Posts Tagged ‘Agoura’
How to Survive When the 405 Is Closed
July 1st, 2011
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By now, most people know the 405 will be closed for 53hours beginning the evening of July 15 and ending early the morning of July 18. The northbound 405 will be closed for 10 miles between the 10 and 101 freeways, and the southbound 405 will be closed for four miles between the 101 Freeway and the Getty Center Drive exit. The work is part of a larger $$1-billion freeway improvement project that includes constructing a 10-mile northbound carpool lane to complete what officials say is a network between Orange County and the San Fernando Valley.
La Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa suggests people go on vacation. Here are five better ideas – all cheaper and do-able from home:
1. Read a good book.
2. Write a note (not an e-mail!) to a family member or friend
3. Make a summer recipe (suggestion below).
4. Work in the garden.
5. Attack that honey-never-does list.
Pesto for anything you want to put it on
1. 16 leaves of fresh basil
2. 3-6 cloves of garlic
3. 6 T parmesan cheese
4. 1/3 cup walnuts or pine nuts
5. ½ c extra virgin olive oil
Put ingredients 1 – 4 in a blender or food processor and blend. Add olive oil slowly and blend again. Enjoy!
Posted in Happenings, Local Information | 
Tags: 405, 405 closure, 405 traffic, Agoura, pesto, Thousand Oaks, Westlake Village | 
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Agoura Hills One-Story Offers Nice Upgrades and Great Schools
January 25th, 2011
28746 Eagleton St., Agoura Hills
A New Grocery Store Sprouts to Life
July 8th, 2010
Sprouts, now in Thousand Oaks
The second specialty market brand developed by the Henry Boney family, who sold their Henry’s Farmers Markets in 1999, Sprouts has sprouted onto the scene as an alternative food store of healthy, organic, local, fair-trade options (did I miss any buzz words?). Located at the site of the old Circuit City, in Thousand Oaks near The Oaks Mall, Sprouts is definitely a destination store – and it’s worth the trip. There are gluten free products, local produce at, believe it or not, local prices, fresh (really fresh) meats and fish. Oh, yes, there’s a selection of low-carb food too, as well as “bin” coffee and grains.
Prices are surprisingly modest. Some would say (although lately the charge is not entirely fair) that Sprouts is Whole Foods without the whole paycheck.
Take a check, check it out, and enjoy a fresh Sprouts meal tonight.
Guest Blog, by Walter and Tang-Tang Landen
April 20th, 2010
Bindi Su. Jake. Teddy. Willow. Trevor. Bianca, Buddy. Peaches. Frankie. Lucas. What do these names have in common?
At one time all were shelter pets. They have since been adopted and are now the poster children for a new series of stamps that will go on sale on 4/30/2010. The new 44-cent was designed by Derry Noyes of Washington, D,C., with photography by Sally Andersen-Bruce. Bindi Su, Jake Teddy and the other models are from the photographer’s home in New Milford, CT. All have found homes. With these 10 stamp designs, the U.S. Postal Service hopes to raise awareness of the need to adopt shelter pets.
During the campaign, Stamps to the Rescue, along with Conejo Valley property owner Ellen DeGeneres and Halo: Purely for Pets, will give shelter pets around the country a “First-Class Meal,” donating a million meals to animal shelters around the country. (DeGeneres is a co-owner of Halo).
To pre-order your stamps, visit your local post office next week, or preorder now. To find adorable pets like the authors, go to your local animal shelter.
About the authors: Walter Landen wa adopted from Life Animal Rescue, Agoura Hills.
Tang-Tang came from the animal shelter in Agoura Hills. 
Posted in Happenings |
Tags: Agoura, Agoura Hills homes, animal shelters, Ellen DeGeneres, LIFE Animal Rescue, US Post Office |
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The median price of homes in Ventura County is 35% below the peak in 2006. Thousand Oaks is off peak by 30%, while Westlake Village and Agoura Hills are off by 20 from Dec. 2006 to Dec. 2009. Moorpark and Simi Valley are both off around 35%.
With federal home-buying incentives set to end in April, the budding housing market could be nipped.
Given the budget deficit and the lack of federal stimulus money, unemployment could jump again. And jobs shipped overseas may never come back.
The Glass Is Half Full
The housing market has stabilized and more gains are expected. Housing usually is the first indicator that a recession is ending.
Distressed sales are being absorbed as fast as they hit the market.
Ventura County’s median sales price is 15% higher than a year ago.
Locally, temporary unemployment is up, with the hope being that some temporary work will lead to full-time employment.
Thousand Oak retails sales are better than expected.
The Thousand Oaks Auto Mall has some of the best sales in the country.
While this is the worst recession since the Great Depression, we are, in the words of Cal State Channel Islands professor Sung Won Sohn, “beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel.”
P.S. from Sher: In the Acorn articles I read about these two forums, there was no mention of the “shadow” inventory – the many homes that are in distress either as short-sales or bank-owned properties that are not on the market. But given the low supply of homes and condos on the market – only about 550 homes currently in the Conejo Valley, compared with 1300 by mid-2006 – it’s easy to believe many of these will be absorbed by demand. Currently, as Mark Boud of Irvine-based Real Estate Economics, said, “We’re burning off distressed sales faster than we’re creating them.”
Posted in Market Update |
Tags: Agoura, Conejo Valley economy, Conejo Valley real estate, Market Update, Newbury Park, Oak Park, Thousand Oaks, Westlake Village |
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