An Amazon Retail Store Appears to Be Coming to The Promenade at Westlake in Thousand Oaks

It appears an Amazon retail store will be occupying the former Vintage Grocers/Bristol Farms space at The Promenade at Westlake in Thousand Oaks. This sign was posted a couple days ago (thanks Amelia for the heads up!) and there's some construction work going on. The sign indicates Amazon Retail LLC is applying for a general license to sell alcoholic beverages for offsite consumption as well as a license to allow beer, wine and/or distilled spirits tasting at this location.

The Promenade and Amazon were not able to confirm the name of the new store, but perhaps it could be an Amazon Fresh store, like the one that recently opened in Woodland Hills. Or it could be something else. Amazon is currently recruiting a Store Manager for the store. " Amazon Stores is a unique extension of Amazon.com that focuses on in-person shopping experiences through our retail stores."

Perhaps we will find out more soon.

Schools Will Consider Reopening Dates as Ventura County Coronavirus Status Improves

Today, Ventura County moved off the most restrictive tier of the state’s COVID-19 watch list, which means schools could soon have the option of reopening for in-person instruction at all grade levels. If Ventura County maintains its status for two additional weeks, schools may choose to reopen as early as Wednesday, October 21. However, it will be up to each individual school district to determine exactly when they can safely begin welcoming students back to class. Some schools may choose to reopen their campuses later than October 21 for a variety of reasons.

When they do reopen, schools will need to maintain strict social distancing, keeping students and staff at least six feet away from each other. This means classrooms can only be filled to a fraction of their normal capacity. Schools are also required to keep the same groups of students together to the greatest extent possible to limit the number of people each student is exposed to throughout the day.

In elementary grades, many schools will comply with these rules by bringing only a portion of students to class each day. On the days they are not in class, students will continue receiving instruction through distance learning. This hybrid approach will allow all students to have some in-class instruction a few days per week.

The situation becomes much more complicated in middle school and high school where students switch classrooms and mix with different groups multiple times a day according to each student’s unique schedule. Because of this and the fact that classrooms cannot be filled to capacity, it will be extremely difficult to create a workable in-person schedule at the middle and high school levels. As a result, some schools may determine that the best option is to continue with full-time distance learning.

In addition to scheduling and safety considerations, school districts need to ensure there are enough teachers available to resume in-person instruction. Many teachers are in high risk groups, which could prevent them from returning to class. Others may have reservations about being in a crowded school environment while the pandemic is ongoing.

Another issue that complicates reopening is transportation. Because of social distancing requirements, school buses will not be able to carry the usual number of students. It’s very likely there will not be a sufficient supply of buses and drivers to provide transportation to all students who may need it.

“We recognize that people have passionate feelings on both sides of the school reopening issue, and we want nothing more than to get students safely back to class,” said Stan Mantooth, Ventura County Superintendent of Schools. “I urge everyone to understand that school district leaders are working to reopen in the most responsible way, which may mean spending additional time on distance learning at some schools.”

All Ventura County schools have prepared detailed reopening procedures that will help ensure the safety of students and staff when they return to campus. They include:

• Face coverings will be required for all staff and for students in third grade and above.

• Classrooms will be arranged to keep everyone at least six feet apart.

• Students will be kept in consistent groups (cohorts) as much as possible.

• Parents will be instructed to keep students home whenever they have a temperature or show symptoms.

• Anyone experiencing symptoms at school will be sent home.

• Facilities and equipment will be disinfected on a regular basis.

• School officials will work with Ventura County Public Health on contact tracing if positive cases arise.

• Athletic training and conditioning are allowed with social distancing, but actual competitions are on hold pending further guidance from public health officials.

• Staff will receive COVID-19 testing as required by state and local regulations.

• Staff and students will receive health screenings on a regular basis.

Each school district is communicating independently with parents and students about their reopening timelines. For additional information about reopening protocols, see the Framework for Reopening Ventura County Schools at www.vcoe.org/framework.

About the Ventura County Office of Education

The Ventura County Office of Education provides a broad array of fiscal, training and technology support services to local school districts, helping to maintain and improve lifelong educational opportunities for children, educators and community members. VCOE also operates schools that serve students with severe disabilities and behavioral issues, provides career education courses, and coordinates countywide academic competitions including Mock Trial and the Ventura County Science Fair. Learn more at: www.vcoe.org.

County of Ventura Moves to State's Red Tier, Allowing More Businesses to Open Indoors

Thanks to recent progress being made in the fight against COVID-19 in Ventura County, businesses such as restaurants, gyms, movie theaters, massage businesses and places of worship may now open indoors, following California Department of Public Health sector specific guidance for reopening, as of 12:01 pm today. The changes come after the County qualified to move into the less restrictive red tier of the State's four-tiered, color-coded reopening system. Until today, Ventura County had been in the state's purple tier, the most restrictive tier.

In order to move into the red tier, the County had to see average case rates drop below 7 per 100,000 people and testing positivity rates dip below 8%. For the past two weeks, Ventura County has met those benchmarks. As of Tuesday, the case rate is 5.5 per 100,000 people and the test positivity rate is 3.0%.

A new Ventura County Health Officer Order has been issued to align with the tier advancement.

Moving into the red tier means the following sectors can reopen with modifications:

• Places of worship, restaurants, movie theaters and museums can be operated indoors at 25% capacity or 100 people, whichever is less.

• Gyms can reopen indoors at 10% capacity. 12 feet distancing required in Ventura County.

• All personal care services such as massage, tattoos and piercing salons can open indoors.

• Indoor shopping malls can operate at 50% maximum occupancy (instead of 25%). Food courts can also open following the state's guidelines for restaurants.

• Indoor retail stores can now operate at 50% capacity (instead of 25%)

• Elementary and secondary schools can reopen for in-person instruction by October 21 if the county remains in the red tier for two more weeks. Currently, elementary schools can apply for a waiver from Public Health to reopen.

Community members who have been exposed to a COVID-19 positive person, who have symptoms or who have contact with others outside of their household for their work are encouraged to get tested. County testing sites are available 7 days a week at no cost with no appointment needed. Short wait times and results within 24 hours are the standard right now.

Businesses and other organizations should review their applicable industry guidance for reopening safely from the state. Businesses must also be registered to reopen at www.vcreopens.com. If a business previously registered, they do not need to register again.

The California Department of Public Health has also issued a new Health Equity Metric that goes into effect today. The goal of the metric is to prevent spread among disproportionately impacted Californians. The County of Ventura has been committed to equitable response and serving and protecting the most vulnerable since the beginning of the pandemic. These efforts have included free testing, expanded testing hours and locations, contact tracing, multi-lingual outreach, assistance programs for food, rent and household bills, waived clinic fees, hotel vouchers, permanent housing and more.

The Health Equity Metric requires that the lowest Healthy Places Index (HPI) quartile be below 8%. To enter the state’s less restrictive Orange Tier, it needs to stay under 5%. The County is currently at 3.6% positivity rate for the lower HPI quartile compared to 3.0% for the County as a whole. The County will continue to support health equity with expanded outreach and support throughout the County.

For more information about COVID-19 in Ventura County, visit www.venturacountyrecovers.org

The latest public health order dated today is at vcportal.ventura.org/CEO/VCNC/VC_Public_Health_Officer_Order_10-06-2020.pdf

Ventura County Could Move to Red Tier October 6th; Playgrounds May Now Open in California

On Monday, the State of California announced that the County of Ventura has met the State COVID-19 metrics for one week. If Ventura County meets the metrics for an additional week, the state will allow the county to move into the Red Tier of the State’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy.

As of September 29, the Ventura County has met the threshold for the case rate for the Red Tier. Any county within this tier must indicate a daily case rate of between 4-7 cases and a positivity rate of between 5-8%. Ventura County currently has a daily case rate of 7.0. The County’s testing volume of 283 exceeds the state average of 248.9. This has allowed for an adjustment by the state of the case rate from 8 to 7. Exceeding the requirements for testing has helped the County advance.

The County anticipates that establishment in the Red Tier would become effective starting Tuesday, October 6, 2020.

Once in the Red Tier, personal care services, restaurants, places of worship, movie theaters, gyms and fitness centers, along with museums, zoos and aquariums will be able to open for indoor operations with modifications.

Stores with indoor operations that are open in the Purple Tier can increase indoor capacity to 50% in the Red Tier. Restaurants can open indoors at 25% capacity. Places of worship, higher education, and zoos and museums can open indoor operations at 25% capacity or 100 people, whichever is less. Fitness centers and gyms will be able to offer indoor operations at 10% capacity.

School openings for in-person instruction are only able to be considered once a county has been in the Red Tier for 14 consecutive days. At this time, only schools that have applied for school waivers and have been approved are allowed to be open for in-person instruction. If the county continues to meet the threshold for case rate and other metrics, K-12 schools across the County could reopen as early as Wednesday, October 21, 2020.

Additionally, as of September 28, the state has allowed for outdoor playgrounds operated by a city, state, county, or federal government to open. The County of Ventura is in line with the guidance that has been provided by the state. More details at THIS LINK.

Visitors to outdoor community playgrounds must comply with the following requirements:

1. Face masks over the mouth and nose are required for everyone 2 years of age or older with caregiver supervision at all times to ensure face mask use.

2. Do not use the playground when different households are unable to maintain a physical distance of 6 feet or when the capacity limit has been reached.

3. Caregivers must monitor to keep adults and children from different households at least 6 feet apart.

4. Consider coming on different times or days to avoid wait times and potential crowded times.

5. No eating or drinking in playground, to ensure face masks are worn at all times.

6. Wash or sanitize hands before and after using the playground.

7. Elderly and persons with underlying medical conditions should avoid playground when others are present.

8. Limit visit to 30 min per day when others are present

Kanye West Makes It To the Sample Ballot as a Vice President Candidate in California

There are a total of 482,754 registered voters in Ventura County as of yesterday, up 6%, from 455,000 voters last December. Current breakdown of county voters is 141,008 Republican, 206,090 Democrat, 104,668 Nonpartisan and 30,988 Other.

If you want to confirm that you are registered in Ventura County, visit recorder.countyofventura.org/elections/elections/voter-lookups/am-i-a-registered-voter/#VoterEligibilitySearch and type your exact name and birth date (I’ve found that if you type a shortened name or nickname other than your registered name, it won’t work).

Sample ballots are now available online when you confirm your registration. As you can see, Kanye West made it to the California ballot as Vice President candidate for the American Independent party.

It is not clear if he consented to this but I suspect he did not. Kanye did make it to the Oklahoma, Colorado, Louisiana and a handful of other states’ ballots as an independent candidate.

You can register to vote at https://registertovote.ca.gov/ until October 19th (15 days before the election).

Review of California Blueprint for a Safer Economy for Moving to Lower Risk Tiers

As mentioned in a previous post, the state of California has implemented a four-tier system for counties to move towards loosening restrictions on activities. The four tiers are shown in the image below.

Source: covid19.ca.gov/safer-economy

Every county in California is assigned to a tier based on its test positivity and adjusted case rate. At a minimum, counties must remain in a tier for at least 3 weeks before moving forward. Data is reviewed weekly and tiers are updated on Tuesdays. To move forward, a county must meet the next tier’s criteria for two consecutive weeks. If a county’s metrics worsen for two consecutive weeks, it will be assigned a more restrictive tier.

Put a different way, a county will stay in each tier for 5 weeks at a minimum to move into a less restrictive tier.

As of Tuesday, September 22, 2020:

• The state overall is at 6.4 new cases per day per 100K (over a 7-day average) and a 3.6% positivity rate (percentage of positive tests over a 7-day average).

• Ventura County is at 7.4 new cases (unadjusted) per day per 100K and a 3.8% positivity rate. The positivity rate falls into the “moderate” (orange) category but the cases per day rate is in the “widespread” (purple) category.

Ventura County has a population of 856,287. Our current case rate of 7.4 new cases per 100K over a 7-day average equates to about 63 new cases on average per day, or over 440 cases in a week.

To get to “normal” again, there needs to be less than 1 new case per day per 100,000 people. That means we must average, on a rolling 7-day average, less than 8.5 new cases per day, or 60 new cases per week, for at least 5 weeks.

Looking at the historical statistics going back to the beginning of the pandemic, that puts us back at levels of new cases seen back in April 2020.

Updates on where Ventura County stands is at www.venturacountyrecovers.org in detail and at covid19.ca.gov/safer-economy at a summary level.

Classes at Moorpark, Oxnard and Ventura Colleges to Remain Remote in Spring 2021

Ventura County Community College District announces that due to the ongoing threat of COVID-19, a majority of its classes at Moorpark, Oxnard and Ventura colleges will continue to be remote for the spring 2021 semester, which begins Jan. 11. Strict protocols will still be in place for students and faculty who must be on campus for courses that cannot be remote.

In making the decision, VCCCD leadership carefully explored the issue and prioritized the health and safety of its approximately 31,000 students and 1,700 employees during the pandemic. The District will continue to monitor pandemic conditions and state and local Department of Public Health guidelines and restrictions and make adjustments to work status and access to the colleges as appropriate.

“We are alerting students, employees and the community of our actions now to enable everyone to plan for the future,” said Chancellor Greg Gillespie. “Our faculty at all the colleges has worked hard to adapt the curriculum for online learning so that students have an excellent learning experience.”

Continuing student registration appointment times for the spring 2021 semester will be listed on students’ MyVCCCD email portal beginning Sept. 28, 2020. New student registration begins Nov. 16. Students may register for classes at more than one VCCCD college.

“We appreciate the ongoing support of the community as we continue to take steps to protect the safety and health of our students and employees while providing educational instruction and student support,” said Board Chair Bernardo M. Perez. “We are committed to helping our students fulfill their educational and career goals.”

About Ventura County Community College District

The Ventura County Community College District is a member of the 116-campus California Community College system and serves approximately 31,000 students annually. The District's three colleges--Moorpark, Oxnard and Ventura--offer programs in general education for degrees and certificates, transfer to four-year colleges and universities, career technical education and provide opportunities to engage in co-curricular campus activities. For more information, visit vcccd.edu.

Champagne French Bakery at The Promenade at Westlake Closed in the Summer of 2020

Champagne French Bakery at The Promenade at Westlake officially closed its doors this summer. Originally it closed temporarily, but subsequently the signs were removed.