'We wanted Carmen's legacy to live on': Former Ventura County supervisor's papers donated

Cheri Carlson and Kathleen Wilson, Ventura County Star
Updated ·4 min read
Dozens of thank-you notes from students are included in a collection of documents and historical items from the late Ventura County Supervisor Carmen Ramirez at CSU Channel Islands.
Dozens of thank-you notes from students are included in a collection of documents and historical items from the late Ventura County Supervisor Carmen Ramirez at CSU Channel Islands.

An archive spanning 45 years of the life and work of former Ventura County Supervisor Carmen Ramirez soon will be part of the special collections at CSU Channel Islands.

After Ramirez died last year, family and friends sorted through her papers and filled hundreds of folders to donate to the Camarillo university's library. One box included Ramirez's appointment books dating back to 1977. Another held emails, meeting agendas and handwritten notes on environmental issues from climate change to pesticide use.

Some had more personal items, including cartoons Ramirez had carefully clipped from newspapers, and one with dozens of thank you notes from students who heard her speak in their classrooms. Together, the 15 boxes of documents offer a glimpse of the life of a significant player in Ventura County history.

A ticket to President Barack Obama's 2009 inauguration is included in a collection of documents and historical items from the late Ventura County Supervisor Carmen Ramirez at CSU Channel Islands.
A ticket to President Barack Obama's 2009 inauguration is included in a collection of documents and historical items from the late Ventura County Supervisor Carmen Ramirez at CSU Channel Islands.

"This is the best way we have to shine a light on what she was and what she did and how difficult it is to do good," said Barbara Macri-Ortiz, a longtime friend and colleague who helped organize the papers. "More than a tribute it is providing a tool for those who want to answer the question of why Carmen was such a good leader or how they can be as good a leader as Carmen. That’s what I’m hoping for."

Macri-Ortiz and Laura Cuellar, another longtime colleague of Ramirez, went through an unknown number of boxes of Ramirez's papers that she had saved and sorted by year. They eliminated confidential memos from her government years and family memorabilia but that still left a trove of papers from her long career.

Ramirez died on Aug. 12, 2022, after being hit by a truck as she walked in downtown Oxnard. She was 73.

Leaving legal aid

An Oxnard resident and attorney, she served a decade on the Oxnard City Council before a successful bid for a seat on the Ventura County Board of Supervisors. In November 2020, she became the first Latina in county history to be elected supervisor.

Shortly after her death, her family and friends recognized her body of work could benefit others as a collection, said Roy Prince, Ramirez's husband.

"We wanted Carmen’s legacy to live on," he said.

Xavier Becerra, secretary of U.S. Health and Human Services, put a sugar skull next to a photo of the late Ventura County Supervisor Carmen Ramirez at a memorial in November 2022.
Xavier Becerra, secretary of U.S. Health and Human Services, put a sugar skull next to a photo of the late Ventura County Supervisor Carmen Ramirez at a memorial in November 2022.

Born Maria Carmen Ramirez in 1948 in Oklahoma, she grew up in Pico Rivera in Los Angeles County. She was admitted to the California Bar Association in December 1974 and started working in Oxnard.

She worked as a legal aid attorney before moving to a position in the local court system. Before she left legal aid, she sent an email to a colleague, which is included in the collection. She would try to remain close to "the justice goals" that over the years had become part of what defined her, she wrote.

"I find that I have more compassion for others now that I have had this experience," she said. "But it does seem to turn the world a little grayer."

Throughout her career, Ramirez fiercely advocated for social justice issues, including the rights and welfare of farmworkers and immigrants. She also served as president of the Ventura County Bar Association in 1998.

Hannah-Beth Jackson, former state senator from Santa Barbara, hugs Roy Prince, husband of the late Ventura County Supervisor Carmen Ramirez, at a public memorial observance in October 2022.
Hannah-Beth Jackson, former state senator from Santa Barbara, hugs Roy Prince, husband of the late Ventura County Supervisor Carmen Ramirez, at a public memorial observance in October 2022.

Building a collection

Over the years, she worked on others' political campaigns but a successful legal effort in 2007 to oppose a liquified natural gas terminal on the coast spurred her own involvement in local politics. She was first elected to the Oxnard City Council in 2010.

“She had such a wide variety of supporters but also people who she supported,” said Evelyn Taylor, the university archivist. “She left her mark.”

While Ramirez didn't seek the limelight, Prince said he thought she would be pleased about an archive at CSU Channel Islands. She had been a longtime supporter of the university, he said.

Library officials said it would take around a year to complete an online database. Documents also will be scanned and available electronically in the future. But first, Taylor plans to dig into the papers and get to know Ramirez, her life, her work and even her sense of humor.

"When I first get a collection, I try to do a rough sketch of their life," Taylor said. "That helps me put into perspective how all of this fits in a timeline."

Macri-Ortiz said Ramirez would have been uncomfortable with the attention while she was alive because she was a private person, but that it's important to show her legacy.

"People can definitely learn from her experience and from her philosophy," she said. "I think that's what's important because we need to fortify our world with good people. If you've got a researcher or student who wants to do good, they can find a road map in there. They can say, 'This is my star. I'm going to go toward that.'"

Cheri Carlson covers the environment and county government for the Ventura County Star. Reach her at cheri.carlson@vcstar.com or 805-437-0260. Kathleen Wilson covers crime, courts and local government issues. Reach her at kathleen.wilson@vcstar.com or 805-437-0271.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Carmen Ramirez's archives donated to CSU Channel Islands