City of Thousand Oaks Seeks Entries for 2nd Annual Photo Contest

Deadline extended by the City to August 1, 2013 5pm.

Photographers of all ages and skill levels are invited to participate in the City of Thousand Oaks “Faces, Places, & Open Spaces” Photo Contest. The photo contest is returning for a second consecutive year featuring a new Instagram category!

Photos may be submitted in four categories: Environment, People & Places, Mobile, and Instagram snapshots using hashtag #FacesPlacesOpenSpaces. Winning photos will be judged based on creativity, photo quality, and representation of Thousand Oaks and featured on TOTV, in citywide print and electronic marketing materials, and social media channels. First, second, and third place winners in each category will be awarded a certificate by the Mayor at a future City Council meeting.  

There is no cost to enter and contestants may submit up to five photos per entry by Mail or drop-off to: City of Thousand Oaks, Attn: Photo Contest, 2100 Thousand Oaks Blvd; Email mobile photos to rwagner@toaks.org; Upload Instagram photos to the Instagram mobile application using hashtag #FacesPlacesOpenSpaces. A signed entry form and participation agreement is required for eligibility and entries must be received by July 1, 2013 at 5:00 PM (EXTENDED TO AUGUST 1, 2013 AT 5PM).

Visit www.toaks.org/photocontest for contest details and to download entry forms.

See some of the winners of last year's contest at this link.

Santa Monica Mountains 2013 Spirit of the Mountains Photo Contest

Share the wonder of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area and enter the Spirit of the Mountains Photo Contest. Let your photographic imagination capture the essence of this hidden jewel. Open to amateur photographers only. Digital or film prints are acceptable. Entries accepted September 1 - September 30, 2013. Submit only photos of the Santa Monica Mountains Zone. For a map of the zone, contest flyer and more, visit www.nps.gov/samo/photocontest.htm.

Simi Valley Public Library to Close June 15-30 As It Transitions to Municipal Library

The City of Simi Valley has announced that the Simi Valley Public Library will be closed from Saturday, June 15, 2013 through Sunday, June 30, 2013 for refurbishment as it transitions from the Ventura County Library System to a municipal city public library. During the closure, patrons may use their Ventura County Library card to check out materials from other Ventura County Libraries, the nearest site being the Oak Park Library.

Beginning July 1, 2013, library patrons will need a new Simi Valley Public Library card to check out materials from the Simi Valley Public Library. Patrons may pre-register for their new library card online at www.simivalleylibrary.org beginning June 15, 2013 and will have the opportunity to select one of three new card designs. Once they have pre-registered, at their first visit to the Library, patrons will be issued their card.

Patrons who wish to obtain their new card prior to July 1 may register for the new card in person from Monday, June 17 through Friday, June 28 at the Simi Valley Senior Center and City Hall. Representatives will be available at the Senior Center Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. and from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at City Hall for Library card registration. No appointment is necessary.

The public is invited to attend the Grand Opening of the Simi Valley Public Library on Monday, July 1 at 10:00 a.m. The event will feature a ribbon cutting of the refurbished facility, presentations by local, elected officials, the Summer Reading Program Kick-off by Mr. Nifty’s Balloon Show at 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., tours of the refurbished Library that will feature an enhanced collection of materials, new furniture, a refreshed interior, enhanced technology and computers, new signage, the addition of a Teen Lounge, and more.

The Simi Valley Public Library is located at 2969 Tapo Canyon Road, the Simi Valley Senior Center is located at 3900 Avenida Simi, and Simi Valley City Hall is located at 2929 Tapo Canyon Road. For questions, or more information, call (805) 583-6861 or visit www.simivalley.org or www.simivalleylibrary.org.

Ventura County Public Health Reminds Residents to Avoid Wildfire Smoke

Ventura County Health Officials Warn Residents to Avoid Wildfire Smoke

Smoke and ash from the Camarillo Springs fire are affecting air quality in Ventura County. Due to the combination of high winds and the spreading blaze, smoke and ash are currently present in the air and may pose a health threat for some individuals.

Smoke and ash irritate the eyes, nose and throat and may be harmful to breathe but, according to Ventura County Public Health (VCPH) officials, not everyone who is exposed to thick smoke will have health problems.

“The level and duration of exposure, age, individual susceptibility, including the presence or absence of pre-existing lung or heart disease, and other factors play significant roles in determining whether or not someone will experience smoke-related health problems,” said Dr. Robert Levin, Ventura County Public Health Officer.

In areas near or downwind from the fire that are impacted by blowing dust, smoke and/or ash, VCPH officials urge people to exercise caution and remain indoors. Residents should stay inside their homes, bring pets inside, keep windows and doors closed, use air conditioners on the recycle or re-circulate mode and avoid vigorous physical exertion both indoors and outdoors. At the first sign of discomfort, individuals should relocate to another area that is smoke-free.

Residents who develop symptoms such as shortness of breath, wheezing, exhaustion, lightheadedness or chest pain with decreased activity are advised to stop all activity and seek medical attention. This is important not only for people with chronic lung or heart disease, but also for individuals who have not been diagnosed previously with such illnesses. Smoke can “unmask” or produce symptoms of such diseases.

The onset of the California fire season reminds us that it is important to have enough food, water and medication on hand to last five days. Foods stored for use during the fire season should not require cooking, since cooking can add particles to indoor air. 

For more information about the health impacts of wildfire smoke, go to: http://bit.ly/17zRtXm and for Ventura County air quality reports, visit www.vcapcd.org.

Myron Freedman Named New Executive Director of Museum of Ventura County

Myron Freedman Named New Executive Director of Museum of Ventura County

The Museum of Ventura County’s Chairman of the Board of Directors, Richard Pidduck, has announced the appointment of Myron Freedman as its new Executive Director. Freedman joins the Museum from Hayward, California, where he served as Executive Director of the Hayward Area Historical Society since 2008. Freedman will be overseeing both the downtown Ventura location and the Agriculture Museum in Santa Paula.

Freedman is a southern California native who grew up in Reno, Nevada. He relocated to Chicago, where he began his museum career at the Chicago History Museum. With a background in theater, his stagecraft and design skills quickly led to his appointment as the Museum’s Director of Exhibit Design. From there, Freedman moved to St. Louis, where he oversaw a major expansion of exhibition galleries as Director of Exhibitions at the Missouri Historical Society. Later, he was named the Exhibits Curator for Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, a national park best known for its Gateway Arch.

Among the exhibits Freedman developed while with the Jefferson National Expansion was a commemoration of the Lewis and Clark bicentennial. During this time, he also taught Museum Studies at Webster University. Freedman’s exhibition work has received national recognition by the American Association of Museums, the U.S. National Park Service, and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, as well as the commercial film industry.

Freedman says the Museum of Ventura County’s focus on history and art, along with its proximity to the coast, has motivated him to seek the Executive Director position. He and his wife are thrilled to be calling Ventura County their home.

The Museum of Ventura County is located at 100 East Main Street in downtown Ventura. Hours are 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. The Museum of Ventura County’s Agriculture Museum is located at 926 Railroad Avenue, in historic Santa Paula. Hours are 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.

Admission to each Museum is $4 adults, $3 seniors, $1 children 6-17, members and children under 6 are free. Paid events include free admission to the galleries, and the first Sundays of every month are free general admission for the public. For more Museum information, please visit www.venturamuseum.org.

Conejo Valley Unified School District Recycling Program Mascot is Selected!

A competition to select a mascot for the Conejo Valley Unified School District’s (CVUSD) recycling program has ended.  “Recyclops,” the recycling Cyclops was chosen to become the new green face of CVUSD recycling.

The competition took place across all middle and high schools in the district. Students were asked to vote for their favorite mascot, either by texting or through the program’s Facebook page. ReCyclops will be featured in an upcoming video to help promote and encourage bottle and can recycling at CVUSD campuses. Hundreds of votes were received over the three-week period the competition ran, and dozens of students won prizes for voting.

“The whole aim of the contest was to get the students engaged with the program,” says CVUSD Recycling Coordinator Joanie Burns. “We not only wanted to give them some ownership, by letting them select their mascot, we also wanted to draw attention to the new www.CVUSDRecycles.org website and Facebook page.

CVUSD Recycles is a joint effort between the Conejo Valley Unified School District and the City of Thousand Oaks. The program is funded through a grant from the State of California and provided recycling containers for all CVUSD campuses, allowing the schools to effectively collect California Redemption Value (CRV) containers. 

Additional information can be found at www.cvusdrecycles.org.

Cal Lutheran to Launch Gallegly Center for Public Service and Civic Engagement

CLU to launch Elton Gallegly center  

Internships, research to be part of new program

California Lutheran University is launching a new center and academic program in collaboration with former Rep. Elton Gallegly.

The Elton and Janice Gallegly Center for Public Service and Civic Engagement at CLU will be dedicated to preparing a new generation of leaders. As part of the university’s Master’s in Public Policy and Administration program, the nonpartisan center will provide students with extensive experiential learning opportunities at the local, state and national levels. The focus will be on developing public servants of character and integrity.

MPPA Director David Powell and faculty members Haco Hoang and Herb Gooch are developing a combined undergraduate and graduate degree program to put students on a fast track to careers in public service. The students who are selected for the program will be Gallegly Center Fellows. They will be able to pursue internships in Washington, D.C., Sacramento and locally. As graduate students, the fellows will complete a research project and field practicum that will prepare them for public service careers. The first two fellows are seniors Nina Kuzniak, a political science and global studies major from Las Vegas, and Zachary Zabo, a political science and criminal justice major from Louisville, Ky.

Gallegly, who just left Congress after completing his 13^th term, is loaning his legislative and personal papers to CLU so that students and faculty can use them for research. He is also donating his desk and other office furniture for display at the university. The Simi Valley resident is the longest serving congressional representative in Ventura County history. He began his public service when he was elected to the Simi Valley City Council in 1979.

Future plans for the center include providing student scholarships and public affairs research grants, bringing in visiting scholars and speakers, and hosting forums on public service highlighting leadership and civic engagement.

CLU and Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Library officials are discussing a partnership that could provide additional opportunities. Possibilities include students interning at the library, scholars conducting research at the library while teaching at CLU under joint appointments, and the library’s distinguished speakers working with students during their visits. Eventually, CLU may help the library develop graduate seminars in crisis decision-making.

With Gallegly’s help, CLU will begin a $3 million fundraising campaign for the center.