As the year 2014 comes to a close, I want to express my gratitude; I am very thankful for the opportunity to serve the residents and businesses of the Fifth District as your representative on the County Board of Supervisors.
Every day, I have the opportunity to work with great people. I am thankful for the great working relationship we have on Board of Supervisors. We work well together, work hard and respect each other. We agree on many issues, and we courteously agree to disagree on other issues.
I am grateful for County CEO Mike Powers and our excellent County staff for their great work. The County is $1.88 B organization. We provide critical public safety, health care, human services, transportation, utilities and other very important services. I am thankful our CEO and our staff are constantly working at providing great public service in an efficient and cost effective manner.
I will soon be entering my seventh year of service as a County Supervisor. I am grateful for the partnerships we have formed during these past six years. One example was working with California State Parks officials, the City of Oxnard, local business leader Peter Mullin and many members of the public to save McGrath State Beach.
Another example has been our partnership with the Oxnard Chamber of Commerce and local business leaders to share information and address local business concerns. I am very appreciative of our excellent collaboration with Oxnard Boys and Girls Club and the Rio School District to start and continue after school and summer youth programs at the Nyeland Community Center. More recently, we worked with our Labor Union-Local 585, the Southern California Labors Apprenticeship Program, our local Operating Engineers, the Cloverdale Mutual Water District, El Rio neighborhood leaders and several construction supply companies and other businesses to pave Wright Road in El Rio. Paving this roadway gives children a clean, safe way to walk to Rio Real School in El Rio. Finally, I am very proud to work with the Mixteco Indigenous Community Organizing Project (MICOP), Oxnard Police and Fire Departments, bilingual emergency preparedness leader Gracie Huerta, and the Sherriff’s Office of Emergency Services to provide the LISTOS Emergency Preparedness Program for a group of our Spanish speaking residents earlier this year.
I am also grateful for the excellent non-profit organizations in this County, and the individuals who lead these organizations. A great example is Mr. Mike Barber, founder and leader of the Santa to the Sea Half Marathon Race. Mike has given countless hours to help the less fortunate in our community. This year alone, runners participating in the Santa to the Sea races donated about 4,000 toys, which were given out to children from disadvantaged neighborhoods. Funds raised by Santa to the Sea also provide scholarships for students to attend Oxnard College and fund many other worthy causes. The Race also bring positive attention to Oxnard and neighboring communities, and people coming from out of town for the race eat at our local restaurants, stay at our hotels and spend money at our local stores and businesses.
I am looking forward to great new opportunities and partnerships in 2015. The Board of Supervisors has given their conceptual approval to pursue the possible purchase of a closed school site in Nyeland Acres. This site is temporarily used for Oxnard Boys and Girls Club Programs, but its future is uncertain. I am proposing for the County to purchase this site to make it a permanent community center, park and open space for the residents of Nyeland Acres, with the property owners in the area paying for maintenance of this proposed park and community center.
Also, residents and business representatives of the Channel Islands Harbor area will be meeting with me, my staff and County Harbor staff to discuss ways we can work together and address resident and business concerns in the Harbor area. And we will continue to work to support McGrath State Beach, continue to support our partners and look for new and exciting projects to benefit our community.
Again, I want to express my appreciation; I am very thankful for the opportunity to serve you on the Ventura County Board of Supervisors.
Happy Holidays and Seasons Greetings!
Sincerely
John C. Zaragoza, Supervisor- Fifth District Ventura County Board of Supervisors