Councilmember David NewmanThousand Oaks Development Activity Report for April 2026
#thousandoaks #conejovalley #tocc
https://toaks.gov/corecode/storage/uber_resource/uploaded_pdfs/2026-04%20DAR_1779236489.pdf
Fun time this afternoon with students from EP Foster School touring the Chumash Indian Museum in Lang Ranch and learning about 15,000+ years of history in our area.
Photo 2: The kids and I learned about building a tomol (canoe) out of redwood, thread, and tar.
Photo 3: I had no idea there are caves in Lang Ranch, let alone pictograms on the cave walls. This is a reproduction, but it shows actual drawings from caves in Oakbrook Park and surrounding areas.
Photo 1: The kids and I made cool abalone necklaces from shells and beads in red, white, yellow, and black – th primary colors found in many Chumash pictographs and other art.
The Chumash Museum will reopen to the public June 6, and needs volunteers! Contact [email protected] for details.
#chumash #chumashmuseum #langranch #thousandoaks #conejovalley #tocc
Sandy Fire update, May 20 0800: The fire remains at 1,698 acres with 15% containment. Fire activity again diminished overnight. However light offshore winds are expected through the morning before switching to onshore flow through the remainder of the day. There are no current evacuation zones in Thousand Oaks, but 16 areas in and around Simi Valley remain under evacuation orders. More info at vcemergency.gov. Be aware conditions can change fast, and stay safe!
#CAwx #wildfires #thousandoaks #conejovalley #simivalley #tocc
Sandy Fire update, May 19, 0815: Overnight, first responders lifted evacuation warnings for northeast Thousand Oaks. However, the forecast calls for Santa Ana winds to pick up again starting around 10 am. Follow vcemergency.com for more updates. Have a go bag ready, and be safe!
#cawx #wildfires #simivalley #thousandoaks #conejovalley #tocc
The Sandy Fire now burning in Simi Valley has trigged an evacuation warning in northeast areas of Thousand Oaks, including the Lang Ranch and Sunset Hills neighborhoods. Have a go bag ready.
Learn more at vcemergency.com (where you can sign up for alerts) and using the Watch Duty app. Stay safe!
#vcoes #Wildfire #thousandoaks #simivalley #conejovalley #tocc #cawx
Every few years starting in 1968, the city has conducted a Community Attitude Survey. The City Council heard the results of the 2026 survey in its meeting Tuesday. Full survey results are now available on the city website (link in comments).
Many of us feel fortunate to live where we do, something reflected in the survey results. Ninety-one percent of respondents say their quality of life here is excellent or good. This is similar to the result in the 2023 survey.
There is remarkably little change in the services residents like year after year: Safe streets, abundant parks and open space, and excellent public schools consistently finish at or near the top of survey results each time (Table 2). Moreover, residents generally satisfied with the way the city provides these services (Table 3), with scores in several areas improving since the 2023 survey.
One significant change from even a few years ago is that many residents want the city to address homelessness, and appreciate the steps the city is taking. With the opening of the Thrive Grove temporary shelter last year, unsheltered homelessness dropped 46% in 2025, and the number of encampments is currently at zero.
This survey was based on 1,071 random phone and online interviews, with a margin of error of +/- 3% at a 95% confidence interval. In addition to this statistically valid survey, all residents also had the opportunity to weigh in with individual responses. The city's website links to both sets of responses.
In Sacramento for the annual League of California Cities City Leaders Summit conference. Thursday was packed with educational sessions on water supplies; misinformation about public agencies; uncertainty in state and federal budgeting; and the role grants play in economic development.
The day’s highlight was a forum featuring three of the candidates vying to be California’s next governor: Tony Thurmond, Antonio Villaraigosa, and Xavier Becerra. The League invited 10 leading Democratic and Republican candidates to attend, but these are the three who accepted the invitation.
Prior to the conference, Mayor Taylor and I had a busy day Wednesday meeting with elected leaders and agency officials. We met with:
- Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin to discuss various new bills, including one from Assemblymember Buffy Wicks that may make it easier to build more condominiums.
- Officials from the California Department of Insurance and California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) on how best to insure residents can keep their fire insurance.
Quote of the day from the insurance commissioner’s office: “We don’t regulate underwriting; we regulate rates,” meaning it’s really up to the insurance companies whether to continue coverage. The state does maintain a list of tips on finding residential coverage: https://lnkd.in/g8mHR7nv
The news was somewhat more positive from Cal Fire. A recent update to draft Zone Zero regulations improves on previous versions in two ways, allowing for some regional variation in clearance mandates and no longer taking an all-or-nothing approach to vegetation. This is important because the right type and placement of vegetation can help slow the spread of wildfires.
Here’s a link to the latest draft Zone Zero regulations:
- Assemblymember Steve Bennett to discuss AB 1873 on backup capability and other resiliency requirements for water systems.
- Senator Henry Stern’s staff discussed housing initiatives and economic development zones
- We thanked Assemblymember Isaac Bryan for AB 1349, a bill that cracks down on websites using unauthorized names to sell tickets. Given that there are more than 330 shows each year at the Bank of America Performing Arts Center, Thousand Oaks, it’s important to ensure the tickets come from, and only from, legitimate sources.
Reposted from @cityofthousandoaks: The City of Thousand Oaks is seeking applicants for 8 scheduled vacancies on Youth Commission. The Youth Commission serves as City ambassadors, representing the matters concerning the City’s youth. 🌳
✨ Application Period: March 24 - April 23, 2026
✨ Members must be City residents ages 13-18 and currently in 8th - 10th grade to apply for a two-year term
To learn more and apply, visit toaks.gov/boards
#youth #studentgovernment #youthingovernment #civicengagement #thousandoaks #tocc
Last night the City Council voted 5-0 to modernize permitting for production crews shooting movie, TV, and streaming productions within city limits. The updated rules better reflect current production realities, and will make it easier to produce movie and TV content here.
Thousand Oaks has a long history of movie and TV shoots, including the classic Spartacus (1960), directed by Stanley Kubrick. He filmed the famous “I am Spartacus” scene in Wildwood Park, and the movie contains many long shots showing Thousand Oaks landmarks.
#movies #tvproduction #movieproduction #locationshoot #thousandoaks #tocc
Every March, the City Council reviews our progress on housing. This year’s annual report brings a mix of significant wins and a clear-eyed look at the challenges still ahead.
After years of sluggish growth – where most new housing was small backyard cottages (ADUs) – we saw a massive jump in 2025. New units under construction increased more than fourfold compared to the previous year.
* 2024: 82 units started
* 2025: 340 units started
A major driver of this growth is the Timber School project at Newbury and Kelly Roads, construction of which is now under way.
The momentum isn't slowing down. We expect construction numbers to climb even higher next year. Three major projects – TO Ranch, Oakwell, and the 500 East T.O. Blvd. project – represent nearly 1,100 new units. This will go a long way toward clearing the city’s backlog of around 1,600 already entitled units. [1] [2]
Also, for the first time since 2021, developers broke ground on designated affordable units. This includes 26 "low-income" units and one "very low-income" unit.
What does “low income" actually mean? It’s many in our local workforce, not those in dire poverty. In Ventura County, a family of four earning almost $120,000 is considered low-income. In Thousand Oaks, the threshold is likely even higher.
While this progress is encouraging, we still have a steep hill to climb. To meet our state-mandated goals by 2029, we still need to build over 1,100 more units for low- and very-low-income residents.
While increasing the supply of homes is vital, "more housing" doesn't automatically mean "affordable housing." I believe it’s a mistake to view housing affordability only in simple supply-and-demand terms. More supply is necessary, but it’s only one piece of the puzzle.
As Professor Jamshid Damooei of CLU recently noted, we must also address stagnant wages and financial systems that make it harder for young families and seniors to stay in our community. [3]
Building more is a start, but we must ensure we are building the right kind of housing to keep Thousand Oaks a vibrant, livable place for everyone.
#housing #affordablehousing #thousandoaks #conejovalley #venturacounty #tocc
