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Residents urge Santa Paula to remove fences blocking creek easement and press city on sidewalk repairs
Summary
Residents presented a petition with about 145 signatures asking the city to remove fences blocking a recorded 10‑foot public access easement to Santa Paula Creek in the Arbor Executive Homes development; councilors and staff also addressed recent trip-and-fall reports and described an upcoming sidewalk master plan and claims process.
A group of Santa Paula residents asked the City Council on Tuesday night to remove barriers blocking a recorded public access easement to Santa Paula Creek and to accelerate repairs to hazardous sidewalks after a recent trip-and-fall.
Joy Cummings, introduced by the clerk during the public-comment period, said the easement at Lot 14 of the Arbor Executive Homes development was recorded as a 10-foot pedestrian accessway and has been blocked by two fences since the subdivision was completed. "We are asking it to be opened and open now," she told the council, and said the petition gathered about 145 signatures.
Shannon Nelson, who said she lives on Forest Drive in the Oaks neighborhood, said the easement at 1480 Forest Drive was promised as a condition of development and warned the city's continued inaction could put the easement at risk of abandonment for nonuse. "We've waited over five years now, and our entreaties have been ignored," Nelson said, urging the council to use its authority to remove the obstructions.
The council also heard a Spanish-language comment from Amado Chua, who described a July 13 fall caused by a broken sidewalk and said he was treated at the Santa Paula hospital. Chua asked what the city would do to make sidewalks safer and invited a council member or staffer to walk with him to see the damage in person. City staff asked for his contact information and said a standard claim form could be provided to start the city's claim process.
Public Works Director Clayton Saulnier told the council the department is developing a sidewalk master plan (an RFP was under preparation) and that residents can report trip hazards via email (PWDadmin@SPcity.org) or by calling (805) 933-4212, extension 303 so staff can create a work order. Saulnier also noted staff plans to prioritize the most critical repairs as funding allows and said a longer-term plan will identify how many years the work will take.
Council members pressed staff on priorities, liability and interim remedies. A council member who reviewed past meetings asked whether a backlog of claims means proactive maintenance could reduce future payouts; the city manager said having a documented maintenance plan can help in court but does not eliminate claims. The city agreed to follow up directly with the petition organizers and with Chua to identify specific locations and next steps.
The council did not take formal action on the easement during the meeting. Staff said they would further evaluate jurisdictional authority and the easement's status as part of ongoing public-works work and report back to the council as appropriate.
