MISSION VIEJO : New Law Puts Limits on Skateboarding

After receiving a number of complaints from merchants, the City Council this week approved an ordinance that bans skateboarding from certain areas of the city, including shopping malls and some public grounds.

As store owners and skateboard supporters eyed each other from across the council chambers, council members cited dozens of complaints to City Hall and reports of damage before passing the new law Monday night.

Mission Viejo becomes the fourth South County city to impose restrictions on skateboarding.

The others are Dana Point, Laguna Hills and Laguna Niguel.

Mission Viejo’s ordinance will permit owners of private property, such as shopping plazas, to request that the city prohibit skateboarding and roller-skating on their premises.

Skateboarding and roller-skating will also be prohibited at some public facilities, such as the Orange County Public Library and City Hall.

The new law also empowers police to write tickets and make arrests, although Sheriff’s Lt. George Johnson said a skateboarder would have to flatly refuse to leave the area to be taken into custody.

Sheriff’s deputies also must see the skateboarding taking place before a citation can be issued, he said.

Nearly a score of merchants turned out at the council meeting to detail incidents of skateboarders causing injury to shoppers and damage to curbs, shopping carts and cars.

“When it comes to the point where property is destroyed and people are frightened, we need to regulate this activity,” said Councilwoman Susan Withrow.

Property managers at Portola Plaza, a 38-store shopping center, said they receive 500 to 700 complaints per year, spend $30,000 annually for a security guard and have seen about $10,000 in damage caused by skateboarders.

But about 20 people ranging from high school students to housewives told the council that skateboarders were getting the blame for other, more destructive teen-agers.

They implored the council to set up skateboard facilities in parks before cutting off access to malls and public places.

“A lot of kids are getting blamed for things they’re not doing,” said Jeff Norton, one of the skateboard supporters. “You’re going to have a lot of kids with problems with authority if every privilege they have is taken from them.”

Mayor Robert D. Breton said there has been some interest from private parties such as the Boy Scouts of America in helping develop small-scale skateboard parks in Mission Viejo.

Breton said the city staff has been instructed to work with such groups in building the parks.