Suit Threatened Over Solicitation Permits

Accusing Camarillo officials of violating their own laws as well as the U.S. Constitution, representatives of a Dominguez Hills cleaning supply company said they would file a lawsuit against the city for revoking its solicitation permits.

The City Council on Wednesday upheld the decision by the city’s finance director to revoke the permits of Austin Diversified Products after employees were arrested on suspicion of prowling and falsifying documents in November.

But company President Nathan Edwards said the city did not give Diversified an opportunity to correct any problems or ample notification before revoking its permits. He said the city is also infringing on the company’s free speech rights.

But the city’s finance director stands by her decision, indicating it was based on factual evidence. “The company does not properly train its people, and then they go into the community and become a threat to the welfare of the citizens of Camarillo,” Anita Bingham said. “If something were to happen and one of those citizens in some way suffered some kind of injury, we’d be sorry that we didn’t take this action.”

Austin Diversified has a federal case pending against Santa Barbara County, charging that its 1st Amendment right to free speech has been violated.