VanderKolk Gets Free Office Space : Thousand Oaks: Without public notice, the City Council votes to provide space in the old library until she takes office as supervisor.

The Thousand Oaks City Council voted without public notice late Tuesday night to give Ventura County Supervisor-elect Maria VanderKolk a furnished office at the old city library, prompting a complaint to the Ventura County district attorney’s office.

“It was late at night and they railroaded through a proposal to spend public funds on Maria VanderKolk without any comment from the public,” said resident Greg Cole, a Ventura County Community College District trustee and former Thousand Oaks planning commissioner.

“Their conduct was outrageous,” said Cole, a supporter of Supervisor Madge L. Schaefer, who was defeated by VanderKolk in the June election. Cole said the council may have violated the state’s open-meeting law.

He was so irritated that the council did not place the item on the agenda or allow public comment on the issue that he complained to the district attorney’s office.

Senior Deputy Dist. Atty. Matthew J. Hardy said he will look into the matter, as he does on all alleged violations of the open-meetings law. Hardy said he would not elaborate on the council action until he knows more about the situation.

Thousand Oaks City Atty. Mark G. Sellers defended the council’s action, saying VanderKolk needed the office space immediately. As a result, the council voted 4-1 Tuesday night to declare the situation an emergency, allowing it to bypass public notice requirements and approve the measure.

Under the council’s decision, VanderKolk will be allowed to use the old library office on Wilbur Road rent-free until she takes over Schaefer’s position in January. At that time, the county will provide VanderKolk with money to rent office space in the 2nd Supervisorial District that is centered in Thousand Oaks.

“We wanted to give her a place to get started,” Councilman Frank Schillo said.

Sellers said if there is a question of legality, the council has the option of placing the issue on the agenda and voting on the measure again at its July 10 meeting.

The issue was brought up by Mayor Alex Fiore after 11 p.m., near the end of Tuesday’s meeting. The mayor told his colleagues that because the city has extra office space, the council should allow VanderKolk to move in temporarily “as a courtesy.”

Earlier in the week, Elois Zeanah, who had worked on VanderKolk’s campaign, wrote a letter to the council requesting the space. “Maria has been besieged with telephone calls and research materials,” Zeanah said in an interview. “She needs a place to work.”

But Councilman Larry Horner, who cast the lone vote against declaring it an emergency situation, said that although he does not object to VanderKolk using the office, he believes the emergency action was inappropriate.

“You cannot take action on a request like that unless it is calendared,” Horner said. “She could have used her home or other space until we placed it on the agenda. Quite frankly, I did not feel that it was an emergency.”