Hillview Homes in Thousand Oaks in the Mid-1960s

Perhaps some of you live in the Hillview tract in Thousand Oaks, off of Erbes Road and Sapra Street.

"When you see the homes at Hillview you'll realize just how much you really knew about the home you've always wanted. It’s like coming home from a long journey - and you know the search for contentment and security is ended."

Care-free comfort and convenience includes electric built-in double ovens and countertop range, decorator carpeting, underground utilities and special added feature: ELECTRIC AIR CONDITIONING (included in price of home!).

"Here you can relax with family and friends in the quiet country charm of Thousand Oaks."

From $27,500 to $32,500 in 1966.

Eateries in the Conejo Valley That Have Expanded Their Outdoor Dining Capacity

UPDATE 12/5/20: There’s a new order effective December 6th that, among other things, limits restaurants to take-out, pick-up and delivery only throughout Southern California, for at least 3 weeks. The reason for this new order is that ICU capacity has dropped below 15%. The order will be reevaluated once ICU capacity is higher.

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With the most recent COVID-19 health order effective July 13th, restaurants were required to close indoor dining operations. In their entrepreneurial spirit, we’ve seen local eateries scramble to adapt to this new requirement. Here’a a compilation of what we’ve seen and heard around town. (Contact us to let us know of additional eateries that are not on the list.)

Temporary additional outdoor dining at Bandits BBQ Thousand Oaks.

These eateries have added a significant amount of outdoor seating in the parking area:

• Bandits BBQ Thousand Oaks (in addition to existing outdoor patio area). Also in Camarillo.

• Lure Fish House Westlake Village.

• Cronies Newbury Park and Agoura Hills

• Q Sushi Westlake Village

• Made In Italy has a cute outdoor dining area in the parking lot

• Cisco’s Thousand Oaks

• Tavern Tomoko and Ladyface Brewery in Agoura Hills

• Crown & Anchor Thousand Oaks

• Islands Newbury Park

• The Alamo Newbury Park

• Pedals & Pints Brewing Co. Thousand Oaks

• Holdren’s Steakhouse Newbury Park

• Boney Mountain Pizza Co. Newbury Park

• Patron Mexican Restaurant Newbury Park

• Azar’s Newbury Park

• Rustico in Oak Park

• Pickles Deli Newbury Park

• Open air patio at Plata Taqueria Agoura Hills

• El Sancho Loco Newbury Park

• Sunset Terrace Thousand Oaks

• Saffron Indian Cuisine and neighboring The Nook in Newbury Park

• Los Dos Amigos in Thousand Oaks has expanded seating arrangements into the parking lot.

• Outdoor patio at Tuscany il Ristorante in Westlake Village

• Wood Ranch Agoura Hills, Moorpark and Camarillo outdoor patio areas

• Sunland Vintage Winery in Thousand Oaks

• The Melting Pot opened up outdoor dining on August 28th

• Julio’s Agave Grill in Westlake Village

• Exotic Thai Bistro in Agoura Hills

• Sunset Terrace in Thousand Oaks has expanded its outdoor seating area

• Melting Pot Thousand Oaks recently expanded into the parking lot for outdoor dining.

• Lal Mirch in Agoura Hills has created an outdoor eating area

• BJ’s in Westlake Village has a large seating area in the parking lot

• Brent’s Deli has added an outdoor patio with a tent and heat lamps

Outdoor dining at D’Amore’s Pizza Thousand Oaks

Eateries that already have large outdoor seating capacity:

• Tarantula Hill Brewing Company Thousand Oaks

• Eggs N Things Thousand Oaks

• The Latigo Kid Agoura Hills

• Restaurants at The Landing in Westlake Village - Boccaccio’s, The Landing Grill, Zin Bistro

• Side Street Cafe Newbury Park

• All eateries at Janss Marketplace have plenty of outdoor seating available , including Buca di Beppo, Crazy King Kong Sushi, Greco’s Pizzeria, Janchi Korean BBQ, Karma Indian Cuisine, Lucky’s Dog House, Panera Bread, Sharky’s Sunset Terrace and Cold Stone Creamery.

• Bad Ass Tacos Thousand Oaks

• Tabu Shabu Thousand Oaks

• Eateries at The Lakes at Thousand Oaks - CPK, P.F. Chang’s

• Eateries at The Promenade at Westlake, including Grill on the Alley, Shake Shack, Soom Soom, Paul Martin’s, Social Monk, Marmalade Cafe, Farfalla, others

• Eateries at The Oaks mall, including Lazy Dog Cafe, The Cheesecake Factory, Olive Garden, others

• Five 07 Coffee Bar

• Droughts Thousand Oaks

• Pacific Fresh Grill Thousand Oaks

• Snapper Jacks Thousand Oaks

• Toppers Pizza Thousand Oaks

• Grabbagreen Thousand Oaks

• Cafe Rio Thousand Oaks

• Urbane Cafe, Kabob Plus and Dog Haus Thousand Oaks

• The Original Pizza Cookery Thousand Oaks

• Mejico Grill Agoura Hills outdoor patios

• Stella’s in Newbury Park has outdoor tables

• Chili’s in Newbury Park has set up outdoor tables.

• Adobe Cantina in Agoura Hills

This list is obviously not 100% complete, so contact us with additions.

bit.ly/OutdoorEating

Eateries that have been closed in the Conejo Valley during the pandemic:

• Stacked at the Oaks Mall - All Stacked locations have been “temporarily closed” since March and there have been no updates since then at stacked.com

• Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf on Moorpark Road in Thousand Oaks - permanently closed

• Five Guys Thousand Oaks has been closed for the duration of the pandemic - while it appears permanently closed, I have not been able to independently confirm this with Five Guys.

• Pitfire Artisan Pizza in Westlake Village indicates it is temporarily closed.

• Azi Grill at Janss Marketplace has been closed. It is unclear if the closure is temporary or permanent.

• Champagne French Bakery at The Promenade at Westlake.

• Red Robin at The Oaks Mall.

• Flame Broiler in Newbury Park

• Janchi Korean BBQ at Janss Marketplace temporarily closed until further notice in December

Eateries that were closed for awhile that have reopened:

• Le Pain Quotidien in Westlake Village has been closed for months but is now (as of 9/29) back open, 8am to 4pm daily.

Eateries that appear to have permanently closed :

• Pizza Rev at The Oaks appears to have permanently closed.

• Roma Deli closed its doors in November.

New local eateries that have opened in recent months in THIS SECTION OF LOCAL BUZZ.

Other local eateries that have closed in recent months in THIS SECTION OF LOCAL BUZZ.

Beginning in Tax Year 2020, Eligible U.S. Taxpayers May Deduct up to $300 in Charitable Contributions from Gross Income

The CARES Act of 2020 brought about a change in how the IRS defines “Adjusted Gross Income” (AGI) on your tax returns.

Starting in 2020, “the amount (not to exceed $300) of qualified charitable contributions made by an eligible individual during the taxable year” are deducted, among other things, from gross income, in determining AGI.

The above language came out of the Internal Revenue Code. Let’s attempt to decipher this into language actual humans can understand.

The Short Answer

II you do not itemize deductions, starting in 2020, you can take as much as $300 in charitable contributions you make during the year. This reduces your taxable income and you may owe less taxes as a result.

How much less in taxes depend on your tax bracket, which can vary from 0 to 37% on your federal tax return. If you are already paying no federal taxes, this won’t change your tax bill. But otherwise, if you’re in, say, the 22% bracket and you gave $300 to charity, your tax bill will be lower by about $66.

What about state taxes? It’s not clear yet if California state law will conform to this law. If it does, that could save you a few more $$ on your state tax return.

Cash Contributions Only

Only charitable contributions made in cash (or credit card) are considered for this deduction. Non-cash deductions, such as giving used household items to Goodwill, are not included.

As a reminder, cash contributions to charities less than $250 require one of the following forms of documentation by the IRS: A bank record (e.g. canceled check or bank/credit card statement); a receipt showing the date, amount and name of the charity; or a payroll record, if it was withheld from your paycheck. Cash contributions over $250 also require a written acknowledgement from the charity showing date and amount and if any goods or services (other than religious benefits) were provided. You don’t need to attach this information to your return or anything; just keep it in your files.

$300 Per Return

So how does the $300 work for married couples? Is it $300 each? Nope. The $300 applies to all taxpayers. Yet another example of the “marriage penalty.” The $300 is per return.

What if you file married filing separate? There has been no clarification on this yet. We shall see.

Can I Take the Deduction If We Itemize Deductions?

No. If you itemize deductions, take the deduction there. If you are reading this, chances are that you did not itemize deductions in 2019. Before the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA), about 30% of taxpayers itemized deductions. After TCJA, it is estimated that only 10% of taxpayers itemize.

So give away if you can! Local Ventura County area charities at THIS LINK.

The Luedtke Bridge Over Olsen Road in Thousand Oaks at Cal Lutheran University

The only pedestrian bridge that crosses over a city street in the Conejo Valley is the Luedtke Bridge over Olsen Road in Thousand Oaks.

The bridge connects the main Cal Lutheran campus to the northern campus, which includes University Plaza, William Rolland Stadium and Gallery of Fine Art, the Gilbert Sports and Fitness Center, Lundring Events Center, Samuelson Aquatics Center (including the Community Pool, a partnership with Conejo Recreation and Park District), Hutton Field, George “Sparky” Anderson Baseball Field and Ullman Stadium and Poulson Tennis Courts.

Paid for by an anonymous donor, the bridge was renovated in 2006 and dedicated in honor of President Luther S. Luedtke and Carol Luedtke in recognition of their 14 years of dedicated service to the University. Luedtke served as the fifth president of Cal Lutheran University from 1992 to 2006.

www.callutheran.edu

Views Abound at the Zev Yaroslavsky Las Virgenes Highlands Park in Calabasas

In greener times (April 2018).

The Zev Yaroslavsky Las Virgenes Highlands Park is located on Las Virgenes Road, just south of Mureau Road and north of Highway 101 in Calabasas.

In greener times (April 2018).

This is not a park in the traditional sense, with grass, a playground and BBQs. This park is nearly 200 acres of grasslands dotted with oak trees facing drivers on the 101 as they reach the bottom of the Calabasas Grade.

A steep trail takes you to peaks that offer panoramic views towards the Santa Monica Mountains, Agoura Hills, Calabasas,  Simi Hills and beyond.

View from near the top facing south.

These photos were taken in November 2015, after four years of drought. After the winter rains, these hills green up quite nicely.

The land is also known as "Firehouse Hill" as it is situated next to Los Angeles County Fire Station 125 on Las Virgenes Road.

To access the park from the 101 coming east, you go north on Las Virgenes and there's a small, dirt parking lot on the left. Problem is, there's no left hand turn lane to the lot and there are "No U Turn" signs for like a mile. So you could make right on Mureau Road and turn around and make a left turn back onto Las Virgenes to get to the parking area. Or you can drive half a mile north and do a U turn at Thousand Oaks Blvd.

This land was acquired by the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA) for $6.25 million in 2010. It was previously owned by Fred Sands and at one point was owned by Bob Hope. 

The park was named in honor of former long-time L.A. County Supervisor and City Councilman Zev Yaroslavsky, who retired from office in 2014. Zev worked with a coalition of parties to make this preservation of land happen.

About MRCA: MRCA is a local government public entity established in 1985. It is a local partnership between state agency Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy the Conejo Recreation and Park District and the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District. The MRCA is dedicated to the preservation and management of local open space and parkland, watershed lands, trails, and wildlife habitat. MRCA manages and provides ranger services for almost 72,000 acres of public lands and parks that it owns and that are owned by the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy or other agencies and provides comprehensive education and interpretation programs for the public.

The Annex at The Collection at RiverPark in Oxnard Features Eateries and Boutiques

If you haven't already checked it out, The Annex, located within The Collection at RiverPark in Oxnard, is worth a visit.

This 16,000 square foot is home to a dozen micro shops, artisan boutiques and craft food and beverage eateries. Tenants as of April 2024 include the following:

• Bottle & Pint

• Burnin’ Mouth Nashville Hot Chicken

• Burrata House

• Love Pho Cafe

• PizzaMan Dan’s

• Ragamuffin Coffee Roasters

• Silverlake Ramen

• Sueño Jewelry Studio - handmade and custom jewelry

• The Blend Superfood Bar

• Tow Hands Corn Dogs

• Mong Q Mongolian BBQ (coming soon)

The Collection at RiverPark has become quite an incredible destination within Ventura County in recent years, with so many great eateries all in one place as well as The Container Store, a fantastic Whole Foods Market, REI, Target store, movie theaters, Levity Live Comedy Club and more. Quite impressive what they have done over there off the 101, Oxnard Boulevard exit. thecollectionrp.com