My extended family consists of about 60 cousins and an untold number of their children. My paternal grandparents had 14 children, and one of those children had 14 children. Sometimes I think I must be related to half the population of Los Angeles.
We cousins are scattered all over the map. I grew up next door to five of them, all brothers. One lives in Tokyo, Japan. Another is in Manchester, England. Two are near Seattle, Washington. One remains in Los Angeles.
SANTA BARBARA — The Pierre Claeyssens Veterans Foundation and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1649 have announced the details of their popular annual Memorial Day ceremony taking place on May 26th, 2025 at 11:00 a.m. at the Santa Barbara Cemetery, 901 Channel Drive.
This free event honors men and women who have proudly served in the United States military. Attendees are encouraged to arrive early in order to secure a seat. Plenty of free parking will be available on-site. The ceremony is scheduled to begin at 11:00 a.m. sharp near the cemetery’s main flagpole. This year’s program will feature presentations and performances by local groups such as the UCSB ROTC Color Guard, Gold Coast Pipe & Drum Band, David Gonzales and the Santa Barbara Choral Society, and The Prime Time Band.
VENTURA COUNTY — The last day of the WE REMEMBER exhibit is May 30 when at 2 pm we will present a 8 minute work-in-progress documentary on Deported Veterans followed by We Remember: End of Innocence a 47 minute doc on Ventura County veterans on their Vietnam experience. A Q/A with veterans and director George J. Sandoval will follow.
The John Spoor Broome Library at CSU, Channel Islands is open from 9am to 4pm Tuesday – Friday and unfortunately is closed on Memorial Day.
Looking to take action in your community? Join the Santa Barbara Transgender Advocacy Network for a countywide day of community organizing this Saturday, May 24th, from 12 to 2 PM in Santa Barbara, Goleta, and Isla Vista.
SANTA MARIA — On May 21, Allan Hancock College honored the dedication and service of 17 retiring faculty and staff members during a heartfelt ceremony that celebrated decades of contributions to student success.?
This year’s retirees, who contributed a combined 341 years of service to the college, include full and part-time faculty members, classified staff, supervisors, and administrators from various programs and departments.
“Our retirees have helped shape this college into the extraordinary institution it is today,” said Hancock Superintendent/President Kevin G. Walthers, Ph.D. “Their dedication, compassion, and commitment to our students have made a lasting impact that will be felt for generations.”
This donation marks the foundation’s second major contribution to the YMCA this year. Earlier in 2025, the Valentine Foundation contributed $250,000 to the YMCA’s Find My Genius program, a free five-week program for low- and moderate-income students who are not reading at grade level to support their academic and social-emotional learning.
… In this time of nonstop headlines and uncertainty, I invite us not to lose sight of the good we are creating together. There are so many examples, including the meaningful and inspired leadership of the recent graduating class of the Ventura County Leadership Academy, where Cohort 30 raised more than $20,000 to help support neighbors who lost their homes in the Mountain Fire. I wish I could have bottled up their joy as they presented the check last week – it was such a beautiful thing to witness!
VENTURA — Ventura County Public Works Agency (VCPWA) is proud to announce the recognition of its 2025 Employees of the Year. These exceptional individuals have demonstrated extraordinary leadership, dedication, and innovation in their roles, contributing to the Agency’s ongoing success. The awards were presented on Tuesday, May 20th, during the Ventura County Board of Supervisors meeting.
Evan Martinez, honored with the Operations & Maintenance Employee of the Year award, has been with VCPWA for just over five years, playing a key role in maintaining and operating the water systems across the Agency’s four service districts. His major duties consist of helping the Operations and
Productions team deliver safe drinking water to residents and keeping the water system in excellent working condition.
SANTA MARIA — Over 800 students and donors gathered at the Joe White Memorial Gymnasium on May 22 to celebrate the Allan Hancock College Foundation’s annual scholarship awards.
This year, the Foundation awarded 518 scholarships totaling $605,000 to 416 Hancock students. Generous members of the community also funded 18 new scholarships in 2025.
“Each year, we find new ways to strengthen our support for Hancock students, and tonight’s celebration is a powerful reflection of that growth,” said Jon Hooten, Ph.D., executive director of college advancement and the AHC Foundation. “We’re incredibly proud of every student recognized this evening for their hard work and achievements.”
Many of the seniors served through Friendship Center’s programs are at the intersection of aging, poverty, and dementia, with few additional resources for support.
Every day costs Friendship Center more than $200 per person, and most of the program’s members pay less than $100. Will you help us fill that gap?!
Below is a real-time snapshot of how many members we serve at each contribution level.
You can pick a tier and match what they can’t cover, day by day.
Meiya Sidney ???, a fourth-year College of Creative Studies and art honors student, shares her ceramic practice shaped by summers in Taiwan.
SANTA BARBARA —The power of collective giving was on display on May 20th when the Women’s Fund of Santa Barbara awarded an unprecedented $1.25 million in grants to 11 local nonprofits —showcasing the power of collective giving in the Santa Barbara community. This accomplishment was made possible through the generosity of 1,426 local women members who have combined their charitable contributions into a substantial grants pool.
Having trouble viewing this email? Click here EDC MAY AND JUNE EVENT AND WEBINAR SCHEDULE 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…
A big thank you to everyone who supported the 2025 Builder Games, presented by Mechanics Bank. Together, we raised over $125,000 for our Supportive Housing and Camino Scholars programs.
CAMARILLO — When Kevin and Stephanie Allen launched AirWorks Solutions from their hometown of Camarillo in 2010, they didn’t set out to build an empire. Then in their twenties, the high school sweethearts — he a hands-on technician, she a business-savvy law graduate — set out to build trust, one honest service call at a time. What they’ve built since has exceeded anything they imagined.
Topic: “Surviving Chronic Pain Through Psychedelic Therapy”
Description: A long and beautiful life opened by psychedelics led Paul to gurus, God, volunteering in India and Guatemala and so many other amazing planes. But NOTHING has opened him like being in chronic pain, and he swore when he got out that he would share his experience and help others. We will start the evening with an interactive element before the interview.
CAMARILLO — It was the summer of 1965 and Ojai civil rights veteran Lanny Kaufer was standing behind an outdoor stage in Virginia where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was speaking.
“They have something in India called “darshan,” which is the feeling you get when you are in the presence of a holy man,” Kaufer, 78, said. “I had that experience hearing him speak. He was truly one of the great orators of our time. Then he came down the platform and shook all of our hands, thanking us for what we were doing.”
Kaufer will speak about the summer of his 18th year during CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI)’s Summer Taste of OLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute), which features 25 single session, two-hour classes from June 9 through July 17.Registration opens Tuesday, May 27 at 8:30 a.m.
VENTURA — The Ventura County Air Pollution Control District has launched a new website that makes it much easier for the public to access information and services and connect with district staff.
Rebuilt from the ground up to replace the district’s original 2006 website, the new digital hub at vcacpd.org also streamlines the process for staff to keep it updated.
Among the new features are colorful dials on the homepage that provide real-time air quality data from the district’s monitoring stations in El Rio, Ojai, Piru, Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks.
Photos from the diving community document around 1,200 adult giant sea bass as the species slowly recovers from decades of overfishing.
The SBCC School of Extended Learning’s Home Economics students create aprons from leftover fabric and ribbon for local breast cancer survivors. View this email online SANTA BARBARA — The SBCC School of Extended Learning’s Home Economics programs are doing much…
OXNARD — On Sunday, April 27, 2025, at 11:00 AM, the Mixteco/Indígena Community Organizing Project (MICOP), in collaboration with CAUSE and SEIU 2015, hosted a powerful May Day march against deportations, bringing together hundreds of community members in a strong show of unity and collective action.
The May Day March reflected MICOP’s ongoing mission of supporting, empowering, and organizing the Indigenous migrant communities across California’s Central Coast. Participants marched through the streets of Oxnard in honor of International Workers’ Day, raising their voices to call for an end to deportations, family separation, and unjust immigration policies that impact our communities.
“Our communities are not just surviving systems that were never built for us—we’re preserving languages, raising families, and keeping traditions alive in the face of constant threat,” said Ofelia Flores, Community Organizer at MICOP. “This march is a reminder that Indigenous migrant communities are not invisible. We deserve to be protected, celebrated, and heard—not just on May Day, but every day.”
SANTA PAULA — With the leadership of over 125 partners and input from hundreds of community members, the Isabella Project is excited to announce the location of a new early care hub, adjacent to undeveloped land on the Briggs Elementary School property in Santa Paula.
The mission of the Isabella Project is to ensure all children in Ventura County, starting in Santa Paula, have access to high-quality, full-time early care and education that meets their families’ needs. In Santa Paula, there are more than 2,000 children under age 5, but only 881 formal early learning spaces. The early care hub will create approximately 200 more spaces for early childhood education, serving children ages 0 to 5, and will include a variety of wrap-around services to better serve young children, families and childcare professionals.
THOUSAND OAKS — The Board of Regents of California Lutheran University announced today the appointment of John A. Nunes, Ph.D., as the university’s ninth president. Nunes has served as the university’s interim president since June 1, 2024, and assumes his new role June 1. He is a former president of Concordia College New York.
“Dr. Nunes has demonstrated his commitment to Cal Lutheran’s mission and our students every single day since his appointment as interim president, and the board is excited to have him join us on a longer-term basis,” said Board of Regents Chair Ann Boynton, Class of 1983. “This is a challenging time for higher education, and the need for committed leadership has never been greater.”
SANTA PAULA — The City of Santa Paula welcomes all Santa Paula residents, business owners, partners and supporters, to attend the annual State of the City event on June 5th. The event will take place at the Ventura County Agriculture Museum, located at 926 Railroad Ave., Santa Paula, CA 93060.
This year’s event, themed “Feel the Progress,” offers a chance for residents, community leaders, and stakeholders to hear about the City’s recent accomplishments, ongoing efforts, and what lies ahead. Join us to explore Santa Paula’s current priorities and community focused initiatives shaping our future.
CENTRAL COAST — Women’s Economic Ventures (WEV), a leading local organization dedicated to the economic empowerment of women, is pleased to announce the appointment of five new members to its Board of Directors. These individuals bring diverse expertise, leadership experience and a deep commitment to gender, racial and economic equity, further strengthening WEV’s ability to transform lives and build a resilient community, one small business at a time.
SANTA BARBARA — CenCal Health, the Medi-Cal managed care plan for Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, announced that it has received accreditation from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) for its Medi-Cal (Medicaid HMO) program on the Central Coast. By successfully demonstrating its commitment to high-quality healthcare, operational efficiency and member experience, CenCal Health earned accreditation for its quality of managed care operations.
SANTA MARIA — Allan Hancock College celebrated 2025 graduates who will continue their education at four-year universities at its annual University Transfer Celebration on May 16 at the college’s Santa Maria campus.
Hosted each year by Hancock’s University Transfer Center, the event was an opportunity for Hancock’s transfer students to celebrate their achievements with their friends and family as they prepared for a new chapter in their educational journeys. More than 300 transfer graduates and their families were honored at this year’s celebration.
Participating students, many wearing apparel from their respective universities, received a commemorative transfer medallion, took photos with their soon-to-be university peers, and listened to messages of support from Hancock staff and their fellow transfer students.
Community Field Representative
(Supervisors Administrative Assistant II)
Full-Time | $92,531.22–$129,556.40 annually
Join our team! In this dynamic role, you’ll work directly with the community to help solve problems and support local initiatives.
LOMPOC — Allan Hancock College celebrated a new crop of first responders on May 16 as a combined 68 cadets graduated from the college’s fire and emergency medical services (EMS) academies.?
The graduates were honored during two ceremonies at the college’s Public Safety Training Complex (PSTC) in Lompoc.??
“This graduating class embodies the future of public safety,” said Hancock Superintendent/President Kevin G. Walthers, Ph.D. “They’ve undergone rigorous training and are ready to step into their roles as first responders, serving and protecting our communities.”
Over 50 amazing dogs have been in our care for more than 100 days! To help them find loving homes, we’re offering a fee-waived adoption promotion for these long-stay pets.
Please note: All adoption procedures still apply despite promotions.
Adoption Hours: 1:00 PM – 6:00 PM, Tuesday – Sunday
Locations: Camarillo & Simi Valley Animal Shelters
View Available Animals: www.vcas.us/pets
Learn About the Adoption Process: www.vcas.us/adopt
