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Resident criticizes permitting delays; city manager calls remarks "outrageous and untrue"
Summary
A caller urged faster permitting and described Oxnard as "blighted" during public comment to the Public Works and Transportation Committee; City Manager Nijhoff responded that the caller's characterization was "outrageous and particularly untrue."
A member of the public criticized perceived permitting delays and described conditions in Oxnard as "blighted" during the public-comment period of the April 8 Public Works and Transportation Committee meeting, drawing a direct response from City Manager Nijhoff.
Grant Kennedy, who identified himself as a community member and resident, told the committee he and his client had been trying for more than a year to obtain a permit for a piece of commercial property. "This has just gone on too long," Kennedy said, urging staff to expedite the permit because, he said, vacant and neglected properties were harming neighborhoods. He described community frustration, saying some people had waited "500 days" and asked whether it would take lawsuits or marches to prompt action.
City Manager Nijhoff responded during the same public-comment period and offered an administrative perspective. "That was a pretty dramatic public statement," Nijhoff said. He described the conditions Kennedy raised—unpermitted dwellings in commercial buildings, unsafe welding, blocked fire access and open burning—as serious if true, and said the administration would provide a fuller update at a City Council meeting if the committee wished. Nijhoff also said the caller's sweeping characterization of the city was "just an outrageous statement and particularly untrue." He urged that staff be allowed to present the full facts to the council.
Committee response
Later in the meeting, Committee members and the chair commented on the exchange. A council member urged the public to consult the statutory definition of "blight" before applying the term, saying it can be offensive to residents when the word is used without reference to the legal definition. Another committee member asked staff to return to the council with information about the issues raised and said it was inappropriate to "belittle staff" without a full account of ongoing enforcement and permitting work.
No formal action was taken on the comment; the exchange occurred during public comment and committee members indicated staff would be asked to provide additional information to the full City Council if desired.
(Reporting from the April 8, 2025 Public Works and Transportation Committee meeting.)
