Angel City Football Club to Train at Cal Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks

Cal Lutheran alumna and ACFC’s Director of Corporate Partnerships Alex Mallen, second from the left, played a key role in bringing the university and the club together. With her on North Field are Cal Lutheran Director of Athletics Holly Roepke, ACFC Supporter Relations Manager Austin Hilpert, ACFC Director of Soccer Operations Marisa Leconte, ACFC Vice President of Player Development and Operations Angela Hucles Mangano and Cal Lutheran Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Success Matthew Ward. (Photo credit: Tracie Karasik)

Today, Angel City Football Club (ACFC) announced that California Lutheran University will serve as the inaugural training site for the National Women’s Soccer League team.

Angel City, which is bringing women’s professional soccer back to Southern California, will begin practicing today at Cal Lutheran’s Thousand Oaks campus as it prepares for the 2022 season kicking off this spring.

"It’s wonderful to have a new home in Cal Lutheran, which provides the elements of a practice facility that an elite team needs to train at peak form,” said ACFC Vice President of Player Development and Operations Angela Hucles Mangano. “Finding so many high-quality features in one location in the greater Los Angeles area is rare, and Cal Lutheran has those elements.”

ACFC will provide internships to undergraduate and graduate students at Cal Lutheran, which began offering a bachelor’s degree in sports management in 2020. The organization’s staff members will guest lecture in a variety of Cal Lutheran classes, and club members will participate in chalk talks with student-athletes. The club’s leadership also will host students and staff at Angel City’s Los Angeles headquarters for an entrepreneurial workshop.

ACFC is one of the first majority female-founded, female-owned and female-run professional soccer teams. The team’s founders are Academy Award-winning actress and activist Natalie Portman; technology venture capitalist Kara Nortman; media and gaming entrepreneur Julie Uhrman; and venture capitalist, Seven Seven Six founder and former Executive Chair of Reddit Alexis Ohanian.

ACFC’s Director of Corporate Partnerships Alex Mallen, a Cal Lutheran alumna, played a key role in bringing the university and the club together.

As a component of the partnership, Angel City will support efforts to renovate the university's North Field, where it will practice, laying the foundation for the site of a future track after the club departs. The university has not had an on-campus track for its track-and-field teams since 2004.

The agreement allows the team to base its training operations at Cal Lutheran for at least two years with the possibility of an extension to a third year. In addition to North Field, Angel City will use facilities within William Rolland Stadium and Gilbert Sports and Fitness Center.

The university has a long history of partnerships with high-level athletic teams. Cal Lutheran has been home to the Los Angeles Rams training facility since 2016, and it hosted the Dallas Cowboys training camp from 1963 to 1989. The 2008 and 2012 U.S. Olympic men’s water polo teams trained in Samuelson Aquatics Center.

“Cal Lutheran is thrilled to develop this win-win partnership with Angel City. We take great pride in being a regional asset and having two professional teams currently using our beautiful campus as their professional training sites,” said Cal Lutheran President Lori E. Varlotta. “At the same time, we are pleased that this burgeoning relationship will provide our students with internships, access to stimulating guest lectures and a glimpse into what successful entrepreneurship looks like.”

ABOUT ANGEL CITY FOOTBALL CLUB

Angel City Football Club (ACFC), the 11th member of the National Women's Soccer League, will take the pitch in Spring 2022 and call Banc of California Stadium in downtown Los Angeles their home. Former England Women’s National Team forward Eniola Aluko leads the team as sporting director, and Freya Coombe is the team’s head coach. Learn more about ACFC at www.angelcity.com, and follow the team on social media @weareangelcity. Season tickets start at $180 for 12 home games, and group deposits are now on sale at https://angelcity.com/tickets.

ABOUT CALIFORNIA LUTHERAN UNIVERSITY

Cal Lutheran is based in Thousand Oaks, California, with additional locations in Woodland Hills, Westlake Village, Oxnard, Santa Maria and Berkeley. With an enrollment of about 3,800 students, Cal Lutheran offers programs through its College of Arts and Sciences, Graduate School of Education, Graduate School of Psychology, School of Management, School of Professional and Continuing Studies and Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary. Designated a Hispanic-Serving Institution by the U.S. Department of Education, Cal Lutheran attracts students from across the nation and around the world from a diversity of backgrounds, cultures and faiths. For more information, visit CalLutheran.edu.

National Park Service Releases Film "To Right a Wrong: The Story of Ballard Mountain"

Today, the National Park Service released a new 13-minute film called To Right a Wrong: The Story of Ballard Mountain, which documents a community effort to change the name of a local peak in Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (SMMNRA).

Previously known as a racial slur, the mountain was renamed in 2010 to honor the first black family to homestead in the Santa Monica Mountains. View the film below.

The short documentary details the efforts of area residents and historians to remove the offensive name from a local mountain, located south of the cities of Thousand Oaks and Agoura Hills, California. Their actions reverberated across the region and ended up reaching the modern-day Ballard family, descendants of John Ballard whom the mountain was eventually named for. The inspirational, heart-wrenching film chronicles the resiliency of a family who overcame incredible hardships.

"So often people will give attention to something because it's media worthy, but this was something that a group of folks thought was worthwhile," said great, great grandson Ryan Ballard referring to the renaming effort. Ryan’s father, 96-year-old Reggie Ballard, was also extensively interviewed for the film.

Local historian and Moorpark College history professor Patty Colman and residents Paul and Leah Culberg were instrumental in making the name change happen. They chronicle their recollections in the film, along with SMMNRA park superintendent David Szymanski.

"Ballard Mountain is the untold story of an African American family’s experiences in the Santa Monica Mountains and the City of Los Angeles,” Szymanski said. “It is important because it reminds us of the unrecognized people who passed our cities and parks down to us.”

Funding for the project was provided by the Santa Monica Mountains Fund and the National Park Service. The film was directed and filmed by Darius Dawson and edited by Austin Rourke, both alums of the American Film Institute in Los Angeles. It was written and narrated by Ana Beatriz Cholo, the public affairs officer for SMMNRA. Additional photography was provided by Kayla McCraren, the park's visual information specialist.

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 nps.gov/samo.

www.nps.gov/samo/learn/historyculture/ballard-family.htm

New Friday Afternoon Farmers' Market at Simi Valley Town Center to Premiere on March 11th

The Simi Valley Town Center is bringing back a farmers’ market on Fridays from 4-8pm, beginning March 11, 2022. Will feature food from local farms and vendors, entertainment, beer/wine/cider tasting and crafts.

Simi Valley also has a farmers’ market from 11am to 3:30pm on Fridays at the Simi Valley Civic Center Plaza at 2757 Tapo Canyon Road.

More on local area farmers’ markets throughout Ventura County and nearby areas at THIS LINK.

Ventura City Council Votes to Make "Main Street Moves" a More Permanent Downtown Attraction

UPDATE: In November 2024, Ventura City Council voted to continue Main Street Moves on a year-round basis indefinitely.

UPDATE: Ventura’s Main Street Moves is now extended to June 2024. Safely shop, sip, dine and stroll in the streets during Main Street Movies. More info at downtownventura.org/moves.

Ventura City Council moves toward making Main Street Moves a more permanent attraction in Downtown Ventura

The Ventura City Council voted 7-0 at its meeting on November 8 to make Main Street Moves long-term with a full closure of five blocks in Downtown Ventura, retaining the existing curb, gutter, and sidewalk configuration through a flexible design approach.

Discussions included maintaining a pedestrian-friendly area in keeping Main Street closed to traffic from San Buenaventura Mission to Fir Street, with an additional focus on potentially keeping California Street closed to traffic.

“During the pandemic, the City reimagined the use of public spaces and joined with Downtown Ventura Partners to launch Main Street Moves, which helped many local businesses not only survive but thrive,” said Mayor Sofia Rubalcava. “Thousands of people have expressed strong support for keeping streets closed and maintaining outdoor dining and shopping areas. It’s exciting to hear that kind of positive public response as we look at design, cost, and logistics for supporting a semi-permanent downtown street closure for Main Street Moves.”

Main Street Moves roadblock on California Street at Santa Clara Street in Downtown Ventura.

The design approach includes the installation of bollards at the intersections and furnishings that are removeable, allowing the modification of the closure as needed with the evolution of downtown and the needs of the space. The design would open back up the existing sidewalks, use the existing angled parking spaces for businesses to use for outdoor seating and dining in the form of parklets, and keep the existing travel lanes free and clear to accommodate delivery trucks, service vehicles, and emergency vehicles.

The City Council also voted to have City staff work with consultants to study traffic impacts, environmental impacts, obtain a bid for removable bollards, and design standards for the parklets, all which will guide the process to the full closure. Additionally, an appointed ad hoc committee will be created to focus on improvements and cohesive design to the Mission Park and Figueroa Plaza.

To encourage participation for both restaurants and retailers, staff will create a fee and lease structure for use of the public right of way space to support the activation of the street and have critical mass of participants.

In December 2021, the continuation or issuance of a new interim special use permit for Main Street Moves will be brought to City Council while staff finalizes the full closure program with the necessary studies. Main Street Moves currently operates under a Special Use Permit and Temporary Emergency Ordinance, which are set to expire on January 7, 2022.

Visit www.cityofventura.ca.gov/OutdoorDiningProgram to learn more about Main Street Moves and view reports, and survey results.

National Park Service Urges Pet Owners to Rethink Hiking with Animals in the Summer Heat

The National Park Service (NPS) is urging pet owners to think twice before hiking with animals after at least three dogs have died on local trails since July of this year.The National Park Service (NPS) is urging pet owners to think twice before hiking with animals after at least three dogs have died on local trails since July of this year.

“Keeping canine companions safe during a hike requires planning and a heavy dose of realism,” said Ken Low, a National Park Service ranger at Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. “Hikers need to ask themselves, is my dog’s physical conditioning and age appropriate for this outing? If I decide to take them, am I leaving early enough and do I have enough water?"

The National Park Service and local search and rescue teams in Los Angeles and Ventura County together have reported about a half dozen canine rescues in 2021. Most of the dogs were suffering from a heat illness. Some did not have enough water.

"Wait for cooler weather before heading out on a hike with your four-legged friends," Low said. “We helped rescue two dogs from the Sandstone Peak area in the western part of our mountains on a recent weekend and it was over 90 degrees. People don’t realize that dogs can succumb to heatstroke in just 15 minutes.”

Hikers can check with their veterinarian to learn what their dog can handle. Some dog breeds make better hiking partners than others. The dog should also be evaluated to see if they are fit enough for the hike.

Young and old dogs might not be capable of keeping up on long, challenging hikes, and the burden on growing bones may be too much for puppies. Hiking in overly hot weather should be avoided, as dogs are more susceptible than humans to the dangers of excessive heat.

It's also essential that you take water for your dog. Dogs don't sweat the way humans do. Panting is their primary method for keeping cool, putting them at a higher risk of overheating than you when on the trail.

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 nps.gov/samo.

NewMark Merrill Companies Sees Flurry of Merchant Openings and Leases at Janss Marketplace in Thousand Oaks

NewMark Merrill Companies Inc., a Woodland Hills-based shopping center owner and manager, has seen significant leasing activity at Janss Marketplace, a 458,000 square foot community center located on the Northwest corner of Moorpark Road and Hillcrest Drive in Thousand Oaks.

NewMark Merrill recently announced that it signed Five Below to a 9,850 square foot lease to neighbor the now open ALDI grocery store that replaced a former Toys R Us space that closed due to bankruptcy. Construction for the Five Below location at Janss Marketplace recently began this month and is scheduled to open in October 2021.

This new lease with Five Below continues the momentum at Janss Marketplace. Starbucks opened a brand-new location at Janss Marketplace with a drive-thru at the end of 2020 and Wingstop opened earlier this year in the first quarter of 2021. California Fish Grill signed a lease for 2,975 square feet and opened on July 26th. Additionally, The Mighty Axe, an entertainment destination featuring axe throwing at wood targets in a safe and lively environment, signed a lease for 3,281 square feet and opened this past weekend. Finally, Pieology recently signed a lease for 2,200 square feet and is scheduled to open in early 2022.

NewMark Merrill has recently completed the installation of a mural named Conejo by artist Evan Meyer which was inspired by the rich history and abundant presence the cottontail rabbit has in the region as well as the namesake of the county. Janss Marketplace also saw the return of its signature July 4th community event after being cancelled last year after 20 consecutive years due to COVID. In a sign of the excitement from the City, the event welcomed over 3,000 people to the property to enjoy live entertainment, food, games, including an incredibly competitive pie eating contest and a dynamic and patriotic fireworks show.

“As the COVID crisis comes to an end, we remain dedicated to looking for ways to improve our centers and creating a sense of community with new merchants, art, gathering places, events and capital improvements. Having such significant leasing activity, community engagement, and increased traffic at Janss Marketplace reinforces the narrative that we have always believed, that centers that become part of the community and provided opportunities for people to create lasting memories will succeed no matter the times,” said Sandy Sigal, NewMark Merrill President and Chief Executive Officer. “We continue to see increased traffic at Janss and other centers throughout our portfolio as consumers return to having a sense of community.”

Janss features an outstanding tenant mix of key local, regional, and national retailers including ALDI Grocers, Regal Cinemas, DEFY Extreme Air Sports, Old Navy, Starbucks, Buca di Beppo and Gold’s Gym among other local retailers and merchants. The center's location at the NWC of Moorpark Road and Hillcrest Drive with over 58,000 daily traffic counts in Thousand Oaks with 155,000 people in the trade area makes it one of the most desirable retail locations in Southern California. Thousand Oaks continually ranks as one of the safest U.S. cities for its size by FBI reporting standards. For more information about Janss Marketplace, visit www.janssmarketplace.com and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/JanssMarketplace.

About NewMark Merrill Companies

NewMark Merrill Companies, Inc. owns or manages a portfolio of over 85 shopping centers valued at more than $2 billion. Since 1987, President and Chief Executive Officer Sandy Sigal has led the company of shopping centers representing over 1,800 tenants and 10 million square feet in California, Colorado, and Illinois. The Company has founded and invested heavily in BrightStreet Ventures, its technology company, which is working on leading edge solutions for property owners and merchants to succeed in today’s retail environment. For more information, visit NewMarkMerrill.com.

Ventura County Library Welcomes the Public Back Into Buildings

Since April 7, 2021, the Ventura County Library System libraries, including libraries in the cities of Ojai, Ventura, Port Hueneme, and Fillmore, have welcomed the public back for limited indoor services including browsing and checkout of collections and computer use. Customers have up to 50 minutes per day to conduct activities in the library.

Since summer of 2020, customers have also been able to place holds for library materials online and pick them up when ready just outside the front doors of the libraries. Throughout the pandemic, the library system has worked closely with public health officials and within state guidelines for libraries to provide safe library services and programs.

The safety of customers and staff remain the first priority and customers may notice enhanced safety measures when they come back to the library, such as plexiglass barriers at service desks, availability of hand sanitizer, and socially distanced computer workstations. The library has covered additional costs throughout the pandemic associated with paying janitorial crews for more often and extra deep cleaning measures and upgraded filters on HVAC systems. The library continues to provide numerous online programs and resources, but also has plans to implement some in-person programs again as early as this summer. When the state reopens, public seating and tables will be made available again for study and reading, and time limits for library use per day eliminated.

At the Ventura County Library System, 42% of library employees were redeployed over the course of the pandemic to serve as Disaster Services Workers for other county agencies, performing tasks such as delivering meals to seniors, contact tracing and working at vaccination clinics. During the pandemic, several customer service modifications were made, some of which the library is planning to continue after the pandemic because they were so successful, such as offering live online tutoring for students in both English and Spanish, chat reference services, virtual STEAM and Storytime programs, and enhanced ebook collections. For a seven-month period in the past year, over 2,000 students received live tutoring online through the library. Over 25,000 people received virtual library cards online to access ebooks and databases, including many students accessing these resources for schoolwork. And from July 2020 to April 2021 an average of 15,600 items were checked out from the libraries per month. Ebook usage increased 75% over the past year, and eaudiobook usage increased 25%. From March 2020 to April 2021, staff produced 621 live Storytime programs on Facebook which had 70,044 unique views. In partnership with the Ventura County Area Agency on Aging, the Mobile Library delivered Face Mask Kits, containing face masks for children and adults, hand sanitizer and information for older family members, to some of the hardest hit areas of the county. In September 2020, the Board of Supervisors approved the library to go permanently fine free for overdue library materials, meaning there are no overdue fines that could prevent people from using the library. This positive change removes barriers to library services for some of the most vulnerable populations who need library services the most.

The Ventura County Library continues to partner with other agencies and non-profits to share resources and implement impactful programs designed specifically to meet the needs of people in Ventura County. Acknowledging that basic needs must be met before people can participate in lifelong learning and education, many of these partnerships focus on addressing the mental and physical well-being of community members in addition to providing library and literacy services. Other partnerships address the need for access to technology and digital literacy. For example, the library will soon implement Parent and Child Together classes in collaboration with First 5 of Ventura County to address the social and emotional needs of children and their parents and develop early literacy skills; and, a program to provide technology and workforce training through the Mobile Library in partnership with the Workforce Development Board of Ventura County and America’s Job Center of Oxnard. The library is also working with the Ventura County Area Agency on Aging to loan computers to seniors across the county to address social isolation and access to health information. And, in summer 2021 the Avenue Library will host the Lunch at the Library program to meet the nutritional needs of children who are out of school for the summer, along with the annual Summer Reading program to address literacy.

To find out more about the Ventura County Library, please visit us online at www.vencolibrary.org.

Ventura County Moves to the Red Tier Beginning Wednesday, March 17th

According to the County of Ventura, the County will move to the State’s Red Tier beginning 12:01 am Wednesday, March 17, 2021.

The State’s Blueprint tracks three metrics: the seven-day adjusted case rate, the seven-day testing
positivity rate and the health equity metric. Ventura County’s case rate is 6.5, testing positivity is 2.8%
(orange tier) and health equity testing positivity is 5.0% (orange).

Moving from the purple tier into the red tier for the County means:
• Restaurants can open indoors with 25 percent capacity or a maximum of 100 people, whichever
is fewer. The 11 pm closure requirement is lifted. The single household dining limitation is lifted.
State gathering guidance limits gatherings to 3 households or less.
• Retail establishments can open indoors at 50 percent capacity.
• Indoor shopping malls can increase capacity to 50 percent with common areas remaining closed;
food courts can open at 25 percent capacity adhering to the restaurant guidance for indoor
dining.
• Movie theaters can open indoors with 25 percent capacity or 100 people, whichever is fewer.
• Gyms, fitness centers, yoga and dance studios can open indoors with 10 percent capacity with
6-ft social distancing instead of the previous requirement of 12 ft.
• Museums, zoos, and aquariums can open indoor activities at 25 percent capacity.

• Breweries, wineries and distilleries that do not serve meals can open outdoors only with
modifications. The modifications include ensuring that patrons have reservations and patrons
observe a 90-minute time limit. Service for on-site consumption must end by 8:00 p.m.
• Bars that do not serve meals remain closed in the Purple and Red tiers.
• Private gatherings can occur both outdoors and indoors with up to 3 separate households.
• Schools are permitted to re-open for in-person instruction adhering to all state and county
directives. This includes grades 7-12. Grades kindergarten - 6 already had the option of opening.
• Family entertainment centers (kart racing, mini-golf, batting cages) can open outdoors with
modifications.
• Personal care services can continue to operate indoors following state guidance.

Additional updated guidance:
• Golf carts do not need a partition between members of different households. They are
recommended but not required.
• Local HOA pool guidance has been lifted. HOA pools are encouraged to follow suggested County
guidance. Public or community pools continue to follow state issued guidance.
• 2 swimmers per lane are permitted in a public outdoor swimming pool.
• Wind instruments are allowed outdoors with bell covers and 6 feet distance between
instruments. There must be 20 feet distance at a minimum between the instruments and the
audience.

For more information please visit www.venturacountyrecovers.org or by calling the COVID Business
Compliance line at 805-202-1805.