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

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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).

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).

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.)

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

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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

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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).

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

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

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

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:

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.

Ventura County Air Pollution Control District Old Car Buy Back Incentive Program

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The Ventura County Air Pollution Control District (APCD) old car buy back program will pay you $1,000 to voluntarily retire your 1995 or older car, pick-up truck, van, or SUV. Funding of this program is limited and will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis until each year’s grant funds are depleted.

Motor vehicles produce more than half of the air pollution in Ventura County. Removing older, high-emitting vehicles from the roadways helps clean up the air.

To qualify for the buy back program, vehicles must be operational and registered in Ventura County. Additional eligibility requirements apply. To find out if your car qualifies, visit www.oldcarbuyback.com/ventura.php or call the Old Car Buy Back Hotline: (800) 717-7624.

You generally must show that the vehicle has been registered with the DMV under a Ventura County address for at least 24 months to be eligible. Other requirements must also be met.

APCD is required by state regulations to offer to sell any eligible vehicle to the public and hold the vehicle for a minimum of 10 days during which the vehicle will be made available for public inspection prior to dismantling. There is an Excel spreadsheet link at www.oldcarbuyback.com/ventura.php showing the vehicle inventory.

Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Programs in Ventura County

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The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program educates people about disaster preparedness for hazards and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations. Using this training, CERT members can assist others in their neighborhood or workplace following an event when professional responders are not immediately available to help. CERT members also are encouraged to support emergency response agencies by taking a more active role in emergency preparedness projects in the community.

The Ventura County Fire Department in coordination with FEMA have joined together to assist local residents with disaster preparedness education and training. Visit the VCFD CERT Facebook page by clicking here.

GET YOURSELF TRAINED! IT'S FREE! AND YOU COULD HELP SAVE LIVES IN AN EMERGENCY!

CLICK HERE for a schedule of upcoming CERT classes in Ventura County.

CERT training programs throughout Ventura County and adjacent areas:

How to Place a "Security Freeze" on Your Credit File in the State of California

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The State of California Office of the Attorney General's office has details about how to put a "security freeze" on your credit file so that your file cannot be shared with potential creditors. California law requires credit bureaus to offer security freezes as a way to combat identity theft.

Why would you want to do a security freeze? To stop identity theft in its tracks! If you FREEZE your credit file, someone who has stolen your personal information will be much less likely to open a new credit card or loan in your name.

Establishing a credit freeze is a bit of a hassle in that you have to place the freeze with all three of the major credit bureaus, then you may need to "un-freeze" the credit from time to time when you are interested in refinancing, getting a new credit card, a car loan, etc. But it may well be worth it...think of the time and stress of dealing with identity theft after it has happened!

A security freeze is free to those Californians who have a police report of identity theft or who are age 65 or older. If you are not an identity theft victim and you are under 65 years of age, it will cost you $10 to place a freeze with each of the three credit bureaus, for a total of $30. 

Placing a Security Freeze

You can request a security freeze by mail or online. Let's stick to online freezes here. Credit bureaus Equifax, Experian and TransUnion each have websites for security freezes:

Follow the instructions given and your credit will be locked within minutes. They will ask for your full name, Social Security number, complete addresses for the past two years and date of birth. Then you may be asked to confirm information on your credit report, such as the duration of an auto loan, the amount of a loan, the date you entered a loan, a prior employer, etc. You will need a credit card to pay for the cost of the freeze.

TransUnion requires you to create an account to initiate the freeze. The others, at least one I signed up, did not require this additional step.

As part of the process you will establish a Personal Information Number (PIN) with each bureau. It is important to safeguard this PIN to remove the freeze when needed. Equifax create a 10 digit PIN on my behalf without giving me the option to create my own. Experian gave me the option of creating my own PIN or assigning one to me. TransUnion required me to create my own 6 digit, numeric only PIN. Everyone's gotta be different, don't they.

Lifting a Freeze Temporarily or Removing a Freeze

OK, so you have a security freeze in place, that's great! But now you need a car loan or are applying for credit or insurance, refinancing, filling out a rental form, etc and you need to unlock your credit for these purposes. Using your PIN, you can lift the freeze for a period of time or for a specific creditor. Lifting the freeze will cost you $10 if you are under age 65, $5 if you are 65 or older and free if you are a victim of identity theft (yes, there is a small perk to having your identify stolen).

It is FREE to remove a freeze on a permanent basis.

Lift or remove a freeze at the three credit bureaus:

Learn more at oag.ca.gov/idtheft/facts/freeze-your-credit.

Keep in mind that a security freeze DOES NOT prevent someone from finding a way to make charges to your existing credit cards and bank accounts through illegal skimming, phishing, hacking and other means. You must remain vigilant. This means watch out for skimming machines, shred your credit/debit card and other personal information, monitor your bank and credit card activity frequently, etc.

Security freeze laws vary by state. More information at consumersunion.org/research/security-freeze.