Trustees Discuss Daytime Curfew

Hoping to keep kids inside classrooms and off the streets during school hours, Simi Valley trustees may try to enlist the city’s assistance in imposing a daytime curfew.

“It’s not just a matter of picking up kids and giving them a ticket; it’s a whole collaboration between the city and the school district,” said trustee Carla Kurachi, who introduced the idea at Wednesday’s annual Wood Ranch planning retreat.

“If you look at this, it’s a win-win situation,” she said. “Attendance goes up and daytime crime goes down.” Kurachi used a San Jose anti-truancy program as her model. Thousand Oaks and Los Angeles schools have similar programs.

In the San Jose program, she said, children under the age of 18 caught loitering between 8:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on school days are stopped by police. Punishment can include fines ranging from $50 to $250 and suspension of driving privileges. If a student demonstrates perfect attendance for 60 days, the fine is eliminated.

According to a San Jose city report, the daytime curfew did indeed boost attendance and cut daytime burglaries in the 1995-96 school year.

Their interest clearly piqued, Kurachi’s colleagues said they were concerned about the specifics of such an ordinance. “I’m strongly in support of this if we develop it in a way that supports our community’s interests,” trustee Diane Collins said.

Hoping to work with the city on the proposal, trustee Caesar O. Julian suggested a meeting with police officials.

In May, the City Council passed a curfew ordinance to prohibit minors from being on city streets between 10 p.m. and 6:30 a.m.