Oak Park says 'no city, no problem'

With scenic vistas, ample park land, a nationally recognized school district and million dollar homes, Oak Park definitely seems to have it all. Yet still, something is missing.

There is no charter or government. And there is no city.

The woodsy name "Oak Park" seems to imply there is a town somewhere here, but Oak Park is an unincorporated collection of neighborhoods, not a municipality.

For those not up on their civics, an unincorporated area is a region that doesn't have a municipal corporation (city government) and is controlled by a larger territorial organization such as a county or a state.

Oak Park's administration is the responsibility of Ventura County. The area is part of the county board of supervisors' 2nd District and Linda Parks is its supervisor.

Oak Park is not alone in its lack of cityhood. Many areas in the southwest and southeastern regions of the United States choose not to draft city charters. The reason is economics. Incorporated municipalities have city governments that cost money, and taxes must be raised. But sometimes the tax base is not large enough to support the formation of a city.

In fact, city governments that are burdened with economic troubles sometimes dissolve their incorporation and relinquish power to the county.

In the case of Oak Park, the lack of cityhood is due to the absence of a sufficient commercial tax base and to resident preference.

Back in time

Prior to the introduction of the area's mansions and six-figure incomes, Oak Park was ranch land owned by Jim and Marian Jordan, of "Fibber McGee and Molly" fame. The land was purchased by the Metropolitan Development Corp. during the 1940s and '50s with the intent of constructing planned neighborhoods.

By 1967, Kanan Road, which originally ended at Hillrise Drive, had been extended to Smoketree Avenue and the first housing tracts were laid out. For $27,000 to $29,000, people were invited to purchase a home nestled in the "scenic grandeur of early California," according to original promotional pamphlets.

Oak Park offered residents a simple, bucolic life close to the city. Because Kanan Road was the only route in and out of the area, the community was isolated from the rest of Ventura County. This remoteness led to stagnant housing prices and long waits for police, fire and ambulance services, which came from Thousand Oaks.

Also, Oak Park was viewed with some disdain by its haughty neighbor to the south, L.A. County's Agoura Hills. The Angelinos viewed the Venturans as lower class, and in what may preceived as a snub, Los Angeles County refused to annex the area in a proposed land swap.

During the 1970s, the future of Oak Park remained uncertain. Residents were asked to vote on whether they wanted to form a city, to be annexed into Thousand Oaks or to remain unincorporated.

"Incorporating ourselves would have meant higher taxes, which people were reticent to (do), and we were also wary of being annexed by Thousand Oaks because we didn't want a big brother looking down on us," said Harvey Kern, editor of the Oak Park Update website and a longtime Oak Park resident.

So, Oak Park remained unincorporated. Issues that arose were dealt with by the Oak Park Civic Association, a dues-collecting, privatebenefit nonprofit corporation.

"Membership (in the OPCA) was open to all Oak Park residents, not merely homeowners," said Dan Ross, another longtime resident. "To join, a resident filled out an information sheet and paid a year's dues, which wasn't a great amount."

MAC to the rescue

At the behest of the OPCA, Ross said, county Supervisor Ed Shiloh allowed the community to hold elections for a Municipal Advisory Council, or MAC.

In 1975, Oak Park formed its first such council. The MAC's five members were able to persuade Ventura County supervisors to limit the original proposal for 20,000 houses in Oak Park to 5,000, which is the current level.

The advisory council still handles the needs of Oak Park residents. While most meetings are dedicated to topics such as suitable parking spots for oversized vehicles, the council does serve as a conduit between the residents and the county board of supervisors.

The MAC recently helped establish an Oak Park Fire Council to enforce fire safety regulations. It also has performed other important duties, such as monitoring ambulence response time in the community

Even though the MAC is the designated representative body of Oak Park and has the power to endorse propositions, it is only able to make recommendations to the board of supervisors and holds no real policy-making power.

"It is an excellent communication tool," Kern said. "Our current supervisor responds well to our needs."

While the county does its best to pay attention to the needs of Oak Park, there is no guarantee that future supervisors will remain responsive to the community, Kern said.

"If degradation took place without response, it would be favorable to incorporate Oak Park, but the financial issue would be troubling," Kern said.

Brought to you by . . .

Some areas have come up with innovative ways to overcome their financial limitations.

Across the nation, large corporations are offering small cities perks for changing their names to reflect corporate logos. All 55 homes in Clark, Texas were given free satellite TV by EchoStar Communications Corp., operators of DISH Network, after the city changed its name to DISH, Texas.

Ferrari, California definitely has a nice ring to it, but Oak Park won't be able to change its name and accept an endorsement unless it first incorporates. Private sponsorship to pay for the incorporation of Oak Park isn't out of the question, but until that time comes, the community remains proof that sometimes the best government is the one that governs the least.