Find an American Red Cross Blood Drive In and Around Ventura County

The American Red Cross is the nation’s largest blood collection organization, supplying approximately 40 percent of the blood and blood products used in the United States.  

There is a constant need for blood in our society. Donated blood benefits accident victims, cancer patients, surgical candidates, children with blood disorders and many others. Consider donating blood if you are looking to make a difference in the lives of others.

Facts about the blood supply (courtesy of the American Red Cross):

• Nearly 16 million blood donations are collected annually in the U.S.
• There are 9.2 million blood donors in the U.S. in a year.
• 38% of the U.S. population is eligible to donate; less than 10% actually do.
• Blood cannot be made; it must be donated.
• Type O-negative blood (red cells) is always in high demand (and short supply) as it can be transfused to patients of all blood types.
• Type AB-positive plasma can be transfused to patients of all other blood types and thus is also usually in short supply.

So the most important question now is, how does one find a local blood drive in the Ventura County (as well as Greater Southern California) area? Easy! Simply visit www.redcrossblood.org/socal and enter your zip code to find a blood drive near you. You can find dozens of upcoming blood drives usually in the local area.

California Department of Motor Vehicles Now Offers 1960s Legacy Plates

image is for illustration only. final design of the plate will differ. (Image courtesy of dmv)

State legislation introduced the California Legacy License Plate program offering car owners the chance to purchase replicas of California license plates similar to those issued in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. Out of these three decades, only the 1960s plate reached the required 7,500 orders before January 1, 2015. As a result, California drivers can now relive the 1960s with a black and gold replica available for your motor vehicles.

The plates are available  at www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/detail/legacyplates/index or by mail or at your local DMV office or auto club.

The plate costs $50 for either a sequential or a personalized plate. Renewal fees are $40.

The plates will not look EXACTLY like plates issued in the 1960s because current law requires plates to be reflectorized, but I don't think most folks will really notice the difference!

Scenes from the 2015 Thousand Oaks Independence Day Fireworks Show

For those who missed it, here's some footage from the annual Fireworks Extravaganza in Thousand Oaks last night. Fireworks are launched each year from "Fireworks Hill," located above the Conejo Recreation and Park District offices and bordered by Hillcrest Drive on the south and Wilbur Road on the east. This footage was taken from the north.

"Fireworks Hill" in Thousand Oaks, as viewed in greener days of January 2015.

SoCal Water$mart 2014-2015 Turf Removal Rebates Available to Local Residents

UPDATE 1: Due to high demand for this rebate program, MWD announced that new terms and conditions are applicable to rebate requests submitted after 1 p.m. on May 12, 2015. Residential turf removal rebates are now capped up to a maximum of $6,000 per property.  Those who received a previous rebate may apply for additional rebates up to a maximum of $6,000 per property for all past and current rebate requests.  The program was increased from $100 million to $450 million

UPDATE 2 (7/9/15): Believe it or not, MWD announced yesterday that the additional turf rebate funds have been depleted due to extraordinary public response and that applications will no longer be accepted later this week.  A waiting list for future rebates will be maintained by MWD to allocate any rebates earmarked for turf removal that are not claimed by approved applicants.

The average homeowner uses over half their water on outdoor irrigation and water-intensive turf grass is the primary culprit. The State of California offers a rebate of $2 to $3 per sq ft of turf removed in the SoCal Water$mart 2014-2015 Turf Removal Program.

To qualify for a rebate, customers must remove actual grass in a designated area and be replaced with a new landscape that does not include live turf or turf-looking plants, but must include some non-turf plants and follow and additional municipal/city requirements. The new landscape must be permeable to air and water; areas with concrete and other surfaces do not qualify for the rebate. Synthetic turf is eligible for rebates unless otherwise not states in your area's terms and conditions.

Funding is available on a first come, first served basis based on available funding. Work must be done within 120 days after receiving approval for the rebate.

Learn more and file for a rebate at socalwatersmart.com.

Find out if your specific property address is eligible, and how much your rebate will be based on estimated square footage at mwdturf.conservationrebates.com/13-TRM1-HT/estimate.php.

If you are served in the Calleguas Municipal Water District, including Camarillo, Moorpark, Oxnard, Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks (including Newbury Park and incorporated portion of Westlake Village), Port Hueneme and unincorporated areas including Camarillo Heights, Fairview, Las Posas Valley, Oak Park, Santa Rosa Valley, Lake Sherwood, Somis, and Naval Base Ventura County, you are most likely included in this rebate program.

Camarillo Water-Wise Gardening Website a Great Resource for All Local Residents

The City of Camarillo sponsors an excellent website, Camarillo Water-Wise Gardening, as a resource for local residents looking to create water-wise, drought tolerant landscaping for its residents. But the site is free of charge and available to anyone looking for information.

The site has information about how to design and install a water-wise garden, irrigation methods and equipment that will help you to water your landscape more efficiently, and suggestions on how to easily and effectively maintain your garden.

The Garden Tours section of the site contains hundreds of photos from 24 different gardens. If there is a particular plant you'd like more information about, simply click the box and the next screen will have detailed information, including plant name, size, color(s), sun/water requirements and more. Click the "Add" button and the plant will be added to your "List." You can also click the Add button on any of the garden photos to be added to your List (described more below).

The Plants section includes plants categorized by Low Maintenance Trees, Low Maintenance Shrubs, Vines, Ground Covers, Low Water Perennials and Ornamental Grasses/Clumping Plants.  Again, there are literally hundred of photos in this section of the site. Click an item of interest and add it to your List.

The "My List" section of the site contains the various photos you clicked in other sections of the site. Click one of the report formats and you'll see a printable report you can bring on your next trip to the nursery.

The Garden Resources section of the site has extensive information about how to design a garden, including design principles, a questionnaire, creating the design, drainage, plant design, installation and working with professionals. The irrigation section discusses plant water needs, smart controllers, irrigation systems and eliminating overspray and runoff. The maintenance section covers mulch, irrigation maintenance and other tips.

Overall, this is remarkably useful, informative and easy to use website! Check it out at www.camarillogardening.com.

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 Park

The "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. Upcoming auctions are listed on his site at www.americanauctioneers.com/calendar.php. There was a Simi Valley storage unit auction highlighted on the show. There is a Simi Valley auction in July and plenty of auctions throughout Los Angeles County.

J. Michael's Auction, Inc. does a number of storage unit auctions here in Ventura County and other counties. If you're looking to participate in some real-life local storage wars, visit their site at www.jmichaelsauction.com.

The rules are, bring CASH to the auctions (checks, credit cards not accepted) and bid no more than what you have...they will NOT let you leave to visit the ATM. The auctioneer gives the crowd five minutes or so to view the contents of the unit. You may not step into the locker or touch anything inside. Then, the bidding begins. Winning bidders must bring their own lock to secure the unit. They give you a day or so to clear it out...no, you can't pick through the locker and take what you want....you must take everything. If you don't have a reseller certificate, plan to pay applicable sales taxes.

I experienced a storage unit auction at Hollywood Storage in Newbury Park. This is one spectacularly large, clean facility! J. Michael also had auctions in Simi Valley, Moorpark and Thousand Oaks that day. They give you estimated start times for each auction the day before, but timing varies as the auctioneer must complete each auction and drive to the next one. Often, the anticipated number of units varies, as I suppose owners come forward last minute to pay their past due rents.

There were 50 or 60 people at Hollywood Storage for a total of 5 units (10 originally anticipated). The first was an indoor unit that looked to have a bunch of household and miscellaneous items. I noticed there was a container with photos in it...I thought, if I bought that unit, I'd try to get those back to the owner. The unit went for about $600.

The 2nd unit was outdoors and contained old, junky wooden furniture. No hands went up. Finally, the auctioneer was able to get a $1 bid from a woman who quickly realized she'd have to get her son to lug the stuff out. The 3rd unit was filled with used power tools and other construction items that someone nabbed for about $700.

The 4th unit was the double unit pictured above, which went for around $700. It contained what looked to be costumes and set materials for some production, plus a pile of what looked to be over 500 clothes hangers. The final unit appeared to be the hastily piled up contents of someone's house. Mostly a bunch of used junk worthy of a lawn sale, but the washer and dryer in the unit was easily worth about $250 or $300 to the winning bidder.