OXNARD : Burned Duplex Ruled Structurally Sound, but Repairs Ordered

Oxnard housing officials have ruled that a graffiti-covered duplex in Oxnard Dunes that was gutted by an arsonist’s fire is structurally sound and will not have to be torn down.

But the owner must repair damage to the structure, remove debris and secure the building against unauthorized entries, according to a letter mailed Friday by George O. Pope, who heads the city’s building and safety department.

The duplex owner, Lynda Paxton, has until Sept. 21 to repair, rehabilitate, demolish or remove the house, after which the city may do the work and charge the owner.

Paxton said she would confer with an attorney before deciding how to respond to the city’s request that she repair or demolish the building. Paxton stopped paying the mortgage on the duplex three years ago, but the lender has declined to foreclose on the property.

Paxton said she is still upset by the arson fire. “I always thought I would be pleased if it burned, but I found myself very angry and upset.”

Paxton, who has not lived in the residence in over three years, said she goes out of her way to avoid seeing the building.

The residence, which was a target of neighborhood anger over its signs warning of an underground toxic dump, has remained charred and partially uncovered since an April 9 pre-dawn blaze nearly destroyed it.

Paxton is one of 175 plaintiffs who have joined in a $2.8-billion lawsuit against the developer of the 100-lot subdivision, its former landowner and the city of Oxnard for not disclosing to home buyers the presence of a former oil field waste dump.

The complex case is set to go to trial in October.

Paxton painted signs on the structure and adjacent fence, including one reading “Oxnard’s Own Love Canal.” Several men painted over the sign in October, 1990. When Paxton repainted the signs, the city of Oxnard cited her, saying the signs violated a city ordinance. A jury deadlocked over the charges and the case was dismissed.

Paxton and a co-plaintiff, Stephen Blanchard, later filed a lawsuit against the Oxnard Shores Community Assn., charging them with conspiring to trespass and vandalize their properties.