Vacation House Checks Available in Cities Throughout Ventura County

/

A number of cities provide free Vacation House Check services upon request to help keep your property secure while you are out of town. Here is a compilation of such services.

Thousand Oaks

The City of Thousand Oaks Volunteers in Policing organization perform vacation checks, including checking the backyard, windows, garage and doors for signs of disturbance and paying particular attention to your property while out on patrol. Request a vacation house check by calling the Thousand Oaks Community Police Resource Center with at least three days notice at 805.449.2760. Visit www.toaks.org/departments/police/citizen-resources/community-resource-centers for more information.

Camarillo

The Camarillo Police Department offers residents a vacation house watch program, scheduled by calling 805.388.5100 Monday through Friday, between 8 AM and 5 PM. cms7files.revize.com/camarilloca/Departments/Police/VACATION%20HOUSE%20CHECKS.pdf.

Simi Valley

The Simi Valley Police Department offers vacation checks to residents. Call 805.583.6938 to learn more and schedule one.

Ventura

City of Ventura residents can schedule vacation checks online at secure.coplogic.com/dors/en/crupfilingperson?dynparam=1428788603502.

Moorpark

Business owners and residents may request extra patrol of their property while they are on vacation or if they have reason to suspect being extraordinarily victimized by a crime. Moorpark Volunteers in Policing and Deputies are informed of the extra patrol locations and make an effort to check those areas for suspicious or criminal activity. If you would like an extra patrol of your property, you may submit a form at the Moorpark Police Station, located at 610 Spring Road, Moorpark.

Westlake Village

The Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station will send a patrol car or Volunteer on Patrol member by your home while you are out of town. To schedule a free vacation check, call the station at 818-878-1808 and provide your address and travel dates.

Port Hueneme

Port Hueneme Police Department Volunteers in Policing provide home vacation checks. Visit www.ci.port-hueneme.ca.us/index.aspx?nid=897 for more information.

For other cities, visit the Ventura County Sheriff's Department website at www.vcsd.org for more information.

There's of course a whole host of other things to consider to protect your home when you're out of town...locking doors and windows, asking the neighbors to keep an eye out, stopping newspaper/mail deliveries (or having someone collect them), setting automated light timers around the house and activation of home security systems come to mind.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

Assurance Wireless Offers Free Cell Phone Service to Low Income Residents

/

Assurance Wireless, powered by Virgin Mobile, offers a free cell phone with monthly service that includes 250 minutes and unlimited texts to low-income individuals who qualify through the Federal Lifeline Assistance Program.

The Lifeline Assistance Program is funded by the federal Universal Service Fund, which is funded by wireless carriers, who in turn generally tag on a fee to consumers in their monthly bills.

The Lifeline Assistance program is available for only one account per household. Separate households that live at the same address are eligible, such as residents of homeless shelters and nursing homes. Residents with temporary addresses are also eligible.

As a California resident, you can qualify if you participate in certain public assistance programs or if you below certain income levels:

  • Medicaid/Medi-Cal

  • CalFresh

  • Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (aka Food Stamps)

  • National School Lunch Program

  • California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKS)

  • Federal Public Housing Assistance (Section 8)

  • Various other public assistance programs

  • Income levels falling within the following Federal poverty level guidelines (as of January 2015):

    • $25,500 for a household of 1-2

    • $29,700 for a household of 3

    • $35,900 for a household of 4

    • Add another $6,200 for each additional household member above 4

The program also allows individuals to purchase additional minutes; $5/month for each additional 250 minutes. To learn more, visit www.assurancewireless.com.

"Service Above Self" - Rotary Clubs in the Ventura County Area

/

Rotary is a worldwide organization of more than 1.2 million business, professional and community leaders. Members of Rotary clubs, known as Rotarians, provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations and help build goodwill and peace in the world.

There are 33,000 Rotary clubs in more than 200 countries and geographical areas. Clubs are nonpolitical, nonreligious, and open to all cultures, races, and creeds. The Foundation is a not-for-profit corporation supported solely by voluntary contributions from Rotarians and friends of the Foundation who share its vision of a better world.

The Rotary motto is "Service Above Self" and this shows in the local community...fundraisers, community events, supporting local charities year round.  Here are some local Rotary clubs in the vicinity of Ventura County.

Rotary Club of Calabasas

Rotary Club of Camarillo

Rotary Club of Camarillo - Sunrise

Rotary Club of Conejo Valley

Rotary Club of Fillmore

Rotary Club of Fillmore - Sun Risers

Rotary Club of Malibu

Rotary Club of Moorpark

Rotary Club of Moorpark - Morning

Read More

CDC Highlights What You Need to Know About the Ebola Virus

/

Ebola, previously known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever, is a severe, often fatal disease in humans and nonhuman primates (such as monkeys, gorillas, and chimpanzees). The 2014 Ebola epidemic is the largest in history. The following information about Ebola is courtesy of the CDC.

Ebola is a rare and deadly disease caused by infection with a virus of the family Filoviridae, genus Ebolavirus. There are five identified Ebolavirus species, four of which have caused disease in humans: Zaire ebolavirus; Sudan ebolavirus; Taï Forest ebolavirus, formerly Côte d’Ivoire ebolavirus; and Bundibugyo ebolavirus. The fifth, Reston ebolavirus, has caused disease in nonhuman primates but not in humans.

Ebola is found in several African countries. The first Ebola species was discovered in 1976 near the Ebola River in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Since then, outbreaks have appeared sporadically in Africa.

The natural reservoir host of Ebola remains unknown. However, on the basis of available evidence and the nature of similar viruses, researchers believe that the virus is animal-borne, with bats being the most likely reservoir. Four of the five subtypes occur in an animal host native to Africa.

When an infection does occur in humans, there are several ways the virus can be spread to others. These include: direct contact with the blood or body fluids of a person who is sick with Ebola or contact with objects that have been contaminated with the blood or body fluids of an infected person or with infected animals

The virus in the blood and body fluids can enter another person’s body through broken skin or unprotected mucous membranes such as the eyes, nose or mouth.

During outbreaks of Ebola, the disease can spread qu

Read More

Camarillo Health Care District Provides Quality Health and Wellness Services

/

The Camarillo Health Care District ensures quality health and wellness services are available to all District residents. The District is an independent special district and public agency formed in 1969 to provide community-based healthcare services, under the statutes of the State of California Health & Safety Code.

The award-winning District is on the leading edge of community health and wellness by offering innovative programs and services, including:

The District in partnership with Food Share of Ventura County hosts a Free Produce Day on the 2nd Thursday of each month from 11am to 1pm. Open to the general public! Stop by and receive several varieties of seasonal produce each month at this event.

For more information, visit www.camhealth.com, stop by the campus at 3639 E. Las Posas Road, Suite 117, Camarillo, or call (805) 388-1952 ext. 100.

How to Protect You and Your Children From the Spread of Enterovirus D68

/

Enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) is one of more than 100 non-polio enteroviruses. This virus was first identified in California in 1962. EV-D68 can cause mild to severe respiratory illness. Mild symptoms may include fever, runny nose, sneezing, cough, and body and muscle aches. Severe symptoms may include wheezing and difficulty breathing.

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) confirmed 4 enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) cases in patients in San Diego (3) and Ventura (1) counties a few weeks ago.

Parents should seek medical attention immediately for children who are having any breathing difficulty (wheezing, difficulty speaking or eating, belly pulling in with breaths, blueness around the lips), particularly if the child suffers from asthma. There is no specific treatment for persons with EV-D68, nor is there a vaccine to prevent it. However, everyone six months of age and older should receive influenza vaccine every year to protect themselves against that important cause of respiratory disease. 

Healthcare providers should consider EV-D68 as a possible cause of acute, unexplained severe respiratory illness, even if the patient does not have fever, and consider laboratory testing of respiratory specimens for enteroviruses when the cause of respiratory illness in severely ill patients is unclear.

The best way to prevent transmission of enteroviruses is to:
 
• Wash hands often with soap and water for 20 seconds, especially after changing diapers.
• Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoid kissing, hugging, and sharing cups or eating utensils with people who are sick.
• Disinfect frequently touched surfaces, such as toys and doorknobs, especially if someone is sick.

More information at www.cdc.gov/non-polio-enterovirus/about/ev-d68.html.

2014 Pepperdine University Waves of Flags Display and 9/11 Memorial Service

/

Pepperdine University continues to honor lives lost on 9/11 this year with its stunning display of flags at Alumni Park, Malibu. Each flag, reflecting each victim's nationality, represents each of the nearly 3,000 victims of that tragic day. The flags will be on display until Monday, September 22nd.

PeppFlags2014_3.jpg

Tom Burnett, an alumnus of Pepperdine's Graziadio School of Business and Management is one of the heroes remembered in this tribute. Burnett was a passenger on United Airlines Flight 93, in which passengers' attempt to take control of the hijacked airliner and divert it from reaching the terrorists' target, United 93 crashed in a field in Pennsylvania rather than striking a building or landmark in the nation's capital, causing more loss of human life.

PeppFlags2014_1.jpg

As it has annually since September 2001, the Office of the Chaplain, the Department of Public Safety, and the Office of the President will host a brief memorial service at 12:15 p.m. on Thursday, September 11th, at the Heroes Garden, a 14,880-square-foot outdoor sanctuary that overlooks the Pacific Ocean on one of the highest bluffs on the Malibu campus. The garden serves as a public space to pause, reflect, and honor those who sacrificed their lives on 9/11, including Burnett.

Guiding the time of prayer will be John D. Barton, visiting associate professor of religion at Seaver College and associate director of the Center for Faith and Learning, who will offer a brief devotional. This brief service brings together the Pepperdine and greater Los Angeles communities to remember, honor, and look ahead towards peace and reconciliation.

PeppFlags2014_2.jpg