THOUSAND OAKS : Candidate Says His Truck Is Vandalized

As the Thousand Oaks City Council race winds down to a tense finish, candidate Lance Winslow on Tuesday reported that vandals poured sugar into his truck’s fuel tank over the weekend.

Winslow, who owns a mobile carwash business, said a truck bearing his company logo was vandalized in a pre-Halloween prank Sunday night. The truck was parked outside his home in the Wildwood neighborhood, Winslow said.

Another candidate who lives in the same neighborhood, financial services manager Michael Friedman, reported last month that someone had slashed all four tires on his truck. Both Friedman and Winslow said they have received anonymous, threatening phone calls.

“You volunteer for the community, you’re trying to help everyone out, and then someone goes and does this to you,” Winslow said. “But why? This is so ridiculous. Why me?”

Winslow said he believes someone dumped sugar into his fuel tank Sunday because the truck was running roughly Monday, though he did not discover the vandalism until Tuesday when the truck stalled and would not move.

When a mechanic changed the fuel filter, Winslow said, he saw it “filled with crud and molasses-like granules.” Despite the $82 filter change, Winslow said the truck still stalls frequently and might need further repair.

Sheriff’s Sgt. Margaret O’Donnell confirmed that Winslow filed a police report Tuesday. The report will be forwarded to detectives for investigation, she said.

The 16-candidate Thousand Oaks council race has become increasingly nasty in recent weeks.

Nearly every contender has reported seeing campaign signs ripped down, torn in half--even hacked with chain saws.

At least two candidates have requested extra police patrols around their home or office, O’Donnell said.