Agoura Hills Beyond 2001

By Ken Horton

Now that the "Candidate Forums" have concluded and the final days of campaigning are at hand, we should take time to reflect on everything that the candidates, both the incumbents and the challengers, have verbalized in support of city council bids.

The future of Agoura Hills as seen through the eyes of Ken Horton, a challenger for a seat on the Agoura Hills City Council.
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"Agoura Hills is a city of significant (SN) and insignificant (IN) neighborhoods."

Neighborhoods are specific geographic area within a city where people live or work. In neighborhoods, people have common interests, common life styles and the same general set of values. HOA's, neighborhood groups/committees and neighborhood citizens action committees elect or appoint representatives to work with the city council. Each significant neighborhood thus takes an active role in assisting the city council with information gathering. Representatives also make recommendations to the city council based on their discovery.

"The perfect example of a significant neighborhood. Every neighborhood should be like the Old Agoura/OAR overlay neighborhood!"

Old Agoura is a City of Agoura Hills significant neighborhood. More than that, Old Agoura and the "equestrian focus" are symbols of open space and down to earth values. Old Agoura residents are more organized and they possess more neighborhood spirit that many of the city's other significant and insignificant neighborhoods. Personally, I hope the old Agoura neighborhood never changes. The only way it should change is thorough the collective majority of the people who live in Old Agoura agree to change it.

"The opinions and views of the people who live in this city's significant neighborhoods are, or should be, valuable in helping our city council see our neighborhoods as we do."

Old Agoura residents have an organization that keeps them informed about all of the issues involving the Old Agoura neighborhood. Like Old Agoura, many of the HOA neighborhoods have newsletters and other forms of communication they use to reach the residents who live there.

"Each neighborhood should have at least one neighborhood resident who can attend all city council meetings."

This person must be willing to express the collective views of the neighborhood. There are (15) neighborhoods in Agoura. Each neighborhood should have an active group of neighbors, homeowner association officers, non-profit organizations and churches. Neighborhood activists who care about their neighborhoods should serve on this very necessary citizens action group.

"If all 15 of the city's neighborhoods send one attendee to each city council meeting, there will be a minimum of 15 people at each and every city council meeting."

Each of the attendees is given 3-minutes to talk about their neighborhood issues; the good ones and bad ones. Each neighborhood attendee will represent their neighborhood and each attendee can join any of the city council's citizen committees.

Agoura Hills, Oak Park and Old Agoura businesses should support and become members of the Agoura/Oak Park/Las Virgenes Chamber of Commerce. The AOPLV Chamber of Commerce has 25 directors, all are members from local businesses.

"The chamber is the collective voice of the business community. Each resident and registered voter is the voice of the people. Make the city council hear what you have to say. Attend city council meetings and speak out. Do it now before it is too late." Ken Horton 2001

A vote for Ken Horton is a vote for the future of Agoura Hills.

A vote for Ken Horton is a vote for people centered government.

When the people of Agoura Hills speak, Horton hears them.