President Trump Issues Executive Order to Postpone Easter Sunday to Sunday, July 5th

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, President Donald J. Trump has issued an executive order to defer celebration of Easter Sunday from April 12th to July 5th, 2020. Here is a transcript of Trump’s remarks at signing of the order.

Trump: The whole world is inflicted with this horrible, horrible virus. With Easter just 11 days away, I decided we need to do something big, very, very big, to show the children of this country that they are not forgotten. This was a tremendous decision that I have to say, no other President in the history of the United States has ever done. Huge, very huge. A tremendous, tremendous decision, the likes of which no one, I’m told, by many other people, that no one, no one, has ever even thought about doing.

By rescheduling Easter to Sunday, July 5th, the day after July 4th, we have a terrific opportunity to do something never done in history. And it will be a very, very great thing. Something that is, just, incredible., really incredible. Melania and I will be hosting the largest Easter egg hunt in history on the White House lawn that day. Believe me, it will be the greatest Easter egg event ever seen. People have told me that it would be spectacular. We’ll have eggs with chocolate, jelly beans, maybe other things. Maybe money. A lot of it. We’ll see what happens.

Vice President Pence: I can’t emphasize enough the incredible decision that President Donald J. Trump, has made. Moving Easter Sunday 12 weeks into the future gives us the opportunity to stretch Lent out by another 12 weeks. Thank you so much, Mr. President.

Trump: Good ole’ Mike. I can’t wait. Now stand over there. You’re too close to me. Remember, folks, to practice social distancing. Mike, you’re a good man. But you need to give me six feet clearance. Now, press, we have time for one question, then we have to go. Jim, go ahead.

Jim Acosta: Mr. President, I understand that Easter Sunday will be a challenge to celebrate this year because of the coronavirus pandemic. But does it really make sense to push this holy day back 12 weeks?

Trump: That is a terrible question. You are fake news. Thank you everyone!

The Easter Conejo

APRIL FOOL’S!!

Neil Diamond Sings "Sweet Caroline" Updated with a COVID-19 Reminder in the Lyrics

Neil Diamond released “Sweet Caroline” in May 1969, well over 50 years ago. Diamond’s inspiration for the song was John F. Kennedy’s daughter, Caroline, who was 11 when the song was released.

Today he released a slightly modified version of Sweet Caroline on his YouTube channel with a subtle COVID-19 reminder to wash your hands!

“Hands,

Washing hands,

Reaching out,

Don’t touch me…

I won’t touch you.”

For local area COVID-19 updates in the Ventura County area, visit THIS LINK.

Compilation of Personalized License Plates in the Conejo Valley and Nearby Areas

With all the local driving I do, I started to zero in on just how many folks out there have personalized license plates. There’s a lot of them!

I carry a little camera with me in the car and started taking photos of some of plates that I could use to form sentences and perhaps write a story. Yes, a story written solely with personalized plates.

Whether I actually do that or not, I thought it would be fun to patch together some of these photos for all of you to enjoy. It took a bit of time to do.

I’m sitting here thinking, these plates cost $98 front and $78 per year thereafter. If you invested that money for 40 years, putting $78 a year into something earns a 6% return, you would have over $13,000 saved up, JUST on saving money on personalized license plates alone! Something to ponder.

The Number of Registered Voters in Ventura County Has Increased Nearly 10% Over the Last Seven Years

The Ventura County Registrar of Voters website has up to date counts of the number of registered voters in Ventura County. We like to track the totals from time to time to see the trends.

On May 12, 2012, there were 406,644 registered voters in Ventura County, consisting of:

• 157,539 Democrats

• 150,919 Republicans

• 77,994 Nonpartisans

• 20,192 Other

Approximately seven years later, in May 2019, there are 445,217 registered voters, a 9.5% increase, including:

• 176,712 Democrats, a 12% increase

• 130,228 Republicans, a 14% decrease

• 110,225 Nonpartisans, a whopping 41% increase

• 28,052 Other, also a large 39% increase

Update as of 12/8/19: Total registered voters 454,872, up 2.2% in six months, including 183,994 Democrats (up 4.1%), 132,142 Republicans (up 1.5%), 108,208 Nonpartisan (down 1.8%) and 30,528 Other (up 8.8%).

Can’t remember if you are eligible to vote? Look it up at THIS LINK. What I’ve found with this Voter Eligibility Search function is that, unlike a search engine, your search terms have to be precise. If you are registered as Richard King, if you type Rich King into the search, it will not find you.

Register to vote online at registertovote.ca.gov.

The Best Ever Pumpkin Bread Recipe!

Here's a delicious pumpkin bread recipe from Jill Fisher. Jill has a B.S. in Food Science and Nutrition and is a licensed Personal Chef. She has taught cooking classes at Conejo Valley Adult School and Williams Sonoma in Thousand Oaks and has written articles for local food magazines such as 805 Living.

The Best Ever Pumpkin Bread!

1 cup salad oil (not olive)

2/3 cup water

3 cups sugar

4 eggs

2 cups pumpkin

Whisk together in a large bowl.

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg

1 ½ tsp salt

2 tsp baking soda

3 ½ cups flour

1 cup chopped pecans

Whisk together in a small bowl.

Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.  Mix well.  Pour into individual mini loaf pans (approximately 4-5) that have been sprayed with Pam cooking spray.

Bake at 350F for 55 minutes.

Cool and slice.  These loaves freeze very well.

Note from Conejo Joe:  This recipe looks so easy that even I, an incompetent nincompoop in the kitchen, can make this pumpkin bread recipe!

No Sales Tax on Diapers and Menstrual Hygiene Products in California in 2020-2021

Sleep tight! No sales tax on your diaper in 2020 and 2021, babeeee!

Here’s something to factor into your budgets beginning January 1, 2020 through December 31, 2021. California Senate Bill 92 signed by Governor Newsom eliminates sales and use taxes on diapers for infants, toddler and children, as well as on menstrual hygiene products, including tampons, specified sanitary napkins, menstrual sponges and menstrual cups.

But the taxes only go away for two years, unless the law is extended.

This is good news, or at least temporarily good news, for women and families of diaper-wearing kids.

I didn’t keep tabs on how many diapers we went through when the kids were of diaper-wearing age, but It seems to me every few hours was about par for the course. Perhaps 8 diapers a day. At an average of say 25 cents per diaper, that could add up to over $700/year in diapers.

As of today, one would pay $54.25 in sales taxes on $700 worth of diapers in Ventura County (7.75%). That creeps up to $66.50 in Los Angeles County (9.5%).

Why was this put into place? SB 92, published June 28, 2019, indicates “the specific goals, purposes and objectives of this act are to promote public health by increasing the affordability of, and expanding access to, diaper and menstrual hygiene products.”

Logical questions I have no answers for:

1. Why did they not eliminate the sales taxes on adult diapers? (Asking for a friend.)

2. Why did they eliminate the sales taxes for only two years?

3. Was there not a men’s product to apply the sales tax break to? How about a tax break on beer for a couple years!? That would be cool!

How Bills Become Law in the California State Legislature

The California State Legislature is made up of two houses: the 40 member Senate and the 80 member Assembly, representing the people of the State of California.

All legislation begins as an idea or concept. Ideas and concepts can come from a variety of sources. The legislative process begins when a Senator or Assembly Member decides to author a bill.

A Legislator sends the idea for the bill to the Legislative Counsel where it is drafted into the actual bill. The draft of the bill is returned to the Legislator for introduction to the Senate or the Assembly.

A bill is introduced or read the first time when the bill number, the name of the author, and the descriptive title of the bill is read on the floor of the house. No bill may be acted upon until 30 days has passed from the date of its introduction.

The bill then goes to the Rules Committee of the house of origin where it is assigned to the appropriate policy committee for its first hearing. Bills are assigned to policy committees according to subject area of the bill. For example, a Senate bill dealing with health care facilities would first be assigned to the Senate Health and Human Services Committee for policy review. Bills that require the expenditure of funds must also be heard in the fiscal committees: Senate Appropriations or Assembly Appropriations. Each house has a number of policy committees and a fiscal committee. Each committee is made up of a specified number of Senators or Assembly Members.

During the committee hearing the author presents the bill to the committee and testimony can be heard in support of or opposition to the bill. The committee then votes by passing the bill, passing the bill as amended, or defeating the bill. Bills can be amended several times. Letters of support or opposition are important and should be mailed to the author and committee members before the bill is scheduled to be heard in committee. It takes a majority vote of the full committee membership for a bill to be passed by the committee.

Each house maintains a schedule of legislative committee hearings. Prior to a bill's hearing, a bill analysis is prepared that explains current law, what the bill is intended to do, and some background information. Typically the analysis also lists organizations that support or oppose the bill.

Bills passed by committees are read a second time on the floor in the house of origin and then assigned to third reading. Bill analyses are also prepared prior to third reading. When a bill is read the third time it is explained by the author, discussed by the Members and voted on by a roll call vote. Bills that require an appropriation or that take effect immediately, generally require 27 votes in the Senate and 54 votes in the Assembly to be passed. Other bills generally require 21 votes in the Senate and 41 votes in the Assembly. If a bill is defeated, the Member may seek reconsideration and another vote.

Once the bill has been approved by the house of origin it proceeds to the other house, where the procedure is repeated.

If a bill is amended in the second house, it must go back to the house of origin for concurrence, which is agreement on the amendments. If agreement cannot be reached, the bill is referred to a two house conference committee to resolve differences. Three members of the committee are from the Senate and three are from the Assembly. If a compromise is reached, the bill is returned to both houses for a vote.

If both houses approve a bill, it then goes to the Governor. The Governor has three choices. The Governor can sign the bill into law, allow it to become law without his or her signature, or veto it. A governor's veto can be overridden by a two thirds vote in both houses. Most bills go into effect on the first day of January of the next year. Urgency measures take effect immediately after they are signed or allowed to become law without signature.

Bills that are passed by the Legislature and approved by the Governor are assigned a chapter number by the Secretary of State. These Chaptered Bills (also referred to as Statutes of the year they were enacted) then become part of the California Codes. The California Codes are a comprehensive collection of laws grouped by subject matter.