Eateries That Opened in the First Half of 2023 and are Coming Soon to the Conejo Valley and Greater Ventura County

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We’re mid-way through 2023 and have already seen several new dozen new eateries opening in the Conejo Valley and nearby areas, with another several dozen working to open in the coming months. See the list below.

New Eateries That Opened in the First Half of 2023

Throwback Moment: Price-Costco Store Opened in Westlake Village in August 1996

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Costco Westlake Village seen from the North Ranch Open Space

Let’s face it…the Westlake Village Costco is one of the most popular places to go in the Conejo Valley. Always teeming with shoppers and sample hunters, it seems the local community would be lost without this store.

Let’s go back in time to when it opened…

The store opened its doors as PriceCostco on Thursday, August 8, 1996 at 5700 Lindero Canyon Road. Price-Costco was formed in 1993 with the merger of Price Club (which opened its first location on July 12, 1976 in San Diego) and Costco (which opened its first warehouse in Seattle on September 15, 1983).

One of my life’s guilty pleasures…the $1.50 Costco Hot Dog and Soda deal.

One of my guilty pleasures…the $1.50 Costco Hot Dog and Soda deal.

Who remembers PriceCostco? The merger between the two companies took place in 1993. Price Club was being pursued by Walmart to merge with the Sam’s Club warehouse store chain. Price opted to merge with Costco instead. And wallah…PriceCostco was created. At the time, there were 206 locations. As of August 2022, there are 838 Costco locations worldwide.

The prior management team from Price Club, the Price brothers, left the company in 1994 and in 1997, “Price” was dropped from the name and it became Costco.

According to a 1/4/96 VC Star article, PriceCostco purchased the 30 acre site at Lindero Canyon Road and Westlake Boulevard in Westlake Village for $9.3 million, with plans for a 136,000 sq ft Price Club.

Local residents were against the addition of the warehouse club to the community. City Council approved the project as it was allowed as part of a long-term commercial development agreement in place with owners of the property. However, the city stipulated approval was required for specifics like exterior color scheme, roofing materials in earth tone colors, etc.

Flashback to 2009: There were high hopes for a 2nd Conejo Valley Costco location in Newbury Park at the corner of Grande Vista Drive and Academy Drive. But according to a T.O. Acorn article on 1/29/09, Costco could not make the project economically feasible as it was “unable to finalize a lease for the site.”

It is clear that Costco prefers to own its land and buildings, not lease them. In Costco’s annual Form 10-K filing for the fiscal year ended August 29, 2021, fully 79% of its 815 warehouses around the world were owned; the remaining 19% were leased.

Lowe’s and LA Fitness were able to work a deal with owners of the property in Newbury Park and the City of Thousand Oaks Planning Commission approved the project to build locations there at a meeting on 12/13/10. Lowe’s Newbury Park opened on July 4, 2019.

New Eateries That Opened in 2022 and Coming Soon to the Conejo Valley and Greater Ventura County as We Enter 2023

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We’re at the end of 2022, just a week away from 2023. Here’s a compilation of the some of new local eateries that opened in the Conejo Valley and surrounding areas in 2022 and eateries anticipated to be opening soon in the new year.

New Eateries That Opened in 2022

Eateries That Are Anticipated to Open in 2023

Registered Voters in Ventura County in October 2022 vs May 2022

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The Ventura County Registrar of Voters website has up to date counts showing the number of registered voters in Ventura County. From time to time we like to take a look at that data and compare it to prior years.

On October 29, 2022, there were 504,897 registered voters in Ventura County, a slight drop of 1,131 registered voters as of May 11, 2022. Here is the breakdown by affiliation:

  • 220,697 Democrats (a 741 voter increase in 5 months) (43.7% of all registered voters)

  • 141,852 Republicans (a 1,375 voter decrease) (28.1% of all registered voters)

  • 104,542 Nonpartisans (a 1,419 voter decrease) (20.7% of all registered voters)

  • 37,806 Other (a 922 voter decrease) (7.5% of all registered voters)

In May 2019, there were 445,217 registered voters, including:

  • 176,712 Democrats

  • 130,228 Republicans

  • 110,225 Nonpartisans

  • 28,052 Other

On May 12, 2012, there were 406,644 registered voters in Ventura County, consisting of:

  • 157,539 Democrats

  • 150,919 Republicans

  • 77,994 Nonpartisans

  • 20,192 Other

Can’t remember if you are eligible to vote? Look it up at THIS LINK. What I’ve found with this Voter Eligibility Search function is that, unlike a search engine, your search terms have to be precise. If you are registered as Richard King, if you type Rich King into the search, it will not find you.

Register to vote online at registertovote.ca.gov.

The California "Middle Class Tax Refund" Will Be Paid Out in October 2022 through January 2023

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The State of California will be issuing tax refunds totaling about $9.5 billion to approximately 23 million Californians starting mid-October through mid-January 2023. This refund is called the Middle Class Tax Refund and was included in the $308 billion California state budget for the fiscal year July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2023.

The Middle Class Tax Refund payout will be as much as $1,050 per household, based on 2020 California “adjusted gross income” (CA AGI) on your tax return.

Qualifications:

  • Must have filed your 2020 tax return by October 15, 2021

  • Must have CA AGI that falls below certain parameters (shown below)

  • Have been a CA resident for at least 6 months in 2020

  • Was not eligible to be claimed as a dependent in 2020

  • Must be a CA resident on the date the payment is issued

Payment Amounts on Married Filing Joint Tax Returns:

  • CA AGI $150,000 or less: $1050 with dependent; $700 without dependent

  • CA AGI $150,001 to $250,000: $750 with dependent; $500 without dependent

  • CA AGI $250,001 to $500,000: $600 with dependent; $400 without dependent

(So let me get this straight. Our government is going to cut a check for $400 to a couple without kids who earned $500,000 in 2020. Mastro’s is going to be busy!)

Payment Amounts on Head of Household Tax Returns:

  • CA AGI $150,000 or less: $700 with dependent; $350 without dependent

  • CA AGI $150,001 to $250,000: $500 with dependent; $250 without dependent

  • CA AGI $250,001 to $500,000: $400 with dependent; $200 without dependent

Payment Amounts on Single and Married Filing Separate Tax Returns:

  • CA AGI $75,000 or less: $700 with dependent; $350 without dependent

  • CA AGI $75,001 to $125,000: $500 with dependent; $250 without dependent

  • CA AGI $125,001 to $250,000: $400 with dependent; $200 without dependent

How Payments Will Be Received

  • If you filed electrically and used the direct deposit option on your return (assuming you had a refund), your payment will be received by direct deposit.

  • Otherwise you’ll be paid via debit card.

For more information, visit the Franchise Tax Board “Middle Class Tax Refund” page at taxrefund.ca.gov.

Questions That Come to Mind (that are not addressed by the Franchise Tax Board):

  • What happens if your banking information changed since then? Don’t know for sure but I suspect the payment would bounce and they would send you a debit card.

  • What happens if your filing status changed from 2020 to today? For example, I was married in 2020 and filed jointly but am single and available (hint hint) today in 2022? Who gets our $1,050 (married, one dependent)? Me or my ex-spouse? Good question. No idea. The FTB did not provide alternative scenarios, so I’d imagine the primary spouse on the return will receive the payment.. You might have to track down the ex for your half.

  • I was single in 2020 but am married today with a toddler. How much do I get? The FTB bases the payment on your filing status in 2020, so both you and your spouse will receive payments, if any, based on that.

  • What happens if I lose the gift card? Well, you’ll have to bring that up with the FTB. Good luck! Best advice - don’t lose it.

  • I didn’t file a tax return in 2020 because my gross income and CA AGI were less than the filing requirements published by the Franchise Tax Board. Otherwise, I met all the other requirements for the refund. How can I get it? Unless the FTB amends its initial rules to address your situation, it appears you are out of luck. But visit the taxrefund.ca.gov website for possible updates.

  • I made $17.50 an hour at The Taco Shack in 2020 and will receive a $350 refund. My brother George pulled down $250,000 in 2020 as VP of Stuff at Bookoo Bucko, Inc. and will receive $200. How is that fair? Does that make any sense? Pretty much no, but let’s look at it in a different way. You’re getting 20 hours’ pay. George is only getting a couple hours’ pay. Feel better now?

  • I think this whole thing is stupid. The entire $9.5 billion should be used to fund nine desalinization plants along the California coast. How do I tell them to keep the money as I think this is a waste? I don’t think there’s a mechanism in place to not take the refund. But if it’s burning a hole in your pocket, hit the CVG Tip Jar at bit.ly/SupportCVG!

Street Number Painting on Your Curb in Thousand Oaks

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curbaddresspainting.jpeg

Did you ever wonder about those notices taped to your mailbox asking for $20 to paint a new curb address at your house? I think I paid $10 one time years ago and they did do a good job (and it saved me the time and effort of attempting to do it myself).

But these notices never seem to have a name or phone number on them. Just mysteriously taped to my mailbox.

According to the Thousand Oaks Public Works Department at 805.449.2400, this practice requires an encroachment permit and to date no one has filed for one.  The permit costs $320 (in 2022 - it was $126 in 2017) for an entrepreneur, or no cost for non-profit organizations and fundraisers (booster clubs, etc.).  The permit is good for a year.

Public Works requires that the provider's name and number be indicated on the notice.

More information at www.toaks.org/home/showdocument?id=692.

Anyone can paint their own curb address.  The numbers must be at least 3 inches high (preferably 4 inches), stenciled in black on white background.  It must cover up the previous numbers but if there weren't any, they must be within 3 feet of the driveway on the same side as the house.

The recent notice offered an American flag in full color painted along with the address for an extra $5.  This is very patriotic and if everyone did it would be quite cool, but technically the City only allows numbers on the curb, no images.  So fly the flag high but don't be painting it on the curb.

You are now educated on the topic of curb address painting in Thousand Oaks.

Originally posted in January 2009. Updated August 2017. and 2022.

Level 4 Emergency Water Conservation Measures Go Into Effect by June 1, 2022 (Conejo Valley Water Providers)

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Here is a compilation of Level 4 water conservation measures issued by local water providers in the Conejo Valley and some surrounding areas that are to go into effect on June 1, 2022.

California American Water Announcement:

Due to the significant statewide drought conditions severely reducing water supplies to Southern California Emergency Water Conservation Measures will go into effect on June 1, 2022.

The Metropolitan Water District and Calleguas Municipal Water District (California American Water’s wholesaler) have passed down requirements to limit watering to one-day-per-week.

On June 1, 2022, California American Water’s Ventura County District customers should follow the below updated watering schedule.

Thousand Oaks, Newbury Park and Camarillo Customers Watering Schedule

ONE-DAY-A-WEEK
Residential Odd Address (Addresses ending in 1, 3, 5, 7, 9): Saturday
Residential Even Address (Addresses ending in 2, 4, 6, 8, 0): Sunday
Non-residential (including multi-family apartments, retail and commercial properties, churches, schools, and parks): Wednesday
No Watering Monday through Friday for Residential Properties
To avoid evaporation, we recommend customers please water outdoors before 9:00 a.m. or after 8:00 p.m.
Watering is limited to a total of 15 minutes per station per allowed day
Hand watering with a garden hose/nozzle and Low-flow irrigation systems (Including drip irrigation and micro spray) that emits less than two gallons per hour are exempt from day of week and time limitation except for irrigation of turf
Turf grass irrigation (irrigation timer or garden hose) only permissible on allowed watering day

www.amwater.com/caaw/Conservation/District-Resources/Ventura/

City of Thousand Oaks Water Announcement on May 25th

City of Thousand Oaks Water announced the adoption of Level 4 water conservation measures effective immediately. The city indicates it must reduce water use by 50% to avoid banning all outdoor water use later this year. More details at www.toakswater.org.

Irrigation

  1. Watering hours: NO watering allowed between 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.

  2. Watering days: One day per week; Saturday for odd-numbered addresses and Sunday for even-numbered (and no) addresses.

  3. Extra irrigation day for specific permitted uses: Wednesday is the allowed extra day for active playing fields, active play areas at licensed daycare centers, golf course greens and fairways, school play fields, vegetable gardens less than 300 SF, engineered slopes, and fuel modification zones.

  4. Trees and shrubs: Hand-watering is allowed on additional days to keep trees and shrubs alive, as necessary. Hand-watering includes the use of a hand-held bucket or similar container, or a hand-held hose equipped with a positive self-closing water shut-off nozzle or device.

  5. Fix leaks, breaks, or malfunctions within 48 hours.

  6. No excessive water runoff or overspray.

  7. Rainfall: No irrigation during and within 48 hours after rainfall measuring 0.25 inches or more.

  8. Low volume system: Irrigating with other than low volume systems or hand-watering is prohibited except for active school and public playing fields, active play areas at licensed daycare centers, golf course greens and fairways, engineered slopes, and fuel modification zones.

  9. Sprinkler systems: Traditional sprinklers (other than low volume) may be used only until July 31, 2022, to provide 60 days for transitioning sprinkler systems to low volume. Sprinklers are subject to the one day per week watering restriction with a limit of 15-minutes of watering per irrigation zone.

Other Requirements

  1. No washing down hard or paved surfaces.

  2. Vehicle washing: Use of potable water for washing vehicles at home, by mobile services, and for community events is prohibited.

  3. Water misters: Use of water misters is prohibited.

  4. Swimming pool covers: Outdoor swimming pools shall be covered when not in use.

  5. Swimming pools and spas: Draining and re-filling pools and spas of more than one foot with potable water is prohibited. A City waiver is required to drain pools and spas for leak repairs.

  6. Ornamental lakes, ponds, or running-water features: Filling or re-filling ornamental lakes, ponds, or running-water features with potable water is prohibited, except to sustain aquatic life of significant value.

  7. Dust Suppression: Potable water use for dust suppression is prohibited unless approved through a City waiver.

See full press release at www.toaks.org/Home/Components/News/News/13578/993.

California Water Service Announcement:

(Cal Water's Westlake District was formed in 1983 with the purchase of the Westlake Water Company. Cal Water purchases imported surface water from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) through Calleguas Municipal Water District.)

Stage 2 Irrigation Day Restrictions:

  • Street address ending in odd number: Watering allowed on Tuesday and Saturday

  • Street address ending in even number or no number: Watering allowed on Wednesday and Sunday

  • Exceptions: Landscape that uses exclusively drip and/or micro-spray irrigation systems, irrigating with hand-held bucket or similar container, with continuously monitored hose fitted with shut-off nozzle.

  • Penalties: 1st violation - real-time water measurement device installed on customer meter. 2nd violation $50 penalty. 3rd violation $100 penalty. 4th violation or egregious violation - flow restricting device installed.

  • Conservation rebates for high efficiency clothes washer, toilet, smart irrigation controller, high efficiency sprinkler nozzles, lawn to garden and spray to drip.

  • Lawn to garden program: $3 per sq ft of lawn removed, with 50% converted to drought-tolerant landscaping.

  • Spray to drip program: $.50 per sq ft of landscaping converted from standard spray irrigation system to drip system.

calwater.com/conservation and calwater.com/drought

Calleguas Municipal Water District Announcement:

(Calleguas Municipal Water District (Calleguas) operates as a member agency of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (Metropolitan). Metropolitan provides Calleguas with imported water supplies, which Calleguas in turn distributes on a wholesale basis to water agencies that serve the communities and cities (Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks, Moorpark, Camarillo, Oxnard, and Port Hueneme) in southeast Ventura County. Imported water supplies account for approximately 80 percent of all potable water uses in this area.)

Mandatory Irrigation Watering Schedule for Ventura County Waterworks Districts 1 (Moorpark), 17 (Bell Canyon), 19 (Somis) and 38 (Lake Sherwood) Customers

  • Even numbered addresses: Sundays only

  • Odd numbered addresses: Saturdays only

  • Only applies to non-functional, ornamental turf (lawns) and excludes turf located in parks, sports fields, and school playground fields.

  • Hand watering or efficient drip irrigation of trees, shrubs and/or plants is permitted as needed to support their health and ability to recover.

  • No irrigation between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.

  • Irrigate no more than 15 minutes per zone (does not apply to low-flow drip irrigation).

  • Does not apply to areas that are irrigated with recycled water.

  • Applies to all customer classifications except agriculture.

  • Residential Swimming Pools and Spas: Refilling of more than one foot and initial filling of residential swimming pools and spas is prohibited. Those with an already approved building permit (as of 5/31/22) for a pool or spa are exempt from this prohibition.

  • Penalties: 1st violation - written notice of violation. 2nd violation - $100 if within 12 months of 1st violation. 3rd violation - $250. 4th violation - $500.

www.vcpublicworks.org/wsd/waterconservation