City Council — June 10, 2026

Welcome. As a city dedicated to inclusivity and a safe environment for all, we recognize the importance of equality and respect for every resident And that's what makes me really proud to be in Camarillo. We respect everybody's rights to live their lives as they choose to live them, whether we agree or disagree, that is our society, that is our city and that's what makes Camarillo a great place and it takes all of us every single one of us.

Tonight we're joined by representatives of LAWIC And the foundation in the Camarillo Pride which hosted the annual Camarillo Pride Festival last Saturday. I believe here in Constitution Park, we welcome you as we present your proclamation declaring June is pride month in the city and Now I'm going to present you the proclamation and ask you to introduce yourself and make a few comments. Absolutely,

thank you Mayor Tennyson. You're

welcome.

I appreciate you. My name is Michelle Burns. I'm the director of the LAWIC Foundation. LAWIC stands for Love Always Wins in Camarillo. We were founded Just over a year ago in February of 2025, as a non-profit organization solely focused on ensuring that all members of the LGBTQ plus community within Camarillo understood that they are included, that they are welcomed, that they are seen and that they are safe.

Currently in our world, we can't say that everywhere but we can say it here in Camarillo. And we are very fortunate to have leadership over and over Mayor Tennyson, Vice-Mayor Martinez Bravo, Council Member Santangelo, Council Member Kildee and Council Member Tremblay who have all worked towards ensuring that people know they have a safe space here in Camarillo If you're not familiar with the gay community, one way that you used to be able to ask if you were a member of the community without being obvious was to ask somebody if they were family.

That word means a great deal to me as the director of the organization and one of the co-founders of Camarillo Pride. This is our fifth year, and each year our family grows. Each year people feel safer to celebrate their families within Camarillo. And each year we gather with an understanding that community and family which are touchstones, keystones of Camarillo belong to everyone.

I started this as a mom wanting to protect my children and this family which accepted me long before I had those children now embraces my family and we come together to support one another, to keep one another safe Pride is not about changing people who wish to live one way into people who want to live another way. Pride is simply about the opportunity to not hide, to not live in shame But to be accepted and welcomed and loved for exactly what Mayor Tennyson said, people have their own ideas and their own definitions of family. And all should be honored as long as no one is hurting anybody else.

If you came to our event on Saturday I'm gonna say it out loud. I think we cracked between 1500 and maybe 1700 people. So in our fifth year We have said to this city, we welcome you and members of the city have responded in kind. We've created community that is lasting. We've raised funds and in the next year, we will be putting together a PFLAG organization, Parents of Lesbian and Gay Children through the sponsorship of The New Beginning Center We will be extending our event to an event in October, and we will be doing the very best that we can not only to have Camarillo Pride 2027 but to also make more safe spaces in Camarillo throughout the year because pride is all year long.

So thank you, thank you, thank you again I'm so happy to be able to say again, to all of you. And for those of you who have the count, the only Camarillo Council member that we need to see at our event next year is you sir. Everyone else has made an appearance. Thank you so much to Mr. Tremblay and to Dr. Martinez Bravo for coming again. And thank you very much for giving us the time.

Next year, make sure it's on my calendar before I have something else on the calendar. Welcome to our family and to our community and thank you for your words. And now I'm going to turn it over to fellow council members to make any comments.

First, Michelle, thank you so much for being here and thank you for all that you have done. I've watched you over the years. I've seen you take an idea and turn it into action and you should be really proud of all your efforts. Thank you for what you brought to Camarillo.

There's some more that I have in my council communications, but for now I will just say I'm just so so proud of you, of Lindero, of every single person who put their time and efforts into making this happen and in truly creating a safe community for the LGBTQ plus community in Camarillo. Thank you for that.

Mr. Kildee.

That's what's really important. And our council, the current council and the past previous councils have worked very hard to make sure that everybody is welcome in our city and everybody has a place. So the event's growing and that's a really good thing. I can remember, I think you had it... The first one I think was at the Bob Kildee Park. I think it was like that was the first one that I attended.

Yeah, and then it's moved over to here but the events growing in. And I congratulate you and all your helpers, I know it takes a lot of effort to put it on.

Mr Tremblay. The council members will normally see me saying ditto but I actually have 3 things I want to say first of all Michelle thank you for your leadership. Number 2, I want to say wingman support person up on stage. But I enjoyed the festival very much and thirdly, and most importantly Michelle it relates to what you made it what you said in your remarks and that is that some of the keystones of this city are community and family and those terms should resonate with all they do and they should resonate with all of us so again thank

Thank you very much, Michelle. Congratulations. Madam Clerk are there any speakers on items not on the agenda?

Yes ma'am, we received three requests to speak. Each speaker will have three minutes once your time has expired the microphone will be muted and

Welcome Mr. Boyce

Hello again First I want to preference my comments with all due respect to the gay and lesbian people we have in our audience here tonight And I say this with all Love and respect, I have a brother who's gay? And I love him might like my other two brothers, and I would defend him I did defend him when I was in seventh grade and he was in I love and respect all people here in this city.

But I just got to wonder, this is the 250th year of our country. We have survived as a constitutional republic much longer than anybody else in the world We are beacon of light for the world. I don't think that the city, to my knowledge has even mentioned anything about this celebration of our 250 year anniversary. So I'm wondering why are we giving all this publicity to one small percent of our community when we should be celebrating for the whole year as proud Americans? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Boyce next

Jacob Anglin followed by Spencer Ritchie

welcome Jacob

Mayor City Council city again in tenderness I share this pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall everyone who is arrogant in heart is detestable to the Lord Be assured they'll not go unpunished by God, but by the mercy, loving kindness and truth of Jesus. Sin in its wickedness is cleansed and atoned for, and by the fear of the Lord one turns away from evil.

There's a way that seems right to a man and appears straight before him, but in its end is the way of death. The highway of the upright turns away and departs from evil, and whoever guards their life and way preserves their life. Whoever gives thought to this word of truth will discover good, and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord our God. So why are we celebrating any form of pride?

Again I share these truths in love today and I bless this city its leaders and its people to turn from any level of pride to seek humility in what is right and just that we would walk in the ways that are upright as we welcome the fear of the Lord which is the beginning of wisdom I plead for the mercy and loving kindness and truth of Jesus to shield this people in this city from destruction. I bless this city and its people to know the cleansing and healing power of Jesus, and the love of Jesus, to not only be forgiven but to discover what is good and walk in God's truth in all of our decisions as a city and as a people so we would truly experience the fullness of life in Jesus' name.

This would be good for all people when we learn to trust in God as our Lord and refuge, not just individually but a refuge for this city. So may Camarillo truly become this type of refuge and dwelling place. Thank you.

Spencer Ritchie.

Welcome Spencer.

Hi. Hi, I'm Spencer. Hi, good evening.

Take your time Spencer. You're fine

Okay, so So as of this week so far Isis kidnapped 491 people from Camarillo a thousand and nine people from Ventura County and two 2116 people from From. The whole 8, 0, 5, area code which is in her County Santa Barbara County and San Luis Obispo Like, so those are the updated figures according to 805 and DocuFund who I volunteer with. And then on to the pride thing.

First off, well first off to the first speaker, the 250th anniversary isn't until next month Yeah, and then second of all thank you so incredibly much for still declaring June to be Pride Month here in Camarillo. Like as an LGBTQIA Camarillan, all my identities right here I cannot appreciate it enough, especially in the face of it no longer being the end thing to stand with LGBTQIA people either on the federal level or in more conservative circles of which I know at least three of you are in going off of what you said and city council meetings.

But so thank you And also it's huge because even five short years ago, this was beyond my wildest dreams living in a city like this, like Camarillo. But again, it's not... Long story short, ICE has said that it could go after trans people for quote unquote misrepresenting their identity. So that definitely puts all your lack of action against ICE in a worse light. Thank

you, happy pride.

Thank you. Madam Clerk?

There are no more speakers.

We will move on in the agenda then. We'll move on to council staff and intergovernmental reports. We have no intergovernmental reports, any reports from staff Mr. City Manager? He's going to shake his head no. And we will go to Council Member... No I'm gonna go to Vice Mayor Martinez Bravo first

Thank you, Mayor. June 2nd I attended the Camarillo High School graduation. I was able to serve as one of the individuals who was helping to pass out the diploma so it's very very rewarding and I was able to do that again on June 3rd at the Rio Mesa high school graduation. So congratulations to all grads! Very very proud of every single one of them. June 4th I attended the Meadowlark Service League annual grant distribution breakfast And then June 6, I also attended the Camarillo Pride event along with Councilmember Kildee and with Councilmember Tremblay.

And I do have something to say about Pride Month. So about two weeks ago I went out in a partnership event with the City of Oxnard Fire Department, with Ventura County Fire Department, United Farm Workers, Friends of Fieldworkers and also with the American Red Cross. And what we did is we got together through a grant, we were able to install smoke alarms at different homes in the unincorporated part of Ventura County.

And so as we gathered our teams and we went out to different homes, and just so you know the rates of home fires in the city of Oxnard are five times greater than that of the state of California. So this was our initiative to attend to that. My daughter who is 16 years old She joined me as a volunteer on those efforts. And at the end of the event, she said, Oh my gosh mom you know what?

It was such a simple thing and it made such a big impact. And I was so proud because I'm like, oh my gosh she totally got it. She totally got that moment and she talked about how she wanted for the next time to bring in her friends from Camarillo High School and participate in that. And in the same way what we're doing here today, it's a small act but it has such a big impact.

And so I do want to talk a little bit about that impact The LGBTQ plus community individuals continue to experience disproportionate rates of mental health challenges, discrimination, bullying and housing instability. National surveys show that nearly 40% of the LGBTQ plus youth seriously considered suicide in the past year. LGBTQ plus youth who reported high levels of community acceptance have significantly lower rates of suicide attempts.

Many LGBTQ plus students report experiencing bullying or harassment at schools because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, and many LGBTQ plus young people also report difficulties accessing affirming mental health services and supportive environments. And so what we do know from research is that it consistently demonstrates that acceptance and inclusion are protective factors for LGBTQ plus youth, and LGBTQ plus young people who feel supported by their communities report lower rates of depression, anxiety and suicide attempts.

Conversely, experiences of rejection, bullying and invisibility contribute to poor mental health outcomes and increased risk of self-harm. So given the documented benefits of community acceptance on the LGBTQ plus youth and their well-being and mental health, a Pride Month proclamation is a meaningful way for the city of Camarillo to affirm that all residents are welcome, valued and deserving of dignity and respect.

Through our recognition, we play an important role in fostering a culture of belonging for our Camarillo residents. And more symbolic than a gesture, it communicates that LGBTQ plus residents are valued members of the community and that diversity is welcomed and respected. For our LGBTQ plus youth, especially seeing elected officials such as all of us here today publicly affirm that their identities can send a powerful message of safety acceptance and hope.

So we hope that this small act on behalf of the City of Camarillo continues to provide a tremendous impact in the well-being of every single person here in Camarillo. Thank you.

Thank You Mr. Tremblay Thanks, Mr. Mayor in terms of meetings attended June 3 the policy committee on June 5 of Ventura County Transportation Commission and then a visit to the Museum of Ventura County reception later that evening. On June 6th, the Pride Festival on June 7 had the chance for the first time to volunteer at Casa Pacifica's Angels Wine Food and Brew Festival and that was a lot of fun.

It was very well attended. June 8th, a call with the auditors for Metrolink and on June 9th yesterday, a meeting involving Healthy Camarillo which is the community health initiative that the city is putting together and getting off the ground with Pleasant Valley Recreation Park District and Camarillo Health Care District and more to come on that. And that's it!

Thank you, sir. Mr.

Kildee? Thank you. Meetings attended June 2nd, the VRSD Personal and Finance Committee. June 4th, the VRSD regular board meeting I attended that. June 6 last Saturday, I attended the Pride Festival event. It was a little late but it had to work but I was able to make it and ditto to what our vice mayor said about that as well and that's all I have.

Thank you, Mr. Kildee. I'm just going to point out that I believe that my advice... Oh, I'm sorry, Council Member Sant... I thought I started with you. Hi! Go ahead, Council Member Santangelo.

That's all right. Okay, on June 3rd, I attended the Policy Committee with Council Member Tremblay and June 4th, the CPA Board of Directors. I missed Pride this year due to my day job and I'm sorry I missed it Thank you. But I just wanted to, hearing what Dr. Martínez-Bravo just spoke about... You know, I have a master's in nursing and I did my capstone project on the health disparities of LGBTQ population So those things that she was speaking about are very real and I know them from the research that I did.

Also in my work, I think I've mentioned this before, I am a psychiatric nurse and so I take care of people that are suffering every day from bullying, from lack of inclusion, suicidality, depression and anxiety. So it is very real. I take my work very seriously, so thank you for what you're doing and for creating that safe spaces and the spaces of inclusion. Pride is more than just celebration. It's connection, it's inclusivity, and it's resources. So thank you.

Councilmember Santangelo, I am so sorry for almost passing by. All right thank you what Vice Mayor Martinez Bravo didn't point out and if I'm inaccurate I'm sure she'll correct me one of the graduates of Cam High was related to her who was it?

Yes my son graduated actually

oh he did

yes could

that be why you were there

That was a reason. Yeah,

okay well congratulations on getting your firstborn out of high school.

Thank you very much and he's off to UCR by

my alma

mater.

I want to point out on May 28th and I'm sad that she's so shy and didn't want public attention but The end of May, Carrie Wheel, a 25-year employee of the City of Camarillo in the city clerk's office retired quietly and she didn't want attention. It probably backfired on her because on the 28th of May I showed up at City Hall and Mr. Kildee was with me And I was able to present her with a very special gift, one that very few people get and that's the city of Camarillo tile in a plaque.

And when I walked into the City Manager's office knowing Carrie, I was shocked she didn't run out because it was packed She was such a hard worker so quiet so on assuming so thorough in her job and I'm sure that along with my fellow council members and city staff. A mainstay at the City of Camarillo. I first worked with her 25 years ago when I was the commander at the Camarillo Police Department, just a wonderful person and I want to wish her tremendous luck and happiness and nothing but good fortune going forward so I wanted to point that out. Carrie isn't here but I'm sure Sylvia will share these comments with her.

On June 4th, I attended the Regional Defense Partnership General Membership meeting. I also attended the Museum of Ventura County new exhibit last Friday evening was it? Thursday evening, the Museum of Ventura County is a phenomenal place. Please visit it. They now have a footprint in Camarillo. They have office space off of Flynn Road that's going to be their research and archive center.

Phenomenal, phenomenal museum. depicting the history of Ventura County, the indigenous Chumash people that first settled this area and it's well worth your time to go down to Ventura and visit it. And with that I think I will end my comments. And congratulations Vice Mayor on your son's graduation.

Thank you.

And selection to UCI.

Thank you

All right, consent calendar. Madam Clerk are there any public comments on consent?

There are no public comments.

Hearing that, any questions from Council? We have a motion and we have a second. Call the roll Madam Clerk.

That passes unanimously

Thank you. Now

Good evening, thank you for the introduction. Tonight as you said I'll be discussing the Arneill Road housing project and specifically the award of the construction contract to a general contractor. So getting a little background so after a competitive bidding process initiated in April, the city received five bids for construction. The lowest bidder SBS Corporation submitted a bid totaling approximately 5.94 million dollars Subsequently, staff received a bid protest from Riviera Construction Group protesting SBS Corporation's bid. Thereafter, SBS Corporation provided a rebuttal to Riviera's protest and then on May 27th staff responded with a letter responding to Riviera's protest.

For the reasons articulated in the response to Riviera and attached to the agenda report, staff recommend the rejection of Riviera's bid protest. Now moving directly to the budget, so approximately $5.69 million in ERF grant funding are available to fund the construction contract. An additional approximately $248,000 in continuum of care reserve funds is requested to cover the remaining portion of the base construction contract And then with another approximately 891,000 is requested to cover a 15% construction contingency.

This totals to approximately 1.14 million requested from the continuum of care reserve fund of which there is currently $3.8 million available. The total for the construction contract award inclusive of the 15% contingency The total amount of funding allocated to this project is 6.8 3 million an additional 1.0 9 million of your F grant have already been So very short presentation, but the recommended actions are articulated on the slide and there's six recommended actions in total. Too much for the slide, but the remaining three actions relate to the execution of the construction contract authorization of the 15% contingency and appropriation of 1.14 million from the continuum of care general fund reserve commitment.

And they're laid out in the agenda report. That concludes my presentation.

Thank you. This is a time if Council has questions, any questions? Mr. Tremblay

had his finger up first, Mr. Kildee. Thanks Mr. Mayor, James thanks for the presentation can you go back one slide? So we're going to commit out of the existing 3.8 million in continuum of care funds about 1.14 million of those so question is though from an ongoing O&M standpoint because we will have expenses associated I'm going to ask you a question on a go forward basis with these units are we talking about taking additional funds from the. From the continuum of care reserve looking forward or is it We're going to be handling that from a fiscal standpoint.

Sure so for the kind of start of operations we do have your F grant funds available to fund operations for the first 3 or 4 months. There in this interim given that If grant funding couldn't be identified, then potentially the continuum of care reserve could be looked

at. I know there was a prior staff report on this that detailed all those potential or future costs going forward but I'm thinking then we would continue to draw down from the continuum of care reserve. Yes. That's what I wanted to know. Thank you. Thanks Mr. Mayor.

Microphone. Are there any other funding mechanisms that we expect in the timeline for this or pretty much what's been, you know shown to us today is pretty much where we are as far As

far as concrete funding, this is where we're at. Staff are looking at additional funding at the state level from grants that are coming out to hopefully continue to not require additional general fund expenditure as it relates to operations going into the future but as I said for the first four months or so there's grant funding for operations

and we'll have enough money to We have a motion from vice mayor.

Councilmember Santangelo?

Yes.

That passes unanimously

Thank you, now

you. Thank you Mayor and members of the City Council. This item was continued from the May 13th workshop that afternoon. You received an update on the fiscal year 2025-26 progress through quarter three And we also began to discuss fiscal year 2026-27 strategic goals and objectives. I wanted to just kind of close the loop on a request that was made at the May 13th session. If you recall Barton Stern, Pleasant Valley Historical Society board member presented a request for City Council to consider city funding to narrow the gap for the construction of infrastructure and site improvements at 720 Los Postos Road This is a city property leased by the Historical Society for their operations, which serves as a museum providing Camarillo and regional historical information and exhibits.

It also serves as a place where small community events can be held. The request is consistent with goal number two, community enrichment. Specifically supporting two objectives by promoting arts culture and community identity and strengthening support for nonprofits and community services so the overall The overall project of the Pleasant Valley Historical Society is estimated to cost $2.1 million.

Pleasant Valley Historical Society funds have so far raised $1.4 million with a total 727,000 remaining for costs of construction. You requested Council at the this workshops at the session that city look into an action strategy or The city has identified funds in the current year in the amount of $250,000. And staff and the City Attorney's Office are evaluating the request for consistency with state laws. So we're looking into it again for this current fiscal year and so we'll bring an item to the Council and a future agenda.

Okay so taking off where we last left off, we left off with goal number four. This goal Mayor and City Council is on land use. Land use and community development focuses on thoughtful growth by improving transportation supporting redevelopment in advancing housing The school ensures development aligns with Camarillo's vision while enhancing livability, economic vitality and mobility through the city. Now as part of the packet you received draft changes in red line for your evaluation. So, for this goal number four we replace an existing objective with a more updated modernized version now that the old town strategic plan was adopted and some additional action strategies were updated added or completed. Mayor turn it to you for any questions on goal number four.

Questions from council continue Carmen

Thank you. Goal number five, technology and city facilities. It focuses on modernizing systems and infrastructure to support efficient operations in public access. This includes strengthening cybersecurity, improving digital services, and ensuring city facilities are reliable, sustainable, and ready to support emergency operations. Due to environmental sustainability being a focus, objective 8 was added to reinforce the expectation that environmental sustainability should be considered for every project under this section.

Mayor?

Council continue Carmen

Thank you. Goal number six, Natural Resource Infrastructure Management ensures reliable cost-effective water and wastewater services. The goal emphasizes conservation infrastructure planning and regulatory compliance to protect public health while reducing reliance on imported water. Similarly under this goal, objective five was added to reinforce the expectation that environmental sustainability should be consistent for every project under this section. Mayor?

Questions comments continue Carmen

Thank you. Under goal number seven, sustainability environmental stewardship focuses on reducing environmental impacts while building long-term resilience. This includes clean energy initiatives, water conservation, sustainable infrastructure and community education to support a healthy future. Some objectives were added for duplication since they already exist under a different goal like natural resource infrastructure management and technology in city facilities. Mary turn it over to you.

Questions from Council. Continue, Carmen.

Thank you. Under goal number eight economic development focuses on strengthening Camarillo's economy by supporting existing businesses attracting new industries and promoting tourism these efforts help expand revenue create jobs and support long-term economic vitality A couple of major areas impacting economic development. First, we are currently in recruitment for a principal development concierge.

In a highly collaborative environment this position will provide exceptional customer services to businesses and residents. This will be achieved through assisting applicants and projects through the development process by serving as a liaison and coordinating with internal departments, as well as external stakeholders and review authorities. The added objective sets this expectation. Additionally, with Economic Development Strategic Plan in full implementation it is expected in the next year that the plan will be updated and that process improvements will continue. Mayor?

Questions. One quick, go ahead Mr. Kildee.

Quickly Carmen support and implement a business friendly process improvement customer service enhancements and streamline permitting in business tax administration I'm in the process of redoing mine it is all online now so is that correct? That pretty much the goal is to have that pretty much online

Yes, our application process is done online and for those that may need assistance with that we have city staff that are here to help them. But yes, we're putting everything through online. We build workflows that help make that process more efficient and effective.

Thank you.

Quick question the development concierge I think that's what the title you gave was?

Yes.

Will that work under the director of planning and community development

Yes, under Mr. Bradley Calvert, Community Development Director, yes.

And do we have a timeline on the expectation of onboarding someone?

I'll turn that over to Mr. Calvert.

Good evening Mayor and Councilmembers.

We plan to onboard probably in the second week of July it looks like. We plan on making an offer at the end of this

week. Sounds great thank you continue.

Thank you, under goal number nine community relations it focuses on strengthening engagement through open communication improved outreach and better customer service. A key emphasis is engaging youth and ensuring residents feel informed connected and heard A revision eliminates a redundant objective, otherwise no revisions to the goal or objective is recommended. We will continue to improve our communication and engagement through various means and continue to expand on youth education and participation. Mayor?

Questions? Continue

Thank you. And finally, goal number 10, intergovernmental relations focuses and emphasizes collaboration and advocacy to protect and advocate—I'm sorry, to advance Camarillo's interests. Strong partnerships with regional, state, and federal agencies help deliver services and address shared challenges. At the January 28th meeting, Vice Mayor Martinez-Bravo requested an objective related to an intergovernmental focus and partnership with PVRPD, Oxnard Union High School District, and Pleasant Valley School District to support youth and family well-being. New Objective Number 8 will support staff time exploring the feasibility of that partnership. Mayor?

Questions? Continue

Okay, I apologize. I said the last one was the last goal but Goal 11 is the last goal.

Continue.

Okay so Goal 11 is Employee Relations. It focuses on supporting a skilled engaged and inclusive workforce through professional development wellness initiatives in succession planning the city strengthens organizational capacity and service delivery And there has been a significant amount of work, especially in this area by the Human Resources Department supporting Council's goal to maintain an optimum work environment. And at the May 13th workshop Director Levy discussed the success of various programs with you so she's updated you through quarter three A couple of objectives have been revised and three new action strategies were proposed. Mayor, I turn this one finally over to you.

Questions? Okay now we will go to any questions from Council on any of the things that Mrs. Nichols has provided. Seeing none are there any public comments?

No public comments.

No public comments. Council discussion seeing none There's a call to action.

I'll move the suggested action. I'll

second

it. We have a motion and a second. Madam Clerk?

That passes unanimously

Thank you, are there any public speakers that we didn't hear earlier Madam Clerk

There are none.

There are none, with that we will recess this City Council meeting and return to closed session after a report from our city attorney.

We did go into closed session but we're going to return into closed session on the four items that are listed on the agenda so if there's reportable action from that I will make that report.

Thank you have a good evening