An Enjoyable Visit to the New Krispy Kreme Doughnut Shop in Oxnard

The new Krispy Kreme Doughnut store in Oxnard opened in late September and it took me a couple months to get over there for the first time with my youngest son and his friend.

I do not consider myself to be a doughnut* connoisseur. As someone who exercises daily and tries to eat moderately healthy, donuts are an occasional extravagance. If someone brings a box of donuts to the office, for sure, I'll be one to partake. But I generally don't go out of my way for a donut.

There was a Krispy Kreme in Oxnard that closed its doors eight years ago; located on Rose Avenue, it is now a Chick-fil-A. I've tried Krispy Kreme doughnuts from time to time, but never actually stepped foot into a Krispy Kreme store.

So at 6PM on a Sunday night, we stopped by. I figured it would be quick. Drive by any donut shop in the Conejo Valley on a Sunday night, and, in the unlikely case the shop is open, there will not be many customers in there.

I was shocked. The place was bustling! There were at least 15 to 20 people in line. But we didn't mind the wait; it was actually kind of a unique experience waiting to purchase doughnuts at Krispy Kreme. Why? Because you get to see their signature glazed donuts made just a few feet away, through a full-length window. It was an impressive site that you just don't get to see at most other donut shops!

Freshly made doughnuts just a few feet away, tantalizing us.

We bought a dozen and a half doughnuts - glazed, filled and otherwise - packed to take home. The kids each ate a donut in the back seat. (Not to worry, we ate a healthy dinner at the massive Whole Foods Market at The Collection at RiverPark before the doughnut splurge.) From the back seat of the car I heard mostly "chomp, chomp, chomp" for a minute. Apparently the kids enjoyed them.

The doughnut celebration continued when we arrived home. My older son does not like donuts filled with anything...cream, jelly, etc., which is a good thing because I do enjoy such doughnuts. He opted for one of the fresh-baked glazed doughnuts. 

We're a bit partial to doughnuts filled with delicious innard like cream, custard and jelly.

You could not ask for a fresher doughnut than the glazed doughnuts from Krispy Kreme. Whereas all the other doughnuts are stored in bins, when you order the glazed doughnuts, they retrieve them from where they were just made, literally minutes ago.

So I asked my oldest if he enjoyed the doughnut. He said he barely had to bite it, it was so soft, moist and delicious. It practically melted in his mouth. Gotta eat them while they're hot.

I did notice that Krispy Kreme doughnuts are perhaps a bit more sweet than the average donut. I was ok with that, but based upon my review of the Krispy Kreme Oxnard Yelp page, I was not alone in that observation. Not everyone is a fan.

This is also 24/7 drive-thru Krispy Kreme. Other than Starbucks and other fast food eateries, this is the only drive-thru donut place that I'm aware of in the area. The line of cars did look particularly long though, perhaps due to the fact that only one customer at a time can determine which doughnuts will be occupying their Krispy Kreme box.

Our precious cargo was contained in these fancy boxes.

So while I won't necessarily drive 20 miles (40 miles round trip) out of my way for Krispy Kreme doughnuts, I would definitely take a detour off the 101 at the Vineyard offramp to indulge myself from time to time.

Krispy Kreme Oxnard is located at 220 Riverpark Boulevard (at Vineyard), next to a 24 hour McDonald's.  Store hours are 5:30am to 10pm Sunday through Thursday and 5:30am to midnight on Friday/Saturday and as mentioned previously, the drive-thru is open 24/7. Yes, if you're hungry and can't find anything in the Conejo Valley, do note that fresh doughnuts and McD's are available 24/7, 20 miles away in Oxnard.

* Krispy Kreme uses the more traditional spelling of "doughnut" vs the shortened spelling "donut" made more popular by Dunkin' Donuts, not to mention Winchell's Donuts, Yum Yum Donuts, Spudnuts Donuts and most every other donut shop in town! Here, we use the doughnut spelling when specifically referencing Krispy Kreme doughnuts.

My Favorite Tree in the Conejo Valley Resides in Rancho Sierra Vista, Newbury Park

Taken on Saturday, April 16, 2016

Rumor has it there are, at least, 1,000 oak trees, in the Conejo Valley. My favorite tree in the Conejo Valley is this lone oak at Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa in Newbury Park.

This oak tree stands there, in a field, all alone, in the shadow of Boney Mountain in the foreground, year in, year out, come rain, or more usually, come shine.

In times of drought, in times of natural disaster, like the Springs Fire of 2013, this lone oak has withstood the test of time.

Through good times and bad, this tree is there for me, and for all of us, standing tall in the face of the hot summer sun and soaking in the winter rains.

I've never touched this lone oak nor have I ventured beneath its branches. But I have admired it, mostly from afar. And I know this tree appreciates me. Sitting still, smiling in the summer sun, feeling comfort in the vast open space of the Conejo.

After a brief rainstorm in November 2016

California Statewide Single-Use Carryout Bag Ban is Now in Place

On November 8, 2016, California voters approved Proposition 67, the statewide Single-Use Carryout Bag Ban.

As a result, the new law is in effect and most grocery stores, retail stores with a pharmacy, convenience stores, food marts, and liquor stores are no longer able to provide single-use plastic carry-out bags to customers.

Instead, these stores may provide a reusable grocery bag or recycled paper bag to a customer at the point of sale at a charge of at least 10 cents.

Many cities and counties have bag ordinances in place. Some of these jurisdictions’ ordinances will not be subject to this new law, depending on whether they meet certain preemption requirements.

• The City of Calabasas has had a single-use bag ban in place since July 1, 2011. www.cityofcalabasas.com/bags.html
• The City of Ojai has had a single-use bag ban in place since July 1, 2012. ojaicity.org/single-use-carryout-bag-ordinance
• Plastic single-use bags have been banned in Malibu since 2008 www.malibucity.org/index.aspx?nid=295

The following types of stores are impacted by the bag ban:

Grocery Stores: Full-line, self-service retail stores with gross annual sales of at least $2 million that sell a line of dry groceries, canned goods, or nonfood items and some perishable items.

Large Retail Stores with a Pharmacy: Stores that have at least 10,000 square feet of retail space and a pharmacy and that generate sales or use tax.

Convenience Stores, Food Marts, or Liquor Stores: Stores engaged in the retail sale of a limited line of goods, generally including milk, bread, soda, and snack foods, and that hold a Type 20 or Type 21 license issued by the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.

Volunteer Stores: Retail establishments not included in this list that voluntarily agree to comply with the requirements of the statute.

Are there single-use bags NOT covered by the new law?
Yes. Bags used by pharmacies for prescriptions; bags used to protect a purchased item from damage or contamination, such as bags used for fruits and vegetables; and bags used to contain unwrapped food items like bulk foods are some examples of single-use bags not covered by the new law. In addition, bags without handles that are designed to be placed over articles of clothing on a hanger are not covered under the new law.

More details at www.calrecycle.ca.gov/Plastics/CarryOutBags/default.htm.

Supermoon as Viewed this Morning from the Conejo Valley

L. David Irete submitted this shot of the "supermoon" staring down the western Conejo Valley open space and Edison power lines in Newbury Park this morning. Last night's (and this morning's) supermoon was the closest full moon to the Earth since January 26, 1948.

Mark your calendars for November 25, 2034. That's when astronomers indicate the next time we will have a supermoon this close to earth.

California Sales and Use Tax Rates Drop by .25 Percent on January 1, 2017

A sliver of good news on the tax front. Voters approved Proposition 30, The Schools and Local Public Safety Protection Act of 2012, in the November 6, 2012 statewide election. The measure was approved by a margin of 56% to 45%.

Proposition 30 mandated an increase in the statewide sales tax rate from 7.25% to 7.5% effective 1/1/13 through 12/31/16. along with a 7 year increase in marginal income tax rates for certain filers with incomes over $250,000.

Since we are quickly approaching the end of 2016, we have a .25% reduction in sales and use tax rates to look forward to in the new year.

This means that sales taxes in most of Ventura County, including Thousand Oaks, will drop from 7.5% to 7.25%, Rates in Oxnard and Port Hueneme will drop from 8% to 7.75%. Rates in Los Angeles County, including neighbors Agoura Hills and Westlake Village, will drop from 9% to 8.75%.

Thousand Oaks Violent Crime Rate Ranks in Top 12 Lowest Among Large Cities in 2015

In a separate post, we noted that the cities of Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley ranked 4th and 5th in terms of lowest overall crime rates in the United States and 1st and 2nd in California based on 2015 FBI data. Kudos!

Here, based on the same Uniform Crime Reporting data for 2015 released by the FBI in September, we will take a closer look at large cities (defined as 100,000+ residents) with the lowest and highest violent crime rates in he country.

Violent crimes consist of murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault whereas property crimes are categorized as non-violent reported instances of burglaries, thefts (including cars) and arson.

Top 25 lowest overall violent crime rates per 1,000 inhabitants in 2015; cities with population of 100,000 or more (Source: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Data)

As you can see above, while the City of Thousand Oaks has the 12th lowest violent crime rate among large cities of 1.05 incidents per 1,000 residents, the City's property crime rate is lower than most on this list. Simi Valley's rate of 1.36 incidents per 1,000 ranks it 26th out of close to 300 large cities.

The city of Cary, North Carolina, ranked as lowest on this list with .5 violent crimes per 1,000 residents in 2015, followed closely by another local perennially safe city, Irvine. Glendale ranks a very respectable 7th on this list.

Top 25 highest overall violent crime rates per 1,000 inhabitants in 2015; cities with population of 100,000 or more (Source: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Data)

No Ventura County area cities came anywhere close to the top 25 highest violent crime rate large cities in the U.S. This list was topped by the cities of St. Louis, Detroit, Birmingham, Memphis and Milwaukee, with violent crime rates ranging from 16 to 18 incidents per 1,000 residents in 2015.

Our neighbor, the City of Los Angeles, with its population of nearly 4 million, ranked 92nd on the list with 6.35 violent crimes per 1,000 residents.

Was a crime committed in your neighborhood? Check the Ventura County Sheriff's Department online crime maps.

Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley Had the 4th and 5th Lowest Crime Rates Among Large Cities in 2015

In late September, the FBI released its annual Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) data for 2015. "Crime in the United States, 2015" compiles crime data from law enforcement agencies throughout the United States. The data includes violent crimes, consisting of murder, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated assault, and property crimes such as burglaries and thefts.

The overall U.S. violent crime rate grew 3.1% in 2015 as compared to 2014, with 3.73 incidents per 1,000 inhabitants. Overall property crimes declined 3.4%, at 24.87 incidents per 1,000 inhabitants in 2015.

Three years ago, the crime rates were 3.87 (violent crimes) and 28.59 (property crimes), indicating the rates have declined overall over the last three years.

We took a look at the data for approximately 300 cities in the U.S. with populations of 100,000 or more. The cities of Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley ranked 4th and 5th in the U.S. and 1st and 2nd in California for the lowest overall crime rates among large cities in 2015. Congratulations! The top 10 are shown in the table below:

Top 10 lowest overall crime rates per 1,000 inhabitants in 2015; cities with population of 100,000 or more (Source: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Data)

The cities of Oxnard and Ventura landed at 143 and 153 when ranked by lowest total crime rates.

Taking a look at solely violent crimes (murder, rape, robbery, assault), the list looks a bit different. Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley drop to 12th and 26th, respectively and other California cities - Irvine, Murrieta, Glendale and Temecula moved into the top 10.

Top 10 lowest violent crime rates per 1,000 inhabitants in 2015; cities with population of 100,000 or more (Source: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Data)

Let's take a look at other Ventura County cities of all sizes to see where they stand. Keep in mind that this does not include unincorporated communities of Ventura County like Oak Park, Casa Conejo, Lake Sherwood and others.

Overall crime rates per 1,000 inhabitants in Ventura County cities in 2015 (Source: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Data) (excludes unincorporated communities)

The cities of Ojai and Moorpark held the lowest overall crime rates among Ventura County cities in 2015.

Overall, in 2015 Ventura County residents had an average of 22.84 total crimes for every 1,000 residents, including 2.56 violent crimes (31% below the national average) and 20.28 property crimes (18% below the national average).

As a comparison, the City of Los Angeles, with nearly 4 million residents, had an overall crime rate of 29.94 total crimes per 1,000 residents, including 6.3 violent crimes. The highest overall crime rates among large cities in 2015 were: Salt Lake City, UT (101.86 crimes per 1,000 inhabitants), Springfield, MO (91.51), St. Louis, MO (81.33), Birmingham, AL (81.05) and Spokane, WA (80.31).

Other nearby cities' 2015 crime rates in the UCR data includes Calabasas (11.71 crimes per 1,000 residents), Agoura Hills (15.5) and Westlake Village (the L.A. County side, with 8,522 residents) with 23.59.

Overall, there are nearly 9,400 cities measured in the UCR. Of these, 214 cities had a total of zero reported crimes in 2015. The average population of these 214 cities was 870.

* The FBI cautions comparative use of this data for drawing conclusions by making direct comparisons between cities. Comparisons lead to simplistic and/or incomplete analyses that often create misleading perceptions adversely affecting communities and their residents. Keep this in mind when reviewing this data, which is summed up here for informational purposes only.