Look Ma! I Got My California IOU Today!

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An update: Wells Fargo and B of A announced they will start accepting the IOUs again. Wells Fargo on 9/4 and B of A on 9/9.  Yippee! Or alternatively you can mail the IOU to the State Treasurer's office with a return address and they will send you a check to cash in return. 

Yippee!  California State Controller John Chiang today (8/13/09) announced they will be able to stop issuing IOUs on 9/4/09 and start redeeming previously issued IOUs on that date. 

Well you know, maybe holding on to this IOU isn't such a bad thing after all.  With money market and CD interest rates hovering near 1%, holding on to this $2000 IOU paying 3.75% isn't so bad.  And, the added bonus is that interest on the warrants is both state and federal TAX-FREE!  If you're in the 9.55% state and 28% federal tax brackets, that equates to a pre-tax yield of 6%!

So John Chiang, while I still enjoy ranting about these ridiculous IOUs because the cost of issuing and processing them must be outrageous, could I hold on to mine for another year!?

Chiang will give a more definite answer on the IOU redemption timeline after his emergency meeting with the Pooled Money Investment Board on 8/21/09.  I spoke with the California State Treasurer's office about the time frames involved. He confirmed that IOU holders will have to either mail in the IOUs to receive a check (with interest) or perhaps after the PMIB meeting, more banks will start accepting the IOUs again.

But if ya ask me, I'm holding on to mine until the end at this point.  If you take the IOU to the bank, they get all the interest :<

Originally Posted 7/25/09:

Its my own fault I suppose for filing my tax returns 3 months late (with extensions). Today I received, f

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Moorpark Police Seeking Help Re: Indecent Exposure Case

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From the City of Moorpark City Watch Crime Alert System:

Nature of Incident: Camarillo man arrested after committing an indecent exposure

Location: Tierra Rejada Road at Peach Hill Road, Moorpark

Date & Time/ RB#: Aug. 25, 2009 @ 6:20 a.m. / 09-20732

Unit Responsible: Moorpark P.D. Investigations

Suspect: Alberto Vaca, Age 19, Camarillo

Narrative: On the morning of 08-25-09, at about 6:20 a.m., a city of Moorpark resident (woman) reported that a green Ford Mustang was slowly following her while she was out jogging on Tierra Rejada Road. The woman confronted the driver and sole occupant of the vehicle about his intentions. The woman described the driver as a Hispanic male. When the woman confronted the driver, the suspect remained in the vehicle and exposed himself to the woman. A passerby in another vehicle rendered aid to the woman jogger. The driver of the older model green Ford Mustang drove away from the scene.

Moorpark patrol deputies spoke with the victim and a witness who rendered assistance to the victim. These persons described the vehicle as a forest green, late 1990’s Ford Mustang two-door vehicle, with possible collision damage on the passenger side of the vehicle. The suspect was described as a Hispanic male, about late 20’s in age, dark skin, and slender to medium build.

On the morning of 08-26-09, a 19-year-old Camarillo resident was arrested after being identified as the man responsible for exposing himself to the woman in the city of Moorpark. Subsequent investigation revealed Alberto Vaca, frequently drove his green 1997 Ford Mustang around Tierra Rejada Road just east of the high school and just west of Spring Road this past month looking for women jogging or walking. This occurred between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. When he found a target, he would pull up alongside the woman and expose himself. Vaca targeted at least three different women. The first incident occurred in Moorpark within the past month.

Investigators are interested in speaking with anyone who has been the victim of this type of crime with the above-described vehicle while on Tierra Rejada Road or its vicinity recently. Anyone with information about Vaca’s activities is asked to contact Detective Ilano at (805) 532-2714.

Recent American Express Letter Regarding Security Breach - An Example of Good Communication

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My wife recently received this letter in the mail from American Express:

The 2nd page of the letter (not shown) apologized for any inconvenience and was signed by the VP, Privacy Officer.

While at first it was scary to read the letter, it quickly was apparent that Amex had a handle on the situation and was closely monitoring the account for fraud perpetrated by the former employee who obtained the credit card information.

And I was most impressed by the fact that the toll-free was immediately answered by a LIVE PERSON when I called at 8 pm!  No wait, no transfers, no provide all sorts of information.  The woman on the other end of the line was friendly, cordial, knowledgeable and answered all my questions. I was truly expecting a recorded line, 20 minute wait, hold, provide card number, PIN, mom's maiden name, mailing address, etc., etc.

Nice job Amex! You took a negative situation and turned it positive!

August BBQ Recipe Featuring Grilled Shrimp with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette

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No better time than NOW to throw some shrimp on the barbecue and enjoy our hot August evenings. This Grilled Shrimp with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette recipe can work as an appetizer or an entrée. It also looks beautifully displayed on a bed of micro greens from your local Farmer’s Market.

Grilled Shrimp with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette

4 strips of bacon, diced

½ cup vegetable oil

4 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

4 Tbsp sugar

2 tsp fresh lime juice

4 Tbsp garlic, minced

2 tsp kosher salt

2 tsp ground black pepper

2 tsp red pepper flakes

2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

~20 jumbo shrimp, peeled, de-veined and tails left on

Preheat grill to high.

Fry bacon for the vinaigrette in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Pour off all drippings, leaving bacon bits in the pan.

Stir in ½ of the oil, vinegar, sugar and lime juice. Turn off heat. Season with salt/pepper.

Toss the shrimp with remaining oil, garlic, salt, pepper and pepper flakes. Thread shrimp onto metal skewers.

Grill shrimp until cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Remove from skewers and arrange on plates, then drizzle with vinaigrette and sprinkle with cilantro.

Serve with Crostini. Call hungry Conejo Joe to share!

My friend Jill Fisher has a B.S. in Food Science and Nutrition and is a licensed Personal Chef. She teaches 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. To contact Jill, let us know!

Thousand Oaks Police Department Bicycle Safety Enforcement Announcement

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What is a “sharrow”? (From City of Thousand Oaks Website)Sharrow
A sharrow is a road lane marking that shows a stencil of a bicycle with two chevron markings above it. The purpose of a sharrow is to remind residents to share the road when driving or riding in Thousand Oaks. It's designed for use in areas too narrow for a separate bike lane. Sharrows are about 3 feet wide and 10 feet long. The California Department of Transportation officially adopted the design in 2005. Thousand Oaks will begin stenciling sharrows in September 2008.

Sharrows have several applications in improving safety for cyclists and motorists:

  • Sharrows tend to keep bicyclists from riding too close to parked vehicles,
    which puts them at risk for unexpected opening car doors.
  • With sharrows on the road, motorists tend to give more space to bicyclists
    that they pass.
  • Sharrows help reduce wrong-way riding by bicyclists.
  • They help decrease aggressive bicycle-car interactions.
  • They can help reduce the level of pedestrian-to-bicycle conflicts on sidewalks.