VENTURA : Vote Delayed on Adult Bookshops
The Ventura City Council delayed its decision to impose a temporary ban on permits for adult bookstores because the council lacked the number of members required for emergency action.
Mayor Gregory L. Carson and Councilman Tom Buford were absent from the Monday night meeting, making it impossible to pass the emergency ban by the required margin of 6 to 1. The council plans to consider the matter on June 29. Despite the delay, council members at the meeting voiced strong support for the moratorium.
According to the proposal, the city would have at least 45 days to decide where the businesses should be located.
The ordinance was formulated in response to a recent proposal to build an adult bookstore near the county superintendent of schools’ office on Main Street in Ventura. The city was powerless to stop the bid because its codes did not address adult-oriented businesses.
Monday night, more than a dozen speakers urged city officials to support the ban.
“It’s time for us to come back to real morality in our country,” said Kenneth Rose, who told the council that he once worked for a company that runs adult bookstores. “It starts right here at the city level.”
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