Stories from surrounding communities, closest first.
Moorpark Acorn · Camarillo, CA
Nearby: Camarillo, CABIRD’S-EYE VIEW—Frank DeMartino, president of the Conejo Valley Audubon Society, scans the treetops for birds during an outing at Valle Lindo Park in Camarillo. SCOTT STEEPLETON/Acorn Newspapers Frank DeMartino is trying to have a conversation. Birds keep getting in the way. Strolling through Valle Lindo Park in Camarillo, the 46-year-old keeps eyes trained on the trees and an ear tuned to the chirps and calls coming from their branches. Yellow-rumped warblers, bluebirds and dark-eyed juncos are moving through the park. Somewhere in the distance, a persistent peep catches his attention. That’s a red-breasted nuthatch, he explains. For DeMartino, president of the Conejo Valley Audubon Society and compiler of the Ventura Christmas Bird Count, identifying birds is almost involuntary. “Once you get into this and do it enough, you can’t stop it, really. You can’t turn it off,” he said. That can make conversations outdoors a bit challenging.
Camarillo Acorn · Camarillo, CA
Nearby: Camarillo, CAThe opening of Camarillo’s new Costco on Oct. 30 marks a milestone for the city, but for local businesses, it need not be a moment of apprehension. After all, Costco is hardly a newcomer to the neighborhood. For decades, Camarillo residents have shopped at the Costco in neighboring Oxnard, a location that began life as a Price Club. Oxnard also has a Sam’s Club. In 2022, Camarillo estimated that 36,650 city residents had made nearly 387,000 visits to the Oxnard Costco during the preceding year. The new warehouse, less than five miles from its Oxnard counterpart, brings something residents already know and patronize closer to home. That distinction matters. When Walmart expanded into smaller American communities, independent merchants faced a difficult question: How could they compete against a retailer with enormous purchasing power and seemingly endless inventory? Some couldn’t. Others discovered that competing didn’t necessarily mean matching prices.
Camarillo Acorn · Camarillo, CA
Nearby: Camarillo, CAA closely contested City Council race remained unresolved this week as Ventura County election officials continued counting ballots from the Nov. 3 general election. At press time, challenger David Schlangen held a narrow lead over incumbent Martha “Martita” Martinez-Bravo in the District 5 contest, with just 43 votes separating the candidates in the first semifinal official results. According to the Ventura County Elections Division’s 4:39 a.m. Nov. 4 report, Schlangen received 1,886 votes, or 50.6%, compared with 1,843 votes, or 49.4%, for Martinez-Bravo. The margin could change as additional ballots are processed. Elsewhere, City Council incumbents David Tennessen and Susan Santangelo held leads in their reelection bids. Camarillo voters also selected representatives for the Pleasant Valley School District, Camarillo Health Care District and Ventura County Community College District.
Simi Valley Acorn · Simi Valley, CA
Nearby: Simi Valley, CATwo Palmdale men were arrested Nov. 3 after allegedly stealing power tools from a Simi Valley Walmart and threatening store employees with a baton before leading police to a nearby gas station, where one man barricaded himself inside a travel trailer. Simi Valley police were called to Walmart at 255 E. Cochran St. at about 7:40 p.m. after a witness reported seeing two men break open a display case and steal several power tools. When loss prevention employees tried to stop the men, they allegedly threatened the employees and displayed a baton before fleeing in a vehicle towing a travel trailer. Officers later found the vehicle at the ARCO gas station at Madera Road and Los Angeles Avenue. One man was taken into custody without incident, while the second refused to leave the trailer and barricaded himself inside. Police temporarily closed nearby roads while officers worked to persuade the man to surrender. He exited the trailer just after 9 p.m. and was arrested.
Simi Valley Acorn · Simi Valley, CA
Nearby: Simi Valley, CACHANGES AHEAD?—Library Director StephanieWronka talks about the improvements made to the Teen Lounge during a grand re-opening ceremony at the Simi Valley Library on Sept. 1. The city could soon have autonomy in making similar additions. MICHAEL COONS/Acorn Newspapers Simi Valley is one step closer to owning its public library, a move that could unlock millions of dollars in renovations and give the city greater control over the building it has operated for more than a decade. The City Council voted unanimously Oct. 26 to advance a property exchange with Ventura County, transferring the Simi Valley Public Library to the city and the Ventura County Animal Shelter property on West Los Angeles Avenue to the county. The city would receive the 6.74-acre library property at 2969 Tapo Canyon Road, including the building and parking lot. The county would receive the 2.25-acre shelter property at 670 W. Los Angeles Ave., including its building and an adjacent vacant site.
Simi Valley Acorn · Simi Valley, CA
Nearby: Simi Valley, CAMAKING CHOICES—Voter’s reflection is seen in the window Nov. 3 at Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District headquarters in Simi Valley. MICHAEL COONS/Acorn Newspapers Voters in Simi Valley have weighed in on contested races for the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District and Simi Valley Unified School District, with apparent winners holding comfortable leads in the latest returns before press time. RSRPD results There may be plenty of fun and games in the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District, but campaigning for a seat on its board is serious business. After months of campaigning, the results are in. In the race for the district’s Division 2 seat, Dawn Smollen held a sizable lead over challenger Mary Northrup as of press time, with 3,320 votes to Northrup’s 2,452. The 5,772 votes cast in the race gave Smollen a 15-percentage-point advantage. Division 2 covers northeastern Simi Valley, including the Rancho Santa Susana Knolls area.
Simi Valley Acorn · Simi Valley, CA
Nearby: Simi Valley, CANote: This story is based on initial election results available by Nov. 4 for this week’s print deadline. As of Nov. 5, more than 161,115 ballots remained unprocessed, and results could change, according to the county Elections Division. Follow the Simi Valley Acorn on Facebook for the latest results. Updated totals will also appear in our Nov. 14 edition. Longtime councilmember Mike Judge is headed for the mayor’s office, while three newcomers are poised to join the Simi Valley City Council following Tuesday’s election, according to unofficial results released Nov. 4 by the Ventura County Elections Division. Judge, who has served on the council for 16 years, defeated his closest challenger, Kareem Jubran, by 10 percentage points in the citywide race for a two-year term as mayor. Judge, 63, received 42% of the vote, with 12,661 votes, compared with Jubran’s 32%, or 9,600 votes. Current Mayor Dee Dee Cavanaugh received nearly 21%, with 6,246 votes.
Honolulu Civil Beat · Santa Monica, CA
Nearby: Santa Monica, CANick Nikhilananda has been a member of the Green Party of Hawaiʻi for nearly 35 years. His history is so deep that he played a role in getting the party on Hawaiʻi’s ballot for the first time, way back in 1992. That was accomplished along with people like the late Ira Rohter, a University of Hawaiʻi political science professor who helped found and co-chair the group. The Green Party has fielded dozens of candidates over the years, including Nikhilananda himself. It saw a couple of them elected in the 1990s to the Hawaiʻi County Council, which today is nonpartisan like all county offices. But Greens have not succeeded in getting more members elected since. The state is too dominated by Democrats with Republicans comprising a weak yet vocal minority. On Nov. 3, that all changed, at least for one seat in the 76-member Legislature. Pāʻele Kiakona, a Green, defeated Democrat Sne Patel and Republican Elle Cochran in House District 14 representing the Lahaina area.
Sentinel Colorado · North Hollywood, CA
Nearby: North Hollywood, CALOS ANGELES | The driver of a minivan that crashed outside a Los Angeles metro station, killing three women and critically injuring two more, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and three counts of murder, police said Wednesday. Authorities said the driver was able to talk but appeared to be in shock after Tuesday’s crash, which hit pedestrians and food vendors at a busy intersection in the North Hollywood neighborhood during the height of the evening commute. Police identified the driver as Ihor Demianenko, 61, who lives in the Valley Village neighborhood. Demianenko was booked early Wednesday and his bail was set at a little over $6 million, records show. He was treated for minor injuries at a hospital, police said. It wasn’t immediately clear if Demianenko had a lawyer who might speak on his behalf. In California, drivers under the influence of drugs or alcohol can be charged with murder under certain circumstances.
California · North Hollywood, CA
Nearby: North Hollywood, CAThree women were killed and two others were injured when a van plowed into a crowd of pedestrians in North Hollywood on Tuesday evening, authorities said.
Park LaBrea/Beverly Press · Beverly Hills, CA
Nearby: Beverly Hills, CAThe 38th Israel Film Festival will return to Los Angeles from Nov. 18-24, featuring 15 Israeli feature films...
