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Chambers of Commerce merge
VIEWPOINT CVN
Protecting indigenous migrants
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BY ARCENIO J. LÓPEZ, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, MIXTECO/INDIGENA COMMUNITY ORGANIZING PROJECT
On June 18, the Supreme Court rejected Trump’s attack against Dreamers and upheld the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, which protects from deportation 700,000 individuals who were brought to the US as children.
The Mixteco/Indígena Community Organizing Project (MICOP) applauds the 5-4 SCOTUS ruling. As indigenous peoples, we do not believe in man-made borders, as our people have migrated freely for thousands of years. We will continue our work of protecting and advocating for full human rights for indigenous migrants living in the United States. DACA is only the first step towards truly protecting our families who have always been essential.
Young adults are the next generation and will continue to build the social fabric of our community—economically, politically and culturally. Dreamers belong here, the future of our children is in their hands. What we need is a reformed immigration system that provides permanent protection for all undocumented individuals.
MICOP was born in 2001 when community activists recognized the large and growing number of indigenous residents that were being underrepresented and underserved in Ventura County. MICOP’s mission became to support, organize and empower the indigenous community in Ventura County and, in 2016, Santa Barbara County, with the start of outreach programs geared towards the indigenous community of North County and the Central Coast.
Primarily employed as row crop workers in the berry industry, indigenous immigrants earn amongst the lowest wage in the state on a seasonal basis. According to the 2008 Indigenous Farmworkers Study, an estimated 160,000 farmworkers in the state of California are indigenous—20,000 indigenous migrants in Ventura and 27,000 in Santa Barbara County. MICOP estimates that 80 percent of the agricultural workforce in the state is indigenous people from Mexico. Ventura and Santa Barbara counties have a significant population of indigenous people from the Mixteco, Zapoteco, Purepecha, Otomi, Triqui, Maya, Nahuatl and Huave nations. Mixtecos are the largest group.
Over the last 19 years, MICOP expanded from its grassroots origins and is widely recognized as the preeminent organization addressing the unique needs of indigenous immigrants living in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. MICOP offers a full spectrum of programs that can be broadly categorized into outreach and education, community organizing, policy and advocacy. Today, MICOP serves over 12,000 individuals
As indigenous peoples, we do not believe in man-made borders, as our people have migrated freely for thousands of years. We will continue our work of protecting and advocating for full human rights for indigenous migrants living in the United States. DACA is only the first step towards truly protecting our families who have always been essential.
annually through our programs: Health and Mental Health Access, Family Engagement, Community Organizing, Outreach and Education, Immigration Legal Assistance, Cultural Promotion, and Community Information through our Radio Indígena station.
MICOP is now providing support to the indigenous community around Covid-19. MICOP served as one of the 12 organizations selected by the California Department of Social Services to support with their Disaster Relief Assistance for Immigrant Program. We are providing day-to-day Covid-19 related information through our community based radio station, Radio Indígena, and have developed dozens of PSAs, videos and FB live events in Spanish and the indigenous languages of Mixteco, Zapoteco, Purepecha and Triqui. MICOP also continues to support the 805UndocuFund that is providing one-time financial support to the undocumented community during the pandemic crisis.
Additionally, MICOP continues its works to organize indigenous farmworkers to create just and better working conditions, advocate for policy change in the immigration system for a long term solution to undocumented people such as comprehensive immigration reform and for language access for indigenous people, which is even more crucial now during the pandemic crisis.
Lastly, MICOP is concerned about the increase of positive Covid-19 cases in the farmworker community during the past two weeks. Covid-19 has exposed the systematic racism, the disparities, and the exclusion of basic access to services such as food, housing and the health of our community, and we ask the community to join us in advocating for much needed and immediate change.
If you have any questions or are interested in supporting, please contact us at micop@mixteco.org, donate at mixteco. org/donate or visit mixteco.org.
FILE PHOTO HERRICK
Carpinteria Chamber CEO Joyce Donaldson, left, and Boardmember Doralee Jacobson, right, attend the Carpinteria Kids Auction in 2018.
Local chambers of commerce merge
Facing a new economic climate for local businesses brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic, Carpinteria Valley Chamber of Commerce has announced that it will merge with the Goleta and Santa Barbara chambers of commerce on July 1 to form the new Santa Barbara South Coast Chamber of Commerce.
Carpinteria’s 300 chamber members will become members of the new chamber which is expected to have 1,100 members after the merger. The merger will afford Carpinteria members “a plethora of new benefits including increased visibility with enhanced publications, new website, member promotions and advertising, along with a wide-range of business development resources,” said Carpinteria Chamber CEO Joyce Donaldson.
Carpinteria events including the State of the City, Community Awards Gala, Legislative Breakfasts, Friends & Family Travel Program, First Friday Meet Me in Carpinteria Lunches and the Culinary Crawl will continue to be held. A Carpinteria Business Advocacy Council will also be established with founding members from the Carpinteria Chamber’s board of directors.
The new organization was formed by the unanimous support of the business and civic leaders from all three boards of directors in Santa Barbara, Carpinteria and Goleta. “Recognizing that the business community already has connections throughout the three cities, the united group best represents business and community needs across government boundaries,” said Donaldson. “The unique and distinct qualities of each community’s culture, events and neighborhoods will be honored and cherished while a new focus on countywide and regional issues can be addressed.”
“As our current business climate continues to evolve, we tried to forecast our members’ future needs and give Carpinteria a stronger voice in the South County,” said Curtis Lopez, chairman of Carpinteria’s board of directors. “Being a native Carpinterian, I did not
take this merger lightly, but I and my fellow board members believe this is our future.”
Kristen Miller, who has served as president and CEO of the Goleta Chamber of Commerce for the last 18 years, will lead the organization as the chief executive officer.
“Creating a unified voice for business on the South Coast is both the culmination of a long process and at the same time a natural next step in a rapidly changing world. Business and community, work-life balance and sustainable workforce practices are all coming together and making us a more unified community. While some areas of our lives are becoming more isolated, we are coming together,” said Miller.
Donaldson will serve as the organization’s chief operating officer and Carpinteria liaison, overseeing operations and Carpinteria-centric initiatives. With 17 years of professional chamber leadership experience, Donaldson has served as president and CEO for the Carpinteria Valley Chamber since 2015.
The organization is working to pivot priorities to serve members in new ways during the current Covid-19 pandemic given that events are not allowed at this time.
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Why I march When I started marching in the Fourth of July parade as a kid, I did so because I wanted to be embedded in a community I loved. I continue to march annually to stay connected, not only to my beloved little town but also to the idea of what it means to be an American. My participation reminds me that not all the things we sing, fight, love, march and protest about have arrived for everyone. Through a small platform, I’ve tried to focus on issues we don’t always like to acknowledge let alone talk about. For me, it’s a way to be seen and listened to: my brown skin synonymous with LETTERS CVN “While freedom may be Juneteenth for me and the Fourth for you, those are only the starting points in our modern liberation. The marathon continues and I’m marching Urge the following: Deny Nesbitt’s appeal; Amend codes to ban all similar uses from Carpinteria through Goleta; And work with the Santa Barbara Airport Authority and elected officials in Washington to require all copter traffic between LA and Santa Barbara to travel two miles offshore, or over the mountains, from the Ventura County line to Santa Barbara Airport. This is exactly the same type of routing request that communities near airports have successfully made to reduce noise impacts from airport take-offs and landings. Alison Grube Carpinteria a symbol of liberty, maybe some irony comes across. The abolition of American slavery was a catalyst for the Statue of Liberty’s right there with you.” ––Rebecca Franklin Requiring masks, going too far? conception, yet in the time it took to make her, interests shifted; the priority was to unify America again and her symbolism took on a broader meaning when she arrived. Right now, our movement is having a moment, one that hopefully will not allow our message to be misconstrued, and one that hopefully changes cyclical oppression into linear progress. I hope that those with the choice (privilege) to disengage will choose to stay dedicated to the internal and external restructuring that’s long overdue. I’m so proud of everyone challenging themselves into action, especially the students and younger people leading the protests. This has been a deeply painful time for many of us in the midst of another deadly pandemic, Covid-19. The irony of having to stay in your home and celebrating freedom is not lost on me. While freedom may be Juneteenth for me and the Fourth for you, those are only the starting points in our modern liberation. The marathon continues and I’m marching right there with you. Rebecca Franklin indigenous causes, or work toward improving scholastic history to reflect the truth of our past. That takes real courage. Now is the time. Take down that symbol of systemic oppression. Shaun Sanders Carpinteria Carpinteria still stinks Reading the recent “Viewpoint” letter by Tristan Strauss president of CARP Growers (CVN, Vol. 26, No. 40), would lead one to surmise that he has been spending much too much time in the cannabis greenhouse, and not much time driving around Carpinteria. His statement that “an honest assessment of our (cannabis) industry (in Carpinteria) stands up to all scrutiny” and that, in his words, “intermittent odor issues linger,” seems to mimic our president when he Stand against helicopter permits They fly high, they fly low. They fly near. They fly far. When they fly near and low, they are loud. Neighbors complain. They rattle windows and fray nerves. On July 7, the County Board of Supervisors will decide whether to overturn the County Planning Commission’s denial of Pat Nesbitt’s request for the right to land personal-use helicopters on his private estate near Summerland. If granted, Pandora’s Helicopter Box of permits opens to many area property owners who would like the same entitlements, even though the airport is an easy 20-minute drive away. If granted, the South Coast becomes a Los Angeles helicopter commuter community. If you dislike helicopters flying over your home, or landing on a neighbor’s property and do not want our commuGovernor Newsom has mandated that face masks be required for all of California viathe California Department of Public Health. Although there is public support, there is a lot of resistance to the mandate. People resent being told what to do and many are skeptical about the science because of conflicting messages by health officials and doctors. What about people getting sick from wearing masks over long periods of time? There are other questions: Was Newsom’s mandate political? Was it done to inflict fear, maintain control or react to conservative Orange County that recently gave the public the choice to wear face masks? Furthermore, who will enforce the order and do we really want tocriminalize Americans over face masks? The Tulare Police Department says it will opt for education and encouragement of the order, rather than outright enforcement. Instead they will focus on crimes and criminals. Other police departments agree. Californians, does this mandate make Carpinteria says to the American people that the nity turned into a helicopter commuter’s sense? Does one size fit all? (Rural v. coronavirus pandemic is “under control paradise, then immediately send e-mails cities?) Why are we allowing Newsom A symbol of and will be going away soon”—when in both cases the statements are widely to the Board of Supervisors, County of Santa Barbara at sbcob@countyofsb.org. to control our lives so much? to stand up for our rights. It is time oppression For too long, we have had to pass by a poorly rendered image of a Narecognized as false. It seems that in the current “epidemic of dishonesty” in public discourse, those who have a forum will say whatever Address the emails with Re: Nesbitt / Carpinteria Farms Helistop AppealCase No. 19CUP-00000-00004. Don Thorn Carpinteria tive American in a war bonnet outside suits their issue or purpose, regardCarpinteria High School. There has been considerable debate over the fact that it is inappropriate—as well as being regionally inaccurate. It is little more than a symbol of cultural appropriation. It sends a message to all that, with impunity, you can steal what you conquer, including identity. less of facts. What is fact is that in any chosen 24-hour period, day or night, somewhere in Carpinteria or adjacent county areas, that “skunky odor” is noticeable and prevalent—whether it’s on Foothill Road, Via Real or adjacent residential areas. Most Carpinterians recognize the C oastal View News CARPINTERIA While our physical location remains closed to the public, CVN is open for business many other ways: And yet our global survival depends on working together. In an astounding economic contribution of the cannabis industry, and are not opposed outright. Submit announcements, advertising and more online: moment of nationwide cultural awareness, public opinion has deemed it essential to tear down monuments that However, this resident and so many others do demand that responsible growers invest the necessary capital to contain coastalview.com glorify a despotic past, a past that has denied the voices of the tortured and that “skunky odor” in the greenhouses, and not pollute the enviable standard of Email us for a quick response: Coastal View News • Tel: (805) 684-4428 murdered while valorizing those who wielded ultimate power to do as they pleased. How long will Carpinteria stay living in Carpinteria. They can accomplish the mitigation of an outright public nuisance they’ve created but refuse to news@coastalview.com CVN Canalino School plans end-of-year activities on the wrong side of history? We certainly do not lack the imagination necessary to create symbols that are inclusive and empowering to all, but do we lack the will? Some may claim the spend what’s necessary to properly contain the problem. Tristan Strauss says in his article, “We value transparency.” Perhaps he and CARP Growers could provide more transparency on solving Leave a non-urgent message for one of our staff: (805) 684-4428 Briefly and eyes a return to campus Canalino Elementary School Principal Jaime Persoon has informed families of plans for an end-of- year drive-by parade and outlined developing plans for a pos sible return to campus for next school year. A drive by parade for Canalino students and families is scheduled for Friday, June figure raises awareness of the “heroic Indian,” yet, in 2020, Native American this problem, and less mendacity, to the benefit of Carpinteria as a whole. Text urgent inquiries to (805) 705-5993 12, at 10 a.m. through the bus loop and parking lot on Linden Avenue. Teachers and staff will be spread at six-foot intervals on the route, and Persoon noted that “there cultures are still severely marginalized nationwide by majority governments. Perhaps those who seek to retain the David Rosso Carpinteria may be a few other surprises as well.” All families must parade by car, no walking or biking will be permitted, in accordance with public health guidelines. Fifth grade promotion will be held online with presentations by Rotary figure would do better to support local Lions Club, student speakers, teachers, principal, awards and music. A video is being put together by the fifth-grade team and compiled by Justin Rowe and will be posted on June 15. Also, Canalino School’s Virtual Talent Show will be sent out via Parent Square on Friday, May 29. Staff will return to campus on Aug. 19 and students will return in some capacity Aug. 24, stated Persoon. “The leadership team, with staff and parent input, have been discussing all options,” Persoon wrote, “including a hybrid brick and mortar/remote learning model, however, as we get more specific guidance from public health and Coastal View News welcomes your letters watch the situation unfold in the next two months, we will likely publish a detailed plan in mid to late July.” Persoon added, “As you well know, things change daily, Letters must include your name, address, phone number and signature. Letters are subject to editing. Letters over 300 words We moved! After June 1, the Coastal View News office will be located at 4180 Via Real, Suite F. and we want to be responsive and mindful of conditions.” will be edited in length. Submit online at coastalview.com CVN Offices are located at 4180 Via Real, Suite F Coastal View News moves to new office After 26 years at their Carpinteria Avenue location, Coastal View News is moving. On June 1, CVN will officially open its doors at a new office space at 4180 Via Real, Suite F. The new office will house RMG Ventures’ two publications: Coastal County Office of Education hosts online Battle of the Books Last week, 160 students competed online in the 19th Annual Battle of the Books. Team #23 “Where the Books Meet the Moon,” earned the top honors and received
