January 20, 2024

Alaska Airlines Flight 261 Sundial Memorial at Hueneme Beach in Port Hueneme

January 20, 2024/ Conejo Joe

Just 25 miles west of Thousand Oaks is Hueneme Beach Park, a beautiful 50 acre park on the beach with a fishing pier, bike/walking paths, volleyball, picnic tables, BBQ pits, the Surfside Seafood snack bar and more.

**24 hour fishing pier at Hueneme Beach Park**

One other feature at Hueneme Beach is the Alaska Airlines Flight 261 Sundial Memorial that commemorates the 88 passengers and crew who lost their lives aboard Alaska Airlines Flight 261 near Anacapa Island on January 31, 2000. The flight was en route from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico to San Francisco and Seattle.

The Memorial features a 36-foot diameter concrete plaza with a curving sand wall and seating area and a raised sundial in the center. The monument was designed by by well known Santa Barbara sculptor James “Bud” Bottoms. The sundial’s bronze dolphins and triangular blade (gnomon) cast a shadow on the 20-foot diameter dial face oriented to Pacific Standard Time. Names of each of the victims are inscribed on individual bronze plates mounted on the perimeter of the dial.

The crash site is located between the mainland at Port Hueneme and Anacapa Island, one of the smallest islands in the Channel Islands chain, 14 miles offshore. Families of the lost passengers and crew dedicated the sundial as both a memorial to their loved ones and a work of public art in gratitude to the residents of Port Hueneme for their compassion and tireless assistance in the recovery effort. This is a touching and lasting tribute to those who lost their lives on this flight.

Access the Sundial Memorial from Hueneme Beach parking lot B off Surfside Drive near the gazebo. More details at www.ci.port-hueneme.ca.us/index.aspx?nid=930.

BEACHES SPANNING FROM CARPINTERIA TO MALIBU

January 16, 2024

Throwback: Lupe's Mexican Restaurant in Thousand Oaks

January 16, 2024/ Conejo Joe

Lupe's Mexican Restaurant operated at 1710 E. Thousand Oaks Boulevard for 69 years. Martha Zuniga opened the original eatery, Lupe's Mexican Cafe, in 1947. It was named after her 3rd daughter.

The popular eatery was rebuilt and enlarged in 1965 and again in 2009, when it was expanded from 1500 sq ft to 3100 sq ft. Martha passed away in 1997. Lupe continued operating the restaurant until the property was sold in 2016. When it closed, it was the oldest continuously operating eatery in the Conejo Valley and one of the five oldest eateries in Ventura County.

Today, 1710 on The Blvd is a mixed use property with 36 townhome-style apartments and Denino's Pizzeria.

January 10, 2024

Throwback: Tiny Naylor's Operated in Thousand Oaks from 1973 to 1987

January 10, 2024/ Conejo Joe

Tiny Naylor's operated at 50 E. Thousand Oaks Boulevard (at Moorpark Road) from November 1973 to May 1984, when it became Tiny's Old Oak Cafe until February 1987. Then it became Denny's in March 1987. Denny's closed its doors in August 2012. Three years later, that spot became occupied by Dog Haus, Kebab Plus, and Urbane Cafe.

In 1978, Tiny Naylor's offered twin bacon wrapped filets, steak fried potatoes, ear of corn, choice of soup or salad, garlic bread, and dessert for $3.49.

January 06, 2024

Ten Things To Do in the City of Moorpark

January 06, 2024/ Conejo Joe

The City of Moorpark has the distinction of being the youngest city in Ventura County, incorporating July 1, 1983.

According to the Moorpark Historical Society, the city originated when land investor Robert W. Poindexter of Los Angeles and his wife Madeline purchased the plot of land that is now Moorpark after Southern Pacific Railroad announced plans to relocate its tracks Los Angeles to San Francisco route from the coast to Chatsworth.

For many years, Moorpark was mostly farmland, with dry land crops including apricots, hay and lima beans, then later, walnuts and citrus when irrigation systems were improved. Moorpark became known as the "apricot capital of the world" and held an annual apricot festival by the late 1920s

So where did the name Moorpark come from? Apparently, Poindexter named the community after the Moorpark Apricot. Simple as that. Heck, he could have named it Poindexter!

So in any case, Moorpark is now a full-fledged city of 12.8 square miles with a population of approximately 35,000. Here is a selection of things to do within the City of Moorpark.

America's Teaching Zoo at Moorpark College is a 5 acre zoo housing 200 exotic animals as part of the Exotic Animal Training & Management program. Great place for a quick weekend wild animal fix right here in our backyard.
Happy Camp Canyon Regional Park is a 3,000 acre wilderness area with over 12 miles of trails.
Ambush Paintball and Airsoft Park
Moorpark City Library
Underwood Family Farms offers fresh produce, kids' activities, special events, farm animals and more.
High Street Arts Center
Poindexter Skate Park
Tom Barber Golf Center Driving Range
Arroyo Vista Recreation Center
18 community parks in Moorpark

For more things to do in Moorpark, visit the Do Something, Kid Fun and Fitness & Sports sections of the site. And of course the Events Calendar highlights daily goings on around the county.

A DOZEN FUN THINGS TO DO IN SIMI VALLEY

January 05, 2024

Learn About the Channel Islands at the Robert J. Lagomarsino Visitor Center in Ventura

January 05, 2024/ Conejo Joe

For a fun, educational and local family field trip, visit the Robert J. Lagomarsino Visitor Center at Channel Islands National Park at the Ventura Harbor. This visitor center is free of charge and features a bookstore, marine aquatic life exhibits, a nicely done 25 minute movie, "A Treasure in the Sea" and friendly National Park Service staff to answer your questions.

Located at 1901 Spinnaker Drive, Ventura, the visitor cneter is open 8:30 am until 5 pm daily. On weekends and holidays (except Thanksgiving and Christmas Day) at 11 am and 3 pm, rangers offer a variety of free public programs covering the resources of the park. Click here for programs and events scheduled at the visitor center. Call 805.658.5730 for more information.

Nice scale model of the Channel Islands on display at the Visitor Center

Indoor tidepool in the Visitor Center always grabs the kids' attention, along with other displays.

Deck on the 2nd floor of the Visitor Center has views towards Ventura Harbor and the ocean.

This placard on the second floor viewing deck of the visitor center reads as follows:

On a clear day you can see two of the five islands that compose the Channel Islands National Park - Anacapa and Santa Cruz. The park boundary also includes the waters one nautical mile out around the islands. The Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary extends an additional five nautical miles out.

The Anacapas: When you look through the telescope (on the deck...or from other locations in Ventura County) you can see that Anacapa actually consists of three small islets. The Chumash Indians called Anacapa "Anyapa" meaning "ever-changing." It is an appropriate name as changing weather conditions modify the island's appearance. If you look at East Anacapa Island you may be able to see the lighthouse and the hole in the middle of arch rock.

Santa Cruz Island: Santa Cruz is the largest and topographically the most diverse of the Channel Islands. The highest point of Santa Cruz is Mount Diablo. It is nearly 2,400 feet high and is the highest mountain found on any of the Channel Islands.

Distance from Ventura (in miles): Anacapa (15), Santa Cruz (21), Santa Rosa (47), San Miguel (63) and Santa Barbara (52).

January 04, 2024

What is Head of Household Filing Status and Who Qualifies for It?

January 04, 2024/ Conejo Joe

My hair stylist brought up the fact that her elderly mother is going to move in with her and was wondering if that will benefit her taxwise. I told her she may be eligible to use the “Head of Household” filing status on her tax return, which could save her in taxes.

Filing Status Overview

The IRS has four tax filing statuses - Married Filing Jointly, Married Filing Separately, Single, Head of Household and Qualifying Surviving Spouse (before 2022, this was referred to as Qualifying Widow(er)). More than one filing status can apply to you; it is up to you to choose the one that will give you the lowest taxes.

Head of Household Status

Head of Household (HOH) filing status is available to taxpayers that are unmarried and that provide more than half the cost of a home for “certain other persons.”

It is preferable to use Head of Household filing status because the lower tax brackets are slightly more beneficial than for Single filing status, as follows for 2023:

10% Tax Rate: $0 to $11,000 for Single vs $0 to $15,700 for HOH
12% Tax Rate: $11,001 to $44,725 for Single vs $15,701 to $59,850 for HOH
22% Tax Rate: $44,726 to $95,375 for Single vs $59,851 to $95,350 for HOH
24% Tax Rate: $95,376 to $182,100 for Single vs $95,351 to $182,100 for HOH (practically the same)
32% Tax Rate: $182,101 to $231,250 for Single vs $182,101 to $231,250 for HOH (exactly the same)

Additionally, the standard deduction is an amount on your tax return that reduces your taxable income and is used by the majority of taxpayers who do not itemize deductions (which we will not go into here). The standard deduction for HOH is $20,800 in 2023 vs $13,850 for Single. This is another significant benefit of filing HOH.

Head of Household Qualifying Factor #1 - Unmarried

Seems simple, right? Unmarried is unmarried, i.e.. single. But you can actually be married but be considered unmarried for HOH purposes. Here’s what the IRS considers as “unmarried” for purposes of HOH status:

You file a separate tax return from your spouse.
You paid more than half the cost of keeping up your home during the tax year.
Your spouse didn’t live in your home during the last 6 months of the year, exclusive of temporary absences for business, medical care, school, or military service.
Your home was the main home of your child, stepchild or foster child for over half the year.
You must be able to claim the child as a dependent (with some exceptions we won’t go into detail on here).

Qualifying Child for Head of Household Status

For a child to qualify you for HOH status,

The child must be younger than the taxpayer and either under age 19, under age 24 an a full-time student or any age and permanently and totally disabled and
Lived with taxpayer over half the year and
Did not provide over half of their own support and
Is one of the following: son, daughter, stepchild, foster child, brother, sister, stepbrother/sister, half brother/sister or descendant of any of them.

So, your 23 year old stepsister who is a full time student can qualify you for HOH status if she lives with you over half the year and you provide over half of her support.

While the taxpayer claiming HOH status must be considered unmarried, the qualifying child does not have to be unmarried. The qualifying child can be married, but if you can claim him/her as a dependent, they still qualify, assuming they meet the citizen test and joint return test (which we won’t go into detail here).

Confused yet? You’re not alone.

Qualifying Relative for Head of Household Status is a Parent

Your mother or father can qualify you for HOH status if you can claim him or her as a dependent.

So what does that mean for a parent to qualify as your dependent? They have to meet the following tests:

They can’t be claimed as a dependent on someone else’s return.
Generally they can’t file a joint tax return with someone else, unless they are only filing to get a refund and have no tax liability.
They are a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, U.S. resident alien or a resident of Canada or Mexico.
Taxpayer must have paid over half of the cost of keeping up a home for the parent during the year. That includes costs such as rent, mortgage interest, real estate taxes, homeowner’s insurance, repairs and maintenance of the home, utilities, food eaten in the home and other household expenses. It does not include personal expenses such as clothing, health insurance, transportation costs, etc.
The parent’s gross income must be less than $4,700 in 2023 ($4,400 in 2022 - this amount changes every year). How is gross income determined? Gross income is all income that is not exempt from tax, such as wages, interest, taxable unemployment, taxable social security benefits, etc.

Additionally, for purposes of determining HOH status, a parent does not have to live with the taxpayer, as long as the parent meets the various dependency tests listed above.

So let’s stand back a second. If you are unmarried and are supporting over half the cost of your parent and they either live with you or elsewhere, and their only income is Social Security, chances are you can file your taxes using Head of Household status.

Qualifying Relative for Head of Household Status Other Than a Parent

To claim a relative other than a child or a parent for HOH status, the additional requirements are:

Must be a brother, sister, half brother, half sister, step brother, step sister, niece, nephew, stepbrother or any other person, as long as it does not violate local law.
- Individuals that are not related to you in any of the ways above cannot qualify you for HOH status, though they can stay possibly qualify as a dependent.
Must have lived with you over half the year.

To Learn More About Filing Status

The IRS publishes Publication 501, “Dependents, Standard Deduction and Filing Information” for those looking for more detailed information on these topics. For the short version, read the Form 1040 instructions.

December 27, 2023

New Year's Eve Options in Ventura County and Adjacent Areas

December 27, 2023/ Conejo Joe

The year 2023 is coming to a close and for the New Year's Eve procrastinators out there, your time is running short. Here is a compilation of New Year's Eve party and activity options in and around the Conejo Valley and Greater Ventura County. To add an activity, contact us!

(For more information about the events highlighted below, click the links. We attempted to link to websites and Facebook pages that will provide you with additional details. Also note that this list is limited to places that have entertainment, a party, midnight toast, etc.)