THOUSAND OAKS : Panel for Disabled to Have More Power

In an ongoing effort to guarantee disabled residents the same access as all citizens, the Thousand Oaks City Council on Tuesday voted unanimously to establish a Disabled Access Appeals and Advisory Board.

The five-member committee will replace a similar group with a less politically correct name, the Physically Handicapped Access Appeals Board.

But the name change was not solely cosmetic.

As an appeals and advisory board, the newly created group will have the power to investigate complaints from disabled people who feel that they have been denied equal access to buildings or services. The board will also recommend to the city means of resolving potential problems, said Barry Branagan, director of the building and safety department.

In addition, the council might ask the board to review blueprints for new construction, Branagan said.

The Physically Handicapped Access Appeals Board had only one function: to rule on cases in which a citizen accused the city’s building inspectors of improperly granting exemptions to a federal law requiring all new construction or renovation to be accessible to the disabled, Branagan said.

After the city began charging a filing fee to residents who appealed to the board, complaints dropped to zero, he added. The filing fee, now at $300, is still in effect.

In a related vote Tuesday night, the council hiked to $280 the minimum fine for illegal parking in a spot for disabled people or in front of a crosswalk ramp. Raising the fine from $105 was required by a state law that took effect Jan. 1, said city Finance Director Robert S. Biery.