Supervisor Linda Parks moves out of city hall
By Nancy Needham  nancy@theacorn.com

Ventura County Supervisor Linda Parks has packed up her computers and is moving out of city hall. She'll work out of the fourth floor of the Hall of Administration at the Government Center in Ventura until her new Thousand Oaks Boulevard office is ready.

Parks hopes to be back in Thousand Oaks by the end of the summer. Once the city permit is issued for tenant improvements, it should take about a month to complete the leasehold improvements for her new office space, she said.

A crowded and unhealthy environment for city employees was cited as the main reason Parks' lease in city hall wasn't renewed.

City Manager Scott Mitnick said the space was needed for city workers who were forced to occupy space in storage rooms.

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

According to a city report, Thousand Oaks hasn't added employees since 1999.

Parks had asked to stay in city hall until her Thousand Oaks office was ready so she'd have only one move.

"The city offered to extend my lease, but it would have cost over $300 a day if my tenant improvements on my new place take a while, and with the city in control of permitting on those tenant improvements, I didn't want to risk the taxpayer's money on the permit process dragging out," Parks said.

Some business people and state Assemblymember Audra Strickland (R-Westlake Village) have offered Parks a place to meet with citizens in the Conejo Valley during the time she's in Ventura, the supervisor said.

A representative of Ventura County Veterans Services who operated in Parks' office on Wednesdays is hoping the city will provide a space for the group until the supervisor's office opens again in T.O., she said.

For about 12 years, a suite leased by the county provided space 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 occupied the office for several terms.

Parks' temporary address is 800 S. Victoria Ave.

Her phone number, (805) 373-2564, stays the same.

Her new local office will be at 2967 Thousand Oaks Blvd. The office at city hall was about 1,800 square feet, and the new location will be about 1,700 square feet, including a restroom area, which reduces the actual office space, Parks said.

She paid $1.71 per square foot to the city for rent but will pay $2.30 per square foot to her new landlord.

She said she loves her new place--and not just because it will be next to a French pastry shop. It's just 100 feet from a bus stop and has great parking and handicap access, Parks said.