WESTLAKE VILLAGE: Community Group Wants Area Hospital

      "[T]he newly formed Neighborhood Preservation Group" is trying to pressure the Westlake Village City Council to reconsider their spending priorities and "focus on bringing a hospital to the area rather than spending money to build a sports park, city hall or library." In its 1998 goals, the city council said that "attracting a hospital to the area was high on the list," but place it "below the city hall, library and even traffic safety and beautification." The community group is specifically opposing the construction of the proposed Lindero Canyon Sports Park, which "had been the main priority of the previous mayor." Westlake Village resident Alan Horowitz said, "We don't want the city council to establish our priorities. We're going to tell them what our priorities are." The Los Angeles Times reports that "to bring home their point," the preservation group "met with about 50 city residents Tuesday night." At the meeting, members of the group "sought to elicit support for their position that health care should be first." However, "Mayor Kris Carraway-Bowman said it would be financial suicide for the city to become a health care provider." But, the Times reports, the mayor has "recused herself from the discussions" because she is a spokeswoman for Thousand Oaks-based Los Robles Hospital. Another city official, council member James Henderson, "sits on the Los Robles board of trustees," but "said that he doesn't believe he has a conflict since that is an unpaid position" (Oliande, 4/9).