Direct-Dial Voting Options Too Vague, Some Residents Say

As residents let their fingers do the voting in the city’s first experiment with touch-tone democracy, some civic leaders have concerns about how well the city’s new telephone poll presents the issues.

The system opened for business Tuesday night, allowing residents to choose among four development options for 10 acres next to the Civic Arts Plaza. Residents can vote for an option by calling a phone number associated with it or leave a two-minute message by dialing a fifth number. Results will be tallied over the next two weeks.

Supporters of the system say it gives residents a chance to easily register their opinion and gives the city a quick-and-dirty measurement of how the public feels.

But some say that--at least in this first test of the system--the descriptions of each option are vague. They also question the integrity of the telephone ballot.

“I think this can be an exciting concept if the public warms up to it,” Councilwoman Elois Zeanah said. “My concern: Are we giving the public enough information to choose?”

Thousand Oaks resident Dan Del Campo suggested at Tuesday’s council meeting there should be a “none of the above” number to call.

“This is a very sensitive development with too many consequences to be debating it with an experimental system,” Del Campo said. “The time frame is too narrow and there’s not enough information.”

Del Campo also questioned what measures would prevent multiple calls in favor of one option, and who would listen to the opinions and suggestions callers may leave on the system.

The GTE-created phone system will identify repeat callers, keeping results from being skewed by a small number of people, said GTE spokesman John Dokken.

As for the messages, Councilman Andy Fox said there will be staff to take notes on the messages but no formal transcripts.

“This is not designed for scientific data,” Fox said. “We just want the public to help us narrow down the scope of the project.”

The plan is to build a children’s science center on the vacant land next to the Civic Arts Plaza. The four options each add more commercial amenities to the basic Discovery Center, such as an Imax theater, conference center, restaurants and specialty stores.

“The council had concerns that there needed to be more specific information and analysis of the options,” said Interim City Manager MaryJane V. Lazz. “That is not the focus now. These are conceptual ideas at this point.”

Mayor Mike Markey said the options are flexible and this is only the first attempt at determining what should accompany the science museum.

“The public has already said they want the Discovery Center,” Markey said. “But it is a fact the center needs some other commercial use to financially survive. Right now we’re finding out what would be an appropriate fit.”

To help residents understand the options, a video will be shown four times a day during the phone-in period on the city’s public-access cable TV channel. The 27-minute video describes the Discovery Center and presents the four development scenarios with artist renditions.

Del Campo said he is looking forward to watching the video before making his call, but said it would be better if all the plans were posted on an Internet site for closer examination. “We’re a pretty wired town,” Del Campo said. “With a Web site we’ll be able to see all the plans, if there’s nothing for them to hide.”

Fox said a Web site is a good idea for the second phase of the electronic town hall. Fox said he envisions people even being able to download project plans.

“We’re not far enough into the project to have those kind of details,” Fox said. “We first need input from the public to be able to give more information back to them. This is a very interactive process.”

Neither GTE nor the city manager’s office was able to provide numbers showing how many people called in the first day, but Councilwoman Judy Lazar said calls were coming in as soon as the system started operating Tuesday night. The call-in period ends at midnight April 8.

Dokken of GTE emphasized that calling a number for a particular option automatically registers a “yes” vote. “Do not call an option number to say ‘no,’ ” Dokken said. “If you want to say anything other than ‘yes’ to a certain option, call the fifth number reserved for two-minute messages where you can leave any opinion.”

Fox said he thinks this is the wave of the future and is glad Thousand Oaks is trying to make it work.

“This concept is about as democratic as you can get,” Fox said. “And this is a much better way for people to express their opinion than having to sit through a three-hour City Council meeting.”

FYI

Following are options for callers who want to register an opinion on development of 10 acres near the Civic Arts Plaza.

* Option 1: Discovery Center with cafe, museum store, park, police substation, restroom and restaurant-comedy club. Call 371-4477.

* Option 2: Same as Option 1, adding an Imax-like theater and restaurant. Call 371-4488.

* Option 3: Same as Option 2, adding a theater, restaurant and art museum. Call 371-4882.

* Option 4: Same as Option 3, with conference and catering centers added. Call 371-4883.

* Option 5: Leave a two-minute message with any opinion or suggestion. Call 449-2386.

Times staff writer Kate Folmar contributed to this story.