Board of Supervisors Regular Meeting

Well good morning. I will call to order the Ventura County Board of Supervisors meeting for January 13th, 2026 and will the clerk call the roll?

Madam Chair, thank you. I would nominate Supervisor Garrell to serve as our 2026 chair and Supervisor Lopez to serve as our 2026 vice-chair.

I'll second.

It would be my honor.

You sure? Yeah.

Thank you.

I can't vote.

Would you like to vote yes?

I think you have to relog me later after this portion so I vote yes.

I vote yes. That passes unanimously thank you.

Congratulations!

I

think we're swapping. Do

you want to do that? Okay, and then we have to get somebody up here to help us reprogram two computers while we do that I have maybe a few remarks about our outgoing chair One more photograph probably before we move on. We've got a presentation that I'd like to initiate and then maybe some other supervisors want to make some remarks, but first of all thank you it's an honor to serve as chair and on behalf of the residents of the second district.

I'm excited at the opportunity to lead this board and to represent our county Thank you very much for that opportunity. I step into big shoes that were recently held by our supervisor Janice Parvin, you are solid as a rock for us for the last year. There was some easy days with some very challenging days but you're just cool as a cucumber as always and none of us were surprised at that. None of us were surprised because we know that you've served For so many years leading the city of Moorpark as mayor, leading and chairing so many meetings that it's really second nature for you to do this. And so we're grateful for your leadership. We're grateful for your effort and your time and the extra effort that goes into serving as chair I'd also like to show gratitude for your staff.

So much of the responsibility of serving as chair falls upon the staff and we don't have a large staff, but each one of us, but the responsibility of chair falls on the staff particularly or your scheduling assistant, your EA, your chief of staff, your team Choreographing everything from moments of inspiration to some of the presentations, to making special appearances in the community. And really from beginning to end and everything in between you and your team were absolutely superb.

I also want to say thank you to families. Families are impacted with the extra effort that's responsible for That comes along with the responsibility of being chair. So I want to say thank you to Dale Parvin. And, you know, I know he's your rock and this your commitments probably took you away from spending time with him and you can think us for that later.

It's a good

thing he likes

cereal. He can do cereal at home. And we and I joke about that because we all love Dale but But it's, there is impacts to serving and we're grateful for you, for your staff and for Dale and your family. And so thank you for that. And on behalf of the Board of Supervisors and the clerks and the team here on the dais I'd like to make a presentation to you. And I just before doing so want to see if anyone else wanted to make a comment or two and leave that up

Thank you, Chair. And yeah, I think you hit the nail on the head. Obviously, you led last year with a lot of professionalism. But I'll say one thing that I really appreciated is you brought a lot of levity to it. I love that we mix ups in these meetings get really long. But you always brought a little humor and I appreciate that. And like Dale enjoying cereal, that's great, love that.

It's true. No but thank you for your year and like the chair said so much of it falls on staff. So I want to thank the D4 staff for a wonderful job all year and I look forward to the leadership of Supervisor Garreau and Supervisor Lopez in 2026.

Thank you and I completely agree with Supervisor LaVere and Garel. It's interesting, I don't think everyone knows how much being chair what you have to do and you make it easy Supervisor Parvin and so I just really appreciate it there's also a lot of events and so forth that you have to go to as chair. And I just appreciate the time knowing been there before it's like, oh, you don't want to tell anyone. You don't want to tell them what they're getting into. So you're like whoosh! Don't tell them.

But I just you never know what a board meeting is going to be and to have to manage it quite well. I think it went really well for us. So I just want to say thank you and good luck to Supervisor Gruelle and Lopez when it's your time, rally it up but we're here to support and thank you so much.

Thank you Chair Garrell and I want to thank you Supervisor Parvin for your service in that capacity. It's definitely nice to sit back and observe some difficult moments, a difficult year and look forward to continuing to work with all of you this coming year in our respective capacities.

And if I could ask you to join in presentation of this and a photograph to Supervisor Parvin, that'd be fantastic. Thanks. Again thank you for your service. Supervisor Parvin as chair and did a great job, you really did well deserving recognition there. And ironically now I just hand it back to you if you could take over for item number five let's move on to five that's our moment of inspiration.

Well before we do that I would like to say a few words about my ear. Yeah no that's okay But no, I get it. I mean this is exciting and I'm really happy for you that you're going to have the best time. I really enjoyed it. I enjoyed our camaraderie. I enjoyed our collaboration which we got a lot done in our year together Under my chairmanship, I guess is the right word.

But we tackled so many different challenges and we celebrated some significant achievements. One of my favorites is our standard and poor's highest credit rating. Maybe some people think that's not our greatest achievement but I think it's one of the best. But I want to acknowledge the invaluable contributions that each of you have made and our community in leading us to what our priorities were throughout the year. So it's been an incredible honor serving as chair, I look forward to working with you as our new chair and if you need a little pointer here and there just let me know okay but I'm looking forward to a brighter future for our county even though your chair That's a joke. Okay, but I just want to say one more time thank you to all of our staffs because all of our staffs work very hard and they've worked really well together so that helps us work well together as well.

So anyway, I really appreciate the wonderful plaque. I cherish it. So thank you very much and now we're back to the item that you were calling which you'll find right here Item number five, our moment of inspiration for the troops. And I'd like to introduce Rosemary Allison. She is a respected real estate powerhouse in Ventura and Los Angeles counties. She's known for her integrity, leadership and nearly five decades of excellence in the industry. She certainly doesn't look like that.

Licensed in 1975 she is widely recognized for her expertise in luxury estates, ranch and equestrian properties and high profile transactions earning numerous regional and statewide honors for both professional achievement and community impact. Rosemary's civic leadership has earned multiple honors including 2024 Woman of the Year, Volunteer of the Year distinctions and commendations from Ventura County and the City of Thousand Oaks. She currently serves as elected chair of the Santa Rosa Valley MAC advocating for community safety fire preparedness and quality-of-life issues But beyond real estate, Rosemary is deeply committed to public service and philanthropy. She serves as a board member for the troops And the all volunteer nonprofit behind the annual for the Troops Gala, which supports deployed U.S.

service members through its We Care packages. Through this mission more than 300,000 care packages have been sent overseas reminding troops that they are valued remembered and remembered by at home. So with that Rosemary I'm introducing you.

Thank you so much. Well good morning. Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you today. My name is Rosemary Allison and I am proud to be here on behalf of For The Troops, which is an all-volunteer nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting our deployed service members through care compassion and tangible acts of gratitude. For the Troops was founded with a simple but powerful mission, to remind our men and women serving overseas that they are not forgotten.

What began as a grassroots effort has grown into a highly organized volunteer-driven operation that sends thousands of We Care packages each year to service members deployed around the world. These packages are not just boxes. They are morale boosters, reminders of home and expressions of appreciation from the communities these service members protect. What makes For The Troops truly extraordinary is that for more than 20 years the organization has been entirely volunteer run.

No one gets a salary. operating out of a donated storefront in Simi Valley. Every single dollar that we raise goes directly towards packaging, shipping and delivering support to our troops. Volunteers of all ages, families, veterans, students, community leaders and elected leaders have come together to sort supplies, write handwritten notes and pack boxes filled with essentials and comforts that our deployed troops otherwise go without.

Last year alone, because of the community support we shipped more than 16,400 care packages to deployed service members. This year our goal is even more ambitious. We're hoping for over 20,000 packages reflecting the increasing number of service members currently deployed. As Supervisor Parvin mentioned, so far For the Troops has shipped over 323,000 We Care packages worldwide.

One of our most meaningful annual events is the For the Troops Gala which brings together community leaders, veterans, civic leaders and supporters to raise the funds that make this mission possible. I am honored to share that our 13th annual For the Troops Gala will be held on February 28 at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. I'm especially honored to co-chair this year's gala with Supervisor Janice Parvin, whose steadfast support of veterans and community causes has been deeply meaningful to our organization.

We are also grateful that Supervisor Jeff Gorel who has supported for the troops for many years will once again participate and Sheriff Jim Fryhoff will be our Masters of Ceremony this year. This event is not only a fundraiser, it is a tribute. It is a night to honor service sacrifice and the resilience of the men and women who defend our freedoms this year we are particularly proud to place a special emphasis on welcoming home our Vietnam War veterans many of whom who did not receive the recognition or gratitude that they deserved when they returned from service This acknowledgement is long overdue and it carries deep meaning for our volunteers and our community.

Today, I respectfully ask for your assistance in helping to share awareness of this event. Community visibility matters! When local leaders help amplify a cause, it inspires businesses organizations and individuals to step forward as sponsors attendees and supporters. And that support directly translate into care for deployed service members. For those of you hearing this message, please know that your support can take many forms.

Corporate and individual sponsorships, ticket purchases, sponsor a ticket for a Vietnam veteran to attend, donate something for our auction either goods services lunch or dinner with a supervisor trips to vacation home are simply helping spread the word Every contribution, no matter the size helps us fulfill our promise to those serving far from home. I would like to close by saying this the work of for the troops reflects the very best of our community.

Service, gratitude unity and compassion on behalf of our volunteers in the thousands of service members who receive these packages. Thank you for your time for your leadership and your continued support of causes that strengthen both our community at our country. Thank you.

Thank you, Rosemary. It's definitely an inspirational event. I'll just say as somebody who has been the recipient of the We Care packages in a combat zone myself, the best stuff in there are the antibacterial wipes, the beef jerky And the socks. Everything else is icing on the cake, but the most important thing in the package is the symbolic care and that kind of feel you get that folks at home are still paying attention that you can't quantify and you can't pack that in a box it just comes out naturally and means a lot so thank you for what you're doing for the troops I want to see if there any other comments?

Other than thank you for coming out so early in the morning.

Well if anybody wants tickets, sponsorships just give us a call.

Thank you very much that's a great presentation appreciate that. Thank you. Yep thank you moving on to item agenda item number six agenda review before Dr. Johnson begins that I just want to see if any members of the board have any Levine Act disclosures? Okay not hearing any Dr. Johnson

Thank you Mr. Chair, good morning Supervisors, staff and all in attendance today. The agenda review for today January 13th 2026 is as follows item 9 general public comments one public comment letter has been submitted. Item 23 Public Works Agency approval of a consulting services contract with Kimley Horne & Associates for the Wainimi Road widening project corrected exhibits 1 and 2 have been submitted Item 31, Supervisor Parvin. Presentations proclaiming the month of January 2026 as Human Trafficking Awareness Month in Ventura County. Two PowerPoint presentations have been submitted.

Item 32, Public Works Agency. First public hearing regarding adoption of an ordinance and adoption of a resolution of intention to grant a new countywide gas pipeline franchise to Southern California Gas Company A revised Exhibit 2 has been submitted. And lastly, Items 33 through 35 Public Works Agency. Receive and file reports of emergency action taken by the Public Works Agency Director for the Reeves Road-Fraser Street Low Water Crossing and Old Telegraph Road Bridge Emergency Repairs Project.

Additional information and photos have been submitted. Thank you Mr. Chair this concludes agenda review.

Thank You. I guess there's if there's a motion to adopt the are there any public comments for this and gender review?

Chair Garrell, there are no requests to speak for this item.

We

just entertain a vote thank you

Okay, thank you. Then we'll move on to number seven agenda item number seven the consent

agenda. The vote so item six has been moved for approval by Supervisor Veer second by Supervisor Long and has please vote has passed unanimously thank you.

Thank you. Agenda item number seven the consent agenda items those constitute items 10 through 28 Any members of the board have any comments on the consent agenda or would like to pull any items from the consent agenda? Are there any public comments on agenda item number seven, consent agenda.

And Chair Guerrero we do have public comment on item number 27 when speaker signed up Danielle Bloom who's joining us on zoom. Danielle please accept the prompt to be promoted and you'll be able to give your comment Daniel Bloom hi I see that you're on zoom if you accept the prompt to be promoted you'll be able to give your comment. Hi Danielle please unmute your mic and proceed.

Can you hear me?

Yes please proceed thank you

Thank you. My name is Danielle Bloom, my husband an Air Force veteran and I have lived in Thousand Oaks for almost 15 years. We, I am calling to request that the board not approve or authorize the acquisition of two DJI Matris 4E UAS unmanned aircraft system platforms and batteries for the Ventura County Sheriff's Emergency Services. And to request that the board not approve this military equipment including drones for our local law enforcement. We have had lower crime. We do not need the sheriffs to use military grade equipment for our community. We would however like the sheriff To help assist our community in supporting legal activities happening, including protests and to be monitoring the illegal kidnappings and the illegal accosting of our community by federal ICE agents.

Please Board of Supervisors in this election year while we are all watching the choices that you make please make the choices to keep everyone in our community safe. We appreciate the work that you're doing. Special shout out to Supervisor Lopez thank you so much for being the kind of leader that we all need right now.

Thank you for your comment. Chair Geraldo concludes the public comment for this item.

Okay, thank you is there a motion for the consentage item?

for this? Item 8 motion to approve by Supervisor Long second by Supervisor Lopez please vote that passes unanimously thank

you All right, thank you. Moving along item number nine general public comments these are citizen presentations on items not on the agenda I do want to make a note on this particular item and that is that in the consent agenda the board adopted a new posture as it relates to public comments not on the agenda Increasing the time available for the public to speak on items not on the agenda from two minutes to three minutes. So expanding that time available.

Madam Clerk, are there any people signed up to speak for item number nine?

Yes, Chair Gurrell we currently have four speakers. And as a reminder to members of the public who wish to address the board today with public comments on any agenda item, please visit VenturaCounty.gov forward slash BOS comment for participation information and instructions. For in person public comment, please check in with the deputy clerk at the entrance of the boardroom If you wish to make comments, you must be in the boardroom or if you're participating remotely. You must be connected to the meeting via zoom or telephone before the close of the public comment period for the agenda item request to make public comment on an agenda item will be accepted until the public comment period for each agenda item is complete. For our remote participants please accept the prompt to be promoted and unmute your mic when it's your turn to speak and for all public comments the in-person speaker present in the board room will be called upon first followed by remote participants At the discretion of the chair, general public comment regarding county-related matters that are not listed on the agenda but are within subject matter jurisdiction of the board may be moved to the end of the meeting.

Our first speaker is here in person joining us today is Karen Hudgens followed by Blanca and then we'll transition to Zoom and hear from Bruce McVicker and Leslie Brazell. Karen Hudgens please proceed to the podium. Do you have Karen here in the boardroom? Okay, not seeing Karen. Let's move on to Blanca. Do we have Blanca with us today? Hi, Blanca.

Hello. Thank you for increasing from two minutes to three minutes, I appreciate that. I'm here to speak about the Central Coast raids and what they mean for Ventura County. Over a 96 hour period at the end of December, the central coast saw 139 people kidnapped. On December 27th, 39 people were kidnapped. December 28th, 25 people were kidnapped. December 29th, 40 people were kidnapped. December 30th, 40 people were kidnapped.

Those numbers are not isolated across the entire 805 region at least 1,429 people have been kidnapped Within Ventura County alone, that is 751. And where I live in Camarillo, Supervisor now Chair Gorel's district at least 436 people have been kidnapped. These are not statistics on a spreadsheet these are families workers parents and community members what happened along the Central Coast could happen here So my question to this board is simple and direct.

What plans do you have in place if and when Ventura County is hit similarly? Are we prepared with another strongly worded statement or are we prepared to act? Are there protocols, resources and protections ready for our communities or are we waiting until people are taken from their homes jobs and even government buildings before responding? Each of you took an oath to protect and serve this county.

This moment is testing what that oath actually means. Leadership now requires more than concern after the fact it requires preparation Courage and action before it's too late. And I was planning two minutes, so I'm thankful I have another minute. I do want to point out that I have taken personal note to those here on the board who in times previously of acts of political violence have taken a moment and made a statement. And I've also taken note to those who have recently with recent acts of political violence or any violence for that matter have failed to make a public statement I do also want to point out that I've emailed.

All of you with the exception of long had a difficult time emailing you. You have an option on your website where I could like put a I was trying to email you a link to a study. I found done by California Lutheran University, but I emailed all of you girl your staff Ashley responded and said she would provide you the information but I did get a response directly from you. I'm surprised they live here and I appreciated that and you had made comment that you would read it over the holidays and thank you for your comment. You've used your three minutes.

Oh, it's over? Thank you. You're welcome. Okay do we have Karen Hudgins here in the boardroom? Karen? Karen thank you.

Good morning. I'm sorry, I'm not very prepared. I grabbed the wrong briefcase but I'm here regarding an illegal eviction during COVID. I had an office in Newbury Park for seven years never miss rent once It was my family's business. My husband passed away and I took over. And during COVID, I got broken into and all my accounts were frozen. It was during COVID and our business had halved so I had a contract through August 2020.

I was served with unlawful detainer October 2020 and November 2020. There is a moratorium. I've gone to the city attorney's office. I've gone many places that ordinance was broken. The Ventura County ordinances broken, I was illegally evicted. I lost $50,000 worth of my personal property and they came after me with a judgment of $43,000 and I owe them under 10.

I'm trying to find out, they broke a state ordinance. They broke a city ordinance as well as it went through the Ventura County system as in it should not have gone through and I've been fighting this for five years and trying to settle with these people and I'm kind of standing here going who is where do I go for people to, because I've been so wrong. There's so many things like in this situation and I've gone to offices and they say, go here. They handed me the ordinance it was broken. So I'm standing facing a case. I already paid 15,000 to a lawyer to get the judgment overturned which got overturned last year. And I'm still facing trying to settle with these people but It's not justice.

I mean, it ruined my business of 15 years was moved to my home 2000 square feet. I tried to work with the landlord. My lease had ended in August, September, October, November. And I tried to move to a smaller unit and their state landlord mandates that they did not follow. They charged me double fees within three months, they wanted $15,000. My rent was 2670. It made it impossible for me to keep this business going. I've been in Newbury Park 28 years.

I've coached softball, I've been very involved and I'm just disgusted with the county and what's happened, not only in this and some medical things I'm facing. It's been a long road and I'm frustrated with our county because I've gone to the city they go, they hand me a paper, I really don't know where to go. And I just It's like I'm paying $30,000 and I lost 50,000. And I stand here my business I'm trying to get but it's been five years. Thank you Karen for your comment.

Okay we are gonna transition over to Zoom and we are going to hear from Bruce McVickard followed by Leslie Purcell and then Wayne Morgan. Bruce Mcvicker hi I see you've been promoted go ahead and proceed. Good morning can you hear me? Yes yes we can hear you.

Save the Republic, hand count paper ballots at the precinct level in one day. Smartmatic software was designed by the Venezuelan regime to rig elections. Facing fraud accusations, Smartmatic was sold to an American company Sequoia but Smartmatic retained the software intellectual property rights which has enabled the corrupt Smartmatic software to propagate through acquisition onto Dominion and now Liberty Vote election systems.

Federal authorities have also examined the hardware and have found it contains many illegal CCP source components. The tabulator machines that count the vote have a 4G wireless chip embedded in the motherboard. Liberty Vote now owns all this corrupt software and hardware, plus Liberty is owned by No Ink which owns the electronic poll books. The voter rolls across the country are not maintained properly. What could possibly go wrong?

The entire election ecosystem will now be controlled by one company from check-in to tabulation. This is an election integrity disaster. Multiple court testimonies disclosed that there were remote access connections during US elections, linking Dominion voting equipment to the Dominion Huawei office in Serbia. These election systems were designed with multiple remote access features As described by Mark Cook in a video link provided.

The election theft syndicate operating in the US and over 70 other countries overthrew the U.S. government on November 3rd, 2020. In this election votes were deleted switched and added fraudulently wherever Dominion machines ES&S machines and Smartmatic software were used. One of the results was the iconic F curve The secret Dominion Wild Way data center in Belgrade, Serbia that remotely manipulated 2020 votes was disabled by US government employees just prior to the 2024 election and is now dismantled.

President Trump is expected to issue an EO banning the use of electronic voting machines prior to the midterm elections. The ROV and BOS should begin preparing for this scenario now. There are several secure and efficient hand count methods that are being proposed throughout the country. The BOS should test the VCEAC with researching these methods and others used by Ventura County in the past.

The VCEAC should coordinate with the ROV to develop an evaluation plan to select the best method for implementation in Ventura County. They should get started on this immediately. It will take time to evaluate and implement process changes before the midterms.

Thank you. Thank you for your comment. Our next speaker is Leslie Purcell followed by Wayne Morgan. Leslie, I see that you've been promoted if you unmute your mic, you'll have three minutes to give your comment.

Good morning. There seems to be a echo I don't know how that works. Anyway, I will go

ahead. Leslie we can hear you please proceed with your comment.

Okay so I'm calling in about the federal government which is offering a comment period until January 23rd on offshore oil leases and they are Proposing to lease federal waters offshore of Ventura County, as well as other parts of California. So I believe that the Board of Supervisors had passed a resolution opposing such offshore oil leases in December and I'm just calling Reiterate that comments are due by January 23rd.

And I'm wondering if the Board of Supervisors did submit their resolution to the federal government. So that was my main request and hoping that that was submitted to the federal government in opposition of any more oil drilling offshore of Ventura County.

Thank you. Thank you for your comment, Leslie. Our next speaker is going to be Wayne Morgan. Hi Wayne I see that you are on Zoom if you unmute your mic you'll have three minutes to give your comment.

Hello supervisors, my name is Wayne Morgan. I'm concerned about the amount of disinformation being thrown at us. This information is used to dehumanize us divide us and confuse us. I am seeing it now used to demean and label groups of people. And now our government is punishing or killing people without due process because they are bad people. Due process is one of the foundations of our Constitution and should be defended by all.

What can we do to fight disinformation? Here are some tips from Civic Nebraska. Educate yourself, understand what misinformation is and how it spreads. Recognize tactics such as a big lie, fake news, deep fakes, and manipulated images. Verify, verify, verify. Before sharing or believing information check its source and credibility. Use reliable fact-checking organizations like Snopes, FactCheck.org and PolitiFact.

Cross-check sources don't rely on a single source cross reference information with multiple reputable sources to ensure accuracy. Champion media literacy Encourage others to be media literate. Share resources and tips identifying disinformation and misinformation. Push back constructively. If you encounter someone sharing disinformation, engage in respectful and fact-based conversation. Share your sources and encourage critical thinking. Check your own biases. Be aware of your own biases and how they may influence your own perceptions of information.

It's up to us to protect our democracy. Thank you.

Thank you for your comment. Chair Garrell, that concludes the public comment for this item thank you.

Thank You Madam Clerk I think we're moving now to the 9 a.m. time certains were running a little bit behind and I apologize to those who've been waiting for these items with that I think we pivot to item number 30 with a presentation of a proclamation recognizing the 40th annual celebration of them Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King jr. day in Ventura County led by our own supervisor V&A Lopez

Thank you, Chair Garrell and I am very pleased to bring this proclamation forward ahead of the national holiday. And this commemorates the Ventura County's 40th annual celebration of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.. So we do have a proclamation that I want to share a little bit about as our guests come up to the podium. And I want to welcome Marvis Graves, Vicki Manning Heidi Gaten, Charlene Whitting and I think Dr. Vince Stewart maybe he did it he didn't make it today all right well thank you all for being here and we do have the proclamation where we call a celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr And his movement for equality and freedom, and a movement that continues on today.

This is an opportunity not just to celebrate his work but to recommit our country's promise to extend these freedoms across our nation to all Americans regardless of skin color race ethnicity age or gender. And this is also an opportunity to celebrate his memory by performing an act of kindness through service to others not just during this month, not just during this day but throughout the year. So I want to welcome the committee of the Martin Luther King Jr. Committee of Ventura County and welcome you to share a few remarks and the details about the upcoming celebration on Monday.

Good morning. We are very excited to be here today. We thank the County of Ventura for acknowledging MLK Day. The program is this coming month, the 19th Monday starts in March starts at 8 a.m., and then the celebration starts at 9am at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center. We have a wonderful program lined up and we would love to invite you all to come out for the march and to observe the program as well.

Our speaker is Dr. Johnson, and she will be giving bringing the message. We have a beautiful choir lined up to sing. And so we thank you once again.

And as you mentioned Dr. Johnson, it's not our own Dr. Johnson.

It's Dr. Gaye Johnson.

There were looks headed this way. Thank you. Any other comments? All right, well with that we do have a proclamation. We would love to take a picture with you and do invite everyone if you are able to come out to Oxnard starting at Plaza Park as mentioned at 8am and then the program at the Oxford Performing Arts Center I do look forward to being there and celebrating with all of you thank you

Excuse me, we have one more thing. We have plenty of tickets. Tickets are $10 each so please come out and have a marvelous day.

Thank you.

They wanted me to share that the tickets are available for the MLK celebration online if you search Ventura County MLK celebration should be tickets. Thank you for that presentation Supervisor Lopez now we're moving on to item number 31 this is a presentation on the month of January 2026 as Human Trafficking Awareness Month being presented by our own supervisor Parvin

Thank you. Today we come together to recognize Human Trafficking Awareness Month and to shine a light on the issue that often remains hidden. It affects individuals and families in every community, including right here in Ventura County Human trafficking is a violation of human rights and dignity and addressing it requires collaboration, compassion and unwavering commitment. We're fortunate to have dedicated organizations throughout the county and partners who work tirelessly to prevent trafficking support survivors and educate our community. Today we're honored to present proclamations to Interface, the Ventura County Sheriff's Office Forever Found and the Simi Valley and Oxnard Suroptimist groups each of these organizations plays a vital role whether through prevention and intervention law enforcement and victim advocacy survivor support and recovery or community education and empowerment On behalf of the county, thank you for your leadership, partnership and steadfast commitment to protecting the most vulnerable among us.

It is truly an honor to recognize your work today. We have quite a few people here for this item, and I'd like to ask them to call me groups because it's three different groups. Group one is Catherine Pedroza, Human Trafficking Prevention and Intervention Director with Interface Children and Family Services. And Detective Jamal Labhi with the Ventura County Sheriff's Office of Human Trafficking Task Force and Dar Chandler with Forever Found to come forward.

Good morning.

Good morning, thank you so much Board of Supervisors for having us here today and for the proclamation for bringing awareness to the issue of human trafficking. I wanted to start off with a brief clip of a video this is A couple of our clients and I don't know if you can pull up the next slide it should have the clip too. And I wanted to share this because I think it puts into context the work, the very important work that we do.

In this place, I'm very grateful. Me and my dog Chico are very grateful by everybody the whole staff has made me feel like a person like especially now that they helped me get my finally I have an ID and a passport so I feel like I have an identity now again

What I would like to say to the people who may be watching this is to help the people who might be going through labor trafficking, especially if they are children. Somebody who is in this situation feels invisible. For instance, in my situation there were many signs that I was being trafficked. I ask that people have empathy and help so that it doesn't happen to others.

I asked that they help them and connect them to resources that may be available.

I'm very grateful. Thank you.

Go to

the next slide.

So our job at Interface and as a member of the task force is to help identify human trafficking victims, to raise awareness, to educate the community and to coordinate vital services for two human trafficking survivors. And it takes all of us working on this issue day-to-day to make a difference. As a result of our tireless efforts The task force assisted over 400 potential victims since 2019, both adults and minors. And you can see some of our other statistics here.

How many arrests have been made? How many prosecutions and how many trainings and community outreach events we've had in the community? So it interface as a victim services provider for the Ventura County human trafficking task force we operate 24 7 hotline. We offer 24 7 crisis response to law enforcement and medical providers to help them identify human trafficking victims and provide the resources and support that those victims need Over the course of 2025, we've provided over a thousand shelter bed nights to individuals. In our second, we have two shelters, emergency shelters that we operate one of which is a shelter for men, one of the very few in the country and we're really proud of that.

Our work with survivors is client-centered trauma informed and our goal is to work alongside human trafficking survivors to help them move forward in their healing journey But all of this cannot be accomplished without all of the partners on the Ventura County Human Trafficking Task Force. And I'm really proud to have two of our other core members of the task force with me today, and so I'd like to pass it to Detective Jamal Labbe, and he's going to talk a little bit about the important work with the Ventura County Sheriff's Office.