Thousand Oaks · issues
Civic issues
Topics getting the most attention in Thousand Oaks public meetings, ranked by how frequently they come up.
FY 2026-27 Community Sports Grant program
The committee was scheduled to discuss the Community Sports Grant cycle for fiscal year 2026-27 and consider a recommendation to the City Council. These grants fund local sports and recreation programs, so the outcome affects which community groups receive city funding.
Amgen Center Specific Plan Height Increase (Ordinance 1751-NS)
Amgen wants to build a 377,256-square-foot, four-story research building on its campus as part of a $600 million investment in science and innovation. The commission recommended approving the permits and updating the 1994 Specific Plan to match the 2024 General Plan's 75-foot Industrial Flex height and a new way of counting floor area that excludes basements. The City Council makes the final call, with a hearing set for October 13.
Moorpark Road storm drain repair
Forecasters are warning of a potentially historic El Niño winter, and the city says it's ready: storm drains cleared, trees trimmed, sandbags stocked, and battery backups at every traffic signal. Residents are being asked to do their part now — sign up for VC Alert, prep their homes, and pick up free pre-filled sandbags before the rain starts.
Removal of mature Coast Live Oak at 192 Dale Avenue
A resident asked the city to warn permit applicants about nesting bird season (February–August) on tree work permits and offered to help with outreach, after her HOA's oak tree work threatened to overlap with nesting season.
Immigration Detentions in the 805
Roughly a dozen residents addressed the council about federal immigration enforcement, with speakers describing economic harm to businesses, family separations, and fears in the Latino community — while others defended the enforcement as lawful. Speakers asked the city to consider local action and documentation of ICE operations.
Short-Term Rental Nuisance Near Glenwood Park
Two neighbors again urged the council to regulate or ban Airbnbs, citing years of party houses, noise, and safety problems. They say surrounding cities have ordinances and want action.
Latigo Hillcrest project design modifications
The developer of the 333-unit Hillcrest project asked the city to approve ten cheaper design substitutions — vinyl windows, fewer awnings, less brick — to save about $4 million. The council refused, saying the 2023 deal promised residents a high-quality gateway project and reopening it would undermine trust in future development agreements.
Affordable housing impact fee exemption
A new ordinance would waive police facilities and traffic impact fees for projects that are 100% affordable and for-sale, making affordable homeownership projects easier to build. Introduced unanimously; final adoption still pending.
$2M Ventura County permanent supportive housing partnership
A 33-year resident asked for an update on permanent supportive housing since the $26 million Quality Inn project stalled amid fraud charges. The city manager confirmed no new permanent supportive housing is on the horizon, though Thrive Grove is placing people into housing.
Homelessness response and Thrive Grove Navigation Center
The 30-bed navigation center served 50 people in its first year and the city's unsheltered homeless count dropped 64% — the lowest since 2007. The main bottleneck is a lack of permanent supportive housing for participants with complex needs.
Police Drone as First Responder Program
The city is spending $701,000 to station six police drones on rooftops that can launch automatically to 911 calls, arriving before deputies. Supporters say it will cut response times and keep officers safer; critics want the written operating policies made public and vetted by the community before money is spent.
Protected oak tree in Westlake Arroyo System
A beetle that kills Coast Live Oaks within three to five years may have reached Thousand Oaks — rangers found telltale D-shaped exit holes in a downed tree, and the city has removed four suspect trees. Cal Fire will inspect on February 24, and agencies are coordinating monitoring and treatment.
Ranch Mobile Home Park rent increase
The park owner wants a $581.92 monthly rent increase per space for 73 spaces, but the city's consultant recommends a smaller, phased-in, space-specific adjustment. The hearing was pushed to October 12 so the applicant can review a new report and a proposed change to the commission's rent-adjustment rules.
Opportunity Zone 2.0 Nomination for Census Tract 71
The city is nominating its lowest-income census tract — along the Boulevard at the heart of downtown — for California's new Opportunity Zone 2.0 program. If selected, tax-advantaged investment could help fund affordable housing and redevelopment. It's just an application for now; the governor's office picks the winners.
E-Bike Safety and Juvenile Accountability
Illegal e-motorcycles have been damaging sports fields and trails, with safety complaints about young riders. Thousand Oaks police have ended their warning period and are now impounding bikes — four this week — and state legislation on out-of-class e-bikes may be coming.
Preferential permit parking ordinance update
The city wants to replace hang-tag parking permits with an online license-plate system across five districts serving 800+ households. Residents from Conejo Creek described chronic parking shortages, counterfeit permits, and unsafe corners; staff says the digital system will close those loopholes.
Simi Valley fire and emergency readiness
Opponents worried about evacuating during a Woolsey-style fire with more residents and full theaters. Staff, the EIR consultant, and the police chief said the project adds less than 1% to population, improves site access points, and the city is better prepared than in 2018.
Measure E and voter approval of the general plan amendment
Several speakers argued the project should go to a public vote under Measure E, the 1996 slow-growth initiative. Staff said the project is exempt because the land is city-owned surplus property, and the city attorney confirmed no vote is required.
State housing laws and local development pipeline
The city's annual report showed 340 units permitted in 2025 — its best first year of the housing cycle — with about 1,600 entitled units in the pipeline. Advocates pushed for more lower-income housing, and staff said the missing piece is a dedicated affordable housing funding stream.
Reduction of Miller Ranch buffer lot (Lot 15)
A Upper Ranch Road homeowner appealed the approval of a lot line adjustment that shifts about 1.36 acres of HOA buffer land to three residential lots, nearly eliminating the buffer along her property line. Neighbors say the buffer was promised in a 2013 mediated agreement; the city says that MOU is private and can't be considered.
Overdevelopment Concerns Raised in Public Comment
The project asks for buildings up to 95 feet, exceeding the 75-foot maximum the council adopted in the 2023 General Plan update. Commissioner Farris warned this sets a precedent other developers could exploit.
2025 Urban Water Management Plan Adoption
The city adopted its five-year update of the long-range water plan through 2050, plus a drought contingency plan. Water use is down about 40% since 2007, and supplies are projected to meet demand even in multi-year droughts — though the city remains 100% reliant on imported water.
Meeting Technology Disruption Policy (SB 707)
The council adopted a state-required policy for what happens if the meeting's phone or internet service goes down — recess up to an hour, try to fix it, then either adjourn, extend the recess, or continue with a finding. The council got a live demo when its own stream crashed earlier that evening.
297-unit mixed-use housing development at 195 East Hillcrest Drive
Two aging office buildings come down and a five-story, 297-unit apartment building goes up, with 25 deed-restricted affordable units and a remodeled 10,184-square-foot retail building. It's the kind of infill housing the city's updated general plan envisioned, though it required a tangle of state density bonus waivers that raised concerns about eroding local design standards.
Acceptance of 245-acre SDA open space dedication
COSCA is buying six small lots (0.46 acres) near South Ventu Park Road for $38,000 to fill a gap in its open space holdings. The steep, chaparral-covered land has no utilities and little development potential, but preserves habitat continuity.
Foxmoor Neighborhood Parking Hazards
A Foxmoor HOA board member says double-parked cars near Weathersfield Elementary and Westlake baseball fields create blind corners and an 'accident waiting to happen.' The city manager says police and public works are already working on enforcement.
Rancho Fuel Reduction Wildfire Project
Multiple speakers, some speaking as a wildfire burned in nearby Simi Valley, warned the project adds population to evacuation routes already projected to congest during a fast-moving fire. Staff and the EIR team said the site-specific analysis found a less-than-1% population increase with marginal evacuation impact.
November 3, 2026 General Municipal Election
Three council seats (Districts 1, 2, and 3) are on the November ballot. Nominations run July 13 to August 7, and the League of Women Voters may hold a televised candidate forum.
2026 CDBG Action Plan funding for low-income housing and services
About 2,000 housing units are in the pipeline, including 263 affordable, with roughly 750 more expected next year. Major projects like the Sanctuary (Timber School), TO Ranch (former Kmart), and Hillcrest sites are all moving through construction or permitting.
Crossing guard program outsourcing and cost savings
Conejo Elementary failed the city's pedestrian/vehicle count minimums for the second straight year, so its crossing guard at Conejo School Road & Los Feliz Drive will be removed for 2026-27. Commissioners questioned whether the fixed 20-pedestrian threshold disadvantages smaller schools, and an appeal process to City Council exists starting 14 days after this meeting.
Hillcrest Homes affordable for-sale project funding gap
The 78-unit affordable homeownership project faces a $4.7 million gap after costs rose to $51.2 million. The council authorized negotiating DDA amendments and drafting a citywide impact fee waiver for 100% affordable for-sale projects.
Woolsey Fire Recovery Fund invasive removal projects
The board committed up to $200,000 this year to remove 14 invasive species across 17 open space areas, the first project of this scale under the new plan. Many sites are mop-up operations building on years of prior work.
Invasive Plant Management Plan adoption
COSCA's first programmatic plan for fighting invasive plants across nearly 13,000 acres sets treatment priorities and methods, including limited targeted herbicide use. It also targets fire-prone species like fan palms and tumbleweed, tying habitat work to community fire safety.
Draft Active Transportation Plan Update
The city's new roadmap for bike lanes, sidewalks, and safer intersections — 36 bike corridors, 15 intersection projects, 24 miles of sidewalks. Most projects rely on grants or piggyback on street paving, so implementation will be gradual. Cyclists flagged the dangerous Hillcrest/Lynn Road intersection as the top priority.
ADU Ordinance Update for State Law Compliance
The council started adopting an updated accessory dwelling unit ordinance to satisfy state housing regulators — faster application processing, a formal appeal path, and revised junior ADU rules. ADUs now make up the vast majority of the city's new housing applications.
Municipal Service Center Electrification and Microgrid
The council approved a $14.9 million project adding EV chargers, batteries, generators and a microgrid at the city's public works hub, so city fleets and buildings run off-grid during power shutoffs and fires.
Lang Ranch Pump Station Backup Power
A new battery and generator backup will keep the pump station — serving over 10% of the city's water customers — running during power shutoffs, protecting water supply for homes and firefighters in a very high fire-risk zone.
Sale of former City Hall site to park district
The city is selling 62 acres at 401/403 West Hillcrest Drive — including the old City Hall and Fireworks Hill — to the park district for $30.4 million, with proceeds earmarked for the downtown project. The development agreement freezes current zoning for 30 years, and the park district plans community uses and park improvements rather than new development.
Redistricting
Get ready, Thousand Oaks! Your City Council district map just got a makeover. This means where you vote might change, so it's a good idea to check out the new boundaries before the next election.
Election System Change
Thousand Oaks is switching how it picks City Council members, moving from at-large elections to a district system. This means council members will represent specific neighborhoods instead of the whole city, potentially changing the political landscape.
Water Restrictions
Thousand Oaks and Camarillo are cracking down on water use, limiting outdoor watering to only once a week. Get ready to rethink your lawn care routine!