Family Evicted for Actions of 2 Sons

A Cabrillo Village family has two weeks to leave their home now that a court commissioner has ruled they can be evicted because of the actions of their sons.

After a lengthy and bitterly contested eviction hearing that lasted three days, Court Commissioner Gary K. Barrett on Tuesday ordered Santiago and Francisca Zizumbo to vacate their federally subsidized, three-bedroom house.

Housing officials began eviction proceedings against the family after their son, Daniel Zizumbo, 21, was arrested on charges of attempted murder in connection with a gang-related, drive-by shooting. He has pleaded not guilty and remains in jail awaiting trial.

Cabrillo Village attorney S. Blake Wade said Daniel and brother Edward Zizumbo are gang members who have terrorized the close-knit Ventura neighborhood for the last three years.

Wade kicked out the Zizumbos using a clause in the family’s lease agreement that called for eviction if “conduct of any of the residents affects the livability of the neighborhood and disrupts the community.”

The Zizumbos’ attorneys argued that the eviction violated the civil rights of the parents because they were not accused of any wrongdoing.

But housing officials argued successfully that the eviction clause is a powerful tool in combating crime and violence in the low-income neighborhood of 1,200.