Government news in 2023: From discord in Ojai to primary debate in Simi Valley
Editor's note: This article is the fourth in a series highlighting The Star's top stories of the year. Listed in no particular order, these news events were chosen by the staff and organized by topic.
This was an election off year, but politicos daydreaming of a tumultuous 2024 might have missed a delightfully disordered year in local Ventura County politics.
Discord hummed in some council chambers, infused school board meetings and drifted into executive suites, where a few hot seats seemed to propel city managers to move along quickly. A city police department entered crisis mode after nearly half its sworn officers made plans to jump to the sheriff's ranks.
Elsewhere, a private hospital was barred from accepting involuntary psychiatric patients and Republican presidential candidates descended on the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library for a primary debate.
These and other topics round out The Star's look back at local government news in 2023.
Topsy-turvy Ojai
Ojai started the year with conflict brewing. In January, new Councilmember Leslie Rule publicly disclosed topics discussed during closed-door meetings that she and her attorney claimed had violated the state's open-meeting law. A group sued Rule and her attorney over the matter. A judge ultimately decided in Rule's favor in October.
Meanwhile, as Councilmember Suza Francina struggled to find affordable housing in her district, a county grand jury in May claimed the city had failed to acknowledge her seat was vacant. Francina later found a room to rent.
A group tried twice to recall new Councilmember Andrew Whitman, most recently last month, but failed both times.
As heated debates, bickering and accusations became regular fare at City Council meetings, the city manager's office also saw drama. A temporary city manager, Mark Scott, was hired in July for a six-month stint after the former manager left for Port Hueneme. But Scott resigned suddenly in November, writing in an email: "I just cannot tolerate the discord.”
Going nuclear
Ventura County Health Officer Dr. Robert Levin wanted to remind people of what to do in the event of a nuclear explosion.
It’s safe to say the plan produced a mushroom cloud.
Levin encouraged the county to release a social post about preparedness in March. He talked to The Star about the importance of the “get inside, stay inside, stay tuned” mantra that was part of an unprecedented county campaign 10 years ago.
The story went, well, nuclear, amassing more than 80,000 pageviews including some from readers who contended the best protection from a nuclear event is preventing one. As for Levin, he said preparedness could help save tens of thousands of lives in the “highly unlikely” possibility of an attack.
Borchard decision ignites furor
Opponents lost a major battle in December against development of the so-called "Borchard parcel" in Thousand Oaks when the City Council approved an updated general plan that allows higher-density residential and commercial use on the 37-acre parcel, located at Borchard Road and Highway 101.
Earlier this year, Conejo Valley Advocates for Sensible Planning collected more than 2,200 signatures from Newbury Park residents opposed to the zoning change, but council members argued Thousand Oaks needs more housing.
Ventura hires former sheriff
Ventura's busy year included a new, yet familiar, City Hall leader.
Bill Ayub, the former Ventura County Sheriff, was hired as city manager in August. The post became something of a revolving door after the former manager, Alex McIntyre, resigned in December 2022 after being put on leave. Three interim managers filled the spot before Ayub's arrival.
In other City Hall business, Councilmember Mike Johnson sued the city in September over alleged violations of open-meeting law when he wasn't allowed to participate in a closed-door session. The parties have agreed to a status conference in January.
Ojai Unified budget, leadership woes
Ojai Unified School District’s simmering budget troubles boiled over in January when the county school superintendent ordered the district to cut $2.3 million from its annual budget or risk fiscal insolvency.
The district wrangled the beast over the next few months, but had to shutter two schools and cut dozens of jobs. In the process, trustees terminated the district superintendent, an interim superintendent pick withdrew because of a lack of board support and the district’s two longest-serving trustees resigned.
Santa Paula Police Department crisis
A mass exodus of officers from the Santa Paula Police Department has upended the 100-year-old agency. While some left for retirement, most took jobs with other agencies particularly the Ventura County Sheriff's Office.
The departures raised concerns that the sheriff's office intended a "hostile takeover," a notion drawing objection from at least one city councilman. No other city council member expressed interest publicly in joining up with the larger agency.
In the meantime, city leaders acknowledged staffing levels are unsustainable. It means reduced services and slower response times for Santa Paula residents.
Interim Chief Don Aguilar drew up a contingency plan to shore up patrol duty, including the temporary elimination of its detective bureau and pulling back two school resource officers, until the department can fill positions.
Camarillo desalter goes online
A reverse-osmosis desalter began producing drinking water for Camarillo residents in early January.
The North Pleasant Valley Groundwater Desalter kicked off by converting unusable brackish groundwater into about 1 million gallons of high-quality potable water per day. City staff said they estimated the plant will produce about 4 million gallons of water every day once fully operational.
The desalter will help reduce the city’s reliance on imported water. In 2022, Camarillo residents and businesses used about 6 million gallons of water each day on average, staff said.
A Trump-less show
Some observers contended the candidate who won the presidential primary debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in September was the one who didn’t show: Donald Trump.
Seven candidates sparred and sometimes sniped in the fifth presidential debate held at the Simi Valley site since 2007. Several analysts said none of the candidates put a dent in Trump’s formidable lead in the race for the Republican nomination.
But former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley may have gotten off the snippiest line of the night at the expense of candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.
“Every time I hear you, I feel a little bit dumber,” she said.
Vista del Mar barred from involuntary admissions
County officials in October said private Vista del Mar Hospital in Ventura could no longer accept involuntary psychiatric patients because of repeated issues with patient care, including deaths, discharges against medical advice and physical restraint in violation of policy.
The move left the county with just one hospital able to take involuntary psychiatric patients: the 43-bed Hillmont psychiatric unit at Ventura County Medical Center. Vista has 87 licensed beds and is the county's only psychiatric hospital that admits adolescents.
In December, county officials continued blocking involuntary admissions at Vista del Mar but left the door open for possible reinstatement if an evaluation finds sufficient progress correcting serious deficiencies in patient care.
Staff writers Tom Kisken, Dave Mason, Brian Varela and Wes Woods II contributed to this report.
Stories of 2023
TODAY: Government
Friday: Breaking news
Sunday: Photos
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Government news: From Ojai disorder to Simi Valley primary debate
