Agenda Related Items - Meeting of August 26, 2025
Supplemental Packet Date: August 26, 2025
THOUSAND OAKS CITY COUNCIL
Supplemental
Information
Packet
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2:30 p.m.
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From: Leila Afshar <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, August 25, 2025 6:40 PM
To: Code Update <[email protected]>
Subject: Updated Cottage Food Codes
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization . Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe.
FWD:
Dear Mayor Newman,
I’m writing to you as a local cottage food baker, lifelong resident of Thousand Oaks and stay-at-home mother who built my business from the ground up. Last weekend, my small farmstand was shut down due to enforcement of outdated cottage food codes.
While I understand the need for reasonable regulations to ensure health and safety, the current rules are making it nearly impossible for small home-based food businesses to survive.
Under these restrictions, farmstands can serve no more than four customers per day, are prohibit
ed from having signs, and cannot be placed in a visible location at the front of a home. These rules are overly restrictive. Running a farmstand requires baking in bulk, and with such a small daily customer limit, there’s no way to cover ingredient, packaging, and time costs. Not allowing signage or a convenient, visible location further reduces the chance for customers to find and support us.
Farmstands bring more than just bread or produce to a neighborhood — they add charm, character,
and a sense of community. They encourage neighbors to gather, shop local, and connect. For me, my farmstand has been a way to contribute to our town’s unique spirit while also earning income without having to leave my children. It has been a lifeline for my family and a source of pride.
Cottage food businesses like mine provide fresh, locally made goods, help sustain our local economy,
and give residents an alternative to industrially produced food. Many nearby towns have updated their cottage food ordinances to reflect modern practices, balancing safety with the ability for small businesses to thrive. I believe our town can do the same!
I’m asking you to work with local bakers to revise these codes so they are fair, safe, and supportive of entrepreneurship
. I would welcome the opportunity to meet with you or
your staff to share more about how these rules are impacting us, and to discuss potential solutions that benefit both the community and local small business owners.
Thank you for your time and dedication to our town. I look forward to your response and to working together toward a more sustainable future for our local food producers.
Sincerely
,
Leila Afshar
2187 Rusticpark Court
[email protected]
805-358-7336
You don't often get email from [email protected]. Learn why this is important TO COUNCIL: 08/26/2025
AGENDA ITEM: 12A
MEETING DATE: 08/26/2025
1 Name City Item # In favor/ Opposed Comment
Gordon Clint Newbury Park 9 - Consent Calendar In favor Re: Item M on the consent calendar- Many vulnerable people are being hurt these days. But the good news is that there are many organizations trying to help. They are working together as the Ventura County Neighbors Support Fund of the Ventura County Community Foundation (VCCF). The City of Thousand Oaks can also contribute to the urgently needed work of these local organizations.
Please approve joining the coalition of named supporters of the Ventura County Neighbors Support Fund and approve a one-time contribution to the Ventura County Community Foundation in the amount of $100,000. I have contributed to the VCCF and trust that organizations they fund will put the money to good use.
Diana Marquez Newbury Park 9 - Consent Calendar In favor The purpose of government is to establish order, provide common defense defense against external and internal threats, protecting individual rights and liberties, and to provide essential services that benefit the society as a whole. Once elected, Officers represent THE COLLECTIVE WILL OF THE PEOPLE, not just the constituents who voted for you. This is regardless of race, color, ethnicity The City of Thousand Oaks states it does so with a goal of creating community resilience by “creating a more equitable, accessible, safe, inclusive, and welcoming government. The recent ICE raids perpetrated upon both documented and undocumented workers, families and individuals based solely on skin color, language, work place type, and locale have created fear, chaos, panic, and suspicion of government. Not only has our county’s $2B/yr Ag Industry been decimated, so too have our restaurants/fast food, hotel/hospitality, landscaping, construction, domestic, day laborer, and driver industries. Food prices are anticipated to go up > 12% leading to more food instability when food share organizations are already beyond capacity, this leads to lowering consumerism, leading to further economic instability. These effects will be felt both on the pre and post sides of the entire food chain, destabilizing the seed, fertilizer, packaging, equipment, transportation side of the industry as well as higher prices on our supermarkets, restaurants, fast food chains. And this in turn effects customer confidence and spending which then effects labor markets further up the employment sector. Leading in to job turnover and losses that will lead to higher unemployment and dependence on government and charitable subsidies. The societal psychological effects, not only on the detainees, but on those who witness the ICE raids, or who are missing family, friends, loved ones, work mates, class mates is creating distrust and fear of both law enforcement and government as a whole. The public now fears the very entities THEY PAY to protect them! This suspicion and trauma are leading to increased mental health issues, increased drug use, increased self harm even to families not directly effected by the raids! Reports from nonprofits that their vans filled with disabled clients are being unlawfully pulled over by ICE simply because of the color of their drivers skin! These people already face hardships due to their disabilities. Both their drivers, and they themselves, should not be subjected to these atrocities! Not in The United States of America! They, and their families are your constituents, too! They vote, too! This small fund will be a starting point to assist in the recovery efforts our community is taking on in the wake of the ICE effects.
Barbara Leighton Newbury Park 9 - Consent Calendar In favor I am thankful to see Item M on the Consent Calendar and look forward to your approval of joining the coalition of named supporters of the Ventura County Neighbors Support Fund. A contribution to the Ventura County Community Foundation in the amount of $100,000 from the City of Thousand Oaks will help make our communities stronger.
TO COUNCIL: 08/26/2025
MEETING DATE: 08/26/2025
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