TO:Andrew P. Powers, City Manager
FROM:Jonathan Serret, Cultural and Community Services Director DATE:February 25, 2025
SUBJECT: City Councilmember Naming Recognition
RECOMMENDATION:
1. Receive report and provide direction.
2. Find that this action is not a project as defined by the California Environmental Quality Act.
LEVINE ACT ITEM: No
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
No Additional Funding Requested. Minimal staff time and costs to prepare the report are included in the Adopted FY 2024-25 General Fund Budget.
BACKGROUND:
Community Recognition
In 1984, Councilmember Alex Fiore brought forth a proposal for a program to dedicate seats in Council Chambers to honor and formally recognize individuals who have made significant contributions to the community. Subsequently, City Council unanimously approved the creation of such a program. This program has served as the City’s formal naming recognition since that time. The honor is managed by the sitting City Council and awarded to residents who have promoted Thousand Oaks’ community heritage and pride, played a key role in the development of ideas or programs to enhance Thousand Oaks, or otherwise contributed to achieving community goals.
Since the program’s launch, City Councilmembers have selected deserving individuals through a nomination process to receive a “Citizen Honorary Seat Dedication” at the annual Reorganization meeting held in the Scherr Forum Theatre (Andrew P. Fox Council Chambers). Initially, nominees were solicited from the community as well as Councilmembers and voted on by the entire City Council; however, the program was updated to solicit nominations from Councilmembers,
City Councilmember Naming Recognition
February 25, 2025
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acting on behalf of the community. Honorees are presented with a brass plate engraved with their name, which is affixed to their dedicated seat in the Council Chambers, along with a certificate that commemorates the event and identifies the seat (Attachment #1).
In 1994, Mayor Fiore recommended that in addition to residents and community leaders, each City Councilmember also receive a seat dedication in tribute to their service upon leaving office, as “there is no more significant duty or responsibility of a citizen that can be entered in to than serving on a City Council.” City Council voted unanimously in support of that recommendation.
Arts-Based Philanthropic Naming
Additionally, through a philanthropic naming program, municipal assets at the Civic Arts Plaza have been named in honor of community members who have generously supported the arts. Examples of these include the Janet and Ray Scherr Forum Theatre and the Mary and Richard Carpenter Park. These naming opportunities are governed by a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the City and TOArts (formerly the Alliance for the Arts). As outlined in the current MOU, TOArts is granted the right to facilitate philanthropic naming opportunities for City assets at the Civic Arts Plaza (CAP). The funds raised from these opportunities are directed into the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza Endowment Fund, with interest earnings supporting the Theatres Enterprise Fund. Naming agreements are made between TOArts and the donor, with City approval.
According to the MOU, new naming opportunities must be time-limited and cannot be offered indefinitely. Defined timeframe naming agreements are more in accordance with current industry best practices.
Ceremonial Recognition
The City also has a separate recognition policy by which a ceremonial certificate or commendation may be signed by the Mayor and presented to an individual for their contributions to the community. These may be presented at a City Council meeting when the schedule allows. Certificates are prepared by staff in the City Manager’s Office and are issued frequently. Commendations are issued at the request of the Mayor and are issued sparingly.
Street Naming
The Community Development Department also has a policy for naming or renaming streets. A resident may submit an application, along with a fee, a deposit for materials, and a petition from 80 percent of the residents and/or property owners on the street. After staff review, a City Council Public Hearing date is set for City Council to hear the renaming application and approve or deny the request.
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February 25, 2025
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DISCUSSION/ANALYSIS:
In recent years, the City has received several requests for recognition of individuals that are outside of existing, established policies. To date, four City asset naming recognitions have occurred outside of the formal, council-adopted seat dedication policy. The naming recognitions listed below were brought forward by individual City Councilmembers and approved by action of the full City Council. The primary basis for recognition for each action was extraordinary tenure. (Attachment #2).
Name Service to City Recognition Year of
Recognition
Grant R. Brimhall 20-Year City
Manager Main Library 1998
Alex Fiore 30-Year City
Councilmember Teen Center 2001
Andrew P. Fox 24-Year City
Councilmember
City Council
Chambers 2018
Claudia Bill-de la
Peña
20-Year City
Councilmember
Pillar in Kavli
Theatre 2022
The established council-adopted policy related to recognition has resulted in meaningful recognition to 100 individuals while maintaining established process.
As indicated above, several notable exceptions have been made by City Council action in recognition of leadership tenures exceeding 20 years.
The seat dedications, philanthropic naming programs, and ceremonial certificates and commendations are currently the documented routes for recognition of individuals. If desired, City Council may consider other individual forms of recognition, request that staff return with research for other types of public asset naming, or provide additional programmatic guidance.
COUNCIL GOAL COMPLIANCE:
Meets the following City Council goal:
B. Provide municipal government leadership which is open and responsive to residents, and is characterized by ethical behavior, stability, promoting public trust, transparency, confidence in the future, and cooperative interaction among civic leaders, residents, business representatives, and staff, while recognizing and respecting legitimate differences of opinion on critical issues facing the City.
PREPARED BY: Melissa Hurtado, Deputy Cultural and Community Services Director
Attachments:
Attachment #1 – Seat Dedication Honorees
Attachment #2 – Councilmember Terms
ccs:100-20/ H Common: City Council/ Council Items/2025/ 022525/CCMember Naming Recognition Staff Report.docx