Complaints Set Back Leash-Free Zone Plan

After a deluge of complaints from Oxnard Shores residents, plans to create a leash-free zone for dogs on the local beach have been temporarily shelved.

The Oxnard City Council was set to approve the item as part of Tuesday night’s consent agenda, but it was postponed at the request of residents.

Fearing that the beach would become a dump, that smaller dogs would get trampled by larger ones and walkers would be attacked, Paula and Robert Regan started a petition drive Saturday and gathered more than 100 signatures.

In a letter submitted to the council Tuesday, Robert Regan wrote: “Please do not be duped into believing that an organized minority of residents of Oxnard Shores represent the will of the people regarding the establishment of the so-called leash-free area on our beaches.”

However, Regan said he would not oppose a fenced leash-free area at a nearby park.

But Oxnard Shores Neighborhood Council Chairwoman Bodine Elias said she had organized several meetings on the issue and only received a few complaints.

Still, Elias said, it is best to postpone the issue until the entire neighborhood is in agreement.

Elias hopes to discuss the issue at the next Neighborhood Council meeting May 31, but said approval prospects for the idea now “look pretty dismal.”