Incumbent says he’s kept his promises
By John Loesing
Acorn Staff Writer

Todd Haines

Like most politicians, Todd Haines builds campaigns on promises.

Now running for a second term on the Oak Park Municipal Advisory Council, Haines said all of his promises have been kept, thanks to this work and the work of others on the MAC.

"When Congressman [Brad] Sherman was elected, I contacted him and said Oak Park had a wish list of two things, and that was a new ZIP code, which we got, a money for street repairs, and we got $600,000 from the federal government to fix essentially all the older streets in Oak Park," Haines said.

The community’s 91377 Zip code went into effect last year, and Haines promises to continue work on road improvements, especially on Lindero Canyon.

But the 37-year-old lawyer said now isn’t the time for the MAC to rest on its laurels. "I think the most important issue is to preserve that which we obtained with regard to services, the sheriff in particular," Haines said.

Until recently, one deputy from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department split his patrol duty among the communities of Oak Park, Lake Sherwood and Bell Canyon.

Haines lobbied for a full-time law enforcement officer and his efforts paid off. Oak Park received a deputy they could call their own.

Oak Park crimes dropped 28 percent in 1998.

With crime low and public services generally good, Oak Park residents see little need to incorporate as a city. Even though the community voted down cityhood in 1994, the issue returned at an Oak Park candidates’ forum last week.

"I personally do not see becoming incorporated," Haines said at the forum. "It would result in a raise in personal property taxes, about $200 per parcel.

"I’m also not a fan of government bureaucracy. Incorporation is not appropriate for Oak Park."

Haines attended the McGeorge School of Law and has a private practice in Encino.

He’s served as chairman of the MAC for two years.

"I took that as a pat on my back and a testament to the way I conducted myself on the council," Haines said.

Last year, Ventura County Supervisor Frank Schillo appointed Haines to a Contract Review Committee that oversees the county’s ambulance providers.

"We make sure they’re in compliance with their contracts, and if they are, we make a recommendation one way or the other to the Ventura County Board of Supervisors whether or not the option on their contract should be extended by a year," Haines said.

AMR, the ambulance company for Oak Park, came under fire in 1998 for not meeting a requirement specifying that providers must answer 90 percent of their emergency calls within 10 minutes. Following a report that said Oak Park’s service was suffering – only 81 percent of the calls were said to be on time – AMR promised to beef up its operations.

"Myself and several other members of the MAC got in the face of AMR to make them improve," Haines said.

AMR’s response time now averages 8 1/2 minutes, Haines said.

During his tenure, Oak Park kept a mostly unwanted Texaco gas station out of Oak Park and finalized plans to build a new library and community center.

Haines and his wife Nicole have three children: Kelsey, 6, Chad, 4, and Trent, 1. The Haines moved to Oak Park in 1992 and live in Morrison Estates.