California Museum of Art Thousand Oaks Operations Center Located Next to Civic Arts Plaza

NOTE: CMATO moved to a new location at The Oaks mall in Thousand Oaks in November 2018.

The California Museum of Art Thousand Oaks (CMATO) will provide a world-class cultural experience for visitors and locals alike. Artists, educators, lovers of art, tourists, students and the general public will appreciate the world-class exhibitions of paintings, sculpture, photography, music, drama and dance. CMATO will be located at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza west of City Hall and the Performing Arts Center.

Earlier in 2015, CMATO moved into 1948 Thousand Oaks Boulevard, an interim museum space in what was formerly a Taco Bell location (and more recently a wine store).  The space is being remodeled to create a small multi-purpose gallery in the front portion of the building and office space area in the back. 

The space will provide a place to plan and gain support for the permanent CMATO, which over the next three to five years is in pre-construction phase of development.

CMATO is constantly seeking new members and donors to as they work towards bringing a world-class art venue to the Conejo Valley and the entire region. To learn more, visit www.cmato.org. 

First 5 Ventura County Invests in the Future of Young Children

Because the first 5 years impact a lifetime, First 5 Ventura County is making sound investments in the future of children. Early brain research tells us that ages 0-5 are critical years for developing lifelong social, emotional and learning skills. By working with parents, school districts, community leaders, social service and healthcare agencies, First 5 Ventura County helps to design and fund a network of essential services for young children and their families.

Proposition 10, the California Children and Families Act, was approved by voters in 1998, giving rise to First 5. Through a 50 cent tax on tobacco, First 5 develops locally designed systems of support for children 0-5 and their families in 58 counties across the state.

By building an integrated network of early childhood development services, and 11 model Neighborhoods for Learning (NfL), First 5 Ventura County enhances the emotional, physical and intellectual foundation for every child during the years when a majority of all learning and behavior development takes place. First 5 works to help children enter school healthy, supported, prepared to learn and ready to greet their full potential.

Local NfL locations in Ventura County are in Thousand Oaks, Moorpark/Simi Valley, Oak Park, Oxnard (3), Ojai, Camarillo, Port Hueneme, Santa Paula and Ventura.

Programs provided by local area NfLs include family education and training, preschool programs, infants and pre-K programs, health services, enrichment programs, community events and more.

To learn more about First 5 Ventura County, visit www.first5ventura.org.

January to June 2015 Restaurants New and Restaurants Adieu in Ventura County

Here's the latest compilation of restaurants in the Conejo Valley and throughout Greater Ventura County that opened, announced plans to open or closed during the period January through June 2015.

(Click here for previous 2014 activity.) Let us know of any we missed!

Consistent with previous reports, the number of new eateries in the area continues to outnumber closed eateries by quite a large margin.

Restaurants That Have Opened Since December 2014

• Luna's Mexican Tradition opened in Oxnard's Centennial Plaza in January
• Plata Taqueria & Cantina opened in former home of The Latigo Kid in Agoura in January
• Tifa Chocolate and Gelato opened at The Shoppes at Westlake in late January
• Maria's Italian Kitchen opened at The Collection at Riverpark in January
• Streets by Bistro Orient Vietnamese Cuisine opened in Thousand Oaks in January
• Mendocino Farms Sandwich Market opened February 2nd in Westlake Village
• Pieology opened its Westlake Village location in mid-February
• Twisted Oak Tavern opened in former home of The Lab in Agoura Hills in February
• Dog Haus Thousand Oaks opened on February 21st
• Le Pain Quotidien opened in Westlake Village on March 2nd
• Wingstop opened in Oxnard on March 14th
• Ice Cream Lab in Westlake Village opened in late March
• Bangkok Avenue Thai Cuisine opened late March in former home of Los Agaves in Thousand Oaks
• Jeanette's Edelweiss German Restaurant opened in Newbury Park on March 27th
• Urban Pizza opened in Westlake Village on April 2nd
• Pick Up Stix at The Shoppes at Westlake opened in early April
• Margarita's Mexican Grill in Oak Park opened in April
• Barone's The Pizzeria Express opened April 20th in Westlake Village
• Urbane Cafe Thousand Oaks also opened on April 20th
• The Gallery Restaurant at The Shoppes at Westlake opened in mid-April
• Simply Fish Grill in Agoura Hills opened in April
• The Melt opened at The Promenade at Westlake in mid-May
• Four Seasons Westlake Village opened Stir Coffee Bar and Gourmet Eatery on May 19th
• Anarbagh Indian Cuisine opened at former home of China Garden in Westlake Village in May
• Urban Pizza opened in Simi Valley in mid-June
• Rokabab Mediterranean Grill opened in Thousand Oaks in June
• Juice it Up Raw Juice Bar opened in Thousand Oaks in June

Restaurants That Are Planning to Open Soon

• Dickey's BBQ Pit will be opening soon at the North Ranch Plaza in Westlake Village
• Eight Ventura County Dunkin' Donuts locations will be opening in 2016
• Still slated to open soon at The Shoppes at Westlake Village are Los Agaves Restaurant, Olio e Limone Ristorante, Olio Pizzeria, Which Wich® Superior Sandwiches and Figueroa Mountain Brewing.
• Sharky's Woodfired Mexican Grill is currently hiring and will be opening soon at Janss Marketplace
• Pitfire Artisan Pizza is currently hiring and is expected to open soon at Westlake Plaza
• Buffalo Wild Wings is under construction and will be opening at the Simi Valley Town Center in the late summer time frame
• Jimmy John's Gourmet Sandwiches is opening locations in Camarillo and Simi Valley
• Levity Live Comedy and Dinner Theater is opening in the former home of Toby Keith's later this year
• Hook Burger to open a Simi Valley location this summer
• Mama's Hummus will be opening a 2nd location - in Camarillo - this year
• Sabra Fish Grill is opening sometime this year at The Collection at RiverPark
• EMC Seafood and Raw Bar to open later this year at The Collection at RiverPark
• Charhouse BBQ & Grill coming soon to former home of Nico's Cafe in Oak Park
• Green & Bean Organic Juicery & Coffee Lab also coming to Oak Park
• Q Sushi is coming soon to The Shoppes at Westlake
• Ragsdale Kitchen & Bar to open at former Chicago's Ribs location in Ventura
• Kreation Juicery is coming this summer to The Promenade at Westlake 
• Petra Mediterranean Cuisine looks to open at former home of Fiamme in Westlake Village 
• Ragamuffin Coffee Roasters looks to open its storefront in Newbury Park soon

Restaurants That Have Closed Since December 2014

• Famous Dave's Bar-B-Que Thousand Oaks closed in January
• The Ranch eatery in Westlake Village closed in early January
• Zzyzx Café in Camarillo closed its doors on January 26th (looks like a Thai place will be opening there soon)
• Steve's un-Original Pizza in Newbury Park closed on March 1st
• China Garden in Westlake Village closed in the March time frame
• After an ownership change, Coco's locations in Camarillo, Calabasas and Ventura and Carrow's locations in Oxnard and Ojai closed in early April
• Bada Sushi in Thousand Oaks closed in April
• The Counter Burger Westlake Village closed in early April
• Tacone Flavor Grill in Camarillo closed in April (soon to be Mama's Hummus)
• Letty's Mexican Restaurant in Newbury Park closed in April
• Bada Sushi in Thousand Oaks closed in April
• Leila's Restaurant in Oak Park closed its doors on April 26th
• Toby Keith's I Love This Bar and Grill (or used to at least) closed in early May

Scenes from the 2015 Thousand Oaks Independence Day Fireworks Show

For those who missed it, here's some footage from the annual Fireworks Extravaganza in Thousand Oaks last night. Fireworks are launched each year from "Fireworks Hill," located above the Conejo Recreation and Park District offices and bordered by Hillcrest Drive on the south and Wilbur Road on the east. This footage was taken from the north.

"Fireworks Hill" in Thousand Oaks, as viewed in greener days of January 2015.

SoCal Water$mart 2014-2015 Turf Removal Rebates Available to Local Residents

UPDATE 1: Due to high demand for this rebate program, MWD announced that new terms and conditions are applicable to rebate requests submitted after 1 p.m. on May 12, 2015. Residential turf removal rebates are now capped up to a maximum of $6,000 per property.  Those who received a previous rebate may apply for additional rebates up to a maximum of $6,000 per property for all past and current rebate requests.  The program was increased from $100 million to $450 million

UPDATE 2 (7/9/15): Believe it or not, MWD announced yesterday that the additional turf rebate funds have been depleted due to extraordinary public response and that applications will no longer be accepted later this week.  A waiting list for future rebates will be maintained by MWD to allocate any rebates earmarked for turf removal that are not claimed by approved applicants.

The average homeowner uses over half their water on outdoor irrigation and water-intensive turf grass is the primary culprit. The State of California offers a rebate of $2 to $3 per sq ft of turf removed in the SoCal Water$mart 2014-2015 Turf Removal Program.

To qualify for a rebate, customers must remove actual grass in a designated area and be replaced with a new landscape that does not include live turf or turf-looking plants, but must include some non-turf plants and follow and additional municipal/city requirements. The new landscape must be permeable to air and water; areas with concrete and other surfaces do not qualify for the rebate. Synthetic turf is eligible for rebates unless otherwise not states in your area's terms and conditions.

Funding is available on a first come, first served basis based on available funding. Work must be done within 120 days after receiving approval for the rebate.

Learn more and file for a rebate at socalwatersmart.com.

Find out if your specific property address is eligible, and how much your rebate will be based on estimated square footage at mwdturf.conservationrebates.com/13-TRM1-HT/estimate.php.

If you are served in the Calleguas Municipal Water District, including Camarillo, Moorpark, Oxnard, Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks (including Newbury Park and incorporated portion of Westlake Village), Port Hueneme and unincorporated areas including Camarillo Heights, Fairview, Las Posas Valley, Oak Park, Santa Rosa Valley, Lake Sherwood, Somis, and Naval Base Ventura County, you are most likely included in this rebate program.

Camarillo Water-Wise Gardening Website a Great Resource for All Local Residents

The City of Camarillo sponsors an excellent website, Camarillo Water-Wise Gardening, as a resource for local residents looking to create water-wise, drought tolerant landscaping for its residents. But the site is free of charge and available to anyone looking for information.

The site has information about how to design and install a water-wise garden, irrigation methods and equipment that will help you to water your landscape more efficiently, and suggestions on how to easily and effectively maintain your garden.

The Garden Tours section of the site contains hundreds of photos from 24 different gardens. If there is a particular plant you'd like more information about, simply click the box and the next screen will have detailed information, including plant name, size, color(s), sun/water requirements and more. Click the "Add" button and the plant will be added to your "List." You can also click the Add button on any of the garden photos to be added to your List (described more below).

The Plants section includes plants categorized by Low Maintenance Trees, Low Maintenance Shrubs, Vines, Ground Covers, Low Water Perennials and Ornamental Grasses/Clumping Plants.  Again, there are literally hundred of photos in this section of the site. Click an item of interest and add it to your List.

The "My List" section of the site contains the various photos you clicked in other sections of the site. Click one of the report formats and you'll see a printable report you can bring on your next trip to the nursery.

The Garden Resources section of the site has extensive information about how to design a garden, including design principles, a questionnaire, creating the design, drainage, plant design, installation and working with professionals. The irrigation section discusses plant water needs, smart controllers, irrigation systems and eliminating overspray and runoff. The maintenance section covers mulch, irrigation maintenance and other tips.

Overall, this is remarkably useful, informative and easy to use website! Check it out at www.camarillogardening.com.

Thousand Oaks 2015 Community Attitude Survey Results Just Released

Since 1969, the City of Thousand Oaks has conducted a communitywide attitude survey to sample city residents' views on planning and other issues. Prior to 2013, the survey was conducted every five years; the survey is now performed every two years.

True North Research of Escondido conducted the 2015 survey as in years past.  They phone surveyed a "statistically representative" sample of 400 Thousand Oaks residents out of close to 100,000 adults (there are about 129,000 total residents).

True North is also doing a supplemental web survey, sending postcards to residents today to complete the survey at www.toaks.org/survey by July 1, 2015.

Photo courtesy of local darts promoter L. David Irete

Thousand Oaks residents continue to rate the quality of life highly here, with 96% rating it good or excellent (97% in 2013). 65% rate it excellent (61% in 2013 and 66% in 2009) and 31% rate it as good (36% in 2013 and 31% in 2009. This is consistent with previous surveys, where 96% to 98% of residents have rated quality of life as good to excellent - an outstanding statistic.

If You Could Change One Thing?

One survey question asked if City Government could change one thing, what would it be. Topping the list at 14% of responses this year was to reduce traffic congestion, up from just 5% in 2013.

Local Shopping

Another question asked what percentage of your household's retail shopping (excluding groceries) dollars are spent in the City of Thousand Oaks...less than 10%, 10% to 19%, 20% to 29% and so on. My first response is, who the heck would actually know to this level of precision? I certainly don't. In any case, 34% of respondents indicate they spend less than half of their retail dollars in the City, up from 30% in 2013.

Half of the survey takers said they'd like to see additional retail establishments in Thousand Oaks. Of these, 21% would like a large discount store like Costco.

Respondents were then asked which of six specific businesses they'd like to see in the City, some of which have expressed an interest in coming to (or expanding in) Thousand Oaks, including Sam's Club, Lowe's, Walmart, Home Depot, Costco and IKEA. Again, Costco was the overall top choice at 22%, but IKEA received the largest combined tally of 1st/2nd choice selections at 42% vs 39% for Costco.

Information Sources for News, Events, Programs

True North asked a series of questions regarding sources for City of Thousand Oaks news, services, programs and events. The Acorn weekly newspaper was noted by 42% of responses (up from 36% in 2013 and 41% in 2009). The Internet (not City's site) was the 2nd highest response at 29%, followed by the City's website at 23%. Ventura County Star was mentioned by 12% of respondents (down from 24% in 2013). Social Media (e.g. Facebook, Twitter) was noted by 7%,  up from just 1% in 2013.

Other options given were Ventura County Reporter, LA Daily News and other sources. True North did not list Conejo Valley Guide, with its base of 50,000 monthly unique visitors, in its survey. Give them a piece of your mind when you complete your supplemental survey at at www.toaks.org/survey!

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