City Council to have final say on Bridal Path family's cows

Last Wednesday, two members of the Simi Valley City Council appealed a decision by the planning commission that allowed a Simi couple to keep eight cows, two pigs and 12 hens at their Bridle Path home.

Mayor Paul Miller and Councilwoman Barbra Williamson appealed the decision, maintaining the homeowners should have received permission from the Bridle Path homeowners association before coming to the city.

"Not to make a play on words, but I think they put the cart before the horse," Miller said.

Miller explained that the Bridle Path HOA has covenants, conditions and restrictions (CC&Rs) that prohibit homeowners from keeping certain animals and that just because the planning commission approved a conditional-use permit does not make it OK.

"The CUP doesn't trump the CC&Rs," he said.

Williamson, who serves as treasurer for her own HOA, agreed.

"By going to the city first for that (permit) they have totally opened a can of worms for that homeowners association," she said, adding "When you live in a HOA, you all row in the same direction."

Though the planning commissioners struggled with this very issue of whether or not the CC&Rs supersede their decision, the commission voted 4-1 at its Nov. 19 meeting to grant a permit allowing Randy and Margaret Miller to keep their animals on a portion of their 8.5-acre Meander Drive property.

Commissioner Mary Bibb cast the dissenting vote, noting that the Millers knew the rules for animal keeping when they moved into the 630-home equestrian community located in the southwestern part of the city.

During the planning commission's meeting, more than 30 residents spoke against granting the permit, including Bridle Path HOA president Jim Pantaleo, who said it would be very difficult for the association to enforce its rules if the Millers were given an exemption.

Marjorie Baxter, senior assistant city attorney, told the commissioners during the meeting that their decision to allow the animals would force the HOA to file a civil action against the Millers in order to get them to comply with the CC&Rs.

Miller said the conditional-use permit request should never have gone to the planning commission.

"We may need to establish some city policies that no case like this will come to the planning commission before they have the permission of the HOA," he said. "That seems to me the better way to deal with the situation."

Though Miller is a Bridle Path resident, he said that has nothing to do with his reason for appealing the decision and there is no conflict of interest for him because his home is a distance from the project site.

While Williamson said she would be fine with granting the permit if the HOA OKs it first, she is not too keen on the idea of allowing cows in the Bridle Path.

"Once you start bringing a herd of cattle up there, I think it changes the whole venue of what equestrian and what Bridle Path is all about," she said.

The City Council will review the conditional-use permit request at its Jan. 26 meeting at 6:30 p.m. in City Hall.