[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6573748,"mediaKeyId","3155005-6a6212d539b69f7a9b238eb220fc6154","parentId",3155005,"title","Council advances tenant anti-harassment and just-cause changes after hours of public comment from renters and landlords","audioSeconds",1629,"startMs",8081000,"endMs",9710000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3155005-6a6212d539b69f7a9b238eb220fc6154&start=8081&end=9710","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3155005-6a6212d539b69f7a9b238eb220fc6154/thumbnail_8081000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6573748/Oxnard-City/Ventura-County/California/Council-advances-tenant-anti-harassment-and-just-cause-changes-after-hours-of-public-comment-from-renters-and-landlords","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6573748-fec07cadc93c3ee53c2c1538f8fc751e/orig.mp4?Expires=1771175560&Signature=lO3Zi563EdMo7Mhmu8MmuFael-rXDEjcP0JfnwOah55unlolxUYk9dXQqFRGMB-AbKiZO9EdyJibrwuLV956PxOhH3v7G0uCINPCJ5fL7T3Aa1hN~v50gI~PJaYRsJVdbPnAJRmsv-fzVRpM7aPZ4ktWNpQvprmAzlLpAkeE-lyElTIhlRULvqwicfo9ag639dm-9jf07ecvemIPe22hdT9SeuZGCAaBu6jUDUGDYIG-rVBK2bN0riWSUDuQFP0EzwyYp41Av-dGKxvgEoHsSOwJuMxVSyCDVXyhDUt~yXCtFEeDcdmul28ZQ98-incb0Dk9nm~aNc-Rzb8Azjw~HA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author"," City of Oxnard","date","2025-04-30T07:22:53.767Z","article","The Oxnard City Council on April 29 approved first readings and directed staff to implement administrative rules for two related tenant-protection measures: a new tenant anti-harassment ordinance and amendments to the city’s just-cause eviction code. Council approved the items following extensive public comment from tenants, tenant advocates and landlord representatives. The two items together create new enforcement tools, penalties and procedures for alleged harassment or retaliation and clarify implementation of just-cause eviction protections.

What the council approved: Councilmembers voted to introduce the tenant anti-harassment ordinance and the just-cause code amendments, and to authorize staffing and administrative regulations needed for implementation. The anti-harassment ordinance creates a defined list of prohibited practices (for example, abusive entry, threats based on immigration status and interference with tenant organizing activities) when done with intent to intimidate or retaliate. The ordinance also proposes civil damages (statutory caps were proposed consistent with cited civil-code provisions), attorney fees and administrative enforcement tools. The council also advanced code amendments implementing just-cause evictions and directed staff to prepare implementing regulations and a registration/fee study for owner notification and program financing.

Public testimony and key concerns: Dozens of tenants gave in-person and translated testimony describing alleged intimidation, retaliation after code or rent-cap complaints, and threats involving immigration reporting. Tenants and advocates argued the city needs enforceable remedies and a staffed program to resolve disputes and deter harassment. Tenant attorneys and organizers asked the council to provide staffing and funding and to adopt the ordinance to give residents confidence to report habitability and safety problems.

Landlord concerns and process: Representatives of property-owner associations and small landlords testified that portions of the draft ordinance were too broad, could discourage necessary owner-tenant communication and create costly litigation exposure for “mom-and-pop” owners. At the March stakeholder workshop and a subsequent council committee meeting, city staff convened landlords, tenants and neutral mediators to refine language. Staff emphasized the proposal is meant to target bad actors and protect tenants while providing due process. The City’s Office of the City Attorney and outside consultants participated in the drafting and stakeholder sessions.

Budget and staffing: The anti-harassment ordinance included a request for two full-time positions in the FY 2025–26 budget to administer the program. The city manager and staff noted a fee study is in progress to determine whether a program fee or other funding source will offset program costs; any fee would be set later by council resolution. Staff said similar mediation programs in other cities had a mix of full-time staff and volunteer mediators and total operating budgets that can exceed several hundred thousand dollars.

Council debate and outcomes: Council discussion ranged from concern that a punitive ordinance could push small landlords out of the rental market to repeated tenant testimony about the need for legal remedies. Several council members said the ordinance is intended to deter bad behavior without penalizing good landlords, and they cited the stakeholder process used to refine the ordinance. Councilmember Star raised concerns about unintended consequences for housing supply and advocated for a mediation-first approach; he ultimately abstained from the anti-harassment vote. Council approved the first reading of the anti-harassment ordinance and the just-cause amendments; both items will return for a second reading as required by law, and staff will bring program details, fee study results and administrative rules back to council.

Votes: Tenant anti-harassment ordinance (first reading): motion carried 6–1 with Councilmember Star recorded as abstaining. Just-cause code amendments (first reading): motion carried 6–1 (Councilmember Star registered a no vote on the just-cause item).

Why it matters: The changes erect local enforcement options that did not previously exist or were not consistently enforced, including civil penalties and administrative processes for certain harassment and retaliatory behaviors. The council also approved staff positions to implement the program and asked for a fee study and additional community outreach.

Next steps: The items are at first reading; staff will return with a second reading for final adoption, implementing regulations (administrative rules), and the results of the fee study and recommended funding approach. Staff said the city would coordinate outreach with tenant and landlord stakeholders and will report program metrics back to council after implementation.

Sources: Staff reports and presentations by Housing Department staff, public testimony at the April 29 council meeting, and statements from tenant attorneys and landlord representatives recorded in the meeting transcript.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City Council Meeting 02 - 4/29/2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Oxnard City Council on April 29 advanced two related tenant-protection measures — a tenant anti-harassment ordinance and amendments to just-cause eviction rules — and authorized staff to create administrative regulations and budgeted positions to enforce them.","taxTitle","Oxnard City, Ventura County, California","taxId",3809,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6573753,"Oxnard council approves Teal Club specific plan and development agreement over objections about lead, water and traffic",2231,5769000,8000000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3155005-6a6212d539b69f7a9b238eb220fc6154&start=5769&end=8000","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3155005-6a6212d539b69f7a9b238eb220fc6154/thumbnail_5769000.jpg","/articles/6573753/Oxnard-City/Ventura-County/California/Oxnard-council-approves-Teal-Club-specific-plan-and-development-agreement-over-objections-about-lead-water-and-traffic","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6573753-e9b3fd4a1ea491b1d5ee66461bd90c75/orig.mp4?Expires=1771175560&Signature=VkO8-OsVSHOGp4u8Esb2X8ZJPqf8uXUchOE02CwDQk6Fuw4NKscHP2xA4ZigLt3oIqpWSQULtbfXBc-NMYJqIb36uAr9zxaNcraNpwl5BGf5GcNNih7mCqc9yBljWep5xUT1-qO8HEwfHrL20RqwniCgdJf~M0mVDm0m84Um-P134XSKSr2HIHAXz~HLDi2d61j5TlOCnyjFopHBpKhxV4aS3AnAqIbL-PVEN~vONGqy19-eGIhFHuFrv14OugedcMCjkrF09yTMI~aI5tww8hljN1zLxypKLJA7vdSVLczvV6NbY88QZwQnyQQBGoaTHk-fbXKXD-Q8-zT0WowTPA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Oxnard City Council on April 29 approved planning and zoning permits, certified the final environmental impact report (EIR) and adopted a development agreement for the Teal Club specific plan, a large residential and commercial project bounded by Doris Avenue, Patterson Road and Teal Club Road, despite vocal public concerns about air lead contamination, water and sewer capacity and traffic. The measure passed 6-1; Councilmember Star voted no.

Supporters said the project will add housing and infrastructure; critics urged delay for more testing. Several residents and public speakers asked the council to require environmental testing for lead near Oxnard Airport and to confirm water and sewer capacity before approving development. Dozens of written and spoken comments appear in the meeting record, with speakers citing increased traffic on Doris Avenue, concerns about noise impacts near residences on Little Farm Road, and the need for annexation approval from LAFCO before final map recordation.

Why it matters: The council’s decision lets the developer proceed toward annexation and the tentative map; it also sets conditions and mitigation payments that aim to address police, fire and infrastructure impacts. Opponents said the mitigation package and certification come too soon, before independent testing of air quality and before all infrastructure commitments are fully funded.

What the council approved: The package included planning and zoning permits, a development agreement and certification of the project’s final EIR. During the staff presentation, Community Development Director Geoff Bengali summarized fiscal and public-safety mitigations baked into the agreement: a recurring operating mitigation for fire services of about $462,000 per year and a recurring operating mitigation for police services of about $164,000 per year; a capital mitigation share for certain fire equipment and station remodels that the staff estimated at roughly $352,000 as the Teal Club project’s proportionate share once other offsets are applied. The development agreement also contemplates a community facilities district (Mello-Roos) to fund additional public services, though the developer stated at the meeting that they did not plan to require a Mello-Roos assessment themselves.

Council debate and objections: Councilmember Star said he had studied staff materials and felt the mitigation and financing approach lacked proportionality; he said he “lost sleep over this decision” and ultimately voted no. Other council members described the negotiations as lengthy and said staff and the applicant reached a compromise after multiple rounds. Councilmembers asked staff to ensure that the tentative map review and annexation process through the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) remains a future checkpoint for infrastructure timing and public improvements.

Public concerns emphasized: Several people urged additional environmental testing for lead, citing historic leaded aviation fuels near the Oxnard Airport and pointing to other communities where lead contamination prompted additional restrictions. Residents asked the council to delay any final approvals until a targeted air-quality study is completed and water/sewer capacity is guaranteed. Staff and the applicant said some testing and mitigation are part of the EIR and required conditions, while the applicant’s representative told the council that the applicant did not feel “strong-armed” into the agreement.

Next steps and oversight: The council vote allows the developer to pursue annexation and to advance to tentative map and implementation steps, but staff emphasized the tentative map, infrastructure timing and final engineering reviews will return for subsequent approvals. LAFCO approval is required for annexation. Staff also described forthcoming conditions and timing in the development agreement intended to secure public improvements and to phase construction with utilities and road improvements.

Votes and tally: The motion to approve the planning and zoning permits, adopt the development agreement and certify the EIR passed 6–1. The record shows: Basuah — yes; Perallo — yes; Perez — yes; Rodriguez — yes; Star — no; Mayor Pro Tem Turan — yes; Mayor McArthur — yes.

Additional details: Staff noted the agreement included both operating and capital mitigations and accounted for property tax offsets. Bengali explained the methodology he and his team used to estimate per-capita fire costs and comparisons with similar California jurisdictions to determine a more “typical” per-capita basis rather than relying only on Oxnard’s historical budget figures.

What to watch: Tentative map review, LAFCO annexation proceedings and any follow-up air-quality testing or water/sewer capacity confirmation required by the development agreement or as conditions of the tentative map.

Sources: Staff presentations, council deliberations and public comments at the April 29, 2025 Oxnard City Council meeting. Direct quotations and figures are from Community Development Director Geoff Bengali and council members as recorded in the meeting transcript.","The City Council approved planning and zoning permits, a development agreement and certification of a final environmental impact report for the Teal Club specific plan, 6-1, after hours of public comment and council questions about potential lead exposure near Oxnard Airport, infrastructure capacity and mitigation fees for police and fire.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6573744,"Oxnard council urges state agencies to deny another extension for Ormond Beach power plant, backs dismantling funding",2030,5650000,7680000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3155005-6a6212d539b69f7a9b238eb220fc6154&start=5650&end=7680","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3155005-6a6212d539b69f7a9b238eb220fc6154/thumbnail_5650000.jpg","/articles/6573744/Oxnard-City/Ventura-County/California/Oxnard-council-urges-state-agencies-to-deny-another-extension-for-Ormond-Beach-power-plant-backs-dismantling-funding","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6573744-9b93abc349d638fce66752f1276460f1/orig.mp4?Expires=1771175560&Signature=mbwktrOvZ2VKrCK3oHLtG0hzU3vqUgoYb3da8sSzyjpkBRyvKsAjMoX3G81o8iRgrdvAQW2EBArndCFzQKhd2JfUyV-jfH5IuOodUNLQB3HQhjKg3MPrp3LBGI~LUhuQqPzNqq-h-gAMdc55PaGaxF2ZBD6dvT0BRcwiQ4W8I0kBBrcgwAqfAipttGdNGafJkPM8MzV0bzh9J4kHfIfMoUyG2LHjcHk5zKaUCpYLqqMU029orfbfNlm-O4w9ZvtPAIFv53PDfZNFEwZkd6YzgwAn737ijWcAZJdaVJFWa86k-7pRx8hXX1BO5e5gbouF1w6WT57OurV3L0B4z6QpHg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Oxnard City Council on April 29 adopted a resolution opposing a third extension to continue operation of the Ormond Beach Power Station beyond its scheduled closure date of Dec. 31, 2026, and asked staff to transmit the resolution to relevant state agencies, the governor’s office and state legislative representatives. The motion carried with six council votes in favor and one abstention.

Public pressure and youth leadership: Dozens of residents, several youth leaders and local advocates addressed the council in favor of opposition and dismantling funding. Students and youth organizers described canvassing and petitions in 2023, said they had participated in state hearings and urged the city to take a unified stance against further extensions. Community speakers — including activists, local attorneys, environmental advocates and longtime residents — urged the city to insist on a firm closure timeline and to ensure funds are set aside for decommissioning and site restoration.

City action and funding approach: Councilmembers described an arrangement staff negotiated with the plant operator and the city manager that would set aside funds for future dismantling and restoration; the city manager explained the proposal included money held in a restricted arrangement that the city proposed to place with a community foundation to guarantee its use for dismantling and site restoration. Councilmembers credited earlier and ongoing community advocacy and the city manager’s negotiations for reaching a position that could support decommissioning and wetland restoration.

Why it matters: The Ormond Beach generating station sits adjacent to sensitive wetlands and residential neighborhoods in South Oxnard. Local advocates contend the antiquated facility has provided little net electrical benefit while emitting pollutants and restricting public coastal access. The council’s resolution is a formal municipal request to state regulators to deny further operating extensions and to prioritize dismantling and restoration funding.

Council vote: The motion to send a resolution opposing a third extension and urging dismantling funding passed 6–0 with one abstention (Councilmember Star abstained). Several council members spoke in favor of the resolution; the majority described it as recognition of long-standing community advocacy and a step toward restoring public coastal access.

Next steps: Staff will transmit the resolution to the California State Lands Commission, the California Energy Commission and the governor’s office and continue to coordinate with county and nonprofit partners on dismantling and restoration funding arrangements. The council noted that state agencies ultimately decide extensions and permit approvals and that the city’s resolution is an input to those deliberations.

Sources: Testimony from youth leaders and community members at the April 29 Oxnard City Council meeting; city manager’s remarks on proposed funding arrangements; council vote recorded in the meeting transcript.","After sustained public testimony from youth, residents and environmental advocates, Oxnard’s City Council adopted a resolution opposing any third extension of the Ormond Beach power plant’s operating permit and asked staff to forward the resolution to state agencies and elected officials.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Council advances tenant anti-harassment and just-cause changes after hours of public comment from renters and landlords

Oxnard council approves Teal Club specific plan and development agreement over objections about lead, water and traffic

Oxnard council urges state agencies to deny another extension for Ormond Beach power plant, backs dismantling funding