Ojai Police Department Reports an Increase in Reported Phone Scams

Ojai Police are warning Ojai Valley residents of an increase in reported phone scams. The suspect(s) have been targeting elderly residents and posing as family members in need of large sums of money or an official calling on the behalf of the family member because they are in jail and need money to bail out. Victims have reported the suspect(s) request the victim(s) to send the money to locations in Vancouver, B.C. Canada, or overseas to countries in the Middle East.

If any area residents receive phone calls of this nature, or any other suspicious nature, they are encouraged to call law enforcement. This type of phone scam is one of many that occur throughout the year and increase during holiday seasons.

Here are some recommendations to protect yourself from telephone scams:

1. Always know whom you are talking to and get information on the business and a call back number.
2. Never provide your confidential information, such as date of birth, social security number, or bank account numbers.
3. Discontinue transactions if someone coaches you on how to send money or respond to questions from money order service employees.
4. Always check with other family members when a suspect calls and poses as a family member requesting money and call the family member the officials are talking about.

Ventura County Crime Stoppers will pay up to $1,000 reward for information, which leads to
the arrest and criminal complaint against the person(s) responsible for this crime. The caller
may remain anonymous. The call is not recorded. Call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).

Four Tailgate Thefts Reported to Camarillo Police Department Yesterday

Last night (12/6/11), the Camarillo Police Department received calls from 4 victims who reported the tailgates on their trucks had been stolen. One of the trucks was a GMC and the other 3 were Dodges. The thefts occurred in the Mission Oaks area of Camarillo.

 

Stealing a tailgate can be done very quickly, especially if the tailigate is left down. A quick search of the internet can show anyone how to remove a tailgate in less than 15 seconds.

 

Tailgate thefts are a not a new crime, however with internet sites such as Craigslist and ebay, it is easier for thieves to sell the tailgates they steal.

 

If you are a truck owner, there are various companies that sell devices that can assist you in securing your taiigate. It can cost $1000 or more to replace a tailgate so making sure your tailigate is secure should be something for you to consider as a truck owner.

2011 Oxnard Tamale Festival Taste Test Winners Announced!

The 4th Annual Oxnard Tamale Festival took place this past Saturday in Downtown Oxnard. Organizers of the event have announced the tamale taste test champions!

The 2011 Oxnard Tamale Festival Tamale Making Champion is...BG's Coffee Shop (805.487.0700) located at 428 South A Street, Oxnard

Savory Tamale Category Winners

First Place; Taco De Mexico of Ventura

Second Place; Sugarbeets Restaurant & Bar of Downtown Oxnard

Third Place; The Jolly Oyster of Ventura

Sweet Tamale Category Winners

First Place; BG's Coffee Shop of Downtown Oxnard

Second Place; Me Gusta Gourmet Tamales of Pacoima

Third Place; Nancy's Bakery #2 of South Oxnard 

This year's tamale tasting judges included:

Hon. Steven Hintz, Ventura County Treasurer/Tax Collector

Hon. Mark Lunn, Ventura County Clerk/Recorder,

Hon. Fred Bysshe, Ventura County Superior Court

John Ragan, ARC of Ventura County

Chef Gerard Turbush

Chef Paul Tavakoli

Ralph Herrera

Chef Henry Patey of the Oxnard College Culinary Arts Program.

For more information, call 805.766.4906 or visit www.oxnardtamalefest.com.

Lamppost Pizza Newbury Park Closing Its Doors December 4th

Well this is sad news. One of the more popular venues for hanging out after kids' sports games will be closing its doors permanently on Sunday, December 4, 2011. Lamppost Pizza has been a Newbury Park mainstay for as long as I can recall (and I've been in the Conejo Valley for 18 years) but apparently the economy has taken its toll as they announced their closing on their Facebook page 2 days ago. I always enjoy(ed) Lamppost, even when I have to deal with kids nagging me for quarters for the little toy machines.

Lamppost Newbury Park will close its doors for good at 10PM that night, according to a worker there. Their address is 2160 Newbury Road. Phone is 805.499.0303.

But the owners said that the Oak Park location (corner of Lindero and Kanan) will remain open. I actually like that location better. Their number is 818.879.2195. 

There are now actually 28, well, soon to be 27, Lamppost locations in California and Reno, Nevada. Other Ventura County locations managed by other owners include Moorpark and Simi Valley.

The Hooters Drama Continues in Thousand Oaks as a Councilwoman Gets Involved

On Tuesday, the VC Star reported that Thousand Oaks Councilwoman Claudia Bill-de la Peña wrote a letter dated November 15th to property managers of Janss Marketplace, asking them to reconsider leasing space for a Hooters restaurant located in the parking lot adjacent to the mall.

This has been quite a drama for Thousand Oaks in 2011 since it was announced back in March that there was a possibility of Hooters occuping the space left vacant by Fuddruckers over a year and a half ago. Ultimately it was determined that there are no legal issues with a Hooters and they were moving forward.

Councilwoman Bill-de la Peña wrote her letter based on "'The opposition to an eatery is unprecedented, it is historical," she said. "In light of the opposition, I felt I needed to make the Janss mall aware of that, as if they weren't already. I felt with the outrage of the community ... I had to speak on behalf of those opposed.'"

We did our own survey here on CVG and the final outcome was roughly 30% of respondents were against opening a Hooters, 55% were thumbs up and the remainder pretty much had no opinion.

There are over 460 Hooters restaurants arouund the world. Hooters has operated since 1983. I ate at the Long Beach Hooters with my kids and frankly it wasn't a lot different than taking them to the local Cronies (love their beer), Draughts (also great beer), Tipsy Goat (beer me again) or Ladyface Ale (yep, great beer there too). They were not truamatized by the experience, nor did they ask about or expand upon the definition of the word Hooters (had they asked, the hooting sounds of owls would have of course been the response).

This shopping center has been part of the community for over 50 years. Janss Mall (as it was originally called) was built in 1960 with about 200,000 sq ft of space. In 1969 the 198,000 sq ft Sears was added, along with another 90,000 sq ft of shop space. Then in 1994 another 160,000 sq ft was added and it was renamed Janss Marketplace.

Janss Marketplace recently donated $15,000 to the Conejo Recreation & Park District youth programs. The funds were raised from the Reign of Terror Haunted House at the mall.

Let me digress. Yes there was a lot of opposition to the Hooters. But those not opposed were not asked to submit a response. Most people I know aren't in the habit of sending letters to City Hall to tell them about a new business they "approve" of, particularly when there are no laws preventing the business from opening. Most of us approve/disapprove of local businesses with our wallets, and that usually works fine.

Let the Hooters open. If you don't like it, simply don't eat there, tell your friends and neighbors not to eat there, etc. Capitalism is pretty efficient in that way. It worked for Fuddruckers quite well.

Jack's Deli in Westlake Village Closed Its Doors Yesterday

Jack's Deli in Westlake Village closed its doors yesterday, Sunday, November 20th. It has been a Westlake Village mainstay since opening its doors in 1976. Though in recent years I didn't eat there often due to the location of my day job, I frequented Jack's for a number of years and always enjoyed the food there. Jack's joins Roxy's Deli as an alumnus in the Conejo Valley ex-Restaurant Club. Both will be missed.