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City staff, sheriff’s commander outline wildfire readiness as wind events continue; officials urge individual preparedness
Summary
City staff and a sheriff's commander updated the council on response to recent wind events and power shutoffs; they highlighted water system operations, patrol staffing to guard against arson, and urged residents to prepare and evacuate when necessary.
City staff and public-safety officials briefed the Thousand Oaks City Council and members of the public on Jan. 14 about the city’s response to recent wind events, Southern California Edison power shutoffs and wildfire risks.
“Beyond our amazing firefighters and police officers, the city of Thousand Oaks employees are all disaster service workers,” Mister Powers (staff member) said, describing the city’s emergency posture during recent wind events and the work of crews to keep water tanks full and clear roadways for emergency response. “The loss of power due to Southern California Edison’s PSPS protocols has been a frustrating, exacerbating, and complicating factor in both our work and the lives of our residents and businesses.”
Corey Rubright, patrol operations commander for the East County Station, said the sheriff’s office has increased patrol staffing and placed tactical response team members near trailheads and other access points to watch for suspicious activity and to be available for evacuation support.
“We have currently up‑staffed our personnel that are out in the field on patrol,” Commander Rubright said. “These additional personnel are also readily available to respond if needed to assist in any evacuation processes should the need arise.” He urged residents not to wait for official notifications if they see conditions that jeopardize their safety.
Public commenters pressed for home‑hardening and brush‑clearance programs. Andy Levine urged the city to restore or increase summer weed‑clearance programs and said fire‑season preparation should be a top priority. A Zoom speaker, Clint Fultz of the Conejo Climate Coalition, cited climate change and urged home hardening, brush clearing and community preparedness efforts.
Staff response: Mister Powers said brush clearance continues and that hydrants are operational. He named the Bard reservoir as the city’s largest local reservoir and described it as supporting approximately 10,000 acre‑feet of water. He also pointed residents to county preparedness resources and to vcemergency.com for information.
Council members praised first responders and staff for maintaining water service during outages and encouraged residents to seek preparedness resources from county offices and local fire‑safe councils.
No formal council action was taken on these briefing items at the meeting.
