Simi Valley Acorn

06/29/2025

The Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District will be appointing a new board member to represent Division 3 as Josh Gray steps down due to move into new district.
Applications are being accepted for the role which serves the Knolls neighborhood and the areas roughly from First and Tapo streets and Cochran Street to Royal Avenue.

The Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District will appoint a new board member to replace Josh Gray, who is stepping down June 28 after moving out of the area he was elected to represent. Gray, who was elected in 2019 and reelected in 2023 to represent Division 3, submitted his resignation May 29. Sta...

06/29/2025

Upgrades at the Arroyo Simi Equestrian Center are set to begin.

After years of delay and strong community lobbying, the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District is moving forward with long-awaited improvements to the Arroyo Simi Equestrian Center. During its June 18 meeting, the district’s board of directors voted unanimously to put the renovation project out ...

06/28/2025

Thousands of truckloads of fire debris from Los Angeles County have poured into the Simi Valley Landfill since January prompting renewed calls for testing followed by a public debate on the issue at the June 24 Ventura County Board of Supervisors meeting.
The good news: the amount of fire debris going to the landfill is decreasing.

Thousands of truckloads of fire debris from Los Angeles County have poured into the Simi Valley Landfill since January prompting renewed calls for testing followed by a public debate on the issue at the June 24 Ventura County Board of Supervisors meeting. Supervisor Janice Parvin, whose district rep...

06/28/2025

Ventura County Animal Services is at 143% capacity in dog kennels. To help relieve overcrowding VCAS is holding a free dog adoption promotion* from June 27 - July 13 at both the Camarillo and Simi Valley Shelters.

06/27/2025

Update on Metrolink accident from the Ventura County Sheriff's Office :

A 23-year-old Fillmore man was killed Wednesday afternoon when a Metrolink train collided with a semi-truck hauling lemons near Montair Drive in Moorpark.

The crash occurred around 2:14 p.m. on the Union Pacific Rail Line, prompting a multi-agency response from the Moorpark Police Department, California Highway Patrol, Ventura County Fire Department, American Medical Response, and Gold Coast Ambulance.

Investigators say the semi-tractor, towing two trailers, was traveling south from a private ranch when it was struck by an eastbound Metrolink train.

The impact ejected the driver, identified as 23-year-old Jose Avila of Fillmore. Despite life-saving efforts by nearby workers and sheriff’s deputies, Avila was pronounced dead at the scene.

There were 17 people on board the train. One passenger reported minor injuries.

Rail operations were halted for several hours while the Moorpark Police Traffic Bureau investigated. Metrolink and Amtrak arranged alternative transportation for affected passengers.

Authorities urge anyone who witnessed the collision to contact Deputy Manley at (805) 532-2700.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

(Photo by Ventura County Fire Department)

06/26/2025

A semi-truck driver was killed Wednesday afternoon when his vehicle collided with a Metrolink train at a private railroad crossing on farmland on the western edge of Moorpark along Hwy 118. The rural intersection, located off Montair Drive, has no crossing arms or warning signals—only stop signs and “look both ways” signage.

Metrolink Train 118 was headed toward Los Angeles with 17 passengers on board when it struck the double-trailer truck, which was carrying produce. The impact ripped the engine compartment from the cab and scattered debris along the tracks, though the train remained upright. One passenger was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

The driver, whose name has not yet been released, was pronounced dead at the scene. The crash shut down train service between Moorpark and Camarillo and reignited concerns about safety at unprotected rural crossings. It’s the latest in a string of train-related crashes in the area over the past two years.

(Photos by Michael Coons/Acorn Newspaper)

06/20/2025

In neighboring Moorpark, residents call out Mayor Chris Enegren for his statement after a slew of ICE activity in the city. Enegren says his statement wasn't meant to divide and asks the community to come and work together.

(Note: Enegren's entire statement is here. It appeared next to the story in the print edition:
https://www.mpacorn.com/articles/in-immigration-moorpark-chooses-community-over-conflict/)

large crowd of angry residents filled the steps of City Hall and packed the council chambers June 18, demanding officials take a moral stand against immigration enforcement actions that have rattled Moorpark and triggered fear among both residents and non-residents. Protesters carried signs, chanted...

06/20/2025

It was 20 years ago when an approximately million-year-old mammoth was unearthed in Moorpark. Take a look back at its finding, learn about its journey to the Santa Barbara Natural History Museum, and the exciting new technology that's helping with its preservation.

Two decades ago, construction crews breaking ground on a new housing development in Moorpark weren’t expecting to dig up a celebrity. Buried just six feet beneath the surface lay a prehistoric giant—an Ice Age southern mammoth whose discovery would catapult the small Ventura County city into the...

06/20/2025

Are battery-powered electric transit buses a positive for the city or a waste of money?

https://www.simivalleyacorn.com/articles/city-expands-its-electric-flleet/

In a decision that underscored the tension between innovation and practicality, the Simi Valley City Council last month approved an $8.5-million purchase order for six new battery-powered electric transit buses despite growing skepticism among some members about the viability of the technology. The....

06/20/2025

Kristina Pine, president of the Simi Valley Unified School District, resigned this week due to a potential conflict of interest.
What is your opinion about Pine's resignation?

Citing a potential conflict of interest involving her spouse’s employment, Kristina Pine, the president of the Simi Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees, has announced her resignation. “It is with a heavy heart that I announce my resignation from the Simi Valley Unified School Distri...

06/19/2025

A man in his 20s was fatally shot early Tuesday morning after allegedly breaking into his ex-girlfriend’s home in Simi Valley and confronting her husband while armed with a knife.

A man in his 20s was fatally shot early Tuesday morning after allegedly breaking into his ex-girlfriend’s home in Simi Valley and confronting her husband while armed with a knife. The Simi Valley Police Department responded to reports of gunfire in the 4100 block of Eileen Street shortly before 1 ...