The Year in Review
Progress made on many fronts, but some issues still divide
A smoking ban aimed at Calabasas apartment dwellers, the approval of a controversial private school near Agoura Hills, and a contentious election for Westlake Village City Council topped the list of stories making headlines in The Acorn this year.

JOHN LOESING/Acorn Newspapers SIGN OF THE TIMES- For sale signs in local neighborhoods stayed up weeks, months at a time as the real estate market plummeted in 2007. Home values in 2008 remain on shaky ground.

The top story of 2007: Drivers welcomed the opening of the new Kanan Road/101 Freeway interchange, a project that cost $25 million and took almost 10 years from start to finish.

Agoura Hills

Heschel West Day School, a private Jewish school proposed next to Old Agoura in an unincorporated area of Los Angeles County, received approval in November by the county board of supervisors. Old Agoura residents and city officials opposed the project, alleging safety issues, fiscal impacts and incompatibility with the neighborhood.

In July, another development bordering Agoura Hills received approval by county officials. But a lawsuit was immediately filed to stop Triangle Ranch, a proposed development of 61 custom homes in the hills south of the city.

The year began with an announcement that the landmark Whizin's Shopping Center had been sold, marking the end of an era for the Whizin family and the city of Agoura Hills. Bruce Whizin sold the property to Tucker Investment Group of Calabasas for $26.2 million.

2007 marked the Silver Anniversary of Agoura Hills. Special events were held all year, culminating with a party Dec. 8 at The Canyon.

Calabasas

The city began the year in grand style by breaking ground on its new $31million civic center and library. Built on 7.7 acres next to The Commons, the civic center will be finished by mid-2008.

In February, the Calabasas City Council voted to ban polystyrene food packaging throughout the city.

The new ordinance ordered food service businesses to use environmentally acceptable packaging materials instead of polystyrene, also known by its brand name, Styrofoam. The decision was strongly criticized by grocery stores but supported by the city's environmental commission and residents.

In March, incumbents Barry Groveman and Dennis Washburn were reelected to the City Council, together claiming a near-70 percent of the vote.

The year also saw major headway made toward the writing of the city's General Plan, the official document covering land use and development, housing, infrastructure planning and environmental protection through 2030.

By the end of the year the city had all but approved an expansion of its smoking ordinance to include apartment complexes. The first of two readings of the amended ordinance were held this month; with little criticism, it looks to be adopted in January.

The new ordinance would require that at least 80 percent of apartment complexes be permanently designated as nonsmoking units by Jan. 1, 2012.

Westlake Village

Newcomer Ned Davis stole the show by earning the highest number of votes and winning election to the City Council in November. Incumbent Philippa Klessig returned to the council, despite heavy flak from challenger Carol Kirschbaum in a race that centered around the planned development of a business park near Costco.

Davis replaced Jim Bruno, who resigned from the panel in the wake of a controversial vote to turn away a Lowe's home improvement store at the site.

Bickering remained over whether the council punished Bruno by passing him over as mayor when the year 2007 began. Klessig is the new mayor.

Longtime Westlake Village resident Berniece Bennett, known as the Mother of Westlake for her active role in incorporating the city, passed away in November following a battle with cancer. A member of the city council for 14 years, longer than any other member, Bennett served three terms as mayor and had a city park named after her.

In October, Triunfo YMCA finally received the green light to build a new facility north of Thousand Oaks Boulevard between Via Colinas and La Baya.

The 30-acre project, which will include a city-run sports park with soccer, baseball, volleyball, skateboard, hockey and running facilities, was made possible by a creative threeway land swap involving Westlake Village, the YMCA and the Canyon Oaks Homeowners Association.

Las Virgenes Unified

The Las Virgenes Unified School District made news when it bought out the final year of Superintendent Sandra Smyser's contract and named longtime deputy Donald Zimring to the top district post.

The Las Virgenes Community Learning Center, initially proposed as a charter school by two area residents, opened under the umbrella of alternative education. The move to keep the elementary school under the auspices of the district was done as a cost-saving measure.

In the final weeks of the 200607 school year the new Yerba Buena Elementary School between Agoura Hills and Westlake Village was opened to students.

Measure E, the district's $98per-year parcel tax, was renewed by voters in November for eight years. The tax generates an annual $2 million for Las Virgenes schools. Oak Park School District

After serving 20 years on the Oak Park Unified School District Board of Education, Jim Kalember resigned in the fall to pursue his longtime dream of teaching on an Arizona Indian reservation. The board chose stay-at-home mom Barbara Laifman to replace Kalember for the remaining year of his four-year term.

Last summer, Oak Park schools welcomed a host of new technology upgrades to replace outdated equipment. Interactive white boards, a new computer lab at Medea Creek Middle School and updated servers and software were installed. Still to come are mobile computer labs and wireless technology. The improvements were made possible by the $17.5-million C6 bond measure passed by voters in 2006.

In April, the school board indicated its satisfaction with Superintendent Tony Knight by renewing his contract for another four years. Knight, who has been with the Oak Park district for 25 years, was named superintendent in 2005.

Las Virgenes Water District

After years of debate, the Triunfo Sanitation District finally chose a site to build a larger, more modern water tank in Oak Park.

The new tank will replace the aging facility on Conifer and will be double the size. But the new tank- to be located in the hills above Oak Canyon Park- continued to stir controversy as nearby residents objected to its proximity.

The Las Virgenes Municipal Water District, a joint venture partner with Triunfo, began raising potable water and sewer rates over a five-year period starting Nov. 1. Sewer charges for single-family dwellings will rise about 47 percent during the first year and will double by year five. Facing diminishing supplies due to drought conditions and state regulations, the water district in December began calling for mandatory cutbacks in potable water consumption.

Stephanie Bertholdo, Joann Groff, Sophia Fischer and John Loesing contributed to this story.