Huarache Xpress at the Simi Valley Town Center

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Huarache Xpress opened at east end of the Simi Valley Town Center in March. A huarache (pronounced WAR-A-CHAY) is large, thick, handmade corn tortilla with beans inside, topped with things like onions, lettuce, meat (carne asada, chicken, carnitas, al pastor, chorizo, etc.), cheese, avocado, sour cream and more. Other specialties include quesadilla, burritos, tacos, enchiladas and more.

Visit www.facebook.com/HuaracheXpress or call 805.422.8858.

Surf Boba Opened Last Weekend at the Simi Valley Town Center

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Surf Boba opened this past weekend at the Simi Valley Town Center in the former home of Jamba Juice (n the east end of the mall, across from Coconut Crab and California Pizza Kitchen), offering smoothies, frappes, milk teas, blends, wraps, sandwiches, salads and more. Learn more at surfboba.com.

SpireWorks Modern Döner in Westlake Village Has Closed Its Doors

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Nessa M gave us the heads up viia the Conejo Valley Guide Facebook page that SpireWorks Modern Döner at the Westlake Plaza in Westlake Village has closed its doors. SpireWorks opened in July 2018.

Prior occupants of this space next to La Pain Quotidien have included Big Fish Poke and Ice Cream Lab since March 2015.

What’s next? We shall see.

Westlake Village Trolley to Run Fri/Sat Nights From May 24, 2019 through Labor Day Weekend

The Westlake Village Trolley is back in service. The free Trolley returns on Friday, May 24, 2019 and will operate on Friday and Saturday nights through Labor Day weekend. The Trolley begins its run at Westlake Village City Hall at 3:00 pm and concludes each night at 10:00 pm. With stops at all major retail centers, including the Shoppes at Westlake Village, hotels, and neighborhoods, the Village Trolley is a great way to get around town.

Free, live entertainment on board the Trolley from 6-8pm only enhances the experience!

Riding the Village Trolley is easy. Simply hop on at one of 16 stops and hop off whenever you want. The Trolley is outfitted with a GPS locator device allowing riders to use their smartphone to track the trolley’s progress. The Trolley is not just transportation; it is a mobile City event perfect for residents and visitors of all ages. Check the City website for the up-to-date entertainment schedule. The Village Trolley is the smart and safe way to get to your favorite restaurant, park, or City special event. The Trolley rolls to Berniece Bennett Park for the three concerts in the park and the movie night this summer.

For more information, including locations of all Trolley stops, visit www.wlv.org/villagetrolley.

25th Anniversary Ventura Music Festival Lineup Announced for July 2019

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VENTURA MUSIC FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES SILVER ANNIVERSARY LINEUP

25th Annual Festival to Feature World-Class Artists, including The Summit: Manhattan Transfer meets Take 6, Ranky Tanky, Calidore String Quartet and more this summer

Each year, the Ventura Music Festival fills venues across the city with top-tier music for two weekends of multi-genre music, dance performances and world-class culture. This summer, the festival is returning with a lineup that promises to be bigger and better than ever. Headlined by the one and only The Summit: Manhattan Transfer meets Take 6 with support by world class acts such as classical guitar virtuoso Christopher Parkening with extraordinary baritone Jubilant Sykes, the thrilling Rastrelli Cello Quartet and many others, the festival has something for every musical taste.

In the hands of renowned conductor and Ventura Music Festival Artistic Director Nuvi Mehta, the 2019 musical lineup consists of:

7/12: Festival headliners and acclaimed vocal groups are The Summit: The Manhattan Transfer meets Take 6 as the renowned groups join forces to wow audiences at the Oxnard PACC

7/13: Celebrated guitarist Christopher Parkening joins renowned baritone Jubilant Sykes in a recital ranging from classical and jazz to American spirituals at the Ventura College Performing Arts Center

7/14: Calidore String Quartet brings “synergistic brilliance and ferocious commitment” to the Ventura College Performing Arts Center

7/19: Youth jazz pianist star-on-the-rise and “brightest light” Joey Alexander at the Ventura College Performing Arts center

7/20: Ranky Tanky brings Gullah culture and “soulful honey for the ears” through a prism of African, gospel and R&B music at the Ventura College Performing Arts Center

7/21: Rastrelli Cello Quartet’s “simply infectious” musical sizzle at the Ventura College Performing Arts Center

Additionally, the festival will host a “Tea & Trumpets” at the Ventura Pierpont Inn, where guests will enjoy a four-course English tea with the Festival Brass Quintet’s hallmark wit, humor and fanfare on 7/11, as well as a free public concert with high octane Latin guitar ensemble Incendio at Mission Park in Ventura on 7/18. For times, updates and more details in the coming months, follow the festival on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

The 25th annual Ventura Music Festival will take place on July 11-14 and July 18-21, 2019 at the Ventura College Performing Arts Center, located at 4700 Loma Vista Road, Ventura unless otherwise noted above. Tickets will range in price from $25-$50 (special student rates excepted) and will be available for purchase in April.

For more information please visit www.venturamusicfestival.org or call (805) 648-3146.

For those who can’t wait until July, VMF’s silver anniversary celebration is starting sooner than ever: lauded piano duo Anderson & Roe played at the Ventura College Performing Arts Center on February 9th. On May 10th, Lithuanian “rock stars of chamber music” NICO (New Ideas Chamber Orchestra) will be lighting up the VCPAC’s stage. Tickets for both events are on-sale now.

ABOUT VENTURA MUSIC FESTIVAL:
Since 1994, the mission of the Ventura Music Festival has been to bring world-class music to the community, foster audience-artist relationships, and enhance the joy of music through diverse programs for all ages. VMF seeks to create an inclusive, welcoming environment in which people both see and hear themselves reflected in the music.

The World's Largest Rodents - Two Female Capybaras - Back at the Santa Barbara Zoo

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Two young capybaras are back at the Santa Barbara Zoo after a four-year absence of the world’s largest rodents from the Zoo. The sisters, who are less than one year old, share an exhibit near the Zoo Train Station with the Zoo’s three female giant anteaters.

The two female capybaras were born August 5, 2018 at the Greater Vancouver Zoo, where they were hand-raised after their mother passed away. A total of five siblings were hand-raised.

“They don’t have names yet, but do have personalities,” said Melanie Story, the mammal keeper who has cared for them during their 30-day quarantine. “The one that is currently lighter in color is more comfortable around people and braver in new situations, even though they were both hand-reared. But they are still not mature and it will be exciting to see how they change as they grow.”

A temporary fence currently separates the capybara from the giant anteaters, and keepers are making careful introductions in hopes that the two species will co-inhabit the exhibit in the future.

The Zoo’s adult female giant anteater Anara is currently on exhibit with her female twins, Fancy Nancy Drew and Maria Luisa, who were born at the Zoo in November 2017. The Zoo’s male giant anteater Ridley has his own quarters but will soon return to the adjacent exhibit, which was most recently occupied by two koalas who were on a one-year loan. Adult male giant anteaters do not interact with females unless they are breeding.

The sister capybaras, like many of the animals at the Zoo, can be sponsored and even named by making a donation to the Santa Barbara Zoo’s Foster Feeder fund which covers the cost of the animal food bill at the Zoo each year. For more information, contact the Zoo’s Institutional Advancement Department for details at 805-962-5339 or visit www.sbzoo.org.

About Capybaras

They have been called “swamp hogs” and “water pigs,” but capybaras are more closely related to guinea pigs than actual pigs – they are rodents. Adult capybaras can weigh as much as 150 pounds and stand as tall as 2.5 feet. They come from Central and South America where they live near standing water like riversides, ponds, and marshes.

Capybaras are most active on land, but are also skilled and graceful swimmers. Their feet are partially-webbed (like otters’ or beavers’) which allows them to dive deep and swim underwater for long distances. Water is also where capybaras prefer to defecate; they rarely “go” on land.

Just like fellow rodents such as porcupines and squirrels, capybaras’ long front teeth continue to grow throughout their lifetime. The teeth tend to wear down from chewing food, but some older capybaras end up with very long teeth. Like camels, they chew from side-to-side, and like cows, they regurgitate their food to re-chew it.

Animal experts generally agree that in recent years it has become increasingly difficult to find this shy and sometimes nocturnal animal in the wild. Deforestation and habitat destruction are factors, and until recently, hunting and poaching as a food source contributed to their decline. New captive farming programs have helped relieve poaching.

The Santa Barbara Zoo is open daily from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.; general admission $18 for adults, $13 for seniors 64+, $11 for children 2-12, and free for children under 2. Parking is $11. The Santa Barbara Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). AZA zoos are dedicated to providing excellent care for animals, a great visitor experience, and a better future for all living things. With its more than 200 accredited members, AZA is a leader in global wildlife conservation, and is the public’s link to helping animals in their native habitats. Visit www.sbzoo.org.

Watch Endangered California Condor Chick in the Hills Above Fillmore Live on "Condor Cam"

People across the world can get up-close-and-personal with an endangered California condor chick in real-time through live streaming video of a cliff-side nest in a canyon on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Hopper Mountain National Wildlife Refuge in Ventura County.

California condor chick #980 hatched on April 10. Its parents are nine-year-old female condor #563 and 19-year-old male condor #262. This is the pair’s first nesting attempt together and their first year on the livestreaming Condor Cam as a pair. This is female condor #563’s second attempt at raising a chick, and the chick’s father, condor #262, fledged one other chick in the past with a previous mate.

Followers of the California Condor Cam watched a chick hatch live in the wild for the first time in history from another cliff-side nest on Hopper Mountain NWR in 2015. Since then, livestreaming video of California condor chicks have gained worldwide attention – attracting hundreds of thousands of viewers from all over the world.

Female California condor 563 stands over her newly hatched chick on April 10 in a nest cavity now fitted with a live-streaming video camera in the Pole Canyon area of the Hopper Mountain National Wildlife Refuge. Bluish colored egg fragments are vis…

Female California condor 563 stands over her newly hatched chick on April 10 in a nest cavity now fitted with a live-streaming video camera in the Pole Canyon area of the Hopper Mountain National Wildlife Refuge. Bluish colored egg fragments are visible. Credit: Pacific Southwest Region USFWS.

“Today’s technology allows researchers like us to observe nests in remote locations without having to trek into the backcountry and wait for days, sometimes weeks, at observation blinds for a glimpse of the condors,” says Dr. Estelle Sandhaus, the Santa Barbara Zoo’s director of conservation and science. “With this live stream, the public can share in the thrill of seeing these rare and highly endangered birds care for their chick, and follow its development before it takes its first flight. What was once only seen by a few scientists is now available to anyone with an internet connection.”

In California, wild condors nest, roost or fly in the mountains of Monterey, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles, Kern, Tulare and Fresno counties, and the western Sierra Nevada Mountains.

The 2018 nesting season was a record-breaking one, with 12 nests in the mountains of Ventura, Santa Barbara and Kern counties. Six of those nests were successful, the most ever in the Southern California flock.

“The success of last year’s nesting season was really monumental for the condor recovery program and a testament to the hard work of all the partners involved in this effort,” said Nicole Weprin, wildlife biologist with the Service’s California Condor Recovery Program. “We’re hopeful for another successful nesting season this year, and thrilled that the public can share in our excitement by watching the Condor Cam.”

The number of California condors dropped dramatically in the mid-20th century, leading the Service to designate the species as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. By 1982 there were only 22 of the iconic birds left in the wild. Today, due to intensive, ongoing captive breeding and recovery efforts led by the Service in conjunction with multiple public and private partners, the California condor population has grown to just under 490 birds worldwide, with more than half of the population flying free.

Today the number one killer of California condors is lead poisoning, caused by condors feeding on carcasses containing lead bullet fragments. Peer-reviewed research shows that lead poisoning is a serious health problem for both wildlife and humans, and the Service is working with partner organizations and the hunting community as it transitions to the use of non-lead ammunition alternatives. Hunters are continuing their proud tradition of wildlife conservation by using these non-lead alternatives.

Another threat specific to condor chicks is “micro trash.” Micro trash are small coin-sized trash items such as, nuts, bolts, washers, copper wire, plastic, bottle caps, glass, and spent ammunition cartridges. Condor parents collect these items and feed them to their chick, which can cause serious problems with the chick’s development. While it is not completely understood why this occurs, many biologists believe that the condor parents mistake these items for pieces of bone and shell which provides a source of calcium if fed to the chick.

Conservation efforts toward the recovery of the California condor are achieved only through partnerships amongst federal and state agencies, together with private landowners and organizations. The Pole Canyon Condor Cam is made possible through access provided by private landowners, and through the financial and technical support of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Santa Barbara Zoo, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology, Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund, and Friends of California Condors Wild and Free.

"The condor cams are unlike any other offering on the internet. Each year we've streamed from a different site and pair, and the differences among all these nests and individuals have given viewers a unique opportunity to understand more of the richness and variability of the condor's life history,” said Charles Eldermire, Cornell Lab Bird Cams project leader. “That's not just good for viewers—it's good for the condors, too.”

To watch the Condor Cam, visit: www.allaboutbirds.org/condors

For answers to frequently asked questions about the nest cam, the parents and the chick, visit: www.fws.gov/cno/es/CalCondor/CondorCam.html

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service works with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. For more information about our work and the people who make it happen, visit www.fws.gov/cno or connect with us via Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Flickr.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is a membership institution dedicated to interpreting and conserving the earth’s biological diversity through research, education, and citizen science focused on birds. Visit the Cornell Lab’s website at birds.cornell.edu

The Santa Barbara Zoo is located on 30 acres of botanic gardens and is home to more than 500 individual animals in open, naturalistic habitats. It is accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA), representing the highest level of animal care, and participates in AZA cooperative programs for endangered species including Asian elephant, California condor, Channel Island fox, and Western lowland gorilla, among others. Visit www.sbzoo.org.

The Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology (WFVZ) is both a natural history collection specializing in eggs and nests of birds from all over the world, and a research and education institution dedicated to studying and teaching about the conservation of the world’s bird species. The WFVZ has contributed information to thousands of research projects since its inception in 1956. Visit us at www.wfvz.org, and on Facebook and Instagram.

County of Ventura Food Facility Closures in May 2019

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 vcrma.org/food-facilities-closure-report-inspector-initiated.

The following facility closures (exclusive of mobile facilities) were noted in May 2019. Keep in mind when reviewing this that there are many possible reasons for the closures, most of which are very temporary issues.

Casa Via Mar Inn & Tennis Club, 377 W. Channel Islands Blvd., Port Hueneme;
Cockroach infestation, unsanitary conditions;
Date closed - 05/31/19; No reopen date

Edwards Camarillo, 680 Ventura Blvd., Camarillo;
No hot water for utensil or hand washing;
Date closed - 05/30/19; Date reopened - 05/30/19

Subway, 2031 Stratham Blvd., Oxnard;
No hot water for utensil or hand washing;
Date closed - 05/30/19; Date reopened - 06/01/19

Cagami Ramen, 1855 Daily Dr. B, Camarillo;
Serious and repeated violations;
Date closed - 05/30/19; Date reopened - 05/31/19

Millie's Diner, 2597 Sycamore Dr., Simi Valley;
Cockroach infestation, unsanitary conditions;
Date closed - 05/29/19; Date reopened- 05/31/19

P.J.'s Boulevard Cafe, 2157 Ventura Boulevard, Camarillo;
Rodent infestation, unsanitary conditions;
Date closed - 05/29/19; Date reopened - 05/31/19

805Copa, 1575 Spinnaker Drive, Unit 101A, Ventura;
Cockroach infestation, inoperable plumbing, unsanitary conditions;
Date closed - 05/21/19; Date reopened - 05/23/19

Win's Drive In, 310 North A Street, Oxnard;
Cockroach infestation, unsanitary conditions; 
Date closed - 05/20/19; Date reopened - 05/21/19

Romano's Macaroni Grill, 2920 Tapo Canyon Road, Simi Valley;
Sewage overflowing within the facility, utensil washing sinks not available for use, unsanitary conditions;
Date closed - 05/16/19; Date reopened -05/17/19

Del Taco #868, 2000 N.Rose Ave., Oxnard;
No warm water available for adequate hand washing at both employee/customer restrooms; 
Date closed - 05/13/19; Date reopened - 05/14/19

Great Central Steak & Hoagie, 410 East Thompson Boulevard, Ventura;
Rodent infestation, unsanitary conditions;
Date closed - 05/07/19; Date reopened - 05/09/19

Yankee Doodle Bakery, 2035 N. Oxnard Blvd., Oxnard;
No valid Permit to Operate;
Date closed - 05/06/19; Date reopened - 05/07/19 (new permit issued)

Subway #47978, 2409 E. Harbor Blvd., Ventura;
Inoperable plumbing making the food preparation sink inoperable;
Date closed - 05/03/19; Date reopened - 05/03/19