9 Candidates Split Into 2 Camps Over Development

THOUSAND OAKS —  The contenders talk about quashing crime and nurturing business, slashing government payrolls and paying for the Civic Arts Plaza.

But inevitably, they go back to oak trees, open space and orderly growth, which once again appear to be the critical issues in the race for the Thousand Oaks City Council.

Some of the nine candidates vying for two seats in the Nov. 5 election make a point not to align themselves with either the business-friendly faction that has dominated Thousand Oaks politics in the 1990s or the slow-growth minority that has criticized the other side’s every move.

But when it comes to development--that always volatile Thousand Oaks issue--the candidates are split into two camps: They either believe the city is mushrooming into another San Fernando Valley or is growing at a careful pace and its pristine lands are in no danger of being bulldozed.

“Those are perennial issues in this city,” said candidate Dan Del Campo, who is running on an anti-growth platform. “But I think they are of greater importance this time.

“This city is at a crucial point in its history,” he added. “We have a lot of open space, and we have grown a lot. Are we going to save the open space, or are we going to allow development to chip away at it?”

Other candidates say another quintessential Thousand Oaks concern--the bickering and infighting that have long plagued the City Council--could wind up doing more damage to the city than mini-malls and housing tracts.

“The only thing that will turn us into the San Fernando Valley is the escalation of the politics we have seen here in this city over the past few years,” said candidate Marshall Dixon, who believes the growth debate should take a back seat to nuts-and-bolts issues such as streets and sewers. “Building a few more houses is not going to turn us into the Valley.”

The candidates are also split over two ballot measures that could make it tougher and more expensive for developers to do business in Thousand Oaks.

Measure D would quadruple the “bedroom tax” that developers pay for every dwelling they build, with the extra money going to preserve and purchase open space. For instance, for every house of three or more bedrooms, developers would be charged $800, four times the $200 they now pay. Measure E would prevent developments that exceed the densities allowed in the city’s General Plan from going forward without voters’ approval.

Incumbent Mike Markey, who joined the council last year after a special election, is hoping to win his first full term this fall. Former Councilwoman Jaime Zukowski resigned earlier this summer to move to Colorado, so her seat is open. The race initially had 10 candidates for the two seats, but Lance Winslow, the 32-year-old owner of a mobile carwash service, dropped out Friday, claiming he was being harassed by newspaper photographers and his political foes. His name, however, will still appear on the ballot.

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Thousand Oaks has traditionally been the site of the most expensive City Council races in Ventura County, and this year figures to be no different. In last year’s special election, for instance, the two leading candidates, Markey and Trudi Loh, each spent more than $30,000.

In addition to the colorful signs and glossy mailers that have become commonplace in local elections, Thousand Oaks candidates are expected to take to the airwaves for television spots--a technological advance spurred by Zukowski in her successful 1992 campaign.

Now there is a new medium for council hopefuls to use--the Internet--and at least one candidate, Del Campo, has already launched his platform into cyberspace with a full-color Web site. Candidate Linda Parks, a planning commissioner best known for her successful initiative drive earlier this year to protect open space, is asking voters to e-mail her with their concerns.

“I’m working on a Web site too,” said candidate Ekbal “Nick” Quidwai, an incessant critic of city government. “I think it’s a really good way to get your positions out.”

The candidates--one woman and eight men--range from a 21-year-old computer consultant to a 71-year-old retired manager of an auto dealership. They also include a retired mechanic, a former transportation consultant and a Compton homicide detective.

Markey, the 41-year-old detective, describes himself as a practical council member who gives everyone from developers to homeowners’ groups a fair hearing--a trait that his slow-growth political opponents lack, he argues.

“I tell everyone who contributes to my campaign that I make objective decisions, that I don’t enter these meetings with my mind made up,” Markey said, countering accusations that he is biased because he accepts contributions from developers. “I like to think that I treat everyone the same.”

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Among his top priorities are expanding Thousand Oaks’ youth sports facilities by bringing an ice rink or a skateboard park to the community, and adding more police officers.

Markey said he too is concerned about preserving open space and controlling growth. He supports Measure D and Measure E. But he believes that those who foresee a concrete-rich future for Thousand Oaks if the city remains on its current course need only look at other California cities to see what Thousand Oaks has accomplished.

“They’re pushing panic buttons,” Markey said of slow-growth candidates Del Campo and Parks. “If you look at what we’ve done to preserve open space, that’s just not accurate. We have 14,000 acres of open space, and the city is near build-out.”

Early in his brief tenure on the council, Markey angered Ventura County Latino leaders after he made public remarks that Latino gangs “have been around 200 years” and are “inbred in the Latino families.” He said the remarks were taken out of context, and he hopes voters will not think badly of him this time around.

“It was dealt with back then,” he said. “My brother-in-law is Cuban, and I don’t think there’s any question that my remarks were not what they were made out to be. This should not be a campaign issue.”

Parks, a 39-year-old former transportation consultant whose actor father played the voice of Smokey Bear, contends her slow-growth pedigree is the most accomplished of all the candidates. She is the only woman in the race.

As a planning commissioner, Parks has consistently voted against development and has often criticized the City Council--a position that has led some critics, most notably Markey and Councilwoman Judy Lazar, to argue that Parks has politicized what is supposed to be an apolitical panel on planning standards. Builders have also threatened her with lawsuits, accusing her of spreading misinformation about their projects.

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Parks contends her activism on behalf of oak trees and hiking trails has never conflicted with her duties on the commission. But she said as a council member, she would be able to make more of a difference by making developers stick to the city’s blueprint for growth--its General Plan.

Parks supports Measure D. But she vehemently opposes Measure E, which she contends is legally suspect and riddled with loopholes for developers. She said Thousand Oaks needs campaign finance reform to curb what she sees as the excessive influence of special interests on council decisions.

She also believes the salaries of City Manager Grant Brimhall and City Atty. Mark Sellers are too high for a city the size of Thousand Oaks.

“They are overpaid--they make more money than a state assemblyman when you consider cars and other perks--and that causes me great concern,” she said. “When I look at cutting costs, I don’t think about city employees. But I do think about the top city management.”

At 21 years of age, Tom Lee, chairman of the Ventura County Young Republicans, is the youngest candidate. A part-time computer consultant and undergraduate economics student at UCLA, Lee believes Thousand Oaks is spending more money than it can afford.

“We need to stop excessive spending in this city,” said Lee, arguing that he is the only frugal candidate. “There is a feeling that the finances of the Civic Arts Plaza were not smart. We need to get back to conservative fiscal policies in Thousand Oaks.”

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Lee--who stresses he does not side with either of the City Council’s warring camps--said development issues have become so overblown in Thousand Oaks that the ABCs of city government have been overlooked. But Lee said it is of paramount importance that Thousand Oaks’ ridgelines and open spaces be preserved, because they are what gives the area its high residential property values.

He also believes Thousand Oaks has become saturated with large retail centers and needs to focus on helping small businesses prosper in the new environment. He does not support Measure D, saying higher taxes are not the answer, and he remains undecided on Measure E.

Lee, who has worked on numerous Republican political campaigns, said critics who say he is too young to serve on the council should pay attention to his ideas and accomplishments instead of his age.

“Yes, I am the youngest candidate in the race, but that also makes me the one with the most at stake when it comes to the future of this community,” Lee said. “Youth is one thing. Experience and qualifications are another. And I think I have the experience for this job.”

When it comes to experience, Dixon said he wins the battle among candidates hands down. A 71-year-old retired manager of an Illinois auto dealership, Dixon is the oldest candidate in the race.

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He believes that for all the criticism it has received, the City Council has done a fine job over the past 10 years, and he wants to help the pro-business majority continue with the same policies.

“They’ve done a good job. I think we need another person like that on the council. And I’m that person,” Dixon said. “What has happened lately is that the minority tail has been wagging the dog, and obviously, they do not represent the majority of residents in Thousand Oaks.”

Saving open space and ensuring that Thousand Oaks grows carefully are important issues, Dixon said, but he believes the city’s financial shape is a much more pressing matter.

“I have been greeted with ‘But there’s no sizzle in that!’ by my friends. And that’s a sad thing,” Dixon said. “We are beyond that [growth] stage in our history. This city is almost built out, and we are now in a maintenance phase. We need to find new ways to increase revenues. That’s the real issue.”

Dixon has the support of the city’s old guard, including former Mayor Alex Fiore, who is serving as Dixon’s campaign chairman.

Dixon supports Measure D and Measure E. He said candidates who want to fire Brimhall and Sellers to cut costs seem to miss the point. The city manager and city attorney make a lot of money because they have a lot of experience and knowledge about Thousand Oaks, he said.

“We need top people in our city government, and it isn’t fiscally responsible to get rid of our most experienced and talented professionals,” Dixon said. “That’s no way to save money. That’s a good way to lose money down the road.”

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Quidwai, a 45-year-old office machines salesman, has spoken at virtually every City Council meeting this decade. The overwhelming majority of what he has to say about Thousand Oaks’ government is not positive.

“There is still a lot of hanky-panky going on with the city budget,” Quidwai argues. “We need people who are willing to ask tough questions.” Quidwai believes Thousand Oaks residents should look beyond the San Fernando Valley for a worst-case scenario of what their community could become. The former Fullerton resident points to Orange County as the true example that Thousand Oaks should be careful not to follow, saying the blurring boundaries between Ventura County cities are oddly reminiscent of what took place south of Los Angeles a decade or two ago.

“Our problem is too much success, so the comparison now is Orange County,” he said. “What people are concerned with here is pollution and traffic gridlock. They’ve made the 405 Freeway eight lanes or something like that in Orange County, and it’s still not enough. We don’t want to get into that.”

Among Quidwai’s top priorities are building more recreation facilities for Thousand Oaks’ youths and providing increased services for the elderly.

“Even though the economy is doing better, there are still a lot of people who need help. There are also a lot of seniors in this community, and we need to do more for them,” he said.

He opposes Measure D because he believes it will raise housing prices, and is against Measure E because he says it may violate private property rights and may not hold up in court. He also believes Sellers and Brimhall should be fired.

“These people are making too much money,” Quidwai said. “That’s one way to cut the budget.”

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Norman “Blackie” Jackson, a 41-year-old retired mechanic, is touting Sport X--the tremendously unpopular athletic complex proposed for Conejo Creek Park earlier this year--as his top issue.

But instead of letting a private developer build a for-profit complex, Jackson wants Thousand Oaks to ante up the money and turn operations over to the Conejo Recreation and Park District. He said Thousand Oaks could pay for the city-owned Sport X by issuing bonds.

“We really need something . . . in this town so that our kids aren’t bored and so they don’t have to go to Ventura or the Valley for recreation,” Jackson said at a recent forum. He did not return repeated phone calls asking for comment.

Jackson was convicted in 1990 of five counts of sending letters threatening to kill then-Ventura County Supervisor Madge Schaefer, then-Assemblyman Tom McClintock, Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-Simi Valley), Brimhall and then-state Sen. Ed Davis. He served 18 months of a three-year prison sentence before an appellate court reversed his conviction on grounds that the jury was given faulty instructions.

Jackson proclaimed himself to be Christ during unsuccessful bids for the City Council in 1988 and 1989. In his campaign biographical form earlier this year, under the “memberships and offices held” category, Jackson wrote that he was the “anointed leader of all Christians and Jews.”

David Seagal, a 66-year-old civil engineer, said his personal experience with Thousand Oaks’ contract-bidding practices made it clear to him that reform is needed.

Seagal was part of a group that made an offer to perform an engineering study of the dilapidated former City Hall building near The Oaks mall. Another group was chosen, despite having a higher bid, and Seagal believes that is a sign that many city policies are financially unsound. He opposes Measure D, saying Thousand Oaks needs to check its own spending before raising taxes. And he opposes Measure E because he contends it is unnecessary.

“It’s a disaster right now the way this city spends its money,” Seagal said. “The contract process is reckless. And look at the old City Hall! Thousand Oaks has lost millions right there by not doing something with that property years ago.”

Seagal said he is a supporter of developers’ private property rights, but says growth in Thousand Oaks must be more carefully planned than it has been in some instances. He believes the city’s open spaces are in jeopardy.

“When I look at Lang Ranch, it reminds me of the row houses in Baltimore,” Seagal said of the development in northeast Thousand Oaks. “Too much and too close together.

“I’m not opposed to sensible development, because we need it,” he said. “But the place we need it is Thousand Oaks Boulevard, not the outskirts of the city.”

Del Campo, a 48-year-old marketing consultant, has written along with Parks a Newt Gingrich-like “Contract with Thousand Oaks Citizens,” where both candidates promise to preserve open space and refrain from cutting deals with developers if elected.

“The way we’re headed right now, if I were to look into a crystal ball, I could see 180,000 people in Thousand Oaks in 10 or 20 years,” Del Campo said. “I don’t think that’s what the people who moved here expected to see.”

To raise more money for open-space preservation, Del Campo has proposed an “Adopt an Oak” program where residents could have an ancient oak dedicated in their honor for a $25 initial fee and $10 annually afterward.

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He believes Thousand Oaks must do more to capitalize on the cachet of its largest employer, biotechnology giant Amgen Inc., to lure new companies.

“We need to make this city more attractive to employers,” Del Campo said. “We have plenty of places where a clean manufacturing company or a high-tech company could come in here. City officials always say they’re working on this, but nothing ever happens.”

Part of his Web site lampoons the Civic Arts Plaza, placing a photo of the landmark City Hall and performing arts complex next to a picture of a Los Angeles jail. His Web site’s sub-page, titled “A Tale of Two Buildings,” contains a list of unflattering comparisons between the two structures. For instance, it states “This one has people who have acted badly” below the jail photo, and “This one has bad actors” below the Civic Arts Plaza photo.

Del Campo supports Measure D but opposes Measure E on the grounds it would promote development on the outskirts of Thousand Oaks.

“I think we are seeing rampant overdevelopment right now,” Del Campo said. “Whatever we can do to stop it, I’m in support of. Open space is the reason people come to Thousand Oaks, not shopping centers.”

Ramaul Rush, a 47-year-old children’s court investigator for Los Angeles County, is running for the City Council because he is tired of the city’s divisive, often personal politics. He believes he can offer a remedy.

“It’s gotten downright silly,” Rush said. “I think some of these people need to be reminded that they are our elected public servants, and we expect a little more from them.”

Rush supports Measure E and is undecided about Measure D.

He says Thousand Oaks residents are over-taxed, and the city needs to cut its budget. He said growth has already brought traffic problems to Thousand Oaks. In particular, he believes the shopping center being built at Westlake and Thousand Oaks boulevards will cause major problems.

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He also says Thousand Oaks’ public safety budgets may be stretched thin by the recently approved Seventh-day Adventist Church development, Dos Vientos Ranch and other housing tracts planned for Newbury Park.

But Rush’s biggest issue is youth and recreation programs. He said Thousand Oaks needs more such programs to keep the city’s young people on the right path, and he believes providing the programs should not be completely a park district responsibility.

“We need to do more to stop youth violence,” Rush said. “The more we do as a city, the better chance our children have.”

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Thousand Oaks City Council Candidates

Nine candidates are running for two City Council seats Nov. 5. Among the key issues are how to preserve the city’s vaunted parks and open spaces and how to pay for more police officers. Incumbent Mike Markey, winner of a special election last year, is running for his first full term, while the second seat is vacant through the resignation of Councilwoman Jamie Zukowski, who moved to Colorado.

Dan Del Campo

Age: 48

Occupation: Marketing consultant

Education: Three years of business administration at Triton Junior College in Illinois and the University of Phoenix

Background: Del Campo, a 17-year Thousand Oaks resident, is a former two-time president of the Conejo Track Club.

Issues: Del Campo believes Thousand Oaks needs more regulations to ensure its parks and open spaces remain free from development. He is proposing an adopt-an-oak program whereby residents can help save endangered trees. Del Campo also believes Thousand Oaks is changing too fast and must make more effort to adhere to its existing guidelines for growth. He supports ordinances to protect small businesses from chain stores.

Marshall Dixon

Age: 71

Occupation: Retired auto dealership manager

Education: Two years of journalism at Northwestern University in Illinois

Background: Dixon, chairman of the Thousand Oaks Council on Aging, has been involved in more than a dozen local organizations since moving to the city eight years ago.

Issues: Dixon’s top priorities are improving police services, maintaining the city’s infrastructure and finding ways for Thousand Oaks to save money. He is proposing the formation of a public safety advisory commission to help ensure that Thousand Oaks remains one of the country’s safest large cities. Dixon supports more sports fields, hiking trails and equestrian facilities. He believes he can help unite a divided City Council.

Norman Jackson

Age: 41

Occupation: Retired mechanic

Education: A year and a half of business at Moorpark College

Background: Jackson, a former Navy yeoman, first ran for City Council in 1988.

Issues: Jackson wants Thousand Oaks to build a large sports complex at Conejo Creek Park, similar to the Sport X athletic complex recently proposed by a private developer for the same site. He believes the city could pay for the complex by selling bonds. Jackson wants to open more trails for horseback riding. He also wants to start a weekly question-and-answer program where Thousand Oaks residents could mail their opinions to the City Council.

Tom Lee

Age: 21

Occupation: Part-time computer consultant

Education: Undergraduate economics student at UCLA

Background: Lee, chairman of the Ventura County Young Republicans, has lived in Thousand Oaks his entire life.

Issues: Lee believes Thousand Oaks is spending too much money and raising too many fees and assessments. He wants to institute a merit-based incentive program for city employees who find ways to lower costs. Lee believes Thousand Oaks can bolster its police services without raising taxes, and he wants to examine whether forming a city police department would be cheaper than contracting with the county Sheriff’s Department.

Mike Markey

Age: 41

Occupation: City councilman, Compton homicide detective

Education: Studied public administration at Pepperdine University

Background: Markey, who joined the City Council last year after a special election, is a former board member of the California Organization of Police and Sheriffs.

Issues: Markey’s top priorities are expanding police services and adding more youth sports facilities. He supports the proposed expansion and upgrade of the city’s Hill Canyon Wastewater Treatment Plant. Markey believes Thousand Oaks must do more to attract high-tech employers. He also wants to make sure proposals to develop the private side of the Civic Arts Plaza and to build a city-owned golf course at Hill Canyon are reviewed properly.

Linda Parks

Age: 39

Occupation: City planning commissioner, former transportation consultant

Education: Bachelor’s degree in urban studies from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, master’s in urban planning from the University of Washington

Background: Parks is president and co-founder of the committee to build the Ventura County Discovery Center, a proposed children’s science museum. She spearheaded a successful open space initiative last spring.

Issues: Parks believes Thousand Oaks is growing too fast and that the quality of life residents treasure is in jeopardy. She believes campaign finance reform is needed to limit what she sees as the pervasive influence of developers and other special interests on City Council decisions. Parks wants to beef up police resources. She believes Thousand Oaks is spending too much money and making financial decisions without considering the long-term effects.

Ekbal “Nick” Quidwai

Age: 45

Occupation: Sales representative

Education: Bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from Karachi University in Pakistan, bachelor’s in business from Cal State Fullerton

Background: Quidwai, a 17-year Thousand Oaks resident, is an outspoken presence at seemingly every city, county and school district meeting.

Issues: Quidwai is proposing a moratorium on all development projects until officials can more thoroughly study their cumulative impact on quality of life. He wants to fire City Manager Grant Brimhall and City Atty. Mark Sellers. Quidwai supports a more thorough audit of city finances. He believes the bidding policies for city contracts are flawed and must be reexamined.

Ramaul Rush

Age: 47

Occupation: Children’s court investigator

Education: Bachelor’s degree in public administration and master’s degree in sociology from San Jose State University, law degree from Northrop University in Los Angeles

Background: Rush, a 14-year Thousand Oaks resident, is an advocate for the Conejo Valley Free Clinic.

Issues: Rush is concerned that growth may bring San Fernando Valley-like traffic and crime problems to Thousand Oaks. He proposes a master plan for public safety that would include more police substations and the hiring of more officers. Rush also believes the City Council must take a more active role in youth issues. He wants to build more sports facilities, and he supports a tough policy against teenage drinking and violence.

David Seagal

Age: 66

Occupation: Civil and structural engineer

Education: Bachelor’s degree in engineering from Fort Belvoir military school in Virginia, studied business administration at USC, also took continuing education courses in psychology and mathematics at UCLA

Background: Seagal, a five-year Thousand Oaks resident, worked on numerous seismic retrofitting projects after the Northridge earthquake.

Issues: Seagal believes Thousand Oaks government needs to be conducted more openly. He wants the city to issue detailed financial reports frequently and draft stricter guidelines for bidding on city contracts. Seagal believes the city manager position is too powerful and needs to be redefined. He believes the City Council is beholden to large companies and developers, and he wants it to be more receptive to small businesses and homeowners.