Candidates to square off in forums
By Nancy Needham

Voters so far have two opportunities to get to know the Thousand Oaks City Council candidates before the Nov. 7 election, and another forum is in the works.

The Westlake Joint Board of Homeowners Association and the Thousand Oaks/Westlake Village Regional Chamber of Commerce have each scheduled forums. The Conejo Unit of the Ventura County League of Women Voters also hopes to host a forum, and its fate will be decided when the city council votes at the Tues., Sept. 12 meeting.

The Westlake Joint Board of Homeowners Associations will host council candidates at 7:30 p.m. Thurs., Sept. 28 at the North Ranch Community Center, 1400 N. Westlake Blvd. in the Westlake Village portion of T.O.

Candidates will speak and answer questions. The public is welcome. For more information, call (818) 591-9094.

The Thousand Oaks/Westlake Village Regional Chamber of Commerce will also host a candidates' forum for the council race. The chamber's event will be from 7 to 9 p.m. Thurs., Oct. 5 at Los Robles Greens Banquet Center, 299 S. Moorpark Road. The public is invited. For additional information, call (805) 370-0035.

All nine candidates have been invited by the chamber to open their presentations with a twominute statement and provide a three-minute closing statement. The chamber will provide prepared questions on issues that concern the community and businesses, said Jan Smith, of chamber government relations.

The League of Women Voters also hopes to provide a candidates' forum from 6 to 8 p.m. on Wed., Oct. 18. The league plans to ask the city council to give its approval to hold the event at the Civic Arts Plaza, and arrange for it to be televised by Time Warner, said Dot Engel, Conejo Unit director of the League of Women Voters.

"It's the best way to reach the most people and to let people know what the candidates stand for-it gives a chance for the candidates to be seen and heard," said Engel.