By El Latino Newsroom
redaccion@latinocc.com
Moorpark College has received full approval to launch a new Bachelor of Science in Applied Cyberdefense and Network Operations, expanding locally available bachelor’s degree options in Ventura County and strengthening a regional pipeline for cybersecurity talent, college officials said.
The applied baccalaureate, known as ACNO, was developed with input from employers and public-sector partners and is aimed at meeting growing demand for workers trained in cybersecurity and network operations.
The college said graduates will be prepared for high-wage, high-demand positions securing critical infrastructure and sensitive systems in sectors that include defense, healthcare, manufacturing, finance and emerging technologies across Ventura and Los Angeles counties.
“This degree is about meeting our region where it is — and where it’s going,” Julius Sokenu, president of Moorpark College, said in a statement. He said the program is designed to create “a direct pathway” for students to enter and advance in one of the fastest-growing fields while providing employers with a skilled workforce.
Applications are expected to open later in 2026 after final implementation steps.
In the meantime, the college noted that students can enroll immediately in its existing associate degree pathway in cybersecurity, which provides foundational technical training and is intended to serve as an on-ramp to the bachelor’s program.
“By expanding bachelor’s degree offerings in areas like applied cyberdefense, we’re investing in regional resilience, economic mobility, and the kind of opportunity that transforms lives and communities,” said Rick MacLennan, chancellor of the Ventura County Community College District.
The new program builds on a cybersecurity ecosystem the college says is nationally recognized. Moorpark College is designated by the National Security Agency as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense, a status that reflects standards tied to curriculum, faculty expertise, student outcomes and alignment with workforce and national security priorities, the college said.
Officials said the ACNO program will emphasize hands-on training through laboratories and industry-aligned coursework, with instruction in cyber defense, secure network design, threat detection and incident response.
Those are skills that employers increasingly expect at the bachelor’s degree level, according to the college.
Gabriela Torres, chair of the district’s board of trustees, said the program also reflects an effort to broaden participation in a field that often struggles with diversity. “Cybersecurity is a public good, and our students deserve the opportunity to lead in shaping it,” Torres said in a statement.
The ACNO degree joins Moorpark College’s existing bachelor’s degree in biomanufacturing, expanding advanced workforce pathways on campus.
The district also offers applied bachelor’s programs at Oxnard College in dental hygiene and at Ventura College in automotive career education.
118 YEARS TO LIFE
A Santa Paula man was sentenced to 118 years to life in state prison for rape and child molestation involving multiple victims over several decades, the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office announced.
District Attorney Erik Nasarenko said Martin Herrejon Vieyra, 58, was sentenced to 110 years to life plus an additional eight years after a jury convicted him last week on 8 felony counts, including rape by force, penetration with a foreign object and six counts of lewd acts on a child.
Jurors also found true special allegations and aggravating factors, including multiple victims and that the victims were particularly vulnerable, prosecutors said.
Senior Deputy District Attorney Stuart Gardner, a member of the office’s Sexual Assault Unit who prosecuted the case, said the sentence reflects the seriousness of the crimes and the harm inflicted on victims.
“While no punishment can undo the trauma inflicted, today’s lengthy sentence sends a clear message: those who prey on children will be prosecuted and held fully responsible for their actions,” Gardner said in a statement. “Our office will continue to stand with victims and work tirelessly to protect the most vulnerable members of our community.”
Prosecutors said Vieyra molested two victims over the course of many years.
The first victim was abused between 1996 and 2005, officials said.
A second victim suffered abuse from 2012 to 2020 and disclosed the conduct in 2022, according to the district attorney’s office.
Both victims were under 14 at the time of the abuse, prosecutors said, and Vieyra had access to them through a familial relationship.
After authorities learned of abuse against the two victims, a third victim came forward in February 2025, prosecutors said.
She reported that Vieyra raped her in 1991 when he was living in the same household with her family, the district attorney’s office said.
The Santa Paula Police Department initiated the investigation, officials said.
In October 2024, investigators with the district attorney’s office completed additional investigative work that led to Vieyra’s arrest, prosecutors said.
NEW RIVER PATH OPENS IN VTA
The Municipality of Ventura celebrated the completion of the Cabrillo Village Multi-Use Path with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Feb. 13, City officials said, marking what they described as a major milestone in expanding safe and connected transportation options.
The new Class I multi-use path closes what the city called the final gap in a continuous two-mile active transportation corridor along the north bank of the Santa Clara River.
The project provides a dedicated route for people walking, biking and rolling, and is intended to improve neighborhood connectivity, mobility and safety, city officials said.
“This project is more than just a bike and pedestrian path. It’s about connectivity, sustainability, and enhancing quality of life,” said Mayor Jeannette Sanchez-Palacios.
She said investing in accessible transportation options creates corridors where residents can move through the city in ways that support health and well-being.
Public Works Director Charlie Ebeling said the path is part of broader implementation of Ventura’s Active Transportation Plan, which aims to improve walking and cycling infrastructure citywide.
He also pointed to the future Santa Paula Branch Line Project as another effort expected to expand connections within Ventura and into neighboring communities.
In addition to mobility improvements, the project includes native landscaping designed to support the local ecosystem, as well as stormwater infiltration features intended to reduce runoff and improve water quality, the city said.
Funding included a $1 million Caltrans Clean California grant and $500,000 from the Ventura County Transportation Commission’s Transportation Development Act, Article 3 program, Sanchez Palacios said.
MARIJUANA-TO-MINORS ARREST
A man identified as an Oxnard resident was arrested after investigators said they uncovered evidence of marijuana sales to minors across Ventura County, following an investigation that began in Camarillo, according to the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department (VCSO).
Authorities said the Camarillo Community Resource Unit developed information in October 2025 about illicit marijuana sales to minors within Camarillo.
Based on the nature of the suspected crimes, detectives from the Camarillo Special Enforcement Unit assisted with the investigation, the Sheriff’s office said.
Detectives identified Francisco Vega of Oxnard as the suspect responsible for the alleged sales and distribution of marijuana to minors, according to the VCSO.
Investigators obtained search warrants during the investigation and said they learned Vega’s alleged sales were not limited to Camarillo but extended throughout Ventura County.
After detectives developed probable cause to arrest Vega on suspicion of a felony violation of California Health and Safety Code section 11361(b) sales of marijuana to minors, authorities said they sought a search warrant for Vega’s residence, property and person.
The warrant was signed by a Ventura County Superior Court magistrate, officials said.
Detectives served the warrant on Tuesday at about 7 a.m. at Vega’s residence in the 600 block of East Yucca Street in Oxnard, authorities said.
Vega was arrested and later booked into the Ventura County Pre-Trial Detention Facility, the Sheriff’s office said.
It was informed that during the search, investigators said they located additional evidence indicative of illicit marijuana sales that further linked Vega to the alleged crimes.
The VCSO did not specify the quantity of evidence recovered or whether additional arrests were expected.
