The Conejo Valley Guide "Welcome" blog covers a wide range of topics, local information, highlights of local things to do, compilations and other items. Focus is on information relevant to Ventura County and surrounding areas, including Thousand Oaks, Westlake Village, Newbury Park, Agoura Hills, Calabasas, Malibu, Simi Valley, Camarillo, Moorpark, Somis, Fillmore, Santa Paula, Ojai, Oxnard, Port Hueneme, Santa Barbara and Moorpark.
The Conejo Valley Guide® "Welcome" blog covers a wide range of topics, local information, local things to do, holiday event compilations, announcements and more.
Darts Promoter L. David Irete provided this neat shot of the Conejo Valley engulfed in fog tonight. There's no fog indoors tonight, which makes it an optimal night for darts, so check out the Ventura County Darts Association website at www.vcda.org. Or how about some of these other unique and interesting local clubs in Ventura County you may not be aware of.
The last few years, we have enjoyed (for lack of a better word) a 2 percentage point reduction in our 6.2% Social Security (FICA) tax rate, to 4.2% of wages earned during 2011, temporarily extended through 2012 by the aptly named Temporary Payroll Tax Cut Continuation Act of 2011.
Unless the tax rate is extended again, in 2013 we will once again be paying into Social Security at the rate of 6.2%. That means $1,000 less to spend next year if you make, say, $50,000 per year.
Social Security is also referred to as Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance (OASDI). Social Security has a nicer ring to it I suppose.
The 6.2% OASDI withholding rate has been in place since 1990. The statutory OASDI rate started out at 1% on employee wages from 1937 to 1949 and increased about 20 times through the years until it reached its current 6.2%.
Though the Social Security tax rate itself hasn't increased over the last 22 years, actual taxes paid have indeed grown as the annual maximum wage base has increased.
In 2013, the FICA wage base increases from $110,100 to $113,700. Th
Originally posted November 2010. Here's the latest recipe from chef Jill Fisher! Jill, a licensed Personal Chef, 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.
CLICK HERE for Jill's other recipes published in Conejo Valley Guide!
Gingersnap Streusel Pumpkin Pie
1 flaky pie crust, unbaked
2 cups crushed gingersnap cookies (about 40)
1 cup chopped pecans
½ cup powdered sugar
¼ cup melted butter
1 15 oz can pumpkin
1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
Here is the latest "City Watch" alert from Senior Deputy Tim Lohman of the Thousand Oaks Police Department. If you would like these updates directly from via email, click here for more information.
November kicks off the busiest shopping season of the year. During this time, many people feel rushed and stressed to get much accomplished. Do not become complacent giving thieves an open invitation to make your home or vehicle a big gift box this holiday season.
When you park your vehicle at your home or out, make sure you roll up the windows, lock your vehicle, take the keys, and insure your valuables are concealed or removed.
While out shopping, be aware of your surroundings; scan the area from time to time. Avoid concentrating so hard on shopping that you fail to keep track of your surroundings, others near you, or your personal property.
Shop with friends or a relative if possible there is safety in numbers. As you
BICYCLING Magazine recently published a list of the top 50 bike-friendly cities in the United States for 2012. The list was completed based on cities with populations of 95,000 or more (roughly 300 U.S. cities are in this category) based on input from various sources, including the League of American Bicyclists. To make the list, BICYCLING indicates the city must also possess a robust cycling infrastructure and vibrant bike culture.
Congratulations goes out to the City of Thousand Oaks for placing 38th on this list! Thousand Oaks was one of only 3 Southern California cities to make the list, which included Los Angeles and Long Beach.
The top 10 cities named on the list were: Portland, Oregon, Minneapolis, Boulder, Colorado, Washington, DC, Chicago, Madison, Wisconsin, New York City, San Francisco, Eugene, Oregon and Seattle.
BICYCLING noted the 2011 addition of the 1.2 mile Conejo Creek Bike Path and the Conejo Valley Cyclists' recruitment of 300 cyclists for the 2011 Ride of Silence as factors in the City's ranking. The Conejo Creek Path connects Gainborough Road to Conejo Creek Park, Thousand Oaks Library and Thousand Oaks Teen Center.
Conejo Creek Bike Path
The City of Thousand Oaks maintains approximately 80 miles of bikeways, including about 3 miles of bike paths, roughly 54 miles of bike lanes and other 20 miles or so of bike routes. The City takes bicycling very seriously...the City Council adopted a comprehensive Bicycle Facilities Master Plan in November 2010 to help prioritize future improvement projects around town.
Conejo Valley Cyclists is a popular local bicycling club offering beginning to advanced recreational rides as well as race paced training rides. The club organizes the extremely popular annual Cruisin' the Conejo bike ride in the spring of each year. Visit www.cvcbike.org to learn more.
Other local cycling clubs/groups in and around Ventura County at THIS LINK.
And of course, since its launch in 2006, the Amgen Tour of California is the biggest bike race in the United States. Learn more at www.amgentourofcalifornia.com. In 2011, the final stage of the tour was right here in Thousand Oaks.
Amgen Tour of California 2011 (Photo Credit: Marcella Ketelhut of Thousand Oaks)
And finally, check out the City of Thousand Oaks "Bikesafe" website at www.toaks.org/government/depts/public_works/streets/bicycle/home.asp for tips and information to ensure safe bicycling around town.
Beautiful sunset tonight in the Conejo Valley and throughout Ventura County!
Energizer Holdings, Inc., the makers of products like Schick razors, Playtex feminine products, Wet Ones wipes, Hawaiian Tropic suncare products and, of course, batteries, recently announced a voluntary nationwide market withdrawal nearly two dozen of its continuous spray Banana Boat sun care products. CLICK HERE for a list of the affected products.
The product is being removed because of a concern that the spray valve on the products dispenses too much of the product, resulting in its taking longer to dry on the skin than typical. As a result, if the user comes into contact with a flame or spark before the product is completely dry, the product has the potential to ignite.
Heck, it never even occurred to me that this could happen. Good thing I don't smoke! Energizer indicates that consumers should avoid sources of ignition and smoking when using these products.
Five people weren't so lucky. Energizer received reports of five people suffering burns related to the use of the Banana Boat SPORT Ultramist SPF 30 and 50 products.
Banana Boat has notified retailers to stop selling the product and anticipates it will be offering new continuous spray products soon. The products were distributed to retailers from January 2010 to September 2012.
Consumers are advised not to use the products. Any questions can be directed to Consumer Affairs at 800-SAFESUN (800-723-3786) Monday through Friday, 8am to 7pm Eastern time or by emailing them at SUNCARE@customerfollowup.info.
Sunscreens seem to be in the news a lot these days! Coppertone recently agreed to stop calling its sunscreens "waterproof" and "sweatproof."
Conejo Valley Guide covers events, activities and things to do throughout Ventura County and surrounding areas.
Conejo Valley Guide® covers thousands of events, activities and things to do throughout Ventura County, California and surrounding areas.
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