Voters Chose to Incorporate the City of Thousand Oaks Over the City of Conejo in a September 29, 1964 Special Election

On September 29, 1964, voters in the Conejo Valley were given the choice of whether to incorporate as a separate city in Ventura County and, if so, what to name this new city. It came down to 4,601 out of approximately 7,000 registered voters that Tuesday.

In March 1963, 27 local organizations gathered to form a Conejo City Committee to take steps to bring to a public vote the incorporation of the City of Conejo.

Conejo? Yes, Conejo. A 16 square mile city. There was plenty of controversy, since the name Thousand Oaks had been used for much of this area within the Conejo Valley for over 40 years.

A group of citizens successfully petitioned to add the name Thousand Oaks to the ballot as an alternative to Conejo..  A humorous example of some of the outrage over changing the name to Conejo is seen in this letter to the editor of the local Chronicle newspaper:

"Let's Not Drop Thousand Oaks" Conejo in Spanish means rabbit, and since talk has it to change our name to Conejo instead of our good old Thousand Oaks, I then suggest we cut down all our beautiful oak trees and replace each one with a nice fat rabbit so that we can identify ourselves with the strange new name which some newcomers have thrown at us without regard or consideration of our sentimentality and perhaps foolish tradition. If one lives in the San Fernando Valley in Canoga Park or Northridge, one says he lives in Canoga Park or Northridge in San Fernando Valley. So why can't we say we live in Thousand Oaks in the Conejo Valley or in Newbury Park in Conejo Valley. I don't care how we do it, just please let's not drop the name of Thousand Oaks." -Lucia Rios de Schneider, 3107 Radcliffe Road, Thousand Oaks

There were also a number of residents who did not want to be included in the incorporation initiative, including residents of Newbury Park, residents of the Rolling Hills area south of the 101, 500 acres of Janss Corporation owned land west of Cal Lutheran, 40 acres of land east and south of the Park Oaks Shopping Center and 100 acres of land south of the 101 owned by Louis Goebel.

Election Results - A City is Born

The Special Election for the Incorporation of the City of Conejo took place on Tuesday, September 29, 1964. Voting was a lot simpler back then. Instructions indicated to vote, "stamp a cross (+) in the voting square next to the right of the answer you desire to give." "On absent voter ballots mark a cross (+) with pen or pencil." The three measures submitted to vote were:

• For or against incorporation

• The proposed city should be named (vote for one): Conejo or Thousand Oaks

• Vote for five city council members if the city is incorporated (there were 37 candidates on the ballot)

Portion of Sample Ballot from the September 29, 1964 Special Election for the Incorporation of City of Conejo (or Thousand Oaks, as the case were to be) (Courtesy Thousand Oaks Library Special Collections)

As you can see from the tallies written on the sample ballot above, residents voted to incorporate the city, but at 60% of the 4,601 votes it was not exactly a landslide. However, the desire to retain the name Thousand Oaks was quite clear, as 87% of votes tallied for this name over the city of Conejo.

The first City of Thousand Oaks City Council consisted of pharmacist Robert Talley (2,598 votes), Ventura County planner John Tapking (1,574 votes), Accounting Chief Alexander Fiore (1,139 votes), escrow agent David Betts (1,096 votes) and engineer Lee Williams (1,056 votes).

Councilman and Thousand Oaks Mayor David Betts in the 1966 Conejo Valley Days parade.

Another one of the original city of thousand Oaks councilmembers, John Tapking.

The City of Thousand Oaks was officially incorporated on October 7, 1964. At the time, the population of the city was approximately 22,000. The U.S. Census estimates 2014 population at just over 129,000. The City turned 50 in 2014.

Where Did the Name "Thousand Oaks" Come From?

According to the late Pat Allen, historian for the city, mostly farmers lived in the Conejo Valley in 1922.  The 2,200 acre Crowley Ranch was sold and subdivided and lots were sold for $1,000. As lots sold and population grew, developers held a contest to name the new village. Sixteen year old Bobby Harrington entered the name "Thousand Oaks," he won the prize and the rest is history.

Thousand Oaks became a subdivision of Ventura County on May 1, 1923, as recorded by the County Recorder. The Thousand Oaks post office opened October 31, 1938 (compared to July 16, 1875 for the Newbury Park post office).

Sources: Thousand Oaks Library Special Collections and news articles from the Conejo News, The Chronicle and Oxnard Press Courier.

History Tidbit - Sav-On Drugs Store in Thousand Oaks in the Early 1970s

Photo Credit: Thousand Oaks Library - Conejo Through the Lens Collection

This Sav-on Drugs store opened in the Conejo Valley Plaza, 1382 Moorpark Road in Thousand Oaks, in 1972. CVS acquired 700 Osco Drugs and Sav-on Drugs store in 2006, though the Sav-on brand name is now owned by Albertson’s. Sav-on originated in California in the mid 1945s, founded by Alton Clark (who later founded the aptly named Clark Drugs) and C. J. Call. Sav-on was the first self-service drug store in California.

A Bit of History Behind the Origination of the Conejo Valley Unified School District

View of the Conejo Valley from the Los Robles Trail in Thousand Oaks

The Conejo Valley spans southeastern Ventura County and northwestern Los Angeles County. Communities in the Conejo Valley include Thousand Oaks, Newbury Park, Westlake Village, Oak Park, Agoura Hills, Lake Sherwood and a portion of Calabasas,

The Conejo Valley Unified School District was created July 1, 1974, unifying the following previous school districts:

• Timber School District (founded in 1888).

• Valley Oaks Union School District (founded in 1960 and formerly Conejo School District, founded 1877 and Santa Rosa School District, founded 1912).

• Newbury Park and Thousand Oaks High Schools (formerly part of Oxnard Union High School District, founded in 1901).

The Timber School was established as the first school in Newbury Park in 1889. The original school was constructed at the intersection of what is now Newbury and Kelley Roads in Newbury Park. The original Timber School was a one room schoolhouse that was demolished to make way for the new, larger Timber School House erected in front of the original school in 1924. The Timber School Auditorium was built in 1948.

The Timber School House and Auditorium buildings at 1872 Newbury Road, Newbury Park represent City of Thousand Oaks Landmark No. 12 and Ventura County Historical Landmark No. 166.

A replica of the original Timber School House was built at the Stagecoach Inn Museum complex in 1995 by students of Newbury Park High School under direction of teacher, Randy Porter.

Replica of the original Timber School at the Stagecoach Inn Museum.

Photo of the original Timber School in 1889.

Formed in 1877, the Conejo School District predates the Timber School District. It was created at a time when there were 126 residents in the Conejo Valley, including 54 children under age 17. After operating for 4 months in a shanty on the ranch of Howard Mills, parents voted to assess $750 for a building that was constructed on two acres of land donated by Mills. The structure was called “Conejo School” and was located near what is now the northwest corner of Westlake Boulevard and Townsgate Road.

As a result of the terrible drought in late 1870s to early 1880s, many ranchers had to leave the area. The Mills property was sold to the Russell family. Abigail Russell, wife of Andrew Russell, Abigail struggled to keep the Conejo School open. Eventually, a new Conejo School was built and opened in 1929 at the current location of Conejo Elementary School at 280 N. Conejo School Road in Thousand Oaks. The original school build in 1929 was demolished in 1957 due to unsafe earthquake standards.

Learn more about the Timber School and Conejo School districts on the Stagecoach Inn Museum website at stagecoachinnmuseum.com/timber-school.

Students at Conejo School in 1941 (Photo donated by Gerald Olsen to the Conejo Through the Lens collection, Grant R. Brimhall Library, Thousand Oaks).

Today, the Conejo Valley Unified School District in Ventura County serves Thousand Oaks and its communities of Newbury Park and the Ventura County portion of Westlake Village. As of summer 2023, the district is comprised of the following schools:

• 3 preschool/early child care (birth to 4 years old) schools - CVUSD Preschool - Early Childhood Program, Wonder Preschool, Horizon Hills Parenting Program

• 18 elementary (K-5) schools (Acacia Magnet School, Aspen, Banyan, Conejo Academy of Leadership and Language Immersion, Cypress, EARThS Magnet, Glenwood, Ladera STARS Academy, Lang Ranch, Madroña, Maple, Open Classroom Leadership Magnet, Sycamore Canyon, Walnut, Weathersfield, Westlake, Westlake Hills, Wildwood)

• SHINE: Home School Program (TK-12)

• 6 middle schools (Century Academy, Colina, Los Cerritos, Redwood, Sequoia and Sycamore Canyon)

• 5 high schools (Newbury Park, Thousand Oaks, Westlake, Conejo Valley and Century Academy)

• The Conejo Valley Adult School

The Conejo Valley USD website is www.conejousd.org.

Tell Me a Little Bit About the City of Westlake Village Boundary

The City of Westlake Village is a master-planned community that is transected diagonally by the Los Angeles/Ventura County line. 

The Ventura County side is comprised of 8,544 acres and was annexed into the City of Thousand Oaks in 1968 and 1972. The Los Angeles County side is 3,456 acres and was incorporated as the City of Westlake Village in 1981. 

Ah yes, the challenge of distinguishing between the Los Angeles and Ventura County sections of Westlake Village. It truly is a diagonal boundary that stretches from just northeast of Lindero Canyon Road, south of Blackbird Avenue on the north to South Westlake Blvd at Kirsten Lee Drive on the south.

It is impossible to drive, bike or walk the boundary line because it crosses right through the middle of Westlake Lake. Although, you could drive along the border on La Venta Drive southwest from Watergate Road.

Further north, the border cuts diagonally across Westlake Golf Course.  In fact, the driving range section of the golf course bordered on the west by Lakeview Canyon Road and on the north by the 101 is located within the City of Thousand Oaks while the rest of the course is in Westlake Village.

Costco Westlake Village and the Four Seasons Westlake Village are solely part of the City of Westlake Village, as is the Las Virgenes Reservoir.

Does it really matter what side you're on? For most, no. But there's one clear financial difference. Sales taxes. As of December 2022, sales taxes in the Thousand Oaks/Ventura County portion of Westlake Village are 7.25% as compared to 9.5% in the Los Angeles County based City of Westlake Village. The difference is a 2.25% for Los Angeles County district taxes. That means if you live in the City of WLV, you’ll be paying $1,125 more for a $50,000 car than those living in the Ventura County portion of WLV.

Las Virgenes Reservoir, the only body of water lying completely in the City of Westlake Village.

California Law Has Required Gas Stations to Provide Free Water, Air and Air Pressure Gauge For Customers Since January 2000

There’s a law that was passed in 1999, that made it a requirement for service stations in California to provide free water, compressed air and an air pressure gauge to customers who purchase fuel.

A service station is defined as an establishment that offers gasoline or other motor vehicle to the public.

I’m slightly embarrassed to admit that I was not aware of this law until just recently, when a few folks shamed me for paying $1.00 to fill the air in my tires. (That said, I was not a paid customer at the time. So technically I was not legally entitled to free compressed air.)

Section 13651 of the California Business and Professions Code further indicates “Every service station in this state shall display, at a conspicuous place on, at, or near the dispensing apparatus, at least one clearly visible sign which shall read as follows: CALIFORNIA LAW REQUIRES THIS STATION TO PROVIDE FREE AIR AND WATER FOR AUTOMOTIVE PURPOSES TO ITS CUSTOMERS WHO PURCHASE MOTOR VEHICLE FUEL. IF YOU HAVE A COMPLAINT NOTIFY THE STATION ATTENDANT AND/OR CALL THIS TOLL-FREE TELEPHONE NUMBER: 1 (800) ___ ____. “

So perhaps this post will save someone from unnecessarily paying 75 cents to $1.50 to fill up their tires.

There is no requirement to provide the air for free to non-paying customers.

Medi-Cal is California's Medicaid Healthcare Program

Medi-Cal is California’s Medicaid healthcare program that provides comprehensive health coverage for people with low or no income. In Ventura County, Medi-Cal is administered by the Human Services Agency. To qualify for Medi-Cal, you have to live in California and meet program eligibility rules.

Medi-Cal primarily serves low-income individuals, including families with children, seniors, persons with disabilities, children in foster care, pregnant women, and low-income people with specific diseases such as tuberculosis, breast cancer, or HIV/AIDS. CalWORKs participants and Foster Care are automatically eligible for Medi-Cal.

Learn more and apply for Medi-Cal in Ventura County at www.ventura.org/human-services-agency/medi-cal.

Gold Coast Health Plan was created by the Ventura County Medi-Cal Managed Care Commission in 2010 to administer healthcare benefits to the 200,000 Medi-Cal beneficiaries who live in Ventura County.

How do you qualify for Medi-Cal benefits?

• If your income is below 138% poverty level, which in 2023 is $20,121 for one person, $27,214 for a family of two and $41,400 for a family of four, and

• If you are 65+, blind, disabled, under 21, pregnant, in a skilled nursing facility, a parent or caretaker relative of an age eligible child or have screened for breast or cervical cancer. A new law gives full scope Medi-Cal to adults 50 years of age or older access to Medi-Cal.

• If you are enrolled in CalFresh, SSI/SSP, CalWorks, Refugee Assistance or Foster Care.

If your income is too high to qualify for Medi-Cal, you may qualify for partially subsidized health insurance premiums through Covered California.

Elvis Presley "Wheels on My Heels" from "Roustabout" Filmed in Hidden Valley, Thousand Oaks, 1964

The 1964 musical film “Roustabout,” starring Elvis Presley, was filmed at Paramount Studios, with carnival scenes in Thousand Oaks. And there was this scene of Elvis on his Honda 305 Superhawk motorcycle in Hidden Valley, singing “Wheels on my Hills.”

It is remarkable how little has changed in Hidden Valley, 55 years after the Elvis film was shot.