Dos Vientos residents are pushing Thousand Oaks to install traffic signals and crosswalks at two intersections on Via Las Brisas, citing a May 2025 crash that killed a Newbury Park couple.
At least three residents submitted written comments in the commission's first supplemental packet for the Oct. 28 Traffic and Transportation Advisory Commission (TTAC) meeting. Two asked city staff to add the intersections of Via Las Brisas at Calle del Prado and Via Grande to the city's signal priority list. A third asked for a signal at Calle del Prado and a lighted crosswalk at Via Grande. A neighborhood campaign called We Live Here reported that nine written comments were submitted in total, according to its Substack page.
The push follows the sentencing of Neil Liam Reb, 22, of Oak Park, who pleaded guilty to two counts of felony gross vehicular manslaughter in the deaths of Alejandro Ramirez, 77, and Maria Ramirez, 73. Reb was driving 89 mph in a 45 mph zone on Via Las Brisas when he struck the couple's vehicle at the Calle Del Prado intersection around 4 p.m. on May 6, 2025, according to the Ventura County Star.
The Ramirezes were pronounced dead at the scene.
Ventura County Superior Court Judge Dusty Kawai sentenced Reb on Oct. 9 to 365 days in county jail and 24 months of probation, over the prosecution's objection, the Star reported.
Neighbors describe speeding, near misses
Alia Matthews of Newbury Park wrote that she regularly sees high-speed driving on Via Las Brisas, where her children walk, bike and scooter. She asked the commission to add both intersections to the signal list and bring the matter back in early 2027.
Alana Getz submitted a letter she said she had also sent to The Acorn newspaper. In it, she described a pattern of crashes along the corridor. She wrote that the grandparents of two Dos Vientos children were killed by a speeding driver near Calle del Prado, and that a group of high school friends had been struck while cycling, with one critically injured. A father driving his daughter to school was rear-ended by a speeding driver on Via Las Brisas, Getz wrote.
Getz asked for a painted crosswalk, preferably lighted, at Via Grande and a signal at Calle del Prado. She criticized past city assessments that relied on pedestrian counts, arguing residents avoid the intersections because they feel unsafe to cross.
Homayoun Daftary submitted a brief comment echoing the signal-list request for both intersections.
Campaign reports strong turnout
The We Live Here campaign, organized by residents Jude Bedel, Jennifer Betts, Michelle Drasin and Kylee Hamilton, reported that nine neighbors spoke at the Oct. 28 meeting, including four children, and that more than 21 supporters filled the room.
The campaign's recap said city staff confirmed both intersections are on the signal list, with a review starting in early 2027. The city ranks about 30 intersections, and signals cost $400,000 to $600,000 each, according to the recap. Official TTAC minutes from the meeting have not been published.
The campaign also reported that TTAC Chair Imel said he had spoken with Mayor Taylor about the residents' concerns that morning. Commissioner Callahan, at what the campaign described as his final meeting, supported the neighbors' requests and suggested interim steps.
The next TTAC meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2027, at 6 p.m. at the Civic Arts Plaza Board Room, 2100 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., third floor.
