Dogs May Be Allowed Closer to Beach

Dog owners have growled enough to prompt Port Hueneme to consider relaxing a strict edict on where person and pooch may stroll near the sea.

The City Council tonight will decide whether to lift a ban on dogs on the south side of Surfside Drive.

That would allow people to walk their dogs on the ocean side of the main street along the city beach, as well as popular paths on that side of the road.

But dogs will still not be allowed on the beach itself. In addition, county “pooper scooper” and leash laws that are already in effect will be added to the municipal code for emphasis.

“It’s stupid to keep people and their animals on the north side of the street,” said Tamah Berger, code compliance manager. “[And] now that we’re letting animals closer to the beach we have to make sure leash laws and pooper scooper laws are enforced.”

The dog prohibition on one side of a city street is a “touchy one” that is difficult to enforce, Police Chief John Hopkins conceded. Indeed, police don’t really enforce it--they simply hand out warning tickets to educate dog owners. But Hopkins routinely even hears griping about that.

“It’s not very often you get a complaint about a warning,” he said.

Hopkins notes his department must walk a fine line between dog lovers and their equally passionate opponents. That may guarantee a crowd at tonight’s public hearing, but Mayor Robert Turner sees the issue as a matter of fairness.

“It gives [dog owners] a little bit more of a chance to enjoy the beach, but not on the beach,” he said.

The meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. at City Hall, 250 N. Ventura Road.