What's the Deal With All of Those Signs Posted at the Swimming Pool

My kids get a laugh from time to time when they notice the sign at the public swimming pool that states, "Persons having currently active diarrhea or who have had active diarrhea within the previous 14 days shall not be allowed to enter the pool water." 

The thought comes to mind, should one have had this issue, how many people would actually remember if it was within the last 14 days. Heck, I can't even remember what I ate for breakfast yesterday and what I watched on TV last Sunday.

But the sign is well intended as waterborne disease is no laughing matter. Waterborne disease outbreaks in pools have often been caused by individuals with recent diarrhea; chlorine doesn't always take care of removing the viruses or parasites that can come from those with recent symptoms.

The requirement for this and other community pool signs comes from California Building Code Chapter 31B "Public Pools," Section 3120B "Required Signs."

Section 3120B.11 "Diarrhea" indicates the sign must have letters at least 1 inch high, clearly states what is noted above, and is posted at the entrance area of a public pool. Public pools include municipal/park district pools, hotel pools, water parks, swim schools, homeowner shared pools, apartment pools, campground pools, etc. One is thus not required to post this sign at your home pool (unless you really want to).

CDC ADVICE TO PREVENT INFECTIONS FROM PUBLIC SWIMMING POOLS

According to this source, the diarrhea sign and a variety of other pool signs were put into law in late 2012. Some examples of other public pool sign requirements include:

• "No Diving" sign for pools with maximum depth of 6 feet or less

• "No Lifeguard" sign when applicable

• Emergency sign with 911 and nearest emergency services

• "No use after dark" sign for pools without lighting

• Artificial respiration and CPR sign

• Pool user capacity sign (1 person per 10 sq ft in spa; 1 person per 20 sq ft in pool)

So you've learned something new. If you'd like to read the entire Chapter 31B “Public Pools” of the California Building Code, or any section of the Code for that matter, visit www.bsc.ca.gov/Codes.aspx.

DOZENS OF VENTURA COUNTY AREAS SWIMMING POOLS AND WATER PLAY PLACES

The Twin Ponds Conservation Area in the Conejo Open Space is Protected Land

The Twin Ponds Conservation Area in Dos Vientos is part of the open space lands of the Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency and is protected by a conservation easement to the California Department of Fish and Game.

July 2014

January 2015

May 2016

The ponds were originally constructed in the 1920s as part of the irrigation system for agricultural and cattle ranching operations at Dos Vientos Ranch. Today they serve as important habitat for Two Striped Garter Snakes and larger animals such as deer, bobcat, coyote and mountain lions that depend on a reliable source of water. Migrating waterfowl are occasionally abundant, especially in winter.

COSCA and Fish & Game ask that we enjoy this scenic area but protect the ponds for the future and ask that we do not enter the water or allow dogs/horses to enter the water, disturb or remove any animal or plant or place any plants or animals, including fish, into the ponds.

To explore the ponds, take the Vista Del Mar Trail from one of several access points in the Dos Vientos area, including the corner of Via Ricardo and Via Rincon and the corner of Rancho Dos Vientos and Via El Cerro. This is a fun little hike to take the kids on and the ponds are only about a mile from the Via Ricardo/Via Rincon trailhead.

Twin Ponds? What ponds? The ponds are completely dried up as of August/September 2016.

January 2024

Late March 2024 - looking great!

How Do I Find the Nearest Mailbox to Me?

My wife asked me if there is a way of finding the nearest local mailbox.  Sure, we know of a couple mailboxes within a mile of our home in the Conejo Valley but it's nice to be able to find other mailboxes when you're out and about.

She used to put letters and bills and such in the mailbox for our mail carrier to pick up, but with the rash of folks swiping things out of home mailboxes, she would prefer to drop letters off into a more secure "blue" mailbox.

The US Post Office has a "Find Locations" section on its website to find a variety of locations, including post offices, approved postal providers, self-service kiosks and collection boxes (aka mailboxes). Find your local mailbox at tools.usps.com/find-location.htm. This tool on the USPS site works great and provides additional information, including daily pickup times.

And of course since there's data out there on where the mailboxes are, there are websites that take that this data and create their own mailbox map. Mailboxmap.com does just this. Simply type in your location and the map will clearly lay out mailbox, post offices and UPS stores for your mailing needs. 

Ventura County Area Crime Maps Online

The Ventura County Sheriff's Office serves the County of Ventura and five contract cities of Camarillo, Fillmore, Moorpark, Ojai, and Thousand Oaks. There is a wealth of information on the VC Sheriff's website at www.venturasheriff.org, including phone numbers for patrol stations.

One tool available that shows recent crimes in these jurisdictions is located at CrimeMapping.com, a website that provides information, in map format about crimes committed on a rolling 180 day basis.

To use CrimeMapping.com, simply go to the site and type in a location - address, landmark or zip code. From there, you’ll see a map of crimes reported over the most recent week, which is the default time frame. You can change this time frame using filters on the site, up to 180 days’ worth of data. Here’s what the map looked like over a 180 day period:

You can learn more about individual crimes by clicking the icons on the map. Crimes include arson, assault, burglary, disturbing the peace, drug/alcohol violations, DUI, fraud, homicide, auto theft, robbery, sex crimes, theft/larceny, vandalism, vehicle break-in and weapons.

The number 3 in a red circle in the image above indicates multiple records. I clicked it and there were 2 possession of a controlled substance - one in the 300 block of Hillcrest Drive on July 17th at 1:30pm and the other in the 2400 block of Hillcrest Drive on July 17th at 12:30pm. The third violation was fraudulent use of access card on April 1st at midnight.. Note that exact addresses are not provided; they report as specific as block number.

The first icon at the bottom right side of the image was an assault (battery) in the 2200 block of E. Thousand Oaks Boulevard at 10:05am on August 7th.

You may also create alerts on the CrimeMapping site that are sent to you via email. Click “Receive Alerts,” choose location (city, landmark, address or zip) and search distance (ranges from 500 feet to 2 miles).

Daylight Saving Time is Back Again on the 2nd Sunday of March

Daylight Saving** Time is coming back again! Yes, this will take place on Sunday, March 9, 2025. When the clock strikes 2 a.m. that morning, you will lose one hour of beauty sleep. Daylight Saving Time begins in most of the U.S. on the 2nd Sunday of March.

So try to get to bed early that night or you may feel grumpy on Monday! Especially when you realize it feels a lot darker that morning. But the good thing is, it'll be a lot lighter out at dinnertime!

** Contrary to what many of us think, it is called Daylight Saving Time, not Savings Time. Make sure to correct anyone who says it wrong if you really want to get on their nerves. But the reality of it is that we're not saving any daylight, we're just shifting it around.

MY VENTING SESSION ON DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME

Before the adoption of standard time zones in the United States, cities, towns, and communities set their own local times based on the sun’s position. In 1883, railroad companies adopted a system of standard time to synchronize movement and trade across the nation. The U.S. adopted an official system of standard time in 1918.

The Standard Time Act of 1918 incorporated a DST mandate from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October. Congress repealed the DST mandate in 1919. President Woodrow Wilson vetoed the repeal. Congress overrode his veto.

Beginning in 1920, DST was a local state/city option. Here’s the history of DST legislation in California:

1930: Prop 7 was but on the ballot to implement DST at 2 a.m. on the last Sunday in April until 2 a.m. on the last Sunday in September. The initiative failed.

1940: Prop 5 was put on the ballot to implement DST. The initiative failed again.

1949: Third time’s a charm. This time it passed.

1962: Prop 6 was passed, which extended DST from the last Sunday in September to the last Sunday in October.

2018: Californians voted in favor of Proposition 7 by a margin of 59.75% to 40.25%. Voting in favor of the proposition allowed the California State Legislature to change the DST period by a 2/3rds vote and to establish permanent, year-round DST in California by a 2/3rds vote if federal law is changed to allow for permanent DST.

Why the holdup?

The holdup is at the federal level, not the state level: Voting yes on Prop 7 was just the first step in the process. California is one of 14 states that introduced legislation in 2019 to shift to permanent daylight saving time. States cannot move forward with permanent daylight saving time without authorization from the federal government. As of November 2019, there were 4 bills awaiting action in Congress that would allow California to be on permanent DST. These were:

H.R. 1556 “Sunshine Protection Act of 2019,” introduced to the House 3/6/19. The bill makes DST the new, permanent standard time. States with areas exempt from DST may choose the standard time for those areas. The bill was pending a hearing in the House Energy and Commerce Committee. S.670 is an identical bill in the Senate, pending a hearing in the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. These have gone nowhere.

H.R. 1601 “Daylight Act” and H.R. 2389 “To allow states to elect to observe year-round DST” both authorize states to shift to permanent daylight saving time and are pending hearings in the House Energy and Commerce Committee. These have also gone nowhere.

Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Locations in Ventura County

The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program recruits volunteer tax preparers to provide free preparation of federal and state income tax returns to taxpayers with incomes of $67,000 or less in 2024. VITA benefits these taxpayers by eliminating the cost of commercial tax return preparation and by securing valuable tax credits such as the Child Tax Credit and EITC.

Local VITA location sites are as follows (see this IRS link for details, including dates and times and contact information for making appointments, when required):

• Newbury Park Library, 2331 Borchard Road - Wednesdays 10am to 4pm, 2/5/25 to 4/9/25. Appointments not required.

• Conejo Creek South Park Community Building, 1350 E. Janss Road, Thousand Oaks - Mon-Fri 8:30am to 4pm, 2/3/25 to 4/15/25. Appointments not required.

• Moorpark College - 2/1/25 to 4/30/25. Appointments are required. www.moorparkcollege.edu/departments/academic/business-administration/program/accounting/VITA

• East County Job and Career Center, 2900 N. Madera Road, Simi Valley - 2/5/25 to 4/30/25. Appointments are required.

• Oxnard College, 4000 South Rose Avenue - 2/6/25 to 4/30/25. Appointments are required.

• United Way of Ventura County, 702 County Square Drive #100, Ventura. 2/4/25 to 4/30/25. Appointments are required.

• Ventura Community Service Center, 4651 Telephone Road, 2nd Floor. Appointments are required. 2/1/25-4/30/25

Also see www.ventura.org/human-services-agency/tax-preparation

What to bring:

• Proof of identification (photo ID)

• Social Security cards for you, your spouse and dependents

• An Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) assignment letter may be substituted for you, your spouse and your dependents if you do not have a Social Security number

• Proof of foreign status, if applying for an ITIN

• Birth dates for you, your spouse and dependents on the tax return

• Wage and earning statements (Form W-2, W-2G) from all employers

• Pension, Retirement and Social Security Income statements (Forms 1099)

• Interest and dividend statements from banks (Forms 1099)

• A copy of last year’s federal and state returns, if available

• Proof of bank account routing and account numbers for direct deposit such as a blank check

• Total paid for daycare provider and the daycare provider's tax identifying number such as their Social Security number or business Employer Identification Number

• Forms 1095-A, Health Insurance Marketplace Statement

• Copies of income transcripts from IRS and state, if applicable

To file taxes electronically on a married-filing-joint tax return, both spouses must be present to sign the required forms

www.irs.gov/individuals/checklist-for-free-tax-return-preparation

The IRS partners with software companies to provide “IRS Free File” guided tax software for taxpayers with adjusted gross income (AGI) or $84,000 or less for the 2024 tax year. Learn more at apps.irs.gov/app/freeFile. Providers for 2024 filings include FreeTaxUSA, 1040.com, FileYourTaxes.com, 1040NOW, TaxAct, OLT.com, TaxSlayer, and ezTaxReturn.com.

Hazardous Waste Disposal and Recycling Programs in Ventura County

The California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) website highlights common products that we use in our daily lives that contain potentially hazardous ingredients, thus requiring special care when disposed of.

Items that are banned from the trash are as follows:

Lights, Batteries and Electronics

• Fluorescent light bulbs and tubes ("old school" incandescent bulbs can be thrown in the trash.). Remember that LED light bulbs and holiday light strands are considered hazardous waste and must be disposed off properly. Here’s a Home Depot guide on how to dispose of light bulbs.

• Batteries of all types and sizes, AAA, AA, C, D, button cell, 9-volt, etc., both rechargeable and single use, as well as lead-acid batteries such as car batteries.

• Computer and television monitors including cathode ray tube (CRT), liquid crystal diode (LCD), and plasma monitors.

• Electronic devices including computers, printers, VCRs, cell phones, telephones, radios and microwave ovens.

Household and Landscape Chemicals

• Flammables and poisons such as oil-based paints and reactive and explosive materials

• Acids, oxidizers, and bases including some pool chemicals and cleaners

• Pesticides and herbicides

• Paints and Solvents - latex paint, oil-based paint, non-empty aerosol paint and solvent cans, and solvents such as paint thinners, nail polish remover, etc.

• Building materials that contain asbestos and wood treated with chromium copper arsenate.

• Automobile items including antifreeze, batteries, motor oil and filters and tires (tires are not considered hazardous but are banned from the trash for other reasons).

• Items Containing Mercury including electrical switches and relays in old appliances, old style thermostats, pilot light sensors in some gas appliances, some gauges and mercury thermometers.

• Other items such as propane tanks, hypodermic needles, syringes, expired/unwanted medications etc.

So what to do with these items? Recycle and reuse them! Here are some local Ventura County resident options:

The City of Thousand Oaks has a Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Disposal Facility with details at toaks.gov/hhw. Appointments are required for HHW drop-offs. Materials accepted during regular operating hours include household items like aerosol sprays, nail polish, used frying oil, etc., items in the garage like antifreeze, brake fluid, oil, etc., as well as things like paint thinners, fertilizers, pesticides, etc. Click the link above for more detailed information.

City of Thousand Oaks battery recycling centers listed at toaks.gov/hhw. Dropoff options as of January 2025 include Borchard Community Park (front entrance), Dos Vientos Community Center (front lobby), Goebel Senior Center (front lobby), Thousand Oaks Library (both entrances), Newbury Park Library (front entrance), Thousand Oaks City Hall (front entrance), Thousand Oaks Community Center (front entrance) and Thousand Oaks Transportation Center (lobby).

Thousand Oaks area computer and electronics recycling centers at toaks.gov/e-waste.

Unwanted and/or expired medications can be dropped off throughout Ventura County at designated police stations. Details at THIS LINK.

Medications and needle and sharps disposal locations in Thousand Oaks at toaks.gov/medsandsharps

The City of Westlake Village offers free monthly hazardous waste collection service via Waste Management. www.wlv.org/faq.aspx?TID=25

City of Simi Valley hazardous Waste Drop-Off Program on six Saturdays per year at THIS LINK.

City of Simi Valley household battery recycling options at THIS LINK includes Simi Valley Public Library, G.I. Industries/Waste Management and Anderson Rubbish.

City of Camarillo hosts household hazardous waste program drop-off events on the 2nd consecutive Friday/Saturday of each month. View upcoming dates and make appointments at www.cityofcamarillo.org/residents/trash___recycling/hazardous_waste.php.

Cities of Oxnard and Port Hueneme household hazardous waste collection events www.oxnard.org/household-hazardous-waste

Cities of Oxnard and Port Hueneme Antifreeze, Batteries, Oil and Paint Recycling www.ci.port-hueneme.ca.us/index.aspx?NID=1022

City of Moorpark hazardous waste drop-off events www.moorparkca.gov/150/Hazardous-Waste

Ventura County needle collection facilities crma.org/home-generated-sharps

City of Ventura hazardous waste collection events www.cityofventura.ca.gov/2103/Household-Hazardous-Waste-HHW-Events

City of Ojai hazardous waste collection options at THIS LINK (pdf doc)

Hazardous waste collection in Calabasas at THIS LINK.

Hazardous waste collection in Agoura Hills at THIS LINK.