Thousand Oaks City Council approves $15 million bond resolution for low-income apartments

By Michael Hernandez

THOUSAND OAKS—The City Council approved  a $15 million (up to, but not exceed) resolution by 4-0 (with Claudia Bill-de la Pena absent) for the California Municipal Finance Authority (CMFA) financing the 72-unit low-income Bella Vista Apartment Project thru tax-exempt bonds with limited obligations to Many Mansions, payable from revenues derived from the Project which consists of 51 two-bedroom and 21 one-bedroom units.

The property is situated on 4.9 acres on Los Feliz Drive (2011-2025) and lies south of Hillcrest Drive, east of Erbes Road and west of Conejo School Road (Lot 4, block 26 recorded in Book 8, Page 73 of maps).  The site has been maintained as an affordable housing complex for 14 years and needs to remain so for an additional 41 years.  The original agreement was dated June 7, 2005 and is similar to a recently approved request by the City Council for the Shadow Hills Apartments.

The bonds will be used to pay for significant renovations such as replacing roofs; kitchen cabinets; windows and sliders; internal and external lighting; resurfacing the parking lot; replacing the carports; treating and fixing termite damage; plumbing upgrades; creating four fully accessible units; and adding an extensive accessible path of travel.

City Council releases $250,000 to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Conejo Valley

The City Council released $250,000 as part of a matching grant agreement to provide this amount for each freestanding clubhouse completed by the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Conejo Valley at Thousand Oaks middle schools.

The first clubhouse was opened in 2004 at Los Cerritos Middle School with the Colina Middle School clubhouse opened in 2007; the Sequoia Middle School clubhouse opened in September 2011 and the final clubhouse (named after the John L. Notter Family) opened March 2019 at Redwood Middle School.

Thousand Oaks Alliance for the Arts gives program update

Highlights:

• CAP Presents concert series attracted 33,689 patrons and generated $2.2 million in ticket revenue and distributed program brochures to 85,000 households;
• Sponsored 261 events with concession services generating over $325,000 in revenue;
• Developed a new draft logo for branding and communications;
• Contributed $3 million for a fund exclusively for the Civic Auditorium/Forum Theatre;
• Provided $290,236 in funding to the City’s Theatres Fund;
• Conducted 10 arts education programs from Sept. 24, 2018 to March 25, 2019;
• Reported an operational budget of $970,421 with $2.5 million in programming expenditures;
• Reported on two donor gifts of $250,000 each for the naming rights on the Artist Autograph Wall and for the History Wall; and
• Activities planned for the 25^th

Council on Aging Annual Report given to City Council

The Council on Aging report given by Chair Karen Gorback with plans  for 2019-20 to:

• Maintain an electronic Senior Services Directory – Conejo Connections;
• Identify problems and needs of senior citizens and provide education through public meetings, guest speakers, outreach, liaison assignments;
• Host “Senior of the Year” event;
• Participation in the California Master Plan for Aging in 2020; and
• Focus on topics such as reverse mortgages, transportation options, frauds and scams, and caregiving in the upcoming year.

Other News:

• A singing presentation of “Tonight” from “West Side Story” given by “Tony” and “Maria” to the City Council.  The performance  runs from July 26-August 4 at the Fred Kavil Theatre.
• Announcement of the 5 Star theatricals 2019-20 season: “The Music Man” (Oct. 18-27);

“Mama Mia!” (March 27-April 5, 2020); and “Newsies” (July 17-26).  The box office can be contacted at (800) 745-3000 or the website is 5StarTheatricals.com.

• Special presentation by Southern California Edison Government Relations Manager Rudy Gonzales on a Power Safety Power Shutdown with notification given beginning seven days prior to a shutdown with special personal contact made to medical critical care patients who survive on medical equipment.
• A report by the Manna Conejo Valley Food Bank (founded in 1971) which serves 1,400 people per month from the Calabasas Grade to the Conejo Grade with perishable food going to 7,500 families along with 40,000 pounds annually of fresh fruits, vegetables and bakery goods.
• A report that recommended amending Title 9 of the Municipal Code concerning the Rancho Conejo Industrial Park zone (north of Amgen and of Hillcrest Drive) that Thousand Oaks “shall continue to encourage light industries that are highly specialized, scientific or research-oriented” with emphasis on the growing bio-tech sector (which includes Amgen).  Motion passed 4-0.
• News from the California Issues Reform coalition organized by Mandy Jacob to fight 5G.
• Meeting adjourned in memory of Tim Hibbard, a Colina Middle School teacher, survived by a wife and three daughters. He died May 29.
• The City Council adjourns for summer with the next City Council meeting set August 27^th.

Michael Hernandez, Co-Founder of the Citizens Journal—Ventura County’s online news service, founder of History Makers International—a community nonprofit serving youth and families in Ventura County, is a former Southern California daily newspaper journalist and religion and news editor.  He has worked 25 years as a middle school teacher.   Mr. Hernandez can be contacted by email at [email protected].

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