Mayor puts the shine on Simi Valley’s future

Simi Valley residents got a broad look at what city leaders say is a community on the rise, as Mayor Dee Dee Cavanaugh delivered the annual State of the City Address on Sept. 16 at the Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center. The event, held in partnership with the Simi Valley Chamber of Commerce, touched on public safety gains, economic development, new housing and nearly $28 million in planned infrastructure work — but the headline items were the creation of a dedicated city Film Office, roughly 1,000 incoming Pennymac jobs and Simi Valley's selection as a candidate market for a professional hockey franchise.

The Simi Valley Acorn, which covered the address, reported that Cavanaugh structured her presentation around the City Council's six stated priorities: public safety, fiscal stability, economic vitality, a thriving community, reliable infrastructure and city government.

'Life is good': crime falls for a third straight year

Two 2026 community surveys conducted by True North Research found that 77% of respondents in both polls rated Simi Valley's overall quality of life as good or excellent, according to the city.

On public safety, the city reported that criminal offenses declined 6.4% in 2025 — the third consecutive year of decreases. Property crime fell 13.7%, while crimes against people dropped 4.7%. Response times for the most serious emergency calls also improved, officials said.

The address also looked back at the Sandy Fire, which burned more than 2,100 acres in May and drew roughly 1,400 firefighters to the area. At the fire's height, about 33,000 residents were under evacuation orders and another 10,000 were under evacuation warnings — a scale that put the city's emergency response to the test and, officials suggest, informed its readiness planning going forward.

A new Film Office and the Thirty Mile Zone advantage

Among the most notable announcements was the creation of a dedicated Simi Valley Film Office, a response to a marked increase in production activity in the city. The office will focus on attracting productions, assisting the film industry, streamlining permitting and promoting Simi Valley as a filming destination.

The numbers behind the move are striking: Simi Valley recorded at least 482 film production days in 2026, up more than 60% from 2025, and film activity generated an estimated $8.6 million in local economic impact this year, according to the city.

The city has a geographic edge working in its favor. Simi Valley is the only city in Ventura County located entirely within the entertainment industry's Thirty Mile Zone — the radius used by productions to calculate logistical costs — which can make the city an attractive, lower-friction alternative to locations deeper afield.

"Simi Valley has a long history in front of the camera, and we're ready to build on it," Cavanaugh said, according to the Acorn.

Jobs, housing and — maybe — hockey

Economic development featured prominently in the address. Mortgage lender Pennymac is taking over the former Bank of America building at 450 American St., a move expected to bring about 1,000 jobs to the city.

On the industrial side, Hanover Company broke ground this summer on a $75 million, roughly 200,000-square-foot industrial development on Quimisa Drive — the company's first industrial project in Southern California, officials said.

Perhaps the most unexpected item: Simi Valley was selected as one of six West Coast markets for expansion by the United States Hockey League, an announcement that could eventually yield a new sports and entertainment destination in the city. Details on timing and venues remain to be fleshed out.

Housing was also on the agenda, with 364 homes at Lost Canyons and 207 proposed homes at North Canyons highlighted, along with additional apartment and affordable housing projects. The city also continues to work with the owner of Simi Valley Town Center and prospective partners on the shopping center's long-term future — a question that has loomed over the corridor as retail habits shift.

Streets, sewers and the library's future

Residents will see the results of city spending closer to home in the coming fiscal year. Nearly $28 million in capital investments are planned for fiscal year 2026-27 across water, sanitation, streets and roads. The work includes resurfacing nearly 11 miles of streets, rehabilitating more than 18,000 feet of sewer lines and connecting all 121 of the city's traffic signals through the FiberCity network for remote monitoring.

City officials also pointed to strong use of community services: nearly 3,000 young people reached through Youth Services, 182,000 library visits, 165,000 Senior Center check-ins and more than 35,000 patrons at the Cultural Arts Center.

Looking ahead, Cavanaugh discussed a potential transfer of the Simi Valley Public Library property to city ownership. The city has been working with Ventura County Supervisor Janice Parvin on a possible transition that, if completed, could open the door to future investment in the library, according to the city.

"There is a lot to be proud of in Simi Valley, and even more to look forward to," the mayor said.

For residents, the address sketched a city betting on growth — more productions, more jobs, more housing — while leaning on the fundamentals of falling crime and steady infrastructure investment. The follow-through on the Film Office, the Pennymac move and the hockey league bid will be worth watching in the months ahead.