VCTC Intercity Provides Bus Service Throughout Ventura County and Adjacent Areas

The Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC) operates VCTC Intercity (formerly called VISTA) bus service throughout Ventura County as well as to Santa Barbara and Warner Center.

Routes and links to associated schedules:

• Highway 101/Conejo (Routes 50-52) - Covers Ventura, Oxnard, Camarillo, Newbury Park and Thousand Oaks.

• Highway 126 (Routes 60-62) - Covers Fillmore, Santa Paula, Saticoy, Ventura.

• East County (Routes 70-73) - Covers Simi Valley, Moorpark, Thousand Oaks.

• Cross County Limited (Route 77 - Mon-Fri Only) - Covers Ventura, Oxnard, Camarillo, Somis, Moorpark, Simi Valley

• Coastal Express (Routes 80-89) - Covers Camarillo, Oxnard, Ventura, Carpinteria, Santa Barbara, Goleta and UCSB.

• Channel Islands (Routes 90-99) - Covers Oxnard, CSU Channel Islands, Camarillo

Service hours vary by route, but overall VCTC Intercity operates between 4:30 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. on weekdays, 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. and on Saturdays/Sundays, depending on the route. VCTC Intercity does not operate on the following holidays: New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.

As of July 2022 one way fares are as follows:

• Zone 1 - In Ventura County (Highway 101, Highway 126, East County, Channel Islands, Cross County Limited Routes) - $1.75 per fare

• Zone 2 - Out of Ventura County (Coastal Express Route) - $4 per fare.

• Children under 5 are free with a paying customer.

More fare information at www.goventura.org/vctc-transit/fares-passes.

Visit www.goventura.org to learn more and to map out your route.

Fourteen Percent Increase in Registered Voters in Ventura County Since May 2019

The Ventura County Registrar of Voters website has up to date counts showing the number of registered voters in Ventura County. From time to time we like to take a look at that data and compare it to prior years.

On May 11, 2022, there were 506,028 registered voters in Ventura County, a 14% increase in three years. Here is the breakdown by affiliation:

• 219,956 Democrats (a 24% increase since 2019) (43% of all registered voters)

• 143,227 Republicans (a 10% increase) (28% of all registered voters)

• 105,961 Nonpartisans (a 4% decrease) (21% of all registered voters)

• 36,884 Other (a 31% increase) (8% of all registered voters)

In May 2019, there were 445,217 registered voters, including:

• 176,712 Democrats

• 130,228 Republicans

• 110,225 Nonpartisans

• 28,052 Other

On May 12, 2012, there were 406,644 registered voters in Ventura County, consisting of:

• 157,539 Democrats

• 150,919 Republicans

• 77,994 Nonpartisans

• 20,192 Other

Can’t remember if you are eligible to vote? Look it up at THIS LINK. What I’ve found with this Voter Eligibility Search function is that, unlike a search engine, your search terms have to be precise. If you are registered as Richard King, if you type Rich King into the search, it will not find you.

Register to vote online at registertovote.ca.gov.

A Drive Down the Historic Norwegian Grade in Thousand Oaks

The Historic Norwegian Grade was originally built by hand and $60 worth of dynamite in the early 1900s by the founding Norwegian families, Olsen, Pedersen and others. The top of the grade to Santa Rosa Road is about a mile and a half. The two lane road was improved in 2010 to make it slightly wider and improve the guard rail and signage. More history at THIS LINK.

California Minimum Wages Increased by $1 Per Hour on January 1, 2022

If you are a minimum wage earner in California, on January 1, 2022 you received a pay increase of either 7.7% or 7.1%.

It depends on if your employer has 25 or fewer employees or 26 or more employees. If you work for a smaller employer, the California minimum wage increased from $13 to $14 per hour. If you work for a larger employer, your wage increased from $14 to $15 per hour.

California minimum wage rates have increased from $10/hour (small employers) and $10.50/hour (larger employers) in 2017 to the current day rates by law to $15 over 5 (large employers) to 6 (small employers) years. Large employers are now at the $15 target rate. Small employers are planned to escalate one more dollar to $15/hour on January 1, 2023.

The federal minimum wage for 2022 is still $7.25, a rate unchanged since it became effective on July 24, 2009.

California minimum wage rates apply to Ventura County residents. But City of Los Angeles and County of Los Angeles minimum wage rates are currently also $15/hour for all employers.

Looking for a higher minimum wage? Move to San Francisco, where the rate is currently $16.32 per hour and will be adjusted for inflation on July 1, 2022.

Looking for states with minimum wages set at the federal rate of $7.25/hour? That would be Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

California’s minimum wage rate in 2022 is 2nd only to Washington D.C., which is at $15.20. Next closest is Washington at $14.49 and Massachusetts at $14.25

Ventura County Animal Services Promotes and Protects the Welfare of Animals

Ventura County Animal Services (VCAS) is a division of Ventura County Public Health and a department of the Ventura County Health Care Agency. Ventura County Animal Services is committed to promoting and protecting the health, safety and welfare of the people and animals living in Ventura County.

VCAS's main animal shelter and administrative offices is located near the Camarillo Airport at 600 Aviation Drive. The shelter houses up to 400 animals, including dogs, cats, rabbits, birds, livestock and exotic animals. The Simi Valley shelter at 670 West Los Angeles Avenue accepts strays from Simi Valley and Moorpark that can be reclaimed by local residents but due to space limitations are photographed and brought to Camarillo usually within 24 hours. Both shelters are currently open seven days a week. Visit www.vcas.us for operating hours.

To reach either shelter, call 805.388.4341 or 888.223.PETS, Monday through Friday 7:30 am to 5:30 pm and Saturday/Sunday 8 am to 4 pm. Field officers are on duty 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and can be reached through these numbers.

How to Adopt an Animal: Animals become available for adoption over varying periods, depending on if the animal has been given up for adoption or is a stray. All adopted animals must be spayed/neutered. In-county adoption costs $125, including certification of sterilization, preliminary vaccinations, first rabies vaccine, Ventura County license*, Trovan microchip for permanent identification, free obedience classes and a certificate for a free health exam at participating local veterinarians. You must be 18 or older with valid ID and commit to providing a "home" (not just a yard) for the animal.

*State law requires that dogs over four months of age be licensed and vaccinated against rabies. VCAS handles licensing for all of Ventura County except Thousand Oaks and Santa Paula, which have their own licensing programs. The City of Thousand Oaks contracts with the Los Angeles County Animal Shelter located at 29525 Agoura Road in Agoura Hills. The Agoura Hills shelter is open seven days a week and can be reached at 818.991.0071. Visit the Santa Paula Animal Rescue Center site at www.santapaulaarc.org for licensing information in that city.

Dog adoption fee for Ventura County residents as of January 2022 (includes license, sterilization and microchip): $115 ($90 fr out of county residents; excludes license). Cats $80, rabbits $50, birds $15.

When I Pass Away Will My Social Media Presence Be Here to Stay?

Social media is still in its infancy. Facebook became available to everyone 13 and older on September 26, 2006. Twitter was launched for public use on July 15, 2006. LinkedIn was launched on May 5, 2003. But as the years pass, we will all eventually be faced with the question of what to do with our social media presence after our time is up.

Final Farewell and Facebook

Do you want to stay on Facebook after you die? No? Well, perhaps the easiest solution is to give someone you trust your login information and have them permanently delete your account when you die. This can be done by clicking the account menu at the top of your Facebook page, pick Account Settings, click Security in the left-hand column, then click "Deactivate your account." Or perhaps more officially, make this request in your will.

The current Security Settings screen in Facebook as of December 2013

If you haven't planned for your afterlife Facebook page, your immediate family members or executor can still submit a special request to remove your account. Facebook will require a death certificate or other proof to do so.

Or you can also simply do nothing and continue having your presence be shown in Facebook. A good friend of mine passed in 2013 and his page is still up and running. In fact, many of his friends posted happy birthday messages on his page later in the year.

Lastly, your family, friends, even co-workers may make a Memorialization Request by submitting the deceased's email address and proof of death. The requestor reports the information under penalty of perjury. Facebook will not provide login information for the deceased's account.

When an account is memorialized, Facebook keeps the account information static. Friends can still post to the deceased's page (subject to the account's privacy settings). When a Facebook Timeline is memorialized, it does not show up in others' pages as a friend suggestion and birthday reminders do not appear for the account.

Facebook indicates that a new Timeline may not be created to memorialize a deceased person, though others can create a Page or a Group for that purpose.

Six Feet Under Instagram

Instagram is owned by Facebook and thus their policies regarding deceased users is similar. You can request that a deceased Instagrammer’s account be memorialized if they passed away. But if you are an immediate family member of the person, you can request that the account be removed. Instagram will require proof of death for the former, such as a link to an obituary or news article. You’ll need additional information such as a birth/death certificate to remove the account. Click here for info.

Terminal in Twitter

Twitter is a bit different than Facebook in that if you are inactive (i.e. no logins or Tweets) for 6 months, they may permanently remove your account due to prolonged inactivity. That pretty much will take care of your Twitter account.

That said, or Tweeted, as the case may be, a family member or executor of your estate may also request that your Twitter account be terminated. This is done by contacting Twitter. You may be asked to provide the deceased's user name, death certificate, the requestor's driver's license or other Government-issued ID and a signed statement.

And of course you could share, before your final breath, your login information with someone you trust, who in turn can go to your Settings/Account, then scroll to the bottom of the screen where it says "Deactivate my account" and be done with it.

LinkedIn Through the Out Door

Someone I'm connected with in LinkedIn passed away several years ago. I still see her profile in there, which to me is a bit depressing and sad. Recently LinkedIn reminded me of her "work anniversary" even. Unlike Twitter, LinkedIn does not remove an account with prolonged inactivity. And unlike Facebook, LinkedIn does not have a "memorialize" feature where you can post comments to the deceased's page.

What LinkedIn does have is a feature for members to complete a form to report a colleague, classmate, or loved one who has passed away so they can close that person's account and remove their profile. So unlike Facebook and Twitter, non-family members can make a request to remove your profile in LinkedIn. I completed the form for the acquaintance who passed away, including a link to an online obituary. Six hours later, I received an email from LinkedIn indicating their account has been removed.

If you're reading this article, I'll assume you are still alive. Thus, you might as well check out the CVG Twitter page at twitter.com/ConejoJoe and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ConejoValleyGuide.

Federal Tax Credits for Installing Qualified Solar Electric Systems

Photo credit: Pixabay

The federal Residential Energy Efficient Property credit allows for a tax credit on the installation of residential solar electric and solar water heating systems.

As of November 2021, the credit is 26% of the cost for systems put in place during 2021 and 2022 and 22% of the cost if installed in 2023. Currently, the credit expires after December 31, 2023, but that could be changed by legislation. Previously (2019) the credit was 30%.

The tax credit is claimed on federal Form 5695 “Residential Energy Credits.” If the amount of the credit exceeds your tax liability in the year your claim the credit, the excess of the credit gets carried forward to the following tax year. You can continue carrying forward the credit until you use it - there is no expiration.

The state of California does not have a corresponding solar energy credit.

Keep in mind that the tax credit is available only if you purchase the system. You cannot receive the credit if you lease your system. You can certainly finance the purchase of your system, however.

The cost of the system that you claim for tax credit can include the cost of a battery, as long as 100% of its power is derived from your solar system.

Can you include the cost of a new roof as part of your system? Generally no. The roof is not part of the system, unless you are installing solar roofing tiles or solar roofing shingles - those actually do qualify for the credit.

Learn more about Residential Energy Credits on Form 5695 at www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/i5695.pdf or on the Energy.gov website at www.energy.gov/eere/solar/homeowners-guide-federal-tax-credit-solar-photovoltaics.