City Leaders Play Free at Golf Course

OXNARD — For more than a decade, Oxnard’s elected officials have been playing golf for free at the city’s only publicly owned golf course, costing taxpayers thousands of dollars and possibly violating state law.

Free golf privileges are written into the management contract for River Ridge Golf Course and offered to the elected officials, their guests and even former Councilmen Michael Plisky and Andres Herrera, course manager Otto Kanny confirmed.

No other public golf course in the county offers such a privilege, local officials and golf course managers say.

River Ridge, built in 1986, is managed by an independent contractor, High Tide and Green Grass, but subsidized by the city, which will pay as much as $1.7 million to the course in 1997, Kanny said.

Every penny the golf course makes above its expenses is returned to city coffers. Thus every time a public official or guest plays for free, it takes away from the city’s return.

Though state and local officials say it is not illegal for council members to golf for free, the law prohibits the extension of these free privileges to nonelected officials, according to the state Fair Political Practices Commission.

The fees charged for nonelected officials may have to be reported as gifts, a spokesman for the commission said. “It is not permissible to have guests,” spokesman Gary Huckaby said. FPPC law states that any gift worth more than $50 must be declared, and a public official cannot accept gifts amounting to more than $280 a year from one source.

Even if legal, such privileges often don’t look good to the public, Huckaby added.

“I can’t comment on this specific situation,” he said. “Many of the questions and issues we are asked to comment on are often not violations of the political reform act, but nonetheless, many of these issues create community outrage and a perception of favoritism.”

Indeed, some Oxnard residents expressed disbelief at the free rounds of golf.

“I feel it’s kind of nothing short of an outrage,” said Oscar Gonzalez, an Oxnard attorney. “It reminds me of the old political systems where to the victor goes the spoils. I thought we were past that. I think it’s a fundamental breach of the public trust.”

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But several residents defended the perks, saying that the council members work hard and deserve the freebies.

“They really are not paid for as much time as they spend on city matters, and if they have these little perks, I think it’s fine,” said Jean Harris, a former school board member and environmental activist.

“I think some people may frown on it but if we look at how much business is accomplished by the city [at the golf course], then I see that as a positive,” said Oxnard police chief and avid golfer Harold Hurtt, who does not receive the perk.

City Manager Tom Frutchey said the free rounds can serve as a marketing tool.

“It is very standard around the state and we’ve taken advantage of it,” Frutchey said. “It allows them to use it for marketing the city and marketing the economic development committee. That comes with the territory of being a city official.”

Added Councilman Tom Holden, who said he plays golf about once a month: “There is nothing inappropriate about it.”

But newly elected Councilman John Zaragoza balked when he was offered the free golf game recently and instead paid the $14 weekend fee for playing nine holes.

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In addition, Mayor Manuel Lopez, who does not golf, said he has asked Frutchey for a report on other perks city officials receive and how much they are costing taxpayers.

Other freebies could include a waiver of fees at the Performing Arts Center for a performing arts group that includes former Councilman Andres Herrera. The fee waivers for the Mexihcayotl Society for the Arts and Humanities have added up to $22,695 over three years, from 1993-1996, according to city documents.

City Atty. Gary Gillig also noted that city staff would receive free baseball tickets if the Palm Springs Suns minor league team ever plays ball in Oxnard.

The policy of granting these privileges is not standard practice in other cities across Ventura County.

None of the publicly owned golf courses--Ventura’s Buenaventura and Olivas Park, Soule Park in Ojai, Simi Valley’s Sinaloa and Simi Hills, Saticoy Regional Golf Course or Thousand Oaks’ Los Robles Greens--allow elected officials to tee off for free.

“We don’t have a written policy but our unwritten policy is no,” said Steve Chase, assistant to Ventura’s city manager. “Maybe it’s more of our corporate culture but we are not real big on perks.”

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Other cities, such as Thousand Oaks, extend that unwritten policy to other public venues like the Civic Arts Plaza.

“[Elected officials] can go to the shows by buying a ticket at the box office just like anyone else,” said Tom Mitze, director of the Thousand Oaks Theaters Department. “We have no such policy and I can’t even recall of any council member ever asking me for a ticket.”

On average, golf course manager Kanny said, council members such as Holden, Dean Maulhardt and former Councilman Herrera use the golf course about two times a month. Most of the time they take a free cart, which typically rents for $22. On a weekday, 18 holes of golf cost city residents $16, while on weekends it costs residents $20.

Kanny said he does not keep track of how much the free golf rounds cost the facility. But a low estimate--without guests--including a golf cart at a weekend rate, twice a month, could tally up to more than $1,000 annually per councilman.

Oxnard’s Parks and Facilities Supt. Michael Henderson said today’s policy is much more restrictive than a few years ago.

Until 1993, not only were elected officials given free rounds of golf, but so were the golf commissioners, bond holders who helped finance the deal to purchase the property and other city employees, including former City Manager Vern Hazen, Henderson said.

Gillig said perhaps it is time to revisit the current policy as well.

“In this case, it’s more that it’s just the way we did it,” Gillig said. “If this educates us in a positive way then I don’t have a problem with it. The details of this are complicated, and I certainly don’t believe anybody would willfully violate the FPPC.”