Ventura County Community Foundation Accepting Emergency Donations for Mountain Fire

The County of Ventura, in partnership with the Ventura County Community Foundation, has established an emergency fund accepting donations to support community members and local nonprofit organizations most affected by the Mountain Fire. The Ventura County Wildfire Relief and Recovery Fund is open for giving at vccf.org/donate, and is dedicated to supporting individuals and nonprofit organizations that provide essential aid to those most affected in times of crisis. One hundred percent of contributions go directly toward relief efforts, focusing resources on those who need it most.

On Nov. 6, a wildfire broke outside of Moorpark following Santa Ana winds reaching 40 to 80 miles per hour. The fire has grown to 20,596 acres as of Nov. 8 according to VC Emergency, with 7% containment. VCCF has previously stewarded millions of dollars in donations for the Thomas, Hill, and Woolsey Fires, ensuring the funds had the most impact and supported those most affected. VCCF continues to monitor the status of the Mountain Fire, working with its nonprofit and government partners to best respond to the county’s needs.

"Through the Ventura County Wildfire Relief and Recovery Fund, our community has a vital lifeline for those impacted by the wildfire,” said Dr. Sevet Johnson, CEO of Ventura County. “This fund stands as a testament to our county's unwavering commitment to provide swift and direct support to individuals and nonprofit organizations on the front lines of relief efforts. Ventura County is both compassionate and resilient, always ready to stand together and support one another in times of need.”

VCCF encourages all community members to stay informed and make safe decisions in the face of this emergency. Information on evacuation zones and shelters can be accessed at vcemergency.com or by calling (805) 465-6650.

“Ventura County has faced devastating wildfires over the years, but the resilience and generosity of our community is stronger,” said VCCF Board Member Leah Lacayo. “We are so grateful to the County of Ventura and our first responders for their heroic efforts to keep our community safe. Your community foundation is here to help, especially during times of disaster, and has set up this fund to support relief and recovery efforts.”

About VCCF

Established in 1987, the Ventura County Community Foundation has focused on building philanthropy in our region by stewarding legacies through careful management of the charitable capital entrusted to us. We are committed to a long-term perspective for Ventura County. We honor donor intent by protecting endowments forever and we specialize in connecting philanthropic resources with community needs for the benefit of all. We invest in the future through scholarships, grant making and collaborative partnerships. vccf.org

2024 City of Thousand Oaks Summer Beach Bus Service June 17 to August 10

City of Thousand Oaks Summer Beach Bus Service Returns For 2024

The City of Thousand Oaks will once again offer the Summer Beach Bus: a regular scheduled public transit service traveling weekdays between Thousand Oaks and Zuma Beach in Malibu and, new this year, Saturday service to Ventura Harbor Beaches. This will be the 11th year the service is being offered by Thousand Oaks Transit (TOT). The service runs Monday through Saturday from June 17 through August 10, except for July 4.

Two round trips will be available daily, Monday through Friday, to Zuma Beach and on Saturdays to Ventura Harbor Beaches. The fare is $4.00 round trip ($1.00 for seniors ages 65+ and persons with disabilities) cash only and is collected in person at the time of boarding. Students from kindergarten through college can ride the Beach Bus for free. The Beach Bus departs from two locations -- Borchard Community Center Parking Lot and the Thousand Oaks Teen Center Bus Stop. The Beach Bus drops off and picks up at Zuma Beach parking lot #8 Monday through Friday and picks up and drops off at Harbor Village and Harbor Cove Beach in Ventura.   

For exact departure times please refer to the timetable posted at each stop or for more information about the Summer Beach Bus, visit the Thousand Oaks Transit website at toaks.co/beachbus. Seating is limited and riders will be boarded on a first-come, first-served basis. Early arrival, at least 15 minutes in advance, is encouraged.

Parents and riders may track the bus location in real-time by visiting www.govcbus.com/map.

CSU Channel Islands Hosts a New Online Chumash Language Dictionary

Kaia Tollefson, Jenn Perry, Asha Ramachandra, Matthew Vestuto, Richard Yao, Salvador Tumamait-Ambriz

A Chumash dialect spoken by the Barbareño/Ventureño Band of Mission Indians thousands of years ago is alive and thriving with a new online Chumash language dictionary hosted by CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI).

Ventureño Chumash, also called mitsqanaqan, is one of six (some say seven) documented Chumashan languages, each named after a mission. There have been other Chumashan dictionaries, but this is the first online dictionary specific to the Barbareño/Ventureño Chumash. These are the indigenous people who lived in Ventura County and the northern Channel Islands for thousands of years.

Matthew Vestuto, Chairman of the Barbareño/Ventureño Band of Mission Indians (BVBMI) Tribal Council who is a self-trained linguist, has been working for years to get an online presence for the mitsqanaqan dictionary, which was developed by Cal State Fullerton (CSUF) Linguistics Lecturer Timothy Henry-Rodriguez and released in 2019.

Henry-Rodriguez began developing the dictionary when he was in graduate school in 2005 and was later aided by a National Science Foundation Documenting Endangered Languages award for $25,000. He studied the notes of linguist and ethnologist John Peabody Harrington (1884-1961), who specialized in California indigenous people.

 After graduate school, Henry-Rodriguez met Vestuto, who helped do more research with the aid of other members of the BVBMI.

“Our last native speakers died in the 1960s and so we’re reliant upon the archival record,” Vestuto said.

When the dictionary was released in 2019, Henry-Rodriguez described it as a labor of love for him, his student researchers, and the researchers from the Barbareño/Ventureño tribe.

“First and foremost are the various Chumash speakers who, despite oppressive social conditions and economic constraints, still understood the importance of recording their language and the urgency to do so,” Henry-Rodriguez wrote. “While they may not have known that all their hard work would come to fruition in the form of a dictionary, it is my hope that this work will honor all the hard work they did. Their bravery and strength truly inspire me continually.”

Although Henry-Rodriguez did the initial research and created the dictionary, he credits the BVBMI with working to get it online, which took place recently thanks to the expertise of CSUCI’s Information Technology Services team and the John Spoor Broome Library staff.

Vestuto and fellow researcher Salvador Tumamait-Ambriz were guests at a recent campus event in which the first phase of the dictionary was rolled out, with phases two, three and four to follow in the future.

CSUCI President Richard Yao took the podium to talk about the campus tradition of honoring the place where the University now sits, and the people who dwelled here. Yao also spoke about the President’s Chumash Advisory Council (PCAC), which was formed in 2023 between CSUCI and the BVBMI.

“In creating this Council, we acknowledge that the Chumash are the first people of the lands on which the University operates, and that CSUCI’s campus is on the unceded territory of the BVBMI,” Yao announced when the council was formed. “CSUCI has the responsibility and desire to maintain strong relationships with the BVBMI, and together we share a commitment to working in collaboration to be stewards of the land and of its natural and cultural heritage.”

The language began to disappear when the Spanish missionaries arrived in 1769 to build 21 missions up the California coast, forcing Chumash to work for them and introducing European diseases to which the Chumash had no natural immunity. The Chumash way of life - and their language - changed.

“The age-old American story is that when indigenous people went to boarding schools, they were taught their language was savage and not worthy and to not speak it,” Vestuto said. “That affects people. For a university to say, we hold your language in high esteem - to say it’s something we want to support - also affects us in a good way.”

CSUCI Professor of Anthropology and Executive Director of Regional Educational Partnerships Jennifer Perry, explained why this project is named the “House of Language.”

“By calling it the House of Language, we are referring to a living repository,” Perry said. “It’s not intended to preserve a static language, but to keep it alive and in practice and constantly evolving.”

Plans are underway to incorporate the Chumash language into the signage around campus, offering the name of a tree or plant, for example, in both English and Chumash. There are also plans to incorporate the Chumash language into the University curriculum.

“To us, the language is not imposed upon the land it comes from the land,” Vestuto said. “Language all around the world is like a living entity that pulses through the ages carrying crucial knowledge through the centuries, but it requires new breath. Our language was disrupted. We’ve developed a partnership with this campus and in doing so, we’ve also developed a friendship. The hosting of an online dictionary in our language is a major step toward assisting us in our healing.”

To access the mitsqanaqan (Barbareño/Ventureño Band of Mission Indians) dictionary, visit ciapps.csuci.edu/ChumashDictionary.

Mullin Automotive Museum in Oxnard to Close Its Doors February 10th

In light of the passing of Peter Mullin in September 2023, the Mullin Automotive Museum has announced it will close its doors on Saturday, February 10th.

Peter and Merle Mullin founded the Oxnard-based museum in 2010 to educate guests about 20th-century French automotive styling and design by showcasing the finest vehicles, sculptures and artifacts from the most-esteemed French master coachbuilders. The museum boasts nearly 47,000 square feet of exhibit space in an elegantly designed structure, which was previously owned by legendary newspaper publisher Otis Chandler. In addition to its sweeping gallery spaces, the museum includes a roof garden, theater, gift shop and archival storage.

Peter was inspired by Art Deco design and was equally passionate about sharing it with the public. To continue that legacy, four of the collection’s most iconic vehicles have been donated to the Petersen Automotive Museum. The 1937 Talbot-Lago T150 CS “Teardrop,” the 1938 Hispano Suiza H6B Dubonnet Xenia, the 1939 Delahaye 165 and the 1938 Delahaye 145 will now become part of the Petersen Automotive Museum, which Peter helped transform into the globally respected automotive institution it is today as part of a major overhaul a decade ago.

“Sharing these ‘rolling sculptures’ and beautiful art with others was Peter’s truest passion, and the museum helped bring that vision to life,” said Merle Mullin, director of the Mullin Automotive Museum. “We are deeply indebted to our staff, docents, volunteers, visitors and supporters who have dedicated their time and passion over the past 13 years. I hope past and first-time visitors will have a chance to say goodbye before we close.”

The museum will be open on a limited basis through Saturday, Feb. 10. Visit www.mullinautomotivemuseum.com for opening dates and hours.

The Los Angeles Rams to Move Practice Facility to Woodland Hills in 2024

Source: Los Angeles Rams

As anticipated, the Los Angeles Rams today announced that they will be moving to their new regular season practice facility in Woodland Hills in 2024. The facility will be located at the corner of West Oxnard Street and Canoga Avenue, part of 100 acres acquired by the owner of the Rams in 2022.

Cal Lutheran has provided temporary practice facilities to the Rams since their move to Los Angeles in 2016. It’s been a great ride hosting the team here in the Conejo Valley for the last seven years.

" Over the next few months, the Rams will set up a facility on this land consisting of modular trailers that will include office space and meeting rooms for coaches, players, scouts and staff, a weight room and training room, locker room, media room, and meal room. Adjacent to the trailers will be two football fields where the team will train and practice.

This is the first step of Kroenke's long-term vision for the land, which is part of the tremendous development envisioned for Woodland Hills under the Warner Center 2035 plan. Once the practice facility is set up, the organization will begin exploring a larger development that will include the permanent headquarters and practice facility for the team, as well as a plan to include residential, commercial, and retail uses along with green spaces and other community-serving amenities."

More information at www.therams.com.

City of Thousand Oaks Concludes Districting Process and Adopts Five-District Map

The Thousand Oaks City Council adopted an ordinance establishing the City’s first City Council district map and district-based elections.

Starting with the November 2024 election cycle, residents of Thousand Oaks will vote for one City Councilmember to represent the district they live in. Districts 4 and 5 are up for election in 2024, and Districts 1, 2, and 3 are up for election in 2026.

On March 15, the City received a letter challenging the City’s at-large election system and asserting that the system violated the California Voting Rights Act (CVRA). The City of Thousand Oaks began the districting process in April 2023 to protect itself from financial and legal risks and hired National Demographics Corporation as the demographers and Tripepi Smith to assist with community outreach efforts.

The City launched the process by creating a dedicated districting website, maptoaks.org, which provided background information about districting, a schedule of upcoming meetings, a form to submit communities of interest, mapping tools, draft maps submitted throughout the process, and answers to frequently asked questions. The website was regularly updated with new and relevant information throughout the process.

To gather public input and feedback on the district formation process, the City of Thousand Oaks held five public hearings and four community workshops:

•     May 9, 2023 - First public hearing

•     May 11, 2023 - Virtual community workshop

•     May 16, 2023 - Second public hearing

•     June 3, 2023 - In-person community workshop

•     June 20, 2023 - Third public hearing

•     June 22, 2023 - Virtual community workshop

•     June 24, 2023 - In-person community workshop

•     July 11, 2023 - Fourth public hearing and first reading of the ordinance

•     July 18, 2023 - Fifth public hearing and second reading of the ordinance

The community workshops gave residents an opportunity to learn more about why the City was pursuing a move to district-based elections and share input on communities of interest, and draft maps once they were available. The City’s demographer also demonstrated how to use the mapping tools made available for the public to create maps.

In addition to community workshops, the City encouraged Thousand Oaks residents to get involved in the process through regular outreach emails, phone calls to community-based organizations, social media posts, flyers, and pop-up events.

At the public hearings, City Council received an overview of the process, reviewed public comments, and examined draft maps submitted by the public and created by the demographer. After extensive public feedback and engagement in the process, the Council selected Map 106 B for adoption at the July 11 City Council meeting. Map 106 B divides the City into five districts and follows the legal criteria set forth in the CVRA.

    District 1 encompasses Newbury Park up to Ventu Park Road and follows the 101 Freeway as the northern border.

    District 2 includes the area surrounding Wildwood Regional Park, California Lutheran University and Los Robles Hospital. The district follows Moorpark Road on the northeast and includes Conejo Creek Equestrian Park. The southern region of the district follows Janss Road, down Lynn Road and goes west along the 101 Freeway.

    District 3 includes the communities east of Moorpark Road and follows Avenida de Las Flores as the southern edge. This district includes Lang Ranch Park and its surrounding open space.

    District 4 includes the Westlake Village area and the eastern side of Newbury Park from Ventu Park Road, containing the surrounding residential and commercial areas.

    District 5 includes the core of Thousand Oaks and takes in the business areas along Moorpark Road and Thousand Oaks Boulevard up to Westlake Boulevard. The western region of the district includes the California Botanical Garden.

For more information regarding the districting process and to see the district in which you reside, visit maptoaks.org.

Construction to Rebuild Facilities at Paramount Ranch and Rocky Oaks to Begin in June

The National Park Service has awarded a contract to AMG & Associates, Inc., a company based out of Santa Clarita, California, to rebuild park facilities in Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (SMMNRA) that were lost during the 2018 Woolsey Fire.

The project is slated to begin on June 12, 2023, with expected completion by fall 2024. Overall, the project will construct six new buildings to restore visitor services, employee housing, and administrative offices. Both sites will receive upgrades to utilities and the new buildings will meet current design codes and standards for accessibility and fire safety.

At Paramount Ranch, four buildings will be constructed in the footprints of historic Paramount Studios buildings. Three of these will accommodate film operations, but also be available as indoor or covered event spaces. The fourth new building at the Ranch will be a restroom.

At Rocky Oaks, one administrative building and one multi-plex housing unit will be constructed.

“Paramount Ranch is one of the only location film ranches that has been in continuous use since the Golden Age of Hollywood. It welcomed the dawn of television and the streaming era,” said David Szymanski, superintendent for SMMNRA. “It is the National Park Service's only site dedicated to interpreting American film history and we are excited to bring the excitement back.”

Construction will occur five days a week—Monday through Friday between 6 a.m. and 5 p.m. No regular work will be performed on weekends or federal holidays unless there’s a weather delay or unforeseen situation. Park officials will monitor fire weather forecasts and take necessary precautions during red flag days.

The Paramount Ranch trail system will remain open to hikers, cyclists, and equestrians during the project, but the construction area itself will be closed to the public and surrounded by fencing. See map here.

Visitors will continue to park on the east side of Medea Creek and will be able to access the restrooms across the street.

Hikers and cyclists will be allowed access over the Medea Creek bridge and guided around construction fencing to access the trail system.

Equestrians will access the trail system via the creek crossing north of the visitor parking area (see map below). The Medea Creek bridge and the construction area are too hazardous for horse riders during the project.

There may be temporary closures of the Medea Creek bridge (up to 20 minutes) if the contractor is moving heavy equipment or supplies.

Rocky Oaks will remain open for recreational use as well. The construction project will take place in the already-closed administrative area to the west of the visitor parking and trailhead. One trail segment will be closed that runs through the construction area, but this closure will not affect public access to the rest of the trail system.

Visit Paramount Ranch: Past, Present, and Future for more information about the history of the Ranch, the Woolsey Fire, and what will be reconstructed. The Environmental Assessment and the Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for this project are both available on the NPS Planning, Environment, and Public Comment webpage.

Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (SMMNRA) is the largest urban national park in the country, encompassing more than 150,000 acres of mountains and coastline in Ventura and Los Angeles counties. A unit of the National Park Service, it comprises a seamless network of local, state and federal parks interwoven with private lands and communities. As one of only five Mediterranean ecosystems in the world, SMMNRA preserves the rich biological diversity of more than 450 animal species and 26 distinct plant communities. For more information, visit www.nps.gov/samo.   

National Park Service Capture Black Bear in the Santa Monica Mountains for Studies on April 23rd

On April 23, National Park Service biologists captured and radio-collared a 210-pound black bear in a natural area of the western Santa Monica Mountains south of the 101 Freeway. Photos here.

The male bear, dubbed BB-12, is estimated to be about 3-4 years old. Biologists performed a full workup on the bear, including collecting biological samples, taking various body measurements, attaching an ear tag, conducting a physical exam, and fitting a GPS radio-collar around its neck.

Though there have been bear sightings over the years, this is the first time biologists have captured and radio-collared a bear in the Santa Monica Mountains. The nearest population of black bears is in the Santa Susana Mountains, north of the 118 Freeway. Although bears have occasionally been documented in the Simi Hills, south of 118, and even in the Santa Monica Mountains, south of the 101 Freeway, there is no evidence of a breeding population in either area.

“He appears to be the only bear here in the Santa Monica Mountains, and he’s likely been here for almost two years based on our remote camera data,” said Jeff Sikich, the lead field biologist of the park’s two-decade mountain lion study. “This seems to be our first resident bear in the 20 years we have conducted mountain lion research in the area. It will be interesting to see how he shares the landscape with our other resident large carnivores.”

In July 2021, a young black bear was spotted lumbering along Reino Road in Newbury Park. Since then, images of a bear have been seen on wildlife trail cameras in half of the Santa Monica Mountains - from Malibu Creek State Park to the range’s western border in Point Mugu State Park. Biologists say BB-12 may be the same bear.

Though there have been bear sightings over the years, this is the first time biologists have captured and radio-collared a bear in the Santa Monica Mountains. The nearest population of black bears is in the Santa Susana Mountains, north of the 118 Freeway. Although bears have occasionally been documented in the Simi Hills, south of 118, and even in the Santa Monica Mountains, south of the 101 Freeway, there is no evidence of a breeding population in either area.

Bears are omnivores and can live between 15 and 25 years. They will eat whatever is available, primarily fruits, nuts, roots, and insects. They will also eat small animals, up to and including deer, if they can get them, human food (such as in cars or at campsites), pet food, unsecured trash, and consume dead animals they find.

“As this bear gets older and is looking to mate, it might attempt to move back north and cross the freeway again,” Sikich said. “There is no evidence of an existing population here in the Santa Monica Mountains, and therefore likely no females. With the radio-collar, we can track its movements and hopefully know where it may attempt to cross the freeway. This can help us better understand habitat connectivity for wildlife in the area.”

Bear sightings have been rare in the Santa Monica Mountains. In the early 2000’s, a bear carcass was discovered under a landslide in Malibu Creek State Park. In 2016, a bear was documented three times over three months on wildlife trail cameras in the central portion of the mountains but then never detected again.

Other black bears have occasionally been spotted through the years north of the 101 Freeway in the Simi Hills. Previous news reports include a bear spotted near Westlake High School in 2006 and one that was killed by a vehicle on the northbound 101 Freeway near Lindero Canyon Blvd.

The nearest population of black bears is in the Santa Susana Mountains. Grizzly bears formerly roamed the entire state but became extinct in the early 1900’s. Black bears, however, are not native to Southern California.

In the 1930s, about 30 bears from Yosemite National Park were translocated into the San Gabriel and San Bernardino Mountains. From there, their population grew and expanded, biologists say.

Black bears rarely become aggressive when encountered, and attacks on people are uncommon. If you encounter a bear while hiking, keep a safe distance and slowly back away. Let the bear know you are there. Make yourself look bigger by lifting and waving your arms and making noise by yelling, clapping your hands, using noisemakers, or whistling.

DO NOT run and do not make eye contact. Let the bear leave the area on its own. If a bear makes contact, fight back.

NPS biologists say they are excited to add this bear, as a new species, to its wildlife study in the Santa Monica Mountains. They expect it will help provide new insights on how wildlife utilizes this urban, fragmented landscape.

Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (SMMNRA) is the largest urban national park in the country, encompassing more than 150,000 acres of mountains and coastline in Ventura and Los Angeles counties. A unit of the National Park Service, it comprises a seamless network of local, state and federal parks interwoven with private lands and communities. As one of only five Mediterranean ecosystems in the world, SMMNRA preserves the rich biological diversity of more than 450 animal species and 26 distinct plant communities. For more information, visit www.nps.gov/samo.    

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