Wednesday, September 1, 2021
Updates from City Hall | Business News | Local Economic Trends | Education & Training
County indoor mask requirement in effect

On August 20th, the County of Ventura issued an order requiring face coverings at all times in all indoor public settings and businesses, with limited exceptions. The order comes due to a recent surge in COVID-19 cases. (See Press Release)
Conejo Valley Job Fair (Sept. 22nd)

Are you hiring? The Greater Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the cities of Thousand Oaks, Westlake Village, and Agoura Hills, is hosting the Conejo Valley Job Fair at the Gardens in Thousand Oaks (299 S. Moorpark Rd.) on Wednesday, September 22nd from 9am-12pm. Join us for this this opportunity to connect employers with local talent. Space is limited, so register your booth now! (More here.)
Tax Credit Opportunities
Our partners over at the Economic Development Collaborative also have an excellent Business Resource webpage highlighting other tax credit opportunities, among other resources and incentives. See here.
Hiring & Retention Assistance
See the Ventura County Workforce Development Board's website for information about locally-focused programs to help employers find and retain the best employees. (More information.)
COVID-19 Financial Resource Opportunities
The County of Ventura is still accepting applications until September 2nd for its 4th COVID-19 Business Assistance Grant Assistance Program. Grant funds are available for business and nonprofit organizations that did not receive a grant during any of the County's previous business grant programs. Funds up to $10,000 will be available. More information here.
Our partners at the Greater Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce continue to accept applications for the Small Business Relief Fund. Grants up to $2,500 are awarded periodically. Learn more here.
See the latest information about all the Small Business Administration (SBA) financial relief programs here.
Guide for Electronic Planning Application Submittal
The City has transitioned to digital application submittals. Our Planning Division recently put together a helpful guide to walk you through electronic application submittals. See the Guide here.
Updated Planning Filing Fees
Updated Planning Filing Fees went into effect July 1, 2021. See updated fees here. Following the typical transparent process, the fee updates were approved by City Council during their April 27, 2021 meeting.
NEW BUSINESSES
Christian Science Reading Room
Christian Science Reading Room bookstore opened at the Oaks Plaza, located 2940 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd. (Link)
Everbowl
Everbowl, an acai bowls and juice and smoothies bar, opened at 3835 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd. (Link)
Gil's Barbershop
Gil's Barbershop opened another store at Kinko's shopping center, located at 2807 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd. (Link)
Honey Cup Coffeehouse and Creamery
Honey Cup Coffeehouse and Creamery opened at the Village at Dos Vientos Shopping Center, located at 360 Via Las Brisas. (Link)
Naughty Pine Brewery
Naughty Pine Brewery opened at the Westlake Village Business Park, located at 766 Lakefield Drive. (Link)
Sweetgreen
Sweetgreen opened at The Promenade, located at 100 Promenade Way. (Link)
Valentino's Take & Bake Pizza
Valentino's Take & Bake Pizza opened at the Oakbrook Plaza, located at 2072 E. Avenida de Los Arboles. (Link)
Ventura Orthopedics
Ventura Orthopedics opened a new facility, located at 137 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd. (Link)
IN THE NEWS
Hago Energetics, Inc., a green technology and innovation outfit, are one of three national winners of NASA CO2 Conversion Challenge. The competition invited the public to come up with methods to convert Carbon Dioxide into sugar, which could be used to make a variety of useful products. (NASA Press Release)

HUB 101, a coworking space and startup incubator affiliated with California Lutheran University, is currently accepting applications to its "IdeaToDo program" for the Winter cohort. This program is ideal for aspiring entrepreneurs and startup business owners. Applications are due September 4th. (Hub101 )
Sage Publishing has earned three 2021 APEX Awards for freely accessible resources on issues including psychology of COVID-19, structural racism and police violence, and an instructional webinar on how to get published. (Sage)

Skyworks Solutions, an innovative semiconductor manufacturer, delivered record Third Quarter revenue of $1.1 billion, up 52% year-over-year. (Press Release)
Takeda Pharmaceuticals has landed on the Fortune Global 500 list for the second consecutive year. (Fortune)
UNEMPLOYMENT RATES & JOBS BY INDUSTRY
Note: The economic impacts of COVID-19 continue to have a significant impact on unemployment rates.
City of Thousand Oaks
According to the California Employment Development Department, the preliminary Thousand Oaks July 2021 unemployment rate is 5.5% (down from a revised 5.6% in June 2021). The City has a total of 62,700 in the labor force with 59,300 who are employed. 
Ventura County
The California Labor Market report shows Ventura County’s preliminary July 2021 unemployment rate at 6.4% (down from a revised 6.5% in June 2021). 

A total of 2,300 non-farm jobs were added in July 2021. However, a total of 3,800 jobs were lost; amounting to a net loss of 1,500 jobs. Job gains consisted of: 700 in Leisure and Hospitality; 600 in Financial Activities; 500 in Construction; 200 in Manufacturing; 100 in Information; 100 in Professional and Business Services; and 100 in Other Services. Job losses consisted of: 2,800 in Government; 500 in Trade, Transportation and Utilities; and 500 in Educational and Health Services.
AUTO SALES
A total of 1,356 new vehicles were sold in July 2021; a 2.3% decrease compared to June 2021 sales.

In addition, 875 pre-owned vehicles were sold in July.  
SALES TAX UPDATE
First Quarter (January-March) 2021 local sales tax revenue was $8.18 million, a 13.3% (economically adjusted) increase compared to First Quarter 2020.

Sectors with the largest increases year-over-year included: County/State Pools and Transfers (up 43.5%); Auto and Transportation (up 23.1%); and Building and Construction (up 14.9%). Sectors experiencing the largest year-over-year decreases included: Fuel and Service Stations (down 15.9%); Restaurants and Hotels (down 14.5%); and Food and Drugs (down 4.6%).
Economic Development Collaborative
See the latest schedule of upcoming no-cost education and training opportunities for June here.
SCORE - Ventura County
In addition to its no-cost mentoring services, SCORE is offering a variety of workshops this month on accounting, business formation, digital and social media marketing, and more. See here.
Women's Economic Ventures
Check out the great business training, advisory services, loan opportunities and more over at WEV. More here.
Ventura County Workforce Development Board
Employers can take advantage of free employment services and recruiting, on-the-job-training, skills enhancement, and customized training. See the new Workforce Resource Guide here.
Sage Publishing Free Business & Management Impact Resources
Locally-based Sage Publishing offers some great free resources focused on business and management issues of today and tomorrow. Webinars, articles, and more here.
Did someone share this email with you? Sign up to receive more of our emails.