Ventura County Public Health Officer Issues New Stay Well at Home Order Today

Public Health Officer Issues New Stay Well At Home Order Protecting Seniors in Long-Term Care Facilities, Placing Further Limitations on Gatherings, Adding to the List of Essential Businesses and Enacting Social Distancing Protocols

Ventura County Public Health Officer Doctor Robert Levin has enhanced the Stay Well At Home order to save lives and stop the spread of COVID-19 in the County of Ventura. The Order supplements the Health Officer’s Orders dated March 17, 20 and 31, 2020. All prior Orders issued by the Health Officer remain in effect except where modified by the provisions of the latest Order.

The intent of the Order is to ensure that the maximum number of people stay in their place of residence to the maximum extent feasible to slow the spread of COVID-19 and mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the delivery of critical healthcare services to those in need.

The Order supplements and amends existing orders by, among other things: prohibiting all gatherings, no matter the size, outside of places of residences with limited exceptions, adding certain businesses to the list of essential businesses, requiring essential businesses to adopt and implement social distancing protocols, providing guidance for hospital holding units and long-term care facilities and declaring that violations of Health Officer Orders constitute a threat to public health.

Hospitals and Long-Term Care Facilities

Ventura County Public Health Department seeks to protect vulnerable populations from COVID-19. The most vulnerable population is the elderly. Seniors confined together in a Long-Term Care Facility are at particular risk. An outbreak there might result in numerous deaths. The Order advises Long-Term Care Facilities to relocate COVID-19 positive patients to COVID-19 Holding Units within hospitals.

All Gatherings Prohibited:

• All public and private gatherings of two or more persons occurring outside a single household or living unit are prohibited, except for the limited purposes of operating an essential business or to perform essential governmental functions or services.

• Members of single household or living unit are permitted to engage in essential travel or essential activities together.

• Gatherings of 10 or fewer persons are permitted at graveside funeral services.

• Staff of organizations or associations may gather for the sole purpose of preparing and facilitating live-stream or other virtual communications with their members and are limited to as few as possible and no more than 7 people.

Additions to the List of Essential Businesses:

• Bicycle repair and supply shops may engage in the sale of bicycles on-line only and provided that all bicycles are delivered to a place of residence or Essential Business.

• Service providers that enable residential real estate transactions (including rentals, leases and home sales), including, but not limited to, real estate agents, escrow agents, notaries, and title companies, provided that appointments and other residential viewings must only occur virtually or, if virtual viewing is not feasible, by appointment with no more than two visitors at a time, both whom must reside within the same household or living unit, and one individual showing the unit (except in-person visits are not allowed when the occupant is present in the residence).

• Automotive dealerships may engage in the purchase or sale of automobiles (including cars, trucks, motorcycles and motorized scooters) on-line only and provided that all vehicles are delivered to a place of residence or Essential Business.

All Essential Businesses must have Social Distancing Protocol

• All essential businesses must prepare and post by no later than April 12, 2020, a “Social Distancing Protocol” for each of their facilities in the County frequented by the public or employees. The Social Distancing Protocol must be posted at or near the entrance of the relevant facility and shall be easily viewable by the public and employees. A copy of the Social Distancing Protocol must also be provided to each employee performing work at the facility. All essential businesses shall implement the Social Distancing Protocol and provide evidence of its implementation to any authority enforcing the Order upon demand.

Detailed order (pdf) at https://vcportal.ventura.org/covid19/docs/2020-04-09_COVID19_PH_Order_April_9_2020.pdf

City of Calabasas to Require Face Coverings at Essential Business Effective April 10th

Face Coverings Requirement in Calabasas effective April 10, 2020

Any person shopping or working at a grocery store, restaurant, or other essential business within the City of Calabasas shall wear a face covering while they are at the location. A face covering can include bandanas, scarves, or cloth masks which covers both the mouth and nose of an individual. Employers are required to provide, pay for, or reimburse their employees for face coverings as needed to protect their employees.

Residents should not purchase N95 or surgical masks, as these are limited resources needed for the healthcare community and first responders. This is intended to protect employees, customers and residents.

A grocery store, restaurant, or other essential business may refuse admission or service to any individual who fails to wear a face covering as required by this order. All grocery stores, restaurants, or other essential businesses are further required to develop and implement a written, comprehensive COVID-19 exposure control plan, to be approved by the City within 3 days from the date of this Order, which includes control measures such as social distancing; face coverings and personal protective equipment, hygiene; decontamination procedures, and training.

Real Estate Sales Open Houses and Showings. Open houses and other group real estate events and showings of a property or condominium offered for sale or lease are prohibited gatherings. Pre-scheduled showings or inspections of a property or condominium offered for sale or lease are permitted, but only if the minimum number of persons necessary to show or inspect the property are present and only if all persons present maintain six feet minimum distance, face coverings, and other social distancing requirements at all times.

www.cityofcalabasas.com

City of Ojai to Require Use of Face Coverings at Essential Businesses Effective April 10th

On April 8, 2020, the City of Ojai announced the implementation of executive order 20-02, requiring that, effective April 10, 2020, employees and customers at an essential business wear a face covering over their nose and mouth. Face coverings are not required when driving or when you are outside in a location where you are unlikely to encounter others in close proximity; but residents are reminded to practice good social distancing at all times.

The notice requests that residents not purchase N95 or surgical masks needed by medical professionals, but instead requires face coverings from bandanas, scarves, or cloth masks. The City will provide signage to essential businesses advising customers of the requirement.

This order is intended to protect both residents and employees who are performing essential services.

Conejo Open Space Trails Closed Immediately Until Further Notice (Order Given Friday Night, March 27th)

Although Ventura County Public Health has not ordered the closure of public trails in Thousand Oaks, the SMMC/MRCA and County of Los Angeles have closed their parks, trails and beaches. Friday evening, State Parks has also determined to close its parks and beaches in the Angeles District. The Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency (COSCA) indicates it cannot handle the anticipated tidal wave of trail users from our own community combined with the millions of neighbors in west LA County who no longer have trails, parks and beaches available to them.

Therefore, COSCA trails in Thousand Oaks are closed effective immediately in order to protect the health of the public and our beloved open spaces during this unprecedented pandemic.

Franchise Tax Board Announces Extended Time to File and Pay for California Taxpayers Affected by COVID-19 Pandemic

The Franchise Tax Board (FTB) today announced special tax relief for California taxpayers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Affected taxpayers are granted an extension to file 2019 California tax returns and make certain payments until June 15, 2020, in line with Governor Newsom’s March 12 Executive Order.

“During this public health emergency, every Californian should be free to focus on their health and wellbeing,” said State Controller Betty T. Yee, who serves as chair of FTB. “Having extra time to file their taxes helps allows people to do this, as the experts work to control the spread of coronavirus.”

This relief includes moving the various tax filing and payment deadlines that occur on March 15, 2020, through June 15, 2020, to June 15, 2020. This includes:

• Partnerships and LLCs who are taxed as partnerships whose tax returns are due on March 15 now have a 90-day extension to file and pay by June 15.

• Individual filers whose tax returns are due on April 15 now have a 60-day extension to file and pay by June 15.

Quarterly estimated tax payments due on April 15 now have a 60-day extension to pay by June 15.

The FTB’s June 15 extended due date may be pushed back even further if the Internal Revenue Service grants a longer relief period.

Taxpayers claiming the special COVID-19 relief should write the name of the state of emergency (for example, COVID-19) in black ink at the top of the tax return to alert FTB of the special extension period. If taxpayers are e-filing, they should follow the software instructions to enter disaster information.

The FTB will also waive interest and any late filing or late payment penalties that would otherwise apply.

www.ftb.ca.gov/about-ftb/newsroom/news-releases/2020-2-more-time-to-file-pay-for-california-taxpayers-affected-by-the-covid-19-pandemic.html

Newbury Park High School Boys AND Girls Cross County Teams Win State Championships and Earn a Spot to the Nike Cross Nationals (NXN)

Today, the Newbury Park High School Cross Country program achieved a number of historic firsts.

For the first time in school history, the Girls Cross County team won the state championship at Woodward Park in Fresno. The top 5 scoring team members on the 5 kilometer (approximately 3.1 mile) course were Sam McDonnell (17:56.4), Hailey Golmon (17:57.7), Fiona Hawkins (17:58.5), Ailish Hawkins (18:27.4) and Gretchen Slattum (18:31.9). Other varsity teammates included Archana Mohandas and Hannah Round.

For the first time in school history, the Boys Cross County team won back to back championship titles, led by two-time overall state championship winner Nico Young (14:28.5) followed by Jace Aschbrenner (2nd overall in 14:53.7), Colin Sahlman (15:09.8), Nick Goldstein (15:17.0) and Daniel Appleford (15:37.7). Up and comer Leo Young was the top freshman finisher in the race in 15:41.6) - in fact, he was the top freshman finisher among all CIF divisions today. Thomas McDonnell also competed for the team.

There were 1004 finishers in the combined Division 1-5 boys races today. The Newbury Park team had the 1st and 3rd (Jace) fastest seniors, the 5th (Nicholas) fastest junior, the 1st (Colin) and 5th (Daniel) fastest sophomores and the fastest overall freshman. That’s some serious firepower.

Head Coach Sean Brosnan was excited to report via his Twitter account tonight that BOTH teams received invitations to participate in next Saturday’s Nike Cross Nationals (NXN) in Portland, Oregon. The boys team competed at NXN for the first time last year and placed 6th in the nation, led by Nico’s 4th place overall finish. This year the team is looking to top the charts as it competes with strong teams from Temecula (Great Oak), Loudoun Valley, Virginia and other schools.

Senior Nico Young in clear command of the CIF Division 2 Championships race at Woodward Park in Fresno. I asked Nico before the race if he was going for the course record of 14:24 set by German Fernandez in 2007. His answer was no. Nico’s plan was to win the race but to save his top effort for NXN next Saturday. His 14:28.5 was the 2nd fastest of all time on the course, which is even more impressive given he was not going “all out.” Earlier this year, Young ran an 8:40 3200 meters on the track, the fastest time in the country this year and 3rd fastest 3200 of all time.

The boys team was an automatic qualifier into NXN, having not only the fastest team time of the day at 75:27 (15:06 average) but the fastest team time in Woodward Park course history. Let’s break this down a bit. 15:06 equates to a tad over a 4 minutes, 52 seconds per mile, for 3.1 miles, on average, for 2 high school seniors, 1 junior and 2 sophomores. Now THAT is impressive!

The previous fastest team score among all divisions was Great Oaks’ 2015 team time of 76:10. Newbury Park’s 2019 boys team destroyed that record by 43 seconds. That’s almost 3 seconds per mile per kid faster than the fastest team time of all time!

The Great Oak boys team won for the 6th straight year in the Division 1 race with a combined time of 76.23, nearly a minute slower than the record-setting Newbury Park team in Division 2, but still the 3rd fastest team score in course history (excluding Newbury Park’s new record).

However, the fastest team time DOES NOT guarantee a team win in the sport of cross country. The Great Oak team, ranked #1 in the nation recently by Dyestat, finished today’s race with an extremely tight gap of under 17 seconds between runners 1 and 5. This was today’s tightest gap of any team among all divisions.

In cross country, the team with the lowest finishing score wins the race, with a lowest possible score of 15 (1-2-3-4-5). So effectively, it does not matter how fast Nico runs when he finishes first; he still scores 1 point for the team. What often matters most is how the 5th place team finisher scores. For example, in today’s race, if the boys’ team’s 5th place finisher, who scored 19 points, finished 5 seconds slower, he would have scored 29 points. In a tight team race, 10 points is devastating. Inversely, Nico could have run 25 seconds slower and still won the race, having no impact on the team score.

And speaking of team score, the boys’ team score of 37 was the lowest Division 2 winning team school in CIF history. The previous record team score was set in 1987 (Walnut High School) and tied in 1988 (Katella High School). Newbury Park will now sit alone atop this record.

But let’s not ignore this fantastic Newbury Park girls team. The girls ran a combined time of 90:52 for its top 5 runners (18:11 average 5K time per girl). That was the 5th fastest time on the course in Division 2 history.

The Great Oak girls team won a record-breaking 8th straight Division 1 title today in a team time of 90:33, only 19 seconds faster than the upstart Newbury Park team. It’s gonna be some race to watch at NXN!

To follow the Newbury Park teams at NXN, visit https://nxn.runnerspace.com or watch a live webcast of the race at cdn.runnerspace.com/nxnlive.html. Congratulations!

NPHSXC: www.newburyparkcrosscountry.com

And here’s a rundown of other local team top performers at the state championships today:

• Madelene Locher of Ventura finished 5th overall (17:43) and Jill Walker of Simi Valley finished 7th (17:49) in the Divison 2 girls race.

• Thousand Oaks High School finished 6th overall in the boys Division 2 race, led by Michael Mireles, who finished 4th overall in 15:03.

• Agoura High School boys finished 3rd overall in the Division 3 race, led by Beau Bordelon, who finished 6th overall inn 15:34. Royal High School finished 7th overall.

• Brooke Secreto of Foothill Tech won the Division 4 girls race in 17:33. Foothill Tech boys won the Division 4 race, led by 5th place Joshua Villasenor (15:28).

Hatch Cafe & Market in Agoura Hills - Named Agoura Hills 2019 Business of the Year

Hatch Cafe & Market is a neighborhood eatery project serving rustic California fare from Restaurateur Mark LaValle and his wife Stylist Jordan. This popular eatery, which opened in mid-2017, recently received the honor of City of Agoura Hills 2019 Business of the year.

The masterwork of LaValle, Hatch Cafe & Market serves as a community dining destination and is a welcoming addition to Agoura Hills. The family owned shop offers a carefully curated breakfast and lunch menu, a wide variety of artisan products.

The space--which features a chalkboard menu, communal dining table and gallery walls filled with autre china plates and vintage mirrors--is designed around comfort, representing the family’s commitment to offering a gourmet dining experience with ease. The market shelves, curated by Lane, are stocked with local favorites including SQIRL, Ojai Olive Oil Company, Jacobson Salts, as well as limited-edition custom designed aprons, napkins and tablecloths. Completely customizable gift baskets for all occasions are available year round.

Everything served at Hatch is made on site, using the best quality ingredients and farmers-market produce. The cafe turns out a range of items including gourmet salads, creative sandwiches and wraps, gluten and grain free selections, modern egg dishes, and delightful options for kids. The menu changes regularly with the seasons, so that guests can enjoy local favorites year round including Gluten Free Green Tea Pancakes with matcha maple syrup, the House Chopped Salad with spicy crispy chickpeas, Isla’s Fried Chicken Sandwich with a chili-ponzu slaw and of course house made Organic Lemonade. In addition, many of the baked goods and dessert recipes come directly from Jordan’s personal recipe book.

Perfect for a day at the beach or concert in the park, Hatch also offers curated picnic baskets stocked to the brim with everything needed for the perfect meal-on-the-go. And with a variety of catering services, ranging from daily office orders to private on and off site parties and events, Hatch Cafe & Market stands behind its mission of bringing family and friends together, one meal at a time.

Located at 30651 Thousand Oaks Blvd, Agoura Hills at the northeast corner of Thousand Oaks Blvd and Lake Lindero Drive.

Visit www.hatcheatery.com or call 818.575.9000 to learn more.

Hours: Open 7 days a week from 8am-3pm

Instagram: @hatcheatery

Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza Now Referred to as The Bank of America Performing Arts Center Thousand Oaks

Recently, the City of Thousand Oaks announced that the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza is now being referred to as The Bank of America Performing Arts Center (BAPAC), Thousand Oaks. This includes the two theaters within the BAPAC, Fred Kavli Theatre and Scherr Forum Theatre.

Bank of America has always been part of the name, but to adhere to the naming rights and to promote the venue as a regional performing arts center, the name has been rebranded.

More info at bapacthousandoaks.com.

Amgen Tour of California Cycling Road Race Put On Hiatus for 2020

Amgen Tour Cyclists were a blur as they made the turn from Potrero Road to Decker Canyon in the 2016 Tour of California.

AEG announced on Tuesday that they will put the Amgen Tour of California race on hiatus for the 2020 racing season.

“This has been a very difficult decision to make, but the business fundamentals of the Amgen Tour of California have changed since we launched the race 14 years ago,” said Kristin Klein, president of the Amgen Tour of California and executive vice president of AEG Sports. “While professional cycling globally continues to grow and we are very proud of the work we have done to increase the relevance of professional cycling, particularly in the United States, it has become more challenging each year to mount the race. This new reality has forced us to re-evaluate our options, and we are actively assessing every aspect of our event to determine if there is a business model that will allow us to successfully relaunch the race in 2021.”

California’s largest annual sporting event, The Amgen Tour of California has contributed more than $3.5 billion¹ to the state’s economy. Each year since 2006, the cycling road race has showcased some of today’s best known and most decorated international cyclists, including numerous World, Olympic and National Champions. The international competition also carries the distinction of being the only U.S.-based event that has both its men’s and women’s races listed on the UCI WorldTour calendar while being the only event of its kind that concurrently produces men’s and women’s stage races that offer equal prize money.

“On behalf of USA Cycling, I would like to thank AEG, Kristin and her team for providing an outstanding showcase for the sport in America and for our American Athletes,” said Bob Stapleton, Chairman of USA Cycling. “We stand ready to help rally additional support and resources in the hopes of resuming this event in 2021.”

The competition has also been praised for creating a global platform to feature current and next-generation U.S. cyclists, showcase the picturesque state of California, introduce the sport to millions of new fans and promote cycling as a healthy lifestyle.

Klein continued, “I would like to sincerely thank the teams, the cyclists, sponsors, volunteers, elected officials, host cities, and all of the fans that helped make the Amgen Tour of California ‘Americas Greatest Race.’ Most of all, I would like to recognize the hard work and dedication of my team who have tirelessly worked alongside me, each and every year, to develop the renowned event. I also would like to thank our governing body, USA Cycling, UCI and Amaury Sport Organisation for their continued support.”

“We would also like to extend our sincere thanks to Amgen for their incredible support and partnership from day one,” Klein added. “We are proud to have stood together with them to create this amazing legacy.”

Past men’s race champions have included Tour de France General Classification Winners Egan Bernal and Bradley Wiggins; as well as Tour de France Stage Winners George Bennett; Levi Leipheimer; Michael Rogers; Peter Sagan (record 7-time Tour de France Points Classifications winner, and record 17-stage winner at the Amgen Tour of California); and Tejay van Garderen. Additionally, 10-time Stage Winner Mark Cavendish has won 30 stages at the Tour de France (2nd all-time for both races).

The Amgen Tour of California Women's Race empowered with SRAM has featured an equally impressive field of competitors including three-time Olympic gold medal winner Kristin Armstrong; current race champion, Olympic gold medalist and world champion, Anna van der Breggen; Chloe Dygert, Olympic silver medalist, current UCI world time trial champion and six-time UCI gold medalist; and Coryn Rivera who in 2019, at age 26 holds 72 national titles.

¹Based on an economic impact by Beacon Economics