Westlake coping with new economic realities

Even Westlake Village, the pristine community with spacious homes and well-manicured parks, isn't immune to the economic malaise sweeping the region.

Mayor Philippa Klessig told a Nov. 19 meeting of the Thousand Oaks/Westlake Village Chamber of Commerce that a loss of taxes and other revenues due to the poor economy had lopped about 7 percent off the city's budget.

It's hardly the same deep hit taken by investors in the private sector, but a sure sign that even the strong among us are feeling the pinch.

"We're a bit cautious," Klessig warned Chamber members and other public officials.

Fortunately, the mayor said, Westlake Village has become less dependent on property tax revenue in recent years and more reliant on sales and hotel taxes. But as the consumerdriven economy continues to sputter, those revenue streams may decline also.

Even so, the Westlake reserve fund equals 75 percent of the city's operating budget, which is a sign of good economic health for any municpality, Klessig said.

Less than 5 percent of Westlake revenue comes from state sources, further insulating the city from the broader economic troubles, the mayor said.

Westlake Village was incorporated in 1981 and has 8,900 residents. It is one of the wealthiest per capita cities in California.

The mayor's briefing was held at city hall on Oak Crest Drive.

The Chamber of Commerce also heard from Capt. Tom Martin of the Lost Hills Sheriff's Department, who warned that a bad economy spurs more crime.

"Every time the economy falters we see crimes of opportunity pop up," Martin said. "We can expect that in our area as well."

He advised shoppers this holiday season not to use their automobiles to store items that thieves might want to steal.

And his advice to business owners: "Have a place where the women can securely store their purses."

"Business is the backbone of the community," Klessig said.

She said a study of the city's goals for the year 2015 was completed and the top two priorities were "a sense of community" and "a strong economy."

Westlake is trying to maintain both.

Also attending the briefing was Chief Joe Graham of the Los Angeles County Fire Department, who discussed the agency's new Wildland Fire Protection Initiative that was recently put into place.

Graham said the department rolled out five new fire engines that are better geared toward operating in hard to reach places, such as heavy mountain brush. One of the new Type 3 engines is housed at Station 125 in Westlake Village.