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Neighbors press Oxnard council on sober living operator with violent conviction; operator and program defender address crowd
Summary
Multiple residents urged the City Council to restrict violent-felony offenders from operating group homes after an operator with a past conviction began managing a sober living home near a school. The home's operator and the nonprofit contracted to place parolees defended the program and urged community cooperation.
Multiple residents at the City Council meeting on Jan. 21 urged the council to act after they learned a sober living home in the city is managed by a person with a violent criminal history and who they said lives near a school.
Speakers during the public comment period described fear over children's safety and asked the council to consider ordinances or town halls to address where and how sober living homes are operated. Neighbors described the house's proximity to a school and said the manager's conviction, which commenters characterized as violent, made them uncomfortable.
Several callers and in-person speakers described the same address and said residents were alarmed. Jason McComb, identifying himself as a recovering addict and a father, said he did not believe a person with the manager's history should run a facility near children: "I don't think those people should ever see the light of day personally," he said.
Others urged caution about public shaming. A caller identifying herself as Kelly Lake, who said she is the sister of Dean Joseph Lutz, urged restraint and said her brother had completed parole requirements and rehabilitation programs; she described harassment and photography directed at him and asked the council to discourage doxxing.
The operator of the sober living program defended the work. Roy Ford, founder and director of First Phase Inc., which contracts with the state to provide housing for parolees, told the council his organization places men and women released from prison into structured group homes and provides life-skills training. "We are in the trenches doing the grunt work," Ford said, adding that many of the residents have been incarcerated 15 to 30 years and that the program is intended to reduce recidivism.
Councilmember Michael Starr read excerpts of a news release from the Kern County district attorney calling the parole and release of a particular inmate "atrocious," and asked the city attorney to explore whether the city could adopt a narrowly tailored ordinance to bar violent felons from operating group homes and sober living facilities. Starr asked the city attorney to report back with a timeline for bringing such an ordinance for first reading at a future meeting.
Councilmembers and staff did not take formal action at the meeting to adopt a ban. Several residents asked for town halls or task-force meetings to examine how sober living homes are sited, licensed and monitored.
What happens next: Councilmember Starr asked the city attorney to study whether a narrowly tailored ordinance is feasible and to report to council on a possible timeline. The meeting record shows public safety and neighborhood-safety concerns remain unresolved and that both community members and service providers requested more public discussion before any policy changes.
Ending: The council did not adopt a new law at the meeting; staff and the city attorney were asked to explore options and return with legal analysis and a prospective schedule for any ordinance or policy change.
