Abercrombie & Fitch and Hollister Stores at Simi Valley Town Center to Close in March

Last month Abercrombie and Fitch contacted the Ventura County Board of Supervisors to announce they will be shuttering their stores at the Simi Valley Town Center by the end of March. Never good news to hear of local stores closing, but this is part of a wider plan announced by Abercrombie this past Wednesday that it plans to close 180 of its 1,014 U.S. stores over the next 3 years (following the closure of 71 stores in 2011). This will eliminate 117 jobs in Simi Valley, though hopefully new jobs will come when they find new tenants for these spaces. A&F generated $4.2 billion in 2011, with net income of about $128 million.

There are California laws that require employers with 75 or more employees to give at least 60 days' notice to employees and local officials when they plan to terminate 50 or more employees in a mass layoff.

Other notifications submitted to the Board of Supervisors last month included Zodiac Pool Systems, which is closing its Moorpark facility (125 impacted local jobs) and EDO Communications and Countermeasure Systems, which is closing its plant on Willow Lane in Thousand Oaks, thus impacting 147 jobs.

Let's hope to see a reversal of this trend.  In the meantime CLICK HERE for links to over 200 employers in Ventura County and surrounding areas.

Cell Phone Safety for Children Message from the Moorpark Police Department

During this year’s holiday gift giving, many parents have decided to give their children cellular telephones. Most new phones fall under a Smartphone category, which means they are capable of performing many tasks other than just being a telephone. The commonly used tasks by kids are texting, sending photos, social networking, downloading music, watching videos, playing games and then of course using it as a telephone.

Cell phones can be a great safety feature for your children, and a lifeline. However, it is important that your child is mature enough to understand the hazards of cell phone use. With more advancement in cellular technology, comes the responsibility for parents to manage cell phone use by our children. Sending pictures over the Internet is something that is common for children to do these days. Photo messaging on cell phones is no different. Children need to be aware that not all pictures are appropriate to send and receive. They also need to know that if they receive a message or image that makes them uncomfortable, they should immediately tell you or another trusted adult. Not deleting the inappropriate material before showing an adult is best, so the adult can better assess the issue and present the problem to law enforcement authorities if necessary.

Moorpark Police Cell Phone Quick List of Do’s and Do not’s

1. Send appropriate text, email, or picture messages only.
2. Do not give out your address or other personal information on a phone call, text, or email to
3. people you don’t know, or if others can hear you.
4. Do not respond to an email, text, picture, or voice message from someone you don’t know.
5. Tell an adult you trust if you receive anything on your phone—a call, a text message, an email, a picture, or voicemail message—that makes you uncomfortable.
6. Be aware of your surroundings and understand when talking or texting is appropriate and when it is not.

Finally, for those who can drive, never ever talk or text while driving.

Moorpark Police Department Stranger Danger Basic Rules to Teach Children

Moorpark Police Department Release Dated 12/19/11

On 12/16/11, Andres Lazaro Bautista, a 49 year old Moorpark resident, was arrested after a two week investigation which indicated Bautista had been annoying young school aged children in the area of downtown Moorpark. Bautista had been making lewd and obscene gestures to girls ranging from the age of 9 years old to 14 years old.

These children had been walking to the bus loading area located at Flory Elementary School. Bautista committed these crimes towards the children as they walked from their residences to the bus stop.

The Moorpark School Resource Officer along with Moorpark Detectives learned of these crimes and conducted a two-week investigation on Bautista. At least seven victims of the crime have come forward and identified Bautista as the suspect.

The Moorpark Police Department encourages parents to speak to their children and remind them of the dangers of strangers in their neighborhoods and abroad. Three basics rules to teach children if a stranger approaches:

1) YELL, “GET AWAY!”
2) SAY, “NO!”
3) TELL A SAFE ADULT

Popeyes Louisiana Chicken is Coming to Moorpark

I was passing through Moorpark today driving east on Los Angeles Avenue when I noticed a new Popeyes® Louisiana Chicken to the right of me. I was able to snap this quick shot as I sped by. While I'm personally not a big fried chicken fan, the rest of my family is. That's not to say that I won't eat some if it appears in my kitchen. This would make it the 5th Popeyes location within and in close proximity to Ventura County, with other locations in Westlake Village (on the cusp of Ventura County), Simi Valley and 2 in Oxnard. Find the specifics at http://popeyes.com/locator.php.

This Popeyes is located in the vicinity of Los Angeles Avenue near Spring Road.

And on a related note, I'm a stickler for appropriate use of apostrophes, and thus when I see the name Popeyes without the apostrophe gives me an unsettling feeling. Maybe I just have a mild case of OCD. Hmm. Hope my wife doesn't read this.

In any case, I've always made the mental assumption that this chain but of course is named after the famous cartoon character. But I looked at the menu and noticed spinach is nowhere to be found. Curious, I read about the chain's history on its website and discovered that it was named after Gene Hackman's character, James "Popeye" Doyle, in The French Connection.

Amazing how much you can learn from a quick drive through Moorpark. Just wish Popeyes would consider adding an apostrophe to their name.

Moorpark Mothers of Preschoolers Group Offers Community and Support to Mothers

Moorpark MOPS Group Offers Community and Support to Mothers of Young Children

MOPS is an international organization which stands for Mothers of Preschoolers, but is for any mothers of newborns through children age 5. Every mom is welcomed, accepted and encouraged to reach her potential and recognize her influence within her family and her world. MOPS believes that better moms really do make a better world.

For over 35 years, MOPS has been creating local communities where moms gather to experience encouragement, support and hope. But, it doesn’t stop there! Through training and development customized to women in this stage of life, and through doable service opportunities, MOPS grows moms to make a better world.

“MOPS has changed my life. I am a better daughter, wife and mother because of MOPS,” says MOPS mom Amanda.

How does MOPS help make better moms that make a better world? Primarily through MOPS groups that meet all over the world in more than 30 countries and in over 4,000 groups i

Click to read more ...

Perhaps It's Not a Good Idea to Post Your Whereabouts in Facebook and Twitter

This Ventura County Sheriff's Department news release is a case study in why you don't want to tell people where you're going in Facebook, Twitter and elsewhere on the Web! Though in this case, it was a friend of the victim who made that mistake. But the good news is...the GPS system in the computer's software allowed Sheriffs to recover the computer from the culprit. Nice!

On February 18, 2011, Sheriff’s deputies from the Moorpark Patrol Station responded to a residential burglary call in an unincorporated area outside of Moorpark.  Suspect(s) had entered the residence and had stolen a laptop computer.

Moorpark Station Detectives interviewed the victim and learned that a friend of the victim had innocently posted on FaceBook that the victim and his family were visiting Universal Studios on the day of the burglary.  Detectives also learned that the stolen computer was equipped with a GPS system embedded into the computer’s software.  Through the use of the GPS, Moorpark detectives were able to track the stolen computer to a hotel room in the City of Ventura.

With the assistance of patrol deputies from the Headquarters Station, Moorpark detectives contacted the suspect, Arnold Ikeda, at the hotel room, and arrested him for possessing the stolen computer.  Ikeda was also charged with several drug related offenses, as a subsequent investigation showed that he was also involved in narcotics sales from the hotel room.  During the investigation, a second suspect, Desiree Lovio, arrived at the location and was also arrested on drug related charges.

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office is reminding everyone who uses social networking websites to do so responsibly.  Be cautious of the information you post on these sites as criminals have the ability to learn of your daily activities and use the information to facilitate their crimes.

The Norwegian Grade Reopens at 5 p.m. Today Just in Time for Holiday Traffic

Photo taken by Engineering Manager Tom Pizza. From Left: Construction Manager Chris Gabriel, Project Manager Dan Lazo, Inspector Fernado Perez, Design Engineer Tristan SantosThe main link between Thousand Oaks and Moorpark will reopen today after closing Sept. 20 for much needed repairs and safety improvements. The Norwegian Grade improvements, that cost just over $1.5 million, include a much longer guard rail, new signs and a slightly wider roadway. Before it was repaired there was only a small guardrail around the sharp curve. Now there's  about 1/2 mile of guard rail. Before the blind curve, going each way, there are now flashing beacons warning of the sharp turn. There are also flashing markers on the pavement letting drivers know they should slow down. In some places the roadway had lanes that were only 10 feet wide. Now each lane of the two lane Moorpark Road, from Calle Contento to Santa Rosa Road, is 11 feet wide  from line to line. The pavement has been compacted underneath, covered with asphalt twice making it smooth and filled the entire length of the grade.

Best of all it's open again. Smoother and Safer. And OPEN!