By Christina Zubko
On Saturday, Hueneme Beach re-opened after the city council eased COVID-19 restrictions, which came as welcome news to locals. It also meant that Saturday morning beach cleanups could resume, provided that volunteers practiced social distancing.
What should have been a celebratory day ended up being a disturbing one. No sooner had volunteers picked up their buckets and sticks than they witnessed a disturbing sight: a bloodied homeless man appeared at the Hueneme Beach hand-washing station, seemingly dressing a serious wound on his back. Police and emergency services were called, and it was determined that the victim had been stabbed. Later on near Hueneme Beach, volunteers picked up a slew of syringes.
Saturday’s incident is a reminder that both the cities of Port Hueneme and Oxnard need to continue to work together to patrol the beach area and to enforce Oxnard city ordinance 2906, which prohibits camping in the dunes. Last year’s effort to remove the encampments made the beach safer, and beach cleanup volunteers hope their cleanup efforts in January and February were not in vain. Currently, two tents have remained in the dunes for nearly a month despite repeated calls and emails into Oxnard Police Department about them. Surfers, walkers, fishermen, and birders enjoy Ormond Beach and should have safe access to the area and not have to worry about stepping on needles or being attacked.
The Oxnard City Council meets Tuesday, April 21 and residents are being asked to submit a public comment via email by 3:00 pm on 4/21 to [email protected]. In the subject line write “Public Comment Non-Agenda Item Ormond Beach, Dunes, Island and Oxnard Police Patrolling.” For assistance, the public can also call (805) 385-7803.
Christina Zubko, Ed.D. is a volunteer journalist, environmental activist, and a founder of Friends of Ormond Beach. She can be reached at [email protected]. Follow Friends of Ormond Beach on Facebook and Instagram.
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