The following summary is from regular city council meetings on Sept. 10 and Sept. 24, 2024.
CLOSED SESSION
Initiation of litigation, 1 Potential Case
Pending Litigation: Ashraf Shahsawarzadeh vs. City of Thousand Oaks et al., Ventura County Superior Court Case #2023CUPP007741
Pending Litigation: California Department of Housing and Community Development vs. Shangri-La Industries et al., Los Angeles County Superior Court Case #24STCV00629, also F. Roberts Construction Inc. vs. Shangri-La Industries, LLC, et al., Ventura County Superior Court Case #2023CUBC018021.
PUBLIC COMMENTS
Peter Fehler of Agoura Hills, president of the Fire Safe Council, said wildfires aren’t going to stop. With some experiencing home insurance increases of up to 6 times more, a fire prevention program he suggests could help communities and their expenses.
Nancy Frawle of Thousand Oaks invited the public to a safety preparedness fair at City Hall in September.
Bob Ayres of Thousand Oaks said that as of Friday, the drug house across the street is empty. He thanked all the folks who helped get to this point. “I’ve worn out the non-emergency number.”
Cristy Warner and members of the K-Kids and Builders Club, Charlotte, Tristan, Dylan, and Bradley, invited the public to the Relay for Life of Conejo Valley event on Oct. 5, 2024 at CLU Memorial Field. Funds raised support cancer research, outreach, and free transportation and lodging for affected families.
John was concerned that Assembly Bill 670 says that ADU (accessory dwelling unit) law supersedes and renders void CC&Rs, but that violates Article 1, Section 10, of the U.S. Constitution, which says no state shall pass any law that impairs the obligation of contracts. The governor threatens to withhold money, but the Constitution is more important.
Kat Selm, online, thanked the council for appointing her to a committee.
Dan Twedt, online, of Thousand Oaks, announced he is a candidate for president and an amateur radio enthusiast.
RECOGNITION
Susan England received a commendation on behalf of Ventura County Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster, aka VC-VOAD.
RECOGNITION
Mayor Al Adam recognized Ventura County Sheriff’s Department officers for their work in apprehending Chilean nationals responsible for $35 million in home burglaries. Officers present included Captains Lynch and Gibson; Sergeants Gonzales, Lesecla, Silva, and Baxter; Senior Deputies Johnson, Guerrero, Loff, Doring, Jenka, and Price; and Deputy Circulus.
County Supervisor Jeff Gorell, also in attendance, called the officers heroes for capturing the foreign gang who “terrorized” his district since 2018. “People were scared.”
Councilman Kevin McNamee asked for an update on the federal response to a letter submitted last year regarding ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization), a program that allows visitors from designated countries to easily travel as tourists to the United States so long as the sending country makes their criminal database accessible to the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS). Chile is the only one of forty participating countries that has not cooperated.
Mina Layba, the city’s legislative affairs manager with the city, said DHS issued a statement in May 2024 that did not clarify Chile’s “operational cooperation.”
APPOINTMENTS
Ed Smart and Jessica Murphy to the Arts and Culture Roundtable through June 30, 2026.
Kat Selm was appointed to the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy Advisory Committee through Sept. 2026.
CONTRACTS
$43,038,279 MV Transportation Inc. of Dallas for transit operations for Fixed Route Bus and Dial-A-Ride demand response services.
$5,958,559 Fiscal Year 2024-25 Transportation Development Act Allocation Claim with Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC) for the Transportation Development Act; and $46,000 from the Local Transportation Fund (LTF) from the State Transit Assistance (STA) and State of Good Repair (SGR) funds.
$4,434,427 Southwest Pipeline and Trenchless Corp. of Torrance for project design, plans, specifications, and construction of the Thousand Oaks Blvd Wastewater Pipe and Maintenance Hole Lining Project.
$1,204,700 Beador Construction Company Inc. of Costa Mesa for construction of the Westlake Boulevard Flood Mitigation Project.
$689,703 Tolar Manufacturing of Corona for transit bus shelters and accessory equipment for the Thousand Oaks Transit Program.
$415,000 Water Resources Economics of Culver City for water and wastewater rate consultants.
$300,000 WW Grainger Inc. of Lake Forest, Ill., for facility maintenance, repair, and operations and industrial supplies.
$285,044 Preferred Power Solutions Inc. of Bakersfield for Electric Vehicle Charging Stations at Grant Brimhall and Newbury Park Libraries.
$234,505 Blackpointe Group Construction and Management Inc. of Moorpark for project design, plans, and specifications for the construction of the Roadway Fence Replacement Project. Reject Guy Construction bid protest appeal dated Aug. 8, 2024.
$232,404 NextGen Engineers Inc. of Tucson for engineering support services during the construction of the Westlake Boulevard Flood Damage Mitigation Project.
$220,935 to advertise construction bids for the Square Maintenance Hole Replacements Project.
$200,000 Daniel’s Tire Service of Oxnard for tires, tubes, and services.
$183,600 Matrix Consulting Group of San Mateo for Cost Allocation and User Fee Study Consulting Services Agreement.
$100,000 FLC Inc., d/b/a Accurate Backflow Testing and Valve Repair of Van Nuys.
$25,000 waiver of rental expenses for Thousand Oaks Alliance for the Arts 30th Anniversary Fundraising Celebration Event.
REPORTS
Jay Spurgin, former public works director who has been contracted to work on the city’s Navigation Center for Persons Experiencing Homelessness (Nav Center) at 1205 Lawrence Drive in Newbury Park, said the project originally scheduled for completion in Oct. 2024 is now expected in Jan. 2025.
Lynn Oshita, community development analyst, submitted the 2023-24 Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Block Grants totaled $864,191.
Nader Heydari, deputy public works director, gave an update on the $18,880,746 Citywide Pavement Program. Of the 380 miles of streets maintained by the city, 40 miles were repaved or resurfaced during the current two-year cycle. Striping modifications or enhancements were also done to accommodate bike traffic. ADA-accessible curb ramps were added at some crosswalks in the project area.
PRESENTATION
Rikole Kelly from the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office gave a presentation on Gun Violence Restraining Orders or GVROs. Similar to Domestic Violence Restraining Orders, a judge can determine someone is unfit and restrict them from possessing or purchasing a firearm. Until 2016, GVRO initiation was exclusive to law enforcement personnel, but that changed in 2020. The California legislature expanded those who could pursue a GVRO to include close family members, roommates, employers, coworkers, school teachers or employees, and individuals in a dating relationship.
Kelly said the affected individual has a 21-day waiting period, after which they must appear at a hearing where a judge will determine whether or not the GVRO should be permanent.
In Ventura County, before the law was expanded to include non-law enforcement initiation, just five GVROs had been requested. The number rose to 18 in 2020 and has increased 156% to 46 in 2023.
NEXT MONTH
City Manager Andrew Powers said there will be an ADU ordinance update at the Oct. 8 meeting.
