Ventura County Grand Jury
2024-2025
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 (4)
Findings & Recommendations
12 findings
F01:
The Ventura County Civil Grand Jury finds that the Ventura County Animal Services Commission's core mission to advise, guide, support, and collaborate with Ventura County Animal Services has been undermined due to issues such as non-adherence to its bylaws, inconsistent meeting schedules, and ineffective communication.
F02:
The Ventura County Civil Grand Jury finds that between 2015 and 2024, the Ventura County Animal Services Commission's advisory role, communication purpose, and collaboration process diminished replaced by a narrow focus on limiting or reducing contract costs.
F03:
The Ventura County Civil Grand Jury finds that the transition to an Open Admission shelter in 2014 increased financial pressure on both the county and Contract Cities, forcing Ventura County Animal Services to place budget considerations ahead of Best Practices for animal control, shelter care and field services. 5
F04:
The Ventura County Civil Grand Jury finds that the cooperative partnership between the eight Contract Cities and Ventura County Animal Services evolved from a collaborative partnership into a client-vendor relationship, leading to splintered purposes, conflicting priorities, and a decline in unified commitment.
F05:
The Ventura County Civil Grand Jury finds that the current Animal Services Agreements do not adequately address rising costs of shelter and field services, requiring Ventura County Animal Services to use funding, staffing, supply, and facility workarounds to compensate for budget shortfalls.
F06:
The Ventura County Civil Grand Jury finds that the Ventura County Animal Services Camarillo shelter, which opened in 1985, is aging, outdated, and consistently over-crowded with animals, as Ventura County Animal Services maintains its mission to be an Open Admission, 90% live-release model.
F07:
The Ventura County Civil Grand Jury finds that there has been a significant decrease in the number of animals being taken out of the shelter by local rescue groups and foster options, adding another stress factor to the consistent over-capacity of the Camarillo shelter population.
F08:
The Ventura County Civil Grand Jury finds that academic research deems spay/neuter ordinances insufficient without effective enforcement. In contrast, no-cost or low-cost spay/neuter programs have proven far more effective and successful as a long-term solution.
F09:
The Ventura County Civil Grand Jury finds that compassion fatigue negatively impacts human animal welfare workers, and the consequences of compassion fatigue on the mental health and wellness of Ventura County Animal Services staff and volunteers are not being adequately identified nor sufficiently addressed.
F10:
The Ventura County Civil Grand Jury finds that Thousand Oaks and Santa Paula are the only incorporated cities in Ventura County that do not contract with Ventura County Animal Services, leading to confusion and frustration for the public trying to determine which agency is responsible for their animal services.
Related Recommendations (1)
R07:
The Ventura County Civil Grand Jury recommends that the Ventura County Board of Supervisors and Ventura County Animal Services open a dialogue with the cities of Santa Paula and Thousand Oaks regarding contracting with Ventura County Animal Services for potential cost saving and uniformity of service for residents of Ventura County. This needs to be completed by December 31, 2025. (F-10)
F11:
The Ventura County Civil Grand Jury finds that the English-only Ventura County Animal Services website, written materials, and other communication with the public do not foster, and can be a deterrent to, engagement with the non-English-speaking population of Ventura County.
F12:
The Ventura County Civil Grand Jury finds that an antiquated sanitation system, lack of necessary air-filtration systems, and the inability to quarantine contribute to viral medical issues. These conditions interfere with the safety and welfare of the population at the outdated shelter. RECOMMENDATIONS
Findings & Recommendations
9 findings
F01:
The Civil Grand Jury finds that Oxnard does not maintain its streets in a best practice condition resulting in costlier deferred maintenance on streets and a hidden cost on residents due to extra vehicle wear.
F02:
The Civil Grand Jury finds that Santa Paula does not maintain its streets in a best practice condition resulting in costlier deferred maintenance on streets and a hidden cost on residents due to extra vehicle wear.
F03:
The Civil Grand Jury finds that Simi Valley does not maintain its streets in a best practice condition resulting in costlier deferred maintenance on streets and a hidden cost on residents due to extra vehicle wear.
F04:
The Civil Grand Jury finds that Ventura does not maintain its streets in a best practice condition resulting in costlier deferred maintenance on streets and a hidden cost on residents due to extra vehicle wear.
F05:
The Civil Grand Jury finds that Camarillo, with its dedicated and knowledgeable staff, effectively utilizes the funds spent on street maintenance, however, has not set a goal to maintain its streets in a best practice condition.
F06:
The Civil Grand Jury finds that Oxnard, with its dedicated and knowledgeable staff, would make effective use of the funds allocated for street maintenance.
F07:
The Civil Grand Jury finds that Santa Paula, with its dedicated and knowledgeable staff, would make effective use of the funds allocated for street maintenance.
F08:
The Civil Grand Jury finds that Simi Valley, with its dedicated and knowledgeable staff, would make effective use of the funds allocated for street maintenance.
F09:
The Civil Grand Jury finds that Ventura, with its dedicated and knowledgeable staff, would make effective use of the funds allocated for street maintenance. Prioritizing Best Practice Street Maintenance RECOMMENDATIONS
Quick View
Full Details →
Findings & Recommendations
5 findings
F01:
The Civil Grand Jury finds that the complexity of fully integrating the Ventura County Property Tax Assessment and Collection System was more than most property tax software vendors were prepared to accommodate.
F02:
The Civil Grand Jury finds that the decision to take the Ventura County Property Tax Assessment and Collection System project in-house to build a custom program was a bold and forward-thinking solution that could accommodate Ventura County’s current and growing needs into the foreseeable future. However, the challenge of completely automating the tax supplementals still remains.
F03:
The Civil Grand Jury finds that the current programming is not successfully automating negative supplemental property tax refunds in a timely fashion.
F04:
The Civil Grand Jury finds that taxpayer dissatisfaction is rooted in delays and lack of clarity regarding the supplemental process.
F05:
The Civil Grand Jury finds that current oversight mechanisms are not effective in facilitating interdepartmental communications, and this can impair fluid implementation of policies and procedures. RECOMMENDATIONS
Quick View
Full Details →
Findings & Recommendations
3 findings
F01:
The Civil Grand Jury finds that the incomplete underground dam in Foster Park has resulted in a 300-foot gap at the east end, allowing a significant amount of groundwater to flow through.
F02:
The Civil Grand Jury finds that the amount of water produced from the Ventura River for use in Ventura has decreased from one-third of the total demand before 2004 to only 10% in 2021, due to drought, flood damage to wells and water intake facilities, and litigation aimed at protecting fish habitat.
F03:
The Civil Grand Jury finds that the consultant for the 2021 Water Rate Study assigned all available water from the Ventura River to the rate calculation, resulting in the lowest possible water rate. Since dam construction will not be completed for some time and the rate study is currently underway, the improved river water production expected from the completion of the dam, which could benefit the water rate, will not be reflected in the ongoing rate study process. RECOMMENDATIONS
Additional documents
Documents found alongside this year's reports — not grand jury reports or responses.