Senior field representative, Office of Assemblywoman Suzette Valladares (R), anthonyangelini.com
[Why you for this position?]Quite simply, because I know I can make a difference. I was born and raised in the Conejo Valley and intend to raise my daughter here, too. I have the experience and the dedication to lead our community back on the right path. I have been involved in the Park District since I was a high school student and sat on the Teen Center advisory board. Since then, I have been nothing if not a constant advocate for my community and worked closely with the Park District as a board member for the Arts Council of the Conejo Valley and Gold Coast Performing Arts Association. I was recently appointed by T.O. City Council to the City’s Arts and Culture Roundtable Commission, where I currently serve as inaugural chair.
In my day job, I manage the district office for Assemblywoman Valladares, and I am continuously required to deal with inter-governmental issues, build complex relationships and navigate bureaucracy and red tape. I have been endorsed by community leaders, including the mayors of the neighboring cities of Moorpark and Simi Valley, and I have also been endorsed by the Ventura County Professional Firefighters’ Association. As your Parks Director, I will continue to build relationships and serve as an effective public servant, as I have throughout my career.
People underestimate how important the Park District is in maintaining our community’s quality of life. Homelessness and public safety must be at the forefront of every decision we make, and with over 15,000 acres of high-fire-risk open space surrounding Thousand Oaks, $25,000,000 in community assets, and 6 percent of all property taxes going directly to the Park District coffers, now is the time to take the CRPD board seriously. I have a “Three P” Platform: Preservation, Parents and Partnerships. Our park district needs to focus on the preservation of open space and strategically invest in support and reinforcement for existing properties. We need to ensure that CRPD family programs are entertaining and accessible to every family, but also take special care to ensure that they are safe, appropriate and uplifting. And we need to incentivize civic and non-profit partnerships and allow them to alleviate the burden on the taxpayers by taking a leadership role in programming.
If elected, I will be strategic and shrewd about protecting our investments and the preservation of existing properties and open space. I will stand with our local businesses, non-profits, and cultural organizations and see that the full resources of the CRPD are provided to foster new partnerships and strengthen the ones that already exist. And I will always vote with families in mind to maintain appropriate programming.
In Thousand Oaks, we love our parks, and for good reason. Our district provides some of the cleanest and safest parks in the state. However, homelessness, drug use and other public safety concerns are continuously threatening the family-friendly atmosphere our parks have provided for over 50 years. Current leadership has focused on expansion and development when we would be much better off by restoring and upgrading existing properties to make them safer and better monitored. As our city gets older, these properties degrade. We must be smart about our community investments to ensure that our neighbors can enjoy our parks for generations to come.
There are three seats available for this position, so a voter may choose to vote for their top three candidates. On the campaign trail, I have had the opportunity to meet and interact with my fellow candidates, and I can tell you that Thousand Oaks is lucky to have such a qualified and impressive slate. I would be honored to work with any of them. I have a reputation in the community for building coalitions and working across the aisle, and I intend to further earn that reputation by working with whoever wins to implement my vision to preserve the bright future of Conejo Valley.
