Oxnard Waterfront Gets Star Billing as a Great Escape

Oxnard does not have the glitz of Hollywood nor the romance of Paris. It does not have the stay-up-all-night excitement of New York or the palm-tree-lined beaches of Miami.

In fact, Ventura County’s largest city has the highest unemployment rate and the greatest number of low-income residents in the county. Add to that a name that has been ridiculed almost since the city was incorporated in 1903.

Why then have such notables as actor George Kennedy and game show host Pat Sajak purchased residences in the former lima bean capital? Why is Oxnard home to Jack Gilbert and Martin V. Smith, heads of the largest development corporations in the county?

These dignitaries do not live in the Oxnard where graffiti, crime and traffic are daily headaches. They live in a lesser-known side of Oxnard where $56 beluga caviar, $1-million oceanfront houses and Mercedes Benzes are common stock.

Oxnard is one of the best-kept secrets of film producers, business executives and movie stars who have abandoned the smog and traffic of Los Angeles for the peaceful solitude of Ventura County, said Bob Krakover, a real estate agent for Pacific Shores Realty.

“They got a little fed up with L.A. for various reasons,” he said. “Here they have an ideal climate and a beautiful marina.”

Most Oxnard residents whose incomes top seven digits live in the Channel Islands neighborhood, where they can dock a yacht in their back yards, said Krakover, who specializes in selling oceanfront homes in Oxnard.

Kennedy, who is best remembered for his roles in the television series “Dallas” and in films such as “Cool Hand Luke” and “The Dirty Dozen,” has taken up permanent residence in his house in Mandalay Bay, Krakover said. On the other hand, Sajak, the host of “Wheel of Fortune,” considers his Oxnard house a weekend escape, Krakover said.

Andrew Voth, director of the Carnegie Art Museum, said Oxnard has the small-town atmosphere that appeals to wealthy celebrities and business executives.

He said the close-knit atmosphere has lured notables such as Geraldine Decker, a contralto with the New York Metropolitan Opera, and Frank Capra, who directed the film “It’s a Wonderful Life” with James Stewart.

“They like it because it’s quiet,” he said. “It’s like a retreat.”

Actor Robert Urich owned a waterfront house in Oxnard before moving to Boston about four years ago to film a television series, said his agent, Dick Guttman.

“Robert loves anything that goes with water,” he said. “That home was a great escape from Los Angeles.”

Most of the celebrities left Malibu and Beverly Hills so they could own luxurious waterfront houses and still pay less than half what they would have to pay in Los Angeles County, Krakover said.

“The prices here are far superior,” he said. “We beat the hell out of Malibu, Huntington Beach, what have you.”

The influx of celebrities and business executives has boosted the demand for luxurious waterfront houses. Now it is not uncommon to sell a $1-million 6,000-square-foot waterfront house, Krakover said. “For Oxnard this was almost unheard of about a year ago.”

Gilbert, president of TOLD Corp., owns a two-story, waterfront house in the Mandalay Bay neighborhood. He said he was born in Los Angeles but moved to Oxnard six years ago to take advantage of the lower property costs and has “never been happier.”

“There is a pleasantness with the people,” he said. “You can go into a store and everyone is just nice.”

While Oxnard may never appear in an episode of “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous,” it can still provide plenty of opportunities for the well-to-do to spend their bankrolls.

There are three yacht clubs in the Channel Islands marina.

At the Pacific Corinthian Yacht Club, the largest in the marina, membership costs $5,000, plus monthly dues of about $100, a spokeswoman said. Members have access to a pool, spa, laundry services and 180-foot guest dock.

Mike Butler, a member of the Anacapa Yacht Club, said monthly dock fees in the marina are about $7 a foot. For a 50-foot boat, that adds up to about $4,200 a year in fees.

For the VIPs who suffer seasickness, there is the River Ridge Golf Course, a city-owned course in Oxnard frequented by football great and actor Dick Butkus and former child actor Brandon Cruz.

Membership fees to the River Ridge Men’s Club are $65 a year, which doesn’t include green fees and cart rental, but provides members the right to reserve a tee time on the 18-hole course one week in advance. There is also a women’s club and a seniors’ club.

While night life for the average Oxnard resident may include a bag of popcorn and a first-run movie, celebrities and business executives can join the Tower Club, one of the county’s most exclusive and luxurious clubs.

Atop the 22-story Union Bank Building, the Tower Club was recently the site of fund-raising parties for gubernatorial candidates Dianne Feinstein and Pete Wilson.

The club’s membership includes dignitaries such as Mayor Nao Takasugi, Dist. Atty. Michael D. Bradbury and Oxnard Police Chief Robert Owens.

At a cost of $50 a month, members have access to the club’s gym, which includes a sauna and a upright tanning booth and is staffed by a massage therapist, a physical fitness trainer, a tennis pro and a manicurist.

After a invigorating workout, members enjoy a meal in the dining hall, which provides a scenic view of the city.

The menu’s delicacies include beluga caviar for $56, a papaya and bay shrimp salad with citrus sauce for $10.95 and Cote D’ Agneau Mousseline De Legume (lamb chops in vegetable and chicken sauce), a $26 entree.