OXNARD : Man Who Rented Out Barn Convicted

An Oxnard property manager who rented a barn and four automobiles to farm workers seeking housing has been convicted of violating zoning, sewage and storage laws.

Municipal Judge Bruce Clark found Jose N. Ramirez, 41, guilty of five of the 23 counts filed against him. The remaining charges have been dismissed, Special Deputy Dist. Atty. Patricia McCourt said.

Ramirez, who pleaded no contest, is scheduled for sentencing July 11. The maximum penalty for the five misdemeanor offenses is 2 1/2 years in jail and a $5,000 fine, said Frank Sieh, litigation supervisor of the county counsel’s office.

Ramirez managed a three-quarter-acre parcel in the 2900 block of Vineyard Avenue in Oxnard, where authorities discovered more than 20 farm workers living in the barn and four automobiles during an inspection April 4, McCourt said.

The owner of the property, Maria Fernandez, could not be located, McCourt said.

But under state law, managers or owners can be prosecuted.

Ramirez was convicted of allowing a barn to be used as a residence, maintaining a sewage pit and pipes, allowing water from a washing machine to drain on the ground, discharging sewage from an outdoor toilet pit and illegal storage.

Among the charges that were dismissed were allegations that Ramirez allowed illegal electrical, water and gas hookups and improperly disposed of shower water, McCourt said.