Vision 2020: Charting a City’s Future

When running for office, candidates normally promise to serve the will of the people. Those running for reelection will say that they kept that promise, and that their actions were governed by the electorate.

How many elected officials can truly stand up and say that they asked in a truly meaningful way, “What do you want for your city?”

The reason is not too difficult to figure. If they were to ask the question, they might get an earful.

This is exactly what has happened in Simi Valley.

Two years ago, at the urging of Mayor Greg Stratton, the City Council turned interested citizens loose with two questions:

* What should Simi Valley look like in the year 2020?

* How do we get there?

After two years of work, the answer came back in the form of a 160-plus-page report. In it were about 240 recommendations in 78 topic areas. Some of these ideas were general policymaking. Many more are detailed and specific.

The writers rewrote ordinances and suggested changes in the General Plan. The only limitation was the call for answers and not just the writing of a wish list.

So far, the report has been well received by the City Council. They may not like all of the recommendations, but the people have done what they were asked to do. The council in Simi Valley will now have to decide on those recommendations and take any criticism that might come with it.

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Other Ventura County cities have been watching. Will the elected officials in Ventura, Oxnard, Thousand Oaks and elsewhere have the courage to do the same?

If they do, it means that they will eventually have to put themselves on the line. They will not be able to duck their obligation to take a stand. Taking sides in a debate is not always comforting to elected officials, especially when it is the electorate that wrote the ideas.

A program like Vision 2020 would also mean more work. Council members may already feel bogged down with staff reports, intergovernmental committees and their current work with constituents.

Last, it could put citizens from differing sides of issues in the same work groups. More work, more exposure, more pyrotechnics.

Why would elected officials of any city want to set themselves up for all that?

The answer is simple enough. It could be good for the city.

Simi Valley faced all of these problems when it began the Vision 2020 process. The people who came forward differed strongly on important issues. However, instead of blindly fighting for their beliefs, many came to understand the ideas of others. They found agreement where they had envisioned conflict, and compromise where only acrimony was expected.

Thousands of hours of research were dedicated to the process. New ideas were brought to old problems. The committees were encouraged to think outside the lines, and they did.

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It wasn’t easy. But the city of Simi Valley will benefit, and greatly, as a result of the work of those who made up Vision 2020. Each of the cities in Ventura County could benefit from this kind of effort in just the same way.

Then, those officials with the foresight and courage to ask interested citizens to recommend policies--and the strength to act on those recommendations--can say that they know what the people in their city want.

Because they asked.