Thousand Oaks Police Department Business Watch Update - May 31, 2011

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From the Thousand Oaks Police Department:

Last month a vandalism occurred at the Cheesecake Factory in Thousand Oaks.  A possible known suspect threw a container of oil at the business.  This same type of crime has occurred several times in Oxnard.  If this crime has occurred at your business or if it does, we are asking you report it to the Thousand Oaks Police Department by calling (805) 654-9511.  The more calls we receive the better chance we have in making an arrest. Remember, even a call with the least information may solve several other cases.

Market Broiler Opened at Simi Valley Town Center Today, May 24, 2011

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Thanks to a CVG Facebook visitor I've learned that Market Broiler opened TODAY, May 24, 2011. This one wasn't on my radar for some reason, even though I was at the Simi Valley Town Center just a few weeks ago! It is located in what used to be Johnny Carino's Italian Restaurant. Their phone is 805.210.7640. Odd that the Simi Valley TC website did not even have them on their website tonight, but Market Broiler is indeed open and ready for business.

Some background on Market Broiler from www.marketbroiler.com is below. This is the only location in the Ventura and Los Angeles County area at this point. Other Market Broilers are currently located in Riverside, Ontario, Huntington Beach, Orange and Fremont. Fresh fish always sounds good to me!

Market Broiler rose from the tradition of California seafood landmarks dating back to the 1950's. It's a casual, comfortable, moderately-priced, full-service, restaurant where fresh fish and seafood are prepared over mesquite charcoal flames.

Key to its presentation is the fresh fish market, where all fish being served is on display. In addition to 18 fresh fish offered daily, entrees of fresh chicken or aged beef as well as salads and pasta are offered.

The food is flavorful and portions are generous. The homestyle theme is borne out by the fact that the chowders, sauces, and dressings are made from scratch in each restaurant. Our popular sourdough bread is served warm at your table as a part of the meal.

La Salsa Out, Loteria Grill Soon To Be In at The Promenade at Westlake

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Noticed the other night that La Salsa is no longer at The Promenade at Westlake and that Loteria Grill is slated to open soon.  Loteria Grill has locations at The Los Angeles Farmers Market, Hollywood and Studio City. They serve Mexican cuisine and look pretty good to me! La Salsa fans, not to worry. They still are open at The Oaks mall.

In-N-Out Burger May Be Coming to Agoura Hills!

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FOLLOW-UP: City planners indicated that In-N-Out withdrew their application and it never went to the Planning Commission. That's not what a hamburger's all about, but so be it.

If all goes well on at the City of Agoura Hills Planning Commission hearing this Thursday night, May 19th, a new In-N-Out Burger may be coming to 28898 Canwood Street!

The new In-N-Out is proposed for a 2.73 acre parcel with 1,000 feet of frontage along Canwood and the 101 Freeway. The proposed project would include removal of 3 of the 4 existing billboards on the site and construction of a one-story, 3,654 square-foot restaurant building with a drive-through lane, trash enclosure, and outdoor dining patio. The site would have 100 parking spaces, including 5 handicapped spots.

Mock up from the Initial Study and Draft Mitigated Negative Declaration report.

There is a 104 page Initial Study and Mitigated Negative Declaration report on this project available on the City of Agoura Hills website at www.ci.agoura-hills.ca.us.  Basically the report goes through all the types of potential environmental impacts of the project and concludes that any "negative" impacts can be mitigated in various ways. For example, scenic resources:

The project site is located north of the U.S. 101 Freeway and south of Canwood Street within the City of Agoura Hills. The Agoura Hills General Plan (2010) identifies several scenic resources in the City and identifies road segments that offer views of the scenic resources.

The following scenic resources are identified in the General Plan:

  • Ladyface Mountain – located south of the U.S. 101 Freeway, between Kanan Road and the western City limits on the southern border of Agoura Hills;

  • Strawberry Hill – located north of Canwood Street and south of Thousand Oaks Boulevard, just east of Forest Cove Park;

  • Morrison Ranch Hills, the Morrison Ranch Hills – located north of Thousand Oaks Boulevard, generally between Reyes Adobe Road and Kanan Road;

  • Palo Comado Hills – located in the northeastern corner of the City

  • Simi Hills – the hills that border the City on the north

The report indicated there would be no significant impact of the project on the above.

Stay tuned! On a related note, I discovered that the In-N-Out Burger Real Estate and Development Department 13502 Hamburger Lane in Baldwin Park. What a great street name!

Ventura County Habitat for Humanity Launches New Home Rehab Program

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Habitat to offer low-cost home repairs to qualified, low-income homeowners

Ventura County Habitat for Humanity will now begin repairing homes in partnership with qualified, low-income homeowners.  The new housing repair program called “Preserve a Home”, is rolling out “A Brush with Kindness”, which is aimed at providing simple exterior (only) repairs such as painting, window, minor siding and trim repair, landscaping and/or clean-up, brush/junk removal to low-income homeowners in need.

Habitat for Humanity’s “A Brush with Kindness” has a goal to serve low-income homeowners who struggle to maintain the exterior of their homes.  The work is done by volunteers who use donated materials whenever possible.  The homeowner must meet have a demonstrated need, willingness to partner with Habitat and the ability to re-pay a no interest loan.  Payments made by the partner family are placed in a revolving fund to help ABWK serve others in need.   

“Preserve a Home and its “A Brush with Kindness” is part of our larger Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative (NRI). This initiative gives us a great opportunity to help more families in need, as well as have an impact on the entire neighborhood” said John Kistler, Construction Manager, Ventura County Habitat for Humanity. “Helping people repair and maintain their homes fits in seamlessly with Habitat's core mission of making decent, affordable housing available to low-income families.”

A Brush with Kindness is underwritten by a grant from Valspar, Habitat’s National

Read More

City of Thousand Oaks Tree City USA Recipient for 13th Consecutive Year

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The City of Thousand Oaks will be recognized by the Arbor Day Foundation as a Tree City USA Community for its commitment to urban forestry.  Thousand Oaks has earned this national designation since 1998.  A special ceremony will be held at the May 24, 2011 City Council meeting beginning at 6:00 p.m. recognizing the City of Thousand Oaks as a Tree City USA recipient.  The Tree City USA program is sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with the National Association of State Foresters and the USDA Forest Service.

To become a Tree City USA community, agencies need to coordinate a citywide approach for tree management that includes tree care as part of its municipal code, an adopted forestry program, and annual recognition of Arbor Day.

“We commend Thousand Oaks elected officials, volunteers and its citizens for providing vital care for its urban forest,” states John Rosenow, Chief Executive and founder of the Arbor Day Foundation.

The City of Thousand Oaks annually maintains 27,000 City street trees of 160 different species. The City releases 700,000 beneficial insects each year as a part of our integrated pest management program to help reduce the need for insecticides.

In 1989, the City Council adopted an Urban Forestry Master Plan.  The overall goal of the Master plan is to provide the City with a sound basis for the creation and management of its community forest and to set policies that provide the greatest benefit for residents.

The City of Thousand Oaks understands the importance of caring for trees because they help reduce the heat island effect in urban areas caused by pavement and buildings.  Trees also help to moderate the climate, conserve water, and provide vital habitat for wildlife.

Note from Conejo Joe:

Other local cities that were on the previous year Tree City USA list include Calabasas (12 years), Ojai (1 year), Oxnard (26 years) and Simi Valley (10 years).

New KCLU Broadcast Center to be Dedicated on Friday, May 20th

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Dedication for new KCLU building slated
Center expands production, educational opportunities

A dedication for the new KCLU Broadcast Center will be held at 4 p.m. Friday, May 20.

The $2.9 million center on the California Lutheran University campus in Thousand Oaks houses four state-of-the-art production rooms. Dubbed The Paulucci Studios, they will include the National Public Radio station’s first dedicated newsroom.

The two-story KCLU Broadcast Center also provides facilities for educational opportunities and community events that the previous center couldn’t accommodate. The Martin V. and Martha K. Smith Education Suite features a fully digitized classroom next to a student lab, providing an observation and workshop environment to train CLU broadcast journalism students. The second student lab will house a student-run digital Internet radio station.

There is also a community room that will be used for meetings and special events.

The new 6,570-square-foot center will replace the tiny studio in CLU’s Mountclef Residence Hall where the KCLU staff has produced award-winning local news and public affairs programs since it signed on in 1994. KCLU, which serves about 70,000 weekly listeners in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, has received more than 140 awards for broadcasting excellence in the last decade.

The public is invited to the dedication. Following the ceremony, people can take self-guided tours of the center. The site is north of Olsen Road on Campus Drive in Thousand Oaks. It is located on the east side of the street.
 
KCLU, a community service of CLU, broadcasts local and national programming in Ventura County on 88.3 FM and in Santa Barbara County at 1340 AM and 102.3 FM. Live streaming and archives are available at www.kclu.org.

Lifestyle and Relationship Expert Lissa Coffey Launches Interactive Video-Zine "CoffeyBuzz" Website

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CoffeyBuzz is an entertaining and informative weekly lifestyle video-zine that presents a fresh look at what’s new in lifestyle, fashion, health and popular culture. What makes us different is that the viewer, using the groundbreaking Hyperspots™ technology, can push a shopping cart through the video and interact with goods and services AS THEY APPEAR ON SCREEN. With Hyperspots™, viewers simply click on an item in the show and they are immediately provided with a direct link to either make a purchase, or learn more about the subject matter. Visit www.coffeybuzz.com to check it out for yourself! Pretty cool!

CoffeyBuzz is hosted by lifestyle and relationship guru Lissa Coffey.  Coffey, a Westlake Village resident, is a bestselling author and a frequent contributor to several talk shows. Emmy Award winning actor Charles Shaughnessy (Days of Our Lives, The Nanny) and his brother, Emmy Award winning producer David Shaughnessy (The Young and the Restless) produce the show along with Coffey to bring you this thrilling new online concept delivered in an engaging and fun weekly video magazine. Combining the very latest in online entertainment and online technology, CoffeyBuzz has your lifestyle…wired!

The Barkley Pet Hotel and Day Spa is the topic of the CoffeyBuzz show that will be posted May 10.  Tune in to meet Bunjee, Chloe, Marilyn Muttroe and many other VIPs, Very Important Pets!