National Do Not Call Registry Refresher Course

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National Do Not Call RegistryIt seemed like we were getting way too many telemarketing calls...usually right around 8 p.m. while struggling to get the kids bathed and into bed.  And I thought we had signed up for the National Do Not Call Registry years ago.  So here's a brief "refresher" on how the Do Not Call Registry works and what it can and cannot do.

 

What It Does

If you register your phone number in the National Do Not Call Registry, telemarketers must stop calling that number within 31 days.  The Registry applies only to personal phone numbers, both home phone and cell phones.  The law does not apply to business lines.

 

What it Doesn't Do

If you buy goods or services, they can call you up to 18 months even though your number is on the Registry.  If you want them to stop calling you sooner, you must tell them in writing.  The Registry does not apply to political, charity and survey calls.  If you inquire or apply to a particular vendor, they can call you for up to 3 months, even if you are on the Registry.

 

How Do You Register?

Register at www.donotcall.gov.  It only takes a

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Thousand Oaks Safest City Once Again!

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The FBI issued preliminary crime statistics for 2007 today, and...(drum roll)...CONGRATULATIONS, Thousand Oaks!  We are back to the Number 1 spot on the list among the 257 U.S. cities with populations over 100,000.  Our total crime rate in 2007 was 1.668%, or 16.68 crimes per 1,000 people.  This very slightly edged out the city of Irvine, California which was at a crime rate of 1.684% (not bad at all, Irvine!).  Irvine could have beat us if we had just another 25 reported crimes last year, so that was quite close.  Amherst Town in New York was 3rd place at a crime rate of 1.742%.

CLARIFICATION:  My "Safest City" designation was based on the "total" crime rate.  News reports today have ranked Irvine as the Safest City for 4 years in a row based on having the lowest "violent" crime rate, not "total" crime rate (see below).  As it stands, T.O. ranks 2nd among California cities for lowest violent crime rate and 1st for lowest property and total crime rates.  Irvine ranks 14th in terms of property crime rates among California cities.

The FBI groups two main categories of crimes; violent crimes (murder, rape, robbery, assualt) and property crimes (burglary, larceny/theft, auto theft).  Thousand Oaks reported 182 violent crimes (70% of which were assault) and 1,942 property crimes.  While it feels good to be #1, we still have room for improvement.  Our overall crime rate actually grew by 6% in 2007 vs 2006.  However, our violent crime rate dropped by 19% while property crimes grew by 8%.

At the bottom of the list was St. Louis, Missouri, Orlando, Florida and Little Rock, Arkansas, at rates of 11.93%, 10.45% and 10.35%, respectively.  What this means is that you are 7 times less likely to be the victim of a crime in Thousand Oaks than in St. Louis.  The dubious honor of highest violent crime rate belongs to Flint, Michigan.  In 2007, 24 out of every 1,000 Flint residents were the victim of a violent crime.

Simi Valley ranked as the 9th safest U.S. city at a total crime rate of 2.09% (4th safest in California, after T.O., Irvine and Glendale).  Oxnard's crime rate was 2.747%, which was a slight drop from 2006.  This earned Oxnard recognition as the 12th most crime-free large city in California out of 65 cities.  Ventura was lower on the list, at #45.

Keep up the great work, fellow Conejo Valley residents!  For more information, visit www.fbi.gov/ucr/ucr.htm.

Learn All About Fuel Economy

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www.fueleconomy.orgVisit www.FuelEconomy.gov, a website maintained by the U.S. Environmental Agency, for everything there is to know about auto mileage.  The site provides gas mileage tips, miles per gallon on cars going back to the 1985 model year, tax rebate information on new hybrids, quick and easy MPG comparisons for cars and much more.

Tonight I learned the EPA changed the way it measures MPG in 2008 to reflect faster speeds, faster acceleration and increased air conditioning use.  Apparently MPG measurement standards had not been changed for decades.  So if you want to see the old vs new MPG estimates for your old clunker, click here.  The MPG on my cars was about 10% lower than the original estimate (which is no surprise).

You can also use the site to compare MPG on cars.  I compared the mileage on a Toyota Highlander 4WD vs Hybrid 4WD and learned that the hybrid gets about 7 MPG more than the non-hybrid, which would save $800/year if I drove 15,000 miles per year.  Based on my mileage, the hybrid would save me maybe $500 per year in gas, assuming $4 per gallon.  This is not enough to make up for the additional cost of the hybrid.  But the top-rated Toyota Prius Hybrid with city/highway mileage of 48/45, looks tempting.

The last thing I checked out was the current tax rebate status of hybrid cars and discovered that rebates are no longer available on the Highlander have not been available since Sept 2007 (the rebate phases out after 60,000 vehicles have been sold).  But I see there is a $3000 tax rebate on your income taxes if you buy a 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid.

Thanks to my wife for pointing out this useful and informative site.  With gas prices at an all-time high, it is getting hard to ignore finding ways to save money.

Be Aware - Recent Child Predator Activities in the News

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Yesterday the news was shocking.  A convicted child predator was caught on tape at a Borders bookstore in Arcadia, stalking a 5 year old girl and attempting to touch her and inappropriately rub up against her in full view of other shoppers.  The girl's father caught on and the whole scene is caught on tape (click here for a CBS video report and crime scene video footage).

Closer to home, on Thursday it was announced that a maintenance worker at Oaks Christian School in Thousand Oaks was arrested for allegedly videotaping girls in the locker room. Click here for the Ventura County Star story.

Two weeks ago a Moorpark bus driver was arrested for suspicion of molesting a boy with autism.

Last month a former Ventura elementary school teacher was sent to jail for molesting an 8 year old boy for 2 years.

Always be aware of your surroundings and where your kids are and who are with your kids.  Here are a couple of websites that provide a database of sex offenders by area (one of these sites was used by the father seen in the Arcadia video going after the sex offender after he realized what was happening to his daughter, which led to the arrest of the pervert).

Family Watchdog

www.FamilyWatchdog.us

www.meganslaw.ca.gov/

In the Good Ole Days They Just Raised Fares

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Welcome to American Airlines and Hand Over Your CashToday we learned that American Airlines will start charging $15 to check in your luggage.  Yet another reason to steer clear of airline travel.  $15 doesn't bother me.  It's the fact that now more people than ever will lug their heavy bags onto the plane, causing more delays and frustration.  Not to mention the additional time and effort of collecting $15 from passengers opting to check in their bags.

Fuel costs are way up and airlines are losing money.  We understand. Just raise your fares!  Don't nickel and dime us to death with these miscellaneous fees! 

Let's amuse ourselves by reviewing AA's baggage fees (these fees are one way):

  • First checked in bag (tickets bought after 6/14/08) is $15, unless you pay full fare, fly 25,000+ annual miles ("Gold" status) or are flying outside of America.
  • Your 2nd checked bag costs $25.
  • Your 3rd, 4th and 5th bags cost $100 each (I hope my wife is reading this).
  • Your 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th bags cost $200 each (heck, I'll pay $200 just to watch how they lug all these bags out of the airport).  This is about what it costs to overnight a 50 lb bag via FedEx/UPS.
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Handheld Cell Phone Law Clarifications...Coming July 1st

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Handheld Cell Phone Ban in California on July 1stOne last reminder to dislodge that cell phone from your ear while driving starting Tuesday, July 1st.  The California Wireless Telephone Automobile Safety Act of 2006 takes effect on that date.

Dislodge Phone From Ear!

Many of us are addicted to holding the cell phone to our ear in the car.  Get it out of your system!  Conejo Joe plans to drive the entire weekend of June 28-29 while using a handheld cell phone glued to his ear.  That should do the trick. Or consider moving to our neighbors in Oregon, Nevada, Arizona or Mexico (except Mexico City), where there currently are no bans in place.

You can use a Bluetooth or other type of earpiece to talk on the phone. But you can't have both ears covered.  You can also use a built in hands-free system in your car.

The Speakerphone Loophole?

The California DMV has Q&As about the new law that provide more guidance.  The new law only prohibits using a cell phone unless it is configured to allow hands-free listening and talking, and of course is used in that manner.  But you are not prohibited from using the speakerphone function of your cell phone while driving.  I called the DMV and CHP to confirm this.  The DMV first said "NO!" but when I pointed out the specific answer on the website she backed off and said you can use the speakerphon

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Save for College Tax Free

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California ScholarShare 529 College Savings PlanAnyone with kids who has not opened a Section 529 College Savings Plan take note.  A 529 plan allows anyone age 18 or older to open a savings account for future college costs (such as tuition, books, room and board, supplies, etc.).  The California ScholarShare plan (www.ScholarShare.com) allows California residents to save for college and any earnings are TAX FREE as long as withdrawals are used for college costs.

There are a number of other nice features about these plans:

  • If your child doesn't attend college, you can use the funds for another child or even use them for yourself.  Or grandkids, siblings, nieces, nephews, (fill-in-the-blank)-in-laws and spouses of any of these individuals.
  • Funds can be used at any 2 or 4 year college, university or vocational school.
  • There's a very low $50 minimum initial investment and no annual account fees.
  • Fidelity has 10 different investment options, including several "age-based" plans that automatically invest more conservatively as your child nears college age.
  • If you are leery of the stock market, there are conservative investment options like money market and treasury bond funds.
  • You as the account holder control the account, not your kid! 

These plans are pretty much a no brainer if you know someone in your family will be attending college and you will be paying for it.  Sign up now to start saving for college while cutting your taxes!