Janet Wall City Council Candidate Janet Wall said her No. 1 goal is to en- sure that the City Council treats all citizens and other council members with the utmost respect.

"Frequently people are labeled NIMBYs (Not In My Backyard) or otherwise categorized so that their concerns and complaints are downplayed. I think listening to residents is a key element to fair representation of the people," Wall said.

She also encourages everyone to take part in decisions that af- fect their lifestyle and neighbor- hood, she said.

As a matter of fact, that's how she became involved in public service in Thousand Oaks.

Wall, planning commission chairperson, is a 33-year resident who became involved when she saw developers building on prop- erty next to her home and realized they were cutting down oak trees that were to be transplanted and bulldozing streambeds that weren't supposed to be disturbed.

"Nobody seemed to be watch- ing," Wall recalled.

The lack of respect often dem- onstrated by one council member in regard ro another has also con- cerned her over the years, she said.

"I've watched many meetings where council members treat other council members in a less than exemplary manner, either by ignoring them or by making un- necessary negative remarks," Wall said. "This type of behavior needs to end."

According to Wall, her second goal is to protect the environment, including ridgelines, oak trees and wetlands.

"Protection of the environ- ment is part of the Conservation Element of the General Plan and it is important not only for the people who live in T.O. today but for future residents as well," Wall said.

Wall and her husband, James, have two daughters, Megan, 22, and Jessica, 19, both of whom went through Conejo Valley Uni- fied School District. Megan, who is looking toward medical school one day, is now studying in Aus- tralia as a foreign exchange stu- dent through UC Berkley. Jessica is a sophomore at UC San Diego and is following in her mother's footsteps by studying environ- mental policy.

The environment is Wall's passion, but she's aware of prob- lems in the city that need atten- tion too, she said.

"The third most important thing I think is maintaining our development standards," Wall said.

She's concerned about higher buildings being built on Thousand Oaks Boulevard that will stand up against the freeway, Wall said.

"There are upcoming hearings that will seek to allow exceptions to the municipal code for build- ing heights, separations between properties and buildings, parking spaces required for new commer- cial space and for building into steep hillsides and other terrain that has been traditionally labeled 'unbuildable,'" Wall said.

Bigger does not necessarily mean better, Wall said.

In general, Wall said, "I'm not in favor of exceptions to the mu- nicipal code building standards,"

Other concerns she has in- clude high-density development that would cause more traffic, noise and pollution, she said. Tak- ing single-family residential prop- erties, tearing down one residence and putting nine units on two- thirds of an acre without address- ing concerns such as narrow roads and not enough parking creates problems.

Shared parking that allows shopping centers to come in with fewer parking spaces under the theory that businesses operating

with different hours will share parking isn't a good idea, Wall said.

"People fighting over parking spaces is not a good environ- ment," Wall said.

As she looks to the future of Thousand Oaks, Wall said, she'd like to see the city adopt more green policies and be more pro- active in promoting energy-sav- ing devices such as solar homes and new technology for water sys- tems.

"This may be a little more ex- pensive up front, but it saves down the road and saves re- sources for the next generation," Wall said.