Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley Had the 7th and 9th Lowest Crime Rates Among Large Cities in 2016

In late September 2017, the FBI released its annual Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) data for 2015. "Crime in the United States, 2016" compiles crime data from law enforcement agencies throughout the United States. The data includes violent crimes, consisting of murder, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated assault, and property crimes such as burglaries and thefts.

The overall U.S. violent crime rate grew 4.1% in 2016 (to 3.86 violent crimes per 1,000 inhabitants), the 2nd year in a row the rate increased. Overall property crimes declined 1.3% in 2016 (to 24.51 crimes per 1,000 inhabitants), the 14th year in a row the rate has dropped.

Four years ago, the crime rates were 3.87 (violent crimes) and 28.59 (property crimes).

We took a look at the data for approximately 300 cities in the U.S. with populations of 100,000 or more. The cities of Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks ranked 7th and 9th in the U.S (compared to 5th and 4th, respectively in 2015). and 1st and 2nd in California for the lowest overall crime rates among large cities in 2016. The top 10 lowest overall are shown in the table below:

Top ten lowest overall crime rates per 1,000 inhabitants in 2016; cities with population of 100,000 or more (Source: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Data).

Simi Valley's rate increased from 13.23 in 2015 to 13.67 in 2016 while Thousand Oaks' rate increased from 13.23 to 14.25.

Taking a look at solely violent crimes (murder, rape, robbery, assault), Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley dropped to 20th (12th in 2015) and 23rd (26th in 2015), respectively.

Top 10 lowest crime rates per 1,000 inhabitants in 2016; cities with population of 100,000 or more (Source: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Data).

Let's take a look at other Ventura County cities of all sizes to see where they stand.

Overall crime rates per 1,000 inhabitants in Ventura County and adjacent cities in 2016 (Source: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Data.) (Excludes unincorporated communities.)

All Ventura County cities, with the exception of Oxnard and Ventura, fell below national averages for both violent and property crime rates in 2016.

The crime rates for most all Ventura County cities dropped in 2016 vs 2015, with the exception of Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley. 

Note: The FBI cautions comparative use of this data for drawing conclusions by making direct comparisons between cities. Comparisons lead to simplistic and/or incomplete analyses that often create misleading perceptions adversely affecting communities and their residents. Keep this in mind when reviewing this data, which is summed up here for informational purposes only.

Thomas Fire Grows Overnight to Become 3rd Largest Wildfire in Modern California History

The Thomas Fire, at 40% containment as of this morning, has grown to 259,000 acres, making it the third largest wildfire in modern (since 1932) history. The 2nd largest fire in California history was the Rush Fire in Lassen County in 2012, which burned 271,911 acres in that northeastern county of California, plus another 43,666 acres in Nevada.

Today the fire is threatening much of Santa Barbara. Mandatory evacuation orders are currently (as of 11:30 am) in place for all areas east of Highway 154, south of East Camino Cielo, west of Toro Canyon and north of Hightway 101 at Toro Canyon to South Salinas, then north of Alameda Padre Serra and to Highway 192 west to 154.

A total off 746 single family residences have been destroyed in the Thomas Fire and another 185 have been damaged. Another 263 structures, including several multi-family residences, have been destroyed.

Thomas Fire updates in Santa Barbara County at www.countyofsb.org/thomasfire.sbc.

Ventura County Thomas Fire updates at readyventuracounty.org.

Thomas Fire Leapfrogs Matilija Fire of 1932 to Become Largest Fire in Ventura County History

UPDATE: The Thomas Fire was fully contained on January 12, 2018, having burned 281,893 acres (roughly 440 square miles). The fire destroyed 1,063 structures and damaged 280 others.

In August 2018, the Thomas Fire was surpassed by the Ranch Fire - part of the Mendocino Complex Fire - the combination of the River Fire and Ranch Fire - that burned in Mendocino, Lake, Colusa and Glenn counties. The Ranch Fire alone burned 410,203 acres. The combined fire burned 459,123 acres.

View of the smoke plume coming from the Thomas Fire, as seen from the hills of the Conejo Valley today, Sunday, December 10th (Photo Credit: L. David Irete).

Authorities reported tonight that the Thomas Fire has now grown to over 230,000 acres burned, making it the largest ever recorded wildfire in Ventura County history and the 5th largest ever in California. It would appear that within the next day or two, the Thomas Fire will surpass the 2007 Zaca Fire in Santa Barbara County and Rim Fire in Tuolumne County to became the 3rd largest fire in California history.

The fire, which was first reported in Santa Paula last Monday, December 4th, at 6:36PM, actually dropped from 15% to 10% containment today, as it rages into Santa Barbara County.

The fire has destroyed 790 structures and damaged an additional 191 to date. As of Sunday night, December 10th, 18,000 structures are threatened.

For Ventura County Thomas Fire updates, visit readyventuracounty.org. Mandatory evacuation orders have been lifted in a number of areas, but continue in specific locations in Ventura, the entire community of Casitas Springs, Ojai and other areas. The Ready Ventura County site also has information about where to obtain N95 masks in Santa Paula, Ventura, Ojai and Oxnard. What does N95 mean? The respirator will block at least 95% of small particles.

NEW: The Ventura County Recovers website has been established at venturacountyrecovers.org as a resource for those impacted by the fire.

Santa Barbara County is now under greater risk from the fire and mandatory evacuations orders have been issued in areas stretching from the Ventura/Santa Barbara County line to Goleta. Visit www.countyofsb.org/thomasfire.sbc for details.

Where to Find Ventura County Emergency Updates on Thomas Fire in Ventura County

The Thomas Fire as seen from the Conejo Valley (Photo Credit: L. David Irete).

The Thomas Fire was first reported on Monday night around 6:30 p.m. in Santa Paula, in the vicinity of Steckel Park and Thomas Aquinas College near the 150 (Ojai Road). Due to gale force Santa Ana winds, the fire spread quickly overnight to over 55,000 acres in less than 24 hours in Santa Paula, Ojai and Ventura.

As of Tuesday night, December 5, the "Thomas Fire" has burned over 150 structures, including the Hawaiian Village Apartments in Ventura

Here’s the “after” video of the Hawaiian Village Apartments in Ventura. (See my precious post for comparison). Be safe out there. These winds are killer. #onassignment #NBCNews pic.twitter.com/UccKPxIJNp

— Angela Dallman (@angeladallman) December 6, 2017

Governor Brown declared a state of emergency in Ventura County today as a result of the fire. (He also issued an emergency proclamation today for the Creek and Rye fires in Los Angeles County.) 

Text the United Way of Ventura County at UWVC to 41444 to donate to Thomas Fire victims; 100% of the donations will go directly to those affected by the fires.

Schools have been closed Tuesday in Ventura County and on Wednesday the following schools are slated for closure due to the wildfires:

• CSU Channel Islands
• Nearly all K-12 schools in Ventura County, including Conejo Valley USD, Fillmore USD, Moorpark USD, Ojai USD, Pleasant Valley SD, Santa Paula USD, Ventura USD, Simi Valley USD, Oxnard Elementary and Union High School Districts and other schools listed at www.vcoe.org.
• UPDATE: The following districts will be closed the rest of the week (12/7-12/8): Briggs Elementary School District, Hueneme Elementary School District, Mesa Union Elementary SD, Mupu Elementary SD, Ocean View Elementary SD, Ojai USD, Oxnard Elementary SD, Oxnard Union HS District, Pleasant Valley SD, Rio Elementary SD, Santa Clara Elementary SD, Ventura USD.
• UPDATE: As of 2:30PM 12/6, school is planned for Simi Valley and Conejo Valley Unified School Districts.

Here's where to go for updates:

First and foremost, visit readyventuracounty.org for updates, mandatory evacuation areas, voluntary evacuations, evacuation shelters, school closures, road closures and other information.

If you are a Twitter user, the Ventura County Fire Department Public Information Officer provides periodic updates via Tweets at twitter.com/VCFD_PIO. The VCFD Twitter page also provides updates and some useful "Retweets" from other sources at twitter.com/VCFD.

Local area newspaper sites have Twitter and Facebook feeds that may come in handy:

• T.O. Acorn twitter.com/TOAcornNews
• T.O. Acorn Editor twitter.com/KyleBJorrey 
• VC Star twitter.com/vcstar 
• VC Star www.facebook.com/vcstar

Among TV news sites, I've found ABC 7 to have some great coverage abc7.com.

Subscribe to VC Alert, a free serviced utilized by all 10 cities in Ventura County as well as unincorporated areas for emergency updates. Text VCALERT to 313131 to register.

Cal Fire posts updates on its site at www.fire.ca.gov/current_incidents.

Two Giant Anteater Pups Born at Santa Barbara Zoo on Monday, November 21st

Giant anteater pup #1 with mom.

In a rare occurrence, the Santa Barbara Zoo’s giant anteater Anara has given birth to twins – two female pups were born overnight and discovered by keepers on Monday, November 21. Twins are unusual in this species, and the likelihood for survival of both pups, if left with the mother, is extremely low.

“We monitored the newborn pups and allowed them both to stay with their mother for as long as possible,” says Dr. Julie Barnes, Director of Animal Care and Health. “We had several plans to implement depending on how they progressed. Although Anara did an amazing job in the first few days, we were starting to see a significant weight discrepancy between the pups. That indicated it was time to start hand-rearing the smaller pup in order to increase the chances of survival of both pups.”

Giant anteater babies grow fast, and providing enough milk for more than one infant is difficult. In addition, the mother carries the baby on her back until they are nearly her size. So carrying both twins would prove impossible for the mother after just a few weeks. Anara herself is a twin and was hand-raised at the Fresno Zoo.

The larger pup is identified by two black stripes on her back, while the smaller has only one. The smaller pup is currently in an incubator in the Animal Hospital and being fed every three hours around the clock. She will not be on view to the public for several months. Anara and the larger pup are expected to go out on exhibit within the next two weeks – the pup will be clinging to her mother’s back.

Giant anteater pup #2 being hand reared by SB Zoo staff.

“Anara is doing well and is a great mother,” adds Dr. Barnes. “We are delighted that both pups are female, as her previous two surviving pups were male. We need more females in order to ensure we have a genetically healthy population for his species in North America. Her mate Ridley, who came from Germany, has valuable genes that are not well represented so far. Those genes go with his offspring and help diversity the genes of giant anteaters in human care in zoos accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.”

Although twins for anteaters are rare, it is not so much the case for Anara as this is her second set of twins out of three pregnancies with Ridley. The pair’s first offspring were twins, a male and female, born in March 2014, but the female newborn did not survive. The male pup was hand-reared and is now at the Tennessee Zoo. Nine months later, another male pup was born and successfully raised by Anara. He now resides at the Birmingham Zoo.

The giant anteaters pups, like many of the animals at the Zoo, can be named by making a donation to the Santa Barbara Zoo. By naming the pups, sponsors also support the AZA giant anteater cooperative breeding program, and the goal of increased genetic diversity in North American zoos. For more information, contact the Zoo’s Development Department for details at 805-962-5339.

A total of 29 giant anteaters have now been born at the Santa Barbara Zoo since 1975. Prior to Anara and Ridley’s first litter in 2014, the last time a giant anteater was born here was in 2006.

The Zoo was a leader in an early nationwide study of giant anteaters, thanks in great part to Grandma, who had over 15 offspring. The average lifespan for this species is between 20 and 23 years of age, and Grandma lived to be 31 years old. She was the oldest giant anteater in captivity when she died in 2002.

Giant anteaters were once found from northern Argentina to southern Belize, in savannas, grasslands, swampy areas, and humid forests. They have since disappeared from Belize, Guatemala, and probably Costa Rica. In South America, they are also gone from Uruguay and portions of Brazil.

The Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) estimates population loss of at least 30% over the past 10 years, and lists the species as “vulnerable.”

Giant anteaters have a body length of 3 to 4 feet with a tail that is an additional 2 to 3 feet, and weigh 40 to 85 pounds, though some captive anteaters have weighed more than 100 pounds.

This species uses powerful claws to rip apart termite and ant mounds, and an 18 to 24 inch tongue to eat termites, ants, and grubs. In the wild, giant anteaters may consume as many as 35,000 ants in a single day. At the Zoo, they eat a specially formulated insectivore diet, plus avocados, bananas, crickets, and worms. The avocados must be ripe because anteaters do not have teeth; they break open the skin with their long sharp claws.

Anteaters in the wild are solitary, except for females with young, and spend most of their days with their noses to the ground searching for food using exceptional senses of smell and hearing – their sense of smell is 40 times more powerful than a human’s.

Giant anteaters typically spend their first months of life clinging to their mother’s backs, where their black and gray stripes line up with those of the mother.

The Santa Barbara Zoo is open daily from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.; general admission is $17 for adults, $13 for seniors aged 65+, $10 for children 2-12, and children under 2 are free.  Parking is $7 weekdays, $10 on Saturdays and Sundays. Visit www.sbzoo.org.

Known as one of the world’s most beautiful zoos, the Santa Barbara Zoo is located on 30 acres of botanic gardens and is home to nearly 500 individual animals in open, naturalistic habitats. It is accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA), representing the highest level of animal care, and participates in AZA endangered species programs for Asian elephant, California condor, Channel Island fox, and Western lowland gorilla, among others. A private 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, the Santa Barbara Zoo depends on community support, not tax dollars, for operations and improvements.

Fran Pavley Meadow in the Liberty Canyon Wildlife Corridor in Agoura Hills

In November 2016, the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority and the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy announced it was purchasing the 71 acre Chesebro Meadow property in the Liberty Canyon Wildlife Corridor in Agoura Hills.

It was named the Fran Pavley Meadow, after the State Senator and former City Councilmember and Mayor of Agoura Hills.

This property will provide key connectivity to a proposed wildlife crossing over the 101 freeway in Agoura Hills.

The 71 acres supports a mix of chaparral, coastal sage scrub, grassland and oak woodland-savannah vegetation.  It connects to the Cheeseboro Canyon open space managed by the National Park Service (and yes, we have Chesebro and we have Cheeseboro, a spelling mystery that I've never received a clear answer on!).

To get there, take Chesebro Road towards Cheeseboro Canyon and you'll see the sign on the right. Park off street or at the nearby Cheeseboro Canyon trailhead parking lot, which has plenty of spots and is adjacent to the meadow.  You can also hike into Cheeseboro Canyon but take the path south (right) at the first fork in the trail.

You can park here at the Cheeseboro Canyon trailhead parking lot and either take this path into the canyon, to the fork, the veer right towards the meadow area, or you can walk down Chesebro Road to the Fran Pavley Meadow sign, then take the trail back for a couple mile loop.

You say Chesebro, I say Cheeseboro. It's all good!

Spectacular Sunset From the Conejo Valley Towards the Channel Islands on November 25, 2017

After several days of heatwave weather through Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday 2017, the temperatures are gradually cooling off and tonight we're seeing the cloud cover creeping up the Potrero Grade. I had the good fortune of witnessing tonight's beautiful sunset from Newbury Park, looking towards the Channel Islands. These images are captured in this video.