Thousand Oaks is a place people love to grow up in. The problem is, more and more people can’t stay. If you’re a teacher, a nurse, a first responder, or someone who grew up here and wants to build a life here, you’re increasingly priced out. At the same time, our city is aging in place. That imbalance affects everything: our schools, our workforce, and the long-term vitality of our community. We don’t need overdevelopment, and we don’t need to lose what makes Thousand Oaks special. But we do need to make room for the people who are already part of this community. That means focusing on the kinds of housing that fit here (duplexes, townhomes, ADUs) and placing new development where it makes sense: near jobs, transit, and existing infrastructure. It also means being intentional about workforce housing so the people who serve this city can afford to live in it. Growth isn’t the goal. Sustainability is.

Thousand Oaks has great businesses, but too often, they don’t feel like our businesses. We say we support small businesses, but the reality is that it’s often easier for a national chain to open than a local entrepreneur. Meanwhile, we have spaces across the city that could be vibrant, community-driven destinations but sit underused. A strong local economy isn’t just about revenue, it’s about identity. We should be making it easier for people to start and sustain independent businesses, not harder. We should be activating spaces with pop-ups, events, and local retail that bring energy back into our commercial areas. And we should recognize that arts and culture aren’t side projects—they’re economic engines that drive foot traffic, connection, and community pride. If everything looks the same as everywhere else, we lose something important.

You can tell what a city values by what it invests in. For too long, arts and culture have been treated as optional, something left to nonprofits or added in later if there’s room in the budget. But they’re not extras. They’re what make a place feel alive. They’re how a community tells its story. In Thousand Oaks, we have incredible talent, organizations, and history. What we need is a commitment to treating arts and public life as part of our core infrastructure, something we plan for, invest in, and make accessible. That means expanding opportunities for public art and performances, supporting youth pathways into creative fields, and making sure funding decisions are transparent and community-driven. A city people want to live in is a city that gives people something to connect to.

Public safety works best when people trust the systems designed to protect them. That trust isn’t automatic, it’s built through transparency, accountability, and consistent engagement. And when it’s strong, outcomes are better for everyone. In Thousand Oaks, we’re fortunate to have dedicated public safety professionals. The opportunity now is to strengthen the connection between those services and the community they serve. That includes investing in mental health response and crisis intervention, using data to inform decisions and communicate clearly, and focusing on outcomes instead of rhetoric. Safety isn’t just about response, it’s about relationships.

For a long time, getting around Thousand Oaks has meant driving. That works—until it doesn’t. Traffic, safety concerns, and changing needs mean we have to think more broadly about how people move through our city. Seniors, students, families, and commuters all rely on different options—and right now, those options aren’t always as safe or accessible as they should be. We already have tools that can make a difference, like Dial-A-Ride. We should be expanding and promoting them so more people can actually use them. At the same time, we need to make our streets safer—for drivers, for pedestrians, and for people on bikes and e-bikes—through thoughtful design and clear standards. This isn’t about replacing cars. It’s about giving people better choices.

Thousand Oaks has always taken pride in its environment. The question now is whether we’re prepared for what’s coming next. Hotter temperatures, increased wildfire risk, and long-term water challenges aren’t abstrac, they’re already shaping how we live. The work ahead isn’t just about sustainability. It’s about resilience. That means investing in fire safety and evacuation readiness, strengthening infrastructure, and making sure our public facilities lead by example when it comes to energy efficiency. It also means thinking long-term about how every major decision, from land use to transportation, fits into a changing climate. Good stewardship isn’t just about preserving what we have. It’s about preparing for what’s ahead.

Every great city has a place where people naturally come together. For Thousand Oaks, that opportunity is still in front of us. We have the pieces: a strong community, great location, and existing assets. But we haven’t fully created a downtown that feels like a true center of activity. A place where you go not because you have to, but because you want to. That kind of space doesn’t happen by accident. It takes intentional planning, support for local businesses, and a commitment to creating walkable, welcoming environments that bring people together. Downtown should be the heart of Thousand Oaks. It’s time to treat it that way.

For many residents, City Hall feels distant, hard to navigate, slow to respond, and difficult to understand. It doesn’t have to be that way. Local government works best when people feel like they’re part of it. That means making decisions transparent, communicating clearly and consistently, and being willing to question processes that exist simply because “that’s how it’s always been done.” It also means creating space for disagreement without dismissiveness. A healthy community doesn’t avoid hard conversations, it invites them. You shouldn’t need an insider to understand your own city. And you shouldn’t feel like an outsider when you try to engage with it.