Calling Local Artists! Display Your Art in a Conejo Valley Guide Header!

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Conejo Valley Guide was established 2 years ago as a way to give back to the local community. I was never able to quickly find new things to do with the kids and found it frustrating asking friends, looking through dozens and dozens of websites, newspapers, flyers, etc.  That's why we now have Conejo Valley Guide, Ventura County's most comprehensive resource for not just events, but activities, groups, clubs, sports and other fun things to do. My way of giving back to those in the same predicament as me.

So my artist friend Chuck Trunks, had a great idea. How about inviting local artists to display their rendition of the Conejo Valley Guide website header.  He volunteered to put together his own version of the header, which I think is thoroughly cool!

If you are an artist located in Ventura County and surrounding areas, CONTACT ME for details. I'd love to temporarily display your talent on this website and what better way to do it than on the top header of the site!

Camarillo Passes More Restrictive Smoking Regulations Effective May 28th

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On April 28th, the City of Camarillo adopted a new Ordinance 1053 that extends smoking restrictions in the city, joining other local cities of Thousand Oaks, Moorpark and Calabasas in an effort to clear the air for non-smokers.

Here are some of the restrictions. Visit the City of Camarillo website for more information about the new law.

Public Places: Wherever the public is permitted or invited, indoors or outdoors, including streets and sidewalks if: 1) they are designated “No Smoking” by City Council Resolution, 2) they are part of a public event, or 3) they are within 25 feet of a no-smoking area.

Dining Areas: Any location, including streets and sidewalks, established for and used by the general public for the consumption of food or drink. This includes bar and restaurant patios, sidewalk cafes, food booths at public events, etc.

Recreation Areas: Any area open to the public for recreational purposes, whether publicly or privately owned and regardless of any fee requirement. This includes all parks, playgro

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Protect Yourself During an Earthquake: Drop, Cover and Hold On!

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Last night around 8:30 pm there was a short 3.9 magnitude earthquake centered near Point Mugu that was felt around Ventura County. I was with my young kids upstairs when the loud but short quake hit. Intuitively I grabbed my 4 year old and crouched under a door jamb***. It reminded me that we should all do some homework on how to protect yourself during a quake (courtesy of www.earthquakecountry.info).

DURING an earthquake, if you are:

Indoors: Drop, cover, and hold on. Drop to the floor, take cover under a sturdy desk or table, and hold on to it firmly. Be prepared to move with it until the shaking stops. If you are not near a desk or table, drop to the floor against the interior wall and protect your head and neck with your arms. Avoid exterior walls, windows, hanging objects, mirrors, tall furniture, large appliances, and kitchen cabinets with heavy objects or glass. Do not go outside!

In bed: If you are in bed, hold on and stay there, protecting your head with a pillow. You are less likely to be injured staying where you are. Broken glass on the floor has caused injury to those who have

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Ventura County Sheriff's Department Website Now Includes Dispatches, Twitter/Nixle News Feeds and YouTube Videos

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NOTE: This was originally posted in April 2010. I believe the CAD described below was replaced with the interactive Crime Maps now used to post information and incidents, arrests, calls for service and the like.

The Ventura County Sheriff's Department recently upgraded its website to incorporate a Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) display, YouTube video updates, press release updates via Nixle and a Twitter feed. So if you are looking for up to date Ventura County crime information, definitely check out the VCSD website at www.vcsd.org.

The CAD display is pretty interesting. It is updated every minute with details (time, location, nature of call) and can be viewed by anyone. There is a short delay placed on activity display

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Don't Get Ripped Off! 5 Helpful Travel Tips From Our Recent Trip to Tahoe

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During Spring Break we decided to take a 3 day excursion to Lake Tahoe to play and ski in the snow.  We stayed and played at Northstar in North Lake Tahoe and had a blast!

There were four of us; 2 adults, 2 kids. We decided to fly from LAX to Reno as a test to see how our 4 year old would behave on his first flight.  Overall, it went o.k. (though don't ask the guy who sat in front of him). We learned a lot on this very first trip involving more than just driving our car somewhere.  Let me summarize what we learned:

Don't Stuff Too Much Into a Big Suitcase

We have two BIG suitcases and the rest are small enough to be carry-ons. My wife refused to use the 2nd big suitcase because it was "dirty." I said no problem, I'll take MY stuff out of the big suitcase and repack it into the allegedly dirty bag. She refused and instead made me stuff everyone's ski clothes into the one big bag...I had sit on the suitcase to zip it up.

Sure enough...the bag weighed 56 lbs and Southwest charged us an extra $50 EACH WAY for the bag because it weighed more than 50 lbs. It made no difference that the 4 other bags weighed 10 to 20 lbs.  They don't take an average as I so begged them to do. I was pissed. But...cha ching...had no choice but to fork over the $$.

Don't Buy Auto Rental Insurance if You Don't Need It

I did not make the mistake of purchasing the $10/day Loss Damage Waiver from Hertz as I'm covered by my own personal auto insurance AND my American Express card offers this coverage for free. So don't waste money on this insurance if you don't need it.  Do your homework and don't throw away $$.

Don't Wait to Fill Up the Gas Tank on Your Rental Car

So we checked out of our hotel and drove back to Reno. I thought it would be fun to stop by the Circus Circus so the kids could play some games in

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