UPDATE Old Towne: ‘Party house’ law dissenter has his say

October 28th, 2009, 11:32 am · Post a Comment · posted by EUGENE W. FIELDS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

orgenforcement The Orange City Council passed an amendment Tuesday night to an existing law aimed at cracking down on so-called party houses in Old Towne Orange adjacent to Chapman University.

The council voted 4-1 in favor of the amendment, which gives police the power to cite revelers if they are called back to the same residence within a 72-hour period.

Councilman Jon Dumitru, the lone dissenter, said the amendment would not stop the problem.

Dumitru pointed out there are current city and state laws against behaviors covered in the amendment, such as public drunkenness, disturbing the peace and public urination.

“We’re going after a fly with a shotgun,” Dumitru said. “I don’t believe that we should initiate a new law in the city of Orange when there are current laws that just needs to be enforced.”

City Attorney David DeBerry said the police department has identified 28 off-campus homes in the city as “party houses,” based on more than 400 calls to them for service in the past three years.

“Chapman University’s administration should take control and discipline their students,” Dumitru said. “It’s Chapman University’s failure to manage their student population.”

Dumitru said his fear was that other residents could become collateral damage in the city’s effort to quell excessive partying by college students.

“The way it’s written any place where folks gather and have a party, a neighbor can call in a complaint and say it’s too loud and the police will respond and if they determine it’s unruly, they can shut your party down,” Dumitru said. “It’s going to turn into a tool for neighbor-on-neighbor fights and will be used maliciously.”

Is there a need for a law cracking down on party houses?