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Social Justice Fund accepting grant proposals The Social Justice Fund for Ventura County seeks grant proposals from nonprofits working to better our communities, the organization announced this week in a media release. A total of $50,000 will be available in the fund’s fourth annual grants program. The Social Justice Fund for Ventura County invests in grassroots organizations working to create real community change by developing leaders, educating and organizing those most affected and advocating for change. SJF promotes fairness, equality and human rights, and strengthens social justice by “creating change, not charity.” Grant proposals in any amount up to $10,000 will be considered. The Social Justice Fund’s Giving Circle expects to make a number of small grants (under $5,000) and a few larger grants. Proposals are due by 4 p.m., Thursday, July 22. Click here for more information |
Ventura County letter carriers collect more than 134 pounds of food Ventura County letter carriers collect more than 134,000 pounds of food More than 134,510 pounds of food were collected by Ventura County letter carriers during the National Association of Letter Carriers AFL-CIO "Stamp Out Hunger" food drive, up 34,000 pounds from a year ago, FOOD Share reported this week in a media release. The donations will help FOOD Share in restocking their shelves and feeding more than 54,700 people each month. Click here for full media release at the Ventura County Star |
Das Williams unveils Das Williams, a candidate for the 35th California Assembly District, unveiled his new television commercial this week. Click here for more information |
California Legislative Latino The California Legislative Latino Cacus has endorsed Susan Jordan for the 35th California Assembly District, according to a report by the Ventura County Democratic Party. Click here for more information |
A growing need to feed the community FOOD Share using stimulus funds to keep up April 1, 2010 By Frank X. Moraga With unemployment at historically high levels, and economic recovery still uneven in the 805 region and nationally, organizations that provide food and other services to those in need continue to see growing demand from the community. |
“For Congresswoman Capps to take here valuable time to stop in to check out the progress of the ARRA food box program and to help us shine a light on the need is awesome,” Weigel stated in the release. |
Census outreach events planned for Oxnard Several events designed to raise awareness about the U.S. Census will be held in April in Oxnard, according to a release by the United Way of Ventura County's Latino Action Team, which is partnering with the Census Bureau on this information campaign. A rally will be held at 11:30 a.m. Thursday, April 1 at Plaza Park in downtown Oxnard. Rep. Lois Capps (D-Santa Barbara) is scheduled to be the guest speaker, with a reception to follow at the office of the Congress for CA Seniors. The "Census Road Tour" will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 3 at the Centerpoint Mall in Oxnard. The event features health screenings by Clinicas del Camino Real and an Easter Egg Hunt for children. The "March to the Mailbox" program will be held Saturday, April to encourage the return of census forms in 35 hard-to-count areas. Volunteers are needed for the Ventura Avenue, Santa Paula, the La Colonia neighborhood and the Haddock neighborhood of Oxnard. To date, 20 percent of the Census forms have been returned nationally, 16 percent in California, 14 percent in Oxnard and 18 percent in Santa Paula, the Census Bureau reported. |
The political season is upon us Events geared toward local, state and national races March 25, 2010 By Frank X. Moraga The political season in the 805 region is off to a brisk start with a number of well-known local Latino candidates running for a variety of local, state and national offices.
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From feeding the homeless to toy and canned food drives, Trying to catch up with Osbaldo Lopez is like trying to catch up to a tornado. The man is constantly in motion, and this holiday season he has been busy planning one community event after another. However, there is still a great need in the 805 region for food, toys, clothing and other donations during this holiday season. The following is a listing of some events, activities and links to organizations that need your help this holiday season: • Ismael “Mayo” de la Rocha reports that Dec. 4 is the deadline to drop off toys in Room K-1 at Ventura College that will benefit the children of the more than 20,000 Mixtecos living and working in the region. Donations are tax deductable. Drop off toys to boxes in K-1 at Ventura College. For more information, e-mail to VenturaMecha231@yahoo.com or call 805.654.6400, ext 3123. • The Mixteco/Indigena Community Organizing Project will hold its annual Fiesta Navideña from 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5 at Harrington Elementary School, 2501 Gisler Ave., Oxnard and from 5 to 7 p.m. Dec. 5 at Rio Real School, 1140 Kenny (off Alvarado St.), Nyeland Acres. Volunteers are needed between the hours of 2 and 4 p.m. in Oxnard and 3 and 4 p.m. at El Rio for set up and from 4:30 to 7 p.m. at both events to help with children's crafts and clean up. For more information, call Donna Foster at 805.320.0118, e-mail mixtecoproject@yahoo.com or visit MICOP • Food items are still needed at the Ventura County Rescue Mission for its holiday dinners. For more information, visit Ventura Rescue Mission • There is still time to donate food items during November to Ventura County Libraries as part of a partnership with Food Share of Ventura County. For more information, visit Food Share of Ventura County |
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Community coming together
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Nov. 12, 2009 By Frank X. Moraga It was during a prayer group meeting in Woodland Hills about five years ago that the Sisters and their good work found Lupe Anguiano. It must have been divine intervention. They, The Poor Clare Catholic Sisters from Chalco, Mexico, had come to the U.S. to spread word of their efforts to help women from small villages in Mexico. “I was just delighted to see how they were helping indigenous women,” said Anguiano of Oxnard. “That is what caught my attention. They go to Chiapas. It’s not easy to go to Chiapas, and the majority of people are indigenous from different tribes and different languages.” Chiapas is located along Mexico’s southern border with Guatemala and the area has many poor villages. “(The sisters) recruit the women and bring them to Chalco, near Mexico City, where they get training in baking” and learning other job skills, Anguiano said. “We invited the sisters to come to Sacred Heart Church (in Ventura). We normally contributed monthly to missions in Africa and Central America and the parishioners loved the sisters and contributed to their project,” she said. “They used to bring 12 women from Chiapas and train them for one year and then take them back to their villages,” she said. “I wanted them to increase that number and so we started to help them. I had the honor of going to that village and the elders just opened the doors to us. They were very happy to see us because they were receiving money from the parish. They said they were interested in building a computer-training center. We contribute so little money but they do so much with what we give them every year.” Thousands of dollars have been raised over the past five years for the sisters and their work, Anguiano said, but there is more work to be done. Through Stewards of the Earth, a California nonprofit organization headed by Anguiano, connections have been made with other Los Angeles-area churches to help the sisters raise the funds for the two computer training programs — one in Chalco, the other in Chiapas. After their Ventura visit on Nov. 8, Sister Teresa Hernández Obando and Sister Acensión Pachco will be staying in Los Angeles through the end of the year seeking to raise funds for their program. Anguiano said people were very generous with their purchases of handmade embroidered linens, artifacts and religious articles at Sacred Heart Church on Nov. 8. “They didn’t want us to give their name, but one gentleman gave twice. He gave them $100 and then came back and gave them $100 more,” she said. “Some didn’t want the change back.” Some gave just a few dollars they could spare, but they gave it with all their heart, she said. “It was really very successful,” Anguiano said. “Americans are so generous.” The convent can be called directly at 0-11-52 (553) 092-3729. Readers can also call Sister Acencion Pachco directly Please click on image above to go to our new Amigos805.com On Scene page courtesy of Flickr |
Launches bilingual news/talk radio program locally on KUNX AM-1590. Nov. 4, 2009 By Frank X. Moraga David Cruz is on a misión — to create an engaging bilingual forum for the local community. Cruz, best known as an anchor/reporter for KNBC Channel 4 in Los Angeles, launched his new bilingual news/talk radio program on Nov. 2 on KUNX AM-1590, a Spanish-language affiliate of the Radio Formula Network and Gold Coast Broadcasting. Cruz, who joined the financial services industry following his journalism career, created the radio program to give a voice to those who are not normally the newsmakers in the community and to open up a dialog within the community and other segments of society. “Just because they work in a blue-collar job in a factory, and English isn’t their predominant language, it doesn’t make them any less important” in terms of being part of the solution to the issues facing society, Cruz said. Finding solutions to problems facing people is one reason why Cruz chose to pursue a career in financial services after he left journalism. “The future is economic power,” he said. “He who controls his finances is going to have that power.” But Cruz, who has long reported on local issues and pushed for more coverage of Ventura County when he was with KNBC, felt there was something more he could do to help the local community. Cruz, originally from San Antonio, moved to Agoura Hills in 1996, and has become a fixture in the 805 region, not only reporting stories, but serving in public service capacities such as master of ceremonies at past Latino Leadership Awards banquets presented by El Concilio del Condado de Ventura. He said the response to his new radio program has been great. So in addition to his day job at his office in the Topa Towers in Oxnard, Cruz also gets up at 3:45 a.m. to head over to the radio station to prepare for his morning broadcast. “It’s a rough schedule,” he said. “I haven’t had to do that since I co-hosted ‘Today in L.A.’ with Kelly Mac.” Following the radio program, Cruz spends time lining up guests for the next day. Cruz, who loves to mentor and inspire the next generation of Latinos in the media, is working with intern and Moorpark College student Leah Grullon, who is now gaining experience and doing her own program three days a week. “I want to get this show started and if (listeners) like it they will show me with good ratings and then I want to pass it on to the next generation to let them carry it forward,” he said. Cruz credits Pablo Ortiz and others at Gold Coast Broadcasting for giving him an opportunity to reach a bilingual audience on KUNX AM-1590. “We’re really excited to be working with David. He brings decades of network TV and radio news experience to bridge the two largest audiences in our community,” Chip Ehrhardt, executive vice president/general manager of Gold Coast Broadcasting LLC, stated in a media release. “I love this area. It has so much potential,” Cruz said. “The more we can do to move it to a higher vibrancy, the more we can all enjoy it.” |
By Carlos J. Licea Women from Fillmore, Oxnard, Santa Paula and Ventura spoke out against domestic violence during a march and vigil held in La Colonia in Oxnard on Wednesday, Oct. 28. The 80 or so marchers were brought together by Líderes Campesinas, a statewide organization that educates and helps farmworker women to defend their rights and their families. Part of the event included the display of baby bibs and clothes, photo above, to represent the children left without mothers due to domestic violence. The display also included the Apron Project, with the aprons symbolizing the home and the center of the family. From members' experiences, the kitchen is also the place in the home where violence often takes place, according to officials from Líderes Campesinas. Members across the state of California decorated the symbolic aprons with political messages against domestic violence. "By using art as a form of community outreach, the Apron Project is spreading the message of peaceful families in new ways," the group stated in a media release. The event was held in recognition of October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month.This year’s theme is “A healthy family is a family without violence.” The marchers were invited by the Ventura County chapter of Líderes Campesinas, with the annual march starting at Cristo Rey Church on Cooper Road and continuing to Our Lady of Guadalupe Church on Juanita Avenue in La Colonia. For more information, contact the central office at 805.486.7776, Suguet López at 909.469.9220 or Ramona Félix at 760.574.7101. |
The construction of the new Museum of Ventura County has started and nothing can stop it now! Oct. 14, 2009 By Mariana Llamas-Cendon If you have some spare change, about a $1,000 that you have no idea what to do with … get your name immortalized on a tile, and at the same time, help build what promises to be a landmark that VC will never forget: the new, larger Museum of Ventura County. The museum is going through a remodeling and expansion that took almost 15 years to start. “We actually started working on it 15 years ago because the board realized that the museum was out of space. We started in the year 2000 when we did the architectural competition for the design so we have been working pretty steadily since then,” said Tim Schiffer, museum director. “It’s actually taking us about eight years to get through the design and entitlement process.” The remodeling was divided into two phases. The first phase of construction, taking place at this very moment, is expected to be completed by June 2010. “The first phase is the front part of the new building, which includes the Pavilion (an event room) and the Public Plaza, in front of the building, and the new bathrooms,” Schiffer said. “Then we had to do quite a bit to the parking lot to make it (meet) current standards.” Since the museum is a nonprofit organization, the $7 million needed to start construction of the first phase came from about 135 donors, including individuals, foundations, businesses, the City of Ventura and the County of Ventura. Fundraising efforts continue with the aim of collecting enough funds to start building the second phase, with a planned completion date of 2011. “The second phase is the new galleries, the education center, the lobby, the library and storage for our collections,” Schiffer said. To raise funds, the museum got creative. Instead of planning dinners and concerts, officials at the museum decided to have a series of events related to the construction of the first phase so members and potential donors could get acquainted with the progress of construction. On Oct. 6, the museum held the exhibit “Then and Now” by preservationist and photographer Stephen Schaffer. On Nov. 3, Charles Johnson, the museum’s librarian, will talk about the plans for the new research library, to be followed on Jan. 12, 2010 by a discussion by museum director Schiffer on the exhibits that are planned for the new building. “It’s much easier to raise money for something that is on the way and that we can see tangible activity as opposed to something that’s just an idea or a drawing,” Schiffer said. Donations start at $1,000, Schiffer said, and for that amount the donor will get a tile with his name on it placed in the plaza. “It’s going to be a landmark,” Schiffer said. If you are interested in leaving such a tangible memoir, which is tax deductible, contact the Museum of Ventura County or visit the web page at www.venturamuseum.org. |
Sept. 23, 2009 By Frank X. Moraga It will be a busy morning at Mercy Ministries in El Rio on Saturday, Sept. 26, when more than a dozen volunteers arrive to bag food and other necessities for families in need. The volunteers are part of a group of more than 600 who are expected to take part in the 20th annual “Day of Caring” presented by the United Way of Ventura County. Countywide, volunteers will tackle 18 community projects, including building dome structures at the River Haven homeless camp in Ventura. The Mercy Ministries project is being coordinated by Aurelio Jauregui, who is heading up the United Ways’ Latino Action Team. “We have 11 or 12 volunteers from Pacifica High School and (Supervisor) John Zaragoza got four of his staff to volunteer,” said Jauregui, who is also the owner of Evita’s Mexican Restaurant in Ventura. Between 100 and 120 families, which equals 400 to 500 people, are expected to be served on Saturday, according to Paul Janowski of Mercy Ministries. Mercy Ministries, which began serving the El Rio community in January 2008, has seen the number of those served grow from 35 families per week to over 100 families, Janowski said. “We depend on our wonderful volunteers and the generosity of the community to make this happen,” he said. After a number of planning meetings, the Latino Action Team was launched earlier this year to advise the United Way in advocating and supporting the Latino community through projects that make a positive change to the local community. On June 21, the Latino Action Team led efforts to collect food and other needed items for the Latino community during the United Way’s annual “Day of Action” event. Jauregui said he is pleased with the initial efforts by the team. “This is the most effective thing we have done so far,” he said of the planned volunteer effort at Mercy Ministries. “The first project we were just getting our feet wet. With every little project, we are getting a little bit better.” Last year, more than 600 people volunteered for the Day of Caring and it looks like the agency is on track to exceed that number, said Marisa Lopez, the local United Way’s community impact associate. “We had such a great response — 552 people have signed up,” Lopez said. “That’s amazing having all those people going to all those sites.” “At River Haven, they will be building 19 new domes,” she said. “That will be a really great project to see something that started as a blank space.” The Ventura Harbor Wetlands Restoration Project needs 23 participants and the United Way is also seeking 20 project liaisons to help with registering volunteers. Other volunteers are needed for "Gardening for a Cause" (10), fall cleaning at the Ventura County Rescue Mission (8), the clean-up of the Moorpark Pantry’s Baby Room/Christmas Room (7), volunteers to help wash Food Share trucks (17) and volunteers to pick fruit and vegetables from neighborhood gardens for Food Share's "Day of Gleaning" (2). To volunteer for the United Way Day of Caring, visit the web site at http://www.volunteerventuracounty.org or call 485-6288. |
It was a day to celebrate the dedication of an individual who has helped Aug. 26, 2009 By Frank X. Moraga Líderes Campesinas took some time out on Aug. 22 to honor Mily Treviño-Sauceda for her 17 years of dedication to the organization. She first became involved in supporting the community in the 1970s when she organized teen groups within her church. For Treviño-Sauceda, the celebration marks her departure from Líderes Campesinas as she pursues a master’s degree. Daniela Ramirez will take over as the new executive director of the nonprofit organization. Líderes Campesinas Inc. (Farmerworker Women Leaders) was founded in 1992 to promote the development of women leaders in the farm worker community so they can become agents of social, economic and political change to promote human rights of farm worker women, the organization reported. Its central office is in Oxnard and there are currently 12 committees of farmworker women and auxiliary youth. The statewide group, Organización en California de Líderes Campesinas (Organization of Farmerworker Women Leaders in California), reports that it’s a grassroots organization composed of farm worker women community leaders and advocates who seek to raise awareness on a variety of issues facing women, from violence in the home to bad working conditions, reproductive justice and other social issues including sexual harassment and assaults in the workplace. The organization raises awareness of these issues through a variety of events and programs and has received a number of awards including the “I Care Award,” presented in 2006 by the Ventura County Partnership for Safe Families and Communities; and the “Ellie Liston Crime Victim’s Assistance Award" presented in 2005 by the Ventura County District Attorney’s office. For information on Líderes Campesinas or Organización en California de Líderes Campesinas call 805.486.7776 or go to liderescampesinas@hotmail.com |
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Hungar strike for education
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Community in giving mood June 25, 2009 By Frank X. Moraga Barrels were filled with food and other donations at several locations in Ventura County as part of the annual United Way of Ventura County’s “Day of Action” held June 21. Meanwhile, some locations have extended the time to receive donations from the community, said Susan Englund, vice president of community impact for the United Way. The Day of Action was the first event supported by the United Way’s Latino Action team. “I heard from Rusty’s Pizza Parlor and he had responses from all of his sites,” Englund said. Owner Dan Collier had donation barrels placed at his two Ventura and two Oxnard locations, along with his one Port Hueneme location. “He said a couple of stores had at least one barrel filled with donations,” Englund said. Both barrels at other Simi Valley donation locations were also filled, she said. Donation bins were also placed at Evita's Mexican Cafe in Ventura. "Evita's customers and community members were very generous and made contributions for a great cause," said Aurelio Jauregui, owner of Evita's and steering committee co-chair of the Latino Action Team. While not all the barrels have been picked up yet this week, Englund said she was pleased with the community support this year. “It was a pretty good response for a first effort,” she said. “I got a couple of phone calls afterward with people asking me if they can still bring in their stuff.” This was the first year the donation program was held as part of Day of Action. Last year’s event focused on letting people know about the United Way’s 211 telephone information program, she said. The Day of Action donations were a good way to raise awareness of the issues of food, shelter and access to health care, which are basic needs being addressed by the Ventura County Together collaborative, Englund said. The collaborative includes the United Way, the Ventura County Community Foundation, Food Share, First 5 Ventura County and other organizations. “This is one way for the community to support those kind of issues through donations,” or volunteering, she said. The United Way’s next effort will be the Day of Caring on Sept. 26, where volunteers support other nonprofit and community organizations by donating materials and labor to a variety of projects. Previous efforts including painting and landscaping at El Centrito Learning Center’s office at the old Oxnard High School, sprucing up a senior center in La Colonia and preparing walls for painting at El Concilio del Condado de Ventura. For more information on the Day of Action and the Day of Caring, call Englund at 805.485.6288, ext. 226 or Marisa Lopez at ext. 276. |
A Mid-West welcome May 12, 2009 By Frank X. Moraga A Pulitzer prize-winning editor and a former U.S. Congressman — that’s high company to be in if you are a community advocate from Ventura County. But the credentials displayed by one Alice McGrath, show that she rightly deserved to be one of three individuals to receive honorary degrees at the 2009 Commencement for Wooster College in Ohio. Carmen Ramirez, community planning director for the Central Coast Alliance for a Sustainable Economy, accepted on behalf of McGrath the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters. McGrath wasn’t able to make the event on May 11 at the last minute because of an illness. McGrath, 92, is at home and resting up, said Ramirez in a telephone interview as she was leaving the ceremony in Ohio. Others receiving the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws were Congressman Ralph Regula, who served in Congress from 1972 to 2009, and former editor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer Doug Clifton, who oversaw newspapers that earned four Pulitzer prizes during his 37-year career in journalism, according to an article in The Wooster Voice. The publication went on to say: “McGrath has been working as an activist for social justice in one way or another since the 1940s. The daughter of Russian Jewish immigrants to Los Angeles, McGrath has fought for the rights of Japanese Americans during World War II, for the rights of Mexican-American youth to a fair trial, and, more recently, for progressive reforms in the Nicaraguan government.” Ramirez addressed the students in remarks written by McGrath. “I was born in Calgary Canada in 1917. My Jewish parents had fled Russia because their lives were threatened by religious persecution — the pogroms that threatened our lives... “Because of this I know the immigrants’ story which is the story of our country. I know that many of you have experienced this or have parents or grandparents who are here in our country because of similar circumstances….I knew Carey McWilliams, an important fighter for civil rights for migrant workers and others … In 1944 he asked me to be the secretary of the Sleepy Lagoon Defense committee for those wrongfully accused young men. As a young woman without a college degree or relevant experience I said ‘I’ve never done anything like this before…’ Then he said the magic words. ‘NOW YOU WILL…’ “This is my message to you…. Now you will…. You can live the kind of life I have. It isn’t all fun, but it is never boring and you can’t enjoy complacency. Use your talents skills and energy and don’t be a bystander in your life and that of your era. Never be silent in the face of things that matter. You will sleep better at night, no matter what the consequences; and you will make a difference. Our world needs you to step up to the plate, now more than ever. My best wishes to you today and always … Love, Alice.” |
Swine flu side effects May 12, 2009 By Mariana Llamas-Cendon MEXICO CITY — Life pretty much went back to normal in Mexico City on May 7, 2009. Businesses and offices reopened, as did colleges and high schools. Students of elementary and junior high schools returned to classes on May 11. In Mexico, Swine influenza news slowly vanished, replaced with a pandemic of politics regarding the upcoming Congressional elections on July 5. Still, the fear of another breakout remains. Restaurants are not getting as many clients as they are used to, although reservations for Mother’s Day on May 10 were hard to get. Patrons of theaters and concert halls, however, should still follow certain measures dictated by the health department, such as washing their hands before getting to their seats; covering their mouths with a handkerchief or their elbow when sneezing or coughing; keeping a distance of about 2.25 meters from another individual at all times; and staying at least two steps from another person when exiting. In general, although the situation seems to be under control, is still advisable to avoid crowds as much as possible. Maybe, besides the scare, there is a less apparent but deepening side effect caused by the Swine flu pandemic: Discrimination. Mexican President Felipe Calderon recently denounced that Mexican citizens have been victims of discrimination in some countries around the world. China, for example, kept more than 70 Mexicans isolated in hospitals or hotels even though they did not have any symptoms. Argentina had cancelled all the flights in or out of Mexico, but discrimination does not necessarily happen only overseas, it is happening outside one infected person’s door. A survivor I had interviewed, Miguel T., who for obvious reasons did not want to give his real name because he was afraid of becoming “the name or face of the disease,” said that many of his friends and co-workers thought they were doomed, and were ready to blame him in case they got infected. Actually Miguel T. is cured and, according to his doctors, immune to the A(H1N1) virus. But still, he was unsure of the response other people will have after knowing he had lived to tell his tale with Swine Flu. |
A change in plans May 11, 2009 By Frank X. Moraga It was planned to be a day when upwards of 600 high school students would arrive at Oxnard College to begin their first step toward higher education. On May 1, the students would have heard inspiration messages, taken part in numerous workshops, and listened to role models from throughout the 805 region. Then came the Swine Flu epidemic. “We didn’t know what to do here. We spoke to our vice president, we spoke to the nurse and the president and heard that some classes had already been canceled,” said organizer Jeannette Cortez. In the end, the decision was made to cancel the event and try again next year. “It was very difficult,” Cortez said. “We’re really disappointed. We did a lot of recruiting at the high schools, went to Santa Paula — to Renaissance High School; to Bonaventure and even Newbury Park High School was sending a bus.” However, as more schools countywide reported suspected cases of Swine Flu, officials at the college felt it was in the best public safety interest to cancel the event. Richard Santana, a motivation speaker with a degree in sociology, was scheduled to be the keynote speaker. “He was going to talk to young people about turning their lives around,” Cortez said. Organizers were unable to reschedule the conference for later this year because of the time it took to plan for a new event. “It wouldn’t be easy to reschedule it right away because we need to talk to all the presenters,” she said, along with a time conflict with the Multicultural Fair this fall, which also brings a number of young people to the college campus. This year’s Youth Leadership Conference was to be dedicated to community supporter Humberto Miranda, who passed away on Sept. 23, 2008. “He always supported us from the beginning,” Cortez said. “He was always here. He was part of a very community-oriented family. He just gave back by helping the youth understand that you have to give back to the community. If it were not for the people in the community, these workshops wouldn’t take place.” Cortez said organizers intend to dedicate the 2010 Youth Leadership Conference to Miranda. For more information on the 2010 Oxnard College Youth Leadership Conference, call Cortez at 805.986.5863. To make a tax-deductible monetary contribution, call Harry Cortez at 805.558.8663. |
Community gathers to awards grants and raise funds for scholarships April 17, 2009 By Frank X. Moraga Not only was it an evening to award grants to worthy nonprofits, it was an evening to pass the hat and raise funds for the next generation of Latino leaders here in the 805 region. The 2009 Grants Reception presented by Destino: The Hispanic Legacy Fund, drew an appreciative audience to the Derby Club at the Ventura County Fairgrounds on April 16. A total of $51,000 was presented to eight non profit organizations and a more than $2,500 was raised for the next Destino Scholarship targeting youth who will be the first in their families to attend college. Awards were presented to the United Way of Ventura County — Ventura County AIDS Partnership ($5,000); El Concilio del Condado de Ventura ($9,000); City Impact Inc. ($8,000); El Centrito Family Learning Centers ($8,000); City Corps of the Central Coast ($3,500), Boys & Girls Club of Greater Oxnard & Port Hueneme ($5,000); Lucha Inc. as fiscal sponsor for Inlakech Cultural Arts Center ($5,700); and Teatro de las Américas Inc. ($6,800). Fernando de Necochea, a senior advisor and community partnership director for Southern California Edison (and a mentor to many UCSB alumni) was the guest speaker. Special thanks went to Destino founder Henry L. "Hank" Lacayo, Hugh J. Ralston of the Ventura County Community Foundation and all the VCCF staff members who helped make the grant reception a successful event. Lacayo, who said he will be stepping down from his Destino Vision Committee Chair position but "not retiring," also offered a special thanks to sponsor and host Ovations/FanFare and the Ventura County Fair for their support for the reception for the past seven years. (Full disclosure: Frank X. Moraga is a member of the Destino Vision Committee and the Destino Grant Committe). |
More than 360 people attend annual gala March 26, 2009 By Frank X. Moraga While more people are watching their spending because of the national recession, every seat was taken at the 20th anniversary celebration of El Concilio del Condado de Ventura’s Latino Leadership Awards on March 21 in Oxnard. More than 360 attended the $125 per person event at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center. Funds raised by the awards dinner support El Concilio’s mission of providing direct services and programs in family literacy, youth development and citizenship to the underserved Latino community. Oxnard City Councilman Andres Herrera once again served as master of ceremonies and board president Armando Lopez kicked off the event with a business theme. “You are all investors, making the community a better place,” he said. “We take that investment very seriously. We have a hardworking staff and had 20,000 people cross our door last year.” Honorees ranged from a superior court judge to educators, cultural activists and organizations providing afterschool education programs. "Two Decades of Recognition" was the theme of this year’s presentation. Honorees included Judge Manuel J. Covarrubias, Norma Perez-Sandford, Esequiel F. Ruelas Sandez, Cynthia Lopez, Lucy Castro, Eduardo Miranda, Moses Mora and MB Hanrahan, along with the National Association for the Hispanic Elderly - Proyecto Ayuda, the Rio School District and the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Oxnard and Port Hueneme. Covarrubias, a Superior Court judge presiding over juvenile delinquency cases at the Juvenile Justice Center in Oxnard, was previously named the 2006 Judge of the Year by the Ventura County Trial Lawyers Association. He has served on the board of EI Centrito de La Colonia and as president of the Mexican American Bar Association and is a founding member of the Destino Fund of the Ventura County Community Foundation. While he appreciated the award presented to him by El Concilio, Covarrubias said he was most honored to be part of a larger group of individuals and organizations being recognized that evening that are working to make the community a better place. “We are all part of the solution to these issues,” he said. The honorees made their remarks via video presentation. Perez-Sandford, a 1999 Ventura County Leadership Academy training graduate, received the academy’s "Up and Coming Leader” 2002 Award and is a current chair of the Ventura County Juvenile Justice/Juvenile Delinquency Prevention Commission. She has worked to help youth overcome challenges such as violence at home and homelessness. She recently coordinated the Ventura County January 2009 Homeless Survey Count effort for the Fillmore and Piru areas. “Have you ever looked into the eyes of a child and seen who they really are?” she asked. “I have and I have seen the horror. I have seen children who had to grow up fast. Every day, youth have to make decisions that affect them forever. Every day, a youth is killed by gang violence,” commits suicide or gets involved in crime. “As adults we need to be the guiding light for young people,” she said. “I feel my abuelita is watching me today and I know she is full of pride for what I have done.” Ruelas Sandez was honored for his work on behalf of Vietnam combat veterans. A former track star at Oxnard High School, Ruelas Sandez was wounded in combat in Vietnam. After he was initially denied disability benefits from the Veterans Administration in 2001, he successfully appealed that decision and has since worked to help to secure the certification of disability compensation benefits of more than 75 combat veterans. “The process of submitting claims remains ambiguous and confusing,” he said. Therefore, Ruelas Sandez said, he must continue his work on behalf of combat veterans. Lopez, a counselor at Hueneme High School, previously received the Statewide Professional Recognition Award for "Outstanding Counselor of the Year" by the California Association of School Counselors. She advises 453 seniors at the high school. Presenter Virginia Espinoza of Rabobank quoted Lopez as saying, “There is no typical day. Every day is a new challenge.” Castro, a single mother of three, is coordinator of the Hispanic Mentoring Initiative for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ventura County and also assisted with presenting the first Hispanic Scholarship Fund workshop in Ventura County. “I want to thank God for the blessed life that I have been given,” she said. Miranda received El Concilio’s President's Award for community service and volunteerism. He is the only Oxnard Police officer with a Ph.D. degree and serves on numerous organizations including the Kiwanis Club of Oxnard, the Oxnard Gull Wings Children’s Museum, the Oxnard College Youth Conference and the Latino Peace Officers’ Association — Ventura County Chapter. He was honored as Officer of the Year in 2006 and received the Knights of Columbus “Community Service Award” in 2008. “My parents at an early age kept saying that for a community to prosper, we must all give back to the community we live in,” he said. Mora and Hanrahan were honored for their work with the Tortilla Flats Project, which includes oral histories, photographs and a permanent 90-piece mural installed in April 2008 in the Figueroa Street underpass beneath the U.S. 101 freeway in Ventura. The project memorializes the historic Tortilla Flats neighborhood, where residents were displaced when construction started on the Ventura Freeway. Affecting people is one of the biggest rewards an artist can have, Hanrahan said. By working on the Tortilla Flats Project, collecting oral histories, photographs and painting scenes of the long lost neighborhood, she feels she has accomplished that goal. Mora thanked El Concilio for all the work they have done in the past 20 years to help the community. Carmela Lacayo accepted the award for the National Association for the Hispanic Elderly - Proyecto Ayuda. “Over the last six years we have found 500 jobs for seniors,” she said. “We believe that older persons are our most important heritage.” Finally, the President's "Building Bridges Award” was presented to the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Oxnard and Port Hueneme and Rio School District for their Unity Through Art Program, which offers 216 students an orchestra and choir; and the Cesar Chavez Service Club collaboration, an after-school service club honoring the life and legacy of Cesar E. Chavez. Children are less likely to get into trouble if they are part of an afterschool program, said Sherianne Cotterell, the district’s superintendent. Presenting sponsors this year included Citi, Wells Fargo, Verizon, Santa Barbara Bank & Trust, Rabobank, AT&T, Southern California Edison, the Ventura County Star and The Gas Co. (First published in Vida Newspaper) |
Dec. 4, 2009 By Frank X. Moraga Manuel Lopez, who was just elected to the Oxnard Harbor District, has been involved in politics since the 1960s, serving as a city councilmember and eventually mayor of the city of Oxnard. Sylvia Munoz-Schnopp will take her first elected position when she takes the oath of office on Dec. 17 as a city councilmember representing Port Hueneme. Oxnard City Councilmember John Zaragoza is maintaining a narrow lead in the Ventura County Board of Supervisor race over John Flynn. If he wins, Zaragoza will be the first Latino on the board since Adolfo Camarillo back before World War I. Latino politics in Ventura County appears to have gained greater visibility during this most recent election, with Latino candidates, some veteran and some new faces, taking key positions on city councils, boards and other elected positions countywide. Whether it is the result of changing demographics, the negative reaction to the Bush administration and the fallout against the Republican party nationwide, or just the sheer number of new candidates who have been swept up with President-elect Barack Obama’s “Change” campaign, “Election 2008” will go down as a time when some local change has come for the Latino community. And there could be more change to come as the final votes are counted with first-time candidate Carmen Ramirez narrowly trailing Brian MacDonald for a seat on the Oxnard City Council. One of the factors is the growing Latino population in Ventura County. While the Ventura County Election Division does not keep specific data on the ethnicity of voters in the county, the most recent U.S. Census report stated there were 96,780 Hispanics of voting age in the Ventura County in 2000, representing 21 percent of all voting-age citizens in the county. In 2000, Hispanics accounted for more than 33 percent of the county’s population. A growing number of experienced Latino candidates locally are also helping to lead the change in local elected positions, according to local political watchers. As of deadline, Zaragoza was still waiting for the final absentee votes to be counted before he could be officially declared the winner in the fifth supervisorial race. Incumbent John Flynn would have to win 95 percent of the remaining votes to have a chance to retain his seat. Zaragoza said there are a number of challenges awaiting him, number one the downturn in the economy and how that will hurt federal and state funding to local government programs. “It’s the worse economy since the Great Depression,” he said. “I didn’t think we would experience it again. A lot of the programs in the county are dependent on state and federal funding.” Zaragoza plans to meet with residents in El Rio, Nyeland Acres, greater Oxnard, Silverstrand and the Channel Islands Harbor to learn about their concerns. He also plans to have an office at the Oxnard City Hall to make it easier to meet with residents. While he said he does represent the entire community, Zaragoza said, “I’m very proud of being the first Latino on the board since 1914. Zaragoza credits the increase in local Latinos being elected to those who have gained political experience. Another experienced politician is Lopez, who will take his seat at the Oxnard Harbor District in January. He first became involved in local politics in the early 1960s, serving on advisory boards for 13 years before being elected to city council in 1978. He was elected mayor in 1992 and served six terms until 2004. He agreed with Zaragoza that having more role models in elected office, has helped to push the number of Latinos in government. Munoz-Schnopp agrees. “Having someone there representing their culture may lead more people to get involved in their community, become part of the neighborhood watch, volunteering for a benefit walk or volunteering at their children’s school. It should spur more people to stand up and have a voice.” She believes the growing ethnic representation on elected boards will help empower those diverse communities. “By seeing more ethnic representation in political office it means those who are from diverse communities see that they do have a place where their voice is heard,” she said. Many of those who have won in recent elections locally and statewide have paid their dues gaining experience out of the Chicano Rights movement, said Frank Barajas, associate professor of history at California State University, Channel Islands. “Many of these people were coming of age in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s,” he said. “If they are not already in office, they are in the process of achieving elected office. But this did not happen overnight. They have undergone a grooming” for these positions. “That’s why it’s important now for students to be civically engaged, so they can eventually be the next leaders.” “The other thing helping is that more Latinos are voting,” Lopez said. “As you have more voters, people are getting more representation. I believe the trend will continue as the second and third generations become more involved and realize how important it is to vote.” “In Oxnard and Santa Paula, Latinos certainly comprise more of the majority so it could certainly be based on who lives in the community,” Munoz-Schnopp said. “Port Hueneme has a growing Latino population and Maricela Morales is already serving and so I would be the second Latina on the council and that is exciting.” The national election also played a role. “Nationally, the numbers of Latino voters is high and growing,” Lopez said. More than 9.2 million Latinos were expected to vote in the 2008 election, according to the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Education Fund. That is up from 7.6 million during the 2004 election, according to figures provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. However, just as Obama said he has been elected to serve all the people, it is important for members of the local Latino community to realize that elected officials can’t just focus on the needs of one group in particular. “You have to represent the entire community versus just a special interest group,” Munoz-Schnopp said. “I represent the entire community of Port Hueneme no matter what age, cultural background or language that you speak.” “We hope that the voters voted for the person who is most qualified for whatever elected position,” she said. Munoz-Schnopp said she is eager to start working on the problems that face Port Hueneme, a budget deficit, gang violence and other issues. But she is also thankful to those who came before. “While it’s an exciting time, we cannot discount what others have done before us,” she said. “There have been trailblazers before us. Those trailblazers broke the barriers and we have to give them credit.” (First published in Vida Newspaper) |
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Providing individual counseling, group workshops, media distribution and other communications training services. |
Latino candidates, voters make impact in 2008