CSU Channel Islands Launches Countywide STEM Regional Network

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CSU Channel Islands (CI) will host a celebration of the official launch of the Ventura County STEM Regional Network beginning at 4 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23 at the CI Boating Center at the Channel Islands Harbor.

“This is sort of a coming-out party for our VC STEM network,” explained VC STEM Planning Director Philip Hampton, Ph.D., Professor of Chemistry at CI. “We’ve spent almost a year planning. Now we move from the ideation stage to the action stage.”

The VC STEM Network is a leadership hub for regional companies, universities, government agencies, parks, schools, museums and a host of other local organizations working together to improve educational outcomes in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) for all students throughout Ventura County.

VC STEM was made possible by a $75,000 grant awarded at the end of 2014 by the Amgen Foundation, the charitable arm of the Thousand Oaks biotechnology company.

Hampton put together the grant proposal and has since headed a steering committee that put together another grant to further benefit the network.

VC STEM was launched under the Ventura County P-20 Council, a group of like-minded partners from education, business, parent organizations and other community agencies interested in making Ventura County’s educational system the best it can be. The P-20 Council is chaired by CI President Richard R. Rush.

Legislators, educators and P-20 councilmembers are among those invited to the VC STEM launch, which will begin with demonstrations of partnerships including crowd-pleasing exhibits from Hampton’s popular Science Carnival, which is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 24 at Thurgood Marshall Elementary School in Oxnard.

When the VC STEM network gets down to work, members will concentrate on three areas: 1) Early STEM learning; 2) STEM expanded learning; and 3) STEM professional learning for educators.

Early STEM will involve a look at how to stimulate kids’ interest in science from birth to Grade 3, and ways to introduce math at an early age.

STEM expanded learning is about science outside of the classroom, which may include science or technology clubs kids attend after school.

“It’s a powerful area where you can introduce science in an informal setting,” Hampton said. “Like computers and 3-D printing.

The third area of concentration will concern ways to get professional STEM training for kindergarten through third grade teachers who would like to feel more comfortable teaching science and math to elementary school students.

The VC STEM Regional Network is part of a larger nationwide initiative known as the STEM Learning Ecosystems Initiative, a countrywide campaign devoted to creating STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) learning opportunities for students from pre-school to college.

This fall, Ventura County was named as a “STEM Learning Ecosystem,” which means the area was chosen as one of 27 regions considered ideal to pilot the national STEM initiative.

About California State University Channel Islands
CSU Channel Islands (CI) is the only four-year, public university in Ventura County and is known for its interdisciplinary, multicultural and international perspectives, and its emphasis on experiential and service learning. CI’s strong academic programs focus on business, sciences, liberal studies, teaching credentials, and innovative master’s degrees. Students benefit from individual attention, up-to-date technology, and classroom instruction augmented by outstanding faculty research. CI has been designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a Hispanic-Serving Institution and is committed to serving students of all backgrounds from the region and beyond. Connect with and learn more about CI by visiting CI’s Social Media.

Spectrum Athletic Club Acquired by The Bay Club Earlier This Year

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This past April, The Bay Club Company, a California-based active lifestyle corporation,  announced the acquisition of Spectrum Athletic Clubs, including the local Conejo Valley based Spectrum in Thousand Oaks.

According to its press release, The Bay Club Company will add over 33,000 members with the addition of the new campus sites in Santa Barbara, Thousand Oaks/West Hills, plus two campus sites within Silicon Beach (covering Pacific Palisades, Santa Monica, Marina Del Rey, Playa Vista, El Segundo, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach and the Palos Verdes Peninsula). The Bay Club Company's campus concept consists of a variety of locations within a sub-geographical area that include fitness centers, athletic clubs, swim and tennis complexes and country clubs.

With the acquisition of Spectrum, The Bay Club Company now operates 23 locations across 10 California campuses—five in Northern California (Marin, San Francisco, Redwood Shores, Silicon Valley and Los Gatos) and five in Southern California (Santa Barbara, San Diego and three in Los Angeles). The Bay Club Company has additional plans to expand, both within its core California markets as well as attractive markets outside of California over the next 12 months.

Bay Club Thousand Oaks and nearby Bay Club Canoga Park offer group classes, family activities, Olympic-sized indoor pool, full-service cafe, spa services, childcare and indoor basketball, as well as a dedicated yoga studio and court sports. www.bayclubs.com

Ventura County Star Parent Company to Be Acquired by USA Today Parent Company Gannett

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Today, the Ventura County Star, its parent company Journal Media Group and Gannett Co. announced that Gannett is acquiring Journal Media Group (JMG) for $280 million.

JMG is a publicly traded company formed early this year by combining the newspaper operations of The E.W. Scripps Company and Journal Communications, Inc., serving print and digital media in 14 U.S. markets in nine states, including our local Ventura County Star. JMG stock jumped 44% today as a result, to just under $12 per share...about the same price the stock opened at in March 2015.

If the acquisition receives regulatory approvals, VC Star employees will working for the same parent company as USA Today employees in the first quarter of 2016.

Gannett has a current market valuation of about $1.8 billion, just slightly higher than former VC Star owner E.W. Scripps at about $1.7 billion.

Haggen Files Motions to Sell 8 Stores to Gelson's and 28 Stores to Smart & Final

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Today the T.O. Acorn broke the news that Gelson's and Smart & Final are looking at buying vacated Haggen grocery stores in the Conejo Valley.

In a press release today from Haggen, they announced that motions have been filed with bankruptcy court to present bidding procedures for stores that are closing and to receive approval for two "stalking horse" asset purchase agreements. 

The Gelson's Markets asset purchase agreement is for 8 stores, including Thousand Oaks (Avenida De Los Arboles) locally as well as Carlsbad, Del Mar, Ladera Ranch, Laguna Beach, La Jolla, Rancho Mirage and Santa Monica.

The Smart & Final LLC asset purchase agreement is for 28 stores, including Newbury Park, Simi Valley (Los Angeles Avenue), Ventura (Telegraph Road) and Westlake Village (Lindero Canyon Rd) as well as stores in Atascadero, Carlsbad, Carpinteria, Chino Hills, Chula Vista, Corona Del Mar, Coronado, El Cajon (2), La Mesa, Palmdale, Paso Robles, Redondo Beach, San Diego (2), San Luis Obispo, San Pedro, San Ysidro, Santa Barbara, Santee, Torrance, Trabuco Canyon, Yorba Linda and Las Vegas.

These agreements are subject to bankruptcy court approval. 

Also, according to a Gelson's press release today, "The bid is subject to higher and better offers at an auction currently scheduled for the beginning of November. Should our bid prove successful, it will be a benefit for thousands of shoppers who value quality products and exceptional service. Furthermore, we would welcome the opportunity to have Haggen store employees join the Gelson’s family, and foresee growth opportunities for our associates.”

The Smart & Final press release issued today gives more detailed information, perhaps because it is a publicly traded company (Stock Symbol: SFS). They indicate the agreement to acquire 28 store leases and related assets is for a cash price of $56 million, subject to certain adjustments.  As a "Stalking Horse Bidder" in advance of a proposed auction next month, it is possible that higher bids be made and approved by other bidders.

Smart & Final indicates if the deal does close, the conversion process will start this fiscal quarter and will be completed by the end of of June 2016. The stores will be converted to its Smart & Final Extra! store format. Smart & Final currently operates 270 grocery and foodservice stores in California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Nevada and Idaho, as well as 16 stores in northern Mexico through a joint venture.

History Repeats Itself as Nordstrom Rack Premieres Today at Janss Marketplace

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I didn't do a count, but there were easily hundreds and hundreds of folks on hand today for the grand opening of the new Nordstrom Rack at Janss Marketplace, in a space on Hillcrest Drive previously occupied by Sears (which now occupies less space). It was pretty crazy, yet casual, as locals enjoyed special treats, music, raffle and a first look at this new store, barely a half mile walk from the Nordstrom store at The Oaks mall across the street.

Funny how history repeats itself. Fifty five (yes 55) years ago, the headline of a Thousand Oaks Journal news story on Wednesday, November 16, 1960 was "THRIFTY DRUG OPENS NEW 1000 OAKS STORE THURSDAY" and further noted "Giant Throng Expected at Ventura Blvd & Moorpark Rd For Thurs. Grand Opening."  Ventura Blvd is now Thousand Oaks Blvd, the Conejo Village Shopping Center is now Janss Marketplace, and Thrifty Drug Store became Rite Aid many years ago, but that store is still there!

Image courtesy of Thousand Oaks Library Special Collections

Image courtesy of Thousand Oaks Library Special Collections

Lots of excitement about that new Thrifty store apparently because they awarded Blue Chip Stamps on over 20,000 items!! I'm dating myself by remembering Blue Chip Stamps, a customer loyalty program that went by the wayside in the 1980s. Warren Buffett's company, Berkshire Hathaway, acquired Blue Chip Stamps as a company in the 1970s. Sales were $126 million in 1970 but dropped to pretty much nothing by the 1990s.

Haggen Announced Today That it Is Exiting the Pacific Southwest Market and is Closing 101 More Stores

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Haggen today announced its plan to exit from the Pacific Southwest market and realign its operations around 37 core stores and one stand-alone pharmacy in the Pacific Northwest as part of the Chapter 11 process (Haggen filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on September 8th).

This will impact 101 stores, including all 5 stores in Arizona, all 7 stores in Nevada, all 68 remaining California stores and 21 stores in Washington and Oregon.

Impacted local stores include:

Previously announced closures in process:

My how things change...a year ago, Haggen owned 18 stores in Washington and Oregon. Then acquired 146 Albertsons, Vons and Pavilions stores in Arizona, California, Nevada, Oregon and Washington (83 in California). In August Haggen announced it was closing 27 stores, including 3 in Ventura County.

Haggen indicated it is asking the bankruptcy court for approval to conduct store closing sales. All employees of these stores will receive 60 days notice of the closures and will continue to receive pay and benefits over this period, as approved by the court.

Haggen is supportive of employees securing work elsewhere and is continuing to work with Albertson’s in its request for the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to waive the restriction in the FTC Order which restricts the hiring of Haggen employees. Because this is a modification of an order entered by the FTC, the waiver will require Commission approval, which the FTC staff is seeking to obtain on an expedited basis.

On a personal note, this may be the most unbelievably quick crash and burn business acquisition that I've ever seen.

Carl's Jr. Thousand Oaks to be Remodeled as New and Improved Carl's Jr.

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Updated 9/`15/15: The grand re-opening of Carl's Jr at 1384 Moorpark Rd. in Thousand Oaks is set for 6AM on Tuesday, September 22nd.  The first 50 guests will receive a FREE Food For a Year coupon booklet.

Posted 5/29/15: The Thousand Oaks Carl's Jr at 1384 Moorpark Road has been attracting quite a bit of buzz since early this month...it has been fenced off and has been in rapidly changing states of demolition.

Carl's Jr Thousand Oaks on Memorial Day weekend

Carl's Jr Thousand Oaks on Memorial Day weekend

Much to the relief of CVG Facebook page followers, this location is being rebuilt as a new and improved Carl's Jr. No word on timing at this point.

In the meantime, Conejo Valley Carl's Jr. fans can stop by the Westlake Village and Agoura Hills locations. Learn more at www.carlsjr.com.

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California American Water Implements Stage 3 Drought Contingency Plans in Ventura County

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On April 1st, 2015 Governor Jerry Brown imposed mandatory 25% statewide water reduction from 2013 and prohibited water uses.  

But this 25% wasn't imposed across the board. The State Water Resources Control Board imposed cutbacks ranging from 4  to 36% from 2013 water use, applying higher guidelines to communities with higher consumption..

California American Water received a target reduction of 32% for its Ventura County customers, near the top of the state's guidelines. From June through August, a cumulative reduction of 27.2% was met, nearly 5% lower than the target. Cal Am customers in the Conejo Valley include most folks west of Moorpark Road.  Most other residents are served by the City of Thousand Oaks and California Water Service. 

As a result, Cal Am's Ventura County customers have been moved from Stage 2 to Stage 3 water-use restrictions. Effective immediately, water use by Cal Am customers in Ventura County is limited to one day a week - odd numbered addresses on Saturdays and even numbered addresses on Sundays  - no more than 15 minutes per station, between the hours of 5 p.m. and 9 a.m. Exemptions made for hand-watering, drip and microspray irrigation.

Additionally, a "drought surcharge" has been implemented. Customers who use more than 8,976 gallons of water per month will pay an extra 21 cents for every 100 gallons used.

These rules apply only to Cal Am customers. City of Thousand Oaks and Cal Water customer are not impacted at this point.

More information at www.californiaamwater.com/drought.

Ventura County District Cal Am customers are the only ones currently impacted by this change. Why? For starters, Cal Am's other customers did not receive the same level of Residential Gallons Per Capita Day (R-GPCD) reduction standard, ranging from 8% in San Diego County and Monterey to 28% in Los Angeles County.

More specifically, here is what the Water Board indicates was R-GPCD measured for the period Jul-Sep 2014 that was used to determine conservation standards in various local jurisdictions:

  • Cal-Am Water Ventura County District: 184.6 R-GPCD - 32% reduction
  • City of Thousand Oaks Water District: 163.7 R-GPCD - 28% reduction
  • California Water Service - Westlake: 336.7 R-GPCD - 36% reduction
  • City of Camarillo: 107.5 R-GPCD - 20% reduction
  • Golden State Water Co. Ojai: 261.5 R-GPCD - 36% reduction
  • Golden State Water Co. Simi Valley: 129.8 R-GPCD - 24% reduction
  • City of Oxnard: 66.6 R-GPCD - 12% reduction
  • City of Santa Paula: 160.2 R-GPCD - 28% reduction
  • Triunfo Sanitation District/Oak Park Water Service: 195.7 R-GPCD - 32% reduction
  • Ventura County Waterworks District 1: 175.3 R-GPCD - 32% reduction
  • Ventura County Waterworks District 8: 156.1 R-GPCD - 28% reduction
  • Las Virgenes Municipal Water District: 318.4 R-GPCD - 36% reduction

The California State Water Resources Control Board has an online Drinking Water Supply Service Area Lookup Tool to determine who the water provider is for specific location at www.waterboards.ca.gov/waterrights/water_issues/programs/drought/water_supplier.shtml.

Looking to report water waste? There's an easy to use online tool at savewater.ca.gov.