Ventura County Grand Jury
2023-2024
From the annual report
The consolidated year-end volume. The individual investigations it contains are listed separately below.
📑 Year-End Report
The full consolidated volume; individual reports are listed below.
Individual reports (2)
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Findings & Recommendations
17 findings
F01:
The City of Oxnard is not in compliance with California’s Permit Streamlining Act with regard to mandated timelines for development projects, taking 171 days, on average, between application and entitlement for housing with more than five units.
F02:
The City of Oxnard is not in compliance with the California State ADU Act with regard to the mandated 60 days from application (entitlement) to permitting, taking 406 days, on average.
F03:
Since 2020, assessed property values adjusted for inflation in the City of Oxnard have not increased. This indicates that city services may be maintained but could be expanded by streamlining the approval process.
F04:
Inadequate staffing, leadership turnover and increased workloads have led to lengthy delays in project approvals for the City of Oxnard.
F05:
Out-dated computer systems have led to lengthy delays in project approvals for the City of Oxnard. Ventura
F06:
The City of Ventura is in compliance with California’s Permit Streamlining Act for the 30-day requirement to deem Complete or issue an Incomplete Letter, but not for the lead agency approving or disapproving a project with an exempt CEQA status within 60 days.
F07:
The City of Ventura did not meet the regional housing-needs requirements from its 2014-2021 Housing Element, and little data was available from the annual progress report dashboard.
F08:
There has been inadequate training for the EnerGov system from deployment to present.
F09:
Inadequate staffing and leadership turnover have led to lengthy delays in project approvals.
F10:
Departures of experienced individuals have caused a lack of continuity and institutional memory in several Community Development Divisions.
Related Recommendations (1)
R06:
The Grand Jury recommends that the City of Ventura identify and recruit potential hires having EnerGov experience in the Planning and Building Divisions of the Community Development Department by January 1, 2025. (F-09, F-10)
F11:
The City of Ventura’s Community Development Department is unable to generate meaningful reports using EnerGov software. Building Better Together: Suggestions for Smoother Permitting Processes 11
Related Recommendations (1)
R09:
The Grand Jury recommends that the City of Ventura, in conjunction with the IT department and expert consultants, implement and properly configure meaningful reports regarding compliance, workload and timeliness within the EnerGov software system by January 1, 2025. (F-11, F-12, F-16)
F12:
The City of Ventura has not implemented several of the 2019 Matrix Consulting Group Report recommendations as highlighted in the Discussion Section of this report.
Related Recommendations (2)
R09:
The Grand Jury recommends that the City of Ventura, in conjunction with the IT department and expert consultants, implement and properly configure meaningful reports regarding compliance, workload and timeliness within the EnerGov software system by January 1, 2025. (F-11, F-12, F-16)
R10:
The Grand Jury recommends that the City of Ventura implement recommendations #1, 13, 17, 20, 31, 32, 33, 34, 41 and 42, from the Matrix Consulting Group Report by January 1, 2025. (F-12)
F13:
Lengthy delays in project approvals and increased costs are causing dissatisfaction among the development community and discouraging development activities.
Related Recommendations (1)
R11:
The Grand Jury recommends that the City Council re-examine the roles of the HPC and DRC, taking into consideration the goals outlined in the Matrix Consulting Group Report to streamline the entitlement approval process by January 1, 2025. (F-13, F-17) Building Better Together: Suggestions for Smoother Permitting Processes 13 RESPONSES REQUIRED FROM: Responses required from: Oxnard City Council within 60 Days: for the findings listed: [F-01, F-02, F-03, F-04, F-05, R-01, R-02, R-03] Responses required from: City of Oxnard Community Development Director within 90 Days: for the findings listed: [F-01, F-02, F-03, F-04, F-05, R-01, R-02, R-03] Responses required from: Ventura City Council within 60 Days: for the findings listed: [F-06, F-07, F-08, F-09, F-10, F-11, F-12, F-13, F-14, F-15, F-16, F-17,
F14:
Since 2020, assessed property values adjusted for inflation have not increased. This indicates that city services may be maintained but could be expanded by streamlining the approval process.
Related Recommendations (1)
R04:
The Grand Jury recommends that the City of Ventura identify specific steps that will be taken to reduce turnaround times to comply with 12 Building Better Together: Suggestions for Smoother Permitting Processes California’s Permit Streamlining Act and include expected completion dates for those steps by January 1, 2025. (F-06, F-14)
F15:
The lack of training on the EnerGov software system is causing inefficiency and workplace stress for entire divisions of the Community Development Department.
Related Recommendations (2)
R07:
The Grand Jury recommends that the City of Ventura create a standardized training protocol for new hires and existing employees for the EnerGov software system, including ongoing periodic training, by January 1, 2025. (F-08, F-15)
R08:
The Grand Jury recommends that the City of Ventura properly configure and put into practice all originally purchased EnerGov modules by January 1, 2025. (F-15, F-16)
F16:
The staffs of the Community Development Department and the Information Technology Department are attempting to fix implementation and configuration deficiencies in using EnerGov software, causing increased workloads.
Related Recommendations (2)
R08:
The Grand Jury recommends that the City of Ventura properly configure and put into practice all originally purchased EnerGov modules by January 1, 2025. (F-15, F-16)
R09:
The Grand Jury recommends that the City of Ventura, in conjunction with the IT department and expert consultants, implement and properly configure meaningful reports regarding compliance, workload and timeliness within the EnerGov software system by January 1, 2025. (F-11, F-12, F-16)
F17:
Utilizing the Historic Preservation Committee and the Design Review Committee in non-decision-making roles has delayed project approvals. RECOMMENDATIONS Oxnard
Related Recommendations (1)
R11:
The Grand Jury recommends that the City Council re-examine the roles of the HPC and DRC, taking into consideration the goals outlined in the Matrix Consulting Group Report to streamline the entitlement approval process by January 1, 2025. (F-13, F-17) Building Better Together: Suggestions for Smoother Permitting Processes 13 RESPONSES REQUIRED FROM: Responses required from: Oxnard City Council within 60 Days: for the findings listed: [F-01, F-02, F-03, F-04, F-05, R-01, R-02, R-03] Responses required from: City of Oxnard Community Development Director within 90 Days: for the findings listed: [F-01, F-02, F-03, F-04, F-05, R-01, R-02, R-03] Responses required from: Ventura City Council within 60 Days: for the findings listed: [F-06, F-07, F-08, F-09, F-10, F-11, F-12, F-13, F-14, F-15, F-16, F-17,
Additional Recommendations
1
Not linked to specific findings.
R52:
• Proper configuration to allow for tracking time spent on all stages of the development review process (e.g., inspections, plan check, etc.) (Ref-39, Matrix recommendation #41, Status report (October 17, 2022) indicates “In Progress,” Ref-40, Ref-52) • Proper configuration to allow utilization of features to generate comprehensive reports on time spent on development review activity (Ref- 39, Matrix recommendation #42, Status report (October 17, 2022) indicates “Completed,” Ref-40, Ref-52) Hearings The City of Ventura utilizes the combination of Design Review and Historic Preservation committees in addition to a Planning Commission for discretionary hearings of development projects. (Ref-57, Ref-58) One of the three main recommendations made by the Matrix Consulting Group Report is to reduce reliance on the Design Review Committee and Historic Building Better Together: Suggestions for Smoother Permitting Processes 9 Preservation Committee, stating these committees should be eliminated or reduced in scope. (Ref-39, Ref-40, Ref-57, Ref-58) The Permanent Streamlining Ordinance deemed these committees advisory only, with no decision-making authority. The Matrix Report observed that no other cities in Ventura County employ a similar tri-committee configuration that could potentially cause three discretionary hearings. Grand Jury analysis of agendas from the past three years reveals minimal activity within both the Design Review and Historic Preservation committees. Notably, in all cases considered by the Design Review Committee, the final decision was ultimately referred to either a Director's Hearing or the Planning Commission, raising the question of the true necessity for these committees. Assessed Property Value As the staff report states, “Streamlining the development review process is critical to enable investment and business growth in Ventura.… A process that supports investment into private property translates into economic development and quality city services.” (Ref-42) Assessed property values in the City of Ventura, adjusted for inflation, have increased about 10% since 2018, and were flat between 2020 and 2023, having recovered to pre-pandemic levels. (Ref-24, Ref-38, App-02) Compliance The City of Ventura is in compliance with the state ADU Act. (Ref-15, Ref-16, Ref- 17, Ref-18) The City of Ventura is in compliance with California’s Permit Streamlining Act to respond to applications in 30 days. It is not in compliance, as the lead agency, to schedule a public hearing to approve or deny a project within 60 days if there is a negative declaration or exempt from CEQA. (Ref-01, Ref-07, Ref-08, Ref-09, Ref- 10, Ref-11, Ref-13, Ref-14, Ref-20, Ref-58) The City of Ventura’s 2021-2029 Housing Element has been certified by the California Department of Housing and Community Development with a requirement for 5,312 housing units. Annual Progress Reports are submitted but appear to have misclassifications and missing data. The city did not meet its 2014-2021 Housing Element requirement of 3,654 housing units, falling 1,658 units short. (Ref-34, Ref- 59, Att-08) 10 Building Better Together: Suggestions for Smoother Permitting Processes
Findings & Recommendations
12 findings
F01:
Portions of the current systems in use lack upgraded features, cannot penetrate some buildings and are not able to provide encryption as needed.
F02:
A lack of integrated training could cause inaccurate or incomplete information to be transmitted. City of Oxnard
F03:
Portions of the current system in the City of Oxnard have both building penetration problems and reception issues in certain areas.
F04:
A lack of integrated training could cause inaccurate or incomplete information to be transmitted. City of Port Hueneme
F05:
Using the current system, first responders in multiple locations may lose communication.
F06:
An MOU for adoption of the VCRRS has not been completed for presentation to the city council. City of Santa Paula
F07:
Using the current system, first responders may lose communication outside of city limits and in certain geographical locations.
F08:
An MOU for adoption of the VCRRS has not been completed for presentation to the city council. City of Ventura
F09:
Portions of the current system in the City of Ventura have both building penetration problems and reception issues in certain areas.
F10:
A lack of integrated training could cause inaccurate or incomplete information to be transmitted. Linking First Responders: Ventura County Regional Radio System 2023-2024 Ventura County Grand Jury Final Report City of Simi Valley
F11:
The system in use by the City of Simi Valley can only communicate with other Ventura County agencies' dispatch using a "patching" system, which is not as efficient as direct communication. Ventura County Fire Department
F12:
All county and city fire departments, which dispatch emergency medical services, have adopted common technology, providing interoperability without regard to city boundaries. The VCRRS can communicate with all fire departments with no changes. RECOMMENDATIONS Ventura County Regional Radio System
* This report's PDF did not contain easily extractable text and required Optical Character Recognition (OCR) for analysis. There may be minor errors in the extracted findings and recommendations due to OCR limitations with scanned documents.
Additional documents
Documents found alongside this year's reports — not grand jury reports or responses.