ATTACHMENT #1
FY 2024-25 COA Liaison and Committee Summary Reports
Liaison Reports
Report from Chair Tony Gitt
Agency: California Senior Legislature (CSL)
Agency Mission: The mission of the California Senior Legislature is to help preserve and enhance the quality of life for older Californians and their families. The CSL achieves this mission by developing a forum through which older Californians can develop their legislative priorities and get them into the hands of California and Federal legislators. This is accomplished through the annual Session, a model legislative session where proposals are considered and prioritized. Senior Legislators then seek state lawmakers to author 10 of the Session’s priority proposals. The CSL works throughout the year to ensure adoption of these proposals.
Frequency of Meetings: As needed.
Liaison Report: The CSL was created by State Law to provide recommendations for State laws to Elected Legislators for issues affecting seniors. Since its creation in 1980, 210 laws affecting seniors have been passed into law. This year 3 proposals for new laws were picked up and sponsored and are currently in review in the State Assembly and Senate elected State Legislators
Agency: Senior Concerns
Agency Mission: Senior Concerns, a nonprofit organization, for the past four decades, has provided high-quality, affordable support services to Thousand Oaks seniors and their families through innovative and effective programs aimed at fostering independence, well-being, and self-esteem.
Frequency of meetings: As needed
Liaison Report: Senior Concerns depends on the City Dial A Ride service to get many seniors to and from its daily day care programs, especially those in the dementia programs. The Dial A Ride operator/subcontractor still is occasionally late on scheduled pickups and sometimes fails to pick up clients to take them home from Senior Concerns even though their ride home has been previously scheduled. This sometimes requires Senior Concern’s staff to have to take clients home.
Report from Commissioner Nivedita Vaidya and City Representative Stephanie Belding
Agency: Ventura County Human Services Agency Area Agency on Aging (VCAAA) Agency Mission: “Provide comprehensive, coordinated system of care that enables older individuals, children and adults with disabilities, and their caregivers to live in a community-based setting. The VCAAA advocates for the needs of those 60 years of age 5 0
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and older in the county, providing leadership and promoting citizen involvement in the planning process as well as in the delivery of services”.
Frequency of meetings: Six annual meetings for Advisory Council and various subcommittee meetings
Liaison Report from City Representative and Commissioner Nivedita Vaidya:
Representing the city of Thousand Oaks at the VCAAA Advisory Council this year, was very enlightening and informative. I chose to be on the Workforce Development Committee and immediately we got busy planning for the Job Fair at the Wellness Fest in January of 2025. We discussed, approached and established 8 employers to be present from different fields- education, city departments, senior care to present job opportunities and outreach to older adults seeking jobs in the region at the Goebel center.
This was coordinated by Julie Spivak of CRPD at the center. Unfortunately, due to the fires the event was canceled.
During the meetings we have different representatives present the work they are doing to assist older adults and improve their quality of life. There is growing concern over uncertainty regarding budgetary allocations and some programs being “sunset” due to changes in federal policies. For example, SNAP will face reduction or elimination which will impact vulnerable populations and food insecurity will increase.
The Ventura County Master Plan on aging was presented regarding the Five major goals that will be used to guide action and resource allocation.
Senior Nutrition Program in every city is facing a high demand and has long waiting lists while dealing with budget losses. Most programs are seeking outside grants or private partnerships to keep them alive.
They are working on the Strategic Area Plan of VCAAA, its major objectives and how to increase Awareness of Programs and Services.
Liaison Report from City Representative Stephanie Belding: As one of the City’s Representatives on the VCAAA Advisory Council, I served on the Housing Committee and was also the Chair of the Workforce Committee.
I have given reports to the COA on a regular basis. My topics included many County activities, events, programs and services offered. I usually bring digital graphics or printed handouts to accompany my reports.
My regular reports to the COA included Job Fairs, Ventura County Veteran services, "Get That Job" video information and other employment information for older adults, the Home Share Program, Fall Prevention in-person classes and videos, homeless population updates, Caregiver Recognition Day and caregiver resources, elder abuse contacts, meal services, and well-being services to combat social isolation as well as crisis intervention such as the Friendship Line.
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It has been an immense pleasure to represent the Council on Aging, and the City of Thousand Oaks in order to serve our older population and those with disabilities in a meaningful way.
Key to that representation are the outreach efforts in communicating important information to those who most need it. I am always happy to do just that! Report from Commissioner Joeseph Donohue
Name of Agency: Conejo Recreation & Park District / Conejo Volunteer Program / Volunteer Tax Preparation (for Seniors and Low Income)
Stated Mission: IRS and Cal Franchise tax Board Tax Preparation Frequency of meetings attended: 3 weeks daily training; 10 ½ weeks client engagement @ 1-2 days per week; post tax season 1st Wednesday of the month.
Liaison Report: This has (and continues post tax season) to be an incredibly fulfilling experience: Every client with whom I engaged welcomed someone to talk to – someone to listen to their own unique life story; with most having personal family, health or financial hardships to share. Our client’s deeply appreciated the welcoming, available and supportive services – the help by a qualified preparer, something they all felt technically was outside their capability (or at least their perceived comfort zone) as well as the elimination or avoidance of several hundred dollar paid prep fees.
Additionally, the individual setting and 1:1 engagement enabled a review of our Resource Directory and the targeting a possible specific available resource to their personal needs.
Report from Commissioner Mary Jane Taintor
Brief summary/highlights of liaison activities:
1) Served as liaison to the Goebel Center
2) Served on Resource Directory Committee – our committee continued this year the work of the project last year. I was on the Resource Directory last year.
We once again verified all of the contact information included in the Resource Directory. In addition, we added several new resources. 3) I have been going to the Goebel Center once a month from 11-1 pm since the Resource Directory was published. Another Commissioner and I handed out our directories to people going into the café to eat. This has been a very successful avenue to distribute our directories.
4) Served on the Dial a Ride Committee. We met with people from Dial a Ride program to learn about their activities and how to use their app. Then we helped others who also were at the meeting to learn how to make appointments for rides, etc.
5) I was one of 7 COA members who are included in the new Dial A Ride video to promote their program. I am riding in the back seat of the van on the left side in the video. Lots of fun and it turned out well.
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I have totally enjoyed the past 3 years on the COA Commissioners Council. I am termed out, but I plan to re-apply next year. I have made many friends on the Council, and I very much enjoy meeting and visiting with them once a month.
Report from Commissioner Pamela Davis
Thank you for the opportunity to serve thus far on the COA. It has been an honor to serve during this first half of my term. I appreciated and learned more about the city and services provided during monthly meetings which have included guest speaker presentations.
I would like to highlight some of the guest speakers who represented agencies and the City: Emergency Preparedness, Fire risk reduction, Transit, Westminster Free Clinic, Ventura County Area on Aging and finally, Deputy City Manager.
These speakers/agencies are very helpful to the community regarding risk reduction for example, emergencies, transit working with COA to launch new Dial-A-Ride app to assist seniors in getting out for appointments (activities and fun!). I participated in the collaboration of COA, with Transit for this launch. Westminster Free Clinic has seen an increased need from seniors for food, clothing and health care given current food funding cuts, economy, job loss impacting health care and lack of affordability in a variety of areas. Hearing about downtown Thousand Oaks development planning and offering feedback was nice and sounds exciting.
As liaison to Goebel Center, I have attended Commission meetings, learned about the center, met staff and participants along with going to the agency on an additional, monthly basis to distribute COA Resource Directories at the City table provided. This part has been a result of my work on the Resource Directory Committee. My liaison colleague and I meet with interested participants from 10:00am- 1:00pm monthly and I have found this activity to be profoundly critical. Many interested individuals have approached the table with questions about free tax service, free home repair questions, utility service assistance and have had a variety of stressors which have allowed us to direct them to the Resource Directory and available services in the city. Some seniors want to talk and simply reach out for support.
I have found that my active psychotherapy license, work with people, background in social work, teaching, awareness of agency work, collaboration, program planning and administration have enabled me to do this work with ease and offer support.
As an individual living in a very large 55+ condominium community made up of 419 units, I've been able to offer all speaker fliers received during monthly COA meetings; I've shared fliers/brochures with HOA Board, made copies available and posted to residents and received very appreciative feedback.
Thank you for this very important and meaningful experience. Sarah Mailes is experienced and truly an asset to the COA.
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Committee Reports
Resource Directory Committee
Purpose of Committee: Two years ago the resource directory that is distributed at the Wellness Fest at the Goebel Center was dropped by the group that had been updating it forever. The Council on Aging opted to take this on as an ongoing project. So each year the committee assigns portions of the directory to those commissioners who are interested.
Frequency of meetings held: Once to assign projects then as needed Outcome: The 2 nd Annual City of Thousand Oaks Older Adult Resource Directory available in large print or on the City’s website at www.toaks.gov/olderadults Committee Report from Vice Chair Dorothy Hatfield
The assignment of the directory parts was done later this year than last, so we had to work on this quicker than needed. Our desire to put in local pictures rather than random pictures had to be pushed to next edition because the legal waivers were not available for us. Additionally, we hoped to have at least some portions of the directory in Spanish but had to leave it to next year.
The Wellness Fest was cancelled this year (due to weather), so commissioners met at the Goebel that day to pass out some directories and talk to those who came to discover the fest was cancelled. From that, we decided to resurrect an idea from years past that the commissioners man a table twice a month at the Goebel to distribute items like the Resource Directory and give us a chance to talk to our peers to see what problems they were encountering. It also made a great place to talk to people about the new dial-a -ride app. We were able to hear of people using the guide to get services and that makes it all worthwhile. I hope next year we can print more and do the changes we have discussed.
Demographic Committee
Purpose of Committee: To develop a demographic snapshot of older adults in Thousand Oaks using publicly available data.
Frequency of meetings held: Monthly from January 2025 to May 2025, and then more frequently to complete the report.
Outcome: The report titled Demographic Snapshot of Older Adults in Thousand Oaks – Present and the Next 10 Years is provided as Attachment 2 to the Staff Report.
CCS: 115-01\sm\H\COMMON\Community Services\City Council Items\2025 Staff Reports\07082025 COA Annual Report staff report.attachment1.docx