Testing of Officials for Drugs Proposed : Thousand Oaks: Two unions say it would be unfair to screen city workers unless civic leaders also are tested.

A plan by Thousand Oaks city officials to screen workers for substance abuse has prompted a counterproposal from two unions that civic leaders also submit to drug tests.

Officials are proposing to test job applicants as well as city workers who are suspected of drug or alcohol abuse, Greg Eckman, city human services manager, said.

The Thousand Oaks City Employees Assn. and the Thousand Oaks Management Assn. said it would be unfair to screen city workers unless council members, contractors and volunteers who receive public funds also undergo such tests.

Union officials said Ventura County sheriff’s deputies and firefighters, who work for the city under service contracts with the county, should also be subject to screening.

“Why should public employees be second-class citizens?” Barry Hammitt, a spokesman for the employees association, said. “It’s perfectly logical to apply that same requirement to people who receive money from the city or who use city facilities.”

The city has no policy for testing individuals suspected of drug abuse. Officials, however, can require a medical examination if a worker is unable to perform a job, Eckman said.

Under the city’s plan, about 540 employees--from hourly clerks to mid-level managers--would be subject to tests if suspected of using drugs or alcohol at work.

The city’s proposal is an effort to comply with a 3-year-old federal anti-drug law that urges cities to make workplaces free from drugs, but imposes no penalties if they fail to do so.

While the law does not require drug testing, Thousand Oaks City Manager Grant R. Brimhall said testing is the only way the city can detect substance abuse on the job. The city has had no major problems with drug abuse, he said.

The demand to test elected officials “is a little bit of a negotiating sideshow,” he said. “I’m sure they don’t mean what they’re saying.”

David Cochran, a representative of the Thousand Oaks Management Assn., said the unions are serious about their demands.

Letters have been sent to members of the City Council outlining the unions’ concerns. Officials said they planned to go to the council if their demands are not met.

Most Ventura County cities already have provisions for testing workers when there is suspicion of substance abuse on the job. The most restrictive is in Camarillo, where workers are required to undergo testing as a condition of employment and are also subject to testing when a drug or alcohol problem is suspected.

Port Hueneme is considering a policy similar to one proposed in Thousand Oaks. No Ventura County city requires elected officials to undergo tests.

Nevertheless, at least three members of the Thousand Oaks City Council said they would agree to submit to drug or alcohol tests.

“I have no problem with that,” Mayor Frank Schillo said. “I don’t even drink or smoke and have never taken drugs. Disgusting, isn’t it?”

Councilwoman Judy Lazar said she did not believe the demand was unreasonable. “Since I’ve never used drugs, I have no problem being drug-tested,” she said.

Councilwoman Elois Zeanah said she suspected that results of drug tests on council members would not turn up evidence of drug use.

“I think if we subject the people who carry out our policy to tests, we should definitely be willing to abide by the same rules,” Zeanah said.