THOUSAND OAKS : Jungleland Ballot Measure Rejected

The Thousand Oaks City Council on Tuesday rejected a citizen-backed referendum on the Jungleland project after council advisers said a delay in construction could cost up to $10 million.

The ballot measure, requested in petitions submitted by the Committee for Government by the People and for the People, would have barred revenues from the sale of city property to finance the $63-million project.

But the group’s demand for a referendum on Jungleland was rejected by all but Councilwoman Elois Zeanah.

Councilman Alex Fiore said, “If we allow this ridiculous initiative to get on the ballot, to me it will be an exercise in futility. I don’t want to do it.”

Dick Booker, a spokesman for the Committee for Government, said he was not surprised by the council’s action.

“We knew they were going to turn it down when we filed it,” Booker said. “Based on what our attorneys feel the appropriate action should be, we’ll file a lawsuit.”

Zeanah said the city needs to resolve the controversy over Jungleland.

The project to build a new city hall and arts auditorium on the 20-acre site near Conejo School Road and Thousand Oaks Boulevard has faced years of opposition.

The city plans to sell two municipal properties to finance the project. One property is at 401 W. Hillcrest Drive. Another at 2150 W. Hillcrest Drive houses an interim city hall.

City Administrative Services Manager Edward Johnduff said in a report to the council that authorizing a vote now, years after the decision to build a new city hall was made, would inflate the project’s budget. The city has already bought the land for $17.9 million.

About $2 million has already been spent designing the new city hall and auditorium, he said.

An election could add as much as $10 million to the project’s cost, depending on when it is held and how many contracts would be delayed, Johnduff said.