2016 Ends With a Beautiful Double Rainbow in the Conejo Valley and Surrounding Areas

As soon as I stepped outside just after 4pm today, I noticed the sun shining amid the clouds and I uttered out loud, "This is rainbow weather!" 

Sure enough, I was right. We drove a block and noticed the beautiful, massive rainbow in Thousand Oaks, but we missed the double rainbow that wowed local residents after an entire day of cloud cover, cold and rain.

Here are some of my favorites from THIS FACEBOOK POST.

Taken from Newbury Park

July to December 2016 Restaurants New and Restaurants Adieu in Ventura County

Here's the latest compilation of restaurants in the Conejo Valley and throughout Greater Ventura County that opened, announced plans to open or closed during the period July through December 2016. 

(Click here for previous January through June 2016 activity.) Let us know of any we missed!

Restaurants That Have Opened Since June 2016

• Pizzscotti Trattoria & Bakery Bar opened at Simi Valley Town Center on December 2
• Janchi Korean BBQ opened at Janss Marketplace Thousand Oaks in November
• Cici's Cafe opened in late December in Westlake Village
• KreAsian Kitchen opened at the North Ranch Mall in Westlake Village on Oct 5th
• Bad Ass Street Tacos moved to former location of Dayne's in December
• Market Broiler in Simi Valley re-branded and became MB Grille
• Dunkin' Donuts Westlake Village opened on December 6th
• Coconut Crab at the Simi Valley Town Center
• Pokistop Poke & Roll opened in late December in Simi Valley
• Islands Cafe opened in November at CSU Channel Islands (open to the public)
• Village Bakery & Cafe opened in October in Agoura Hills
• The former Magoo's in Newbury Park became Boney Mountain Tavern in September
• Krispy Kreme opened in Oxnard on September 27th
• A new Drive-Thru Starbucks opened at Simi Valley Town Center in the Fall
• Jimmy John's opened at Thousand Oaks Marketplace in Newbury Park in the Fall
• Mali Cuisine Fro-Yo and Fresh Asian Food in Thousand Oaks opened in October
• Cask Alehouse in Ventura opened in early December
• Chipotle opened at The Summit at Calabasas in late December
• Country Harvest in Newbury Park briefly closed but re-opened in September
• Vintage Grocers opened on October 1st at The Promenade at Westlake
• Finney's Crafthouse & Kitchen opened at the Westlake Plaza in September
• Fusion Grill moved from Newbury Park to the Oakbrook Plaza in Thousand Oaks
• Cagami Ramen opened at former home of Sushi Hamayu in Camarillo in July
• Love Pho Cafe opened in Newbury Park in August
• The Newbury Park Starbucks on Ventu Park Bd relocated and became a drive-thru
• Tonino's Place Pizzeria in Westlake Village opened in July
• The Dudes' Brewing Company Tasting Room opened July 15th at Janss Marketplace
• Urban Plates, PizzaRev and Chipotle all opened at The Oaks Mall in Thousand Oaks
• Moqueca Brazilian Cuisine opened in Thousand Oaks
• Copper Blues Rock Pub & Kitchen opened at The Collection at RiverPark on Sept 9th
• Treehouse Tavern & Grill opened at former home of Padri's in Agoura in November
• RELM Wine & Beer Bistro in Camarillo opened in December

Restaurants That Are Planning to Open Soon

• CINQO Fresh Mexican Eatery is coming soon to the Oakbrook Plaza in Thousand Oaks
• Pokeland is coming soon to Conejo Valley Plaza in Thousand Oaks
• Poke Tiki to open at Janss Marketplace Thousand Oaks in 2017
• Habanero Mexican Grill coming to Thousand Oaks Marketplace
• Tekos Brazilian Grill coming soon to North Ranch Gateway in Westlake Village
• Burgerim is coming soon to Newbury Park
• Grabbagreen is coming soon to Thousand Oaks
• Kabab Plus coming soon to Thousand Oaks (between Dog Haus and Urbane Cafe)
• Parma Pizzeria Napoletana recently indicated it is coming soon to Thousand Oaks
• The Habit Burger Grill coming soon to former Famous Dave's location in Thousand Oaks
• Golden Panda Buffet coming soon to former Elephant Bar location in Simi Valley
• Blaze Pizza coming soon to The Esplanade in Oxnard
• Blaze Pizza coming soon to Westlake Village
• Pholicious Vietnamese Rice Noodle Soup coming soon to Pacific View Mall in Ventura and The Oaks Mall in Thousand Oaks
• Baba's Cafe Mediterranean Cuisine opening soon in Oak Park
• EMC Seafood and Raw Bar announced way back in May 2015 it would open at The Collection at RiverPark. Also on the "coming soon" list are General Chow and Luna Grill

Restaurants That Have Closed Since June 2016

• On The Thirty in Oak Park Closed this past week
• Dayne's Chicago Beef and Dawgs in Thousand Oaks closed but indicates it is looking for a new location
• Exotic Thai Bistro at the Simi Valley Town Center is now the Coconut Crab
• Cafe 14 in Agoura Hills closed in July; will soon be Cafe Bizou
• Watermark on Main in Ventura closed this Fall
• Souplantation at the Simi Valley Town Center closed on September 25th
• Galletto Bar & Grill in Westlake Village closed after 20 years in business
• Casa Escobar in Westlake Village closed September 11 but is looking for a new location
• Lupe's Mexican Restaurant in Thousand Oaks closed August 29th, after 69 years
• Casa Escobedo in Agoura Hills opened in June and closed in the Fall
• Chang 101 in Thousand Oaks closed on July 3rd
• Jinky's Chili Cafe in Westlake Village is "closed for an extended amount of time"

California Lottery "Lucky Retailers" in Ventura County and Surrounding Areas

The California Lottery was created by ballot measure Proposition 37, approved by 58% of voters on November 6, 1984. Current law (Assembly Bill 142, passed in 2010), limits administrative expenses of the Lottery to 13% of sales, with 87% of sales going back in the form of prized and contributions to education.

Since inception in 1985 through the California Lottery's most currently issued financial report as of June 30, 2015, the Lottery has sold $85.1 billion, contributed close to $29.4 billion to schools, paid $45.9 billion to Lottery winners and another $5.6 million as compensation to retailers.

What happens if you win a big Lottery prize? Your name is public record, as is the name and location of the retailer that sold you the winning ticket, the date you won and of course, the amount. For most Lottery draw games, you have 180 days to claim your prize; however, if you win the Powerball or Mega Millions, you have a year to claim your prize. You will receive your first (or in most cases, only) check with your prize winnings six to eight weeks from claiming your prize.

So how do you win "a big one?" I wish I had the answer. One idea to ponder is to pursue purchasing tickets at retailers that seem to have the winning touch.

The Lottery has a "Lucky Retailers" database that shows, of its 22,000 retail locations, over 4,000 retailers considered "lucky." Lucky is defined as, within the last calendar year, either 1) sold at least one winning ticket of $100,000 or more; 2) paid out an average of 400 or more winning tickets per week or 3) paid out an average of $4,000 or more of winning tickets each week. You can access this searchable list at https://www.calottery.com/Where-To-Play and search for “only Lucky Retailers.”

What most interests me is retailers in Ventura County that meet parameter #1; selling at least one $100,000+ ticket over the previous calendar year. So let's take a look at which local retailers meet that parameter as of late November 2016. It is actually quite a short list!

• Hi-Time Liquor, 140 W. Hillcrest Drive, Thousand Oaks

• 7-Eleven, 609 Rancho Conejo Blvd, Thousand Oaks

• Mobil, 855 N. Wendy Drive, Newbury Park

• 7-Eleven, 1840 Cochran Street, Simi Valley

• Simi Valley Smoke Shop, 2902 Cochran Street, Simi Valley

• 76 Station, 2605 Stearns Street, Simi Valley

• Shell Station, 1604 Ventura Boulevard, Camarillo

• Log Cabin Liquor, 2457 Alameda Avenue, Ventura

• Pat Holden Liquor, 860 South A Street, Oxnard

• Goode's Liquor, 1271 Saviers Road, Oxnard

• 7-Eleven, 2201 E. Gonzales Road, Oxnard

• Superior Grocers, 2401 Saviers Road, Oxnard

That's it! Pretty short list!

Prior to the "Lucky Retailers" program, here are Ventura County area retail locations that sold at least two winning tickets of $1 MILLION or more from 1985 to 2013:

• Allan's Market Wine & Lotto, 2521 N. Ventura Road, Port Hueneme (This is the only retail location in the entire state of California during this time frame that sold SIX winning $1 million or more Lottery tickets!)

• 7-Eleven, 2201 E. Channel Islands Blvd, Oxnard (3 winning tickets)

And there you have it! Learn more about the California Lottery at www.calottery.com.

New Thousand Oaks The Habit Burger Grill Continues This Burger Chain's Success Story

The Habit Burger Grill originated on November 15, 1969 at 5735 Hollister Ave, Goleta - a location that is still in operation to this day. The Habit is a fast casual restaurant concept that specializes in preparing fresh, made-to-order char-grilled burgers and sandwiches featuring USDA choice tri-tip steak, grilled chicken and sushi-grade albacore tuna cooked over an open flame. 

The chain was purchased by a private equity firm in 2007 and subsequently The Habit Restaurants, Inc. went public with an initial stock offering on November 19, 2014, 45 years after its inception.

The new location coming soon to Thousand Oaks. Ever wonder why the "b" in Habit is slightly twisted? I asked. The Habit indicates it "makes it special and light hearted."

A new location is coming to Thousand Oaks at the former Famous Dave's BBQ location at 3980 Thousand Oaks Blvd. This will mark the 4th Conejo Valley Habit Burger location, including existing locations in Thousand Oaks, Newbury Park and Agoura Hills. Additional Ventura County locations in Simi Valley (2), Camarillo, Oxnard and Ventura (2).

The Habit trades under stock symbol HABT and currently is (as of December 20, 2016) at $17.30 per share, down 4% from its initial public offering price of $18 per share. That said, its price soared to close at nearly $40 per share that first day of trading, making it a bit of a terrible investment for those that bought after the IPO.

Stock price aside, The Habit has been quite a success story, growing to 160 restaurants in 10 states and opening new restaurants at the rate of over 30 per year. Total revenue for The Habit's fiscal year 2016 is anticipated to be in the $283 million range.

Photo courtesy of The Habit Burger. While my Habit Burger doesn't look quite this perfect, that's no big deal. It usually reaches my mouth before my eyes have much time to admire it.

But back to stock price. For a growth stock like The Habit, timing can be critical. Let's look at an example. Over the last two years ending today, had you purchased $100 in McDonald's stock (MCD), the value of that investment today would be $131, and you would have received cash dividends of close to $8, for a total return of 39%. $100 invested in HABT would now be worth about $52. 

So while The Habit Burger may have been rated #1 burger in a 2014 Consumer Reports survey (and I for thoroughly enjoy the burgers and other menu items at The Habit), you don't necessarily always want to put your money where you mouth is. Or your mouth where your money is, for that matter.

To learn more about The Habit, visit www.habitburger.com.

California Sales and Use Tax Rates Drop by .25 Percent on January 1, 2017

A sliver of good news on the tax front. Voters approved Proposition 30, The Schools and Local Public Safety Protection Act of 2012, in the November 6, 2012 statewide election. The measure was approved by a margin of 56% to 45%.

Proposition 30 mandated an increase in the statewide sales tax rate from 7.25% to 7.5% effective 1/1/13 through 12/31/16. along with a 7 year increase in marginal income tax rates for certain filers with incomes over $250,000.

Since we are quickly approaching the end of 2016, we have a .25% reduction in sales and use tax rates to look forward to in the new year.

This means that sales taxes in most of Ventura County, including Thousand Oaks, will drop from 7.5% to 7.25%, Rates in Oxnard and Port Hueneme will drop from 8% to 7.75%. Rates in Los Angeles County, including neighbors Agoura Hills and Westlake Village, will drop from 9% to 8.75%.

Thousand Oaks Violent Crime Rate Ranks in Top 12 Lowest Among Large Cities in 2015

In a separate post, we noted that the cities of Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley ranked 4th and 5th in terms of lowest overall crime rates in the United States and 1st and 2nd in California based on 2015 FBI data. Kudos!

Here, based on the same Uniform Crime Reporting data for 2015 released by the FBI in September, we will take a closer look at large cities (defined as 100,000+ residents) with the lowest and highest violent crime rates in he country.

Violent crimes consist of murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault whereas property crimes are categorized as non-violent reported instances of burglaries, thefts (including cars) and arson.

Top 25 lowest overall violent crime rates per 1,000 inhabitants in 2015; cities with population of 100,000 or more (Source: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Data)

As you can see above, while the City of Thousand Oaks has the 12th lowest violent crime rate among large cities of 1.05 incidents per 1,000 residents, the City's property crime rate is lower than most on this list. Simi Valley's rate of 1.36 incidents per 1,000 ranks it 26th out of close to 300 large cities.

The city of Cary, North Carolina, ranked as lowest on this list with .5 violent crimes per 1,000 residents in 2015, followed closely by another local perennially safe city, Irvine. Glendale ranks a very respectable 7th on this list.

Top 25 highest overall violent crime rates per 1,000 inhabitants in 2015; cities with population of 100,000 or more (Source: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Data)

No Ventura County area cities came anywhere close to the top 25 highest violent crime rate large cities in the U.S. This list was topped by the cities of St. Louis, Detroit, Birmingham, Memphis and Milwaukee, with violent crime rates ranging from 16 to 18 incidents per 1,000 residents in 2015.

Our neighbor, the City of Los Angeles, with its population of nearly 4 million, ranked 92nd on the list with 6.35 violent crimes per 1,000 residents.

Was a crime committed in your neighborhood? Check the Ventura County Sheriff's Department online crime maps.

Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley Had the 4th and 5th Lowest Crime Rates Among Large Cities in 2015

In late September, the FBI released its annual Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) data for 2015. "Crime in the United States, 2015" compiles crime data from law enforcement agencies throughout the United States. The data includes violent crimes, consisting of murder, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated assault, and property crimes such as burglaries and thefts.

The overall U.S. violent crime rate grew 3.1% in 2015 as compared to 2014, with 3.73 incidents per 1,000 inhabitants. Overall property crimes declined 3.4%, at 24.87 incidents per 1,000 inhabitants in 2015.

Three years ago, the crime rates were 3.87 (violent crimes) and 28.59 (property crimes), indicating the rates have declined overall over the last three years.

We took a look at the data for approximately 300 cities in the U.S. with populations of 100,000 or more. The cities of Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley ranked 4th and 5th in the U.S. and 1st and 2nd in California for the lowest overall crime rates among large cities in 2015. Congratulations! The top 10 are shown in the table below:

Top 10 lowest overall crime rates per 1,000 inhabitants in 2015; cities with population of 100,000 or more (Source: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Data)

The cities of Oxnard and Ventura landed at 143 and 153 when ranked by lowest total crime rates.

Taking a look at solely violent crimes (murder, rape, robbery, assault), the list looks a bit different. Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley drop to 12th and 26th, respectively and other California cities - Irvine, Murrieta, Glendale and Temecula moved into the top 10.

Top 10 lowest violent crime rates per 1,000 inhabitants in 2015; cities with population of 100,000 or more (Source: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Data)

Let's take a look at other Ventura County cities of all sizes to see where they stand. Keep in mind that this does not include unincorporated communities of Ventura County like Oak Park, Casa Conejo, Lake Sherwood and others.

Overall crime rates per 1,000 inhabitants in Ventura County cities in 2015 (Source: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Data) (excludes unincorporated communities)

The cities of Ojai and Moorpark held the lowest overall crime rates among Ventura County cities in 2015.

Overall, in 2015 Ventura County residents had an average of 22.84 total crimes for every 1,000 residents, including 2.56 violent crimes (31% below the national average) and 20.28 property crimes (18% below the national average).

As a comparison, the City of Los Angeles, with nearly 4 million residents, had an overall crime rate of 29.94 total crimes per 1,000 residents, including 6.3 violent crimes. The highest overall crime rates among large cities in 2015 were: Salt Lake City, UT (101.86 crimes per 1,000 inhabitants), Springfield, MO (91.51), St. Louis, MO (81.33), Birmingham, AL (81.05) and Spokane, WA (80.31).

Other nearby cities' 2015 crime rates in the UCR data includes Calabasas (11.71 crimes per 1,000 residents), Agoura Hills (15.5) and Westlake Village (the L.A. County side, with 8,522 residents) with 23.59.

Overall, there are nearly 9,400 cities measured in the UCR. Of these, 214 cities had a total of zero reported crimes in 2015. The average population of these 214 cities was 870.

* The FBI cautions comparative use of this data for drawing conclusions by making direct comparisons between cities. Comparisons lead to simplistic and/or incomplete analyses that often create misleading perceptions adversely affecting communities and their residents. Keep this in mind when reviewing this data, which is summed up here for informational purposes only.