SANTA PAULA, CA – The Board of Directors of the Santa Paula Art Museum (SPAM) is pleased and proud to announce that the Museum will become the home of an important new collection of Latin American Art, to be known as The De Colores Collection.

The De Colores Collection is the brainchild of SPAM Board Member Xavier ‘Big X’ Montes, a Santa Paula native and well-known artist, musician and community activist.
Montes has been promoting and exhibiting Mexican and Latin American art since 1995, through his renowned and respected De Colores Art Show & Festival, and felt the time was right to establish in Santa Paula a permanent Collection of prominent Mexican and Latin American artists.

“My mission for The De Colores Collection, and the mission of the Santa Paula Art Museum, and are very similar”, noted Montes. “Both SPAM and De Colores desire to showcase and preserve the rich cultural and artistic heritage of Santa Paula, and collaborate with local schools to integrate art into the classroom. The new De Colores Collection will concentrate on the Mexican and Latin American influences of that heritage, and contain images with which many of the local population can identify. It’s a perfect fit.” Jennifer Heighton, Santa Paula Art Museum Executive Director agrees: “Santa Paula is the ideal place for such an art collection, and the Museum is the perfect collector.”

Montes is known throughout the state for his De Colores Arts Show & Festival, which will return to Santa Paula on September 4th for a 4-month engagement at the sparkling new Art Museum. “We are elated that the De Colores Art Show and Festival is returning to Santa Paula”, added Heighton. “To again have the color, flavor and excitement of the De Colores Show back in Santa Paula, and to stage it at our new Museum… it’s all very special.”

“This is a dream come true for me”, said a beaming Montes. “Everything is really beginning to fall into place. We’re going to have a brand new Art Museum, we now have a permanent home for the De Colores Art Show and Festival and we have the go-ahead to begin building The De Colores Collection of Latin American Art. The Board is clearly demonstrating inclusiveness and openness by being in support of the new Collection. It will definitely bring more visitor dollars to Santa Paula, and help the City’s economy. It’s all Muy Bueno!”

Ventura, CA. - United Blood Services Central Coast is continuing its appeal for all blood types, especially O-Negative. With the recent rains, donations have dipped when supplies were already strapped.

The blood bank has launched its annual Heart to Heart Blood Drive to encourage donations. As a special thank you, United Blood Services has teamed up with See’s Candies to provide donors with a 4-ounce box of Sees chocolates.

January also marks National Blood Donor Month. “January is usually an especially difficult time as we go into the cold and flu season,” notes Scott Edward, of United Blood Services. “We’d ask that anyone that is feeling well, to visit us in January and consider making a resolution to give three times in 2010. We would be especially grateful if businesses and community groups would hold at least three drives per year. That would be ideal to maintain a steady supply.”

Businesses and organizations are asked to call the Ventura Center at 654-1600 if interested in scheduling a community blood drive.

Donations may be made Monday through Friday at UBS Center in Ventura at 2223 Eastman near McGrath. Or there are a number of blood drives happening throughout the region. Appointments are appreciated, but not necessary. Walk-ins are also welcome. Donors are asked to make an appointment by contacting United Blood Services online at www.Blood4Life.org. Just click on the “Donate Blood” tab and type in your zip code for a list of drives. Donors may also call 800-715-3699 to make an appointment by phone.

Center Hours:
Monday and Tuesday: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Wednesday and Thursday: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Friday: 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

You may donate blood if you are over age 16, weigh at least 110 pounds and are in good health. Additional height/weight requirements apply to donors 22 and younger.

April Harter

Scribe Communications, a boutique public relations firm in the heart of San Diego’s Golden Triangle, has promoted April Harter to director of social media. With over 20 years of experience, the firm creates integrated communications strategies for an array of local companies and non-profit organizations.

“April’s experience and knowledge with online communications and social media are a great asset to the firm and our clients,” said Jan Percival Lipscomb, president of Scribe Communications. “Aside from being a dynamic and hard working professional, she adds a more youthful perspective and context as we analyze our client’s aspirations.”

Since joining the team in 2007, Harter’s responsibilities have grown to include: creating online communities for clients while utilizing appropriate applications, maximizing SEO opportunities for clients, distributing news to various online and offline outlets, website management, creating short, sharable videos, writing web content, and creating editorial submissions, among other tasks.

Among her current client responsibilities, Harter is showcasing the efforts of a non-profit organization in Southeast San Diego by reinvigorating their website and increasing their social media presence. Harter has consulted other clients on best-social-media practices as well.

Harter, a 2005 Fillmore High School grad, earned her bachelor’s degree in communication in March 2009, as well as a minor in sociology, from the University of California, San Diego. She also obtained a professional certificate in sustainable business practices from UCSD Extension in December 2009.

Recently, Harter was named 2010 Board Liaison for the New Pros Committee, a division of the Public Relations Society of America, San Diego chapter. She is also a member of the San Diego Press Club and the San Diego Delta Gamma Alumni Chapter.

Founded in 1986, Scribe Communications is a boutique media relations firm headquartered in the Golden Triangle. With deep roots in San Diego, the Scribe team is comprised of former journalists and award winning writers.

Thursday, January 21, 2010
6:00 p.m.
Piru Community Center
802 Orchard Street

-AGENDA-
Call to Order
Roll Call
Public Comment: For items not on agenda. Limit to 5 minutes.
Review minutes of previous meeting(s)
Discussion/Action on Board Membership Status
Discussion of expansion of board from 3 to 5 Trustees
Status of board members
Receive and adopt new By-Laws
Receive and discuss Strategic Plan and tasks for 2010
Update on “Measure M”: Piru Cemetery Ballot Measure
Review items provided to County Assessor/Consultants
Discuss priority list of improvements CONTINUED »

For the second year in a row, there will be no need to auction off any Ventura County properties to satisfy delinquent property taxes, announced County Treasurer-Tax Collector Larry Matheney. A concerted effort by the staff of the Tax Collector’s Office was successful in resolving a number of issues that threatened local property owners with the loss of their properties. A total of 276 properties were identified on July 1, 2009, as requiring public auction. Under California law, the Tax Collector is obligated to sell property on which property taxes have been delinquent for 5 years. Payment on the last remaining property awaiting sale, a commercial property in Oxnard, was completed on Tuesday (1/12/10).

In one particularly compelling situation, staff learned that the reason the property taxes had gone unpaid on one parcel is that the owner, a 108-year old former Ojai woman, had been living out of the county in a care-facility. Using skip tracing skills, Public Services Manager, Jennifer Smith, located the woman’s son in another state and advised him of the threatened loss of the property. The son was able to take care of the accumulated taxes and penalties and save the property from auction.

Several of the identified reasons for nonpayment of CONTINUED »

Lake Piru Night Fishing Tournament open to the public, Saturday January 30th 2010. Lake Piru will be hosting its first Bass Tournament. Start time will be 4:30pm, weigh-in will be 10:30pm. Camping is available all year round. It is a 2 person team @ $50.00 a boat. 1st Place will receive 5 night full hook up site at Lake Piru; 2nd Place will receive 2 full day pontoon boat rental at Lake Piru; 3rd Place will receive an annual pass for Lake Piru. Sign up begins at 7am, Saturday morning and ends at 2:30pm. Should you have any questions please feel free to give us a call at (805) 521-1500 ext 201. All boats must follow all California boating rules and regulations and must have proper PFD’s and Nav. lights for the boats.3rd.

California Highway Patrol

The California Highway Patrol (CHP) and Ventura County Medical Center (VCMC) are offering a traffic safety program for teenage drivers and their parents. The Start Smart Program is aimed at helping future and newly licensed teenage drivers become aware of the responsibilities that accompany the privilege of being a licensed California driver. The program is designed as an educational tool for parents and teenagers in an effort to reduce the number of teenage injuries and deaths resulting from traffic collisions. Traffic collisions are the leading cause of death for 15-20 year olds. The primary objective of the program is to provide teens and parents with an understanding of how poor choices behind the wheel can affect the lives of numerous people. The Start Smart program also provides teens and parents with information on defensive driving, traffic laws in California, dynamics of traffic collisions, tips on avoiding traffic collisions, and DUI awareness. CHP has recently partnered with Ventura County Medical Center to offer multi-faceted perspective on safe teen driving.
Start Smart classes are free of charge. The next class will be on Tuesday January 26, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. in the new VCMC Cafeteria. The address for VCMC is 3291 Loma Vista Road, Ventura, CA 93003. For more details or to make a reservation for the class, please call Officer Steve Reid at (805)477-4130.

In a continued effort to meet the growing needs of military service members, the Ventura Family YMCA will provide respite child care services to deployed National Guard/Reservists and select military personnel. Underwritten by the Department of Defense (DoD), respite child care services are designed to provide licensed child care for children of deployed military personnel.

“The Ventura Family YMCA is pleased to support military families and the child care needs of deployed military personnel,” said Jacob Munyon, Child Care Director, Ventura Family YMCA. “Providing a nurturing environment for families and children is integral to the YMCA’s commitment to child development and family strengthening.”

Respite child care provides part-time, occasional and licensed child care for children whose parent or guardian needs temporary respite from their role as primary caregiver in the absence of a deployed spouse. The care is intended for children who are 5 years of age up to 12 years of age.

With respite child care services, parents/guardians have the opportunity to focus on their own personal health and well-being, which is essential when one is facing hardship and uncertainty of military deployment.

This new service is part of a $31-million initiative launched in CONTINUED »

Pick up your application for the first ever Unsung Heroes Music Festival. The festival will feature up and coming and established local acts. The festival will take place on Saturday, March 27th 2010 at the Fillmore Town Theater on Central Avenue. Applications to play in the festival may be picked up at Central Music beginning this Thursday. Applications are due no later than Feb. 29th, 2010 and can be submitted to Central Music. After your application is in, you will be contacted for an audition (for up and coming acts). Space is limited so pick up your application ASAP. All proceeds from this event will benefit the FHS Music and AVID programs. If you are interested in helping out, contact Susan FitzGerald at (805)625-4364 for more info.

Vereniz Magana (left) and Amelia Aparicio

Story By Vereniz Magana and Amelia Aparicio

The month of January is "National Mentoring Month" and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ventura County (BBBS) will be celebrating Fillmore/Piru Big Brothers Big Sisters Program by highlighting one of the 54 local adult community volunteer mentor matches. A community mentoring match is the partnering between a local community member and a student. The community volunteer meets on an average of once a week with a youth to encourage, offer some different experiences and listen. A mentor is an unconditional friend.

The Fillmore/Piru program is unique in that the match is usually made when the youth is in middle school or high school and continues until the youth is 21 in order to help in those difficult adolescent years and through the most challenging transitions from middle school to high school as well as from high school to college or a career.

The mentor highlighted this month is between Vereniz Magana (mentee) and Amelia Aparicio (mentor). They have been matched for over three years. Amelia was inspired to become a mentor because she wanted a youth to have a positive experience outside of their family household. Amelia met with Vereniz at least once a week and the relationship developed into a strong friendship.

Three years later, Amelia realizes that she CONTINUED »

Ventura County, Calif. – The American Red Cross of Ventura County invites children ages 7 to 12 to learn all about safety education during Safe Kid’s Day. Several upcoming sessions are being offered from 3:30 to 6 p.m. on selected dates including Thursday, January 21 at the Ventura Boys & Girls Club, 1929 Johnson Drive in Ventura; Thursday, February 11 at the Simi Valley Boys & Girls Club, 2850 Lemon Drive; and Tuesday, February 16 at the Somis Boys & Girls Club, 5268 North Street.

Presented by the American Red Cross of Ventura County Youth Services Program, high school club members provide children with all types of emergency training. Highlights include Basic First Aid where kids learn what to do in an emergency, how & when to get help and what to do when help arrives. In addition, students will be trained in Water Safety, learning ways to prevent drowning and using safety precautions and rescue procedures for water activity. The Fire Safety segment will help kids understand how to prevent fires, the importance of controlling air flow to fire and developing ways to prevent burns.

Students will also learn ways to avoid motor vehicle injuries during the Safe Wheels training and learn the importance of using safety belts, cycling helmets & knee pads. Rules for school bus safety and preventing bicycle injuries will also be presented.

Other training includes Lost & Found, which outlines ways to prevent getting lost, and teaches kids how to make a preparation plan if lost. Students will also learn how to prevent choking and first aid procedures during Chocking Prevention.

The emergency training is conducted by high school students in the American Red Cross of Ventura County Youth Services Program. To prepare for training, high school students undergo First Aid Training and other emergency preparedness programs to instruct kids 7-12 years of age in safety skills.

“This is a great opportunity for teens to serve as role models to young children,” said Pam Mays, Director & Volunteer of Youth Services. “This is vital information to help save lives and keep kids safe,” she added.

To register for the event, call the American Red Cross of Ventura County at 805-987-1514, ext. 306.

Since 1917, the American Red Cross of Ventura County has been meeting needs throughout the communities it serves. Each year, more than 1,200 local volunteers respond to more than 50 local disasters, teach tens of thousands of individual’s vital lifesaving skills, and support the men and women in the U.S. Armed Forces. The American Red Cross is not a government agency.

On January 26th, at the Fillmore Library the continuation of the crane-folding project will take place. It will be held from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. In anticipation of the September 21 dedication of the Peace Pole in front of City Hall, our goal is to fold 1000 origami paper cranes. An old Japanese tradition says when you fold 1000 paper cranes, your wish is granted. Ours is a communitywide wish for peace, therefore everyone is invited to fold one of more cranes to be displayed in Central Park. Suggested donation $1 per person donated to Peace Pole Project.

Vision 2020, Civic Pride Committee, is sponsoring the revived Fillmore Flower Show on April 10-11, 2010. It will be held at the Fillmore Senior Center, like last year, at 533 Santa Clara Street, Fillmore, California, 93015. The event is open to the public both days from 1:00pm-4:00pm and it is FREE.

Pruning workshops open to the public will be taking place this month to get you started in time to have glorious roses ready for show entry in April.

Work Shop Options Available: January 23…King Ranch, 642 E. Guiberson Road, Fillmore, CA, 93015, 10 AM. Bring a sack lunch. No reservations required. Presenter: Joanne King, 805-524-4904, January 16, 23, 30…Otto & Sons Nursery, 1835 E. Guiberson Road, Fillmore, CA, 93015, 10AM-12 noon, Reservations required. Call for more information 805-524-2123.

Watch for further opportunities, open to the public, coming in February to get you ready and excited about entering the Fillmore Flower Show.

The Ventura County Fair has announced that a poster contest will be held for the 2010 Ventura County Fair. The contest is open to young artists in grades 5 - 12 who reside in Ventura County.

The theme of the 2010 Fair is “Western Nights and Carnival Lights” and will serve as the only guideline to the imagery. Artwork may be created in any medium but may not be 3 dimensional.

Poster designs will be judged on Theme, Originality, Composition and Skill. Entries will be accepted from February 1 until March 31.

Rules, deadlines and other information can be found on the Fair website, www.venturacountyfair.org. For more information about the contest call 648-3376 x 110 or send an email to contest@venturacountyfair.org.

The Ventura County Fair will begin its annual 12-day run Wednesday August 4 and continue until Sunday, August 15.

For more information about the Fair, or the poster contest, please call the Ventura County Fairgrounds at 648-3376 or visit www.venturacountyfair.org.

In January 2010, U.S. Census Bureau field representatives will collect information about how much Americans spend for groceries, clothing, transportation, housing, health care and other items from a sample of households across the country.
The Consumer Expenditure Survey (CE) program consists of two parts:
The Interview Survey — During the year, about 15,000 households will be interviewed
each quarter to obtain data on relatively large expenditures and also for those
expenditures that occur on a regular basis (such as rent and utilities).
The Diary Survey — During the year, another 12,500 households will be asked to keep
two consecutive one-week diaries of smaller, more frequent purchases that may be
difficult for respondents to recall later (such as a fast-food purchase at a drive-through
window, a soda or candy bar from a vending machine, or a carton of eggs from the
supermarket).
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics then calculates and publishes integrated data from the two surveys — providing a snapshot of our nation’s economy and spending habits. Government economists use the survey results to update a “market basket” of goods and services for the Consumer-Price Index, our nation’s most widely used measure of inflation.
“Findings from this survey help business and community leaders make sound decisions, particularly in these trying economic times,” said James T. Christy, director of the Census Bureau’s Los Angeles Regional Office. “Business owners get the information they need to help respond better to consumer needs, as do government officials planning public services.”
USCENSUSBUREAU
Before the CE interviews begin, households will receive a letter from the Census Bureau director informing them of their selection to participate in the survey. Census Bureau field representatives will visit these households to conduct the interview. The field representative must display an official photo identification before proceeding with the interview. Federal law ensures survey respondents’ personal information and answers are kept confidential.