are happier than…
The real models to roll with…
Picture this: Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Snookie, The Kardashians, The Girls of the Playboy Mansion… as our current role models. Don’t our young people deserve better than learning about bizarre sex scandals, open promiscuity, drugs and…
Commentary: Searching for Aztlán, Part II
By David Magallanes / Guest contributor In my article last week, the first regarding the search for Aztlán, I mentioned that I first heard about this mysterious place during my college years. Since I was an engineering major, and not a…
Latino Links: Economic trends
Median household wealth among Hispanics fell by 66 percent from $18,359 in 2005 to $6,325 in 2009, according to a new report by the Pew Research Center’s Social & Demographic Trends project. That was the largest percentage drop for any racial…
Tickets still available for July 30 Ozomatli concert in Thousand Oaks
Tickets are still available for the Saturday, July 30 Ozomatli concert at Open Borders, 125 W. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks. Doors open at 6 p.m. The Central Coast Alliance for a Sustainable Economy is collaborating with Larry Janss of Open…
CSUCI named a “2011 Great College to Work For”
CSU Channel Islands (CI) has been named one of the best universities in the nation to work for, according to a new survey by The Chronicle of Higher Education, the university reported this week in a media release. This is the…
Commentary: Why write?
By Mona AlvaradoFrazier/ Guest contributor Today was one of those days when I just didn’t want to write. It was chilly outside my warm blankets and overcast. My character, Juana Maria, pobrecita, had just received a letter from her mother-in-law, Mrs.…
Commentary: Recovering from divorce or the breakup of a committed relationship
By Boyd Lemon / Guest contributor Breakups and divorces are so common in our culture that it is a topic that cannot be discussed too much, in my opinion. It leaves many deep scars. I am not a psychologist or…
Commentary: Searching for Aztlán
By David Magallanes / Guest contributor This article is the first in a series on the concept of “Aztlán.” It is such a deep concept, and despite the Hispanicization of the original native Mexican word from which it sprang, its essence…
Poet Enedina Castañeda to speak at July 23 conference
Santa Maria educator and poet Enedina Castañeda, author of Del Puño y Mente de Una Mujer… Poemas, will speak at the seminario “El Desafío de Triunfar,” at 2 p.m. Saturday, July 23 at the Holiday Inn, 14299 Firestone Blvd., La Mirada.…
Oxnard Salsa Festival events kick off with annual Salsa Dash on July 23
The Oxnard Salsa Festival will launch its 18th annual season at 8 a.m. Saturday, July 23 with the annual Oxnard Salsa Dash through the streets of downtown Oxnard. The race begins at Heritage Square, 715 So. A St. and concludes…
Ruiz wins at Desert Showdown in Coachella
Andy Ruiz, 17, defeated two opponents at the 2011 Desert Showdown held July 16-17 at the Spotlight 29 Casino in Coachella. The recent graduate of Oxnard High, fought his first fight July 15, flooring his opponent early in the first…
Commentary: Writing memoir and life history
By Mona AlvaradoFrazier / Guest contributor Three years ago, “The Bucket List” came out in movie theaters across the nation. Two terminally ill men drew up a wish list and then hit the road to accomplish those things before they “kicked…
Tickets available for Aug. 6 Santa Barbara Mariachi Festival
Tickets are now available for the Santa Barbara Mariachi Festival concert at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 6 at the Santa Barbara Bowl. The event features Pedro Fernandez, Mariachi Nuevo Tecalitlan and Mariachi Los Toros. Tickets are $48.50, $58.50 and $83.50.…
Latino Links: Demographic trends
Births have overtaken immigration as the main driver of Hispanic population growth in the United States, the Pew Hispanic Center in Washington, D.C. reported recently. In a story on www.msnbc.com, the center found that the Mexican-American population grew by 7.2…
Taller de Lenguas Indígenas 19-21 de julio en la Universidad de Channel Islands
“Me permito informar a la comunidad que en el Taller de Lenguas Indígenas que se realizará en la Universidad de Channel Islands, CA., se inscribieron cerca de 70 personas. “La finalidad del taller es conocer la riqueza de las Lenguas Indígenas de México, apoyar…
Commentary: The importance of place
By Boyd Lemon / Guest contributor I was born in Alhambra, California, 9 miles east of downtown Los Angeles, and at the age of 63 I hadn’t strayed far across L.A. to the west side. For many years I felt…
Commentary: Dealing with prejudice
By David Magallanes / Guest contributor Prejudice has not been a major problem in my life — at least as far as I know. I’ve brushed against it throughout my lifetime, as we all have in one form or another, whether…
Mexican Consulate releases July schedule
The Mexican Consulate in Oxnard on Tuesday released its schedule of events for July. Click here to view a pdf of the schedule.
Commentary: So you want to write
By Mona AlvaradoFrazier / Guest contributor There is a saying that “everyone has a story,” and that is true, but few know how to translate stories into books for readers. What motivates a person to write? What are the tips and…
Amada Irma Perez to unveil new book on July 12
Amada Irma Perez will unveil her new book and give a presentation at 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 12 at the Pleasant Valley Senior Center, 1605 Burnley St., Camarillo. For more information, call Kathleen Kaiser at 805.524.6970. *** Amada Irma Perez…
Oxnard City Council to consider Spanish-language broadcast at July 12 meeting
The Oxnard City Council will consider a policy to broadcast meetings of the city council with interpretation into Spanish during its next meeting at 7:15 p.m. Tuesday, July 12 at the council chambers, 305 W. Third St., Oxnard. “LULAC believes…
Barrera named next opponent for Brandon “Bam Bam” Rios
Marco Antonio Barrera has been named the next opponent for Brandon “Bam Bam” Rios, who retained his WBA World Lightweight Championship with a third-round knockout of opponent Urbano Antillon at the Home Depot Center in Carson on July 9. Rios…
Bilingual report: Mexican Consulate posts video of photographic exhibit
The Mexican Consulate in Oxnard has posted a video on the photographic exhibit on immigration by José Hernández Claire — “Exodo Natcional,” featuring images from Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties. *** José Hernández Claire literalmente retrata estas historias…
Latino Links: Media Trends
Biculturalism is a key to understanding the advertising, marketing and media consumption habits of Latinos in the United States, according to a recent study by Horowitz Associates. In its annual FOCUS: Latino Report, 18 percent of those Latinos surveyed identified…