SANTA BARBARA — The Music Academy of the West and Downtown Santa Barbara Improvement Association (DSBIA) invite the community for a ceremonial groundbreaking marking an exciting new chapter for arts education and performance in downtown Santa Barbara. The event will take place on Thursday, October 15, at 5:00 PM at 901 State Street, the future home of the Music Academy’s Music Education Center, The Muse.
At the Community Environmental Council (CEC), we believe effective climate action is best informed by the people and communities we serve and protect. Your perspective can help us better understand what matters most to our community and ensure CEC’s work continues to meet the needs of Central Coast residents.
Ventura County Public Health and Ventura County Animal Services (VCAS) are reminding residents to avoid contact with bats and other wildlife amid an increase in rabies-positive bats in Ventura County.
As of September 16, 2026, 27 bats in Ventura County have tested positive for rabies, with a little less than 4 months still remaining in the year.
We cannot wait to see so many of you so soon at our 20th Raising Justice Community Celebration & Fundraiser! (4 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 17)
If you’re on your way or chipped in from afar, if you’re one of the many generous Sponsors, or volunteered your time to put this event together, we’re so grateful for each and all of you!
If you’re planning on joining us in person — wonderful! — please know there’s no need to bring a ticket, just bring yourself!
Food and drinks are ready — and we’ve got an inspiring line up of speakers on a historic moment in our environmental justice campaign:
On September 15, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 to approve amendments to the Land Use and Development Code (LUDC) and Coastal Zoning Ordinance (CZO) that prohibit new onshore oil and gas wells countywide. This marks a major milestone for public health, environmental protection, and climate action in Santa Barbara and affirms that local governments can lead when federal protections fall short.
WESTLAKE VILLAGE — Registration closes Oct. 18 for families wanting to participate in the Southeast Ventura County YMCA’s Adventure Guides/Y-Trailblazers programs in the Simi and Conejo valleys for the 2026-27 school year.
Organized through the Simi Valley Family YMCA and the Yarrow Family YMCA branches, YMCA Adventure Guides/Y-Trailblazers programs are for parents and their children, ages 5–11. The program runs through June 2027.
LOMPOC — Fall looks good on Lompoc.
Cooler days, vineyard views, pumpkins, seasonal treats, and just the right amount of spooky make this an especially fun time to visit.
Whether you’re planning a weekend in wine country, a family getaway, or simply looking for a reason to hit the road, Lompoc has plenty of ways to make the most of the season.
“Even before Alex became Oxnard’s Fire Chief, he was bringing innovation to the department, especially for increased awareness around cancer-causing conditions and prevention, and mental health and suicide prevention care for public safety personnel,” said Nguyen. “As Oxnard’s Chief, one of his highlights is advocating for the creation of Oxnard’s EMS Corps program, which will serve our community for generations to come.”
Albin brings over three decades of fire service experience to the role, including 28 years with the Oxnard Fire Department. He joined the department as a firefighter in 1998 and rose through the ranks, promoting from Firefighter to Fire Engineer in 2002, Fire Captain in 2011 and Battalion Chief in 2025, when he was selected to establish and lead the department’s newly created Support Services Division, which manages fleet, facilities, technology, logistics, purchasing, and peer support.
VENTURA — The Ventura County Area Agency on Aging’s (VCAAA) Advisory Council has an opening for a veterans’ representative. The Advisory Council is a volunteer-based body of advocates who share a mission to create and sustain programs that positively impact the lives of older adults, people with disabilities and caregivers in Ventura County.
Applications for the veterans’ representative must be received by November 1.
A Tribute to Quincy Jones Sunday, October 18th — 3 PM Rancho Campana Performing Arts Center GET TICKETS There’s a moment in every great concert when the music stops being something you listen to, and becomes something you feel. On…
Let’s Go Back to School!
After a career in the medical field, Ventura watercolorist Gail Faulkner (1947-2023) enrolled in art school in her 30s, proving it’s never too late to go back to school—or try something new.
Scroll down to learn about our new exhibition honoring Gail, get to know Museum Educator Janice Allen, check out our fall-themed art classes, and more.
“We are beyond thrilled about the generous donation from Cheryl Goldberg and I also wanted to honor the work of Kathy O’Connor, who is the impetus for the new building,” shared Superintendent/President Dr. Erika Endrijonas. “Scheduled for completion in late spring of 2028, the new building provides state-of-the-art classrooms, event spaces, a new home for the SBCC Life Fitness Center, offices, and more in half the footprint of the existing building.”
The Economic Development Collaborative encourages you to sign up for our no-cost events and webinars. Space is limited. Register today!
Plan ahead! Our full EDC and partner event schedule is updated at the start of each month.
The Kenneth Robert Lincoln Indigenous Environmental Projects Fund will make grants of up to $1,000 available to students enrolled in the Environmental Leadership Incubator.
Bhushan joined Trusted Legal in 2025 as a senior attorney, bringing more than a decade of experience advising businesses, entrepreneurs, nonprofits, and private clients. Since then, she has quickly become an integral part of the firm and its work with clients navigating business formation and governance, transitions, real estate transactions, and other complex legal matters.
SANTA ROSA VALLEY — Private jet travelers vacationing for the holidays may face a more expensive season as elevated oil prices add additional cost pressure to an already high-demand period.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), global oil inventories have declined this year by approximately 400 million barrels, with this trend continuing through the end of 2026.
LOMPOC — Everyone knows California is wine country. But have you heard about Lompoc?
This laid-back Central Coast wine destination is the perfect place to sip small-production wines, meet the makers, and explore a wine scene that feels refreshingly unhurried.Add beautiful vineyard views, cool coastal temps, and plenty of chances to discover a new favorite, and you’ve got the makings of a seriously good wine weekend.
Get ready to see Mary Cassatt in a new light. Cassatt & Friends opens this Sunday at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, bringing together the work of the pioneering American Impressionist and the artists who shaped her world. Celebrated for her intimate, luminous depictions of women and children, Cassatt was also a daring innovator in pastel, drawing, and printmaking. Featuring a remarkable counterproof from SBMA’s collection alongside works by Berthe Morisot, Édouard Manet, Paul Cézanne, and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, the exhibition captures the energy, experimentation, and creative exchange of a transformative moment in art history.
VENTURA — We hope we’ll see you in just one week at our big community celebration and fundraiser, Raising Justice! And this year, we have a historic victory to celebrate — This year’s celebration feels especially meaningful — not only because we’re marking 25 years of organizing for justice across Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties, but — because we’re celebrating a historic victory that you helped make possible:
Coast Veterans Memorial Museum invites our community to remember, reflect and help preserve the stories of a day that changed America.
Our new special exhibit, “On 9/11, I remember…”, is now open, presenting the events of September 11 and the lasting impact they had on our nation, our military and generations of veterans and their families.
THOUSAND OAKS — This year marks the 25th anniversary of the September 11th attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C. To honor the lives lost and the courage of those who responded, the Ventura County Fire Department invites the community to join firefighters in remembrance ceremonies across the county.
Commemorations will take place at every VCFD fire station in the county, along with VCFD Headquarters in Thousand Oaks, and our Fire Communications Center in Camarillo.
Last Sunday I had the pleasure of attending a concert of the Ojai Pops Orchestra at the outdoor Libbey Bowl in downtown Ojai. Admission to these concerts is free, but donations are requested. Money that is contributed is used to offer music scholarships, lessons, instruments, and education to children in our community.
CAMARILLO — Cal State Channel Islands’ (CSUCI) Department of Art and Art History will open the new academic year with “Double Landing,” a solo exhibition featuring the work of acclaimed artist Rafael Perea de la Cabada.
Opened on Sept. 14, at the campus’ Napa Hall Art Gallery, “Double Landing” brings together dozens of original works that showcase Perea’s distinctive creative approach and the wide range of media he employs in his practice. The exhibition presents a diverse collection shaped by experimentation, keen observation and the interplay of construction and continual revision.
Over 1,000 people from across the country traveled to Oxnard to attend the La Defensa Del Pueblo summit at the Performing Arts Center (OPAC). Cars, trucks, charter buses, and food trucks crowded the site’s parking lot. Latecomers parked in the surrounding streets.
CENTRAL COAST – As students make their way back to school, People’s Self-Help Housing (PSHH) has opened a new Learning Center at Buellton Garden Apartments to support academic success. Located at 10 McMurray Road in Buellton, the Learning Center is ready to welcome twenty K-8 students this month.
With this addition of its ninth onsite Learning Center, PSHH’s education program serves nearly 300 students per year at its properties throughout the Central Coast.
VENTURA — Ocean water quality results for samples collected this week indicate ocean water quality at the following Ventura County beach sampling location failed to meet State standards for bacteria:
Promenade Park Beach – Figueroa St.
Warning signs are currently posted and contact with ocean water should be avoided for a minimum of 50 yards on either side of each posted sign. Warning signs will remain posted until ocean water quality meets State standards. Any items that may have come in contact with ocean water should be avoided. If contact occurs, wash thoroughly with soap and water.
Join us Tuesday, Sept. 15, to urge the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors to approve proposed amendments to the Land Use and Development Code (LUDC) and Coastal Zoning Ordinance (CZO) that would prohibit new onshore oil and gas wells. These long-awaited protections would safeguard community health, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and prevent future expansion of oil extraction while creating a responsible pathway for winding down existing operations in Santa Barbara County.
“Volunteering at Farm Day enables students to see that there is so much more to agriculture than the harvesting portion,” says Tyler A. Dickinson, an agriculture teacher at Pioneer Valley High School in Santa Maria. Dickinson coordinates the Farm Day volunteers. “They learn firsthand how farms operate. It broadens their perspective. They see career opportunities within the ag industry and the importance of the work that literally feeds the world.”
VENTURA — Mayor Dr. Jeannette Sánchez-Palacios has released the following statement in response to antisemitic vandalism targeting Temple Beth Torah and Juanamaria Park, including swastikas and other hateful imagery:
Dear Community Members of Ventura,
I am deeply disturbed by the antisemitic vandalism targeting Temple Beth Torah, Higher Vision Church, and Juanamaria Park, including the spray-painting of swastikas and other hateful imagery.
