BLOOM TOWNS: When it comes to creating...

BLOOM TOWNS: When it comes to creating an image, Ventura County cities say it with flowers. . . . Ventura has been the Poinsettia City since 1926, when its Palm City moniker was dropped. Thousand Oaks chose the Conejo buckwheat--a yellowish wildflower--because it’s an endangered species. Santa Paula picked red-and-white petunias, in keeping with the school colors at Santa Paula High. . . . Nobody seems to recall why Port Hueneme specified pink hibiscus. One theory: The city and the plant have the same initials.

COURTESY ALERT: Remember those “Pray for me--I drive Hwy. 33” bumper stickers? You may soon see a more hopeful variation: “Courtesy on 33.”. . . The idea is to encourage motorists to be more considerate on the Ojai Valley’s main drag. “I see it as a way to mend fences between Ojai and Oak View,” said Ojai Councilman Joe De Vito, a member of the Highway 33 Committee. . . . He said Oak View complains about speeders from Ojai. But the CHP says Oak View residents get 70% of tickets issued there.

GROWTH LEADER: It’s no surprise the Conejo Valley Newcomers Club has thrived (B6)--it’s had so many newcomers to work with. . . . Thousand Oaks’ population has risen from 2,934 in 1960 to more than 104,000 today--a 35-fold increase. No other Ventura County city has come close to that kind of growth. . . . In 1960, Moorpark was almost as big as Thousand Oaks. Today, it’s one-fourth as large.

CRIME TIME: Some Oxnard residents were surprised last week when “Prime Time Live” described their town as one of America’s safest. . . . “I’ve had a lot of calls about that,” police spokesman David Keith said, acknowledging that Oxnard has the county’s highest crime rate. “They looked at cities over 100,000 people, so compared to Chicago and L.A., we are one of the safest.”. . . The eight-minute segment focused on the city’s efforts to stem juvenile crime. . . . Oxnard police are on TV again tonight--on the department’s weekly call-in cable show.

Flower Power

Official flowers of Ventura County cities: Camarillo: Bougainvillea Fillmore: Rose Moorpark: Apricot blossom Ojai: Matilija poppy Oxnard: Geranium Port Hueneme: Pink hibiscus Santa Paula: Petunia Simi Valley: Wild rose Thousand Oaks: Buckwheat Ventura: Poinsettia Sources: Ventura County & Coast Almanac, city clerks