Hi neighbor,
Big week. The Ventura Board of Supervisors discussed e-bike safety last week and the local data was eye-opening. We've also got a wildfire prep guide from Grant at CamWX before the next Santa Ana, an update on the new Costco gas station, and your Mother's Day weekend rundown.
Also in this issue: A local children's book author whose work just took first place in an Arizona youth literature contest, and an 11-year-old Australian shepherd named Sky who'd like her third home to be the one that sticks.
Let's get into it.
☀️ Weekend Weather
Local forecast via Grant @CamWX
☀️ The Warm Season Is Here
A steady warming trend is underway as high pressure strengthens across the western United States and onshore flow weakens. Inland areas will warm the fastest, while Camarillo and the coast continue to benefit from at least some sea breeze influence.
Temperatures should climb into the upper 70s locally by the weekend with 80s possible on Mothers Day, with inland valleys reaching the 80s and 90s. Forecast models keep this warm, dry pattern in place through at least early next week, with seasonal outlooks continuing to favor above-average temperatures heading deeper into spring and summer.
More local weather updates → CamWX.com
💐 The Weekend Rundown: Mariachi, Moms, and Microscopes
Sunday is Mother's Day. Catch a bilingual mariachi musical Friday night, shop handmade gifts at a Saturday morning garden party, and end the afternoon at the STEAM Carnival on the CSUCI quad.
Glowing chemistry at a past STEAM Carnival. Photo via ScienceCarnivalCA / Facebook.
🔬 CSUCI STEAM Carnival
Saturday · 1pm · North Quad, CSU Channel Islands
A free afternoon of hands-on science, tech, engineering, art, and math, run by CSUCI students and community volunteers. PreK through 12th grade. Free parking. Registration required.
🌻 Garden Gathering: Coffee & Creativity
Saturday · 10am-1pm · Kindling Studios
Kindling Studios is throwing a Mother's Day garden party with dried-flower crafts, coffee from Tired Mama Coffee, and handmade gifts to shop. The studio supports artists with developmental disabilities.
🎭 ¡Ay Chihuahua! A Mariachi Musical
Thursday, Friday and Saturday · 7:30pm · Malibu Hall, CSUCI
A revival of the bilingual mariachi musical that sold out in Ventura County in 2017. Set in 1960s Mexico, it explores the immigrant experience through three cultures: the Rarámuri, the Mennonites, and the Mestizos. Features Mariachi Águilas and CSUCI's Ballet Folklorico Club. $20 general, $15 seniors, students free.
💐Still looking for Mother’s Day Brunch Ideas?
Around Camarillo
Ventura County Sheriff Jim Fryhoff addresses the Board of Supervisors during the April 28 e-bike safety presentation. "There's got to be a better way," he told the board. Photo: County of Ventura Youtube.
Camarillo's e-bike collisions doubled in 2025. Here's why.
"We wouldn't hand car keys to a 12-year-old," a parent told the Board of Supervisors last week. "Yet these bikes can reach speeds that are equivalent to a car."
E-bike collisions in Camarillo jumped from 5 in 2024 to 12 in 2025. Faster bikes, illegal modifications, and a market designed to skirt the rules are driving the numbers. Here's what's happening on local streets and what parents can do.
What every Camarillo household should know about Santa Ana winds, Red Flag Warnings, and getting ready before the next one.
Wildfire season doesn't end in Ventura County
The Mountain Fire showed Camarillo what wind-driven wildfire can do. As California marks Wildfire Awareness Week, Grant from CamWX breaks down why fire season here doesn't follow a calendar, what Red Flag Warnings really mean, and what every household should be doing now, before the next Santa Ana event.
⛽ Costco gas station opens ahead of warehouse
Camarillo's Costco gas station opened on May 1 at 431 W. Ventura Blvd, six months before the warehouse itself. Regular is $5.499, premium $5.999 (as of May 6th; check the Costco website for current prices). That's 66 cents below today's California average of $6.16, per AAA.
The station has 32 pumps and early visits report no waits. You'll need a Costco membership to fill up. Open until 10pm.
The warehouse opens November 1.
Until then: you can fill up, but the toilet paper run has to wait.
📚 Local Author Spotlight: Irma Hersel
Irma Hersel (center) at a Local Author Showcase at the Oxnard Public Library, with her books Where Chocolate Grows and Where Nopalitos Grow on display.
Irma Hersel writes children's books in a quiet, light-filled atrium in University Glen, mostly uninterrupted. Except for the two cats, Stripey and Blue, who walk across her keyboard at strategic moments.
She has two books out so far: Where Chocolate Grows and Where Nopalitos Grow, bilingual picture books for ages 4 to 10. Nopalitos won first place in the Arizona Authors Association's youth category. Both follow a curious boy named Roberto who learns where things come from. Cacao trees. His grandmother's nopal cactus garden. The words people use for them in two languages.
Roberto is named for Hersel's cousin Bobby. They grew up together in Michigan and spent summers in Mexico with their grandparents. "Roberto carries a lot of that spirit," she says. The grandmother's garden in Nopalitos is rooted in real memory too. Where Chocolate Grows started years ago as Hersel's undergraduate mixed-media project.
Hersel grew up speaking both Spanish and English. The books read the same way. Spanish words placed where a kid can absorb them through context. "The goal is for a child to feel the meaning first, then learn the word," she says.
She knew it was working when a parent told her their kid had started using a Spanish word from one of the books at home. Unprompted.
A third book, Roberto's Garden Adventures, is on the way. It adds a STEM angle, inspired by a cacao tree exhibit Hersel saw years ago and never forgot.
Pet of the Week
Meet Sky
Sky is an 11-year-old Australian Shepherd, smiling in this photo despite a rough run. She's been returned from two adoptions but she's sweet with people, friendly with other dogs, and recently lived fine with another dog. She'd do best in an adults-only home. Two homes already. She'd like a third that sticks.
“I’m a sweet and smart girl. Pets and cuddles are my favorite and I know sit, shake, and down.”
Ventura County Animal Services is currently offering $0 adoption fees for all shelter pets, with a special need for adopters for large dogs.
Pets leave the shelter: Spayed/neutered, Vaccinated, Microchipped, Flea treated
A $25 licensing fee applies for county residents.
Know someone looking for a great dog?
Forward this email and help Sky find her home. 🐾
Community Question
Quick one for you:
What's a Camarillo event you'd never miss?
Just hit reply and let me know.
If you made it this far, you’re officially more in-the-know than most of Camarillo.
Know something we should cover? Just hit reply.
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The Camarillo Caller is a local newsletter created by Camarillo resident Gabrielle Ridgeway.