We were honored to have Lourdes Castro Ramírez, Secretary of the Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency, as our keynote speaker. Also joining us for the festivities were our emcee David Cruz, a longtime TV and radio host, and Jasmine Padilla, VCCDC homeowner and board member, who delivered a powerful client testimonial. The crowd gathered included many VCCDC sponsors, our four award recipients and their friends and families, and family members of those honored with the naming of the four VCCDC leadership awards.

Honoring Lynn L. Jacobs for her legacy of empowering homeownership through Ventura Affordable Homes, Inc. and her work while serving as California’s Director of Housing and Community Development under Governor Schwarzenegger.

Awarded to:

John Gamboa

California Community Builders

John C. Gamboa is Board Chair of California Community Builders (CCB), a nonprofit affordable housing development organization. John is the co-founder and former President of CCB. Through his leadership at CCB his primary goal was to develop policy alternatives out of the direct experience of developing for-sale housing for very-low and low-income families in the Central Valley. John has led and helped negotiate over $2.4 trillion in community reinvestment agreements from the nation’s leading financial institutions. A considerable percentage of these commitments have been tailored towards minority business development, affordable housing programs and innovative first-time homebuyer programs for immigrants.   Read more

Honoring Rodney Fernandez who championed the cause for affordable workforce housing in Ventura County for over 50 years and founded VCCDC in 2001.

Awarded to:

Linda Braunschweiger

Housing Trust Fund Ventura County and Housing Land Trust Ventura County

Linda Braunschweiger is the CEO of both the Housing Trust Fund Ventura County and Housing Land Trust Ventura County. Her deep understanding of affordable housing and community development comes from her ancestral lineage and her own successful career in the banking industry which includes serving as the Community Investment Officer with Affinity Bank, first Executive Director of the CA Housing Consortium, and the Director of Legislative Affairs with CA Housing Finance Agency. In her role at Housing Trust Fund, Linda parlays the benefits of a nonprofit with the spirit of entrepreneurship to leverage public, private, and charitable funding in order to provide loans to developers building affordable housing. To-date, the Housing Trust Fund has loaned $26M and created 1,110 housing units for very low- to moderate income individuals and families in Ventura County. Read more

Honoring our first Board Chair, Michael McGuire, a man of great compassion for those in need who has left a special space in the community and hearts of many that will long be felt.

Awarded to:

County of Ventura

Executive Office, Community Development Division

For 36 years, the County of Ventura Community Development Division has received and distributed Federal Community Development Block Grants which began with a modest $2M. This funding has expanded greatly over the last four years where the staff of nine distributed over $50M from 15 different sources of funding to support the development of new housing, improving communities, and supporting programs to address homelessness. Read more

Honoring our longest running Board Member, Ernest Baskette, Jr. His personal and professional mission was to affect transformative repositioning of the economic status of families and the revitalization of the communities in which they reside.

Awarded to:

Luis Mc Arthur

Commander, Oxnard Police Department

Oxnard Police Department Commander Luis Mc Arthur, who currently oversees Oxnard’s North District, that includes The Collection at Riverpark, was raised in Oxnard and began his career with Oxnard Police Department in 1995. He quickly rose through the ranks having served as a field training officer, bicycle team member, school resource officer, beat coordinator for the Colonia neighborhood, Police Activities League co-director, lead sexual assault detective and patrol sergeant. His passion for public service lies in the fact that he has built a very inclusive community that helps young people develop more meaningful relationships with police officers to inspire Oxnard’s youth to realize their full potential and prevent juvenile delinquencies. Read more

Take a look at a video highlight from our Award Ceremony below.

Joseph Gutierrez, President

Shane Saunders, Past President

Anthony Restivo, Vice President

Gregory Glover, Treasurer

Alexander Gallardo, Secretary

Lisa Brooks, Member

Yolanda Garcia, Member

Rashi Kallur, Member

Jasmine Padilla, Member

Gabriela Mello, Member

Fernando Ortiz, Member

Mayra Oseguera, Member

Oscar Fernandez

Bertha Garcia

Gregory Glover

Jasmine Padilla

Anthony Restivo

Shane Saunders

Sylvia Muñoz Schnopp

Keily Victoria

Ricardo Arosemena, Mortgage Specialist

Marisol Arzola, Senior Loan Processor

Francine Castanon, Homeownership Educator

Veronica Galicia, Education & Outreach Coordinator

Bertha Garcia, Executive Director

Karen Gonzalez, Administrative Support Clerk

Quetzally Gonzalez, Junior Loan Processor

Gabriela Muñoz, Lead Homeownership Specialist

Sylvia Muñoz Schnopp, Director of Fund Development

Crystal Ontiveros, Homeownership Specialist

Alex Vega, Director of Lending Services

Keily Victoria, Director of Program Development & Administration

Please consider a year-end donation that will help accomplish our mission of empowering families through homeownership and financial education