The Oxnard City Clerk’s office announces the upcoming nomination period of July 12 through Aug. 5, 2021, for Oxnard residents seeking candidacy for the special election of District 2 Councilmember.
The special election will fill the one-year term remaining since former Councilmember Carmen Ramirez was elected County Supervisor in November 2020. Councilmember Gabe Teran was appointed by the City Council to serve District 2 until the special election is held on November 2, 2021.
The Oxnard City Council and Housing Authority adopted a Fiscal Year 2021-22 Operating and Capital Improvement Budget of $632,752,937 on June 30, 2021, which includes the General Fund group, landscape maintenance and community facilities district funds, special revenue funds, assessment district funds, enterprise funds, internal service funds and Housing Authority funds.
The City’s General Fund revenues for the budget year are projected at $201.2 million. This is 30 percent greater than for Fiscal Year 2020-21 due to revenue from Measure E, which will support basic City services such as public safety, parks, community development, cultural and community services, road maintenance and administration provided through the General Fund.
Oxnard Mayor John C. Zaragoza delivered the 2021 State of the City address on Thursday, June 17, hosted by the West Ventura Business Alliance Chamber of Commerce serving Oxnard and Camarillo.
The event highlighted resiliency during the pandemic and outlined the restoration of various programs and services the Oxnard community will soon see thanks to voter approval of Measure E.
City facilities reopened to the public on June 15, 2021 for in-person services during regular hours of operation. When visiting City buildings, community members must wear a mask and follow social distancing protocols. Masks will be available for visitors.
Mayor John C. Zaragoza will present his first annual State of the City address at a virtual event hosted by the Oxnard Chamber of Commerce on Thursday, June 17, 2021, at 1 p.m.
“While we have endured many challenges over the past year, I am excited for the future of Oxnard,” said Mayor Zaragoza. “Thanks to the voters’ approval of Measure E, we will have our first positive budget in more than a decade. We are beginning our first year of restoring many services that our community needs and deserves. Together with my City Council colleagues, we established our 5-year priorities, which provide a roadmap for continued progress.”
A superior court judge denied a request from Oxnard City Treasurer Phillip Molina demanding unredacted versions of an investigator’s personnel report into employee complaints against Molina. Molina also sought transcribed statements of witnesses interviewed by the investigator, the City of Oxnard reported in a media release on May 5.
The judge stated that the information Molina seeks is not discoverable in this action and issued monetary sanctions of $1,050 to be paid by Molina. Molina’s lawsuit challenges the ordinance and resolutions adopted unanimously by the City Council in May of 2020, removing the Treasurer’s administrative duties.
On Tuesday, March 30, 2021, the Oxnard City Council will consider a resolution condemning racism, xenophobia, violence, and hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI).
“We are mourning for the victims of these senseless crimes that we have seen increasingly throughout the pandemic, and we stand in solidarity with the Asian American community during these difficult times,” said Mayor John C. Zaragoza.
“It is vital that we take a stand against any act of hatred or violence towards the AAPI community. In Oxnard, we remain committed to celebrating diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our diversity is our strength, and we must commit to breaking down any barriers that separate us from each other.”
In keeping with Governor Gavin Newsom’s commitment to ensuring individuals and families stay housed during – and despite – the COVID-19 pandemic, Californians who have experienced a financial hardship because of the pandemic and who are most at-risk of eviction can now apply for the CA COVID-19 Rent Relief program to help pay past due rent. Beginning today, renters and landlords can check eligibility and apply by visiting HousingIsKey.com or by calling 833-430-2122 toll-free, seven days a week.
“For hundreds of thousands of renters and small property owners, there is more light at the end of the tunnel,” said Governor Newsom. “We have the strongest eviction protections in the nation and, beginning today, we are providing greatly needed financial support to both renters and small property owners in need of assistance to pay their mortgages, with a focus on racial and geographic equity.”
City Manager Alexander Nguyen has appointed Alexander Hamilton as Fire Chief, effective February 20, 2021. Hamilton has served as the Interim Fire Chief for the City following the retirement of Chief Darwin Base on August 31.
“Alex has thrived in the Interim Chief role, and I have faith in his ability to modernize fire services and enhance the fire department’s role protecting the safety of our community,” said City Manager Alexander Nguyen.
The City of Oxnard has announced the appointment of Vytautas “Vyto” Adomaitis as its new Community Development Director.
Adomaitis has served the City of Goleta for nearly 19 years, arriving just after the City’s incorporation in 2002. As Goleta’s Director of Neighborhood Services and Public Safety, he led an award-winning department known for its leadership and collaborative approach to addressing community needs in Goleta and the Santa Barbara County region.
“I am extremely pleased and excited to have been chosen to be the City of Oxnard’s new Community Development Director,” said Adomaitis. “I’m looking forward to joining a very dedicated group of professionals at the City who are seeking to provide the highest level of public services to the residents of Oxnard.”
The Oxnard City Council will appoint a District 2 City Councilmember to serve a limited term that will end on November 2, 2021, the date of a special election that will be called for District 2 voters to choose a representative to complete Carmen Ramirez’s City Council term through 2022. Ramirez was sworn in as a Ventura County Supervisor on January 5, 2021.
The City of Oxnard Recreation and Community Services Division seeks the public’s help in creating a time capsule that summarizes a year like none before it.
Capturing COVID will record this historic time and help put the year into perspective for those who open the time capsule in the future. It will contain both written word and art, and is expected to help explain this period’s impact on all aspects of life in our community, from the advent of digital learning to isolating at home to missing important family celebrations.
In response to the increased transmission of COVID-19 in Ventura County, Oxnard City Hall and most city facilities and programs will be temporarily closed to the public starting January 3, 2022. The City will reopen facilities and programs as soon as it is determined to be safe, but anticipates at least three weeks of closures to the public.
Meanwhile, most services will remain available remotely.
“The safety of the Oxnard community and our City employees remains our top priority,” said City Manager Alexander Nguyen. “As we continue to provide essential services, we need to limit the amount of potential virus spread and protect the City’s workforce.”
Mayor John Zaragoza and District 3 Councilmember Oscar Madrigal invite community members to participate in La Colonia’s Alley Beautification Event on Saturday, November 6th from 8:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. as part of a volunteer clean up effort targeting the neighborhood’s alleys.
Check-in will begin at 8 a.m. at the Ramona Elementary School between North Bonita Avenue and East 1st Street. During the check-in process, the City of Oxnard staff will provide clean up equipment and waste bags to all event volunteers.
Please join the City of Oxnard, Oxnard College and the West Ventura County Business Alliance for a FREE job fair event at Oxnard College on Friday, November 19, 2021 from 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
…We have work too hard and long for district wide city council representation by and for the people. As I write this piece the City Council is deciding whether to appoint a new city council member to the seat that will be vacated on January 4, 2021, by Carmen Ramirez as she takes her new position as the Ventura County Supervisor of the 5th District. Or instead have a special election and have the voters of that district decide. An appointment by the city council of a favored “son or daughter” is highly problematic and will come with the inevitable strings attached. That appointee will be beholden to the political powers that put her/him in office.
The City of Oxnard applied for and won a $2.8 million grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) through its Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, which helps local communities significantly reduce or eliminate future risk to lives and property from natural hazards such as flooding, tsunamis, and earthquakes.
The grant money will fund the Oxnard Wastewater Treatment Plant Generator Project, which will improve the reliability and resiliency for continued plant operations during power outages. The project will replace the City’s aging, 54-year old backup generators with a modern, single emergency generator.
City Manager Alexander Nguyen has named Assistant Police Chief Jason Benites as Oxnard’s next Police Chief, effective December 29, 2020 upon the retirement of Chief Scott Whitney.
“We are very fortunate to have two great chiefs-in-waiting, Eric Sonstegard and Jason Benites, both of whom would be great Chiefs here or in any other city,” said City Manager Nguyen. “It speaks volumes of the quality and excellence of the Oxnard Police Department. The community is very fortunate that Jason is accepting the appointment to be our next Police Chief.”
The City of Oxnard is restarting its retail cannabis program, and will issue 16 dispensaries permits throughout the City. The process is being restarted due to inconsistencies that were discovered in its City Code regarding the appeal process for applicants who were denied a retail permit.
In fairness to all 50 applicants, the City has terminated the current program and will start a new accelerated retail cannabis and local equity retail cannabis program that will issue 16 permits (instead of 10 permits) by March 2021. No new fees will be required for previous applicants to apply to the new program.
In-person voting will start on Saturday, Oct. 31 and run through Tuesday, Nov. 3. There are currently ten in-person voting locations in Oxnard, listed below.
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La votación en persona comenzará el sábado 31 de octubre y se extenderá hasta el martes 3 de noviembre. Actualmente hay diez lugares de votación en persona en Oxnard, que se encuentran a continuación.
Oxnard continues to overhaul the City’s financial management systems, with its new leadership team and staff resolving nearly every major audit issue in just under three years.
“This validates the fact that Oxnard is being a responsible steward of taxpayer dollars and that the days of financial mismanagement are behind us,” said City Manager Alex Nguyen.
The City of Oxnard today announced a partnership with Amazon, the global internet retailer, to open a new fulfillment center at the Sakioka Farms Business Park in Oxnard. Located just off the 101 freeway between Rice Avenue and Del Norte Boulevard, the Amazon project will bring more than 1,500 jobs with benefits to Oxnard when the company launches the facility next year.
“This is a transformational project for the Sakioka property and highlights the strong economic opportunities in Oxnard,” said Mayor Tim Flynn. “We have been engaging with Amazon in a variety of ways and it’s exciting to see the company now come to build and hire in the City.”
Oxnard’s drab City Hall will soon be sporting a fresh new look thanks to muralist Mauricio Ramirez.
The mural, which takes up the entire side of the three-story building, was highlighted in the Ventura County Star story of Dec. 8, 2019: Oxnard’s past, future to be represented in new City Hall murals
It is one of two murals being placed on the city hall building by Ramirez and Celeste Byers.
Ramirez’s mural, which focuses on Oxnard’s future, features a Latina graduate, rapper Anderson .Pakk., an African American girl and a child wearing traditional Mexican dress.
The County of Ventura has reached an important milestone for our community, County and our local economy. The Public Health Officer announced today a new modified Stay Well VC Health Order to align with the State of California’s four-stage framework for reopening. The County will move forward with the State’s Stage 2 of reopening lower-risk businesses on May 8, 2020. This will allow retail businesses, such as clothing stores, bookstores, sporting goods stores and florists, for example, to reopen with curb side delivery, as well as the related manufacturing and supply chain businesses.
RESOURCE LIST – COVID-19: STAY INFORMED Ventura County Information line: 211 or send a text to: 211211 with the word “covid19” Official Ventura County Incident Information Source: www.vcemergency.com Ventura County Behavioral Health Crisis line: 1-866-998-2243 Logrando Bienestar – Mental Health…
The City of Oxnard updated the local public access stations (Spectrum channel 10 and Frontier channel 35) with coronavirus content from the City, County, State and the CDC. Please see the broadcast schedule below.
Additionally, Ventura County hosts live press conferences everyday at 1 p.m. on News Channel 3 and ABC 7. Please be sure to tune in! These broadcasts from the County will also be shared online at https://vimeo.com/capsmediacenter.
OXNARD — For the safety and wellness of our community during this national health crisis, Oxnard beaches and parks will be temporarily closed this weekend: April 11 & 12, 2020. We appreciate your cooperation as we continue to do the best…
CORONAVIRUS SCAM ALERTS There are a growing number of scams related to the coronavirus. Here are a few known examples for you to be aware of. Visit: ftc.gov/coronavirus. *** ALERTAS DE ESTAFA DEL CORONAVIRUS Hay un número creciente de estafas…
OXNARD — Governor Gavin Newsom has issued a stay at home order for all residents of California, except as needed to maintain continuity of operation of the federal critical infrastructure sectors, critical government services, schools, childcare, and construction, including housing construction.…
COVID-19 | CORONAVIRUS COMMUNITY UPDATE March 16, 2020 GUIDANCE FOR RESIDENTS The City of Oxnard strongly encourages our community to follow the Governor’s guidelines for residents. Seniors age 65 or older or those with chronic conditions must stay indoors and…
OXNARD — This morning City Manager Alexander Nguyen issued a proclamation of a local emergency in response to the coronavirus. This proclamation should not cause any panic. It is a necessary step for the City to take in order to 1.)…
OXNARD — The City of Oxnard will receive $8.5 million in Statewide Park Development and Community Revitalization Program grant funds for the Campus Park Activation Project, which will transform an additional 26 acres of park space that has been closed…
OXNARD — The City of Oxnard understands that some residents may be concerned about the recent outbreak of the novel coronavirus. The novel coronavirus is a newly discovered virus that causes respiratory illness and is believed to have originated in Wuhan,…
OXNARD — Oxnard’s commitment to protecting local drinking water sources continues as the City’s tap water remains safe, clean and reliable. Water quality testing shows there are no per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) contaminants in any of Oxnard’s water sources. PFAS…
OXNARD — The City of Oxnard is offering two more sign-up opportunities on January 22 and 23 for the Project Assist Utility Rate Assistance Program for income-qualified customers. Eligible residents will receive a $15 monthly discount toward their trash, sewer,…
OXNARD — Residents and businesses are reminded that City Hall and many City departments will be closed for the upcoming holidays. The holiday office hours are listed below. HOLIDAY OFFICE HOURS AND CLOSURES Tuesday, Dec. 24: City Hall and…
OXNARD — In advance of the rainy weather being forecast for this week, the City of Oxnard would like to remind residents that free sand and unfilled sandbags are available at the City’s Corporate Yard. Residents will be able to come…
OXNARD — Residents and businesses are reminded that City Hall and many City departments will be closed Wednesday, Nov. 27 through Friday, Nov. 29 and will return to regular office hours on Monday, Dec. 2. Police and Fire department personnel…
Editor’s note: Amigos805 welcomes guest columns, letters to the editor and other submissions from our readers. All opinions expressed in submitted material are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the viewpoint of Amigos805. By Armando Vazquez / Guest contributor The…
OXNARD — In order to help the community better understand the City’s budget, budgeting process and financial policies, City staff prepared a presentation that helps to explain how the City is funded, to what services the money is distributed and…
Slash and Burn Approach Outlined in Proposed Budget Will Close La Colonia Branch Library, Carnegie Art Museum, Performing Arts Center, and Layoff Dozens of City Employees; Residents Will Speak Out Against City’s Knee-Jerk Decision to Rectify Years of Financial Mismanagement…
OXNARD – City of Oxnard Public Works and Cultural and Community Services Departments, in cooperation with Squire Foundation, are proud to announce a temporary exhibition of four animal sculptures at Plaza Park in Downtown Oxnard, Fifth and B Streets. A…
There are social media concerns about nitrate contamination in the drinking water in Oxnard. The problem is not in the City of Oxnard’s water supply. It is with the Vineyard Avenue Acres Mutual Water Company (VAAMWC). The water provided by…
OXNARD — The City of Oxnard is implementing development review improvements to make it easier and faster for homeowners and businesses to get permits. In many cities, the permit review process is the subject of complaints from customers with particular focus…
OXNARD — The Oxnard Public Library welcomes back the LA Opera with another “Opera Talk,” on Saturday, June 29, 2019, at the Downtown Main branch. Facilitated by one of their volunteer “Community Educators,” the hour-long presentation will be a historical overview…
OXNARD — Residents seeking to help shape the future of Oxnard are encouraged to apply to serve on a Citizen Advisory Group for the upcoming new term, expected to begin in April. Citizen Advisory Groups, also known as “CAGs,” are boards and…
Residents seeking to help shape the future of Oxnard are encouraged to apply to serve on a Citizen Advisory Group for the upcoming new term, expected to begin in April.
OXNARD — The City of Oxnard Community Relations Commission (CRC) will honor all five recipients of the commission’s Community Recognition Awards program for accomplishments made during 2018. The awards will be presented on Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2019, as part of the…
OXNARD — Oxnard City Manager Alexander Nguyen announced the appointment of Jeffery Lambert as Oxnard’s new Development Services Director. Mr. Lambert will begin Feb. 4, 2019. Lambert most recently served as the Community Development Director for the City of Ventura for…
OXNARD — As part of its 50th anniversary season, the PACC is excited to present Las Cafeteras in concert with special guests The Villalobos Brothers on Feb. 1, 2019 starting at 7 p.m. Las Cafeteras remix roots music and tell…
