Thousand Oaks Mayor Drops Oath Demand

When she was sworn in as mayor two months ago, Elois Zeanah proposed a novel way of cleaning up City Hall.

She was going to force all developers and lobbyists--often regarded as villains in this homeowner-oriented Ventura County community--to take oaths at public hearings pledging that everything they said was true.

“Never again shall (development) applicants, their experts, representatives and attorneys come before this city and knowingly give false or misleading information or empty promises to fraudulently further their case with impunity,” Zeanah said during her inaugural speech, which drew a standing ovation from a packed City Council chamber.

But keeping that promise was harder than it sounded.

Last week Zeanah backed down under withering criticism from her colleagues on the council.

During a heated hourlong City Council session, other council members accused her of insulting the integrity of everyone who testifies at City Hall.

“I think it’s embarrassing to even be discussing this,” Councilman Frank Schillo said.

Fighting back under a veneer of icy politeness, Zeanah tried to distance herself from the proposals that had generated so much controversy.

She insisted that a city staff report outlining the council’s options--to swear in all speakers orally or by a written oath--did not reflect her opinions on the issue.

But City Manager Grant Brimhall said the report represented a “good-faith effort” to follow through on Zeanah’s inaugural speech, during which she vowed to “ask that testimony by applicants, their lobbyists and representatives be considered sworn testimony.”

Councilwoman Judy Lazar pressed Zeanah to disclose specific instances in which developers or expert witnesses had deliberately misled the council.

Councilman Alex Fiore urged her to name names, saying that misstatements may have been errors rather than lies.

“Believe me, there have been times when you have been wrong too, Mme. Mayor,” he said.

But Zeanah refused to identify specific cases, though she claimed to hold a list of liars. After the meeting, Zeanah said she would not release the list publicly, thereby preserving the reputations of businesses and professional people within the community.

“This is nothing outrageous,” she said of the proposal. “It’s accountability.”

In researching Zeanah’s proposal, city staff found that Thousand Oaks could not legally require oaths of only a select group, such as developers. Instead, the council would have to impose a blanket policy swearing in all witnesses, including residents.

That prospect alarmed some council members--and citizens.

Everyone who testifies “has a tendency to exaggerate or stretch their point of view,” Fiore said. “That’s no secret. It’s our job to sort it all out.”

The plan would “lead us to big-city politics and away from the small-town atmosphere that we all enjoy,” former planning commissioner Andy Fox said. He noted that developers and expert witnesses place their credibility on the line when they testify in taped public hearings, even though they do not swear to tell the truth.

Repeatedly, Zeanah accused her colleagues of grandstanding, which she defined as making negative statements with unwarranted flamboyance.

“Grandstanding is not allowed in council chambers,” she told Lazar.

“It certainly is not,” Lazar snapped back, “but the mayor is guilty of it frequently.”

The heated debate culminated in Fiore’s motion to “table this item forever.”

All council members--including the mayor--voted in favor.