Voters say no to Measure B in Thousand Oaks

To Measure B or not to Measure B. That was the question before Thousand Oaks voters during Tuesday's election.

In the final results, 12,548 voters- - 56.5 percent- rejected the controversial landuse/traffic initiative on the Thousand Oaks ballot after $1.5 million was spent during months of divisive campaigning. There were 9,678- 43.5 percent- who voted in favor.

There are 72,823 registered voters in Thousand Oaks, according to Deputy County Clerk Olivia Lopez. The 22,226 who voted make up 30.5 percent of the city's registered voters.

The initiative would have affected the way large development projects were approved. Two methods of traffic analysis would have been used to determine if the development would produce traffic congestion at nearby intersections before traffic improvements were made by the city or developer. If the analysis found that traffic would go below a certain level of service before mitigation, that would trigger an election requiring voters and the City Council to approve or reject the project.

Doit Center funded the Measure B initiative. Home Depot, which has proposed opening a new store at the old Kmart on Hampshire Road less than two miles from the Doit Center on T.O. Boulevard, led the opposition.

People on both sides were passionate about the issue. Mailboxes were filled with mailers for and against Measure B; recorded messages were left on telephone answering machines; signs were posted; people stood on corners waving banners; and a flood of letters were sent to newspapers.

Ventura County Supervisor Linda Parks, who supported the measure, said she wished it had included exemptions for hospitals, schools and affordable housing and said she thought, if it had, the measure would have passed.

"I still feel strongly we need to address the issue of traffic," Parks said.

Former City Manager Grant Brimhall was pleased with the election results. He spoke out against Measure B, saying proponents had used deceptive tactics to collect signatures to get it on the ballot, falsely saying the petition was to save open space.

He offered praise to those he called the bright constituents of Thousand Oaks for their support of competition, free enterprise and understanding that the city needs revitalization.