Candidates Want City to Keep Small-Town Flavor

Behind election-year debate in this small city lie sprawling tracts of new homes, and the threat of an urbanized future that candidates for mayor and City Council say they don’t want.

Development has returned in force to Moorpark after a lull during the early 1990s recession. The City Council approved a 612-home project in April. Construction on another project, which will bring more than 500 houses to the city’s southeastern corner, could begin early next year.

As it has in the past, the prospect of adding subdivisions, people and cars to this city of 28,000 has fueled debate among the candidates vying for two council seats and the office being vacated by retiring Mayor Paul Lawrason.

The candidates agree on one essential principle: They want Moorpark to remain, in essence if not in numbers, a small town. They cling to the same image of Moorpark that residents hold dear--a quiet, safe and relatively slow haven from urban concerns.

“I don’t want Moorpark to become Thousand Oaks,” said council candidate and businessman Chris Evans. “I want Moorpark to be Moorpark.”

The candidates differ, however, on how much development the small town can take and still remain small.

Some are alarmed by the number of proposed new homes and fear that the tan hills north of town will become covered with cookie-cutter subdivisions. Others insist that with proper planning, Moorpark can retain its semirural flavor even if the population swells by another 10,000 or 15,000.

Most of the campaign issues that the five council candidates and four mayoral contenders have raised address the worries of a growing community.

* Several candidates say they want to breathe life back into the city’s old downtown shopping district, which has lost its customers to newer shopping plazas on Los Angeles Avenue.

* Some want more programs for local teenagers as a way to prevent the juvenile crime that plagues other areas.

* And as the hillsides fill up with luxury homes, several candidates worry that first-time home buyers, and the elderly, are being squeezed out of the housing market.

“My kids, when they go into the housing market, they’re going to have to leave Moorpark,” said council candidate and Planning Commission Chairman John Torres.

All of the seven men and two women hoping to address these problems from the council dais are familiar figures in Moorpark politics: incumbents, community activists or frequent speakers at council meetings.

Eloise Brown, who served on the council from 1986 to 1990 and returned during March’s special election, now seeks another four-year term. Current council members Patrick Hunter and Bernardo Perez both hope for a promotion to the mayor’s office.

As befits a race so focused on development, three of the challengers have helped shape Moorpark’s growth as members of the city’s Planning Commission. Torres is joined in the council race by Bill La Perch, a vocal critic of development who chaired the commission for two years. Michael Wesner, who spent four years on the panel before joining the county’s Planning Commission, is vying for the mayor’s post.

A retired rancher and two members of the local business community round out the field. Edward “Pete” Peters, who runs an equestrian program for the disabled, is campaigning for mayor. Evans, owner of a bridal expo business, and real estate agent Debbie Rodgers Teasley both hope to bring their management skills to the council.

The campaigns they have waged have, so far, lacked the vitriol, and the hefty spending, of races in other Ventura County communities. Two of the candidates, La Perch and Peters, have raised and spent less than $1,000 each on the race. Evans tops the field with $6,189 collected so far by his election committee, but much of it comes from his own bank account.

The candidates have avoided direct attacks on each other, although there have been a few shots fired from the sidelines. Dee Talley, who is working on Wesner’s campaign, questioned whether Hunter had a conflict of interest when he recently recommended that the city consider plans to restripe West Los Angeles Avenue so that cars can park along the curb in front of Chuy’s restaurant. Hunter held a fund-raiser at Chuy’s in September and posted a campaign sign on the property.

Hunter countered that he was doing his job as a councilman: bringing forward the ideas of constituents. Chuy’s management suggested the restriping as a way to increase parking at the restaurant and has offered to help pay for the project, Hunter said.

“I’m not beholden to anybody,” Hunter said. “I would do this for any business if they thought this was a remedy to their problem.”

Another mayoral candidate, Perez, was suspended for 10 working days last year by his employer, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, on the grounds that he took too much time off from his job, according to documents obtained by The Times. Department officials said Perez spent the time on Moorpark city business.

Perez said the suspension was the result of an honest disagreement with his superiors about the process of taking time off for his council work.

“It has since been resolved, and there hasn’t been a recurrence, and there won’t be a recurrence,” he said.

Such questions and revelations, however, have played a minor role in the race. Instead, candidates have spent most of their time talking about the city’s growth and economic health.

Fear of excessive development pulled several candidates into the race. Peters said city leaders have been far too accommodating to development projects, and far too willing to rezone land so that more houses can be built.

“The City Council, the way I see it, keeps giving in to developers,” Peters said. “We’re going to use up all our land.”

He insists that the council stick with zoning spelled out in the city’s General Plan, the official blueprint for the community’s growth. It’s a position many of the candidates share.

“That’s the zoning, that’s what we enforce,” Wesner said. “You have a right to expect that zoning will stay the same.”

La Perch sees growth as a threat to the city’s health. Literally. The pollution generated by construction of massive housing tracts and the smog created when the new residents drive to work, will foul Moorpark’s air and poison its residents, La Perch said.

“These projects we are talking about will add overwhelming pollution,” he said.

But as much as the candidates talk about development’s dangers, several have pointed out the need for at least one kind of new housing. The two-level homes with red-tile roofs that fill the hills south of the Arroyo Simi are far beyond the financial reach of first-time home buyers and the elderly, candidates say.

Hunter said the city should encourage “sweat equity” projects in which future residents of a development help build their own homes in return for a lower purchasing price.

“What that does is stimulate pride of ownership in people,” Hunter said.

Other candidates have pointed out that some development, even of more expensive homes, is probably inevitable and perhaps desirable. Moorpark residents often complain about the scarcity of local shops--about having to get on the freeway to buy nice clothes or new cars--but businesses are rarely tempted to move into small communities that aren’t growing.

“I don’t think we can provide new businesses without increasing the general population,” Evans said. “I don’t believe the answer to our problems is to issue a ban on development any more than it is to allow a developer to come in and build at will.”

In fact, most of the candidates speak about the need to bring more businesses to Moorpark. They talk of tax leakage, of sales lost to stores in Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks.

Much of that talk focuses on High Street, once the city’s downtown business district and now a quiet stretch of near-empty sidewalks. The street and its few remaining businesses have been the subject of several city studies, one still in progress, aimed at resuscitating the once-thriving area.

Candidates say they are tired of the endless studies and have floated their own possible remedies. Torres wants to see a bed and breakfast on the street. La Perch suggests converting the four-block strip into a pedestrian mall.

Brown said bringing the post office back to the street would generate some of the steady foot traffic local businesses need. But she cautioned that any solution must involve cooperation from the street’s property owners, who she said are still charging more than small businesses can afford.

“Until the rentals come down to a reasonable rate, they aren’t going to be easily rented,” she said.

As for the day laborers who gather daily in the parking lot of a convenience store on the strip, looking for work, no other issue provokes as much disagreement among the candidates. In a recent candidates forum, Teasley suggested creating something like a temp agency to help the men, usually hired for short-term manual labor, find jobs.

“The day laborers provide a service that is very much needed,” she said.

Her idea drew scorn from Evans, who said he would not support setting up a “coffee klatch” for the men and suggested deporting those in the country illegally. Evans and Peters agreed that the men should look for work through the local office of the state Employment Development Department, not on the street.

“There’s only one way,” Peters said. “State employment office. They go there if they want a job, just like everyone. That’s it.”

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Moorpark Mayor, City Council

Four candidates are vying to replace veteran Mayor Paul Lawrason, who is retiring. The mayor, though elected to a two-year term separately from the rest of the City Council, has little extra power except for presiding over meetings and nominating residents to serve on commissions.

Five candidates--only one of them an incumbent--are seeking two seats on the City Council. Growth, particularly the large developments looming in Moorpark, is the biggest issue in this year’s election.

Mayoral candidates

Patrick Hunter

Age: 35

Occupation: Sergeant with Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department

Education: Studied English at Los Angeles Valley College, graduated from Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Academy

Background: Hunter has served on the City Council since 1992. From 1993 to 1995, he was a member of the county Air Pollution Control District board. He served one year on the executive board of Moorpark Little League.

Issues: Hunter said he wants to preserve the qualities of Moorpark life that have attracted many residents. He advocates carefully managed growth that will maintain Moorpark’s semirural character, and pledged to work to keep Moorpark’s crime rate low. He also said the city must attract more businesses and jobs.

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Bernardo M. Perez

Age: 47

Occupation: Water service representative, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power

Education: Studied liberal arts at Cal State Dominguez Hills, East Los Angeles College and Moorpark College

Background: A Moorpark City Council member since 1987, Perez served as mayor in 1990. He serves on the Local Agency Formation Commission and is a board member of El Concilio del Condado de Ventura and the United Way of Ventura County. He is also active with the Moorpark Optimist Club, the Southern California Water Committee and the Knights of Columbus, Holy Cross Church.

Issues: Perez emphasizes his long experience in Moorpark government and ability to work with other local institutions, such as the school district and Moorpark College. He cites growth and traffic as key concerns.

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Edward “Pete” Peters

Age: 73

Occupation: Retired rancher

Education: Graduated high school in Monongahela, Pa.

Background: Peters served 23 years in the Army. He founded the Handicapped Equestrian Learning Program, which teaches riding to developmentally disabled children, and has worked for about 15 years in the equestrian division of Ventura County Special Olympics.

Issues: Peters advocates strict adherence to the city’s General Plan and opposes development outside city limits, fearing that proposed projects could lead to overcrowding. He also said the council needs to be more responsive to the concerns of Moorpark citizens.

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Michael Wesner

Age: 47

Occupation: Owner, Wesner Enterprises legal consulting firm

Education: Bachelor’s degree in political science from UCLA, law degree from Western State College of Law

Background: Wesner served six years in the Marine Corps before moving to Ventura County. A Moorpark resident since 1983, Wesner sat on the city’s Planning Commission from 1990-94 and now chairs the county Planning Commission. He is active with the Moorpark Kiwanis Club, Moorpark College Foundation, Moorpark Boys & Girls Club and Food Share.

Issues: Although Wesner considers some growth inevitable, he wants the city to follow its General Plan and zoning ordinances and place more emphasis on senior housing. He hopes to build a better rapport between the city and school district and put more effort into rejuvenating High Street.

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City Council candidates

Eloise Brown

Age: 75

Occupation: Retired homemaker

Education: Studied at Cornell, Southern Methodist University and the University of Rochester in New York

Background: Brown served on the City Council from 1986 to 1990 and returned to the council in the March 1996 election. For about 20 years she worked for a U.S. State Department program as a guide for foreign dignitaries. In addition to her council duties, she is a member of the board of directors for the Ventura County Alliance of Taxpayers.

Issues: Brown cites growth and traffic as two of the campaign’s most important issues. She said controlled expansion could benefit Moorpark, which she said needs more affordable housing for first-time home buyers. She also wants local government to be as open to citizen participation as possible.

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Chris Evans

Age: 39

Occupation: President, Evans Trade Show Management & Bridal Expo Inc.

Education: Studied vocal music education at University of Nevada, Las Vegas and Reno campuses

Background: Evans has lived in Moorpark for six years and belongs to several community organizations, including the Moorpark Rotary Club, Moorpark Presbyterian Church and Chamber of Commerce. He first ran for City Council in the March special election.

Issues: Evans wants the city to design more programs for local youth. Although not opposed to growth within the city, he said development projects must be evaluated based on how they will affect the quality of life in Moorpark and the city’s finances. He also wants the city to make revitalization of the downtown business district a high priority.

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Bill La Perch

Age: 73

Occupation: Rancher, director of Business & Professional Consultants personnel consulting firm

Education: Graduate of Air University at Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base in Montgomery, Ala.; received a master of business administration degree from Pepperdine University

Background: La Perch spent four years in the Army Air Corps during World War II, flying 35 missions over Europe. He moved to Moorpark in 1982 and served for two years on the city’s Planning Commission. He is active with the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion, and served as a past president of the Downtown Neighborhood Council, and as a member of the Private Industry Council.

Issues: La Perch is concerned that proposed developments will harm the local environment, clog traffic and pollute the air. He also wants to make city government more responsive to citizens and advocates rejuvenating High Street.

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Debbie Rodgers Teasley

Age: 45

Occupation: District manager, Coldwell Banker Town & Country

Education: Studied math at Southern Illinois University

Background: A past president of the Moorpark Chamber of Commerce, Teasley has served on the Moorpark Unified School District’s strategic planning committee and the Ventura County Council on Economic Vitality. She is on the board of directors of the Moorpark Kiwanis Club.

Issues: Teasley said that although growth is unavoidable in Moorpark, it can be managed so that the city will not lose its rural character. As the city’s population increases, she said, its government must carefully manage the impacts on open space, schools and recreation facilities. Teasley also said the city needs a Moorpark business person on the City Council.

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John Torres

Age: 52

Occupation: Customer field representative for an electronics company

Education: Studied business administration at Santa Monica College

Background: A Moorpark resident since 1986, Torres chairs the city’s Planning Commission. He is also a member of the Knights of Columbus and Moorpark Historical Society, and has worked with the Moorpark Unified School District’s Strategic Planning Team.

Issues: Torres views traffic as one of the city’s more pressing problems and wants to work with the state to find ways to channel traffic around Moorpark, possibly by building a bypass for one of the two state highways running through town. He advocates carefully managed growth, and said the city needs more affordable housing for seniors and first-time home buyers.