Take a guess where in Simi Valley I took this picture.

You can submit your own pictures by emailing me.

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(Odd sign to be outside The Ronald Reagan Library!)

The Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley has been dramatically remodeled including a massive new Cold War Exhibit. If you haven't been to the Reagan Library it is worth it regardless of your political ideology. If you have been I strongly suggest going to experience the new Cold War Exhibit.

I have been to two Presidential libraries. Before this recent remodel I thought the Carter Library was much better. Now both libraries are great ways of passing on the stories and challenges of previous generations.

I have mixed feelings on the Reagan Presidency. He wasn't as bad as his critics would like us to believe and I don't idolize him like some of his supporters who act like they joined a cult either.

Enjoy an afternoon at the Reagan Library. Bring some young people with you.

Have you been to the Reagan Library? What did you think? You can post a comment here or share your photos on the Facebook Page for my blog. You don't have to register to comment, but keep it classy.

I have been running a contest for my readers to submit Where in Ventura County pictures that include pictures of their signs in an interesting location. Here are the winners:

Most on message photograph:

Honorable Mention:

Best essence of Ventura County:

Honorable Mention:

Fan Favorite (Determined by unscientific online poll results):

Click on continue reading for the other pictures.

I have a new contest where candidates send in pictures for readers to guess where in Ventura County they were taken. This picture is in Simi Valley but a much more specific answer is needed to win. I'm not looking for an address but instead an approximate location including which way the camera is directed in.

You don't need to register to comment, but keep it classy.

School Board candidate Arleigh Kidd is a personal friend of mine. Because of his background in education, including teaching at Valley View Middle School in Simi Valley, I know he will make a strong addition to the School Board. He is the parent of one student that graduated from Royal High School and another student currently at there. Anyone that knows him knows he is a very passionate defender of public education. If you ask him a question on education he gives very specific answers. I haven't always agreed with him but I have come to deeply respect his dedication.

He has been endorsed by the Simi Educators Association and 4/5 of the current school board members including Jeanne Davis, Janice DiFatta, Debbie Sandland, and Rob Collins.

I am going to be interviewing him a week from this Thursday night on my blog. Read over his website and then send or post some suggestions for questions.

For the June Primary I asked campaigns to send in pictures of their candidate with a dog. Steven Hintz and Heather Lacayo won the contest and went on to win their elections. Is there a strong connection? Probably not.

For this election I am asking candidates to take pictures of their signs as they campaign across Ventura County. I will post every entry with the winners being announced the night before the election. The goal is to make it difficult, but not impossible, for readers to determine where the picture was taken. I want readers to look at the picture for clues and then post a comment with their guesses. The more specific the guess the better.

Like all of my blog entries you don't need to register to post a comment. But please keep it classy. The reader that accurately answers the most challenges will also be recognized.

There will be several awards campaigns can win. So, campaigns can send in multiple entries. I am thinking about categories like most memorable location, most obscure, funniest, best representation of a city, and a few others. Feel free to post suggestions with new categories. I will be asking The Star to cover this contest in the print edition and with online ads. They did support the cutest dog contest with a link on the front page and I expect they will do the same this time. So start taking pictures. To submit a picture send it to me at my email address posted on the right side of this page or upload it to my Facebook page for my blog.

For this first entry let's see who can most accurately determine where Treasurer / Tax Collector candidate Steven Hintz was when it was taken. Thanks to Steven Hintz for getting this contest started.

This contest was inspired by blogger Andrew Sullivan's View from your window blog posts that have now been made into a book.

Simi Valley is well known for a few memorable things:

1. Reagan Library and Museum ( Soon to actually be in Simi Valley!)

2. The Trial of the police officers in the Rodney King case.

3. Charles Manson and his followers lived in the area.

4. The location for The Little House on the Prairie, Robin Hood, and many other Hollywood productions.

5. Being a very safe city to raise a family in.

6. Bottle Village

7. The Rocketdyne Field Lab.

Enjoy the video of a group of young people exploring some caves.

In the comments section please leave a list of productions that filmed scenes in Simi Valley. Let's see how well you know this town. The more obscure the better. I will post the winner on the front page. You don't need to register to leave a comment.

Check out this video from an era when Michael Jackson was frequently on the radio, Bill O'Reilly covered celebrity news, and you could go to Gift Bazaar or movies at the local Mann Theaters.

Have you seen "The Most interesting Man In The World" ads by Dos Equis?

The latest ad has at least two scenes filmed in Simi Valley.

The first scene starting at :07 seconds in looks like the hills on the east end of Simi Valley.

The second scene starting at :14 seconds in was filmed at Corriganville Park also on the east end.

Question: If we want to support The Shop Simi Valley Campaign does that mean if we drink beer we should switch to Dos Equis?

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Just by looking at the background can you identify where in Simi Valley this photo was taken?

After each political season there is always a few signs that stay up for months that are overlooked by the campaigns when they are cleaning up. This time all of the campaigns did a pretty good job of picking up their signs in Simi Valley. But what about in your neighborhood?

This sign is in Simi Valley. If Carole Lutness gives me permission I will go take it down myself.

If you see any signs that remain up, email me and I will post them.

This sticker is on the drive through ATM at the Well's Fargo on Los Angeles Avenue in Simi Valley.

It has been there since at least Saturday.

The hate of one person doesn't define a city, or at least it shouldn't. This one incident isn't important. Someone's writing below it isn't the point. The progress of America is important. The truth that in America it doesn't matter who you start out is much more important than random racial screeds. We should be more proud that we are willing to be critical of ourselves and change when we are wrong. That is revolutionary in world history. It is one of our core values.

Barack Obama has been attacked for his race, his ethnic heritage, and he is the victim of countless email hoaxes which deny that he is a devout Christian.

But just like the internet at times unleashes the worst in people, other anonymous forms of communication bring out the evil in people.

People argue that it is a part of the process. They point to the smear tactics deployed against his rivals and past politicians. But that doesn't have to be a fact. If we responded with moral conviction when a friend, coworker, or family member passed on these contagions, if we shut down the vectors of infection, our political immune system would be stronger for it.

I am not discouraged by the racism in America, because racism doesn't define the American soul. That battle was fought and America won. I have hope that our children will grow up in where race is not a barrier to achievement and the walls will continue to tumble down as they have been doing for generations.

I have The Audacity of Hope in my heart that sustains me even when facts don't encourage us. Hope that a flawed human has the gift to uplift us with a sermon. That we will overcome past injustices to build a better world. I have hope in my heart that we are bigger than our problems.

To quote Barack Obama:

But in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been
anything false about hope.

Will you join me in prayer?

( A friend of mine had his car vandalized in Simi Valley for putting a Barack Obama sticker on his Prius. Whatever the desired impact of messing with his car I am pretty sure you increased his level of support for Barack Obama!)

I am interested in hearing the details in this story.

What have you heard?

The Hannah Beth Jackson campaign has announced several East Ventura County events in the next few weeks. Please click on continue reading for a full listing.

Do you plan to attend the Simi Valley organizing meeting this Tuesday night?

What events in the next few months around East County should the candidates be campaigning at?