Regional Art Museum Proposed for Thousand Oaks Seeks Charter Members

The Regional Art Museum (RAM) is a proposed 30,000 sq ft multi-level art museum to house a permanent collection of visual art and worldwide traveling exhibitions. Other goals of RAM include recognizing and highlighting local artists and offering outreach programs to local schools and organizations. The RAM will be located adjacent to the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza as approved by the Thousand Oaks City Council in June 2010.

The RAM is seeking public support and participation. Become a Charter Member of this non-profit 501(c)(3)  tax-exempt organization and help bring the RAM to fruition! To learn more, visit www.regionalartmuseum.org. Membership application at www.regionalartmuse​um.org/pdfs/ram-brochure-a​pp.pdf

City of Calabasas Single-Use Plastic Carryout Bag Ban Starts July 1, 2011

CITY OF CALABASAS SINGLE-USE PLASTIC CARRYOUT BAG BAN

BRING YOUR OWN REUSABLE SHOPPING BAGS OR PURCHASE PAPER BAGS AT CALABASAS GROCERS BEGINNING JULY 1, 2011

From the City of Calabasas website at www.cityofcalabasas.com/plastic-bag-ban.html

Calabasas has joined the growing ranks of municipalities encouraging residents to bring reusable bags when shopping. On February 9, 2011, the Calabasas City Council passed Ordinance No. 2011-282 to ban the use single-use carryout plastic bags that pollute our environment and constitute a high percentage of litter across the country.

As of July 1, 2011, shoppers will no longer receive disposable plastic bags while shopping at Calabasas supermarkets: Albertsons, Gelson’s, Maddy’s Market, and Ralphs and Rite Aid.

As of January 1, 2012, smaller drug stores, convenience food stores, smaller retail stores and grocers will stop offering disposable plastic bags.

Under the terms of the new law, stores will have reusable bags available for sale and will also offer recyclable paper bags for 10 cents each in lieu of customers bringing their reusable bags or simply carrying items purchased without a bag. The fees collected from bag sales will only go towards helping stores comply with the new law.

Lower income residents who participate in the California Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants, and Children program will receive either reusable bags or recyclable paper bags for free.

Shoppers are encouraged to use reusable shopping bags whenever possible. Please note that small plastic bags will still be available in stores for fruits and vegetables. Produce bags and product bags are bags without handles used exclusively to carry produce, meats, or other food items to the point of sale or to prevent such food items from coming into direct contact with other purchased items.

More information and details on the benefits of using re-usable bags at www.cityofcalabasas.com/plastic-bag-ban.html.

Ventura County Sheriff "Social Host" (Underage Drinking) Ordinance Message

Community Safety Message from the Ventura County Sheriff's Department

Summer is almost upon us and schools will be closing their doors for a well-deserved vacation. Experience tells us that we will experience an increase in daytime residential burglaries, more unsightly graffiti and many “party disturbing” calls.

I want to take this opportunity to talk about those parties and the potentially lethal combination of teenagers and alcohol. There is nothing wrong with celebrating the end of the school year with an evening of fun with family and friends. However, too often these events end in tragedy. Alcohol consumption and binge drinking in combination with prescription drugs are the most common cause of overdose for teenagers in the community.

Some parents want to be “cool” by permitting their children and their friends to consume alcohol while throwing a party in the home. Other parents rationalize their behavior by arguing that teenagers will find alcohol elsewhere if they don’t allow it at home. Concerned parents do not abandon their parental responsibility while placing their teens and the community at risk in this way.

Several years ago, Ventura County Ordinance 6113 was passed to combat this problem. Also known as the Social Host Ordinance, individuals responsible for the party can be held accountable, even if they didn’t personally buy the alcohol, for “hosting” the party. Should deputies be called to respond to an underage drinking incident on property you own, lease or otherwise control, you could be cited and required to pay a fine of $1000. If this is not incentive enough to discourage such conduct, imagine being the parent who permits underage drinking that leads to a tragic death when one of the partygoers crashes on the way home forfeiting their life of that of other innocents.

Sheriff’s deputies and California Highway Patrol officers will be vigorously enforcing these laws throughout the summer. Remember, it is fun to celebrate the end of the school year, just do so legally and responsibly so your teenager can attend the first day of the next school year.

For more information on the subject, please visit www.venturacountylimits.org.