Mass Shooting at Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks on Wednesday, November 7, 2018

As a resident of Thousand Oaks for 25 years, never would I have thought that the city where I’ve raised two boys, both born at Los Robles Hospital, would land itself tied for 15th place in all-time deadliest mass shootings in modern U.S. history.

But here we are today, in shock over the worst tragedy ever experienced in the Conejo Valley. The hospital where my wife gave birth to our sons treated many of the 23 victims of last night’s shooting at Borderline Bar and Grill, 99 Rolling Oaks Drive, Thousand Oaks (south of the 101, off of Moorpark Road).

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims, their friends and families, first responders and others impact by this horrific tragedy.

The facts:

• Shooting took place on Wednesday, November 7, 2018 at 11:20 pm.

• There were 12 victims who died at the hands of the active shooter, who was also confirmed deceased.

• One victim was Ventura County Sheriff’s Sgt. Ron Helus.

• Other confirmed deaths: Cody Coffman, Justin Meek, Alaina Housley, Noel Sparks, Blake Dingman, Jake Dunham, Kristina Morisette, Sean Adler, Telemachus Orfanos, Dan Manrique, Mark Meza

Other:

• Visit www.vcemergency.com for updates.

• Visit City of T.O. website at www.toaks.org/residents/borderline-shooting-information for updates.

• Monetary donations can be made at vccf.org/donate/make-a-donation to help those impacted by the tragedy.

TOPD asks well wishers to mail all cards, letters, care packages for Borderline victims and families to station. Pls no food or flowers. 2101 Olsen Rd T.O., Ca 91360 #TOakstrong pic.twitter.com/l423P0nZGB

— Thousand Oaks Sta. (@toaksvcso) November 13, 2018

Fundraising Events:

• Tue 11/13 All Day at Shake Shack Westlake Villlage at The Promenade at Westlake - 100% of proceeds to be donated to VCCF Conejo Valley Victims Fund (Borderline and Fire tragedies).

• Wed 11/14 11am to 9pm at Ameci Pizza, 1724 E. Avenida De Los Arboles, Thousand Oaks - 100% of proceeds to benefit families and victims of the tragic event.

• Thu 11/15 11am to 9pm at Bandits Grill & Bar Thousand Oaks - 100% of proceeds to benefit families and victims.

• Thu 11/15 noon - Memorial Services for Sergeant Ron Helus at Calvary Church Westlake Village

  • Facebook Live Stream: www.facebook.com/VenturaCountySheriff (live stream starts at 11am with music until services start; ends 1:15 to 1:30).

  • Calvary Live Stream: calvarywestlake.churchonline.org

  • Traffic impacts: Road closures 8am La Tienda and Via Rocas near the church. There will be traffic in the area until about 3pm.

• Fri 11/16 11am to 5pm at 2860 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd (at Skyline) - The Most Epic LemonAID Stand Ever - Local kids (who are currently out of school as a result of the wildfires) will be selling lemonade and treats. Proceeds go to families of Borderline shooting victims and Woolsey/Hill Fire families through the VCCF.
  

The following was written by Jenn Zimmerman, Cal Lutheran’s veterans coordinator, about Justin Meek.

Justin worked in the Veterans Resource Office for two years as a VA work study, and his impact will not be forgotten. His gregarious and outgoing attitude allowed him to instantly bond with the veterans who entered the office. He worked with the Veterans Club to plan events and help veteran-students with their VA certifications. Not only did he work with us, he was an active student on the campus. The busier he was, the more he interacted with his peers, the more he thrived. He was a kind and compassionate person who really cared for others.

Justin was a criminal justice and criminology major who had a passion for doing what was right. I’m not shocked he took action to protect the people at Borderline.

He was a part of the Kingsmen Quartet and loved singing in choir. He sang the National Anthem at graduation and was lined up to sing with the Disney Carolers for the holiday season. Justin came back to Cal Lutheran after he graduated to support the Country Line Dance Club with Borderline. He loved running college night and always seemed to draw a crowd.

He was planning to join the US Coast Guard; a compromise between his Air Force veteran mother and his Navy SEAL father. He enjoyed cooking for others and often brought his leftovers for us to share as we envied his cooking skills. He was going to be the chef our Veterans Day Celebration this Monday. Since he can no longer be with us, we will hold a memorial in his honor. Justin was a real go-getter and had his whole life ahead of him. He will be deeply missed in our community.

The Seabee Museum at Naval Base Ventura County in Port Hueneme is a Local Must-See

The U.S. Navy Seabee Museum at 1001 Addor Street, Port Hueneme is a state-of-the-art, free of charge must-see for local residents and visitors alike. One of the U.S. Navy's 11 official museums, the Seabee Museum displays historical material relating to the history of the Naval Construction Force, better known as the Seabees, and the U.S. Navy Civil Engineer Corps.

The 38,000 sq ft museum was recently renovated and features modern exhibit spaces, memorial garden, theater, education room and well-stocked gift shop. Well worth a visit with the kids. Additionally, the STEM Center at the Museum is a hidden gem!

The second oldest of the official Navy museums, the Seabee Museum was established in 1947 in Port Hueneme, which today is part of Naval Base Ventura County.

The museum is open Monday to Saturday from 9 am to 4 pm. Closed Sundays and all Federal holidays. Admission and parking are free. Learn more at www.usnavyseabeemuseum.com or call 805.982.5165.

The Power of Social Media - Case Study: Getting Myrtle the Turtle Back Home

On Friday night, May 19, 2017, the Weathersfield School (@GoWeathersfield) Twitter page tagged @ConejoJoe asking that I share a photo of a turtle found at the school.

I retweeted the post on my Twitter page.

And then I decided to also to post the photo on the CVG Facebook page, which at the time had over 13,000 followers and a lot more interaction than Twitter.

Sure enough, comments started rolling in with suggestions…non-profit animal rescue, “we can give him a home,” “I remember someone posting a missing turtle on a neighborhood board,” etc.  There were 18 comments and 14 shares. Not viral, but apparently enough to get the attention of its owner, Paula Nathan, who at 9:10AM the next day posted:

Given the turtle was found literally across the street from the owner’s home, without social media, perhaps signs posted around the neighborhood would eventually have reunited the owner with Myrtle the Turtle. But with the social media’s help, Myrtle’s owner was able to connect quickly with her turtle.

Another Fantastic Sunset From the Conejo Valley Looking Towards the Channel Islands

Two days into November 2018 and the sunsets continue bringing orange to our local skies. Just hike to any of our local peaks in the Conejo Valley to catch the nightly show.

CSU Channel Islands is Ventura County's Only Four-Year Public University

Aerial view of the campus

California State University Channel Islands (or CSUCI) opened in 2002 as the 23rd campus in the California State University system and is the only four-year public university in Ventura County. It is located in Camarillo at the juncture of the Oxnard Plain and northern edge of the Santa Monica Mountains. The 1,187 acre campus is accessible via Lewis Road in Camarillo and Potrero Road from Newbury Park.

As of Fall 2017, CSUCI had enrollment of 7,053 students. CSUCI offers 26 majors and 26 minors, with a focus on business, sciences, liberal studies and teaching credentials, among others.

Learn more about CSUCI at www.csuci.edu.

CSUCI is located in the former Camarillo State Hospital, which operated from 1936 to 1997. At its peak in the 1950s, the hospital served over 7,000 patients.

On the north side of the campus is the 367 acre University Park, where a dairy farm that served the hospital was disbanded. It has informally been coined the "Scary Dairy."

West of the campus is the prominent, 538 foot elevation Round Mountain.

Aerial of the former Camarillo State Hospital (Photo Courtesy Pleasant Valley Historical Society)

Register to Vote for the November 6, 2018 General Election by October 22nd

The State of California makes it easy to register to vote online at registertovote.ca.gov. The system will search the DMV database for your California driver license or ID card, date of birth and last four digits of your Social Security Number.

While registering to vote, you will be asked if you want to disclose a political party preference, which currently includes: American Independent, Democratic, Green, Libertarian, Peace and Freedom, Republican and "Other." Or you can indicate that you prefer not to disclose your preference.

While registering, you can also choose a permanent vote by mail ballot, which is a nice feature that I've used for years.

The Ventura County Clerk and Recorder Elections Division will contact you when the registration is approved or if additional information is needed.

You can also use the online registration to re-register when you 1) move to a new permanent residence; 2) change your name; or 3) want to change your political party preference.

All U.S. citizen residents of California age 18 or older on Election Day are eligible to vote, unless you are found to be mentally incompetent by a court or are in jail, prison or on parole for certain felonies (described in more detail at this link).

You can also register to vote the old fashioned way by picking up a paper voter registration application at the Ventura County elections office, library, DMV or post office.

Can you vote online? Nope. You'd think that we'd have figured out a way to do that by now, but the State indicates "For security reasons, California law prohibits casting a ballot over the Internet. This also means that county elections officials cannot accept marked ballots sent via email from military and overseas voters." (who may only vote by mail or fax).

To vote for the November 6, 2018 Statewide General Election you must be registered by October 22, 2018!

Registered Voters in Ventura County

Here in Ventura County, as of October 12, 2018 there are 442,333 registered voters, compared to 433,324 on October 29, 2014. That’s a 2% increase. (Update 11/3/18: 449,053 registered voters in Ventura County.)

By party:

• 176,426 Democrats, up 6,560, or 7.5%, from 169,866 registered October 29, 2014. (Update 11/3/18: 178,471)

• 131,884 Republicans, down 16,272, or 11%, from 148,156 registered October 29, 2014. (Update 11/3/18: 132,970)

• 110,375 Non-Partisan, up 18,751, or 20.5%, from 91,624 registered October 29, 2014. (Update 11/3/18: 113,459)

• 23,648 Other Parties, almost the same as the 23,628 registered October 29, 2014. (Update 11/3/18: 24,153)

Exercise your right to vote! Learn more about Ventura County elections on the Ventura County Registrar of Voters website at recorder.countyofventura.org/elections.

Harold's House of Omelettes Has Served the Conejo Valley Since 1961 (Now Bo's House of Omelettes & Waffles)

UPDATE: Harold’s closed its doors on May 7, 2021, but was subsequently acquired and reopened in February 2022 as Bo’s House of Omelettes & Waffles. Open 7 days a week, 7 am to 3 pm. houseofomelettesto.com

Harold's House of Omelettes opened its doors to the hungry citizens of Thousand Oaks, before Thousand Oaks was even a city of its own, on January 19, 1961. Harold's has the distinction as the oldest restaurant in the Conejo Valley - a distinction previously held by Lupe's Mexican Restaurant, which originated in 1947 and closed in August 2016.

Harold's is located at 2440 E. Thousand Oaks Boulevard in the Camelot Plaza, directly across from Thousand Oaks Toyota, and has been there for some time.

The eatery was originated by its namesake, Harold Warner, who was born in Green Bay, moved to the west coast in 1949, where he became a chef at Du-pars restaurant at Hollywood and Vine. He moved to Thousand Oaks to work at the new Du-par's Thousand Oaks. Instead of that, he opened Harold's House of Omelettes and was the chef until the late 1990s.

Here's a photo from the Thousand Oaks Library "Conejo Through the Lens" collection of Harold's at its original location next to the Green Lantern Tavern at 1938 Thousand Oaks Boulevard (now occupied by Enhanced Landscape Management).

Harold's House of Omelettes and the Green Lantern Tavern at 1938 Thousand Oaks Boulevard (just west of the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza) in 1962. Photo Credit: Pat Allen via the Conejo Through the Lens collection maintained by the Grans R. Brimhall Library.

Harold's, also known as Herold's Restaurant, serves much more than omelettes (though there are 51 omelette varieties on its menu). Its menu includes hot cakes, crepes, waffles, Mexican breakfast and lunch specialties, breakfast burritos, burgers, hot dogs, sandwiches, salads, soups and more.

To learn more, visit www.eatatharolds.com. Open daily from 6am to 3pm.