Editor's Note: 'Council Briefs' is a new section of the Acorn that will detail newsworthy happenings at City Council meetings that don't otherwise appear in the paper.

March 5, 2007

+ The City Council declared March 2007 as "Simi Valley Arbor Month," and thanked a group from the tree advisory board for their service. That group wanted to remind the community to attend the city's

Arbor Day celebration, held Saturday, March 31 at 10 a.m. at Rancho Tapo Community Park.

+ Sixteen members of the community were recognized for their service on the neighborhood council while 18 new neighborhood council executives were sworn in. Councilmember Barbra Williamson, who, along with Mayor Pro Tem Steve Sojka, conducted interviews of the 27 applicants, pointed out that one of the new neighborhood council members was "a rocket scientist," apparently trying to brag up the new class.

+ Police Chief Mike Lewis and Lt. John McGinty were on hand to share Simi Valley's 2006 Part I crime statistics with the council. McGinty reported that Simi's per capita crime rate has fallen 38 percent since 1986 despite a 26 percent increase in population. In that same time period, McGinty said, calls for service have jumped 85 percent. When asked about Simi's recent drop in the FBI's list of America's safest cities, Lewis said, "I don't believe in that type system. Simi Valley is a safer community now than it was 20 years ago."

+ The players, coaches, parents and cheer squad of the Vikings J-2 White football team were recognized by the council for winning this year's Gold Coast Football League Super Bowl in their division. City employee Al Boughey mentioned that 18 out of the team's 22 players were recognized by the league this season for their academic achievements.

+ The council voted unanimously to approve the 2007 Business Tax Compliance Program, which will attempt to collect on thousands of dollars in back business taxes owed the city.