By Sophia Fischer sfischer@theacorn.com

The price of butter was big news in The Acorn this week in 1975.

A regular meeting of the Agoura Valley Chamber of Commerce turned into a rallying cry against state regulation of dairy product prices.

The issue arose after Vance Moran, owner of Whizin’s Market, was threatened with jail or a $1.3 million fine for selling butter too cheaply.

The California Bureau of Milk Marketing Enforcement had visited Whizin’s Market in response to a local competitor’s complaint that Moran had underpriced butter at 59 cents a pound.

The bureau ordered Moran to stop selling butter at that price or risk jail time or a fine. The three cents profit he was earning on each pound of butter, it said, was not enough to comply with state law.

Moran decided to go public with the issue at the Chamber meeting after the bureau told him charges would be dropped if he never put any other bureau-controlled products up for similar sale.

Moran felt it was ethically wrong for the state to keep dairy product prices higher than they should be.

According to Moran, state law passed in 1937 set minimum prices for milk, butter and other dairy items, translating into big profits for the dairy industry and for grocers.

He admitted to earning a $40,000 profit from one-half cent per half gallon of milk, butter and other dairy items, and from kick backs from milk producers. His total dairy product sales were $170,000 annually.

According to The Acorn article, "Vance stated there was no other product line like this for sale in any market which could yield such a high percentage of profit."

Instead of state regulation, Moran suggested that fair competition could cut at least $25,000 from the retail cost of dairy products at Whizin’s Market alone, money that shoppers could use for other products.

The Chamber agreed to look into the issue and possibly enlist residents and shoppers in a grassroots effort to change state dairy regulation.

In other news that week, an Whizin’s Restaurant employee caught stealing money was ordered by a judge to return to work.

Owner Art Whizin offered to have the unidentified young man come back to work to repay the stolen funds. He felt it would allow the employee to learn a lesson by "putting right something he regretted doing wrong." The employee worked two days and his regular wages were donated to a charity.

The idea for a "Miss Agoura" contest was approved during a meeting of the local Kiwanis Club, which also marked its 60th anniversary this week.

The Acorn will be taking a look back at its first year’s issues over the next 12 months, giving an historical perspective on "30 Years Ago in The Acorn." If you have memories to share from that time period, please send your submission to Sophia Fischer at sfischer2@yahoo.com or fax to (818) 706-8733.