Oceano board member's property received recent code violation notices 

Oceano Community Services District board member Beverly Joyce-Suneson received a notice of violation from the county on Sept. 20 claiming that she had broken multiple county codes.

The San Luis Obispo County Planning and Building notice stated that the department had received complaints and verified violations of county code on a property she either owns or is responsible for.

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• File Photo By Jayson Mellom
• PUBLIC NUISANCE? Oceano Community Services District board member Beverly Joyce-Suneson recently received a notice from the San Luis Obispo County Department of Planning and Building stating her property was a "public nuisance" relating to RV use.

Joyce-Suneson, who also faced administrative action from the Community Services District for the alleged violations, told New Times that the issue had been resolved before she received the county notice.

According to the notice of violation, Joyce-Suneson was in violation of three county codes and had to resolve all three by Oct. 6 or face the possibility of an administrative fine or abatement hearing. The notice stated that she "must cease the use of the RV for habitation, remove sewer and water connections and return the RV to a state of storage, and obtain a demolition permit for the unpermitted sewer connection used by the RV."

The notice also states that, "county code violations make your property a public nuisance and are misdemeanors, so please take this notice seriously. We will assist you as much as we can, but it is your responsibility to resolve these violations."

Joyce-Suneson said she "received a notice of violation apparently [in the mail] but [General Manager Will] Clemens got information before I did."

However, Clemens told New Times that he didn't receive the notice until Sept. 27 because he was away on vacation.

"Our utility manager was contacted via phone and email by County Code Enforcement on Sept. 20, 2023," Clemens said. "When I returned from vacation on Sept. 27, 2023, I requested a copy of the attached notice of violation from the county and after receiving it, began to prepare the attached letter to the property owner."

Clemens then sent Joyce-Suneson an email on Oct. 5 informing her that the district received the notice of violation, and in addition to the violation of county code, she also was in violation of district ordinances for connecting her RV to district water and sewer systems.

The email also stated that she needed to disconnect from the water and sewer system "to avoid further district action."

Joyce-Suneson said that by the time she was made aware of the notice, everything was already resolved.

"The hookups were already unhooked and they were temporarily hooked up by a plumber to flush out [the pipes]," Joyce-Suneson said. "I have other family members that use it, camp in it, take it places, and it was parked in an area on my property and hooked up in the process of getting it prepared to go out on another trip."

Joyce-Suneson also said that she wasn't in violation of district ordinances while being connected to the water and sewer lines.

"There was no stealing involved, and the plumber himself said that it was legal and that he frequently sets these types of situations up for people around the county," she said. "They're set up all the time, and it was not an uncommon thing that he did."

Joyce-Suneson also said there was no illegal habitation of the RV, as family members used it only as a place of privacy.

"They would go out there when needed like to talk on the phone or something and they didn't want to be in the living room or the backyard," she said.

Joyce-Suneson said she made sure to clear up her violations by contacting the county.

"The county person [Brad Farr] said that he had come out and saw things and that he wanted a letter and further follow-up from the plumber, which the plumber provided him with," she said. "Then Brad said, as far as I know, that the whole thing is done. He said, 'OK, well, that sounds like that's that.'" Δ