East County Issue / Outlook for...

Paul Miller, Simi Valley police chief

Basically, with the way the economy is right now, I don’t expect to see any growth in the Police Department. There will not be much happening. We will not have a large budget this year and we’ll just have to do the best we can with what money is available. There was an increase in crime last year, especially near the end. But fortunately, I think it will level off or even drop a little this year. My main concern is that we keep control of the youth gang phenomenon. The city recently formed a community gang task force that will bring the community and the police force together. We will be able to work with the residents in looking for solutions to this mutual problem. My department has done a good job in the past and will continue to do so despite the economy. We are always looking for ways--especially non-police ways, like educational programs--to come up with solutions to the problems that face the community.

Greg Stratton, Simi Valley mayor

I am primarily concerned with the financial crisis facing the city. The local economy has been down, and this year, we will make more attempts to beef it up. We will be holding many negotiations and meetings with Gov. Wilson on how to solve our local economic problems. We will make sure we get a fair amount when he is allocating state funds. At the same time, we can’t forget about the many things that benefit the community. We will finalize the plan for the Boys and Girls Club and get it started this year. We will continue the battle against gang activity and increasing graffiti. That was our major focus last year, and it must continue this year. We can’t shortchange the programs that are important to the community. There will be some challenges this year, especially financial ones, but we can’t let the community programs fall by the wayside. We will find a way to deal with the economy and get the money needed to keep the programs going.

Bill Souder, Member, Citizens for a Safe and Scenic Simi Valley

I’m concerned with issues that are related to city growth. The mayor and the city have approved many projects that will increase our tax base and economic growth, but I think they may be moving too fast. That they are not looking at the effects some of these projects will have on the quality of life in Simi Valley. For example, there were many questionable conclusions made in recent environmental impact reports. They say that there will be no traffic impact on the area where the proposed McDonald’s restaurant will be and that the noise level at the proposed police gun range facility will not disturb the nearby residents. These are not valid conclusions with the data they’ve collected. The city is moving too fast, rushing things. They need to do more homework first and listen to the public more. I would like to see more interaction between the city and the community. It will make things easier on everybody.

Nancy Bender, Executive director, Simi Valley Chamber of Commerce

The chamber’s focus this year will be centered on economic development. The first part of our focus is to help existing business through special programs and seminars. We will market local businesses, increasing the public’s awareness of what is available in Simi Valley. We want the public to know that, when they shop, they are contributing to the financial well-being of Simi Valley. The second part of our focus will be concentrated on industries that can be established in the valley, clean industries and high job-producing industries. We want to make sure we have a big role in producing more local jobs for the community. One thing that has helped and will continue to help the local economy is the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. The two buses there that tour Simi Valley and literature that promotes local restaurants and businesses have already had an effect. Many of our restaurants have already reported an increase in business.

Robert Purvis, Superintendent, Simi Valley Unified School District

The school district is the largest employer in the valley, with more than 1,900 employees, and I don’t expect to see any layoffs in 1992 because of the recession. The district is financially stable. Gov. Wilson’s preliminary budget is allocating a large amount of funding to education, and that is good news for education in Simi Valley. Our enrollment grew about 2% last year. I am not sure what effects the recession will have, but I’m anticipating more growth this year. People are coming to Simi Valley because of the high quality of the schools. We have a safe, secure environment and have smaller class sizes than the Los Angeles Unified School District. We also have a strong staff of administrators and teachers. Simi Valley is a good place to live, work and go to school.