Street Smarts: New farmworker study gets $50K government grant
The nonprofit House Farm Workers! has received a $50,000 grant from the Southern California Association of Governments to conduct an in-depth study of Ventura County’s estimated 36,000 farmworkers. The study, the first of its kind in nearly two decades, seeks to shine “a light specifically on local housing needs for this vulnerable yet essential population,” according to a release from the nonprofit.
Board Chair Leslie Leavens, retired vice president of finance and operations for Leavens Ranches, said the study is likely to gain support from the county of Ventura and city governments.
MOVING ON UP IN SOCIAL MOBILITY
CSU Channel Islands ranked 15th out of the 1,549 four-year institutions listed in CollegeNET’s recently released 2021 Social Mobility Index, moving up five notches from a year ago.
The SMI rankings, now in their eighth year, rate major U.S. colleges and universities according to how effectively they enroll students from low-income backgrounds and enable them to graduate into well-paying jobs.
“To hear that CSUCI has been rising steadily in the rankings in terms of social mobility is gratifying, but we’re especially pleased to hear that our students are continuing to succeed during a persisting pandemic,” said CSUCI Interim President Richard Yao.
Separately, CSUCI unveiled a bench on campus to commemorate victims of the 2018 Borderline Bar & Grill shootings. Fundraising was led by students who were in the bar that evening and whose lives were impacted by the tragedy.
NEW DIRECTOR FOR CAL LUTHERAN IT PROGRAM
California Lutheran University’s School of Management reports that senior adjunct professor Earle Charles will become interim director of the master’s in information technology program in January.
Charles has a long career in private industry, where he worked at Kedren Health, Bauerer International, Unicom Systems International and The Paragon Collection. He has been an adjunct and senior adjunct professor in the School of Management for several years. He earned a doctorate in economics from Berne University in the 1990s.
SALEM SUED IN DOMINION CASE
Salem Media Group — which recently moved its headquarters to Texas from Camarillo and retains some of its offices in Ventura County — and its Colorado host Randy Corporon are among the latest defendants in the defamation actions filed by Dominion Voting Systems former executive Eric Coomer in Denver District Court.
Coomer, now in hiding, alleges that pundit Joel Altmann defamed him when he said Coomer made claims about election fraud on a conference call or zoom call involving “Antifa.” Coomer has sued the Trump Organization, Rudi Giuliani and others for repeating those claims. Corporon hosts the “Wake Up with Randy Corporon Show” on KNUS, a part of the Salem radio network.
NEW VP AT RIDLEY-TREE
The Ridley-Tree Cancer Center at Sansum Clinic has named Matthew Baumann vice president of oncology services, and a member of the executive team. Baumann joins Ridley-Tree from the Miami Cancer Institute, part of Baptist Health South Florida, where he was responsible for oncology operations. Baumann is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business administration from the University of Central Florida. He expects to earn a doctor of business administration from Florida International University in 2022.
SOUND THE TRUMPET
The San Luis Obispo Symphony continues its 60th anniversary season on Feb. 5 at 7:30 p.m. with “Sound the Trumpet,” in Harold Miossi Hall at the Performing Arts Center San Luis Obispo. The program features soloist Andrew Balio alongside the full SLO Symphony Orchestra. Tickets at PACSLO.org.
CANNABIS REVENUE NOT AS HIGH
The California Department of Tax and Fee Administration reported cannabis revenue for the third quarter at $322.34 million, including California’s cannabis excise tax, which generated $168.97 million; the cultivation tax, which generated $42.41 million; and $110.96 million in sales tax revenue. Third-quarter revenue decreased 6.6% from adjusted revenue figures for the second quarter. City and county taxes are not included.
GOOD WORKS
Girls Inc. of Carpinteria has announced the return of Operation Holiday Cheer, a holiday giving program that launched last year amid the pandemic to provide gifts to local girls. Girls Inc. and Cox Communications will provide more than 500 holiday gifts for the girls and their families, and is asking for additional community support. Info at girlsinc-carp.org.
FINAL SCENES
• COUNT ON IT: The Oxnard Harbor District, which owns and operates the Port of Hueneme, has been awarded a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting by the Government Finance Officers Association of the U.S. and Canada.
