OXNARD : Adult Stores Banned in ‘Gateway Areas’
Oxnard’s City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved an emergency ordinance to ban adult bookstores and movie theaters from the city’s so-called “gateway areas.”
However, the ban will not apply to Oxnard News and Video, scheduled to open in December in the 2300 block of Vineyard Avenue.
Even though Vineyard Avenue has been identified by city planners as a gateway, the store will be allowed to operate because it has already obtained all the necessary permits, city officials said.
On Tuesday, several residents urged the council to stop the adult video store from moving into the city.
“We can get rid of this garbage,” said Linda Vahl, waving an issue of Hustler magazine at the council. “We can fight this.”
But council members said the store’s right to operate was protected under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees the right to free speech.
Other gateway areas identified by city planners are the Ventura Freeway corridor, the northern end of Oxnard Boulevard, the corner of Ventura and Gonzalez roads, and the corner of Channel Islands Boulevard and Ventura Road.
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