County of Ventura Food Facility Closures in November 2015

The County of Ventura Environmental Health Division (EHD) protects public health and the environment by ensuring conformance with State laws and County ordinances pertaining to food protection, hazardous materials, hazardous waste, individual sewage disposal systems, land use, medical waste, ocean water quality monitoring, recreational health, solid waste, underground fuel tanks and vector control.

The EHD publishes food facility closures at www.ventura.org/rma/envhealth/community-services/consumer-food/closures.html.

The following closures were noted in November 2015. Keep in mind when reviewing this that there are many possible reasons for the closures, most of which are very temporary issues.

Marie Callender's, 1295 S. Victoria Avenue, Ventura;

Sewage backing up inside the facility, cockroach infestation, unsanitary conditions;

Date closed - 11/27/15; Date reopened - 11/30/15

Carl's Jr, 401 Las Posas Road, Camarillo;

Sewage backing up inside the facility, unsanitary conditions;

Date closed - 11/24/15; Date reopened - 11/24/15

El Taco, 1041 W. Wooley Road, Oxnard;

Rodent infestation, unsanitary conditions;

Date closed - 11/24/15; Date reopened - 11/25/15

One Stop Market, 1061 W. Wooley Road, Oxnard;

Cockroach infestation, unsanitary conditions;

Date closed - 11/24/15; Date reopened - 11/30/15

Round Table Pizza, 4255 E. Main Street #8, Ventura;

No hot water available for utensil washing or hand washing;

Date closed - 11/19/15; Date reopened - 11/20/15

Tacos La Placita, 437 S. C Street, Oxnard;

Unsanitary conditions;

Date closed - 11/19/15; Date reopened - 12/04/15

Anne's Donuts, 751 E. Ventura Street, Fillmore;

No hot water for utensil washing or hand washing, inoperable warewashing sink;

Date closed 11/17/15; Date reopened - 11/18/15

Grand Vista Hotel, (restaurant, bars, and banquet kitchen), 999 Enchanted Way, Simi Valley;

Rodent infestation, unsanitary conditions;

Date closed - 11/17/15; Date reopened - 11/18/15

Wok N South Mongolian BBQ, 2835 E. Main St., Ventura;

Inoperable hand wash sink in the food preparation area; inoperable refrigeration;

Date closed - 11/12/15; Date reopened - 11/12/15

Cafe Topanga, 171 N. Reino Road, Newbury Park;

Cockroach infestation, unsanitary conditions;

Date closed - 11/12/15; Date reopened - 11/14/15

Mc Donalds, 908 Ventura Street, Fillmore;

No hot water available at the facility for hand washing or utensil washing;

Date closed - 11/12/15; Date reopened 11/12/15

Smokin' Steve's, 1407 E. Los Angeles Avenue, #X, Simi Valley;

Inoperable mechanical exhaust ventilation above the cooking equipment;

Date closed - 11/10/15; No reopen date

The Lookout Bar & Grill, 2800 S. Harbor Blvd., Oxnard;

Hand wash sink was removed in the food preparation area resulting in no means to wash hands when preparing food, unsanitary conditions;

Date closed - 11/06/15; Date reopened - 11/07/15

Ameci's Pizza & Pasta, 1724 Avenida De Los Arboles, Thousand Oaks;

Improperly functioning refrigeration resulting in unsafe food temperatures and inadequate refrigeration;

Date closed - 11/02/15; Date reopened - 11/02/15

Update on Bankruptcy Sales of Local Area Haggen Stores in Ventura County

Last month we heard that Gelson's was looking to buy eight former Haggen stores and Smart & Final sought 28 stores.  These deals have been approved by the bankruptcy court, so you can look forward at some point soon to a Gelson's at 1736 E. Avenida De Los Arboles in Thousand Oaks and Smart & Final Extra! stores at 5770 Lindero Canyon Road, Westlake Village, 2100 Newbury Road, Newbury Park and 5135 Los Angeles Avenue, Simi Valley.

UPDATE 11/25/15: Haggen announced in a press release that the following stores were indeed approved for sale by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court.

That leaves four remaining Ventura County former Haggen stores up for bid, and they indeed were bid on last week. Here are the winning bidders that are now awaiting court approval for their offers, as summarized by OregonLive.com:

• Camarillo (2400 Las Posas Road) - Donahue Schriber Realty Group (the owner of the Camarillo Village Square) - The back-up bidder is Super A Foods, Inc. We will have to get clarification as to what will reside in this store.
• Simi Valley (2800 Cochran) - Sprouts Farmers Market
• Simi Valley (660 E. Los Angeles Ave) - Stater Bros. Markets

That leaves the former Oxnard store at 920 N. Ventura Road

The sale hearing is planned for November 24th.

In an ironic plot twist, Albertson's was named as the winning bidder on 33 former Haggen locations, though none in the local Ventura County area. In December 2014, Haggen purchased 146 Albertsons, Vons and Pavilions stores in five states, including 83 in California, that eventually led to this big bankruptcy mess!

County of Ventura Food Facility Closures September/October 2015

The County of Ventura Environmental Health Division (EHD) protects public health and the environment by ensuring conformance with State laws and County ordinances pertaining to food protection, hazardous materials, hazardous waste, individual sewage disposal systems, land use, medical waste, ocean water quality monitoring, recreational health, solid waste, underground fuel tanks and vector control.

The EHD publishes food facility closures at www.ventura.org/rma/envhealth/community-services/consumer-food/closures.html.

The following closures were noted in September/October 2015. Keep in mind when reviewing this that there are many possible reasons for the closures, most of which are very temporary issues.

October 2015

Ben & Jerry's of Ventura, 523 E. Main Street,Ventura;

Cockroach infestation, unsanitary conditions;

Date closed - 10/30/15; Date reopened - 10/31/15

Doc's Meat Market #2 (Meat Department only), 630 S. A St. Oxnard;

Unsanitary conditions;

Date closed - 10/27/15; Date reopened - 10/30/15

Win's Drive-In, 310 N. A St. Oxnard;

Unsanitary conditions;

Date closed - 10/27/15; Date reopened - 10/28/15

Ralph's (meat, deli & bakery areas only), 3963 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks;
No hot water provided for hand washing or utensil cleaning;
Date closed - 10/26/15; Date reopened - 10/26/15

California's Pizza & Drinks, 509 South C Street, Oxnard;

Hand wash sink was removed in the food preparation area, resulting in no means to wash hands when preparing food;

Date closed - 10/26/15; Date reopened - 10/27/15

Sugar Lab, 2745 Sherwin Avenue, Unit 1, Ventura;

No hot water available for hand washing or utensil washing;

Date closed - 10/22/15; Date reopened - 10/22/15

Pho Oxnard, 722 N. Ventura Rd., Oxnard;
Cockroach infestation, unsanitary conditions;
Date closed - 10/15/15; Date reopened - 10/16/15 

Jim & Rob's, 1876 E. Main Street, Ventura

Inoperable refrigeration resulting in unsafe food temperatures;

Date closed - 10/13; 15; Date reopened - 10/14/15

R.V. Produce, 40 N. Wells Road, Santa Paula;

Rodent infestation, unsanitary conditions, no water available for hand washing;

Date closed - 10/13/15; Date reopened - 10/22/15

Ventura Inn, 487 E. Main Street, Ventura;

Cockroach infestation, unsanitary conditions;

Date closed - 10/12/15; Date reopened - 10/13/15

Los Arcos Restaurant, 978 E. Main Street, Santa Paula;

Rodent infestation, unsanitary condistions, failure to adhere to a compliance agreement;

Date closed - 10/12/15; Date reopened - 10/15/15

White Elephant Thai Cuisine, 668 N. Moorpark Road, Thousand Oaks;

No valid Permit to Operate;

Date closed - 10/08/15; Date reopened - 10/08/15

Omega Sushi, 5830 E. Los Angeles Avenue, Simi Valley;

Cockroach infestation, unsanitary conditions;

Date closed - 10/07/15; Date reopened - 10/09/15

The Melting Pot, 3685 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks,

(bar section only);

Hand wash sink inoperable at bar area;

Date closed - 10/7/15; Date reopened - 10/08/15

La Tapatia #4, 1069 E. Main Street, Santa Paula;

Inoperable plumbing resulting in inability to properly wash utensils; unsanitary conditions inside the facility;

Date closed - 10/06/15; Date reopened - 10/06/15

September 2015

El Preferido Taco Shop, 654 W. Harvard Blvd., Santa Paula;

Inoperable grease trap resulting in wastewater flowing inside the facility; unsanitary condtions;

Date closed - 09/30/15; Date reopened - 09/30/15

Menchies, 5944 Telegraph Road, Ventura;

No permit to operate;

Date closed - 09/28/15; Date reopened - 10/01/15

Bindi Food Market, 11025  Violeta Street, Saticoy;

Unsanitary conditions resulting in contamination of food and fly infestation;

Date closed - 09/28/15; Date reopened - 09/28/15

Simi Deli USA, 2248 Tapo Street, Simi Valley;

Cockroach infestation, unsanitary conditions;

Date closed - 09/28/15; Date reopenend - 09/30/15

Players Card Club (restaurant only), 6580 Auto Center Drive, Ventura;

No operable sinks in the food preparation area; unsanitary conditions;

Date closed - 09/24/15; Date reopened - 09/30/15

Peking Inn, 330 N. Lantana Street, Camarillo;

Rodent and cockroach infestation; failure to adhere to a compliance agreement; serious and repeat violations; unsanitary conditions;

Date closed - 09/23/15; Date reopened - 09/25/15

Tresierras Supermarket (meat section only), 280 E. Harvard, Santa Paula;

Inoperable plumbing, wastewater overflowing onto the floor;

Date closed - 09/22/15; Date reopened - 09/23/15

Alamo, 2311 Borchard Road, Newbury Park;

Rodent infestation, cockroach infestation, unsanitary conditions;

Date closed - 09/22/15; Date reopened - 09/23/15

Tacos Jalisco #1, 2292 E. Main Street, Ventura;

Inoperable plumbing, sink not available in food preparation area to wash hands;

Date closed - 09/21/15; Date reopened - 09/22/15

Moorpark High School Snack Bar, 4500 Tierra Rejada Road, Moorpark;

Rodent infestation, unsanitary conditions;

Date closed - 09/16/15; Date reopened - 09/18/15

Domino's Pizza, 431 N. Ojai Road, Santa Paula;

Inoperable refrigeration in food preparation area resulting in no means to maintain potentially hazardous foods at safe temperature;

Date closed - 09/16/15; Date reopened - 09/17/15

Country Harvest, 3345 Kimber Drive, Newbury Park;

Cockroach infestation, unsanitary conditions;

Date closed - 09/15/15; Date reopened - 09/16/15

Montezuma Restaurant, 112 Stroube Street, Oxnard;

Vermin infestation, unsanitary conditions, failure to adhere to a compliance agreement, serious and repeated violations;

Date closed - 09/09/15; Date reopened - 09/10/15

Jimmy's Slice, 586 E. Main Street, Ventura;

No hot water available for utensil washing or hand washing;

Date closed - 09/08/15; Date reopened - 09/09/15

Der Wienerschnitzel #314, 2172 E. Harbor Blvd., Ventura;

Rodent infestation, unsanitary conditions;

Date closed - 09/04/15; Date reopened - 09/05/15

McGraw Hill Financial Announces it Seeks "Strategic Alternatives" for J.D. Power

Last week, McGraw Hill Financial announced it will be exploring "strategic alternatives" for J.D. Power, our local Westlake Village based marketing information services company. McGraw Hill indicates 2016 revenues will approach $350 million.

"Strategic alternatives" basically means seeking a buyer. Reuters indicates J.D. Power could fetch as much as $1 billion in a sale.

J.D. Power and Associates was founded on April 1, 1968 by J.D. "Dave" Power III with his wife Julie at their home in Calabasas. On April 1, 2005 the company was acquired by The McGraw-Hill Companies (renamed McGraw Hill Financial in 2013 to more closely align the company name to its core business).

McGraw Hill did not disclose the purchase price of J.D. Power and Associates in 2005, but it did indicate in its 2006 annual SEC filing that it paid $461.8 million to acquire several businesses, including Vista Research, J.D. Power and 49% of CRISIL, Limited.

J.D. Power contributed $144.7 million of revenue to McGraw Hill's bottom line from 4/1/05 to 12/31/05, which translates to about $190 million in annual revenue that year.

Learn more about J.D. Power at www.jdpower.com.

Baxalta Incorporated Spun Off From Baxter International, Inc. on July 1, 2015

Baxalta Inc. was formed on July 1, 2015 as a spin-off from Baxter International, thus explaining why some of your local Conejo Valley Baxter employee acquaintances may have changed their LinkedIn profile to Baxalta. 

Baxalta (NYSE: BXLT) is a $6 billion global biopharmaceutical company developing, manufacturing and commercializing therapies for orphan diseases and underserved conditions in hematology, oncology and immunology.  Headquartered in Northern Illinois, Baxalta employs 16,000 employees worldwide and has a current market valuation of about $22 billion, which is higher than Baxter International's current market cap (as of 10/16/15) of $18.4 billion.

And if you're looking for a local job, Baxalta is one of the largest employers in the Conejo Valley.

Learn more about Baxalta at www.baxalta.com.

CSU Channel Islands Launches Countywide STEM Regional Network

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

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

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

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.