Join a Local Ventura County Moms Club

If you're looking for local Ventura County groups to meet up with other moms for playgroups, activities and socializing, look no further than this list (includes only organizations with websites...Contact Us for additions). (Last update April 2012...subject to change.)

Camarillo Moms Club

Conejo Families Meetup Group

Conejo Valley Homeschoolers

Conejo Valley Mothers and More

Conejo Valley Mothers of Multiples

Macaroni Kid Camarillo

Macaroni Kid Conejo Valley

Macaroni Kid Ojai-Piru

Macaroni Kid Santa Barbara

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Random Encounter with the 4th Annual West Valley Memorial Ride on Saturday, Aug 27th

The 4th Annual West Valley Memorial Ride took place this past Saturday, August 27th. I had never heard of the ride nor knew what it was when I happened upon it but later discovered this event is organized by Officers of the West Valley Division of the Los Angeles Police Department who first organized the event in 2008 as a memorial to fellow officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty.

This event featured 400 riders and was orchestrated with the help of the California Highway Patrol, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and Motor Officers of the Valley Traffic Division of LAPD.

After torturing my body on a brutally hilly and quite hot trail run called the Bulldog 25K, I was ready to get home, shower up and relax. But...NOOoooo...after pulling onto Malibu Canyon/Las Virgenes northbound toward the 101, there are legions of police officers on cycles and cars. First I thought it might be a 9/11 memorial, but realized it was too early for that. Oddly, I noticed cars of all shapes and sizes, like vintage 1960s police cars. I thought maybe budget cuts were forcing LAPD to cut back ha ha.

But then traffic was completely stopped for me and others before reaching the 101 freeway. The police officers were followed by motorcycles of all shapes and sizes. Thinking on my feet, uh, well, on my rear end, I grabbed my little camera and start videotaping, figuring I'd capture a few seconds of footage. But the cycles kept coming...and coming...and coming. I looked over at the 101 westbound and there was a steady flow of cycles coming to the Malibu Canyon offramp. Not a single car in sight.

I was determined to keep filming until the last motorcycle. So as a result there are over 7 minutes of footage below. Had I known about this I'd have taken high def footage on my Droid for a clearer picture. But in any case, this chance encounter was certainly a pleasant and fun surprise. Learn more about this ride at www.westvalleymemorialride.com.

City of Calabasas Single-Use Plastic Carryout Bag Ban Starts July 1, 2011

CITY OF CALABASAS SINGLE-USE PLASTIC CARRYOUT BAG BAN

BRING YOUR OWN REUSABLE SHOPPING BAGS OR PURCHASE PAPER BAGS AT CALABASAS GROCERS BEGINNING JULY 1, 2011

From the City of Calabasas website at www.cityofcalabasas.com/plastic-bag-ban.html

Calabasas has joined the growing ranks of municipalities encouraging residents to bring reusable bags when shopping. On February 9, 2011, the Calabasas City Council passed Ordinance No. 2011-282 to ban the use single-use carryout plastic bags that pollute our environment and constitute a high percentage of litter across the country.

As of July 1, 2011, shoppers will no longer receive disposable plastic bags while shopping at Calabasas supermarkets: Albertsons, Gelson’s, Maddy’s Market, and Ralphs and Rite Aid.

As of January 1, 2012, smaller drug stores, convenience food stores, smaller retail stores and grocers will stop offering disposable plastic bags.

Under the terms of the new law, stores will have reusable bags available for sale and will also offer recyclable paper bags for 10 cents each in lieu of customers bringing their reusable bags or simply carrying items purchased without a bag. The fees collected from bag sales will only go towards helping stores comply with the new law.

Lower income residents who participate in the California Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants, and Children program will receive either reusable bags or recyclable paper bags for free.

Shoppers are encouraged to use reusable shopping bags whenever possible. Please note that small plastic bags will still be available in stores for fruits and vegetables. Produce bags and product bags are bags without handles used exclusively to carry produce, meats, or other food items to the point of sale or to prevent such food items from coming into direct contact with other purchased items.

More information and details on the benefits of using re-usable bags at www.cityofcalabasas.com/plastic-bag-ban.html.