An Acorn sitdown with former mayor and VCTC head
Q&A
By Darleen Principe darleen@theacorn.com

Ginger Gherardi

Former Simi Valley mayor Ginger Gherardi remembers the days when the Santa Susana Pass was the only way to get to Los Angeles. She remembers when Simi was full of open space and only 55,000 people populated the city.

When Gherardi gave birth to her second son at the Simi Valley Hospital, she said she watched the nurses run back and forth between rooms because another woman was giving birth at the same time and they had to share the equipment.

Gherardi, 64, joined the City Council in 1972 and served as mayor from 1978-79- at a time when council members rotated the mayorship. Her name still shows on the deed to Simi Valley Civic Center.

Gherardi lived in Simi Valley for almost 20 years and later moved to Santa Paula after becoming executive director for the Ventura County Transportation Commission, where she stayed for 18 years. She retired from her post two weeks ago and agreed to take the time to talk with the Acorn about her experiences.

Q: You came onto the City Council in 1972. Were you always involved in city affairs?

A: Yes. I was on the planning commission before that. I got involved shortly after the city incorporated. There was a commercial development that was being put up across the street from where I lived. I got all my neighbors together and picketed the developer. Around that time, they were looking for volunteers to join the planning commission, so I filled out an application. Two years later, I was elected to the City Council.

Q: What's changed the most about Simi Valley since you were on the City Council?

A: Well, first of all, it's a lot nicer of a city, and obviously it's grown. There were only about 55,000 people back then, so it's grown enormously- more than double the size. But at the time there was virtually no planning. The county was 40 miles away, and they could care less what was happening (in Simi), so you had a really ugly looking Los Angeles Avenue- with all the signs and the riff-raff that was all over the place. They didn't put in any kind of development that even required any type of landscaping. The community is much nicer looking today than it was in the late '60s and early '70s.

Q: What was Simi like in the early years when it was still being incorporated? What were the people like?

A: I think the people were very similar to the way they are today. We had a few developments around in certain areas, and basically you had a lot of people who were looking for reasonable housing. When I bought my house there on Justin (Avenue) it cost me $22,000, and that house is probably close to $1 million today.

Q: What were the biggest concerns for residents during that time?

A: We had two major issues that were critical at the time. One was getting all the signs under control because we just had wall-to-wall billboards and signs everywhere. The second thing is that we had to put sewers in most of the city.

Q: In those days do you think people ever imagined Simi becoming such a big city?

A: Perhaps the people who lived there did not. But certainly the people who were responsible for the planning did. I think one of the big issues at the time was uncontrolled growth. At the time anybody could build anything anywhere. There really was just no significant land use control- which is definitely not the case today.

Q: In the last 30 years, what do you think is the most significant thing to happen to Simi?

A: I really don't know. I've not lived there for 20 years, so it's hard for me to answer that. I was involved in the very beginning when we had a bunch of smaller things to deal with, like creation of a police department. We used to have arguments over ambulance services and things like that, which are not major events today.

Q: What about the Rodney King trial?

A: Obviously Simi Valley got a black eye from the Rodney King trial. Certainly there were only one or two people on the jury from Simi Valley. The rest of them were from the rest of the county, so Simi got a black eye for something that really was not related to them in almost any way.

Q: Do you think outsiders still primarily think of the Rodney King trial when they hear about Simi Valley?

A: Yes, and we'll see that perception in newspapers and all over. That's what people recognize and identify the city with, and I think that's too bad.

Q: Is there anything else people think of when they hear about Simi Valley?

A: Well, there's also the Reagan Library- which is another important thing that's come up. It's a really positive thing for the community, bringing a lot of visitors in and giving them a chance to take a look at the community.

Q: Do you think all the development and population growth has been good or bad for Simi?

A: Again I can't really answer that question because I've not been involved with decisions on land use in the community for a long time. I can't say that everything that's there is something I would have approved of, but certainly it's a very nice looking community.

What people don't realize is that early on, things were not "just there." There had to be plans for those things, and I think the community is now something that people can be proud of.

Q: What were some of your most significant contributions as executive director with the Ventura County Transportation Commission?

A: We created the Vista bus system, which connects the whole county together. We've put in any number of highwayrelated projects. There's a long, long list of projects that are out there. I know this is going to sound like I'm blowing my own horn, but I'm not: If you've driven a car in the county or you've taken a train or taken a bus in the last 18 years, then I had something to do with it. And that's the reality of it.

Q: After all these years of being so involved in the city and county, how are you enjoying your break?

A: I haven't had one yet. I'm still on the Ventura County Fair Board, and I would like to stay on that. I've been very active in the community; I'm involved in the Rotary- I was out at the Faulkner Farm Pumpkin Patch every day last month. It was just two days ago that I actually got to unpack the boxes that I brought home, and they're not all put away yet. It will probably take another couple of weeks before I can feel like I can come up for air.

Q: What are your future plans?

A: I'm working on a book that I've wanted to do for a long time. I started about 10 years ago, and I kept having to put it aside because I didn't have enough time. Basically I want to do some fun things for me, maybe get back into artwork and do the things I enjoy that I just didn't have enough time for in the past.

Q: Do you have any lasting advice or comments for residents and for the people who are running the city of Simi Valley now?

A: I really would not presume to give the elected officials any advice, but I think as a general rule they should be responsible to the public. Sometimes it's difficult to be in that position, and you have to make a judgment call that people don't necessarily always understand- that you're doing something to protect the long-term safety and welfare of the community. From the standpoint of the public- they should feel free to continue to voice their opinions to make sure that their wishes are known. It's a two-way street.