California Minimum Wages Increase Again on January 1, 2018

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Pursuant to California Senate Bill No. 3 signed by Governor Jerry Brown in April 2016, on January 1, 2018, the California minimum wage increases from $10.50 to $11 per hour for employers with 26+ employees and from $10 to $10.50 for employers with 25 or less employees (with the exception of California sheepherders...which you can read about more HERE).

The overall target of the legislation is $15 per hour for all employees by January 1, 2023 (companies with 26+ will get there by January 1, 2022; one year earlier than smaller companies).

Future Minimum Wage Increases for Employers with 26+ Employees:

  • 1/1/19: $12/hour
  • 1/1/20: $13/hour
  • 1/1/21: $14/hour
  • 1/1/22 until adjusted again: $15/hour

If your employer has 25 or fewer employees, there will be a year lag in the increases highlighted above.

  • 1/1/19: $11/hour
  • 1/1/20: $12/hour
  • 1/1/21: $13/hour
  • 1/1/22: $14/hour
  • 1/1/23: $15/hour

So, if you are a minimum wage employee at a smaller company, you will be making slightly less than your "larger" company counterparts in California until 1/1/23.

After 2022, the minimum wage will generally be increased by the lesser of 3.5% or the annual inflation rate.

More on California minimum wages at www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/faq_minimumwage.htm.

But WAIT!

If you are a minimum wage employee in the City of Los Angeles, different rules apply:

Employers with 26+ Employees in City of Los Angeles:

  • 7/1/17 to 6/30/18: $12/hour
  • 7/1/18 to 6/30/19: $13.25/hour
  • 7/1/19 to 6/30/20: $14.25/hour
  • 7/1/20: $15/hour

Employers with 25 or Fewer Employees in City of Los Angeles (or 26+ Employees with approval to pay a deferred rate):

  • 7/1/17 to 6/30/18: $10.50/hour
  • 7/1/18 to 6/30/19: $12/hour
  • 7/1/19 to 6/30/20: $13.25/hour
  • 7/1/20 to 6/30/21: $14.25/hour
  • 7/1/21: $15/hour

More on L.A. City minimum wage laws at wagesla.lacity.org.

And of course, there's the irrelevant (at least to the majority of, but not all, states) Federal Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007, which established the now current Federal minimum wage at $7.25/hour as of July 24, 2009.

Thomas Fire Grows to 2nd Largest Fire in California History and is 55% Contained

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UPDATE: Since this post, the fire grew to burn a total of 281,893 acres (440 square miles), making it the largest wildfire in modern California history (which was subsequently surpassed by the Mendocino Complex Fire of 2018, which burned a total of 459,123 acres).

The Thomas Fire has now burned 272,000 acres, making it the 2nd largest wildfire in California since accurate records of fires were maintained in 1932. Only the 2003 Cedar Fire in San Diego County was larger, at least as of tonight, at 273,246 acres. 

Cal Fire anticipates the Thomas Fire to continue burning until full containment is achieved by January 7th. That would mean the fire is expected to burn continuously for 34 days. As of tonight the Thomas Fire was 55% contained.

Areas of particular focus by firefighters are Montecito, Rose Valley and Fillmore. The area between Fillmore and Ventura along Highway 126 will remain in patrol status.

The Thomas Fire originated in Santa Paula the night of December 4th near county-managed Steckel Park, the Ventura Ranch KOA and Thomas Aquinas College (which the fire was named after).

The main store and cabins at the KOA were destroyed but much of the campgrounds is intact. Management indicates they will be rebuilding, with a goal of re-opening in the Spring.

The college did not sustain serious damage thanks to the efforts of firefighters, though there will still be extensive recovery costs. President McLean provides more information in the video below. Donations to help the school in its recovery efforts are accepted at thomasaquinas.edu/news/help-us-recover.

Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley Had the 7th and 9th Lowest Crime Rates Among Large Cities in 2016

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In late September 2017, the FBI released its annual Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) data for 2015. "Crime in the United States, 2016" 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 4.1% in 2016 (to 3.86 violent crimes per 1,000 inhabitants), the 2nd year in a row the rate increased. Overall property crimes declined 1.3% in 2016 (to 24.51 crimes per 1,000 inhabitants), the 14th year in a row the rate has dropped.

Four years ago, the crime rates were 3.87 (violent crimes) and 28.59 (property crimes).

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 Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks ranked 7th and 9th in the U.S (compared to 5th and 4th, respectively in 2015). and 1st and 2nd in California for the lowest overall crime rates among large cities in 2016. The top 10 lowest overall are shown in the table below:

Top ten lowest overall crime rates per 1,000 inhabitants in 2016; cities with population of 100,000 or more (Source: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Data).

Top ten lowest overall crime rates per 1,000 inhabitants in 2016; cities with population of 100,000 or more (Source: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Data).

Simi Valley's rate increased from 13.23 in 2015 to 13.67 in 2016 while Thousand Oaks' rate increased from 13.23 to 14.25.

Taking a look at solely violent crimes (murder, rape, robbery, assault), Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley dropped to 20th (12th in 2015) and 23rd (26th in 2015), respectively.

Top 10 lowest crime rates per 1,000 inhabitants in 2016; cities with population of 100,000 or more (Source: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Data).

Top 10 lowest crime rates per 1,000 inhabitants in 2016; 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.

Overall crime rates per 1,000 inhabitants in Ventura County and adjacent cities in 2016 (Source: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Data.) (Excludes unincorporated communities.)

Overall crime rates per 1,000 inhabitants in Ventura County and adjacent cities in 2016 (Source: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Data.) (Excludes unincorporated communities.)

All Ventura County cities, with the exception of Oxnard and Ventura, fell below national averages for both violent and property crime rates in 2016.

The crime rates for most all Ventura County cities dropped in 2016 vs 2015, with the exception of Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley. 

Note: 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.

Thomas Fire Grows Overnight to Become 3rd Largest Wildfire in Modern California History

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The Thomas Fire, at 40% containment as of this morning, has grown to 259,000 acres, making it the third largest wildfire in modern (since 1932) history. The 2nd largest fire in California history was the Rush Fire in Lassen County in 2012, which burned 271,911 acres in that northeastern county of California, plus another 43,666 acres in Nevada.

Today the fire is threatening much of Santa Barbara. Mandatory evacuation orders are currently (as of 11:30 am) in place for all areas east of Highway 154, south of East Camino Cielo, west of Toro Canyon and north of Hightway 101 at Toro Canyon to South Salinas, then north of Alameda Padre Serra and to Highway 192 west to 154.

A total off 746 single family residences have been destroyed in the Thomas Fire and another 185 have been damaged. Another 263 structures, including several multi-family residences, have been destroyed.

Thomas Fire updates in Santa Barbara County at www.countyofsb.org/thomasfire.sbc.

Ventura County Thomas Fire updates at readyventuracounty.org.

Thomas Fire Leapfrogs Matilija Fire of 1932 to Become Largest Fire in Ventura County History

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UPDATE: The Thomas Fire was fully contained on January 12, 2018, having burned 281,893 acres (roughly 440 square miles). The fire destroyed 1,063 structures and damaged 280 others.

In August 2018, the Thomas Fire was surpassed by the Ranch Fire - part of the Mendocino Complex Fire - the combination of the River Fire and Ranch Fire - that burned in Mendocino, Lake, Colusa and Glenn counties. The Ranch Fire alone burned 410,203 acres. The combined fire burned 459,123 acres.

View of the smoke plume coming from the Thomas Fire, as seen from the hills of the Conejo Valley today, Sunday, December 10th (Photo Credit: L. David Irete).

View of the smoke plume coming from the Thomas Fire, as seen from the hills of the Conejo Valley today, Sunday, December 10th (Photo Credit: L. David Irete).

Authorities reported tonight that the Thomas Fire has now grown to over 230,000 acres burned, making it the largest ever recorded wildfire in Ventura County history and the 5th largest ever in California. It would appear that within the next day or two, the Thomas Fire will surpass the 2007 Zaca Fire in Santa Barbara County and Rim Fire in Tuolumne County to became the 3rd largest fire in California history.

The fire, which was first reported in Santa Paula last Monday, December 4th, at 6:36PM, actually dropped from 15% to 10% containment today, as it rages into Santa Barbara County.

The fire has destroyed 790 structures and damaged an additional 191 to date. As of Sunday night, December 10th, 18,000 structures are threatened.

For Ventura County Thomas Fire updates, visit readyventuracounty.org. Mandatory evacuation orders have been lifted in a number of areas, but continue in specific locations in Ventura, the entire community of Casitas Springs, Ojai and other areas. The Ready Ventura County site also has information about where to obtain N95 masks in Santa Paula, Ventura, Ojai and Oxnard. What does N95 mean? The respirator will block at least 95% of small particles.

NEW: The Ventura County Recovers website has been established at venturacountyrecovers.org as a resource for those impacted by the fire.

Santa Barbara County is now under greater risk from the fire and mandatory evacuations orders have been issued in areas stretching from the Ventura/Santa Barbara County line to Goleta. Visit www.countyofsb.org/thomasfire.sbc for details.

Where to Find Ventura County Emergency Updates on Thomas Fire in Ventura County

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The Thomas Fire as seen from the Conejo Valley (Photo Credit: L. David Irete).

The Thomas Fire as seen from the Conejo Valley (Photo Credit: L. David Irete).

The Thomas Fire was first reported on Monday night around 6:30 p.m. in Santa Paula, in the vicinity of Steckel Park and Thomas Aquinas College near the 150 (Ojai Road). Due to gale force Santa Ana winds, the fire spread quickly overnight to over 55,000 acres in less than 24 hours in Santa Paula, Ojai and Ventura.

As of Tuesday night, December 5, the "Thomas Fire" has burned over 150 structures, including the Hawaiian Village Apartments in Ventura

Governor Brown declared a state of emergency in Ventura County today as a result of the fire. (He also issued an emergency proclamation today for the Creek and Rye fires in Los Angeles County.) 

Text the United Way of Ventura County at UWVC to 41444 to donate to Thomas Fire victims; 100% of the donations will go directly to those affected by the fires.

Schools have been closed Tuesday in Ventura County and on Wednesday the following schools are slated for closure due to the wildfires:

  • CSU Channel Islands
  • Nearly all K-12 schools in Ventura County, including Conejo Valley USD, Fillmore USD, Moorpark USD, Ojai USD, Pleasant Valley SD, Santa Paula USD, Ventura USD, Simi Valley USD, Oxnard Elementary and Union High School Districts and other schools listed at www.vcoe.org.
  • UPDATE: The following districts will be closed the rest of the week (12/7-12/8): Briggs Elementary School District, Hueneme Elementary School District, Mesa Union Elementary SD, Mupu Elementary SD, Ocean View Elementary SD, Ojai USD, Oxnard Elementary SD, Oxnard Union HS District, Pleasant Valley SD, Rio Elementary SD, Santa Clara Elementary SD, Ventura USD.
  • UPDATE: As of 2:30PM 12/6, school is planned for Simi Valley and Conejo Valley Unified School Districts.

Here's where to go for updates:

First and foremost, visit readyventuracounty.org for updates, mandatory evacuation areas, voluntary evacuations, evacuation shelters, school closures, road closures and other information.

If you are a Twitter user, the Ventura County Fire Department Public Information Officer provides periodic updates via Tweets at twitter.com/VCFD_PIO. The VCFD Twitter page also provides updates and some useful "Retweets" from other sources at twitter.com/VCFD.

Local area newspaper sites have Twitter and Facebook feeds that may come in handy:

Among TV news sites, I've found ABC 7 to have some great coverage abc7.com.

Subscribe to VC Alert, a free serviced utilized by all 10 cities in Ventura County as well as unincorporated areas for emergency updates. Text VCALERT to 313131 to register.

Cal Fire posts updates on its site at www.fire.ca.gov/current_incidents.

Ventura County Air Pollution Control District Old Car Buy Back Incentive Program

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The Ventura County Air Pollution Control District (APCD) old car buy back program will pay you $1,000 to voluntarily retire your 1995 or older car, pick-up truck, van, or SUV. Funding of this program is limited and will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis until each year’s grant funds are depleted.

Motor vehicles produce more than half of the air pollution in Ventura County. Removing older, high-emitting vehicles from the roadways helps clean up the air.

To qualify for the buy back program, vehicles must be operational and registered in Ventura County. Additional eligibility requirements apply. To find out if your car qualifies, visit www.oldcarbuyback.com/ventura.php or call the Old Car Buy Back Hotline: (800) 717-7624.

You generally must show that the vehicle has been registered with the DMV under a Ventura County address for at least 24 months to be eligible. Other requirements must also be met.

APCD is required by state regulations to offer to sell any eligible vehicle to the public and hold the vehicle for a minimum of 10 days during which the vehicle will be made available for public inspection prior to dismantling. There is an Excel spreadsheet link at www.oldcarbuyback.com/ventura.php showing the vehicle inventory.