Thousand Oaks : Parents to Pay for Rowdy Youth Parties

Parents of minors who throw drinking parties will be charged for the cost of sending sheriff’s deputies to break up the gathering under an ordinance approved by the Thousand Oaks City Council.

The ordinance, unanimously approved Tuesday, makes parents and property owners liable for up to $1,000 in charges for police calls where juveniles are drinking or using drugs.

Adults would be given a written warning the first time deputies are called to the scene.

After that, they are liable for the cost of handling the complaint.

City Atty. Mark G. Sellers said the ordinance is intended to complement existing ordinances that make adults who throw loud parties subject to fees of up to $1,000.

It is aimed at parents who deny knowing that their children are going to throw a party at home, he added.

“I think what this ordinance is trying to do is to encourage people to control their children,” he said.

Cmdr. William Wade, who heads the Sheriff Department’s East Valley station, said it has become common for teen-agers to hold large parties that attract up to 300 youths.