THOUSAND OAKS : Council Meetings to Start Later

To accommodate its newest member, Mike Markey, the Thousand Oaks City Council will start its meetings an hour later.

Markey asked the council to consider changing the start time for meetings from 5 to 6 p.m. because it is difficult for him to get to City Hall on time.

He works in Compton as a homicide detective and commutes nearly an hour in each direction.

Council members agreed to the request and will convene at 6 p.m. for the Tuesday meetings. But some, including Councilwoman Elois Zeanah, expressed concern that the already lengthy meetings will stretch even later into the night.

Joking that they need to “talk less,” the council decided to give Markey’s request a try.

Public hearings will still be held at 7:30 p.m., but the public comment period, usually held from 6 to 7 p.m., will probably have to be rescheduled, but the decision has not yet been made.