City Tells RV Park to Correct Violations or Face Penalty

The city has warned the Ventura Beach RV Resort that it is violating more than half a dozen city codes, and that if it does not take steps to comply quickly the owner could be jailed, or forced to pay steep fines.

According to city officials, resort owner Tom Staben has expanded the number of recreational vehicle camping sites and erected a concrete wall on the flood plain of the Ventura River without proper permits.

He has also converted a sensitive habitat buffer zone into a well-tended green lawn and relocated habitat signs to expand the recreational area of the resort, they said.

In addition, officials said, Staben converted a natural channel into a concrete lined drainage area without a proper state permit and stored more then 5,000 square feet of concrete blocks in front of the Emma Wood State Beach Park in violation of a city ordinance.

In a June 26 letter, city officials informed Staben that he must correct the problems, or they will take action.

“Violations of the San Buenaventura Ordinance Code are misdemeanors,” the letter states. “Each day that the violation is committed, permitted or continued constitutes a separate prosecutable offense.”

According to the city, the maximum penalty for each conviction of a misdemeanor is a $1,000 fine and/or six months in jail.

“This has gone on too long,” said city code enforcement officer Sherry Jeffery, who sent the letter to Staben. “He’s running out of road. He has been doing things to fix the park up. But they don’t necessarily comply with state and local laws.”

Jeffery said she will meet with Staben on July 18 to discuss what corrective action he must take.

Staben could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

This is not the first time the Ventura Beach RV Resort at 800 Main St. has run into problems. The resort has been cited in the past for improperly moving tons of dirt and debris from the trailer park without obtaining a permit.

Because the resort is on sensitive habitat near the mouth of the Ventura River, numerous state and local agencies have an interest in its operations and in protecting the surrounding habitat areas, said Mark Stephens, city planner.

Those groups include the California Coastal Commission, the state Coastal Conservancy, the state Department of Fish and Game, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the Army Corps of Engineers, the Ventura Flood Control District and the local watchdog group Friends of the Ventura River.

Staben has until Sept. 26 to correct problems at the park site.

“What we want him to do is act in good faith, and do as much as he can on all these requirements,” Jeffery said. “But we want some action. After three or four years of letters from various organizations, it’s time to clean house.”