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

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 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.

Conejo Valley Guide Social Media Followers Say What They Enjoy the Most About the Conejo Valley

As part of a drawing for passes to the upcoming Conejo Valley Days event in Thousand Oaks, we asked Conejo Valley Guide Facebook and Instagram followers to tell us what they enjoy the most about living here in the Conejo Valley. Here’s a compilation of just a small sampling of their responses. Recurring themes - our open space and trails and sense of community.

I enjoy most the variety of places to eat and places to be outside in nature!

I love our beautiful hillsides and the wonderful local dining spots we’ve got.

I love the openness (when compared with the density of much of LA), the ease of parking almost anywhere, and all of the beautiful hiking trails!

The beautiful trees and rolling hills! So great for hiking and walking

Open space to enjoy year round thanks to always perfect weather & the overall safe feeling of the community.

The beautiful hiking trails and amazing school district.

I love the different types on nature we get to enjoy. Hiking through the hills, the beach, the (occasionally snow capped) mountains, visiting farms and seeing beautiful sunsets. So much beauty.

I love the wonderful people that live here, and all of the beauty that surrounds us!

We love the Conejo valley for its family atmosphere and beautiful open spaces. Also a bonus is that we are not too far from the ocean or LA.

Love the sense of commitment that exists here! Great place to raise families!

We have amazing community events and beautiful hiking trails.

Love all the nature around, it’s been preserved so well and still have so many fun things to do. Love the hikes and beautiful parks!

I love how close to nature we are here, how beautiful our town is.

I love how family friendly this town is!

The thing myself and my family loves most about the Conejo valley is how beautiful, safe and close knit it is. We wouldn’t want to live anywhere else!

Look around us! It's beautiful here!! Clean and peaceful.

The view of Boney! We’re so lucky to live in this gorgeous town.

I love the parks, the scenery, the amazing people, the kind neighbors, the rich sense of community and support for each other, so family friendly and dog friendly, and it feels safe.

The sense of community.

Hiking and making memories with my family at all the wonderful spots CV has to offer.

So many parks to choose from for my kids and the trails are great for hiking and running!

It’s a great dog friendly community!

One thing I love most about the Conejo Valley, is all the backroads that can be taken instead of the 23 or 101. And when it’s really quiet out, going for drives that go through hillsides where there isn’t a lot of traffic and noise, being able to look at everything from above. It really calms me down even when I’m just commuting.

We love the weather, the strong sense of community and how safe it is!

Love still having a small town feel with a lot of local owned business to support!

The parks for the kids.

I love that Conejo Valley is full of beautiful, relaxing scenery and outdoor activities like hiking, rock climbing, horseback riding, and more!

¡Me gusta los conejos!

Too many things to list!! Oak trees, hills, trails, parks, restaurants!! They are all my favorites.

I love the natural beauty that surrounds us, as well as the kind, wonderful community of people!

I love the clean air and beautiful people.

I love all the access to trails for hiking and running.

We just moved out here about a year ago and I still just get can’t over how beautiful it is. I love all the pretty flowers, trees, and Boney Mountain!

I love the Conejo Valley mostly because of its location, close proximity to beaches, city, and of course its natural beauty.

Kind neighbors.

The Conejo Valley has the best concerts in the park, hiking trails, breweries and so much more! I love it here!

How we are in a sweet spot where we can enjoy both the peacefulness but also enjoy knowing we're not far from the beach or LA.

What I enjoy the most are the beautiful sunsets, watching the baby bunnies that munch grass in my front yard and the parade of quails running across the trail in front of me.

My kids and I love the parks, hiking trails, beautiful oak trees, and a sense of feeling safe.

I enjoy the beautiful hiking trails and the awesome local events.

The bunnies!

Video Footage From the 1967 Conejo Valley Days Parade and Miss Conejo Pageant

This is a treat...video footage from the 1967 Conejo Valley Days Parade and Miss Conejo 1967 Beauty Pageant.

Speaking of Conejo Valley Days, the 2024 event is planned for June 20-30. Conejo Valley Days has been an annual community tradition since 1956. www.conejovalleydays.us

You may recognize scenes from Thousand Oaks Boulevard, though the Conejo Lodge and Sizzler are certainly long gone.

The Miss Conejo Pageant featured Miss Sally Shop, Miss Conejo Music Center, Miss A&W Root Beer, Miss Conejo Muffler, Miss Service Master, Miss Sizzler and others.

The Beach Boys 1991 "Crocodile Rock" Music Video Filmed at Golf N' Stuff Ventura

"Crocodile Rock" was written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin and become Elton John's first U.S. number one single in February 1973. Eighteen years later, the Beach Boys recorded the song. Funny thing is that our own Golf N' Stuff in Ventura is featured in this kind of silly music video released in 1991.

Roughly half the video features familiar scenes from Golf N' Stuff, including several of the more prominent holes and structures as well as the bumper boats. Yes, the Beach Boys are featured on the bumper boats in their fedoras at Golf N' Stuff, along an offbeat display of scenes featuring a crocodile on the piano admired by a woman in a pink bikini, brief glimpses of Randy's Donuts and a cameo appearance by John Stamos.

Golf N' Stuff is often part of our family outings in Ventura County. Sign up for their email club and receive periodic special offers. Golf N' Stuff is among over 100 venues on this compilation of birthday party options in and around Ventura County.

Rotary Club of Simi Sunrise "Simi Smiles" Peace Project Rock Exchange at Corriganville Park

Rotary Club of Simi Sunrise recently installed a community peace themed rock exchange at Corriganville Park, 7001 Smith Road, Simi Valley.

Through the efforts of Simi Sunrise, the city of Simi Valley has been established as an International City of Peace, one of 375 Cities of Peace in 70 countries.

To encourage the community to promote peace, students were invited to design hand-painted rocks to spread peace, love and friendship. Over 500 rocks with these themes were created and were placed in a large peace sign formation adjacent to the Corriganville Park parking lot.

Learn more about the Rotary Club of Simi Sunrise at rotaryclubofsimisunrise.org.

More on the International Cities of Peace movement at www.internationalcitiesofpeace.org. Other local Cities of Peace include Ojai, Santa Barbara and Los Angeles.

State of California Smog Check Program Requirements

I was about to renew my auto registration online as I’ve done mindlessly for many years, until I looked more carefully at the notice and I read the dreaded “STOP: SMOG Certification Required” imprinted near the top of the notice. I’ve owned the minivan for eight years and wondered, why NOW!?

The California Smog Check Program has been in place since 1984.and is administered by the Bureau of Automotive Repair, or BAR. BAR licenses independently owned smog check stations throughout the state.

THE BASICS

The BAR indicates a smog check is required EVERY OTHER YEAR as part of the vehicle registration process. It is also required when a vehicle changes ownership or when it is registered for the first time in California.

Every other year? That can’t be, because this was the first time I’ve been asked to do a smog check in the eight years since I owned the car, right?

The BAR goes on to explain that gasoline-powered vehicles, hybrid vehicles and alternative-fuel vehicles that are model year 1976 and newer require a smog check, with the following exceptions:

• Eight model years and newer do not require a biennial smog check.

• Four model years and newer do not require a change-of-ownership check.

In English, this means you need to add 8 to the model year of your vehicle to determine when you need to start doing biennial, or every other year, smog checks. For example, my 2014 minivan needs a smog test starting in 2022. And if I purchase a used 2018 vehicle in 2022, it would be subject to a smog check.

SMOG CHECKS ARE NOT REQUIRED FOR:

• 1975 or older vehicles

• Eight model years or newer vehicles

• Four model years or newer vehicles changing ownership

• Electric vehicles

• Motorcycles

• Tricycles (OK, I decided to throw this in to make sure you were paying attention.)

• Diesel vehicles model year 1997 and older

• Diesel vehicles with a gross weight of over 14,000 pounds

OTHER

Wait a second, my 2014 minivan is eight years old. Why this year, not next year, for the first smog check? Because the state assumes that model years are released in the calendar year prior to a vehicle’s model year. So regardless whether I purchased my brand new 2014 minivan in 2013 or 2014, it is assumed to be one model year old in 2014. That means, it is theoretically turning nine model years old in 2022. Hence, the need for a smog check for the first time in 2022.

If your smog check passes, hurray! The smog “certificate” is electronically submitted to the DMV and you are on your way to renew your vehicle registration. If it fails the test, you need to get it fixed, or you can visit a “smog check referee” for a second opinion.

“But I don’t want to get a smog check!” Well, then buy an electric car or a model 1975 or older car. Or buy a new car before your car turns eight model years old. Or move to a state like Alabama that doesn’t require emissions testing.

All About the New Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit for Tax Years Beginning in 2023

Prior to 2022, the federal “Nonbusiness Energy Credit” allowed for a lifetime tax credit of a maximum of $500 for installation of certain energy-efficient exterior doors, windows, skylights, certain roofs and insulation. It also could be used for the purchase of certain central air conditioners, electric heat pumps, gas water heaters and certain other appliances.

The property must be installed in your personal residence and the credit was based on 10% of the cost of the purchases. There were additional credit limits of $200 for exterior windows and skylights, $300 for heat pumps, central AC and water heaters, $150 for furnaces and boilers and $50 for qualified main air-circulating fans. This credit was extended through 2022 and is claimed on Form 5695, filed with your federal tax return.

The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 brought dramatic changes to this tax credit and renamed it the Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit (let’s call it EEHIC). Instead of a $500 lifetime cap, there’s a $1200 ANNUAL cap, and the credit is based on 30% of the purchase price, increased from 10%. Additionally, there is a separate $2,000 per year cap allowed for qualified heat pumps and heat pump water heaters, biomass stoves and boilers.

EEHIC covers two main categories of purchases - Energy Efficient Home Improvements and Residential Energy Property.

Energy Efficient Home Improvements include insulation materials, exterior windows, including skylights, and exterior doors that meet certain Energy Star requirements.

Residential Energy Property covered by EEHIC must meet or exceed certain high-efficiency standards and includes the following:

• Electric or natural gas heat pumps and heat pump water heaters

• Central air conditioners

• Natural gas, propane or oil water heaters, furnaces and hot water heaters

• Biomass stoves or boilers, oil furnaces and hot water boilers

• Improvements to or replacements of panelboards, sub-panelboards, branch circuits or feeders with a load capacity of 200 amps or more

What efficiency standards must be met? Here are some examples:

• Natural gas water heaters: ENERGY STAR certified models > 0.81 UEF (Uniform Energy Factor) for tanks less than 55 gallons and > 0.86 UEF for tanks greater than or equal to 55 gallons.

• Tankless gas water heaters: ENERGY STAR models with > 0.95 UEF are eligible. 

• Exterior windows and skylights: Must meet ENERGY STAR “Most Efficient” criteria. See www.energystar.gov/products/most_efficient

Home Energy Audits are another new category included in the EEHIC. This is an inspection and written report by a certified auditor that identifies energy efficiency improvements, including an estimate of energy and cost savings.

In addition to the annual $1200 and $2000 tax credit caps mentioned above, there are additional annual caps as follows:

• $250 cap on each exterior door, up to a total of $500 per year

• $600 annual cap on exterior windows and skylights

• $150 annual cap on home energy audits

• $600 annual cap on each Residential Energy Property item

How is the cost determined? Does it include installation? The cost of Energy Efficient Home Improvements (e.g. insulation, windows, doors) DO NOT include labor. Residential Energy Property (e.g. water heaters, central air, heat pumps), DO include the cost of labor. See IRS FAQs at THIS LINK posted 12/22/22 for more details.

How long is EEHIC in place? From 2023 through 2032 (at the current time).

Does EEHIC apply only to my primary residence? Yes for Energy Efficient Home Improvements (again - insulation, windows and doors). For Residential Energy Property, it can be in any U.S. home owned by the taxpayer.

Is the EEHIC carried to future years if I can’t use it? No. If your taxes are lower than the credit, lucky you! But no, any unused credit is not carried forward to future year tax returns.

How do you claim the EEHIC? Form 5695, filed with your federal tax return. Starting in the 2024 tax return, taxpayers will need to provide the qualified product identification number for any items purchased

Confused? Yes, so am I. But with this summary, your own research, dealers/retailers and your CPA, you’ll get this nailed down and take advantage of these new tax credits.

For a nine page IRS Fact Sheet about the Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit as well as the Residential Clean Energy Property Credit (e.g. solar credit, which is back to 30% from 2022 through 2032, then 26% in 2033 and 22% in 2034), visit www.irs.gov/pub/taxpros/fs-2022-40.pdf.

Learn more about Energy Star qualified products at www.energystar.gov/about/federal_tax_credits/non_business_energy_property_tax_credits.

One example of how to maximize the credit. Let’s say you’d like to replace 20 exterior windows on your home. The windows cost $400 apiece, excluding labor. If you install them all in one year, the cost would be $8,000 plus installation. $8,000 times 30% equals $2400, but your EEHIC is limited to $600, for a net cost of $7,400 plus installation. If you want to maximize the credit, you could buy 5 windows a year for 4 years at a cost of $2,000 per year, plus installation (ignoring inflation). By stretching the purchase over 4 years, you increase the tax credit from $600 to $2,400, for a net cost of $5,400 plus installation. Something to think about.

My Practical Experience

So I went to Home Depot to look for windows and water heaters that are qualified for EEHIC. I found a couple water heaters that met the requirements but the windows I had no clue which one did. So I thought, maybe I could figure it out by going back to the IRS Q&As at THIS LINK, which had a link to the ENERGY STAR website. So I entered my local zip code, which took me to a list of tax credits by product type at THIS PAGE. So I clicked Windows & Skylights Tax Credit at THIS PAGE. Then I clicked “Find Eligible Products” at THIS PAGE. Under Building Products I found the Windows, Door & Skylights category, which had a link to a “NFRC Directory” at THIS PAGE, where there are links to searches by region for the National Fenestration Rating Council. There’s no definition of what is in each region. So I guessed the Southern region, which I searched by product type, like Single and Double Hung Windows. From there, I saw a list of “Energy Star Partner” names. I picked Milgard, which then gave me a list of Milgard product lines that I’m going to assume meet the ENERGY STAR “most efficient” requirement (though it doesn’t clearly state that anywhere). So where do I buy these theoretically qualifying products? The site didn’t tell me. Bottom line: You’re probably going to have to just ask the retailer which products meet the IRS requirements as the IRS has not made this process easy.