Ventura County Taxpayers Association (VCTA) — VCMS: County launches $180M PLA before study concludes

County Advances $180M PLA Project Prior to Multi-Year Study Conclusion

The Broken Promise of 2020

Back in 2020, a different group of Supervisors started a $90 million pilot study. The plan was to build four small projects to compare union-only contracts (PLAs) against regular competitive bidding. The Board promised they wouldn’t expand these union-only rules until a full “cost and performance study” was finished.

Fast forward to today: that study is not complete. The only project actually being built under the pilot, a fire station in Santa Paula, won’t be finished until later this year. Public Works officials admit that project is already over budget and behind schedule. Yet the current Board of Supervisors decided they couldn’t wait for the data.

Ignoring the 2020 plan, the Board just locked in a union-only deal for the Lewis Road Mental Health facility. This project is huge — estimated at $180 million,largely drawn from the County’s General Fund. That is double the size of the entire 2020 pilot program combined!

By signing this deal now, the Board is acting without the facts. They are choosing to spend your money on a massive scale before proving that the “pilot” version even worked.

Shutting Out Local Workers

This decision doesn’t just hurt the budget; it hurts local families. In Ventura County, 87% of construction workers do not belong to a union. By requiring a PLA, the Board is effectively locking out most of our local workforce. Instead of hiring your neighbors, contractors will likely have to bring in outside laborersfrom other counties to fill the union requirements. Why should Ventura County taxpayers pay for a project that excludes 87% of its own workers?

The “30% Tax” on Construction

We already know that union-only rules make things more expensive. Former Ventura County Public Works Director, Jeff Pratt, had previously concluded thatPLAs add an additional 30% to the cost of a project. Other experts, like the RAND Corporation, found similar results, noting that these deals lead to higher costs and longer delays.

In a time when the County’s “General Fund” is already stressed and struggling to pay for medical services, the Board is choosing the most expensive way to build.

Apples to Apples?

The Board justified their actions by calling this move an “extension to the current PLA study”. VCTA asked the Board if they had a comparative $180M project in the planning phase for the non-union workforce of Ventura County. We await their answer.

Is This About Politics?

So, why the rush? Why would five leaders vote unanimously to ignore their own study to be delivered sometime in June and spend millions more than necessary?

2026 is an election year. With a primary election coming up on June 2, it appears the Board is “pandering” to powerful unions to secure political support. They are choosing back-room deals and political timing over the fiscal responsibility they owe to you.

Ventura County deserves leaders who wait for the facts and respect all workers—not just the ones with political influence. The Board’s 5-0 vote is a slap in the face to every taxpayer.

Join the Club and get involved!

About the Ventura County Taxpayers Association (VCTA)

Formed in 1954, The Ventura County Taxpayers Association is a 501(c)4 nonprofit organization dedicated to a non-partisan, fact-finding mission, emphasizing issues that affect Ventura County. We inform taxpayers, promote the wise use of public funds, oppose waste, advise public officials regarding issues of concern to taxpayers and recommend positions that will best serve the taxpayers’ interests. Our number one goal is to promote the wise use of public money and to oppose waste.

Ventura County Taxpayers Association

PO Box 3878

Ventura, CA 93006

info@vcta.org | vcta.org