Facts and Figures About the Ventura County Call Box Program

2023 UPDATE: This was originally posted in 2013 and updated in 2016. The Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC) provided an update of the Ventura County Call Box program at its April 7, 2023 meeting. There are currently 429 emergency call boxes in Ventura County, averaging 1,200 calls for motorist assistance per year, down from 3,000 calls per year in 2016. There were 1,131 call box calls in 2022, down from 1,179 in 2020. In 2022, the call boxes were upgraded from 3G to 4G/LTE cellular technology.

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Ever wonder about the call boxes on the side of the highways around town? Currently, 29 of the state's 58 counties have call box programs.  Statewide, there are 15,000 call boxes, lining some 6,300 miles of California highways. Call boxes throughout California generate more than 100,000 calls per month.

Costs associated with the call box program are paid for by a $1 annual fee included in the County/District Fees shown on your DMV vehicle registration notice.

Caltrans, the California Highway Patrol and regional "SAFE" ("Service Authority for Freeways and Expressways") agencies jointly operate the program. In Ventura County, the Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC) oversees the call box program.

Since 1985, the goal of SAFE is to quickly identify and respond to freeway incidents such as breakdowns and accidents in order to minimize their impacts in terms of congestion, public safety and air quality, and to increase the reliability of the freeway system and better manage traffic flow.

There are currently (as of September 2016) 560 active call boxes in Ventura County, roughly 40% on Highway 101, 20% on Highway 126, 15% on Highway 118 and the remainder on PCH, SR 23 and Highways 33, 34 and 150.

So the question most of you may have is, does anyone actually use call boxes given the proliferation of cell phones? The answer is...yes...but the numbers have dropped dramatically over the years.

Over the last five years, an average of roughly 3,000 calls for assistance have been made from call boxes in Ventura County each year. While this is down dramatically from the 17,000 calls made in the year 2000, they are still being used.

In recent years, 420 call boxes have been upgraded from 2G to 3G service. The remaining 141 call boxes will be removed in 2016-2017, with an anticipated cost savings of $380,000 over the next five years. This is based on a review of the SAFE program presented to the Ventura County Transportation Commission in its September 9, 2016 meeting.

Visit the VCTC website at www.goventura.org to learn more about transportation options in Ventura County.

Note: Originally posted in 2013. Updated in 2016.

Homeless Shelters in Ventura County Offering Hot Meals and Overnight Cots

Many of Ventura County's homeless find comfort in the warm, dry places open to them for sleeping overnight. Most shelters offer food--a hot meal for dinner, sometimes a pastry or bagel for breakfast and sack lunches for the road. Some facilities have showers. All depend on volunteers. Sometimes volunteers come forward to offer entertainment during dinner--a youth group singing, a bell choir. Or, more practical volunteers give free haircuts. Clothes and toiletries are donated.  Each shelter is an opportunity for those with compassion to help men, women and children in need.

Some people find shelter rules too hard to follow and so they live on the street even in cold, rainy weather. For instance. no pets are allowed and some do not want to be separated from their furry companions. But the rules are meant to keep the shelters safe.

Children and adults who sleep in a shelter must show proof of a recent, within 60 days, clear TB test before they will be allowed in a shelter. It's the law. Ventura County Public Health Clinics will provide free TB tests to shelter users. Anyone intoxicated or behaving in a disorderly manner will not be allowed inside any shelter site.

Here is a List of Homeless Shelters available in Ventura County (courtesy of County of Ventura Human Services Agency) (Info current as of June 2023 and subject to change, so call first).

OXNARD - YEAR ROUND SHELTERS

Rescue Mission Alliance Ventura County (previously called Ventura County Rescue Mission) 234 E. 6th Street, Oxnard, open year round. Provides place to sleep, hot meal, shower for a limited number of guests for up to 10 consecutive nights. Check-in by 5 p.m. Call 805.487.1234 or visit vcrescuemission.org.

Lighthouse Womens & Children’s Mission--Emergency Shelter 104 N. Hayes, Oxnard, operated by The Rescue Mission Alliance year round. Serves single women, mothers with children (boys up to 10 years old; some exceptions made up to age 12). Provides a place to sleep, hot meals and shower. Call 805.385.7200 or visit vcrescuemission.org/lighthouse/about.

Kingdom Center (Gabriel's House) Women's Shelter at 1450 S. Rose Ave, Oxnard has a year-round shelter for up to 20 single women and women with children. Call 805.487.3445 or visit gabriels-house.org for more information.

VENTURA - YEAR-ROUND SHELTERS

Our Place Safe Haven 536 E. Thompson Blvd., Ventura, operated by Turning Point Foundation is open year round. Serves homeless mentally ill/single men and women with place to sleep, showers, meals, laundry facilities, mail and phone and case management. Capacity is 10. There is a waiting list. 805.652.2151 or turningpointfoundation.org/housing.

Salvation Army Emergency Shelter at 155 S. Oak Street, Ventura operates year-round, with a capacity of 12 homeless, single men and single women. venturatlc.salvationarmy.org

WINTER SHELTERS

Simi Valley P.A.D.S. (Public Action to Deliver Shelter) has rotating meal sites year round and overnight sleep sites from November 1 to March 31. Simi Valley residents only. Families and singles. Overnight shelter sites check-in at 7:30 pm with a capacity that varies by site from 30 to 40 people.  For dinner sites and other information, call 805.579.9166 Monday to Thursday 9am to 2pm.

Overnight Simi Valley shelter locations from November through March include the following:

• Sundays: Knights of Columbus, 1255 Patricia Avenue

• Mondays: Cornerstone Church, 2080 Winifred Street

• Tuesdays: Trinity Lutheran, 2949 Alamo Street

• Wednesdays: Knights of Columbus, 1255 Patricia Avenue (1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th) (4th - Trinity Lutheran)

• Thursdays: Simi Valley Community Church, 2000 Royal Avenue

• Fridays: Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church, 4191 Cochran St.

• Saturdays: United Methodist Church, 2394 Erringer Road

• And others, staffed by numerous community organizations

Dinner sites by the Samaritan Center of Simi Valley are summed up at samaritancentersimivalley.org/dinner or call 805.579.9166 for details (and for year-round meal sites).

Ojai Valley Family Shelter has rotating Church sites with 6 p.m. check in from December 1 to March 31 to serve Ojai residents only (must show 6 month proof of residency). Hot meals, a place to sleep and showers. Up to 25-30 singles and families are welcome. Call 805.804.7094.

• Sunday: Wesleyan Church, S. Ventura & Topa Topa Street

• Monday: St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, 409 Topa Topa

• Tuesday: St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic, 185 St. Thomas Drive

• Wednesday: St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, 409 Topa Topa

• Thursday: Ojai Presbyterian Church, 304 N. Foothill

• Friday: Ojai Valley Grange Hall, 381 Cruzero, Mira Monte

• Saturday: First Baptist Church, 930 Grand Avenue

Conejo Valley Winter Shelter locations operated through 2019. Non-profit Harbor House currently provides a daily pickup meal program. See www.harborhouseto.org/volunteer.html.

The West County Winter Warming Shelter at the Army National Guard Armory, 1270 Arundell, Ventura is scheduled to open December 1st through March 30th. Open to families and singles. Check in 6pm, exit 6am. Capacity 125. Hot meal, place to sleep, shelter. Hot meal served 6:30pm to 7:30pm.Call 2-1-1 downtownventura.org/shelter/

California Law Has Required Gas Stations to Provide Free Water, Air and Air Pressure Gauge For Customers Since January 2000

There’s a law that was passed in 1999, that made it a requirement for service stations in California to provide free water, compressed air and an air pressure gauge to customers who purchase fuel.

A service station is defined as an establishment that offers gasoline or other motor vehicle to the public.

I’m slightly embarrassed to admit that I was not aware of this law until just recently, when a few folks shamed me for paying $1.00 to fill the air in my tires. (That said, I was not a paid customer at the time. So technically I was not legally entitled to free compressed air.)

Section 13651 of the California Business and Professions Code further indicates “Every service station in this state shall display, at a conspicuous place on, at, or near the dispensing apparatus, at least one clearly visible sign which shall read as follows: CALIFORNIA LAW REQUIRES THIS STATION TO PROVIDE FREE AIR AND WATER FOR AUTOMOTIVE PURPOSES TO ITS CUSTOMERS WHO PURCHASE MOTOR VEHICLE FUEL. IF YOU HAVE A COMPLAINT NOTIFY THE STATION ATTENDANT AND/OR CALL THIS TOLL-FREE TELEPHONE NUMBER: 1 (800) ___ ____. “

So perhaps this post will save someone from unnecessarily paying 75 cents to $1.50 to fill up their tires.

There is no requirement to provide the air for free to non-paying customers.

Thousand Oaks Transit Provides Low Cost Transportation in the Conejo Valley

Thousand Oaks Transit (TOT) offers five local bus routes serving the Conejo Valley. One way fares as of May 2023 are $2.00 per ride; 65+ seniors/disabled are $.50 and children 5 and under are free. Transfers from one bus to another are free and must be requested when you purchase your fare.

(NOTE: As of September 2022, all students in grades 1-12 as well as college students ride for free anywhere in Ventura County, with student ID.)

Buses are equipped with free Wi-Fi, security cameras and bike racks. Operating hours are Monday to Friday, 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

TOT buses are equipped with destination signs on the front, side and rear of the bus. Here are the current bus routes:

• Route 40 Newbury Park - Stops include Newbury Park High School, Borchard Park, Dos Vientos Community Center, The Oaks. 25 total stops.

• Route 41 Midtown A - Stops include The Oaks, Los Robles Hospital, Cal Lutheran, Thousand Oaks High School, Teen and Senior Centers/T.O. Library, Transportation Center. 18 total stops.

• Route 42 Midtown B - Stops include The Oaks, Conejo Valley High School, Thousand Oaks High School, Cal Lutheran, Los Robles Hospital, Conejo Valley Plaza, Janss Marketplace. 22 total stops.

• Route 43 TOB Express - Stops include The Oaks, Transportation Center, City Hall, Westlake High School. 25 total stops.

• Route 44 Crosstown - Stops include Westlake High School, The Oaks, Amgen. 35 total stops.

Exact fares are required on TOT buses in the form of cash, pass or transfer. Passes can be purchased on buses. Multi-day bus passes are available. Where's the bus? You can track them at www.nextbus.com.

Perhaps the most useful feature is the trip planner at www.toaks.org/departments/public-works/transit/plan-your-trip where you can type your location and destination and you’ll receive a step by step itinerary showing where to catch the bus and how long it takes to get to your destination.

The Thousand Oaks Transportation Center located at 265 South Rancho Road (just south of the 101) is a transportation hub for eastern Ventura County.  The Center provides parking for transit users and rideshare participants and connects riders with the four routes described above as well as the following:

• Several VCTC Intercity bus lines

• Metro Line 161, which takes riders east with stops in Westlake Village, Agoura Hills, Calabasas, Woodland Hills and Warner Center.

• LADOT Commuter Express 422 and 423 bus lines operating Monday to Friday as far as Downtown Los Angeles.

To learn more, visit www.TOTransit.org or call 805.375.5473. There are bus schedules online, as well as at the Civic Arts Plaza (Public Works Counter on the 1st floor), Thousand Oaks/Newbury Park Libraries, Senior Center, Oaks Mall 2nd Floor Information Desk and at the Transportation Center.

California Minimum Wages Increased to $15.50 Per Hour on January 1, 2023

Effective January 1, 2023, the minimum wage for all California hourly employees is $15.50 per hour, up from $15 per hour for employers of 26 or more and $14 per hour for employers of 25 or less in 2022.

The federal minimum wage for 2023 is still $7.25, a rate unchanged since it became effective on July 24, 2009.

California minimum wage rates apply to Ventura County residents.

The City of Los Angeles minimum wage rate has been $16.04 per hour since July 1, 2022. Each year, the minimum wage is adjusted for inflation; the adjusted rate is announced on February 1st of each year and becomes effective on July 1st of each year. The city’s 2023 minimum wage rate increases to $16.78 effective July 1, 2023. See wagesla.lacity.org.

The County of Los Angeles minimum wage rate became $15.96 per hour effective July 1, 2022 and increases to $16.90 per hour starting July 1, 2023. See dcba.lacounty.gov/minimum-wage-for-businesses.

Why the City of Los Angeles and County of Los Angeles can’t align their rates to be the same is beyond me.

Looking for a higher minimum wage? Move to San Francisco, where the rate has been $16.99 per hour since July 1, 2022 and will be adjusted for inflation again on July 1, 2023 to $18.07 per hour. See sf.gov/information/understanding-minimum-wage-ordinance.

Or better yet, the City of Emeryville, CA minimum wage effective July 1, 2022 became $17.68 and increases to $18.67 on July 1, 2023. See www.ci.emeryville.ca.us/1024/Minimum-Wage-Ordinance.

The highest city minimum wage rate in the country in 2023 is $18.69 per hour for employers in Seattle, Washington. www.seattle.gov/laborstandards/ordinances/minimum-wage

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 was the third highest in the country. Washington D.C. is at $16.50 per hour, increasing to $17 per hour on July 1, 2023. The state of Washington is at $15.74 per hour for workers 16 and older. Massachusetts is currently at $15 per hour effective January 1, 2023. www.mass.gov/info-details/massachusetts-law-about-minimum-wage

988 Is the Three Digit Dialing Code for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

988 Is the new three-digit dialing code that connects directly to the National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. The Lifeline is now called the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, a United States-wide suicide prevention network of over 200+ crisis centers that provides 24/7 service via a toll-free hotline using the number 9-8-8. It is available to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress.

The Lifeline has received over 23 million calls from 2005 through 2021 from people in distress, looking for support when they needed it most.

Learn more at 988lifeline.org.

IRS Extends 2022 Tax Return Filing Deadline to October 16, 2023 in Most California Counties

Last week, the IRS extended the 2022 tax filing deadline for taxpayers in most California counties (including our local LA/Ventura/Santa Barbara/Orange counties) to October 16, 2023. The deadline was previously extended from April 18th to May 15th due to the January storms.

In addition to individual and business tax returns, this extension applies to funding IRAs and to making estimated tax payments for Q422 to Q323 (if applicable).

The state of California has conformed to extension of filings and payments to October 16th. See www.ftb.ca.gov/about-ftb/newsroom/news-releases/2023-03-ftb-california-winter-storm-tax-relief-extension.html for details.