Heartburn in Thousand Oaks

The City Council’s tense debate on dining expense policies did not lead to a single change, but this much was made clear: Councilwoman Linda Parks and Councilman Andy Fox won’t likely be lunching together any time soon.

Parks, who maintained that taxpayers are having to foot the bill for what she sees as excessive and often extravagant meals by city officials, wanted her colleagues to adopt stricter guidelines on such expenses. She also suggested the council abolish city credit cards altogether, saying the plastic made it easier to abuse the city’s expense policy.

In particular, Parks accused two council members--whom she previously identified as Mike Markey and Fox--of running up sizable tabs at tony restaurants around town during meetings with city department heads and community leaders.

As evidence that not all those meetings were business-related, she pointed to a $122 meal last year at Cho Cho San, a Japanese restaurant in the city, that occurred after a ceremonial ribbon-cutting. Fox, Mayor Judy Lazar, and several city staff members and community leaders were present, according to the receipts.

“A lot of dining going on, and it seems that a lot of what is being discussed can be done over the phone or in the city offices,” said Parks, who likened city officials picking up the lunch tab to making the White House’s Lincoln bedroom available to major supporters. “A lot of the people being taken out are chamber [of commerce] members, campaign contributors.

“I don’t think it’s appropriate,” she added. “I don’t think taxpayers would consider it appropriate.”

But Lazar, Fox and Markey strongly rebutted Parks’ accusations during Tuesday night’s meeting--and Fox then questioned her integrity for launching them in the first place.

The council majority said the existing policy on such expenses, which Parks initially seemed unaware of, protected the city from misuse. And the trio, along with City Manager Grant Brimhall, argued that the decades-old practice of dining with city officials and local leaders to discuss city business had clearly proven fruitful over the years.

Lazar noted that in 1995, for example, Thousand Oaks leaders, community representatives and state Sen. Cathie Wright (R-Simi Valley) worked during numerous lunch-hour meetings to help form legislation for cities to secure sales tax revenue from auto leases. Thousand Oaks now receives several hundred thousand dollars annually in new tax money as a result.

“That took a lot of work and a lot of discussion, and a lot of that was done over lunch,” Lazar said. “I don’t think a few lunches is too much to pay for something that benefited us.”

The existing policy allows council members and city officials to charge Thousand Oaks for meals where city business is being discussed.

Council members shot down Parks’ motion with a 3-2 vote. Councilwoman Elois Zeanah supported Parks, but she said that the existing expense policy, which she too had been unaware of, seemed solid. At Zeanah’s urging, the council voted unanimously to make sure dining receipts state what city business was discussed, which is already part of the city’s policy.

“I’m sorry this ever even came up,” Fox said. “It could imply that there is questionable character on the part of some council members, and that’s really unfortunate, really unfortunate.”

But Parks shot back: “I wouldn’t expect you to support it. I see [your] credit card being taken out a whole lot.”

Lazar argued that city-issued credit cards result in greater oversight than regular expense reporting.

“Despite the fact I don’t use mine, I think they are a good way to go,” Lazar said. “If anything, they result in a greater amount of accountability because you receive the bills for exactly where and when that money was spent.”