Landlords Upset Over Fee Plan Picket Thousand Oaks City Hall

Fifteen landlords picketed Thousand Oaks City Hall on Monday to protest a proposed ordinance that would require them to get permits to rent houses to four or more adults.

And later, about 150 people jammed a Planning Commission meeting--some to protest and others to support the ordinance. Commissioners heard testimony late into the evening.

The proposal, based on ordinances adopted in Davis and San Luis Obispo, is aimed at protecting residents who live in single-family neighborhoods from problems associated with overcrowded houses.

Beau Mann of Thousand Oaks, who heads the landlord group called the California Assn. of Residential Landlords, contended that the ordinance would be discriminatory because it is designed for rentals and does not regulate overcrowded houses occupied by homeowners.

“I feel it’s going to be challenged,” Mann said before Monday night’s Planning Commission meeting.

Landlord Robert Seghi, a Thousand Oaks homeowner, accused the city of drafting an ordinance that pits single-family neighborhoods against racial minorities and poor people.

“This is silly,” he said, handing out leaflets against the ordinance. “I think a lot of people ran off half-cocked.”

Councilwoman Elois Zeanah, who headed a 12-member committee that drafted the ordinance, said landlords’ fears are exaggerated.

“This is not against renters,” Zeanah said. “It’s against overloading and overcrowding residences.”

For years, neighbors have complained about parking problems, noise and traffic in areas where landlords are allowed to fill homes with too many renters, she said.

Code enforcement officials have documented fewer than 30 cases of overcrowding in Thousand Oaks, City Atty. Mark G. Sellers said.

Despite the low number of cases, Sellers said, the city has a legal right to impose regulations on homeowners who use their residences as boarding houses.

“When you get to renting to four or more adults, you’re getting into commercial operations,” he said.

Under the proposed ordinance, landlords who rent houses to four or more adults would be required to buy a three-year permit for about $35.

City planners would evaluate parking, the size of the home and the number of bathrooms before issuing a permit.

The ordinance drafted for Thousand Oaks differs slightly from those drafted in San Luis Obispo and the Northern California town of Davis.

Officials in those cities said they adopted their ordinances to address overcrowding caused by university students.

Interim City Planner Anne Brunette said Davis wanted to regulate problem neighborhoods where houses had become student dormitories for the University of California, causing parking problems for neighbors.

To rent a house to six or more people, landlords must obtain a permit for $656 to $700. The city has issued permits to owners of about 1,500 single-family houses.

Neither landlords nor tenants have complained, she said.

“We don’t care about who’s renting,” Brunette said. “We just care whether it’s being used for commercial purposes.”

In Davis, the city’s ordinance has been in place for more than six years without a legal challenge, City Atty. Harriet Steiner said.

San Luis Obispo requires homeowners to get a permit if there are six or more adults in the house, whether or not they are renting, City Atty. Jeff Jorgensen said.

“Owners of property are responsible for nuisances, to the extent that property is allowed to be run-down, used as a crack house or is overcrowded,” he said.

All houses are covered, whether the tenants are families or renters.

“Focusing in on rental units, particularly where you have a poverty issue or a race issue, is a very unsettled area, and it’s likely to trigger litigation and controversy,” Jorgensen said.