OJAI : Council Won’t Issue Guest House Permits

The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to stop issuing permits for construction of guest houses while the city studies ways to prevent the structures from being used as permanent rentals.

The 45-day moratorium, which could be extended up to a year after a hearing in July, will give officials time to study how to strengthen city regulations. The city was responding to complaints about the increasing number of guest houses being built and to fears that the houses could be rented out, not used as short-term residences for visitors.

The council also voted 4-0, with Councilman Jim Loebl abstaining, to notify Southern California Water Co. that it objects to the company’s position that it cannot comply with a one-year moratorium on new water hookups in the city.

Water company officials had said they cannot impose a ban without approval by the California Public Utilities Commission. The water company serves 2,688 customers in the Ojai area.

On Tuesday, the city received a letter from the water company reversing its position and pledging to seek permission to comply with the moratorium. But the council went ahead with the vote to make clear its position that the company should comply.

The Casitas Municipal Water District, which provides water to Southern California Water Co. for resale in Ojai, imposed the moratorium on all its customers on April 11, when it declared a water shortage emergency.

Casitas warned that it could impose fines on customers that don’t comply.

Council members expressed fears that those fines could be passed on to Ojai customers if the utility does not fully comply with the halt on new hookups.

In other action, the council scheduled a workshop on July 10 for owners and tenants of 15 historic, unreinforced buildings to discuss a city proposal that would require the structures to be quickly brought up to earthquake safety codes.

The proposed law would give owners one year to submit plans to strengthen their buildings and up to three years to do the work. Failing that, owners would have one year to demolish the buildings. The law would give the city power to evict tenants and destroy building that don’t meet the requirements.

On the list of unreinforced buildings are the Ojai Post Office, St. Thomas Aquinas Chapel, the Ojai Valley Museum, Ojai Valley Bakery, the Oaks at Ojai, the Pacific Bell Telephone building, Little Rock Skool House and the Theodore Woolsey Bed and Breakfast building. Most are historical landmarks or could become landmarks.

The city’s Historic Preservation Commission has asked the council to consider banning destruction of designated landmarks for at least six months after the owner seeks a demolition permit.