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Neighbor alleges repeated permit violations and damage to protected oaks at Westlake Village property
Summary
A resident said work at 818 Rimcrest Drive included unpermitted grading and repeated retroactive tree permits that damaged roots and canopy of adjacent protected oaks; she requested council review and a written response.
Francesca Girard, speaking on behalf of her father, Klaus Stoba, told the Thousand Oaks City Council on Sept. 9 that repeated work at 818 Rimcrest Drive in Westlake Village has damaged protected oak trees that overhang her father's property at 816 Rimcrest.
Girard said the neighbor's crew removed an 8- and a 10-inch limb on her father's tree after the city's initial permit denial, conducted heavy machinery grading under oak canopies without a permit in September 2024, and later received retroactive tree permits in February, April and August 2025. She said the protective tree fencing required by the tree ordinance was not implemented and that the approved permit nonetheless allowed only manual work while heavy machinery continued to operate.
"How will the natural character of the Kananoa Valley be preserved?" Girard asked, and she requested that council members visit the site and provide a written response. She provided photos and a site plan in the packet and asked the city for a written response to her concerns.
City staff signaled they would follow up and invited Girard to speak with Community Development Director Kelvin Parker and other staff after the meeting; no council action was taken at the dais during the hearing.
Ending: Girard requested a written response and a site visit; staff offered to meet with her in the lobby after the meeting to coordinate follow-up.
