Photos From Janss Conejo Ranch in 1960-1961 in What is Now Wildwood Park

In the 1930s to 1960s, a number of TV shows and movies were filmed in what is now Wildwood Park, like Gunsmoke, The Rifleman, Spartacus and Wuthering Heights. Steve Dibblee of Ventura Views has provided these shots taken by his father, Walt Dibblee, of a western ranch town in Wildwood Park in 1960-1961.

You can see the same, familiar Mountclef Ridge in Wildwood Park today

Steve indicated the above photo shows The Rifleman's house and barn. It may also have been used in "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance."

And here is a bit of a depressing scene at the ranch on September 28, 1960.

View more of Walt's Ventura County area photography, including an extensive collection of aerials from the mid 1950s to the late 1960s, at VenturaViews.com.

Christmas Tree Lane in Downtown Oxnard is a Fun Residential Holiday Display

Every holiday season, one of Ventura County's biggest residential light displays lights up the historic section of Downtown Oxnard on F and G streets between 5th and Palm. Worth a visit! And check out the holiday decorated pagoda at nearby Plaza Park. More information at www.oxnardhistoricdistrict.com.

For the 2017 holiday season, Christmas Tree Lane will be on display by local residents nightly from 6-10PM from December 10 to December 26.

Video and photos below from prior year Christmas Tree Lane displays.

Christmas Tree Lane Visitor Tips from the Oxnard Historic District:

Visitors are asked not to walk in private yards or driveways, unless allowed by residents.

Visitors can walk the route (the best way to fully take it all in) by parking on adjacent side streets and making the 10 block loop. Warm attire is recommended.

Visitors in vehicles are asked to keep headlights on for safety reasons. Old timers to Ventura’s Candy Cane Lane remember the rule of turning off your headlights off, but with three cross streets on Christmas Tree Lane and significantly more visitors headlights must be on for everyone’s safety.

Please respect the privacy of all residents. Please keep children attended with adults at all times, do not allow them to touch or climb on any exhibits - this is for their own safety!

Please be courteous when the crowds are larger on weekends and the sidewalks are congested.

Christmas Residential Holiday Light Display on Gemini/Waverly in Camarillo

As in many Christmas seasons past, homes on Gemini Avenue and Waverly Avenue south of Dunnigan Street in Camarillo are decked out with cartoon characters, trains, Santa, snowmen, and plenty of lights and other decorations this 2017 holiday season.

Drive the route or park and walk any night of the week. It is worth going out of your way for! From the the 101, take Arneill north past Ponderosa to Dunnigan. Turn right on Dunnigan and Gemini is the 4th street on your right. We've been stopping by this familiar display for years. 

How to Change Background Themes In the New Firefox Quantum

For over a decade I've been a Firefox user but in recent years my Web browser usage has migrated more towards Google Chrome because Firefox has slowed and consumed too much memory. I frequently had to close and restart Firefox as it slowed and/or froze so frequently.

Today when I turned on my computer, Firefox installed version 57.0, Firefox Quantum. Mozilla says that it is better, faster and uses less memory! GOOD! They also say it is 30% "lighter" than Chrome, which alludes to memory usage. GREAT!

Hoping for the best with this new Firefox update! But one thing annoyed me when it first opened on my screen. The tabs were dark with white font. I don't like that. I right-clicked and messed around, hoping to change it back to the light background I was used to, to no avail. I searched the Web for answers and couldn't find anything quickly for mere mortals like myself.

Then I happened upon the quite simple answer and screenshotted it for those, like me, who aren't fans of change when forced upon us.

Here's the annoying (to me in any case) browser tabs and menu that came with the new Firefox Quantum. How to change it? Click the menu item and scroll to Customize.

In the Customize menu screen, click Themes.

Then you will see the background Themes that came with Firefox Quantum. I changed it from the Default Theme to the Light Theme and, wallah, my issue was gone. There are plenty of other Themes out there by clicking Get More Themes. Not me, though. I like it simple.

Firefox color scheme is back to the same ole boring look I've used for years. YES!

It Will Be Illegal for California Employers to Ask for Salary Information Effective January 1, 2018

Recently signed into law in the State of California was AB-168 "Employers: salary information." This law prohibits all employers in the state to ask for salary history information from job applicants. Salary history is defined to include compensation as well as benefits.

The law goes on to say that the salary history information cannot be sought orally or in writing, personally or through an agent. 

This new law takes effect January 1, 2018.

The law does not preclude candidates to volunteer such nor prohibit employers from using that information to determine the salary for the applicant.

The goal of this law is to narrow the wage gap of men and women by removing the past pay variable from the equation. AB-168 also requires that employers, upon reasonable request, must provide the pay scale for a position to a job candidate. Of course, the law does not define "reasonable" or how narrow or wide the pay scale must be.

Text of AB-168 at THIS LINK.

Citroën Exhibit at Mullin Automotive Museum in Oxnard to Celebrate 100 Years in Operation

The Mullin Automotive Museum will offer a one of a kind retrospective on one of France's greatest automakers featuring work from its beginning to the present day. The exhibit opened to the public on Saturday, March 11th, 2017 and is the largest Citroen exhibit ever held in the U.S.  

"Citroën: The Man, The Marque, The Mystique," features cars from the entire history of the company as well as an in-depth look at Andre Citroën. The exhibit runs through the spring of 2018.

Citroën has built a reputation over the last 98 years as being a company willing to take risks and do things differently. It has managed to continually push the boundaries of technology and styling without losing its unique Gallic charm, something which is so evident in vehicles like the DS and the 2CV. Founded in 1919 by Andre Citroën, the company was responsible for building Europe’s first affordable mass-produced car, the Citroën Type A. The company also popularized the front wheel drive layout in addition to unibody construction and four-wheel independent suspension with its revolutionary Traction Avant executive car.

“Citroën is a marque that has always appealed to me on some level,” said Peter Mullin, founder and CEO of the Mullin Automotive Museum. “The way in which the company set about designing its often odd but always stunning vehicles, packing them with wildly innovative technologies, is fascinating to me. I’m so pleased that we will soon be able to share these incredible vehicles with the public who may not have ever seen them in person and I hope we’re able to create a new legion of Citroën devotees.”

“Citroën: The Man, The Marque, The Mystique” represents the most comprehensive look at the history of the famed French automaker ever attempted in North America and honors one of the world’s greatest and quirkiest manufacturers. The exhibition features 46 of the world’s most historic and unique Citroëns including a number of vehicles bodied by French coachbuilder Chapron, a rare twin-engined 2CV Sahara, a Traction Avant Cabriolet and an iconic HY Van. Visitors can also expect to see modern Citroëns such as the 2007 C6 and the 2009 C3 Pluriel as well as several late production model 2CVs dating from the 1980s and early 1990s, none of which were ever sold in the U.S.

The museum hosts semi-private tours available on Tuesdays and Thursdays and public days on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of the month. Tickets are encouraged to be purchased in advance through the Museum’s website. For more information, visit www.MullinAutomotiveMuseum.com or call 805.385.5400.

The Mullin Automotive Museum is located at 1421 Emerson Avenue, Oxnard. The museum is typically open to the public on the second and fourth Saturdays of every month from 10 AM to 3 PM. Tickets must be purchased in advance at www.MullinAutomotiveMuseum.com.

The first Citroën, the Type A, built in 1919.

Citroën DS

Ventura County Air Pollution Control District Old Car Buy Back Incentive Program

The Ventura County Air Pollution Control District (APCD) old car buy back program will pay you $1,000 to voluntarily retire your 1995 or older car, pick-up truck, van, or SUV. Funding of this program is limited and will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis until each year’s grant funds are depleted.

Motor vehicles produce more than half of the air pollution in Ventura County. Removing older, high-emitting vehicles from the roadways helps clean up the air.

To qualify for the buy back program, vehicles must be operational and registered in Ventura County. Additional eligibility requirements apply. To find out if your car qualifies, visit www.oldcarbuyback.com/ventura.php or call the Old Car Buy Back Hotline: (800) 717-7624.

You generally must show that the vehicle has been registered with the DMV under a Ventura County address for at least 24 months to be eligible. Other requirements must also be met.

APCD is required by state regulations to offer to sell any eligible vehicle to the public and hold the vehicle for a minimum of 10 days during which the vehicle will be made available for public inspection prior to dismantling. There is an Excel spreadsheet link at www.oldcarbuyback.com/ventura.php showing the vehicle inventory.