Miller Family YMCA to Host Indoor Cycle-A-Thon and Thanksgiving Food Basket Drive on Saturday, November 12th

Miller YMCA To Host Indoor Cycle-A-Thon and Thanksgiving Food Basket Drive

The Miller Family YMCA of Newbury Park will be holding its first indoor Cycle-A-Thon, Saturday, November 12 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Y (320 Via Las Brisas, Newbury Park). The event will raise money for the Y's Healthy Living Program. During the cycle-a-thon, 150 Thanksgiving Day food baskets will be assembled for distribution to residents in the community.

Teams of riders will be cycling nonstop on stationary bikes during the cycle-a-thon. The cyclists will be entertained throughout the day with music and live entertainment. Everyone who participates will receive a continental breakfast and lunch and goody bag. Prizes will be awarded in categories including the team raising the most money, the rider who pedaled the longest and the team with the most spirit.

"We're asking teams to collect donations of at least $200 per team," says Katie Beck, the Miller Y executive director. "We're hoping to raise $5,000 that day--through the cycle-a-thon, a raffle, a silent auction and direct donations."

Volunteers are also needed to assemble the food baskets during the cycle-a-thon. "Many of our neighbors need a little extra help this holiday season. As part of the Y's ongoing Healthy Living Program, we want to make sure these families have everything they need for a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner," says Beck.

Community members can donate nonperishable items to the food basket drive from November 1 through November 10 or donate $35, which provides a Thanksgiving dinner for a family of four.

Only 15 cycling teams can participate in the cycle-a-thon. For more information including how to form a team, join an existing team or to volunteer, contact Katie Beck at kbeck@millerymca.org or call the Y at 805-480-0309.

Paraiso Town Center in Newbury Park to Be Renamed The Village at Dos Vientos Ranch

Paraiso Town Center to Be Renamed The Village at Dos Vientos Ranch

Paraiso Town Center in the Thousand Oaks master planned community of Dos Vientos Ranch will be renamed The Village at Dos Vientos Ranch, announced Peter Cohen, president of Paradise Capital Group, which acquired the 50,000 square-foot mixed-used retail and office complex in June 2010.

A new name was very important in our efforts to rebrand and market the property, said Cohen.   We wanted to give the center a fresh start with a new name that was easy to pronounce and remember. While Paraiso (Spanish for "Paradise") was a beautiful and obviously very distinctive name, four out of five people would pronounce it incorrectly, and that is not good from a marketing perspective.

Immediately after acquiring the center, Paradise Capital Group conducted an informal poll and learned that the community was largely in favor of a name change.   There has been a lot of negative stigma associated with the center for some time and getting a new owner and new name for this beautiful center is great for Dos Vientos Ranch and all of Thousand Oaks, said Dan Bonfiglio, a local resident and president of the Dos Vientos Ranch Community Association.  It's exciting to see the positive changes taking place and it's obviously working  as we are seeing leasing activity for the first time in years.
Since acquiring the center, approximately 7,500 square feet of retail and office leases have been signed nearly doubling the existing occupancy.

There has been a lot of interest in the center since the ownership change, said CB Richard Ellis Vice President Lawrence Tanji, who leads the retail marketing on behalf of Paradise Capital Group. The new name is yet another example of the positive changes taking place there and local retailers and business are taking notice.

Built in 2008, The Village at Dos Vientos Ranch includes 40,000 square feet of ground level retail and restaurant space with outdoor dining, and 10,000 square feet of office space.  The Mediterranean style complex also features a children's playground and landscaped common areas with fountains.  The centerpiece is an outdoor amphitheater with a performance stage and movie screen.

Retail tenants include La Cucina di Venti, Boney Mountain Coffee, Red Coral Sushi Restaurant, Fitness Together, The Art Box and Paraiso Cleaners.  Office tenants include ETF Portfolio Management, Paraiso Family Dental and Orthodontics, Team Resources, McQueen & Associates and Worldwide Supply.

Bicycle Thefts Continue in the Conejo Valley - Anyone Recognize This One?

The Thousand Oaks Police Department has been reporting an increase in bike thefts in the area for a number of months now.  This crime frequently happens when garage doors are left open or bikes are left in patios. Here's a recent example along with detailed information from a Conejo Valley Guide Facebook follower. Should you become aware of the whereabouts of either of these bikes, CONTACT US or call TOPD Dispatch at 805.654.9511.

Stolen from garage in Southshore Hills neighborhood, Westlake Village around 5:30PM on Saturday, Sept 24th, area of Triunfo Canyon Rd, Glastonbury Rd, Hillsbury Rd:

Men’s road bike: 2008 Giant TCR Advanced Team Silver/Black, medium-large frame, with Mavic wheels and Ritchey carbon components and accessories. Valued at $10,000. PICTURED ABOVE

Also stolen was a men’s mountain bike: 2008 Giant Trance 1 Mountain Bike, Silver, medium-large frame, valued at $2500. EXAMPLE BELOW

New Self Service Frozen Yogurt Place, Yogreens, Opened in Camarillo on Sept 24th

UPDATE: Yogreens closed on 12/2/2011.

Yogreens is a new self service frozen yogurt place located at the Carmen Plaza Shopping Center, corner of Carmen and Daily in Camarillo (the one with Big Lots and Trader Joe's). It just opened on Saturday, September 24th. Haven't been there yet but plan to. This is where Polar Bears Ice Cream/Yogurt used to be located.  As evidenced by their name, they will serve frozen yogurt and have a salad bar (the latter will be coming soon). I'm not real thrilled with the name Yogreens but at least I understand why they named it that.!

Visit their Facebook page for more information. Their number is 805.445.0054. And of course for the most comprehensive list of Frozen Yogurt and other cool treats around Ventura County, CLICK HERE.

Hooters Administrative Public Hearing in Thousand Oaks on Thursday, September 15th

Update from VC Star on 9/20/11: Thousand Oaks resident Don Hunn, 77, has paid $1,130 to file an appeal of the decision to allow a full bar at the new Hooters. This is outstanding news for local newspapers as it provides continued comedy material.

Update from the VC Star on 9/16/11: Operators granted full bar. The decision can be appealed to the City Planning Commission within 10 calendar days and a fee of $1100. Over 60 people attended the meeting and it lasted 3 hours. 39 people spoke against the application, 12 spoke in favor of it. Ah yes, no doubt this is not the last we've heard of this "issue."

Today, the City of Thousand Oaks Community Development Department mailed a Notice of Admininstrative Public Hearing to all property owners located within 500 feet of the proposed Hooters in the Janss Marketplace parking lot, 401 N. Moorpark Road (corner of Moorpark Road and Brazil Street).

The persistently vacant ex-Sizzlers, ex-Fuddruckers location proposed for Hooters. The hearing will be held on Thursday, September 15th at 3 p.m. at City Council Chambers, 2nd Floor, 2100 Thousand Oaks Boulevard. Anyone is allowed to attend and be heard on the following matter:

Applicant: Thousand Oaks Wings, LLC

Sign on Potential Future Hooters Location Door. TOW Stands for Thousand Oaks Wings

Request: To modify the existing special use perrmit condition limiting on-site sale and consumption of beer and wine only to allow sale and consumption of all alcoholic beverages in conjunction with the operation of a restaurant.

This should be interesting, based on the concerns voiced by some local residents. If you're looking for some excitement on September 15th, this could be the place to be (in close competition with the 65 cent funnel cake sticks offered up by Hot Dog on a Stick on September 15th!!).

The sole purpose of the hearing is to address whether the applicant shall be allowed to have a full bar and if that is allowable under City code. The purpose of the meeting is NOT to address whether or not a Hooters should be "allowed" there in the first place. It may be entertaining watching how the the City manages to keep the scope of the meeting within its stated purpose.

Expect plenty of news coverage. For further information about the request, contact the City of Thousand Oaks.

The majority of Hooters restaurants have full bars, including the following locations that are closest to Thousand Oaks: Santa Monica, Hollywood, Burbank, Downtown Los Angeles, Anaheim, Oceanside and West Covina.

If for whatever reason we don't get our Hooters in Thousand Oaks, I'd be o.k. if they bring back Sizzler.

Mandarin Bistro to Open in Newbury Park at the Old Pick Up Stix Location

9/12/11 Update: Mandarin Bistro will be open for business on Monday, September 19th.

Original post 7/11/11: Thanks to a tip from fellow Facebooker Kimberly G, I've discovered that what used to be at 501 S. Reino Road in Newbury Park will soon be Mandarin Bistro. I have no additional information at this point but it looks like it will be opening soon.

Hopefully there will be good as I'm always hungry for Chinese food, and I'm always hungry soon after eating Chinese food. But that's another story.

But I digress. I wonder why they call it a bistro. Bistro is a French word that according to Webster's Dictionary means "small, unpretentious restaurant." Well OK, I guess this location is small and pretentious, so that works.

On a separate but kind of related note, CB Richard Ellis is marketing space 501-D in that plaza, 3 doors down, between the cleaners and the Hallmark store. That would be Pure Beauty. They say the 2,540 sq ft space will be available in October 2011 at $2.45 per sq ft, including fixtures, plus $.40 for triple net.

Here's where Mandarin Bistro will be located.

Jeff Gorrell Sidewalk Office While on Deployment to Afghanistan

Today I drove by Marie Callender's in Camarillo and did a double-take when I saw a large Jeff Gorrell sign and card table. Recalling he has been deployed in Afghanistan, I thought, wow, guess he's back! So I parked and met up with his District Director and Field Representative at the booth and discovered that Jeff is still on deployment, perhaps until early 2012, and that his team holds these table-top offices around the county to listen to and exchange ideas with constituents. Was great to see them out there!

Jeff was voted to the California State Assembly in 2010 in the 37th District that covers Camarillo, Fillmore, Moorpark, Santa Paula, Ojai, Thousand Oaks and about one third of Simi Valley, as well as some other outlying areas (frankly, the district boundary map confuses the hell outta me http://arc.asm.ca.gov/member/37/?p=districtMap). His website is http://arc.asm.ca.gov/member/37/.