CITY'S IN FINE FETTLE, FOX SAYS.

Byline: Enrique Rivero Daily News Staff Writer

To Thousand Oaks Mayor Andrew Fox, the city is like a living organism.

The only way it can run properly is by maintaining balance among all of its components.

``We all work together and when one aspect falls short or is not involved, that is where you have problems,'' Fox said Tuesday before delivering his State of the City address.

And despite the disagreements in what many perceive as a divided City Council, that equilibrium is not threatened, he said. Everything continues to work properly - government and recreation officials, the business community, civic organizations, volunteers and residents, he said.

That was the message he wanted his listeners to come away with from his address at the luncheon meeting sponsored by the Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce.

``I wouldn't have said it if I didn't think we could do it,'' Fox said afterward. ``I'm realistic that we're going to have our disagreements, but all in all I think we have something to be proud of.''

Speaking to more than 150 people at the Los Robles Inn, Fox outlined why he thinks the city will continue working the way it has for so long.

Fox likened the business community to the respiratory system; the civic and volunteer community to the heart; the recreation segment to the circulatory system; and residents and government to the brain.

Businesses large and small - from Harold's House of Omelettes to Amgen - or new developments such as the The Promenade at Westlake - provide the jobs and sales tax revenues to provide police protection, libraries and other services, he said.

Retail business vacancies in the city are now at 6 percent - the lowest in 10 years; the housing market is improving, with the median price this past year jumping $10,000 to $257,000; the median income for a family of four is a healthy $63,000; unemployment is an a record low of 5.8 percent; more than 2,000 business licenses were issued over the past year; and taxable sales have been increasing, with Amgen Inc. alone generating nearly $3 billion a year.

``Because of their success, we are all able to breathe easier as a community,'' Fox said. ``The facts speak for themselves. Our local economy is strong and sound. Translation . . . we have plenty of oxygen.''

There is also plenty of evidence that service clubs, nonprofit organizations, churches, synagogues and volunteers are providing plenty of the heart that keeps the city alive, he said.

For example, Columbia Los Robles Hospital/Medical Center has more than 500 volunteers; more than 700 people donate their time to the Thousand Oaks Library; and there are nearly 200 people volunteering for police service programs, he said.

``Thousand Oaks is a town that literally survives on its volunteers,'' Fox said.

With 14,000 acres of open space, easily accessible hiking trails, and award-winning school athletic teams, there is an abundance of the recreational opportunities that keep the ``circulation'' flowing and the city healthy, he said.

If there is a shortcoming, it is in the lack of commercial family entertainment, he said.

``Private businesses that we had in the past like a bowling alley, ice skating rink and other private recreational businesses for the public would be welcome additions back into our community,'' Fox said.

Finally, the people who run the Conejo Valley Unified School District, the Conejo Recreation and Park District, and county and city government are also providing plenty of brains, resulting in a host of honors - award-winning schools and park district, lauded environmental planning and the like, he said.

As for the City Council, he had words of praise - and a warning.

``Our Council has been described as divided. From this day forward I prefer to think that we are rich in diversity,'' Fox said. ``We need to focus on the aim of debate, which should not be victory, but progress.''

Though he moved to Thousand Oaks little more than a year ago, George Abramson said he agreed with Fox's assessment. That was why he pulled up stakes and moved from Canoga Park and opened his business - Gar Electronics - in Westlake Village.

``There was nothing that I can think of that I would disagree with,'' Abramson said. ``From what I've seen, what I've heard, Thousand Oaks is sustainable.''

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos

Photo: (1--ran in CONEJO only--color) Mayor Andrew Fox shakes hands at a Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce meeting, where he gave his State of the City address.

(2--color) ``The facts speak for themselves. Our local economy is strong and sound. Translation . . . we have plenty of oxygen.''

- Andrew Fox

Thousand Oaks mayor

Jeremy Greene/Special to the Daily News