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Ventura County Taxpayers Association (VCTA) February 2025 Recap

by Community Contributor • March 6, 2025 • Comments Off

FEBRUARY 2025 RECAP

We’re charging into 2025 with unstoppable momentum and a packed schedule. That makes these monthly recaps essential to keep you in the loop! Here’s a snapshot of February’s highlights at the Ventura County Taxpayer Association!

Advocacy in Action: Executive Director Ryan Grau addressed the Ventura County Board of Supervisors on February 25th. He raised concerns about bias in the County’s Ambulance Services RFP process. County Fire is one of the bidders. He called for a balanced, transparent Evaluation Committee with community involvement to ensure fairness. Taxpayers musn’t ignore the cautionary tales of costly EMS missteps in Santa Barbara County. Full speech regarding our concerns here: VC EMS RFP

Meanwhile, on February 26th, our Membership Manager, Adrienne Coryell urged the City of Ventura Planning Commission to reject a proposed rental registry and its fees. She argued that it’s a hidden tax burdening landlords and tenants. It duplicates state laws and wastes public funds. She proposed enforcing existing state protections and funding rental assistance instead. As a result, the Commission tabled the item for re-evaluation. Full letter to the Ventura City Planning Commission here: Tenant Protections

Lastly, on February 28th, members of our Board addressed the Ventura County Medical System’s (VCMS) Oversight Committee to voice ongoing concerns about unaddressed financial oversight issues. Highlighting a 2018 audit that flagged 42 internal control weaknesses. One weakness was management’s failure to produce timely monthly financial statements despite promising to do so by July 1st, 2019. Our Board Members criticized the inconsistent and delayed reporting. They also pilloried management’s practice of providing a VCMS balance sheet annually and the absence of cash-flow statements entirely. They pressed the Committee to authorize a follow-up audit and enforce stricter financial accountability, warning that inaction threatens taxpayer trust in the $700 million hospital system’s integrity. Full letter here: VCMS Letter

Member of the Month Spotlight: Abel Velasquez

We want to highlight and congratulate our FIRSTStudent Member, Abel Velasquez, for being appointed to the Oxnard Unified School District’s, Measure E Bond Oversight Committee!

Abel joined VCTA in September 2024 and immediately rolled up his sleeves. Abel’s commitment to civic engagement and advocacy is inspiring, and we’re thrilled to see students and youth taking active roles in shaping policy discussions.

Sponsor a Student: We are looking for individuals who are interested in sponsoring student memberships. If you are interested in helping with this effort, please contact our Membership Manager, Adrienne Coryell, at acoryell@vcta.org for more information!

Membership Events Recap: We were thrilled to host a packed house and were privileged to welcome Martin Erickson from the Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC) as our guest speaker. Martin shared insights into the VCTC’s 2025 plans and provided a thoughtful forecast of traffic and transportation challenges for the County this year. A heartfelt thank you goes to Marie Callender’s in Camarillo for so generously hosting our event, making it a truly memorable breakfast! More pictures here: FEB CLUB

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How YOU Can Help Advocate: If you have a taxpayer issue, concern, or passion that you would like us to advocate for, please reach out to our contact page to get involved: CONTACT PAGE

Upcoming Events: Join us on March 12^th for our next Breakfast Club event! It’s a great opportunity to connect with fellow taxpayers and discuss pressing issues affecting our community. We also offer sponsorship opportunities for our Breakfast Club meetings – reach out if you or your business would like to get involved! – RSVP today at Breakfast Club – RSVP. This event will sell out.

MARCH TICKETS

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CA Resource Program: If you or anyone you know needs transportation assistance, we want to share the CA Resources program, which provides transportation assistance for those in need and many other community benefits for housing and other needs. This resource is valuable for individuals facing transportation and economic challenges and ensures access to essential services.

LEARN MORE HERE

Thank you for being part of our growing community. Your support helps us continue our mission for a more transparent and accountable government. Stay tuned for our next recap in action!

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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