Parks loses her lease at city hall
Some suggest the action was politically motivated
By Nancy Needham nancy@theacorn.com

A crowded and unhealthy environment for city employees was cited as the principal reason that Ventura County Supervisor Linda Parks' office lease wasn't renewed at city hall. The issue was on the agenda at Tuesday night's council meeting.

Only one council member voted in favor of Claudia Bill-de la Peña's motion to renew Parks' lease at city hall for 1,700 square feet of office space.

Three others voted against it, and Councilmember Dennis Gillette was absent.

For about 12 years, a suite has been leased by the county, providing access to the District 2 supervisor who serves Thousand Oaks, Newbury Park and Westlake Village, among other areas.

Before Parks succeeded him, former supervisor Frank Schillo leased the space for several terms.

Before the county's lease was up in January, City Manager Scott Mitnick informed the county that the space was needed for city employees, he said.

"We have staff who are occupying office space in storage rooms, and we have storage that is illegally contained in air handling rooms and other rooms- for years we've been struggling with this," Mitnick said. "As the city manager, I have an obligation to remedy this."

Mayor Pro Tem Jacqui Irwin said she had a cordial relationship with Parks, but was aware of what she called "terribly cramped" office space for some of the city's employees.

"I am frankly concerned about their health," Irwin said.

Mitnick, Mayor Andy Fox and Irwin all agreed city hall was never intended to be a regional government center.

"We do not owe the county office space," Irwin said. "They did not financially support us in this building. We do, however, owe our staff appropriately healthy working spaces," she said.

Some suggested the action was politically motivated because Parks often disagreed with council members who still serve the city.

"This is absolutely not a political issue- it's an issue of taking care of the city's needs and employee needs first," Irwin said.

When the new building first opened, the city sought tenants to fill empty space, Fox said, but with the understanding that Thousand Oaks would grow and eventually need it back.

Bill-de la Peña said existing space was being used by the city employees' private credit union. That space, she said, could be an option for expansion when its lease was up. Alliance for the Arts and New West Symphony also lease space in city hall that could go back for city staff, she said. Parks had allowed space in her office to be used for the American Red Cross, Bill-de la Peña said. And Conejo Valley veterans meet weekly with veteran services representatives in the supervisor's office.

Mitnick said other county supervisors use county facilities or private offices. There are no county facilities provided by the county in the Thousand Oaks area except for fire and police stations that the city pays for, he said.

There are many options for office space in Thousand Oaks, Fox said. Whether or not the supervisor stays in T.O. or not is a county decision, Fox said, not a city one.