Zeanah Defends Self in Mailer to Voters

Hoping to defend herself from the accusations of a group determined to oust her, City Councilwoman Elois Zeanah has sent a mailer to voters outlining her record and accusing the opposition of deceit.

In the three-page mailer--which states it was paid for by Zeanah and not “special interest money”--Zeanah states that Councilman Andy Fox and the people who helped elect him are behind the recall bid because they are frightened by her slow-growth views.

Fox and officials of the anti-Zeanah group, Yes! Remove Elois Zeanah, have repeatedly denied that Fox is involved in the ouster effort. The group maintains it wants to oust Zeanah because, among other things, it claims she cannot work amicably with her peers and has floated unjustifiable conspiracy theories about corruption at City Hall that have sullied Thousand Oaks’ reputation.

“In the coming weeks, you will be subjected to a blitz of expensive mailings and advertisements with the intent to slander me, and trick you into signing a second fraudulent recall petition against me,” states an open letter to residents signed by Zeanah.

“Some have characterized this as a ‘range war’ between pro-development and slow-growth forces. We are all too familiar with what happened in places like the San Fernando Valley and Orange County, once as nice as Thousand Oaks.”

The mailer goes on to tout Zeanah’s crime-fighting efforts, her record of protecting open space and single-family neighborhoods, and her “fiscal accountability,” or work as a “watchdog for taxpayers.”

It also mentions her record of voting against the upgrade of the Hill Canyon Wastewater Treatment Plant, arguing that the sewer fee hikes recommended by city officials to pay for the $75-million proposal represent a shifting of the burden “from developers to residents.”

Yes! Remove Elois Zeanah has said Zeanah’s refusal to approve the sewer plant upgrade is one of the reasons she should be recalled. The group has argued that the health and safety of Thousand Oaks residents is being jeopardized as a result.