In State of the City address, mayor calls for volunteerism

WENDY PIERRO/Acorn Newspapers SHARING FACTS- Thousand Oaks Mayor Jacqui Irwin gets a standing ovation after speaking Tuesday at the Thousand Oaks State of the City address and luncheon at the Los Robles Greens Banquet Center. The city's new mayor, Tom Glancy, is on the left. Mayor Jacqui Irwin urged her audience to get involved in the community in her farewell speech at the State of the City address and luncheon on Tuesday. She spoke before about 240 people who attended the event at the Los Robles Greens Banquet Center.

"As my term as mayor concludes, I offer this parting call to action—get involved with your community—whether it's volunteering in your child's school, participating in a neighborhood association, coaching youth sports, working with a local nonprofit or becoming a Volunteer in Policing, seek to give back during this year of great need," she said.

She also warned the city to focus attention locally to bring in revenues to protect the services residents have come to expect. She suggested the city partner with local merchants and property owners along Thousand Oaks Boulevard to "bring forward a bold community vision."

She also said the city should look to creative funding options by partnering with the school and park districts.

Small businesses should be aggressively promoted with loans, revitalization programs and technical assistance, she said.

And she suggested streamlining the city's management of the cultural arts.

Irwin said she has actively protected the community's quality of life through focusing on public safety, youth, environment and more accountable government.

She said the city roads have been paved with 1.5 million recycled tires; traffic signals have been updated, with LED lights providing 90 percent energy savings; and city buses run on natural gas. In addition, she said, a $57,000 state grant allowed the city staff and 18 local high school students to plant 570 new trees, giving the city almost 9,000 new trees in 2008.

"Last year, Thousand Oaks was rated as the safest city with a population of over 100,000 in California and the second-safest city in the nation in that same category," Irwin said, referring to a report in Congressional Quarterly.

Police officers have been added to the high schools in a program she called a success.

The city has also been careful financially, and conservatively manages an investment portfolio of more than $270 million that, she said, isn't subject to fluctuations in the stock market.

Listening to Irwin speak were community leaders from the Ventura County Fire Department, Ventura County Sheriff's Department, Conejo Valley Unified School District board of education, Conejo Recreation and Park District board members, the mayors and some of the council members from Agoura Hills and Westlake Village, and business members from the Thousand Oaks-Westlake Village Regional Chamber of Commerce.

The Chamber presented the event, with Amgen and California Lutheran University as major sponsors.

Councilmember Dennis Gillette arrived at the luncheon wearing a bright red vest donned for an earlier engagement:

He'd read to the children at Weathersfield Elementary, an appointment he's kept every December for 21 years. Other Thousand Oaks City Council members who attended were the new mayor, Thomas Glancy, and Andy Fox. Councilmember Claudia Bill-de la Peña wasn't present.

City Manager Scott Mitnick and many members of the city staff were also in attendance, as was Jim Friedl, general manager of Conejo Recreation and Park District.

The mayor recognized each of the other council members and mentioned their accomplishments and the committees they serve on.

"Councilmember Dennis Gillette has lobbied diligently for our city's transportation issues. He has worked to ensure the 101 and 23 Freeway interchange improvements become a reality, and drivers silently thank him each day for the newly widened 23— or if they don't they should be silently thanking him," she said.

She also said that local dentist Glancy has served on the financial audit, Newbury Park noise mitigation and auto mall committees along with taking on other responsibilities. Firefighter Andy Fox has kept busy with fires and a Metrolink accident, but has still served on various committees.

Irwin said Bill-de la Peña stays busy as a journalist, a mother of twins and as a council member who serves the city on the intergovernmental relations and Newbury Park noise mitigation committees as well as on the Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency.