Screen capture of live stream video
Cliff Hill, Ojai resident speaking during public comment at the Sept. 13 Ojai City Council meeting.
Screen capture of live stream video
Cliff Hill, Ojai resident speaking during public comment at the Sept. 13 Ojai City Council meeting.
Public Comment of the week: “I want this man to realize that he spent far more money fighting compliance than it would cost him to comply.… It’s not hard to have a better world,” said Cliff Hill, a resident of Ojai speaking about a local business and issues Hill said he experienced related to failures of the business to comply with the American with Disabilities Act.
City adopts County Hazard Mitigation Plan: As part of the consent agenda, the City Council voted to adopt the Ventura County Hazard Mitigation Plan that was adopted by the Ventura County Board of Supervisors on July 12. The lengthy document is online at: https://bit.ly/3QJlNJO .
Arts Commission funds for strategic planning: The Ojai Arts Commission is mandated to have a strategic plan and it doesn’t have one yet. Commissioners asked the council to authorize $2,500 of art funding to be used for a consultant to facilitate a strategic planning process. The commission submitted the request to the council but no representative from the commission was on hand to answer council questions, so council postponed the matter.
City sets gas chain saw permit rules: After the council recently enacted an ordinance banning the use of gas-powered chain saws, it was realized that a permit process would be needed for those cases when a gas-powered chain saw might be required. The council approved a $40 fee for a one-time use, and a yearlong permit for $200 for cases in which a property owner would need to use a gas-powered chain saw multiple times throughout the year.
Vega said the city has received questions about exemptions for certain groups that have received “wildlife clearance” grants. Mayor Betsy Stix said she had information that electric chain saws were not effective for cutting trees more than 12 inches in diameter and that she’d support an exemption for grant-funded groups doing fire-clearance work.
Councilmember Ryan Blatz asked if those groups, even if funded by state grants, should have exemptions when private homeowners may not qualify for an exemption. He said a disproportionate “amount of pollution” is produced by this type of gas-powered equipment of which the state and local air boards are trying to limit use.Councilmember William Weirick made a motion to provide a general exemption that doesn’t waive the permit fee. He said the city wants to “discourage the use of gas-powered equipment.”
Bike racks and EV chargers: The council approved a staff proposal to apply for grants for more bike racks and electric vehicle chargers across town. The city hopes to get $5,000 to add to the $10,000 already budgeted for more bike racks. Chargers are planned across three sites in town.
City issued 15 short-term rental citations in 2022: City Manager James Vega gave an update on short-term rental-ordinance enforcement so far in 2022 with 15 citations being issued to date. He said he is “hearing more and more” that new homebuyers in Ojai “did not know or had not been told when buying a very expensive house that they could not do short-term rentals in Ojai.” When a property owner is found out of compliance, the city works with the owner to correct “advertisements” for the rentals. While properties can technically be listed on sites like Airbnb, it must be “for a longer than 30-day rental,” said Vega, per city code. Code enforcement verifies the various aspects of listings online to ensure the properties are being advertised in compliance with the city code. City Attorney Matthew Summers said that the city can report any short-term rentals in the unincorporated area to the county for it to enforce its regulations.
ATP update: City Manager Vega reported that the city has recently sent formal notices to properties that the city will be approaching owners to buy “right-of-way” areas for the Active Transportation Program projects across the city. “We are working with those property owners” in the next few months and they will be able to “voluntarily” sign on to the project for the city to purchase the right of way, he said.
Mayor puts universal healthcare on future agenda: Mayor Betsy Stix proposed that on a future agenda the council consider a resolution for “universal single-payer Medicare for all.” She said 23 cities in the state have already passed similar resolutions and that some local doctors in support of universal healthcare plan to talk at a future meeting.
City anticipates litigation: The council went into closed session to discuss, as reported by City Attorney Matthew Summers, “anticipated litigation” in which the city believes there is “significant exposure” due to “facts and circumstances” that may “not yet be known to potential plaintiff or plaintiffs.”
City Staff comment of the week: “We stand for good governance and against corruption,” said City Manager Vega responding to several public comments referring to code and permit enforcement in the city.
Kimberly has been reporting on a wide range of issues in Ventura County for over a decade including land use, oil and gas, government accountability, open meeting and sunshine laws, and climate change.
Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
Introductory offer for new subscribers only. Get full access to the Ojai Valley news and sports coverage, as well as arts and entertainment, opinions and more. Subscribe today!
View archived e-Editions of Ojai Valley News.
Receive our newspaper electronically with the e-Edition email each Friday.
The latest local news delivered every Friday & Tuesday.
We'll send breaking news and news alerts to you as they happen!
Weekly obituaries, delivered to your inbox.
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Invalid password or account does not exist
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the e-mail address listed on your account.
Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
A receipt was sent to your email.