Protester Faces Citation : Oxnard: A contempt citation may be sought against Lynda Paxton, who painted signs on her house drawing attention to an oil-waste dump.

The city of Oxnard will seek contempt of court proceedings against a woman who has painted signs on her fence and on the side of her house to protest an oil-waste dump that is buried beneath her neighborhood.

City Atty. Gary Gillig said his office will file a motion Friday seeking a contempt citation against Lynda Paxton, a resident of the Oxnard Dunes neighborhood who painted the words “Our Home Toxic Dump” on her fence and “Our Own Love Canal” on her house.

Gillig said the signs violate a special permit that requires residents of the subdivision to obtain approval of the city’s community development director before changing the color of the building.

Paxton called the city’s action desperate and criticized the city for taking the action against her instead of those responsible for the oil-waste dump.

“I can hardly see how the city can come after me when I am doing the only civilized thing I can do,” she said.

Gillig said the City Council authorized him to take such action against Paxton during a closed-door meeting Oct. 16. Gillig, however, said the council does not want to see Paxton placed in jail.

If Paxton is found guilty of violating the permit, a judge could order her to remove the signs, Gillig said. If she refuses, she can be found in contempt of court and ordered to pay fines for each day she refuses to remove the signs, he said.

Paxton’s signs were designed to bring attention to the oil-waste dump that was found in 1985 beneath the 100-parcel subdivision known as the Oxnard Dunes. She is among 175 residents who filed a $3.5-million lawsuit in 1986 against 120 defendants, including developers, real estate agents, oil companies, previous landowners and landfill operators.

The signs and a nearby billboard that depicts a skull and crossbones and the word toxic are already at the center of a dispute among neighbors in the sunny, beachside community.

Last week, the Oxnard Shores Community Assn. paid workers to remove the billboard and paint over the fence sign. Within a few hours, Paxton’s son, Ernest Paxton, had repainted the words on the fence and outlined them with neon-yellow paint.

Steven Blanchard, who erected the billboard on the roof of his residence at 1010 Canal St., said he will rebuild the sign, which he said had been cut into small pieces.

Gillig has warned that if Blanchard rebuilds the billboard, Gillig will recommend that the council seek civil prosecution for erecting a billboard without the necessary building permit.

Gillig said the city has tried unsuccessfully for months to resolve the matter with Paxton and Blanchard. “Filing litigation is the last resort,” he said.

Blanchard said the association and the city are violating his First Amendment rights and said he welcomes the opportunity to give his account to a jury.

“We have the right to express our opinion and express our outrage,” he said.

Tom Conway, a real estate agent and member of the Oxnard Shores Community Assn., said he is pleased that the city is taking action against Paxton and Blanchard. “Wow, thank God,” he said.

He said the association removed the signs because they violated the group’s bylaws. He also said the association has since received praise from many neighbors who objected to the signs.

Conway said residents have complained to the association, saying that the signs have had a damaging effect on property values.

“They say they are being oppressed but they are the ones who have been oppressing others,” he said.