Meeting is a first for the community

For the first time in its more than 100-year history, the Ventura County Board of Supervisors conducted one of its meetings in Oak Park.

District 2 Supervisor Linda Parks, who guides county policy for residents in Oak Park, Westlake Village, Thousand Oaks, Newbury Park and Lake Sherwood, arranged for the meeting to be held at Oak Park High School on Oct. 13. Several community leaders spoke to the board and provided a snapshot of what Oak Park’s 16,000 residents have to offer

Tony Knight, superintendent of Oak Park Unified School District, gave the first of several presentations about how the community shines and also the challenges it faces. Knight reminisced about attending the Santa Cruz field trip with a fifth grade class earlier in the month to demonstrate the school district’s commitment to science and the environment. And he explained that the new Oak Park High School parking lot has a filtration system that sends storm water back into the water table rather than allowing pollutants to run off into the streams and ocean.

Jan Iceland, president of the Oak Park Unified School District Board of Education, touted the district’s high Academic Performance Index scores. The district this year earned the top ranking in Ventura County.

Iceland said Oak Park was one of only 41 school districts in the county to win a $580,000 federal grant for its expanded Chinese foreign language program.

Michael Green, a member of the Oak Park Municipal Advisory Council, gave the supervisors information about local projects such as bike path repairs, the new Splash Pad at Oak Canyon Community Park and the recent relocation of the community archery range.

Janna Orkney, a member of the Triunfo Sanitation District, explained how her agency partners with the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District and said Triunfo has been a “pioneer” in recycling.

Capt. Cliff Williams of the California Highway Patrol discussed traffic and law enforcement in Oak Park. Williams provided statistics from 2004 to the present regarding Oak Park’s vehicle accidents and crime rate.

Five years ago the CHP responded to 49 crashes in Oak Park. The following year only 24 crashes were reported. So far this year there have been 32 collisions in Oak Park. Medea Creek Middle School tops the list of traffic complaints, Williams said.

According to the Sheriff Department, incidents of car vandalism are on the rise. Williams said criminals also walk from house to house checking for unlocked doors and windows. Although Oak Park is realitively immune to violent crime, violations of the social host ordinance have increased. Parents often turn a “blind eye” to their children’s use of drugs and alcohol, Williams said.