Ventura County Schools in U.S. News 2013 Ranking of Nation's Top High Schools

Yesterday, U.S. News & World Report published its 4th ranking of the nation's best public high schools. The study covered nearly 22,000 public high schools across the country.

Schools was again were ranked based on: (1) how well students tested in state-level reading and math proficiency, factoring in disadvantaged students, who tend to score lower on tests; and (2) college readiness, based on how well schools prepare students for college-level work via Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) programs.

The median college readiness, measured on a scale of 0 to 100, was 14.8 (it was 16.3 in 2012). A readiness index of 100 means that all 12th graders took and passed at least 1 AP or IB test. (More on the methodology)

There were 2,039 California high schools and nearly 2 million students enrolled during the 2010-2011 survey period. To be ranked in California, schools must receive either a gold (top 500 nationally) or silver (top 501 to 2,290 nationally) medal. 501 Callifornia schools received gold or silver medals.

Rankings of local high schools in the Conejo Valley, Ventura County and adjacent areas and summarized in the table below. There were 15 local schools that received gold or silver medal status and thus were ranked nationally and in California.

We compared the 2013 rankings and ratings with those published last year. I will say once again that I find the ranking methodolgy to be perplexing. For example, Royal High has college readiness and academic performance scores of 21.3 and 775 and was not nationally ranked, yet Fillmore High and Buena High received lower scores, yet w

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The Ventura County Sheriff's Office Provides Useful Crime Maps Online

The Ventura County Sheriff's Office services the County of Ventura and the five contract cities of Camarillo, Fillmore, Moorpark, Ojai, and Thousand Oaks, as well as unincorporated areas of Ventura County. There is a wealth of information on the VC Sheriff's website at www.vcsd.org, including the phone numbers for patrol stations.

One tool on the VC Sheriff website that I find to be quite useful is the Crime Maps. Crime maps provide approximate locations of arrests, calls for service and crimes/incidents by jurisdiction, in five-day increments going back up to 35 days.

Example Crime Map from www.vcsd.org website

As you can see from the example above, each incident is highlighted with a marker that shows, when you click it, the date and a brief description of the incident. Using the "zoom in" feature allows you to see actual street names on the map...however, as the VCSD disclaims, these represent approximate locations; actual street addresses are not included in the descriptions.

That said, I was curious one night when I passed a patrol car and sheriff's investigation van parked at a house nearby. The Crime Map showed a marking at what looked to be the exact location that I saw and indicated there was a residential burglary. Then I looked at other weeks in the 'hood and found another burglary and reported suspicious vehicle. While of course it is disturbing to hear of crime close to home, it is great information to know and share with your neighbors to be aware of what's going on.

While the crime maps can be a bit clunky to use, if you're patient, you'll find what you need. For example, if you reset the map to look at a different geographic area, time frame or incident type, once again you will need to use the arrow keys to move around, then zoom in/out to where you need to go. It would be awesome to have a feature where you can simply type in an address, but that feature is not available.

Viewing these maps will really give you a feel for how busy our local police are. For example, in the five days ended 4/11/13, there were 597 calls for service, 111 arrests and 60 reported crimes/incidents in the Thousand Oaks area alone. Calls for service include descriptions like responding to alarms, burglaries, juvenile problems, following up on a resident's well being, suspicious vehicles, shoplifting, prowlers, fights, disturbances and more.

To explore crime maps in your area (Camarillo, Fillmore, Moorpark, Ojai, and Thousand Oaks, as well as unincorporated areas of Ventura County), visit www.vcsd.org/pr-crime-map.php.

At the End of a Hot Weekend, the Clouds Roll In to the Conejo Valley

Last night at sunset was a fun time to watch the cloud cover make its way into the Conejo Valley. One great viewing spot was from the Conejo Mountain Edison Power Line Road accessible via trails in the Dos Vientos section of Newbury Park. The clouds and setting sun made for an eerie feeling as daylight turned to darkness in Ventura County.

Views towards Boney MountainViews towards the power linesThe fog rolling in to Dos VientosThe sun setting over the cloud covering the Oxnard plainThe fog creeping up into Newbury ParkAnd another view of the fog making its way past the power lines

Click this link for descriptions of other local trails and hikes in and around Ventura County!

What Does It Take to Gain an Entry Into the 2014 Boston Marathon?

Dating myself a bit with this photo....ran the 100th Boston Marathon quite some time ago :)The 2013 Boston Marathon Bombings and subsequent pursuit of the culprits this past week overshadowed the race itself. Approximately 23,000 people were signed up for the 2013 race but because of the bombings, thousands of runners were unable to complete it.

On Thursday, Boston Marathon organizers indicated via Facebook that they will "address the issue of those who could not cross the finish line on Boylston Street due to the tragic events which occurred near the finish line," which tells me that perhaps they may offer up entries to the 2014 race to these people. But we shall see.

All of this tragedy and publicity will make 2014 quite an interesting year for the Boston Marathon, which is run on the 3rd Monday of April, Patriots' Day, each year. In 2014 that date will be April 21st.

Will people steer clear or will demand skyrocket in support of those who lost lives and limbs last Monday? Well my opinion is, we're talking Americans....I think everyone and their mother will be trying to get into the 2014 Boston Marathon.  So what will it take to gain an entry into the 2014 race? Let's review the qualifying standards for 2014:

• Qualifying times must be run on or after 9/22/12.
• Runners must be 18 or older on race day.
• By 7/1/13, marathon organizers will announce specific  registration dates in September 2013.
  
• Organizers allow faster runners, those who finished well under the qualifying standards shown below, to register first.
  
• 2014 qualifying times are as follows:
  
  • Ages 18-34: Men 3:05; Women 3:35
  • Ages 35-39: Men 3:10; Women 3:40
  • Ages 40-44: Men 3:15; Women 3:45
  • Ages 45-49: Men 3:25; Women 3:55
  • Ages 50-54: Men 3:30; Women 4:00
  • Ages 55-59: Men 3:40; Women 4:10

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Storage Wars Got You Hooked? Stop by a Storage Auction in Ventura County!

Storage Wars is a popular reality TV show on A&E that premiered in December 2010. It is amusing to watch as the main "characters" try to outsmart and outbid each other for the potential of finding value and treasure in abandoned storage units.

Checking out a large storage unit at an auction at Hollywood Storage in Newbury ParkThe "California Self-Service Storage Facility Act" gives storage facility owners the right to auction off storage units that have gone unpaid for several months.  Auction proceeds exceeding the cost of unpaid rent, penalties and auctioneer fees can be claimed by the previous owner of the property.

Storage units can contain pretty much anything, from the contents of a closed book store, an apartment, old furniture, mattresses, household items, a coin collection, you name it. While are convinced that episodes of the show are "staged" to include unbelievably unique and valuable items in some of the lockers, it is fun to watch and dream as the mystery of what is contained in these lockers unfolds.

The show's auctioneer is Dan Dotson of American Auctioneers, based in Riverside, California. Upcoming auctions are listed on his site at www.americanauctioneers.com/events. There was a Simi Valley storage unit auction highlighted on t

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Compilation of Public Beaches Spanning From Oxnard to Hueneme to Malibu

In a separate post, we highlighted beaches ranging from Carpinteria down south to the beaches at the Ventura Harbor. This is the 2nd installment of local area beaches that stretch from McGrath State Beach on down to the beaches gracing Malibu. We hope these compilations prove useful in guiding you to all the oceanfront fun Ventura County and adjacent areas have to offer!

McGrath State Beach has 2 1/2 miles of beach that is great for walkers, sunbathers and surf fishers. Swimming, surfing, and water sports are discouraged because of rip currents. McGrath also has a campground with 174 sites, restrooms and coin-operated hot showers. Make reservations by calling 800.444.7275. There's also a .2 mile nature trail through jungle-like vegetation along the banks of the Santa Clara River. McGrath is 5 miles south of Ventura off the 101 freeway via Harbor Boulevard. Visit parks.ca.gov/?page_id=607 or call 805.968.1033 for more information. Parking is $10 as of August 2012.

Mandalay Beach Park is 94 acres of undeveloped beachfront land located south of Reliant Energy's Mandalay Generating Station. The natural sand dunes and the wetlands ecosystem are recognized for their important natural value and houses several threatened bird species. This is a passive, natural open space park with no support facilities. The sandy ocean beach and adjacent coastal dunes are available for public day use only. The beach is managed by the County of Ventura on behalf of the California State Parks Department. Located at the corner of Harbor Boulevard and 5th Street in Oxnard. Visit www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=609.

Oxnard Beach Park has one of the best kids' play areas around town, restrooms, lots of grass, and easy access to miles and miles of beach. The sand dunes are really large in Oxnard. The park is located at 1601 S. Harbor Boulevard. More info at www.visitoxnard.com.

Hollywood Beach is a great spot for swimming, sunning and viewing the Channel Islands offshore. Free public beach volleyball courts, public restrooms on the north end of beach, on-street parking and lifeguards on duty between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Located right next to Channel Islands Harbor off of Harbor Boulevard.

Silver Strand Beach is a 1 mile long sandy beach about 150 yds in width. It is capped by the north and south jetties, which both have small parking lots, one next to San Nicholas Road, the other next to Sawtelle Avenue. Free parking from sunrise to sunset and limited restroom facilities. The coast is a sandy bottom beach break which can sometimes feature rip tides and an undertow. Lifeguards on duty every day during the summer months. Accessed via S. Victoria Avenue. Visit bit.ly/OyXoQE for more information.

Hueneme Beach Park is 50 acres with picnic tables, barbecue pits, walking paths, a 24-hour fishing pier, sand volleyball courts, Surfside Seafood snack bar, lifeguards and restrooms. Beach parking lots and Surfside Drive parking is $2 per hour or $8 for the day. Visit www.ci.port-hueneme.ca.us/index.aspx?NID=926 for more information. Located at 550 E. Surfside Drive, Port Hueneme. Take the 101 to Los Posas, go south, veer right on Pleasant Valley Road. Turn left on Saviers then right on Hueneme Road, then left on Surfside Roa

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Frozen Yogurt, Ice Cream, Gelato and Other Frozen Treats Around Ventura County!

Frozen yogurt is everywhere these days, ice cream is as popular as ever and gelato is gaining steam! Here's a handy list of frozen yogurt, ice cream and gelato places in and around Ventura County for your dining pleasure. There are over 80 such establishments in Ventura County and surrounding areas!

(Current as of 4/19/13. Things change...call to confirm....let us know of any changes!)

Agoura/Calabasas/Malibu

• Baskin Robbins 5697 Kanan Road, Agoura (818.991.9106)
• Golden Spoon 22259 Mulholland Hwy, Calabasas (818.222.5260)
• GROM Gelateria 3888 Cross Creek Road, Malibu (310.456.9797)
• Menchies Frozen Yogurt 4776 Commons Way, Calabasas (818.222.1158)*
• Sweet XO Life Fulfilled 5825 Kanan Road, Agoura (818.889.9696)*
• Tifa Chocolate & Gelato 5013 Kanan Road, Agoura (818.879.0685)
• Twist Frozen Yogurt 26777 Agoura Road, Calabasas (818.880.8385)

Moorpark/Simi Valley

• Baskin Robbins 557 W. Los Angeles Ave, Moorpark (805.529.5360)
• Baskin Robbins 1720 E. Los Angeles Ave, Simi Valley (805.526.6377)
• Baskin Robbins 2410 Sycamore Drive, Simi Valley (805.520.3113)
• Carvel Ice Cream 144 West Los Angeles Ave, Moorpark (805.529.8880)
• Cherry on Top 2480 Erringer Road, Simi Valley (805.581.3500)
• Cold Stone Creamery 2916 Tapo Canyon Road, Simi Valley (805.306.1184)
• Go Yogurt! 2780 Cochran Street, Simi Valley (805.306.9255)
• Golden Spoon 1197 E. Los Angeles Ave, Simi Valley (805.579.1980)
• Luna Blu Frozen Yogurt Cafe Simi Valley Town Center Offering BOGO on Wednesdays 3PM-7PM. CLICK HERE to get coupon.
• Sweet Retreat Ice Cream, FroYo, Shave Ice 525 Los Angeles Ave, Moorpark (805.552.0773)
• Melt Gelato Italiano Simi Valley Town Center (805.522.5025)
• Sub Zero Ice Cream & Yogurt 2091 Madera Road, Simi Valley (Opened 4/21/12)
• Tutti Frutti Frozen Yogurt 2950 Cochran Street, Simi Valley (805.306.1275)*
• Yofrutii Frozen Yogurt 4275 Tierra Rejada Road, Moorpark (805.5

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Thousand Oaks 2013 Community Attitude Survey Report Issued March 18th

Since 1969, the City of Thousand Oaks has conducted a communitywide attitude survey every 5 years to sample city residents' views on planning and other issues. Beginning in 2013, the survey will be performed every two years.

The 2013 survey was conducted once again by True North Research of Escondido.  They phone surveyed a "statistically representative" sample of 400 Thousand Oaks residents out of 96,607 adult residents (there are about 128,000 total residents). True North is 95% confident that survey results are within a +/- 4.89% margin of error, consistent with the 2009 survey.

True North is also doing a supplemental web survey, sending postcards to residents this past week to complete the survey at www.toaks.org/survey/default.asp. But this survey is not considered "valid" because people are self-selected, not randomized.

Thousand Oaks residents by a landslide continue to be happy living here. 97% of residents are happy with the quality of life, with 61% (66% in 2009) rating it excellent and 36% (31% in 2009) rating it good.  This is consistent with previous surveys, where this has ranged from 96% to 98% of residents. This is a fantastic statistic.

There is lot of other information in the 69 page survey report accessible at www.toaks.org/survey/ but here are some things I found of particular interest:

Commuting

56% (52% in 2009) of Thousand Oaks residents commute outside of the Conejo Valley for their jobs, and 48% (35% in 2009) of those commute over 60 minutes round trip. Ouch. This statistic infers that roughly 27% of city residents spends over an hour in the car each day, up from 18% in 2009. Ouch, ouch, ouch.

What We Want More Of

Half of the survey takers said they'd like to see additional retail establishments in Thousand Oaks. Of these people, 21% want more family restaurants like TGI Fridays and Black Angus (which is ironic because the city used to have both of these). It is interesting to note that the top two mentions in the 2009 survey, Olive Garden and Red Lobster, are both now in operation here. 19% of these people would like to see large discount stores like Costco or Big Lots and 16% would like another Targe or Wal-Mart uggh (up from 11% in 2009).

Information Sources for News, Events, Programs

Now, for the most telling statistic in our humble opinion here at Conejo Valley Guide! True North asked people to list their top 3 information sources used for learning about City news, services, programs and events.

Conejo Valley Guide (CVG) has plugged away for years, attracts well over one million annual page views and is active in Twitter and Facebook. CVG highlights thousands of events, activities and things to do in the Conejo Valley, Greater Ventura County and surrounding areas. Yet CVG was not listed among the two dozen survey answer options. Gosh darn it!

YET...the top vote getter in the survey was...<drum roll>..."Internet (general)" with 40% of responses, up from 26% in 2009. One could venture to guess that, ahem, Conejo Valley Guide was the primary driver behind this spectacular 50% increase, eh? Perhaps :)

Following CVG, er, I mean "Internet (general)" the most mentioned information choices were The Acorn (36.5% vs 41% in 2009), VC Star (24% vs 29% in 2009), City website (19.3% vs 22% in 2009) and City mailings (7.8% vs 8% in 2009).

For a wealth of information about City of Thousand Oaks, visit www.toaks.org.

Sunset at the base of Tarantula Hill in Thousand Oaks

Upcoming 5K,10K and Other Ventura County Area Running and Fitness Events!

"Race Day" by Camarillo artist Chuck TrunksStart training for upcoming 5K, 10K, half marathon and other Ventura County endurance events! We've made it easy for you to find a local race by tracking local events!. So go on, get moving, lace up those shoes and start training! CLICK HERE for local running/cycling groups and clubs!!  Training for a marathon...check out 26.2 Training Tips for Your First Marathon!

CONEJO JOE'S TRAINING BLOG 

Sat, Mar 23: 28th Annual Great Race of Agoura Half Marathons, 5K, 10K, 1 Mile Fun Run

Sat/Sun, Mar 30-31: Coyote Backbone Trail Ultra 68 Mile Traverse in Santa Monica Mountains

Sat, Apr 6: Autism Society of Ventura County Aut2Run 5K, 10K, 15K, 1K in Camarillo

Sat, Apr 13: 35th Annual Camarillo Kiwanis 5K/10K Runs 

Sun, Apr 14: Camarillo Duathlon Series

Sat, Apr 20: Santa Barbara Chardonnay 10 Mile and 5K Races

Sun, Apr 21: 7th Annual Gator Run 5K, 10K, Kids Fun Run in Simi Valley

Sat, Apr 27: 1st Annual "Run For Your Health" 5K Run/Walk in Camarillo

Sun, Apr 28: Ojai Half Marathon, 5K, 10K

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British Retailer Tesco Indicates it Will Be Selling Its Fresh & Easy Stores

On January 31, 2013, Fresh & Easy parent company Tesco said it was looking at "strategic options" for its money-losing U.S. based Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market stores.

We all pretty much knew where that was going...when you have a business segment that is losing $250 million a year, there was little doubt that Tesco would be leaving the U.S. market.

But that does not mean...yet, at least...that Tesco is shutting down Fresh & Easy. In a posting on the Fresh & Easy website today, the store indicated "As many of you have heard or read today, our parent company Tesco updated on the future of Fresh & Easy.  While we don’t yet know who our new owner will ultimately be, Tesco has already received interest from a number of parties including groups looking to purchase Fresh & Easy as an operating business.  We appreciate all the support and love we’ve received from our loyal customers and even though our parent company plans to leave the US, we’re pleased to confirm there are no plans to close any portion of Fresh & Easy."

So what Tesco and Fresh & Easy indicated today is that 1) Tesco is indeed exiting the U.S. market; 2) there are a number of potentially interest parties who may acquire the Fresh & Easy chain; and 3) there are no current plans to "close any portion of Fresh & Easy."

As part of today's announcement, Tesco said it is treating Fresh & Easy as a "discontinued operation" and as such, has written down the value of Fresh & Easy assets and future anticipated liabilities on its books...to the tune of £1.2 billion...which is approximately $1.8 billion in U.S. dollars. OUCH. The $1.8 billion loss includes roughly $257 million in operating losses, with the remainder the write-down in assets and estimate future lease costs.

That's gotta hurt a bit. Tesco is a British company but its stock also trades on Nasdaq under symbol TESO, which was down 3.3% today, over double what the S&P 500 was down today.

In any case, best of luck to the Fresh & Easy chain in finding a buyer and figuring out a way to generate a profit. There are 10 Fresh & Easy stores in Ventura County and directly adjacent areas.

Lastly, I heard what I found to be quite an odd Fresh & Easy commercial on the radio this morning that is posted below. Very unusual, kind of surprising use of the shortened "f&easy" - a bit risque if ya ask me :)

The Ventura County Genealogical Society Can Help You Track Your Roots

Founded in 1978, the Ventura County Genealogical Society is a non-profit educational organization in Ventura that is dedicated to the promotion of genealogy, public education and fellowship to everyone interested in family histories.

The goals of the Society are to encourage family history and genealogical research; to educate and instruct members through lectures, workshops, and an annual seminar; to educate the members in effective genealogical research skills, and to publish information of interest to genealogists.

Some of the various topics that I've seen the Society cover include using online genealogical resources, family history training, family legacy writing workshops and much more.

With over 200 members, the Ventura County Genealogical Society hosts speakers at monthly meetings generally on the third Saturday of each month (except December) in Ventura.  The Society also maintains a reference library located at the Camarillo Public Library.

For more information about the Society, visit www.venturacogensoc.org.

Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Programs in Ventura County

The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program educates people about disaster preparedness for hazards and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations. Using this training, CERT members can assist others in their neighborhood or workplace following an event when professional responders are not immediately available to help. CERT members also are encouraged to support emergency response agencies by taking a more active role in emergency preparedness projects in the community.

The Ventura County Fire Department in coordination with FEMA have joined together to assist local residents with disaster preparedness education and training. Visit the VCFD CERT website by clicking here.

GET YOURSELF TRAINED! IT'S FREE! AND YOU COULD HELP SELF LIVES IN AN EMERGENCY!

CLICK HERE for a schedule of upcoming CERT classes in Ventura County.

CERT training programs throughout Ventura County:

• Agoura Hills
• Calabasas
• Camarillo
• Fillmore
• Malibu
• Moorpark
• Ojai
• Oxnard
• Santa Paula
• Simi Valley
• Thousand Oaks
• Westlake Village

Panoramic Coastline Views at the Ventura Botanical Gardens Demonstration Trail

The Ventura Botanical Gardens Demonstration Trail is a nearly 1 mile trail between Ventura City Hall and Grant Park. It was opened in October 2012. The trail zig zags and meanders its way up to Grant Park, offering awesome views of downtown Ventura and the coastline. The trail is accessible beheind Ventura City Hall, located at 501 Poli Street. Take the driveway on the right side of City Hall (facing the building) and drive up to the parking area. Learn more at www.venturabotanicalgardens.com.

Access to the trail is on the right (east) side of Ventura City Hall.

The trail is decorated with pretty wildflowers and other California native plantsThere are some neat rock walls on sections of the trailA short walk will get you some pretty views!

Five Notable Historical Sites and Places to See in and Around Ventura County

In the mid 1850s, the area that we call Ventura County was the southern part of Santa Barbara County.  By 1873, Ventura County officially split off from Santa Barbara County and by the turn of the century the cities of San Buenaventura (or Ventura as we know it), Port Hueneme, Santa Paula, Nordhoff (now Ojai), Simi, Somis, Moorpark and Oxnard came on board. Camarillo and Thousand Oaks were late bloomers, incorporating in 1964.

There are hundreds of historical things to see around Ventura County, dozens of which are covered here on Conejo Valley Guide. Let's take a look at 5 neat places to see Ventura County history to additional information.

Strathearn Historical Park and Museum in Simi Valley has a notable collection of structures and artifacts from Simi's early days. The park is jointly operated by the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District and Simi Valley Historical Society. 1 to 1 1/2 hour docent-led tours of the buildings, a museum and much to see.

The Museum of Ventura County opened its Agriculture Museum in Santa Paula in September 2011. The museum is housed in the historic 18

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Earth Day Events In and Around Ventura County

Earth Day has been celebrated on April 22nd each year since 1970. Earth Day events celebrate the planet we live on and helps to renew our commitment to building a safer, healthier and cleaner world. Plan ahead for one of these upcoming Ventura County area Earth Day events (as well as some Arbor Day events to boot).

Earth Day 2013 has come and gone...so we shall see you here next year. In the meantime, stay green!