Monahan, 3 Newcomers Elected in Ventura

Capping 10 months of intense politicking that deeply divided the community, Thousand Oaks voters made their choice Tuesday in Councilwoman Elois Zeanah’s recall election, as well as their school district’s request for the largest school bond measure in county history.

Moorpark voters also cast ballots Tuesday, rejecting a proposed assessment district to help pay for park maintenance and a $16.2-million school bond measure for city schools.

But with results still trickling in, many ballots were left uncounted, making it impossible to determine winners in Thousand Oaks.

Early unofficial returns showed Zeanah leading in the battle to keep her council seat while the Thousand Oaks school bond measure was falling short of the necessary two-thirds majority.

“I didn’t think I’d be this far ahead this soon,” Zeanah said Tuesday night from a party in her honor. “My supporters are more hopeful than I am, but let’s just hope it holds.”

The final unofficial vote in Moorpark for Measure P, the parks maintenance tax, was 2,004, or 54.5%, in support and 1,676, or 45.5%, in opposition. The tally for Measure U, the school bond, was 2,483, or 65.2%, in support and 1,328, or 34.8% in opposition. Both needed a 66.6% majority for approval.

Of Moorpark’s 15,321 registered voters, 23.9% cast ballots on the school bond measure, while 24.1% voted on the park tax--a relatively low turnout even for an off-year election.

“I do think it was bad timing,” said former Moorpark Councilwoman Eloise Brown, who is also a member of the Ventura County Alliance of Taxpayers. “You’re asking people for more money right after their tax bills.”

People are saying, “Don’t spend our money, use it wisely,” she said. Efforts to recall Zeanah dominated the election season, with hundreds of thousands spent on fliers, television commercials and radio and newspaper ads.

Arguing the second-term councilwoman cost the city millions with irresponsible decisions and made reckless accusations about honest bureaucrats, the Yes! Remove Elois Zeanah committee spent more than $288,000 to oust her from office. Most of that money--about $240,000--came from a single donor: Domino’s Pizza entrepreneur Jill Lederer.

Two committees defending Zeanah raised sizable war chests of their own, buoyed by a $50,000 contribution from attorney Edward L. Masry and $10,000 from Malinda and Yvon Chouinard, co-founder of Ventura outdoor clothier Patagonia Inc.

The first recall election in Thousand Oaks’ 33-year history, it was by far the costliest campaign the city has ever seen. Indeed, with about $400,000 spent by rival groups, it stands as the costliest single local race in county history.

Because a new state law limits campaign contributions to candidates, such extravagant spending is a thing of the past in regular elections. The law does not apply to recalls, however.

A confident Zeanah said Tuesday afternoon that the huge sums spent on the recall had resulted in a backlash against the campaign.

“My feedback from phone calls is more than I expected and could have ever dreamed from this wonderful community,” Zeanah said.

“Of the many calls I have received today, so many of them have mentioned clubs or organizations they were in, and how the money could have benefited the community,” Zeanah added. “People are angry about the money spent. It was such a waste.”

Throughout the recall campaign, Zeanah and her supporters countered accusations against her by charging that her ouster was a thinly veiled attempt by the building industry to destroy a vocal adversary.

In addition, they cited Lederer’s former role as Councilman Andy Fox’s campaign manager in 1994 and argued that he was orchestrating the recall--a charge Fox and Lederer repeatedly denied.

Yes! Remove Elois Zeanah spokesman Peter J. Turpel said Tuesday that regardless of the outcome, the group has made its point about Zeanah.

“At least we have opened some eyes,” Turpel said. “A large portion of residents has stated that they want a change in our city government.”

The ballot offered three alternatives to Zeanah: college administrator Dennis Gillette, engineer David Seagal and homemaker Roni Fenzke. All three ran low-key campaigns touting themselves as the ideal candidate to end Thousand Oaks’ history of infighting.

Kathleen Mallaley, a 20-year city resident, said she voted to keep Zeanah because she did not believe the councilwoman had done anything improper in office.

“The people who voted her into office have a right to let her finish her term,” Mallaley said after voting at Los Cerritos Middle School. “I was also uncomfortable with all the money that was spent to get her out.”

Allyne Shaver, a North Ranch resident who has lived in Thousand Oaks for 30 years, voted to recall Zeanah, saying the city needed a more moderate, rational voice.

“She’s an extremist who’s way too far out at the end of the spectrum and this city needs someone who’s more middle of the road,” Shaver said after exiting the polling booth at the North Ranch Community Center. “This city’s growing and we need someone who can manage that and look out for its best interests without saying no to everything.”

In the shadow of the recall effort, the Conejo Valley Unified School District worked to persuade voters to approve a $97-million school bond.

Measure Q, which needed a two-thirds majority vote for approval, would require residents to pay $24.96 a year on each $100,000 of assessed property value on their homes for as many as 40 years.

Supporters touted what the bond measure would buy the school district. About $60 million would be used to fix or replace ailing underground pipes and sewer lines. The remaining money would help repave parking lots, install air conditioning and add computers to the 30-year-old classrooms--as well as a multimillion dollar swimming pool and tennis courts at Westlake High School.

Starting at summer’s end, a committee of dedicated parents and off-duty teachers and principals pounded the pavement to help get out the vote, and spent many evenings in borrowed real estate offices making phone calls and licking envelopes on thousands of mailers. To them, the schools are in dire need of repair.

One woman, however, a Thousand Oaks mother of three, put the same amount of time and effort into criticizing the bond.

Robin Westmiller, a local businesswoman, is the only person in recent county history to file an argument against a school bond, according to county elections chief Bruce Bradley. She contends that the district should have been maintaining the schools all along and that improvements such as air conditioning are frills.

In Moorpark, residents considered two separate tax increases on Tuesday’s ballot, one to improve the city’s nine schools and another to maintain the city’s 14 parks.

Measure U, a $16.2-million school bond, would help pay for such school improvements as a new high school gymnasium, additional classrooms and science labs, and libraries with computer centers.

Voters had to decide whether to pay $29 a year for every $100,000 in assessed property value for up to 30 years to pay off the bond.

Although Moorpark Unified does not face significant crowding or building decay compared with other county school districts, school officials said they needed expanded facilities because student enrollment has tripled since 1985.

Moorpark voters also had to decide whether to tax themselves through an assessment district to help maintain city parks.

Measure P, which also needed two-thirds approval, would require residents to pay up to $68.50 a year for the next 10 years to go toward maintaining city landscaping, parks and park buildings.

It was placed on the ballot in response to the passage of Proposition 218 last November. That measure required voter approval to continue most assessment districts, including one that has been maintaining Moorpark’s 105 acres of parkland.

Moorpark spends $57 yearly per home for park maintenance, $17 from the city’s general fund and $40 from homeowners.

Measure P supporters argued that passage of the initiative was needed to maintain Moorpark’s quality of life, arguing that parks could be closed due to budget shortages if it failed.

Opponents countered that Moorpark needed to more carefully use its general fund budget to maintain the parks, while others complained that they were simply tired of new taxes.

Times correspondents Lisa Fernandez, Regina Hong and Coll Metcalfe contributed to this report.