Local Buzz covers new businesses, restaurants, closures, local politics, goings on around town and other buzzworthy items in the Conejo Valley and Greater Ventura County. Have a lead? Contact us. Click here for an archive of Local Buzz postings.
Local Buzz covers new restaurants, closures, local politics, goings on around town and other buzzworthy items in the Conejo Valley and Greater Ventura County. Have a lead? Contact us. Click here for an archive of Local Buzz postings.
Post other items directly to the Community Announcements section of the site.
The long-awaited Slice House by Tony Gemignani Thousand Oaks is opening next Friday, July 28th. They offer New York, Detroit, Grandma, and Sicilian style pizzas, salads, wings, and more. Located at 3297 Thousand Oaks Blvd, just north of Duesenberg Drive. www.slicehouse.com
The Thousand Oaks City Council adopted an ordinance establishing the City’s first City Council district map and district-based elections.
Starting with the November 2024 election cycle, residents of Thousand Oaks will vote for one City Councilmember to represent the district they live in. Districts 4 and 5 are up for election in 2024, and Districts 1, 2, and 3 are up for election in 2026.
On March 15, the City received a letter challenging the City’s at-large election system and asserting that the system violated the California Voting Rights Act (CVRA). The City of Thousand Oaks began the districting process in April 2023 to protect itself from financial and legal risks and hired National Demographics Corporation as the demographers and Tripepi Smith to assist with community outreach efforts.
The City launched the process by creating a dedicated districting website, maptoaks.org, which provided background information about districting, a schedule of upcoming meetings, a form to submit communities of interest, mapping tools, draft maps submitted throughout the process, and answers to frequently asked questions. The website was regularly updated with new and relevant information throughout the process.
To gather public input and feedback on the district formation process, the City of Thousand Oaks held five public hearings and four community workshops:
May 9, 2023 - First public hearing
May 11, 2023 - Virtual community workshop
May 16, 2023 - Second public hearing
June 3, 2023 - In-person community workshop
June 20, 2023 - Third public hearing
June 22, 2023 - Virtual community workshop
June 24, 2023 - In-person community workshop
July 11, 2023 - Fourth public hearing and first reading of the ordinance
July 18, 2023 - Fifth public hearing and second reading of the ordinance
The community workshops gave residents an opportunity to learn more about why the City was pursuing a move to district-based elections and share input on communities of interest, and draft maps once they were available. The City’s demographer also demonstrated how to use the mapping tools made available for the public to create maps.
In addition to community workshops, the City encouraged Thousand Oaks residents to get involved in the process through regular outreach emails, phone calls to community-based organizations, social media posts, flyers, and pop-up events.
At the public hearings, City Council received an overview of the process, reviewed public comments, and examined draft maps submitted by the public and created by the demographer. After extensive public feedback and engagement in the process, the Council selected Map 106 B for adoption at the July 11 City Council meeting. Map 106 B divides the City into five districts and follows the legal criteria set forth in the CVRA.
District 1 encompasses Newbury Park up to Ventu Park Road and follows the 101 Freeway as the northern border.
District 2 includes the area surrounding Wildwood Regional Park, California Lutheran University and Los Robles Hospital. The district follows Moorpark Road on the northeast and includes Conejo Creek Equestrian Park. The southern region of the district follows Janss Road, down Lynn Road and goes west along the 101 Freeway.
District 3 includes the communities east of Moorpark Road and follows Avenida de Las Flores as the southern edge. This district includes Lang Ranch Park and its surrounding open space.
District 4 includes the Westlake Village area and the eastern side of Newbury Park from Ventu Park Road, containing the surrounding residential and commercial areas.
District 5 includes the core of Thousand Oaks and takes in the business areas along Moorpark Road and Thousand Oaks Boulevard up to Westlake Boulevard. The western region of the district includes the California Botanical Garden.
For more information regarding the districting process and to see the district in which you reside, visit maptoaks.org.
Boba & Me is coming soon to the Conejo Gateway Plaza (Wendy and Old Conejo Road) in Newbury Park next to the also new Pizza Twist. Boba & Me has an existing location in Oxnard at 1670 E. Gonzales Road. They offer fresh milk teas and cold blended drinks. Learn more at bobaandme.com.
Hot Motha Clucker recently opened at 1610 E. Thousand Oaks Boulevard, next to Nothing Bundt Cakes. We tried it tonight and my son said it was delicious and “better than Raising Canes.” He tried the “Tenderific Two” - two Nashville chicken tenders seasoned with mild heat, each on a piece of Texas toast served with house sauce and pickles on a large bed of fries. And he ordered the fried pickles on the side. I tried it all and agreed that it was excellent.
Their website did not reflect the Thousand Oaks location as of today, but their Yelp page at www.yelp.com/biz/hot-motha-clucker-thousand-oaks appears recently updated.
Julio’s Agave Grill announced in a Facebook post today that it will be closing permanently on Saturday, July 1st. Julio’s, which opened on Monday, November 19, 2018 in the Westlake Commons at 2809 Agoura Road, indicated that all gift cards from Julio’s will be honored at sister eatery, Cisco’s Mexican Restaurant in Thousand Oaks.
Blue Agave Tacos & Beer will be the new occupant at 5879 Kanan Road in the Agoura Hills City Mall. This is the former location of the Village Bakery and Cafe, which moved across the parking lot adjacent to Maral Cuisine. We’ve heard this Blue Agave is connected to the Blue Agave Restaurant & Tequilas in Downtown Ventura. No other info at this time, so stay tuned.
The grand opening of Rambo’s Hot Chicken at the Simi Valley Town Center is Friday, June 23, 2023 at 5 p.m. Located at 1555 Simi Town Center Way, Suite 275. They offer chicken sandwiches, chicken tenders, seasoned crinkle cut fries, mac and cheese and more.
Visit www.ramboshotchicken.com for more information.
Sage Vegan Bistro at the Whizin Market Square in Agoura Hills is closing its doors at close of business on Saturday, June 24th. Sage opened in May 2020 in the former home of Hugo's, which operated at this location from 2011 to 2018.
Amy’s Drive Thru, the nation’s first organic, vegetarian fast food restaurant, announces the opening of its fifth location in Thousand Oaks, California on Thursday, June 15th. Its first restaurant in Southern California, Amy’s Drive Thru is returning to the roots of American fast food, serving tasty options to feed hard-working people, busy families and road-weary travelers.
Food You Can Feel Good About
Each menu item is made to order, including its tasty burgers, fries, milkshakes, and salads, using organic and non-GMO ingredients. On top of that, every item on the menu can be made gluten-free and vegan. The top seller is The Amy, a double veggie patty made with real ingredients, double cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, and Fred Sr.’s secret sauce (regular or spicy). Complete any meal with other menu item favorites including organic chili and sweet potato fries, gluten-free and vegan pizzas, milkshakes handmade from plant-based milks, and seasonal salads made with fresh, organic ingredients.
Eco-Friendly Dining Space
As with all Amy’s Drive Thru restaurants, it will operate as sustainably as possible and strive for net zero and low environmental impact. The 4,060 sq. ft. space utilizes sustainably sourced building materials and offers seating for 110 people. Whether it’s sitting inside the industrial farmhouse-style restaurant or enjoying the patio garden that has been cultivated to provide an environment for local species, the restaurant is meant to be a community gathering space. The restaurant is outfitted with solar shading, special low-emission parking spots and electric vehicle charging stations, and food is served in compostable packaging. Amy’s Drive Thru also collaborated with the City of Thousand Oaks on a first-of-its-kind water reuse program where we repurpose water used in the restaurant in the outdoor garden.
“Since we started Amy’s Drive Thru in 2015, Southern California has been on our radar,” said Andy Berliner, Amy’s Drive Thru co-founder. “Our passion is making great-tasting organic fast food convenient and accessible, and the Thousand Oaks community couldn’t be a more natural fit.”
The restaurant is located at 400 N Moorpark Road, Thousand Oaks. Whether it’s dining in, carry out or our drive thru, we welcome everyone daily from 10:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Online orders for pickup or delivery can be placed on the Amy’s Drive Thru app or online.
For more information visit AmysDriveThru.com, follow on Instagram and download the Amy’s Drive Thru app.
About Amy’s Drive Thru
Started in 2015, Amy’s Drive Thru offers a reimagined American fast food experience you can feel good about. The restaurant has five locations in California. With a commitment to providing accessible food for all, Amy’s Drive Thru is returning to the roots of American fast food, serving tasty options to feed hard-working people, busy families and road-weary travelers. All locations are built using sustainable building materials and strive for net zero and low environmental impact. In 2020, Amy’s Drive Thru became one of the first B Corp certified restaurants of its kind, showcasing its commitment to meeting the highest standards of social and environmental performance. For more information visit AmysDriveThru.com.
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