Thousand Oaks Save Our Seniors Demonstration on Tuesday, November 2nd

More information about the proposed 260% to 500% rent increases on the Ranch Mobile Home Park and Thunderbird Oaks Mobile Park in Thousand Oaks is at http://toaks.org/government/committees/rent_adjustment_commission.asp

The City of Thousand Oaks Rent Adjustment Commission has scheduled hearings for both

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Thousand Oaks Police Department City Watch Update - October 28, 2010

Here is the latest "City Watch" alert from Deputy Jim DeSoto of the Thousand Oaks Police Department. If you would like these updates directly from him via email, click here for more information.

Crime Fighters,

For the past two months I have been writing about the rash of appliance thefts from unoccupied homes and I have been preaching that we cannot do our duty as effectively without your help. With the help of a witness and a victim, we were able to arrest three adults who were responsible for about half of the 23 residential appliance thefts that occurred this year. From the witnesses’ description of the involved vehicles, data from our crime analysts, and some strategic placement of undercover police vehicles, we were able to arrest the suspects and later serve a search warrant on warehouse where some of the stolen property was recovered.

Although, with your help, we ended the shopping spree of the thieving trio, please remember that there are probably other groups taking advantage of the economic times and empty houses by committing similar crimes. These offenders are driving around and looking for unoccupied houses during the day and returning in the early morning hours to collect their ill-gotten gains. Whether the crook is looking for appliances from vacant houses or looking to perpetrate a residential burglary from an occupied house, the manner is the same. The thief still needs to walk-up to the house and “snoop” around by looking through windows and going through backyards. So, please be attentive and report all suspicious activity to our dispatch center at 805.654.9511.

Residential burglaries are, unfortunately, a fact of life but it is unusual to get two burglaries in the same

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Halloween is Near, Black Cat Has No Fear!

I came across these really neat photos via a friend in Facebook. Los Angeles based digital special effects designer David Ridlen was outside his home a few weeks ago and noticed his neighbor's cat Lucy was perched on top of their chimney. And the moon floated directly above the fearless feline. Amazed at what a great image that was, David scrambled and grabbed his HD video camera and snapped these still shots.  Though the resolution of the shots is not high, it certainly turned out some really cool shots for this home stretch into Halloween! I love these pics!!

 

 

For nearly 40 things to do through Halloween weekend, CLICK HERE!

Wagon Wheel Motel, Restaurant and Bowling Alley in Oxnard

The Wagon Wheel Motel and Restaurant complex at the corner of the 101 and PCH in Oxnard is at the northern edge of a 64 acre slated to be redeveloped into a European-themed development with 1,500 residential units and retail space. The distinctive western-themed office, motel and restaurant was originally built in 1947. The restaurant closed in 2005 and the motel closed in 2006. Built in 1953, the Wagon Wheel Bowl is still in operation. The bowling alley was designed by Arthur Froehlich, who also designed Hollywood Park Racetrack and Hanna Barbera Studios in 1962.

This motel was built when western movies were at their peak popularity. My kids would have loved this place with rustic wood beds, chairs and lamps, windows made out of wagon wheels, lamps made out of branding irons and spurs, etc.  Even the street names in the area are western-themed...Pettitcoat Lane, Winchester Drive, Saddle Ave, Spur Drive, etc.

For a number of years there has been a tug-of-war between developers and preservationists, who want to retain this unique vestage of Americana.  While I personally love to see the preservation of local sites (like the cool Woolworth Building in Oxnard), these buildings are pretty darn run down and would cost quite a bit to redevelop. Wagon Wheel Bowl on the other hand is extremely functional, with 32 lanes, a restaurant, arcade, etc. Would be nice to see this bowling alley here on its 100th birthday in 2053!

Update: On 10/25/10, the VC Star reported that final briefs have been filed by the San Buenaventura Conservancy, which would like to preserve the complex as a historic site. Though it seems many people want these dilapidated buildings torn down to make room for 1,500 homes and commercial space, some would like to preserve it.

 Wagon Wheel Office and Restaurant Before Closure in 2005

The Wisdom of Will Smith

Someone shared this compilation of Will Smith thoughts with me and it was so great I had to watch it several times to take it all in. This guy is really smart and speaks clearly, knowledgeably and with passion.

Here are some of the wonderful tidbits of wisdom on success he has offers (paraphrased):

• Talent is natural. Skill is developed. Your talent will fail you if you are not skilled and dedicated.
• Where I excel is...ridiculous, sickening, work ethic. While the other guy's sleeping, I'm working. Where the other guy's eating, I'm working.
• My favorite: I'm not afraid to die on a treadmill. You might be more talented, or smarter than me...but if we're getting on a treadmill together, you're getting off first, or I'm gonna die.
• Don't set out to build a wall. Start out by laying this brick as perfectly as a brick can be laid. And do it over and over again and you'll have your wall.
• Your life will become better by making other lives better.
• You have to believe that something different can happen.
• Confucius says: He who says he can and he who says he can't are both usually right.
• I want the world to better because I was here.
• Thinking from the book "The Alchemist" - I can create whatever I want to create.
• Being realistic is the most commonly traveled road to mediocrity.
• If we believe something, that is a physical thrust towards realization.
• Smith is motivated by fear of fear...hates being scared to do something.
• You have to believe that something different can happen.

Local Nature Photographer Says Winter Sunsets Are The Best

Ventura County is so close to the ocean, yet most of us don't usually get down to the beach often enough. Now, with winter bearing down on us, we surely won't make it down to the beach.  That's too bad, because winter sunsets are the best according to local photographer Greg Clure.

Why winter?  Ventura County beaches are mostly south facing, which means during the summer when we are more likely to be at the beach, the sun is difficult, if not impossible, to include in your sunset photos. The sun is too far north.

With the approaching Winter Solstice (December 21st) the sun's path across the sky travels a more southerly route. As each day goes by up to this date as it reaches its southern most path and then begins to move north each day thereafter.  As a result, you will be much more likely to capturing a beautiful sunset photo during the winter. Winter also means fewer people at the beach, so you'll likely have your favorite beach all to yourself.

Clure shares three of his local sunset images taken during winter below.  Greg adds, "When taking sunset images that include the sun, be sure to meter the bright sky near the sun but don't include the sun and you will generally get the best exposure for the entire scene."  If you would like to see larger versions of the images below or other fine art images of nature, visit Greg's website at www.gregclurephotography.com.

Check Your DUI Test Results Online Via the Ventura County Sheriff's Department Website

The Ventura County Sheriff's Department announced that, beginning October 1st, people arrested for driving under the influence can obtain their test results via their website at www.vcsd.org.

Simply scroll down and find the "DUI Results" icon (or alternatively, click the "Alcohol Test Results" link in the footer, and you will be brought to a page (shown below) that requires you to submit your first/last name, date of birth and date of test (if you were REALLY inebriated, perhaps you won't remember this).

After submitting the information, you will see your test results. Hopefully you failed this particular test. You will then be allowed to print a copy that you can proudly display on you wall (if you failed) or provide to your attorney (if you "passed").

This site provides the same information that individuals can obtain by presenting their information at the Forensic Sciences Laboratory. The site was developed with funding provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, to bring new technologies and enhanced services for alcohol testing to Ventura County.

PLEASE DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE!

This is one post I hope none of you out there have to make use of!

Thousand Oaks Police Department City Watch Update, October 5, 2010

Here is the latest "City Watch" alert from Deputy Jim DeSoto of the Thousand Oaks Police Department. If you would like these updates directly from him via email, click here for more information.

Crime Fighters,

The heat wave has left us but we still have a wave of thefts throughout the city. Most of the thefts from vehicles and vehicle burglaries occur in the late night and early morning hours; however, I am reading more incident reports of these types of crimes happening during the day in parking lots and residential neighborhoods. The criminals are not resting and neither shall we. Please circulate the City Watch e-mails to your neighbors and friends and continue a constant eye for criminals and their contemptible conduct.

Looters attacked another vacant house. Unfortunately, there are many vacant houses that are in foreclosure or awaiting renters or new owners. The thieves are ransacking the vacant houses in Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley and cities in Los Angeles County. Appliances are the favorite items taken and

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Tattoos - A Sure Sign of Youth

The economy has been in the doldrums for awhile now but one growth industry, as far as I can tell, is the tattoo business.

As someone just barely into the Baby Boomer (age 46 to 64) group, I've never quite understood why one would feel a need to permanently imprint something into their skin. Heck, I must be an old geezer, as 85% of my fellow geezers, according to a 2010 Pew Research Center study, "Millennials: A Portrait of Generation Next," have never had a tattoo on their bodies.

On the other hand, in Pew's January 2010 phone survey of 2,020 adults, fully 38% of 18 to 29 year old "Millennials" have tattoos. Wow! And fully 50% of tattooed Millennials have 2 to 5 tattoos and 18% have 6 or more! We're talking a major growth industry here.

The Pew Report also indicated those Millennials not attending college were much more likely (47%) than Millennial college attendees (30%) to have tattoos. And Democratic/Independent leaning Millennials are more likely than Republican Millennials to have tattoos (44% vs 31%).

Gen Xers (ages 30 to 45) have a 32% tattoo rate, while only 6% of the age 65+ "Silents" group (not exactly sure where they get that name from) have tattoos.

Yes indeed, the tattoo industry has indeed been a growth industry over the years. According to the website vanishingtattoo.com, in 1936 Life Magazine indicated 6% of Americans had tattoos, whereas a 2003 Harris poll determined that grew to 16%. Heck, when us Baby Boomers hit the dust, that rate could grow to 35%, 40% or more!

So if you are an old dude like me and you'd like to feel young, consider getting a tattoo. As for me, I'm seeking ways to take advantage of this situation...I wonder just how many of those Millennials will regret some of those tattoos. Perhaps the tattoo REMOVAL industry will be the next big investment opportunity!

Start Fall Out Right With This Fire Roasted Salt & Pepper Corn Recipe

Here's the latest recipe from chef Jill Fisher! Jill, a licensed Personal Chef, teaches cooking classes at Conejo Valley Adult School and Williams Sonoma in Thousand Oaks and has written articles for local food magazines such as 805 Living. In December 2009, Jill and her friend released their cookbook "i found my sanity in...My Best Friend's Kitchen."

CLICK HERE for Jill's other recipes published in Conejo Valley Guide!

“Happy Fall ya’all! “  That is what they are saying in the South right about now.  However, as I look outside my window and see the thermometer creep towards 80 degrees at 8:00 in the morning, it reminds me that Southern California really doesn’t get to experience Fall.  We don’t get much of the “crisp” in the air – it is more like the roar of the Santa Ana winds.  We don’t pull out our sweater collection – rather we switch to Fall colored tank tops.  Not a whole lot of hayrides going on in the 100 degree heat but the beach has never been so lovely.  And we definitely are not ready to start in on the Fall comfort food cycle.

But on the bright side, we as Southern Californians are blessed with a different kind of Fall – it is an extension of summer.  Our calendar is just a bit tilted – summer didn’t exactly arrive when it was supposed to so Fall collides into Winter. But because of that, we still get to enjoy the backyard bliss of grilling and the accessibility of fantastic produce from our local Farmer’s Markets. 

To try and subtly show myself and my family it is indeed Fall regardless of the current weather situation, I start to put out Fall-like decorations slowly to temper the process - a bowl of

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"Sandwiches to the Rescue" - A Firefighting Vignette from Gail Small

A timely vignette from Gail Small, co-author of "Joyful Volunteering: Making a Difference." With the record heat and fire dangers (including a fire that has burned through the night in Thousand Oaks), Gail shares this positive story to look at the positive and applaud our firefighters for all that they do. 

Sandwiches to the Rescue

It was the fall of 1993 when the skies of Newbury Park, California, and surrounding areas became dark billowing clouds of gray. In the near distance, we could see the raging flames and other effects of the out-of control Malibu fire. The smell became stronger, and the haze in the air increased. No one could play outside because of the awful air quality.

As a teacher, I had to decide what to do with my students on those fiery days. What was I to do? I sent home a letter to parents and asked them to send supplies for making lunches, although I actually was hoping I would receive magic ingredients and a solution to my dilemma. The minutes, hours, and days needed something different and unique, and my basic idea was pretty simple: we would make sandwiches and fun food, hoping that the smell of cooking would sweeten our days and that our worries about what was going on outside would be gone from our minds for a little while.

The next day was full of surprises and possibilities! Wonderful ingredients from home pantries made their way into our classroom. We had interesting discussions while we talked about quantity, equivalents and creative cooking. We played music, and our spirits were revived by the comfort of doing something unusual at school.

Sandwiches are ideal for lunch because two pieces of bread can be the home for many a filling. Cheese, butter, and meats and brown, white, and rye breads were combined so that even the fussiest eaters

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Thousand Oaks Police Department City Watch Update, September 23, 2010

Here is the latest "City Watch" alert from Deputy Jim DeSoto of the Thousand Oaks Police Department. If you would like these updates directly from him via email, click here for more information.

Crime Fighters,

Criminals are still targeting rural and isolated storage areas throughout the county. Businesses in Thousand Oaks are also being victimized. I attached a flyer for you (BELOW) to review and to share with others. The flyer is from a recorded break-in and shows two suspects. We need to identify the persons in the picture and recover the stolen property. (NOTE: The stolen items include a Honda generator and water pump from Colt Motorsports in Thousand Oaks.

A group of people is passing fraudulent 100-dollar bills in the city. The bills are showing-up in many different locations. Please be cautions in any monetary transactions and always be alert for criminal activity.

I am starting a Parent Project class this Monday, September 27, at the Thousand Oaks Police Station. The class is open to all parents or guardians and many topics and skills are discussed during the ten-week course. The class begins at 6pm and is free. Please encourage anyone who you know who will benefit from this class. If you or anyone else has a question regarding the Parent Project or crime, I can be reached at 805.371.8362 or via e-mail at james.desoto@ventura.org

Jim (DeSoto)

Ventura County Sheriff's East County Sheriff Watch Update - September 23, 2010

Here is the latest "East County Sheriff Watch" alert from the Ventura County Sheriff's Department. This program is designed to target unincorporated neighborhoods in the area, such as Oak Park, Bell Canyon, Lynn Ranch, Casa Conejo and Lake Sherwood. If you would like these updates directly from him via email, click here for more information.

Well, summer has come to a close, bringing a new school year.

As school starts back up, be alert to more pedestrians, children walking to school, school busses, and just more traffic on the roadways for your morning commute. Remember to proceed patiently through school zones and school bus loading zones for the safety of all.

A quick update on the crime in our area, we are still experiencing a large number of vehicle burglaries in the Oak Park area.  There have been arrests made for some of the vehicle burglaries, but do not let your guard down.

We continue to have numerous vehicle burglaries and thefts from vehicles.  We had incidents in Oak Park in the following areas: Conifer St., Lindero Canyon Rd., HollyTree Dr., Indian Springs Park, Quarterhorse Lane, Smoketree Ave., Deerbrook Ave, Savoy Ave, Oak Park Lane (Apartments), Evanwood, Cremona Way, Pesto Way,  Park Springs Court, Mandeville Place, E. Sunny Vista Ave, Briarwood Lane, and Parkview Dr.

We also had vehicle burglaries and thefts from vehicles in the Lynn Ranch area near Camino Del Verde, Camino Salto, Calle Yucca, Calle Pecos, Calle Compo, and Camino Flores.

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Health Reform in a 9 Minute Video Narrated by Cokie Roberts

The Kaiser Family Foundation published this informative, 9 minute animated video about the new health reform laws and their impact. Very nicely done. Helps make understanding the new law a lot easier!

30th Anniversary of Channel Islands National Park This Year

So close, yet a world away, Channel Islands National Park marks its 30th anniversary as a National Park this year, but its isolation and the fact you can't drive to the park means it is one of the least visited parks in the national park system. Late summer and fall are great times to visit the park as temperatures are generally moderate and rain is not likely. 

 

A great location for hiking, camping and kayaking, the eight Channel Islands span 160 miles off the coast of Southern California. There are four northern islands - San Miguel, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz and Anacapa, and four southern islands - San Nicolas, Santa Barbara, Santa Catalina and San Clamente. Channel Islands National Park consists of the four northern islands along with Santa Barbara Island.

 

For more travel information on the islands or to book boat transportation to an island, check out Island Packer's website at www.islandpackers.com as the only licensed tour operator to the park. They visit all are five islands with seven destinations available for you to visit in the Channel Islands National Park, leaving out of Channel Islands Harbor in Oxnard or Ventura Harbor in Ventura. Island Packers lands at Anacapa Island’s Landing Cove, and two destinations on Santa Cruz Island, Scorpion Anchorage and Prisoners’ Harbor, year round. During certain days of the year with very low tides, Frenchy’s Cove at Anacapa Island can be visited for tidepool exploration. They also offer trips to the more remote islands, referred to as the outer islands due to their increased distance from the mainland, these trips are seasonal. Trips to the outer islands, Santa Barbara, Santa Rosa and San Miguel, are scheduled when ocean conditions on the outer waters are likely to be optimal for traveling. Trips to Santa Barbara Island operate from April to October, landings at San Miguel are scheduled May to October, and on Santa Rosa from April to November.

The islands rose from the ocean millions of years ago and were born of plate tectonics, volcano activity and fluctuating sea levels. During the ice ages the northern four islands were once connected as the polar ice caps expanded. Also during this time, the islands were most accessible to the mainland’s flora and fauna. When the seas rose again it created the islands and isolated them to evolve separately from the mainland as well as one another. The Channel Islands are home to over 2,000 terrestrial plants and animals, of which 145 are found nowhere else in the world. A few good examples include the Island Fox, which appears half the size of a mainland fox and the Silver Lotus Plant, found only on Santa Cruz Island’s highest peaks.

 

Earlier this year, Greg Clure, a local nature photographer, went on a 16 mile weekend backpacking trip across Santa Cruz Island, landing at Prisoners’ Harbor and hiking to Scorpion Anchorage. A few of his images from this trip can be seen below and you can check out all of his images from this trip by visiting his Channel Islands Gallery at www.gregclurephotography.com/channelislands