Supervisors to Consider Curbing Skateboarders

Possibly shrinking the concrete universe for skateboarders, the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday will discuss banning skaters from some sidewalks in unincorporated communities across the county.

Supervisor Kathy Long suggested the ban after hearing complaints from property owners--primarily churches and businesses--that skateboarders are damaging property and disturbing patrons.

Property owners have also expressed concerns about possible legal liability if a skateboarder is injured, Long said.

“I’m not interested in clamping down on skateboarders,” Long said. “I’m more interested in protecting the rights of property owners.”

During Tuesday’s discussion, Long said, she also wants to talk about setting up a county-run skateboard park in at least one of the county’s unincorporated communities. Those include Oak Park, Oak View, Meiners Oaks, Newbury Park, Santa Rosa Valley, Piru, El Rio and the Rincon.

“I’ve asked my staff to look at park facilities for something that could be used by enthusiasts of this sport,” she said. “Something that could be an alternative.”

The proposal is nothing new here. During the last couple of years Ventura, Ojai, Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks and Camarillo have all adopted ordinances restricting skateboarding. Skaters are generally banned from shopping centers, parking lots and sidewalks.

Many local skaters said they are being squeezed out of places to legally practice their sport because of ever-tightening restrictions on the skating in public. But many cities have also decided to build skateboard parks.

The Conejo Recreation and Park District last month approved setting up temporary skate parks.

In July, the Camarillo park district approved plans to build a permanent 10,000-square-foot skateboard park.

And the city of Ventura has plans to build three permanent outdoor mini-parks for both in-line skaters and skateboarders.

Earlier this year a large private indoor skate park called Skate Street opened in Ventura, and on an average weekend it fills up with more than 80 skaters paying from $7 to $9 a day to enter, park officials said.

“With all the cities banning skating in the street, I think kids are finding it a lot safer to come here and do it,” said Mike Brand, a supervisor at Skate Street.

“I’m not saying that we exist because of those bans, just that with fewer places to free-skate, we provide a much-needed alternative,” said Brand, as skaters glided through the bowls and steep ramps inside the park on Knoll Drive.

Long said a county ordinance would be similar to Camarillo’s.

Those rules, adopted four years ago, restrict skateboarding--as well as roller-skating and in-line skating--on both public and private property.

Because so many cities in the county have already adopted such ordinances, Long said she thinks a county ordinance could be drawn up quickly.