Council Will Discuss Chumash Artifacts

THOUSAND OAKS —  The City Council on Tuesday will consider whether to allow some of the Chumash artifacts salvaged from a Newbury Park archeological site to go to the Chumash Interpretive Center instead of the Stagecoach Inn Museum.

At the urging of Commissioner Linda Parks, the Planning Commission asked the council in September to consider whether some artifacts should go to the Chumash center at Lang Ranch instead of the Newbury Park museum.

The museum had previously been promised all the relics, which were found at a development site in Newbury Park, and volunteers from the museum and the Ventura County Historical Society had spent a considerable amount of time and money to curate the collection.

Museum representatives have said they would be willing to loan some of the artifacts to the Chumash Interpretive Center if they could be assured the items would be cared for properly. But they have no interest in relinquishing any of the artifacts.

Mayor Andy Fox said because Thousand Oaks has already promised the items to the Stagecoach Inn, it would be unethical to take any of them away at this point. He is strongly opposed to revisiting the issue.

“I have no desire to meddle in a well-thought-out program,” Fox said. “This should have never been raised from the start.”