Camarillo Life & Real Estate

Every family should have a plan and a disaster kit in case of an emergency. The City of Camarillo with the support of American Red Cross in Camarillo has provided citizens of Camarillo an organized emergency plan. There are a few locations in Camarillo that are assigned to be converted into emergency shelters. These locations are: all elementary and middle schools in Pleasant Valley School District, Camarillo High School, and Frontier High School at the Camarillo Airport. (City of Camarillo)

In the event of an emergency, the most important and helpful action you can take is to obtain as much information and instructions from the city officials as possible. The city of Camarillo will Announce Emergency Instructions on two radio stations:

• KVEN (am) 1450
• KHAY (fm) 100.7

As long as there is electrical power available, the City's cable television channel 10 will continuously scroll information about shelters. (City of Camarillo)

The city asks that you do not head to any shelters unless you hear proper instructions from these assigned Emergency Alert Systems. If you do decide to head to a shelter, it is recommended that you take some food and water with you.

At a time of crises a community needs to come together.  Having an effective communication plan and capable shelter locations are good ways to facilitate this unity.

If you looking for a Professional Real Estate Consultant to help you in Camarillo, or any where in Ventura County please do not hesitate to contact Mana Tulberg, your Ventura County Real Estate Expert for a one-of-a-kind experience.   

Located on the corner of Ponderosa Road and Temple Avenue, Boys and Girls Club of Camarillo has been around since 1967. Since then the club has expanded and changed to meet the needs of Camarillo's children. The Boys and Girls Club of Camarillo is open to young people between the ages of six through eighteen.  Their mission is to provide these young members an inspiring program so the children can learn a sense of responsibility, consideration, and productivity. The Boys and Girls Club of Camarillo is free to all youth in Camarillo, however they do appreciate a yearly fee of $60.

The current location of the club is on a 1.2 acre lot adjacent to Camarillo's Pleasant Valley Park. This facility provides our kids a learning center, homework room, game room, gymnasium, theater, and a teen center. During the school year, from September-May, the club is open from 1:30 PM to 7:00 PM Monday-Friday. In the summer, June-August, the club is open from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM Monday-Friday. (Source: Boys and Girls club of Camarillo's website)

The Staff at the Camarillo's Boys and Girls Club are adamant about up keeping the safe environment they have created. Adults who enter the club can not pass the registration desk unless they sign in and then each adult has to wear a badge as they enter the club.

The Boys and Girls Club of Camarillo is more than a place where your kids meet after school. It is a club where your child's artistic talent can flourish. He/she can learn about the importance of life and improve on his/her life skills.

Visit Camarillo's Boys and Girls Club's Master Calendar for information on their fun and creative activities.

Ventura County's economy has grown more diverse in the past 20 years. Once known for its oil and agriculture, Ventura County now has a great economical assortment. The expanded economy of Ventura County is strong in finance, insurance, manufacturing, and high-tech companies.

According to California Employment Development Department, the following companies are some of the major employers in Ventura County:

Sorted in alphabetical order by company name

From the America's Labor Market Information System (ALMIS) Employer Database, 2007 1st Edition

Ventura County has four locations for Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).

These locations are:

1. Oxnard DMV: 4050 South Saviers Road. This location issues Driver License, ID Cards, and processes Vehicle Registration.
2. Simi Valley DMV: 3855 D - Alamo Street. At this location you can get your Driver License, an ID Card and register your Vehicle. Commercial Driving Tests can be taken at this DMV site as well.
3. Thousand Oaks DMV: 1810 East Avenida De Los Arboles. This location issues Driver License, ID Cards, and processes Vehicle Registration.
4. Ventura DMV: 4260 Market Street. The services provided at this location are: Driver Licenses and ID Card Processing and issuingVehicle Registration. Commercial Driving Tests can be taken at this DMV site.

Before you head out to your nearest DMV, make sure you check out their website because the California DMV has made a few of their services available online. Services such as:

Vehicle Registration Renewal Renew your vehicle's registration.

Driver License Renewal  Renew your driver license.

Change of Address  Complete your change of address on line.

Online Traffic Payment Handle your traffic citations online.

One of my family's favorite local farms to visit is Underwood Family Farm, located in Moorpark, Ventura County.  We have spent many hours for different, but memorable occasions in this farm. Occasions such as school field trips, pumpkin patches, birthday parties, visiting the animals at the petting zoo, and weddings.

At Underwood farm you can find a variety of vegetable or fruits. You can either purchase the already picked produce or pick you own fruits and vegetables. This working farm has been in operation for more than 25 years and is open daily to accommodate all the needs and activities of Ventura County's families.

There are always some activities planned for  special occasions and even seasonal variations at Underwood Farm. Easter Egg Hunt, Pick Your Own Roma Tomatoes, Harvest Festival, Civil War Reenactment, and Christmas at the farm, are just a few of the activities you can enjoy at this wonderful farm.

One of my favorite memories of Underwood Farm is the wedding of my niece where the bride and the groom rode in on a magnificent carriage and we danced till midnight under the walnut trees. My other fine memory is when I attended a pumpkin patch with my daughter's second grade class and I and the 4 kids I was supposed to be guiding, got lost in a Corn Maze. Finally the kids took over and I had to follow them out of the maze. (Maybe this should be under embarrassing memories!)   

So, if you are in the area and are in the mood for some fresh vegetables and fruits, visit the Underwood Family Farm and take home some great produce and fun memories.

 Picture source: Underwood Family Farm

All parks in the City of Camarillo are overseen by the Pleasant Valley Recreation and Park District. Camarillo's parks are divided into two categories: Community Parks and Neighborhood Parks. What differentiates community parks from neighborhood parks are facilities such as restrooms, larger playground equipment areas, tennis courts, and lighted play fields.

As of 2007, Pleasant Valley Recreation and Park District manages 6 community parks and 22 neighborhood parks.

List of Camarillo's Community Parks:

Camarillo Grove Park:Camarillo Spring area. Park features: Covered picnic areas with picnic tables BBQ grills Play area and equipments Horseshoe pits Dog park Restrooms Group picnic area for 50-350	ValleLindo Park: Aileen St. Park features: 2 covered picnic areas with picnic tables Huge playground area Restrooms Amphitheater Soccer Fields Volleyball Courts 5 Tennis Courts, Lighted
Community Center Park:Carmen Drive & Brently. Park features: Covered picnic areas with picnic tables BBQ grills Play area and equipments Horseshoe pits Restrooms Volleyball Courts Amphitheater Large area used for sports and special events	Pleasant Valley Park: Temple Ave. Park features: Covered picnic areas with picnic tables BBQ grills Play area and equipments Horseshoe pits 6 Tennis courts, lighted 3 Baseball fielleds, lighted Soccer fields Volleyball courts Indoor pool Skate park
Mission Oaks Park: Mission Oaks Blvd. Park features: Group picnic area for up to 210 people Covered picnic areas with picnic tables BBQ grills Play area and equipments Soccer fields Volleyball court Restrooms 3 Softball fields, lighted 6 Tennis courts, lighted lighted walkways	Freedom Park: Pleasant Valley Road. Park features: Covered picnic areas with picnic tables BBQ grills Play area and equipments Horseshoe pits Restrooms 6 Soccer fields 3 Softball fields, lighted Outdoor pool Gymnasium Sand Volleyball court Tennis Court Inline Hockey Arena

List of Camarillo Neighborhood Parks:

•  Adolfo Park
• Arneill Ranch Park
• Birchview Park
• Calleguas Creek Park
• Carmenita Park
• Charter Oak Park
• Crestview Park
• Dizdar Park
• Dos Caminos Park
• EldredLokker Park
• Encanto Park
• Foothill Park
• Heritage Park
• Laurel Wood Park
• Las Posas Equestrian Park
• Mission Verde Park
• Pitts Park
• Quito Park
• Springville Park
• Trailside Park
• Woodcreek Park
• Woodside Park

To learn more about what Camarillo has to offer visit;

• Camrillo's BMX Bike Track to Open Soon
• Golf Courses in Camarillo

Picture: Pleasant Valley Recreation and Park District

According to the recent reports from California Association of Realtors (CAR), the prices of homes in Ventura County are still too high for most homebuyers. The current report indicates that the real estate market in Ventura County has dropped by 30% in August of 2007 from last year. With the Median Ventura County home prices being at $600,000, there appears to be a lack of affordable housing in our county. Ventura County is ranked 114th out of 125 metropolitan areas for housing affordability in the United States. (Ventura County Area Housing Authority) The newest proposal to improve Ventura County's housing affordability targets Oxnard and it is documented as the Jones Ranch Project.

The Jones Ranch Project proposes the annexation of 165 acres of unincorporated land north of El Rio, Oxnard, to be developed into approximately 2,500 units of affordable housing. The city is to annex 20 acres a year. This proposal, supported by Oxnard's Mayor Tom Holden, has instigated a variety of mixed emotions among the residents of Ventura County.  

According to Ventura County Star, the majority of the public oppose the Jones Ranch Project. In 1998 Ventura County residents voted to approve the Save Open-Space and Agricultural Resources (SOAR) initiative. The SOAR measure prevents changes in specified land use unless the land use change is approved by a majority of voters. Since the Ranch Project will be developed on land that is annexed at 20 acres a year and intended for affordable housing, the city of Oxnard has found a way to get around SOAR. No majority vote is needed so, the city of Oxnard can develop more houses on our strawberry fields, but this time for a good cause.

According to Data Quick News, Camarillo has seen the effect of the current slow real estate market more than any other city in Ventura County. As of July of 2007, Median home prices in Camarillo had plummeted by almost 20% from the same time last year.

The data below taken, from month of August's home sales in Camarillo, shows that the slow trend in home sales still continues in our city.

Source: Ventura County Regional Data Share

Please Note: The Minimum and Maximum Listing prices specify the lowest and highest listed priced homes for an area in this month. Whereas, the Minimum and Maximum Selling prices reveal the lowest and highest priced homes that were actually sold in that area for this month. The data does not indicate that the minimum or maximum listed homes necessarily sold for the amount shown in the above statistics, but indicates what price range of homes were sold for this month. (The homes that sold in this month could have been listed in previous months)  

For more information on Camarillo homes and Real Estate Market you are more than welcome to contact me at: (805) 443-8898 or E-mail me : mana@manatulberg.com

You could also search for all homes listed for sale in Camarillo at your own leisure Here.

The Ventura County Planning Department is one of many departments within the Ventura County Government system. The function of this division is to regulate County Plans, Zoning Codes, and to write plans for Local Coastal Programs. The Ventura County Planning Department has no jurisdiction within Ventura county's cities. However, the unincorporated areas outside the cities within Ventura County are regulated by the planning department.

As a home owner in Ventura County, when you are considering to apply for any type of permit you have to be conscious of what zoning ordinance applies to your area. In Ventura County there are two types of zoning, Coastal, and Non-Coastal Zoning. Coastal Zoning covers a narrow area along the Coast as well as all the Santa Monica Mountains. The Non-Coastal Zoning ordinance applies to the rest of Ventura County.

The Ventura County Planning Department has set a flat fee for the more basic permits such as decks, spas, fences, and etc. But, when a home owner wants to obtain a more substantial permit such as a zoning change or subdividing a lot for multiple homes the Ventura County Planning Department requires the home owners to pay an hourly fee.

According to the Ventura County Star, Peter Foy, the representative of Simi Valley and Moorpark on Ventura County Board of Supervisors, wants to abolish this hourly fee and change all hourly fees into flat rates. By having flat fees the cost of getting a permit will rise, but at least the public would have a fixed fee for every different permit. The Board will hear Foy's proposal by mid September.

For now make sure:

• You make an appointment to meet with planning staff.
• Pay by Cash or checks, The Planning Division does not accept credit cards.
• Avoid Fridays.
• Have the Assessor's Parcel Number (APN) of the property, the site address, owner's name and parcel size are also useful information to provide.

Ventura County Planning Department:

800 South Victoria Ave

Ventura Ca, 93009

(805) 654-5663.

A new practice, initiated by the California home developers is spreading across California and the rest of the Nation. Private Transfer Taxes are covenants imposed by developers which require a fee to be paid every time a property within the development is re-sold.

When planning to develop an area, it is essential that builders please various big organizations such as environmental groups and small local companies. One way builders gain their support is through financial assistance.  However, instead of paying an out of pocket fee to please these groups, the builders found a loophole in California's law and the Private Transfer Taxes were born.

The deed of each of the new homes in these developments has a covenant that requires the future buyers of each property to pay a percentage (up to 1.75%) of the selling price to a designated trust. As of now there are no disclosure rules, so no one has to tell the buyer about the added costs at the time of sale.

So what is being done about this?

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) has been working hard to stop this taxation and prevent this practice from spreading any farther.

Senator Lou Correa has proposed California Senate Bill 670 which has the full support of the California Association of Realtors (CAR). This Bill would prohibit private transfer taxes. However, this bill has been delayed.

Assembly Bill 1574 (Huston): Attempts to regulate transfer tax amount, duration, use, or cost of administration.

Assembly Bill 980 (Calderon): This bill would require the seller to notify the buyer of any private transfer fees, thus making them a required disclosure.  

So please, if you don't want to see the Ventura County housing market affordability get worse, say No to Private Transfer Fees.  Contact your legislators and voice your support for Bill 670 to stop developers from imposing such a fee on homebuyers.

Also, consult a realtor to help you understand whether your property of interest has a private transfer tax, or not.

Other Articles about private transfer tax fees:

Private Transfer Taxes - Could It Start Happening In Your Area?  By Jeff Geoghan

Update on Proposed Senate Bill on Transfer Tax on Home Sales in California By Marlene Bridges

Private Transfer Fee Alert  By Rhonda Fee