“As part of the resolution, the City of Ojai and Anthony Palacios have agreed that this joint statement accurately reflects the circumstances of the separation. Neither the City nor Anthony will be providing additional comment regarding matters related to the employment or the resolution.”

Obviously — there’s a lot here, between the lines. But before we dive into the context, let me introduce you to Anthony Palacios, a Ventura County native and U.S. Marine Corps veteran. Palacios was appointed as the City of Ojai’s Transit Operations Supervisor in September 2024. It’s a part-time position.

I had the opportunity to talk with Palacios earlier this week. I asked him what he’d like Ojai residents to know about him.

“I’d like the people to know that I’m very driven person in helping those that aren’t as fortunate as others,” Palacios said. He explained that he was drawn to work on the Ojai trolley program because it serves “three of the biggest groups that need the most help, which is the elderly, the people that are impoverished, and also we have people with disabilities. I’m also a disabled veteran and that’s very personal for me. So I thought I could make a difference and that’s what brought me here.”

Unfortunately, Palacios’ work as Transit Operations Supervisor did not last long.

By April 22, 2025, he was on leave from his position, according to attorney Nancy Gray. Palacios resigned that position, according to the City’s press release, more than a year later: April 29, 2026.

Ok? Here’s what I can tell you:

Ojai City Council-watchers began hearing Palacios’ name during the May 13, 2025 Ojai City Council meeting, when a group of Ojai trolley riders questioned his absence. Take a look:

After lamenting issues like interrupted trolley service at “random times throughout the week when there are no drivers available,” and a lack of service on Sundays1, lifetime Ojai resident Winnie Major turned her comments to Palacios and his unexplained absence.

“We’re hopeful, especially after you hired Anthony as the trolley supervisor. It seemed promising. He would often ride the trolley with us and ask for our input. He’s a very kind and helpful man, and we thought things were looking up. But now Anthony has disappeared, and we just want to know what’s going on.”

Another speaker, Joe Puglia, accused Ojai City Manager Ben Harvey of mistreating Palacios, “How you have treated this veteran tells me you are not fit for leadership,” he said.

City Council-watcher Larry Steingold observed, “All these people are here for the trolley. Why? This is self-inflicted.”

(Now former) Assistant City Manager Carl Alameda provided (a bit) of insight into the situation, stating that the City had recently hired an Interim Transit Supervisor.

The next morning, Alameda appeared in Los Angeles Superior Court, where he pleaded “not guilty” to 11 felony counts of embezzlement and 23 counts of insurance fraud related to his former position as Assistant City Manager in La Cañada Flintridge. May 13th marked Alameda’s final City Council appearance. He was terminated from his position May 16th.

Anyways — Palacios’ name continued to pop up in public comments during subsequent City Council meetings. By summer, the City had another employment issue on its hands: former Recreation Manager Matthew (Matt) Davis filed suit against the City of Ojai on July 16, 2025, alleging whistleblower retaliation and wrongful termination.

According to his complaint, Davis was “terminated” from his position on February 14, 2025. (Ouch.) I’ll also note that Davis filed an amended complaint on April 16th of this year, which is also included below. Stick with me, folks, I promise this will become relevant!

Matt Davis 2025 07 16 Complaint

376KB ∙ PDF file

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Matt Davis 2026 04 16 Amended Complaint

393KB ∙ PDF file

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Let’s get into a few of the allegations in Davis’ amended complaint:

“In April 2024,” the complaint reads, “[City Manager] Ben Harvey specifically directed [Davis] to identify operational issues within the [Recreation] department.”

Davis alleges he made “his first protected complaint” to Harvey regarding alleged improper use of funds for the City’s gymnastics program in May of 2024. According to the complaint, Davis made subsequent “protected complaints” regarding bad behavior amongst Recreation staff.

Recall: Harvey came on board as Ojai City Manager at the end of January 2024.

Davis alleges that in the aftermath of those complaints, he became the victim of a “coordinated pressure campaign” involving the individuals he had reported. The complaint reads, “although the City initially supported [Davis’] findings, that support diminished as external pressure increased.”

Let’s stick with the gymnastics issue, because readers may recall the way in which this issue exploded politically. (Suffice it to say that the City of Ojai learned the gymnastics community’s political power — we’ll get there.2)

Davis’ complaint continues, “Despite the City’s initial support for [Davis’] protected activities, by September 2024, Harvey ordered an unprecedented staff survey of [Davis’] leadership.”

The complaint further alleges that the board of the Ojai Valley Gymnastics Parents Group began to “publicly threaten, harass, and pressure the City to fire [Davis]. This campaign began after it became public that the City was going to scale back the gymnastics program… The group made salacious accusations including that [Davis] harassed and intimidated staff. This campaign overwhelmed the City Council, which caused it to reverse its prior decision and accuse [Davis] of not providing them crucial information."

The complaint continues, “The retaliation reached its peak in November 2024 when, following continued public attacks against [Davis] at a City Council meeting, Harvey issued [Davis] an ultimatum to either work directly with the individuals who had been publicly harassing him, including the same individuals whose threatening and assaultive conduct [Davis] had reported as creating unsafe working conditions, or resign.”

Davis’ complaint refers to a (packed) November 19, 2024 Ojai City Council meeting, in which gymnasts of all ages, parents, and community members spoke in favor of maintaining the long-standing gymnastics program.

Finally, according to the complaint, “On November 26, 2024, [Davis] signed and returned [a] severance agreement to the City. The City immediately issued a press release announcing his resignation but never provided Davis with a countersigned agreement. Instead, Harvey informed [Davis] that the severance agreement was no longer valid and unilaterally imposed new terms requiring [Davis] to work remotely through March 2025 without severance compensation. Harvey indicated that political pressure and public controversy surrounding [Davis’] protected disclosures motivated this reversal.”

A case management conference for Matthew Davis v. City of Ojai is scheduled in Ventura County Superior Court for July 7th at 8:35 a.m.

Less than two months after Davis filed his suit, another former employee filed suit against the City of Ojai. Former Finance Director Pam Greer filed suit in Ventura County Superior Court on September 10, 2025, alleging retaliation, and seeking $1 million in damages3. (Stick with me folks, this will all come together.)

Again, I encourage folks to read the full complaint.

Greer 2025 09 10 Complaint

370KB ∙ PDF file

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Let’s run through a few key details:

After Harvey came on board as City Manager, Greer alleges she “realized she was dealing with a different kind of city manager, one who had no respect for rules as they applied to him,” after allegedly pushing back on Harvey’s request for reimbursement of hotel and housing expenses, Greer’s complaint says, she got “on [Harvey’s] bad side.”

Greer further alleges that she was subsequently “excluded or minimized” in meetings with City Councilmembers regarding financial matters, and that Harvey repeated “false and defamatory” statements about her work. Greer’s complaint also states that Harvey required her to report to Assistant Manager Alameda, which according to Greer was a change in practice.

The complaint continues, “Harvey then began, though a variety of means, to systematically cause staffing shortages for [Greer] and the Finance Department, leaving the Finance Department understaffed without support… By June 2024, Harvey had decreased the size of the Finance Department from five to three staff positions, which required [Greer] to work excessive hours, sometimes 12-20 hour days.”

Greer also alleges that, “Harvey encouraged disrespect for the Finance Director’s authority and condoned, supported and promoted… illicit and improper City accounting practices.”

Then, Palacios enters the narrative:

“Next, in late Summer 2024,” Greers complaint reads, “Harvey hired Anthony Palacios as Operations Supervisor of Transportation, designating him as a ‘part-time’ employee. But Palacios consistently worked 40-hours or more per week; and Harvey gave regular written approval of his timecards reflecting his full-time work… Neither Alameda nor Harvey took any action to remedy this City violation of law.”

“The denial of these legal rights became pointed around Veteran’s Day,” Greer’s complaint continues, “Palacios, as a disabled USMC veteran, had asked Harvey and Alameda for the day off. He reported them denying his request — while laughing at him. When [Greer] heard about the incident, she told them that Palacios, who was working full-time, was entitled to a paid day off for legal holidays—especially this one, since he was a veteran. Harvey and Alameda ignored her pleas.”

Then, Davis enters Greer’s complaint:

“On October 14, 2024, the local newspaper, the Ojai Valley News (“OVN”), exposed that Harvey had arranged and conducted a secret and illegal City Council closed session meeting four month earlier, in June, to cut the City’s Gymnastics Program in half. With the OVN’s exposure of the cuts, both the secret closed session and Program cuts became a public scandal.”

Greer’s complaint continues, “To deflect from his misconduct, Harvey accused Gymnastics Program parents and Recreation Dept. staff of misappropriating or embezzling City funds… Soon after OVN’s exposure of the gymnastics scandal, Parks & Recreation Dept. Manager Matt Davis publicly assumed blame. But Davis had only been in the job a few months, and he had no authority to set closed sessions or to cut Program funds… Matt Davis resigned — in disgrace.”

Greer next alleges that Harvey instructed her to prepare a severance package for Davis, even though, Greer says, Davis was not eligible for severance pay. Greer believes the payments made to Davis — in the form of administrative leave and paid sick leave — “were illicit ‘hush money’ in violation of state law for Davis ‘taking the fall’ for Harvey in the Gymnastics Program scandal.”

We’re almost through the legal complaints, folks. There are two more details in Greer’s narrative I want to highlight.

The complaint continues, “In January 2025, due to the efforts of City Operations Transportation Supervisor Anthony Palacios, the City won over $1 million in federal/state/county grants for its trolley service. Palacios then reiterated his longstanding request to the Assistant City Manager and City Manager to obtain a City truck (even a used one) to fulfill his job duties… Harvey refused Palacios’s requests, forcing him to continue using his own personal truck, for which the City did not compensate him… Harvey then directed the Grant funds to buy a new truck for a different department, Lindy Palmer’s Department of Public Works… [Greer] now had to point out to Assistant City Manager Alameda that spending trolley grant funds on (Palmer’s) Public Works department violated a variety of laws… City Manager Harvey nonetheless proceeded with the purchase for, and transfer of, a new truck to Lindy Palmer and Public Works.”4

Second and final detail: the complaint also states, “Whenever [Greer] provided financial reports for publication, Assistant City Manager Alameda would submit to [Greer] ‘revised’ and ‘additional’ information from City departments up-to and during printing and posting of documents, including the Budget Book. He would insist that [Greer] incorporate the changes. Even one of his changes, however, would result in numerous other changes and inevitable discrepancies. In presenting reports containing such errors, City management made [Greer] look incompetent.”

Given the charges against Alameda (he has pleaded not guilty) and the City’s documented weak financial controls — this seems an important detail.

Just as important: the City of Ojai filed an answer to Greer’s complaint on October 27, 2025 in which the City “denies generally and specifically each and every allegation contained in the Complaint…”

That document is attached below.

2025 10 27 Answer To Greer

143KB ∙ PDF file

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Greer’s employment was “terminated” on March 3rd, 2025. “Harvey represented and attributed the termination to [Greer] not finishing one of the audits,” her complaint states.

A mandatory settlement conference in Greer’s case is scheduled for January 12, 2027. If that fails, the case will go to trial on February 1, 2027.

“We are currently focused on the February 2 trial date,” Greer’s attorney Jon Drucker said.5

I’ll note that I did reach out for comment from City Manager Ben Harvey, but did not receive a response.

I also requested comment from Ojai’s five City Council members regarding the resolution of Palacios’ employment. “I am glad there has finally been a resolution,” Mayor Andy Gilman said. No one else is talking.

And don’t forget, folks: there’s another City of Ojai issue on the Ventura County Superior Court docket: Councilwoman Leslie Rule’s fight for indemnification rages on.6 I’ve attached the complaint below for anyone who wishes to refresh their memory.

2025 12 01 Verified Complaint For Reimbursement Under Gov Code 996 4 (2)

338KB ∙ PDF file

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A hearing in Leslie Rule v. City of Ojai is scheduled in Ventura County Superior Court for May 6th at 8:35 a.m. I’ll certainly be there.

In closing: folks, I love reporting on local legal fights about as much as I enjoy writing about pickleball. These issues are newsworthy because of the way in which they suck up public resources: specifically, our money and our time.

That’s all for now. As always, thanks for being here.

Until next time!

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Last week, I previewed the April 14th Ojai City Council meeting. Today, I want to tell you what happened. I want to flag that this is not a comprehensive report, but an overview of the events I found most noteworthy — and there were quite a few — more than I could fit in my social media update. Remember: for a free trial subscription, email andra.belknap@gmail.com.

Let’s go!

The Ojai City Council kicked off the evening of April 14th with a seemingly dry update from Special Projects Manager Christy Billings: a “quarterly progress update” on the City’s “targeted forensic review.”

Billings provided an update on a series of tasks. No one acknowledged what exactly necessitated the tasks, or the review.

Folks, this is the kind of thing I find to be a little bit funny.1 Because I get why they wouldn’t want to mention the reason for the “targeted forensic review.”

Who remembers this story?

Recall: on the morning of May 14th, (now former) Ojai Assistant City Manager Carl Alameda was charged in Los Angeles County Superior Court with 11 felony counts of embezzlement and 23 counts of insurance fraud, all of which related to his previous employment with the City of La Cañada Flintridge. He pleaded not guilty.

On May 15th, the City of Ojai found out about this episode via press release.2 On May 16th, Alameda was terminated from his position. By May 27th, the City contracted with financial firm Kroll to perform a special forensic financial examination to determine any potential misconduct by Alameda.

Six months later, Sherine Ebadi, Kroll’s Managing Director for Forensic Investigation & Intelligence, provided the answer to the question on everyone’s mind.

“... We did not find any direct evidence that Carl Alameda embezzled or otherwise was engaged in financial misconduct while here at the city,” Ebadi said. “There are caveats that make it difficult for us to say that he did not do it. I can say that I found no evidence of it. It’s hard for me to say he did not do it.”

So, there’s no direct evidence that Alameda misappropriated City of Ojai funds. But, according to Ebadi’s findings, he certainly had the opportunity.

“We had learned from a number of people that had seen [Alameda] that day that he walked out with a very large bag that may have had documents in it,” Ebadi explained. “And when we searched his office, there were virtually no documents in his office… which begs the question, did he in fact take documents with him? And if he did, why? And what did he take? And since they’re paper, it’s very difficult to know what he took.”

Hence, Billings’ tasks — one of which is “finance to have better oversight of spending.” (That one is in progress.)

Obviously, none of this history came up April 14th. One thing about government: all manner of drama is hidden within seemingly boring presentations.

Alameda is next scheduled to appear in Los Angeles County Superior Court May 8th.

Moving along!

Next, we heard from a collection of local young people representing Ojai’s Green Valley Project.

They shared the results of an urban heat island study they conducted in Ojai. Using their results, they identified four privately-owned locations with excessive heat: Adamson’s Towing, Ojai Self Storage, the Ojai Valley Inn, and the Ojai Community Hospital. They plan to approach each business with an offer of oak trees — and the hospital has already accepted their offer.

I say: rock on.

Then we moved into the “non-agendized” public comment period.3 A few residents criticized City Manager Ben Harvey’s use of the phrase “STP,” or “same ten people,” during a podcast conversation about locals involved in government. (I’d argue it’s more than ten people — but whatever.)

City Council regular Larry Steingold (arguably an STP) approached the podium wearing an STP baseball hat. “These people are not a problem to be managed. They are the backbone of civic life,” Steingold declared.

Another arguable STP, Starchild Weivoda, addressed Harvey via Zoom (these public comments come over the loudspeaker with a “voice of God” effect).

“I just wanted to provide the City Manager an opportunity to reaffirm… his appreciation for the public that worked to make the city better and to apologize for any offense his comments may have given.”

… and then there was an awkward silence. It was awesome.4

We also learned that the Ojai Library will be closed for renovations for 6-8 months, beginning as soon as July. (This is extremely impactful news for the members of the public who rely on the library’s air conditioning during the summer months.)

Next, the consent calendar. (The consent calendar is made up of “routine items” that generally don’t require Council discussion.) Councilwoman Leslie Rule took a moment to call attention to the City’s “warrants report” (a summary of recent expenditures) specifically, a $7,681.10 check to the legal firm Meyers Nave.

“I just want to point out that… this settlement and my indemnification cost is now up to $257,000 and counting. So we’re at a quarter of a million dollars,” Rule said.

Side note: the Council, minus Rule, met in closed session two days later, April 16th, to continue the indemnification discussion (aka — the City’s responsibility for Rule’s legal bills).

City Attorney Bethany Burgess reported that “no reportable action” came of the discussion. A mandatory hearing in the Rule v. City of Ojai matter is scheduled in Ventura County Superior Court for the morning of May 6th. The entire conflict originates from statements Rule made during the January 24, 2023 Ojai City Council meeting (one of Rule’s first!) and a lawsuit filed against her by seven locals (Byrne et al v. Rule et al) who say they were harmed. A hearing in the Byrne case — a motion for a summary judgement — is scheduled for the morning of May 15th. The whole thing has become so convoluted that it will require several thousand words to disentangle.

Anyways — after about 45 minutes of the above, the Council came round to the main topic of the evening: contractor bids to build the City’s $12.7 million state-funded permanent supportive housing project for chronically homeless community members.5

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As I described in a pre-meeting brief, three qualified general contractors were asked to provide a project budget under $9.5 million; none could. Each bid came in at over $10 million, even with cost-saving measures.

Developer Dignity Moves, represented at the meeting by Vice President for Programs Jeff Gaddess, put a new funding source on the table: a $1 million donation from the Balay Ko Foundation. (Balay Ko has not responded to my request for comment.)

However, accepting the Balay Ko donation which would require designating five of the 30 housing units for transitional-aged youth (ages 18-24) struggling with homelessness. (This is the population served by Ojai’s Mesa Farm — though they offer interim housing. I’ll also note that Balay Ko financial statements show that they work consistently with Dignity Moves.)

City Manager Ben Harvey kicked off the Council discussion with a summary of the Council’s choices that night, adding, “If you are looking at taking no action, you do have to also consider some of the sunk costs that have taken place so far. You also have to consider that if [the California Department of Housing & Community Development] does ask for the award money back, it will be with interest that the city has earned on it.”

Rule responded directly, “The implication that HCD will take the money back — I just feel like that’s out of the blue… I did feel a little bit of pressure just right now from you about not moving forward with this, which I didn’t really appreciate.”

Project architect Dylan Johnson was on hand to answer questions — and there were many.

• Would it be cheaper to transition to a modular design? No, Johnson said, “we determined that single-story stick-built construction was the most cost efficient way to deliver 30 housing units,” (though there are Councilmembers who appear to disagree with his assessment).

• Is the public works yard site accessible for disabled residents? Yes, Johnson said. Still — some Council and community members expressed concern about disabled residents’ ability to walk up and down a proposed switch-backed path to the building. “It’s a long path, there’s no question,” Johnson said, “but it is the most reliable, code compliant, durable solution to get folks to town in the absence of a van or some sort of transport.”

• What would we have to cut from the project to keep it within a $9.5 million budget? In short, Johnson said, we’ll lose landscaping, storage space, common area appliances, decorative elements, some natural building materials, and acoustic panels. (Or, the City would have to find an alternative way of funding those pieces.) The project’s contingency fund, too, would be diminished, he said.

“As we all know, the bidding process took place in a challenging time in the construction market. Things are expensive. The budget was tight,” Johnson acknowledged.

The vast majority of the members of the public who addressed the Council and/or wrote to them were supportive of the project, urged them to move forward, and accept the Balay Ko donation.

“If the Cabin Village fails, NIMBYism will be this Council’s legacy. It will be our town’s legacy. [Ojai’s] NIMBY status will be legend,” City Hall neighbor Leeana McNeilley told the Council.

Other speakers were critical of the project’s location and budget, and raised concerns about potential accessibility issues. Gene Sharaga spoke via Zoom, “...the maintenance yard site is the worst possible location for ADA access for its many future disabled and elderly residents,” he said, calling the project’s walking path “a ramp to nowhere.”

Ojai Tent Town resident Melissa Balding addressed those concerns directly.

“Speaking for the elderly who live here — because I live here — they would much rather be able to go up a ramp than have to live in the dirt or what we’ve already lived in. Which is hell.” Balding continued, “Everybody here that I live with can make it up a ramp, and they would be happy to do so, and it would work.”

Once the discussion returned to Council, Rule directed attention to a one-page document asserting that the full ERF project could be constructed with modular units on City-owned land east of the current Ojai Tent Town.

(We have heard a proposal for this approximate location in the past — one major wrinkle is that the area is currently being developed into an “Eco Center” by the Ojai Valley Green Coalition.)

“Right now, the maintenance yard to me is unsupportable,” Rule said. “There is a big pile of toxic soil there that needs to be removed.”

She’s right about the toxic soil — arsenic and lead were detected during an environmental assessment of the future housing site. According to Community Development Director Lucas Siebert, the remediation process could begin as soon as April 20th, and would take approximately five days to complete. Here’s the update from City Manager Harvey as of April 24th: “We’re in the process of coordinating with our contractors at this moment on a start date. We anticipate this being VERY soon, but don’t (yet) have final confirmation.”

Councilman Andy Whitman expressed skepticism about the permanent supportive housing model generally, as he has in the past.

“One of the things that concerns me about going with a permanent supportive housing approach is that we’re only helping 30 people. I would much rather… help a lot more people, especially people who are actually housed, but they’re close to being [unhoused].”

Whitman also suggested splitting the project between the public works yard site and the Council’s recently acquired property at 503 S. Ventura St, suggesting it could be a better location for the project’s disabled population. Gaddess said two locations would increase the project’s future operational costs.

Councilwoman Kim Mang, who has consistently voted against the project alongside Whitman, signaled interest in pivoting to a modular project, as opposed to Johnson’s custom-designed building. Mang also suggested that the City of Ojai could potentially purchase modular housing units from the City of Long Beach, which abandoned its own state-funded interim housing project for the chronically homeless after failing to find a suitable location.

Meanwhile, Mayor Andy Gilman and Councilwoman Rachel Lang showed interest in accepting the lowest project bid, courtesy of San Luis Obispo’s Specialty Construction, and breaking ground. (If the Council decided to move forward, Johnson said, the project could break ground within six weeks.)

Both members questioned the specifics of the Balay Ko donation offer, specifically whether Ojai would be able to delegate transitional-age youth (TAY) units to community members of other ages. That remains an open question.

Whitman, Mang, and Rule all expressed a level of distrust for Dignity Moves and the proposed budget. “It has been horrible,” Rule said. “It has been horrible since September 9th when Dignity Moves gave us a budget that was not real.”

Rule also recognized that she was the swing vote in the equation. “I would hate for this vote to go down,” she told her Council colleagues.

After significant discussion, there were three separate motions on the table. Gilman called for a vote to hold the project to a $9.5 million budget, pending additional discussion with the Balay Ko Foundation regarding the $1 million dollar donation. His motion also included a feasibility study for tiny units at 503 S. Ventura St, as an “extension” of the housing project. (Recall: the City recently performed a feasibility study regarding moving the entire 30-unit project to the 503 property, at Rule’s request.)

The question came to Rule first.

Her response: “Come back to me.”

When the vote came back around to Rule it was 2-2; noes from Whitman and Mang and yeses from Gilman and Lang. She remained the swing vote.

“It’s the wrong project,” Rule said, before reciting her concerns for the next four minutes.

“I don’t appreciate a gun to my head by anybody, Rule concluded. “So I’m voting yes with a gun to my head because I can’t possibly vote no.”

Gilman’s motion passed 3-2. And folks, at that point it was about 10 p.m.

I packed my things and left before the next item, a discussion of City Council protocols. The Council adjourned a half hour later.

Two days later, April 16th, residents of Ojai Tent Town celebrated with cake and ice cream. Pink frosted lettering on the cake read “Welcome Home Soon.”

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For folks following Ojai’s state-funded permanent supportive housing project for the chronically homeless (formerly known as “Cabin Village”), I want to make you aware of an Ojai City Council meeting happening tonight, April 14th.

But first: a bit of background.

Just prior to Thanksgiving 2023, a grandmother who raised her children in Ojai moved into a tent at Ojai City Hall. She couldn’t find an affordable local rental and her only other option — camping at Lake Casitas — frightened her. She joined 20-35 other campers on the 8-acre city campus. This woman, now in her late seventies, lives at Ojai City Hall to this day. She neighbors about 20 others, many of whom are elderly and disabled.

The camp at City Hall and a citizen-led Homelessness Task Force motivated Councilwomen Rachel Lang, Leslie Rule and (now former Councilwoman) Suza Francina to vote to submit a grant application to the state’s Encampment Resolution Fund on January 23, 2024. The application proposed constructing 20-unit permanent supportive housing project for Ojai’s homeless in partnership with developer Dignity Moves. Councilman Andrew Whitman and former Mayor Betsy Stix voted in opposition, citing concerns about the project budget (which was incomplete at the time).

And that’s how — almost exactly two years ago — the City of Ojai won a $12.7 million grant to resolve the City Hall encampment by building housing for the homeless. The project expanded to 30 units in June of that year (that episode is explained in detail here).

Over the interim two years, public City Council meetings have hosted numerous debates over the project’s location, the developer, and the project budget. That discourse will continue this evening. So let me get you up to present.

In July 2025, Dignity Moves (alongside the City of Ojai) issued a “request for proposals” (RFP) to general contractors for the construction of the 30-unit housing project at the City’s former public works yard (the location was approved in August of 2024, and again in March 2025). The bidders were asked to keep the project under $9.5 million.

Each bid came in at over $10 million, even with cost-saving measures. (Wait, why does the City want to keep the development budget under $9.5 million when the grant is for $12.7 million? Future operating costs.)

Anyways — you see the issue.

Here’s the other bit of news to be discussed on April 14th: Dignity Moves has put a new funding source on the table. According to a City staff report, Dignity Moves has secured a $1 million private donation from the Balay Ko Foundation to support the project. But this money comes with a caveat. The donation requires that five of the 30 housing units be made available to transitional-aged youth (typically 18-24-year-olds struggling with homelessness). This is the population served by Ojai’s Mesa Farm.

One potential wrinkle here (as I see it) is that transitional-aged youth, by definition, would age out of the project, which is currently defined as permanent housing. Also important: if the Council decides to move forward with this change, the state will have to approve it.

The Balay Ko foundation has not returned my request for comment, and Dignity Moves has politely declined to provide more information about the potential donation.

Tonight, the City Council will be asked to affirm Dignity Move’s selection of the project contractor (the lowest bidder) and take action on the new potential funding source. They may choose to do something else. I’ll note that the person to watch this evening will be Councilwoman Rule, who initially supported the project, but has recently suggested alternative locations and raised budget concerns.

Now, in closing, I’d like to use my privilege as the typer here and share one final thought. I’ve spent a lot of time with the people of Ojai Tent Town. Over the past two years, they’ve weathered extreme heat, rain, cold, rodent infestations, and the challenge of living without a reliable shower. Many struggle with chronic health conditions. Some residents have died. Others have told me they fear they’ll die before the promised housing is constructed.

That’s simply the reality.

I’ll post updates from this evening on social media, though it may take me 24 hours or so to provide a full read-out. If you wish to support this work — consider the options below!

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First, I want to thank the readers who joined me for the 4th Local Hero Subscriber Happy Hour at the Ojai Valley Brewery March 16th. It’s always a gathering of a diverse, interesting bunch of folks with a shared interest in democracy. What’s cooler?!

Second, as you know, I enlisted your help in selecting my next story topic. Hilariously, there was a tie.

I decided that now is the time to dig into Councilwoman Leslie Rule’s legal saga. In short, a 2023 lawsuit against Rule brought by seven Ojai residents (Byrne et. al. v. Rule et. al.) has sparked Rule’s own suit against the City of Ojai for legal fees, or indemnification.

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I’m checking in with a few reminders and a bit of election news. First, I want to remind you that I’m hosting a Local Hero Subscriber Happy Hour this coming Monday, the 16th, at the Ojai Valley Brewery. I invite you to stop by, make a new friend, and support two local businesses!

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Next reminder: folks, 2026 is an election year, and we have a governor, a member of Congress, and a City Council to elect (among others). Californians will vote (by mail or in-person) on June 2nd and again on November 3rd. (I recommend voting early, for the record.)

I think it’s safe to say that this election, which takes place on this country’s 250th anniversary, represents a crossroads. Indeed, the President of the United States is leading an active voter suppression effort. So, if you care about democracy, human rights, and the importance of facts — I suggest voting. And that means getting prepared. There are two steps I suggest taking right now:

• Check your voter registration and/or register…

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I’m reaching out with a question and an invitation.

First, the question. I need some help. Given the nature of the news cycle, I have four stories in various stages of progress, all of which I think are important and interesting. So, I’m asking for your help with prioritization. I’d love subscriber feedback as to which topic you’d like to read about next in this space. If there’s something else you’d like to see me focus on, please talk to me in the comments.

(Note: I would have been more long-winded in my story descriptions if not for a word limit on poll questions.)

Second, the invitation. Folks, it’s time for another Subscriber Happy Hour! Please save Monday, March 16th to gather with fellow readers for discussion and community. This will be our fourth gathering — it’s always a fun time with a diverse bunch. Note: you do NOT need to be a paid subscriber to attend the event. Please feel free to bring a friend or family member.

I look forward to seeing your feedback, a…

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Onward to today’s story, which is sadly relevant.

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I had the opportunity to speak with Ventura veteran George Retes back in July, shortly after he was released from federal detention in Los Angeles.

Recall: Retes, then 25, encountered a federal immigration operation at his workplace on July 10th of last year. Retes, who was on his way to his security guard job at Glass House Farms’ Camarillo location, was stopped by masked federal agents who broke his car window. Retes was then pepper sprayed, pulled out of his car, thrown to the ground, detained, and released with no charges three days later.

His story has since been featured in the New York Times and myriad national publications.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) responded to the New York Times story 48 hours later, via press release.

This federal government press release continues by naming each of the men in the story, including Retes.

This official U.S. government statement conflicts with Retes’ account, helicopter footage of the incident, and the images below, by photojournalist Blake Fagan.

One detail that I keep fixating on is the bumper sticker on the left side of Retes’ rear window: “Iraq Combat Veteran.”

Fagan recalls the moment clearly — it was the first time he’d documented an ICE raid. “I think about it every day,” he told me.

Fagan had been on scene at Glass House for approximately 20 minutes when federal agents dispersed a round of tear gas, he said. Fagan turned around to shoot “into” the gas. That’s when he captured Retes being pulled out of his car by federal agents.

I recounted the DHS narrative to Fagan — that it was Retes who “became violent.”

“What I saw with my eyes [is that George] was at the front of the line in his car and he couldn’t back up or go forward. There were cars behind him and then there were feds in front of him. He was kind of just sitting in his car and they went up and opened the door and pulled him out,” Fagan said.

After spending three days in federal captivity in Los Angeles, Retes was released with no charges. He has since teamed up with the non-profit Institute for Justice, and has taken steps to sue the federal government under the Federal Tort Claims Act.

“I’m calling out the federal government not just for what they did to me, but for what they are doing to others. I’m continuing to fight for this country, now as a civilian,” Retes said in a press release.

He’s been on a journey ever since. In October, Retes traveled to Washington, D.C. for the first time. On December 9th, he returned to the Capitol to testify to his experience during a “bicameral public forum” hosted by Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Congressman Robert Garcia (D-CA).

Wait — what’s a bicameral public forum? Good question!

Bicameral refers to both chambers of Congress — the House and the Senate. Typically, congressional fact-finding missions are hosted by committees of appointed Republicans and Democrats. Each chamber of Congress has its own committees, and their fact-finding sessions are called “hearings.” Blumenthal and Garcia’s “forum” was not technically a “hearing” because there were no Republicans involved. This could also be referred to as a “shadow hearing.”

“Chances are very slight that we’ll have any Republicans here today,” Blumenthal commented as he kicked off the forum. “And I regret that fact. Really, sincerely, I regret that we will have only Democrats in this hearing because Republicans should be here to hold the administration accountable, just as we are doing.”

Next, Blumenthal asked Retes to share his story.

Retes was joined by four other U.S. citizens — Wilmer Chavarria, Dayanne Figueroa, Javier Ramirez, and Andrea Velez — who shared their experiences being detained, assaulted, and denied their constitutional rights by DHS agents. Readers can watch the full session here.

The same day, Blumenthal released a report called “Unchecked Authority: Examining the Trump Administration’s Extrajudicial Immigration Detentions of U.S. Citizens.” The report was authored by the minority staff of the Senate’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. What does that mean? Again, the majority members of that committee — the Republicans — did not participate.

“This report ought to shock America’s conscience,” Blumenthal commented.

“The Subcommittee’s findings add to a growing body of evidence that the Trump Administration is seeking to build a nationwide paramilitary force with vast resources that lawlessly detains citizens based on its own whims — an effort which has a number of unfortunate and obvious historical parallels.” — Unchecked Authority: Examining the Trump Administration’s Extrajudicial Immigration Detentions of U.S. Citizens

I had the opportunity to catch up with Retes in late December. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and readability. All brackets and parentheses were added in the editing process.

Andra Belknap: Last we talked was in July, in the immediate aftermath of you being detained and held for three days. Can you tell me how that has impacted you in the months since?

George Retes: Oh my God, that’s been so long… I guess how all this has impacted me has been just, I mean, work put me on suspension for a couple of weeks, and so I didn’t end up going back to work for them, just because of just the way the situation was handled and everything. And so I guess it affected me job-wise and just my work, my money…

This has really, I guess, taken over my life in general, doing all these interviews, going on TV, traveling to Washington, it takes a lot, honestly. I’ve kind of just been trying to figure out what I want to do with my life now since I stopped working, just trying to figure out what the next step is in my life knowing that this isn’t going to be done anytime soon. I am kind of just taking it day by day, if I’m being honest with you.

AB: What does it feel like to all of a sudden have your face all over the news? I see you on social media all the time. What is that like for you?

GR: I mean, it’s no different if I’m being honest with you. I mean, even though I’m all over the news and I’m all over social media, I’m still me. It’s like it doesn’t really change my life in any way because I mean, I still sit here. I still sit here in my house alone… And so even though I’m all over social media, it’s kind of two different lives. I’d say people know me, but they don’t know me.

AB: How is your family doing?

GR: They’re doing good. I mean, they’ve been happy since me being free, but I mean, I try to keep them away from all this as much as possible. It’s not their responsibility. I just don’t want to put any burden or weight on them, and it’s not their responsibility to handle any of this stuff. I just keep them [as] far away from it as much as possible.

AB: I remember that you have young kids. I wonder, do they have any sense that their dad’s suing the government, their dad was assaulted by the U.S. government? Do they have any sense of what kind of fight you’re fighting?

GR: No. My kids have no clue. My daughter is three. My son has just turned nine, and I just keep it away from him as much as possible. I just tell him that I go to work, and so that’s what all these trips are for.

There’s no reason for them to know right now. So, if when they get older, if they want to know what I’m doing or what I did or what I went through, I mean, they’re more than welcome to go and look and see what I’ve done. But as far as now, they should just focus on being kids and living their lives.

AB: What is the status of the lawsuit that you’re involved in to the degree that you can talk about it?

GR: So right now, I am currently just waiting, I guess it’s like, I would say it’s a probationary period. I got to file these claims under the [Federal Tort Claims Act] about everything that happened, and I [have] to wait six months for the response before I could go into or file an actual lawsuit and go into a courthouse or something. And so my lawyers filed the claims sometime in July of [2025]. And so February of [this] year is when the six-month period ends. And so once [that] period ends, the next day they’re going to file the lawsuit.

AB: So you went on this whole journey to DC. My first question is, how did that come to be? Who reached out, why you decided to move forward with it, that kind of stuff.

GR: Honestly, just by doing all these interviews, when I first started this out, [when] I got released or whatnot. I mean, I didn’t have my lawyers at the time. It was just me trying to unravel all this.

I started doing interviews. I started being on TV, and I guess my story just kind of spread… I like to say what got me to Washington, DC [was] sharing my story — not staying silent, not going away, and just continuing to push. I think that’s what got me to Washington, DC: the constant sharing of my story, the constant talking, and not quitting.

[Then] it was just more senators reaching out, people from Congress, reaching out, wanting to hear my story in person. And so I ended up going to Washington for the first time in October. I spoke to a couple of lawmakers in October, just one-on-one, about what had happened to me and my solution for everything. And yeah, that was my first time going to Washington, DC. From there, they said that they were doing hearings and they brought me to the hearing [in December.]

AB: I’m asking this because I used to work in Congress and I’m a dork about this kind of stuff, and I think it’s super interesting. So I’m just wondering if you had any conversations with lawmakers that you remember, where you felt heard?

GR: Honestly, every single one, every single person that I spoke to honestly, has heard me out, has really listened to my story and listened to my solution. My biggest thing, or my biggest takeaway from all of it is just, it’s a political game. Everyone thinks what happened to me is shitty and it’s terrible, but nothing could really be done… because our government is ruled by — and our laws are ruled by — political sides. So it’s always like, we need Republicans for this, or we need Democrats for that, and it should be a nonpartisan issue. But that’s the hardest thing, just the political differences and everything like that. Everyone was more than willing to listen and understand, but [it] is so hard to make change because of the political differences.

AB: Had you been to DC prior to October?

GR: No. That October meeting, going, meeting all these Congresspeople and lawmakers was my first time going to Washington, DC. So it was cool.

AB: Can you tell me about what that felt like? Just, you’re a guy from Ventura, you end up in Washington, DC, and you’re going to be testifying. It all sounds very surreal.

GR: Honestly, you’re right. It’s very surreal. I mean, I am just this kid who, I mean, I am not going to say my life was the hardest in the world or anything, but I mean, I’ve never had it easy. I mean, I grew up in Santa Paula. I kind of just bounced around my entire childhood. I just never thought I would be in this position, trying to make a difference the way that I am.

It’s very surreal to be in this position and have this opportunity — even though it was kind of forced upon me — and it’s not really a good thing. But you’re right, it’s very surreal. I still have trouble wrapping my head around what I’m doing most of the time.

Like I said, I take it a day at a time. I try not to get too overwhelmed because when I really do think about it, I think, ‘Oh my God, I’m talking to these senators,’ I’m talking to all these important people. So I just take it day by day, and I like to think these are just normal people I’m talking to. It’s just another day for me. I try not to let it fill my head. I’m honestly just another person like anyone else, and I just want to do the right thing.

AB: And I appreciate you, for real. You mentioned that you shared a solution with lawmakers. What is the solution that you were sharing with them?

GR: So right now, the way that the law works, there is no recourse, or there’s no way to hold federal agents accountable. So I mean, it doesn’t just go for ICE or CBP, but it also goes for IRS, FBI, any federal agency you could think of. They could absolutely do anything to anyone, violate any rights, and there’s absolutely nothing anyone could do about it. There’s no way to hold them accountable just because there’s no law that allows people to sue federal officials.

And so my solution, or our solution, with my lawyers, is to add a couple of words to the section 1983 statute that includes federal officials and hold them to the same standard as state officials. Because if state officials had done everything that they did to me, or if I ended up in a state prison, I would be in a courtroom right now. I would be able to get answers for everything that happened to me.

But because they’re federal officials, I have to wait six months. And then even when I get to the courthouse, the court is going to be like, ‘Sorry. But unfortunately, yes, your rights were violated, but there’s no law.’ There’s nothing I could do because there’s no law that allows you to sue for your rights being violated by federal officials.

AB: That’s shocking.

GR: They just shut the door in your face and it’s like, ‘Our hands are tied. We can’t do anything.’ And so that’s the solution, honestly, because I believe that the reason these people, all these officers and agents act the way they do is because they know they can’t be held responsible.

I mean, when they know they can’t get in trouble, why would they even care about doing things the right way when they know that there’s no law that holds them to a certain standard, and so they just go out here and do whatever they want. And so the solution is to hold them accountable for their actions. That’s what keeps our rights. Rights are when there’s accountability for violating them. So that is our solution, just to make them to be held accountable, the same as any other state officer.

I mean, no one should be above the law. It shouldn’t matter what badge you wear. Any person violates your rights, you should be able to get justice for what happened to you. So that’s the answer and that’s the solution.

AB: It’s shocking to me that there’s no legal recourse if a federal officer violates the law. That’s absolutely crazy.

GR: Insane. When I first heard it too, before all this started, I had no clue about any of this, if I’m being honest with you. My lawyers broke it down to me, and it just shocked me.

We go day to day thinking, we have these rights, and if anything happens to us, we will get justice. We could go to a courtroom. And so one day [they] explained it to me, it’s really shocking and it’s just eye-opening, and it’s just like, ‘What do you mean? We can’t just go to a courtroom and get justice for someone violating our rights?’

And so once they told me that, it kind of shifted my whole mindset from sharing my story to really giving people a solution to what could be done to stop everything. Because we could all share our story. We could all continue to shout from the top of our lungs, but at the end of the day, nothing’s going to stop. So instead of sitting here shouting and just looking back at how terrible everything is for me, it’s better to give people a solution so that all this stops. Nothing changes by just staying silent or not working to change anything. And so that’s what I’m trying to do. I’m trying to make a change so this stops.

AB: So you were getting ready to testify in Congress. Can you talk to me about what the preparation for giving testimony was like for you?

GR: I had a couple of days before to write a testimony about what I was going to say.

AB: Like a statement about what happened to you?

GR: Yeah, like a statement about what happened. I mean, I was able to write that. And then for me, I don’t know. I try not to, like I said, I try not to look too much into it because I’ll get overwhelmed.

I kind of just go in there and I kind of just do my thing. Honestly, however I act or however I’m feeling, whatever emotions come out while I’m up there or what I’m doing each time is completely different. I mean, I don’t practice before I do any of these interviews, before I go on TV or I give my testimony, or before I talk to any of these senators or congressmen or women. I just go in there, and I give them my a hundred percent of what happened and how I feel and what’s on my mind. I mean, I’m not there trying to persuade anyone or make them think of me a certain type of way. I’m just there to do what’s right and to do the right thing. I’m there to make change and do what I’m saying I’m doing. And so there is no real prep for me. I kind of just do it. You just got to do it.

AB: So obviously we’ve all seen the images of you testifying, but I would love to know when you’re testifying, what are you looking at? What are you seeing and hearing? What does that feel like?

GR: When I’m testifying, as I’m speaking, I just try to block everything out. Everyone who’s in there, I kind of just block it out, and I just focus on my paper, focus on speaking, focus on looking past everyone. I did get a little emotional when I was speaking because, like I said, I don’t really prepare. And so just talking about it and in that moment when I just block everyone out, just going back there, I did go back there a little bit. And so I did get emotional a little bit.

I just kind of take it for what it is, and it’s a different experience. I’m honestly a private person. I do stuff by myself. I am not a fan of being in the public eye. I am not this person who likes to share his life and everything I’m going through. I don’t open up much. I stay to myself. And so it’s completely different. It’s taken me on a completely different track. And even though I’m not this open person, I’ve really adapted really well.

And so I don’t know, honestly, it’s been fun. If I’m being honest with you, if I’m doing all this, I try not to look at the bad, all the terrible stuff that’s happened. You got to find the light in it. So I’ve just been finding the light in all this stuff, being there, and testifying. It was cool. It was like, I don’t know, normally people don’t get to do all that stuff. And so just being this kid from Ventura and having the life that I’ve lived so far, it’s just been really cool and just really interesting and so eye-opening. I honestly enjoy being given these opportunities even though I didn’t ask for it. And so it’s honestly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, even though it’s for a terrible situation, you gotta make both the best of it. And so that’s what I’m doing.

AB: I was also really, really moved by, I think there were four people testifying with you. I wonder if you had the opportunity to talk to those folks at all and share experiences?

GR: I did get to talk to them. We met in a congressperson’s office before the hearing. And it was cool. I mean, we got to talk to each other. And I mean, I try to lighten up the mood and just talk them through it because I was able to see visually and just from the way they were talking, that they were nervous, that they just felt like it was a lot.

So I just tried my best to calm ‘em down, try to make them comfortable. And it was really nice to be able to have this connection with other people who have been through the same stuff, even though it’s not the best connection, but to really understand what someone else had gone through.

And not everyone handles it the same, so I’m glad that I was able to really lighten up their mood and just give them some positivity. Because even though it is terrible what happened to us, we’re all here to speak and to make change so that this doesn’t continue to happen.

AB: What was it like for you hearing what had happened to them?

GR: It was terrible. It’s very aggravating. It’s disappointing. I mean, I honestly hate seeing stuff like that. It’s just so terrible. You never want to see any badge or any person of authority abusing their power and subjecting other people to harm for that power. So honestly, it frustrates me. It makes me upset. It makes me just, honestly, it angers me.

AB: Me too.

GR: It makes me so upset. It’s so upsetting. Just seeing and hearing all these stories, what happened to other people. All I want to do, and all I try to do, is help other people and just look out for other people. And so just hearing all these stories and seeing what people are going through, and it’s just like, ‘Well, damn, I wish I could just help you.’ That’s all I want to do.

‘I wish I could have been there to help you. I wish I could have done something to stop all this from happening to you. I wish I could just help all you guys and make all this fucking pain stop and just make it never happen.’

And it sucks. Honestly, it sucks hearing all their stories. It sucks knowing that all that happened

AB: So this is so random, but I noticed you were wearing these earrings while you were testifying, and I am very curious about the earrings and what they were and why you decided to wear them. Because I am interested in aesthetic choices.

GR: Thank you so much for noticing those. I appreciate it. I know I got them because they looked really cool. But yeah, one of them was a cherry blossom, and the other one was just a stack.

The cherry blossoms, I mean, I just love the thought of cherry blossoms. They’re just so beautiful, and it’s just a symbol of just renewal every time they regrow. Every single time. It’s just this rebirth of beautifulness. And so that’s why I wore the cherry blossoms that day, it was just the significance of what a cherry blossom means.

For everyone standing up there and testifying and just everyone that’s held down, it was more of just a symbol of, even though all this is happening, we will grow from this. This isn’t forever.

And so there will come a time where things will change and things will be different, And we’re not going to let all this terrible stuff hold us down.

AB: Totally. Have you seen or interacted with ICE or CBP since you were detained? I’m just curious.

GR: No, I have not. I haven’t seen them, haven’t drove by any of that. I haven’t seen any of them since.

AB: And so you did not go back to work at Glass House, and your employer suspended you? That’s so weird to me. The suspension part.

GR: Yeah. Also, I didn’t specifically work for Glasshouse. I worked for a third-party security company. Glasshouse Farms just contracted them out.

AB: Thank you for clarifying

GR: My security company put me on suspension until I was able to prove that I was innocent.

AB: Wow. And you have not gone back to work for that security company, is that right?

GR: Yeah, I have not gone back to work for ‘em.

AB: I’m just curious, are you employed right now? I say that understanding that you’re very busy with all of these interviews.

GR: I’m looking for a job. I’ve been going to interviews and stuff, but I mean, so I’ve had interviews. I’m just waiting for these callbacks to see, to get a job, if I’m being honest with you.

AB: So you not only were traumatized and incarcerated, you also lost your job.

GR: Yeah. And so I don’t know. It’s kind of crazy because I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I didn’t want to be a security guard all my life. It was just easy. And it’s just something I’ve always done. And I’m only — was only — 25 at the time. And so it’s like I have no clue what I still want to do for the rest of my life, even going through all this… I still have so much life to live.

AB: Yes, you do.

GR: I’m just trying to get a job right now just to get money coming in to provide for my kids and myself. And so, yeah. So you could add in there if I’m looking for a job, if anyone is open.

AB: Is there any particular type of work that you’re pursuing?

GR: I’m a very open person. I’ve gone to the school for so many [things]. I went, I got my CDL license to drive a semi-truck. I went to dental assistant school to become a dental assistant. And so I’ve bounced around just exploring what there is in this world and what I want to do for the rest of my life. So I’m very open to figuring out what that next step is for me. So anything, honestly.

AB: You’re very clearly a smart and kind person with strong values, so I have no doubt that you’ll find the thing for you. But also, I have a lot of empathy for you just going through this situation. It’s incredibly fucked up. But I also know that the community is proud of you.

GR: Thank you. I really appreciate it.

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As the sun rose over the Ojai Valley on Tuesday, December 16th, Ojai resident Christopher Cantu witnessed two individuals taken into custody by apparent federal officers, he said.

Ojai Police Chief Steve Jenkins confirmed ICE (U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement) was in Meiners Oaks on the morning of Dec. 16th “for one target, one person with a warrant. I think they were here for about three hours waiting, trying to see the person — I think — come out of the house,” he said.

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Cantu, a volunteer with immigrants’ rights organization VC Defensa, began driving toward Meiners Oaks from the Mira Monte area at approximately 6:40 a.m. on Dec. 16th, he said. On a side street off of El Roblar Ave., Cantu said he witnessed an individual with their hands behind their back being put into an unmarked vehicle by a masked officer. The vehicle, a blue Nissan Murano, had dark-tinted windows and flashing emergency lights, Cantu observed.

Another masked officer on the scene, Cantu said, was wearing a law-enforcement-style vest with the acronym “ERO.” (ERO stands for Enforcement and Removal Operations, it’s part of ICE.)

“Once they pulled away, I followed,” Cantu said. He followed the Murano for another minute and a half and arrived at the intersection of La Luna and El Roblar Ave., where Cantu observed a group of four or five vehicles gathered, partially blocking the road. He pulled over and saw a man with salt and pepper colored hair being handcuffed and placed into an unmarked vehicle.

The federal officers exited the scene shortly thereafter, and Cantu followed. They left by way of Ojai Avenue to Highway 33, he said. In just 15 minutes, he had observed two men taken into apparent federal custody.

According to VC Defensa and fellow immigrants’ rights organization 805UndocuFund, those weren’t the only two men taken into federal custody in the Ojai Valley that day.

“We can confirm there were at least three men taken yesterday in Meiners Oaks,” a representative from VC Defensa said Dec. 17th.

According to Beatriz Basurto of 805 Undocufund, however, that number is four. At least.

According to Basurto, there were two men taken into federal custody at the El Roblar and La Luna intersection, both from the same vehicle. “I think that’s plausible that as I arrived, I was seeing them put a second guy in [the unmarked ICE vehicle],” Cantu reflected. According to Basurto, another man was taken into federal custody along El Roblar Drive between 5:30-6 a.m. Including the two individuals Cantu witnessed being taken into custody, that makes four.

Basurto’s information comes from the families of the individuals taken into federal custody, she said. 805UndocuFund does not share any personal information regarding individuals targeted by ICE, or their families. (Understandable.)

So, exactly how many people were taken from the Ojai Valley by federal immigration officers on the morning of December 16th? The extremely uncomfortable answer is: I don’t know.

I’ve reached out to ICE’s public affairs team with some pretty basic questions: how many individuals ICE took into custody, what crimes are alleged, and how many federal officers were in the Ojai Valley on Dec. 16th. My questions were acknowledged, but never answered.

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office can’t answer those questions either. “Keep in mind, they’re trying to tell me the bare minimum as they can, because they don’t want me sharing information either,” Police Chief Jenkins said. He does not know if ICE officials arrested their “target” on December 16th. “They didn’t tell me. And I’ll be honest, I didn’t call to ask.”

The California Values Act (also known as SB 54) prevents state and local law enforcement from participating in immigration enforcement. “SB 54 prevents us from assisting them in any way, as far as making the arrest or identifying someone. We don’t share information with them… We wouldn’t go and assist with the arrest. If they asked us, we would decline,” Jenkins explained, adding, “The only thing we can assist with is if they’re taking rocks and bottles.”

Jenkins stepped into the Ojai Police Chief role on April 13, 2025. Over those eight months, he’s received six notifications of ICE operations in the valley, including on December 16th. The next most recent ICE operation in Ojai for which Jenkins received a notification was July 9th.

However, Jenkins also confirmed that a VCSO deputy spotted ICE officials in the Ojai Valley on a seventh date, without receiving any formal notification.1

I asked Jenkins for comment on the witness account of two arrests, and 805UndocuFund’s account of four, given that he was informed of “one target.”

“They’ve told me this before,” Jenkins explained, referring to ICE officials. “If they’re looking for someone and they contact a second person with that person and their status is illegal, they will take that second person as well.”

There are two things I want to highlight before moving on. First, ICE can ask an individual’s immigration status, but that individual has the legal right to remain silent. Second, there’s an ongoing legal fight about what constitutes “reasonable suspicion” that an individual is in the U.S. illegally.

Readers, what we’re talking about is the federal government using racial profiling as “reasonable suspicion” that an individual is in the United States illegally.2

Brief Legal Interlude: Noem el al v. Perdomo et al.

On July 11th, U.S. District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong for the Central District of California issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) preventing federal immigration officials in the Central District (which includes Los Angeles, Ventura, and Santa Barbara counties) from using race, ethnicity, or an individual’s language skills as “reasonable suspicion” that an individual may be in the United States illegally.

Judge Frimpong’s 52-page court order includes the following observations:

• “May the federal government conduct immigration enforcement — even large-scale immigration enforcement — in Los Angeles? Yes, it may.”

• “Do all individuals — regardless of immigration status — share in rights guaranteed by the Fourth and Fifth Amendments to the Constitution? Yes, they do.”

• “Is it illegal to conduct roving patrols which identify people based upon race alone, aggressively question them, and then detain them without a warrant, without their consent, and without reasonable suspicion that they are without status? Yes, it is.”

As part of the TRO, Frimpong ordered that ICE officers may not solely rely on the following four factors (alone or in combination) to form “reasonable suspicion” when stopping or detaining an individual. The four factors are:

• Apparent race or ethnicity;

• Speaking Spanish or English with an accent;

• Presence in a particular location (like a bus stop, car wash, tow yard, day laborer pick-up site, agricultural site, etc.); or

• The type of work one does.

The federal government appealed Frimpong’s order, but the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, “in sum,” agreed with the district court. The U.S. Supreme Court, however, did not.

On September 8th, the Supreme Court weighed in via its “emergency docket,” or “shadow docket,” and voted to pause Frimpong’s order. Justice Brett Kavanaugh invoked “common sense.”

“To be clear, apparent ethnicity alone cannot furnish reasonable suspicion; under this Court’s case law regarding immigration stops, however, it can be a ‘relevant factor’ when considered along with other salient factors… Under this Court’s precedents, not to mention common sense, those circumstances taken together can constitute at least reasonable suspicion of illegal presence in the United States.”

Supreme Court Justice Sonya Sotomayor filed a scathing dissenting opinion, writing:

“We should not have to live in a country where the Government can seize anyone who looks Latino, speaks Spanish, and appears to work a low-wage job. Rather than stand idly by while our constitutional freedoms are lost, I dissent.”

Remember: the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution protects “the right of the people… against unreasonable searches and seizures... but upon probable cause.”

It seems that a Supreme Court majority has signed off on racial profiling as probable cause.

Let’s turn our attention back to ICE’s operation in the Ojai Valley Dec. 16th.

One local woman, Rachel Oakland, told me that one of the men taken into ICE custody on Tuesday worked as her gardener. For the purposes of this story, let’s call him Juan.

“Tuesday [December 16th], my two guys that work on my yard didn’t come on time,” 95-year-old Oakland, a longtime Ojai Valley resident, explained.3 “But finally they came, and I was teasing one of them, saying, ‘I guess it was too cold for you.’ And he said, ‘No, no.’ He said that ICE had shown up this morning in Meiners Oaks and had taken [my gardener], his buddy. [ICE had] followed him in his car and dragged him out of his car and took him away… I totally fell apart because my parents were immigrants from Mexico many, many years ago.”

Juan’s employer did not wish to be named publicly — we’ll call him Fernando. (This story is full of pseudonyms, folks.4) Fernando confirmed that Juan was deported to Tijuana. I asked him how he is feeling in the wake of Juan’s detainment and deportation.

“Muy mal. Muy mal porque no son personas criminales. Son personas trabajadoras que vienen a trabajar para mantener sus familias.” Translation: “Very bad. Very bad because they are not criminals. They are hardworking people who come to work to support their families,” he said.

Fernando said that Juan had been in the United States for four years and had worked for him for one.

“Yo sé y todos sabemos que estamos en un país que no es de nosotros, ¿verdad? Pero no vinimos a hacerle mal a nadie. Y si ellos llegaran y hablaran bien, como personas, estaría bien. Pero llegan como animales ellos.” Translation: “I know, and we all know that we’re in a country that isn’t ours, right? But we didn’t come here to harm anyone. And if they were to come and talk to us nicely, like human beings, that would be fine. But they come like animals,” Fernando added.

The owner of a separate local landscaping company confirmed that another one of the men detained Dec. 16th — let’s call him Jorge — was his employee. This business owner also asked to remain anonymous — let’s call him Sam.

Sam confirmed that Jorge is in ICE detention currently, and that he has legal representation. Jorge has worked for Sam for the past 12 years.

“He’s in the process of becoming legal,” Sam said of Jorge. “They know that. For them to continue to detain him… It’s insane.”

Sam added angrily, “We are paying to put these guys in a detention center. Our [tax] money is going toward that.”

Sam’s right. Recall: President Donald Trump and Republican members of Congress passed President Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” on July 4, 2025 on a party-line vote. The bill, in addition to slashing social safety net programs like Medicaid and SNAP, dumped $165 billion into the Department of Homeland Security, with $45 billion going to detention centers and another $30 billion going to ICE.

Under this so-called “beautiful” law, "ICE and Border Patrol agents will also receive a $10,000 bonus for the next four years,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said in a press statement.

Community members expressed fear, concern, and disbelief about ICE’s presence in the Ojai Valley and wider Ventura County in the days and weeks leading up to Dec. 16th.

On Dec. 2nd, some 50 community members gathered for a Know Your Rights workshop with VC Defensa. The session, organized by the Nordhoff Parent Association and Ojai Rising, was primarily hosted in Spanish and focused on practical guidance for community members if confronted by ICE.

I’ll note that the Department of Homeland Security (ICE is one part of DHS) has publicly called VC Defensa a “violent group” and “a network that regularly impedes and obstructs law enforcement.”5

I’ll also note that federal agents are documented on video ramming into the vehicle of VC Defensa organizer Leo Martinez back in October. Subsequent reporting showed that those federal officers provided false statements to the Oxnard Police regarding the incident.

Martinez hosted the bulk of the December 2nd meeting in Ojai, alongside fellow VC Defensa volunteer Lainy Yompian.

Here’s a quick rundown of our collective rights in the event of a confrontation with federal agents. (Remember — like Judge Frimpong affirmed — the Constitution applies to everyone in the United States, regardless of citizenship status.)

• You have the right to refuse to speak to an ICE agent. You can decline to answer any questions, specifically about your birthplace and immigration status.

• You have the right to demand a warrant before you let anyone into your home or workplace.

• You have the right to speak to a lawyer and the right to make a phone call.

• You have the right to refuse to sign anything before you talk to a lawyer.

• You have the right to refuse to show any documents before speaking with a lawyer.

If ICE is in the area, Yompian recommends creating “degrees of separation” between vulnerable people and federal agents, like a locked door. Federal officials cannot legally enter a private home or workplace without a warrant signed by a judge, she explained.

“One of the main questions that we get in these [Know Your Rights] workshops is, ‘Is it legal for [ICE] to act the way they act?’ Or, ‘I saw a video on TikTok [where] they broke someone’s window. Is that legal?’” Yompian reflected. “And most of the time the answer is, ‘no, it’s not, it’s an abuse of power.’”

One local parent who wished to remain anonymous shared her thoughts about ICE presence in the area. Let’s call her Carmen.

“Our Hispanic community is suffering right now with the ICE attacks around our county,” Carmen said. “Everybody outside with brown skin is at risk… We need everyone to fight with us.”

Carmen, whose children attend school in the Ojai Unified School District (OUSD), recounted in Spanish how her young daughter told her that she has a plan to distract ICE agents if they come to her school — so that her undocumented friend will have a chance to run.

“Eso es algo muy difícil de creerlo como papá, como mamá, pero es algo que está pasando,” Carmen said. Translation: This is something very difficult to believe as a parent, but it’s what is happening.

On December 15th, the night before ICE agents took an unknown number of people from the Ojai Valley, the OUSD School Board revisited its own policies relating to student privacy and immigration enforcement. They also discussed a draft letter to OUSD families regarding those policies. (Remember: all children are legally entitled to a public education, regardless of ability, language, or immigration status.)6

The Board didn’t take formal action during their Dec. 15th session, but they heard plenty of heart-rending comments from the public. One local parent described how her young son has become afraid of the sound of a knock at their door.

“When someone is knocking the door, he runs to the closet. He’s scared. He’s afraid. Please,” she begged.

OUSD Superintendent Sherrill Knox affirmed that if ICE officials attempted to enter an OUSD campus without a warrant, the campus would lock down. “We’ve had those conversations. It is real and on everybody’s mind who works on these sites, and they care,” Knox said. She confirmed that ICE has not attempted to enter an OUSD campus.

On Dec. 17th, Superintendent Knox sent a message to OUSD families acknowledging the ICE operation in Meiners Oaks the previous day, stating in part:

“We want to be very clear: Ojai Unified School District schools are safe places for all students. School site leaders are trained to follow established protocols, and ICE agents will not be permitted on any school campus unless they present a valid, signed judicial warrant. Without such a warrant, access to our campuses will be denied.

“Our schools do not inquire about the immigration status of students or families, and we do not collect or share such information. Our focus remains on providing a safe, welcoming, and inclusive learning environment where every child can learn and thrive.”

On Dec. 29th, (as I endeavor to wrap up this story) 805UndocuFund issued a “community alert” regarding what they called “escalating ICE raids across the Central Coast.”

Over the weekend of Dec. 27-28th, 805UndocuFund and partners confirmed “58 ICE kidnappings across the Central Coast,” referring to operations in Santa Maria, San Luis Obispo, Lompoc, Santa Maria and Santa Barbara.

805UndocuFund’s community alert follows a a Dec. 28th Washington Post report on federal immigration agents’ increased presence in communities nationwide.

Another recent analysis of ICE data by The Guardian shows that the number of people in U.S. immigration detention reached an all-time-high on Dec. 14th. They also found that immigrants with no criminal record make up the largest group in immigration detention.

Still, DHS officials continue to insist they are “targeting the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens — including murderers, rapists, gang members, pedophiles, and terrorists.”

I asked Sam — the boss of one of the detained men — for comment on this accusation.

“It’s complete bullshit,” he said.

Readers, this is a story full of uncomfortable questions and too few answers.

One of my interviewees, another individual I’m not going to name, looked at me, shook his head, and said:

“It’s some Anne Frank shit that’s going on.”

Indeed.

I recommend that readers who wish to stay up-to-date on ICE action in the Ojai Valley sign up for alerts from 805Undocufund and/or VC Defensa.

As always, thank you for being here.

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“Somewhere in the weeks before, it’s going to hit me,” Brad said. “I’m performing where Miles Davis and Tchaikovsky played.”

That was Ojai’s Brad Halverson quoted in the Los Angeles Times back in 2002. Halverson, then 16 years old, was preparing to perform alongside more than 100 Nordhoff High School band and choir students at New York City’s Carnegie Hall.

Brad tragically died of a heart attack on Aug. 27, his parents, Dr. Jim and Robyn Halverson, said. Brad was planning to marry his fiancée, Nicole Jahng, on Oct. 25 in Ojai.

Brad and Nicole met in 2019, as pit orchestra musicians for Nordhoff High School’s production of “Crazy for You.” Brad was on the drums, Nicole was on the cello, and Jim served as producer.

For the Halverson family, the Nordhoff High School musical has been a family affair since 2000. That’s when Brad’s older sister, Jenna Halverson, a singer, took the stage. While Jenna was singing, Jim and Brad were in the pit orchestra, playing trumpet and saxophone, respectively.

In the weeks before he died, Brad celebrated his 39th birthday and his bachelor’s party.

“I will never understand this beautiful, terrible life,” Nicole wrote, reflecting on her fiancé’s passing. “Brad is gone painfully too soon, but I am the luckiest woman to have spent the last six and a half years living the best life with him.”

Community members will remember Brad by the diverse talents he shared with the valley: He was a virtuoso musician, performer, and founder of Ojai’s Chief Peak Builders.

“Brad was one of those musicians who could teach himself almost any instrument,” fellow saxophone player and close friend Rubén Salinas reflected. The two went through the Nordhoff music program together. “Though he played saxophone, he also played drums and bass and would teach himself Incubus songs after listening to them for a few hours.” Salinas remembered: “Once in high school, there was an important bassoon part in a piece we were doing — but nobody played bassoon. When [Nordhoff Music Director Bill] Wagner asked if anyone wanted to try and play it, Brad took the bassoon home over the weekend and came back able to not just play the little bassoon solo, he could play the bassoon effortlessly.”

Learning to play the bassoon, Wagner said, should take a musician “a good, solid year. I actually wrote a piece specifically for Brad on bassoon for that Carnegie Hall performance,” he remembered.

Brad was more than a musician, Wagner was sure to mention.

“It was Brad’s junior year that he decided instead of playing in the orchestra pit, he wanted to be on stage.” The musical that year was “Fiddler on the Roof.” “He came in at the last minute to take the audition and sang ‘Happy Birthday’ for us,” Wagner recalled with a laugh. “Not prepared at all.” Halverson was cast in the lead role as Tevye. “He had a gift, obviously,” Wagner remarked. Learning to play the bassoon, Wagner said, should take a musician “a good, solid year. I actually wrote a piece specifically for Brad on bassoon for that Carnegie Hall performance,” he remembered.

Like many who grew up in Ojai, Brad departed the valley after graduating from Nordhoff High School in 2004. He moved to San Francisco in 2008, where he composed music for television and commercials. Brad joined the U.S. Army Reserves in 2010, Jim said.

And like many children of Ojai, Brad eventually made his way back home to Ventura County — for him it was 2015.

Kelly Nimmer, who attended school with Brad, remembers reconnecting with her old classmate on the first night of the Thomas Fire: Dec. 4, 2017. Kelly, who owns Mission Beekeeping with her husband, Steve Nimmer, described being woken up by a phone call around midnight, with the news that her family’s 160 beehives in West Ventura were in the path of the blaze. Kelly pleaded for assistance on Facebook. Brad, then based in Oxnard, answered her call.

“He spent the entire night moving dozens of beehives onto Steve’s trailer until dawn, saving our young business,” Kelly remembered. “The whole time he was relaxed, good-spirited, and steadfast.” Brad was wearing flip-flops throughout the evacuation, Steve added, getting stung repeatedly without complaint.

Brad helped the Nimmers save half their hives that night, Kelly remembered, and stood with the couple in solidarity while the flames engulfed the rest. “We will never forget his spirit of generosity that night. Instead of running away from the fire, he ran toward it, for no reason other than to help.”

Tara Saylor, another Nordhoff High School classmate, remembered reconnecting with Brad during the Thomas Fire, too. One of Saylor’s clearest memories of that night is Brad on the roof of a family friend’s home, soaking it with a garden hose. “That was Brad,” she said. “Brad did so much for Ojai.”

After finishing his commitment to the Army Reserves in 2019, Brad was ready for a career change. Inspiration came in an unexpected place: an old chain link fence in his parents’ Ojai back yard. After carefully building a 100-foot redwood enclosure in the old chain link’s place, Brad turned to Robyn and said, “I could do this for a living,” Jim remembered. And he did.

That was the beginning of Brad’s business, Chief Peak Builders, a licensed framing contractor. (A framing contractor is responsible for the “bones” of any building project, colleague Johnathon Maxson explained.)

Since 2020, Maxson worked with Brad on projects across the Ojai Valley, including the Nordhoff administration buildings, the iconic trellis at Ojai City Hall, and a new bus and Trolley stop on Ojai Avenue in the downtown Bank of America parking lot.

“There are things that Brad has built in this town that will be there for 100 years,” Maxson said.

When he died, Brad had six employees and five ongoing building projects, his father said.

Jim shared a memory of his last Sunday evening with his son, at Oak View’s Ojai Pizza, where they had dinner with Robyn and Nicole. “At least four or five people came up to him,” Jim said, and Brad proudly introduced his mom, dad, and fiancée. Later, Jim, a well-known local doctor, remembers Brad saying: “‘Dad, I’ve just got to tell you something: That’s the first time we ever went out to dinner when more people knew me than knew you. That was really cool.’”

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Welcome to fall. The City of Ojai received its first precipitation of the season this week — about 1.91 inches of rain, according to data from Ventura County Public Works (VCPW). That’s 726% of our average rainfall for this time of year, VCPW says. It’s a data point I find kind of amusing. (The 25-26 rain year began on October 1.)

But that’s not the reason I’m writing you today. I want to remind readers that our community will gather this coming Monday, October 20th, at the Ojai Valley Brewery for fun, conversation, and fellowship!

And, I have a special surprise! I’m bringing along a bag of carefully collected Lake Superior beach rocks, and will invite attendees select their favorite. I know — random! Let me explain…

I recently came home from a trip to Michigan, where I explored the Upper Peninsula and Lake Superior, and visited family in the “mitten” (lower Michigan).

Readers, I cannot express the degree to which I am obsessed with the Great Lakes. I have a particular love of Lake Superior, which holds ten percent of our Earth’s freshwater!

Superior, known by the Ojibwe people as “Gichigami,” or “Great Sea,” is beautiful and dynamic and dangerous. Superior herself is responsible for more than 500 shipwrecks, some of which have never been located. (Ever heard of the Edmund Fitzgerald? That was Lake Superior.) The Ojibwe people traditionally navigated the region, including wild Superior, in canoes carved from birch trees. In total, the five Great Lakes account for more than 20% of our planet’s freshwater.

Amazing, no?!

The more time I spend exploring the area, and the more reading I do, I realize how fundamental the Great Lakes are — to our planet, to Indigenous Americans, to the histories and economies of western European nations and the United States.1

My Lake Superior fixation, lately, has morphed into a geology fixation. The Great Lakes rock! Once you learn a bit about geology, you realize that each individual rock, each cliff, each beach, tells a story. The rocky beaches of Lake Superior provide a window into the formation of the Earth, and tell a story of massive glacier retreat. It’s all in the rocks.

So, readers, I spent many meditative hours sitting on one of Lake Superior’s beaches, scanning infinite rocks, each unique in color, size, and materials. I picked out “special” rocks and toted them home in an old ice cream bucket with a Green Bay Packers logo.2

Later, I sorted the contents of the bucket on the kitchen table of an AirBNB. Only the extremely special survived; the rest were returned to Lake Superior.

The chosen rocks (I know I sound insane, but whatever) eventually made their way to my backpack, which I toted through security at the Detroit airport and onward to LAX. One TSA agent held my backpack, looked at me and inquired, “What do you got in here, rocks?”

Yes. About 15 pounds of rocks. Special rocks, all individually shaped by Lake Superior. And I’m toting these rocks to the Ojai Valley Brewery on Monday the 20th, where I will invite you to choose your favorite(s)!

In closing, please enjoy this photo of my eldest cousin’s eldest son, Julian, up a tree. I’m gladdened that some things never change.

I look forward to seeing some of you on Monday.

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This week marks the two-year anniversary of this publication, Local Hero. Thank you for being here.

Over the past 24 months, I’ve written 59 stories in this space, adding up to about 125,000 words.1 That data point shocks me, inspires me, and also makes me feel a little unhinged. In an empowered way.

I also want to invite you to my forthcoming (third-ever!) Subscriber Happy Hour at the Ojai Valley Brewery, Monday October 20th from 5-8 p.m. Save the date for conversation with fellow community members about current events, and support two local businesses!

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Given the occasion, I figured now would be a good time to give folks a little insight into the work paid subscribers support, my ongoing projects, and how this publication has evolved.

First, the basics: the work in this space requires research, reporting trips, interviews, photos, follow-up interviews, writing, editing, more editing, fact-checking, more editing, significant nerve, and a touch of OCD.

At present, I produce Local Hero with the support of approximately 150 paid subscribers and 640 total readers. Paid subscribers — $10 per month or $100 per year — receive access to all of my work, the archives, and the comment section 🎉. (Ten percent of subscription fees go to the Substack platform, for the record.) If you are one of those readers who hasn’t purchased a subscription. I invite you to consider it today.

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I recognize and respect that there are plenty of folks who cannot afford the subscription fee. I’ll happily gift a free trial to anyone who asks — just send me a note2 or talk to me in the comments section. I also genuinely enjoy trades — shout out to the Sunday farmers market vendor who gives me a discount on vegetables in return for a subscription ☺️. For readers who can’t subscribe, but want to support this work: please share it with others who may be interested. Word-of-mouth is my primary means of advertising.

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Readers who have extra are invited to purchase a “founding subscription” for $200 annually, make a donation to support this work, or purchase a gift subscription for another reader. (You can pick the recipient, or I can.)

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One final word on subscriptions: you can also share a subscription with a friend or family member — and receive a discount!

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I want to acknowledge that I could not do this work without the support of my interviewees. There are folks whose names you’ll read in my stories, and others who remain unnamed. I’m grateful to everyone who takes the time to help me understand their story or expertise, and to everyone who grants me their trust.

Local Hero is not my full-time job — but I kind of treat it like it is.3 I also manage various contract copywriting gigs, along with a little universe of local house sitting clients — many of whom are also subscribers! I am often working on Local Hero in the company of at least one of my animal charges: dogs, cats, and occasionally a flock of chickens. Truly: I have conducted many interviews and typed thousands of words for this publication while sitting in subscribers’ homes, with one of their pets staring at me. And I think that’s kind of hilarious.

This work is nothing if not engaging. It can be thrilling, fulfilling, and disturbing. My last few stories — involving ICE raids, domestic violence, and murder — have particularly weighed on me. At the same time, I have an extreme sense of clarity of purpose. I feel that there are stories that are worth making myself uncomfortable.

I’ve also come to realize that even as I focus on local events, I’m also documenting our democracy’s decline into authoritarianism. I feel it’s important to be explicit about what I’m observing, and the degree to which I am alarmed.4 To be clear: Local Hero is a pro-democracy, pro-facts space. Those values are currently under attack by our federal government.

As someone who documents facts that can be politically inconvenient, I am frightened about what the future holds. But I’m also resolved.5 Perhaps that’s naive, but it’s where I’ve arrived.

Another thing I want to say about this space — and this is again thanks to subscriber support — is that I enjoy and appreciate the freedom to move with the news. There are times when I’ll be quiet for as long as six weeks, buried in a research hole, until I emerge with many thousand artfully arranged and fact-checked words. Then there are times where I’m in your inbox multiple times a day with breaking news events.

I make a lot of judgement calls about what to cover, and where to focus my time. There is also the simple truth that I am one person with multiple jobs, who can only write one story at a time.6

In general, I think of our Ojai Valley News (OVN) as the place community members can go for day-to-day news, and Local Hero as a space that provides deep context, analysis and commentary. The OVN staff is composed of a lot of folks I’ve known for a long time, and I think they do great work for our community. I am consistently impressed by reporter Kimberly Rivers’ ability to cover local news while also completing law school. I’ll also note that I am an active participant on OVN’s Facebook page and in their in Letters to the Editor section. (I can’t help myself.)

Tabulating this publication’s word count also gave me the opportunity to reflect on the subjects I’ve covered over the past two years: everything from housing and homelessness to a controversial local pickleball court to the separation of church and state to the future of our local agriculture industry. I’ve also written myriad profile pieces, conducted longform interviews with local leaders, documented my own family history, my chronic health condition, and my love of baking. I have a lot of interests, and I relish having the space to explore them.

One of the most meaningful projects I’ve taken on in this space is my ongoing series about the City of Ojai’s $12.7 million state grant to construct permanent supportive housing for 30 chronically homeless community members (the Cabin Village). With support from subscribers, I’m dedicated to covering the project until the residents of Ojai Tent Town are housed and the grant funding is exhausted.

Speaking of which: the next story you’ll see in this space will be an update on the Cabin Village and the debate surrounding it — unless some extraordinary breaking news occurs in the interim. (It might!)

In addition to my ongoing Cabin Village coverage, I have a collection of various longform stories in progress, including:

• An update on the ongoing lawsuit against Councilwoman Leslie Rule;

• An investigation into ICE operations in the Ojai Valley;

• An investigation into the various government claims from former City of Ojai employees;

• An update on the Ojai Unified School District’s workforce housing proposal;

• And, a look at the Trump Administration’s potential impact on open space around the Ojai Valley.

It’s possible that some of this content will merge into some other yet-to-break or yet-to-be-conceived-of story. That’s the thrill/horror of this work: I never know where it’s going.

Now, I’d love to hear from you. Are there topics you’d like to see me cover? Folks you’d like me to interview? Themes you’d wish I’d STFU about? I’m open to your feedback and constructive criticism. The comments section is open!

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Again, thank you for being here. I hope to see you on October 20th.

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I’ve been quiet for a few weeks, and I owe you an update. There’s a lot on my heart right now. Maybe you’re feeling that, too.

About two weeks ago now, I had my first seizure in nearly five years. And then I had another one. It’s such an emotionally confusing thing to share because a) I have zero memory of these events, and b) honestly, truly, I am fine.

I wrote about my journey with epilepsy here, if you’re interested in learning more about seizures or seizure first aid. Seizures are relatively common: the CDC says one in ten Americans will likely have a seizure in their lifetime. That means we’re all likely to witness one.

In the wake of a seizure, I feel profoundly tired and confused and emotionally rattled. This time, I slept on and off for about three days. An increased dosage of medication has left me feeling generally drowsy, and I am presently sleeping about ten hours a night. That said, I’ve dealt with this condition since I was a teen: none of this is new to me.

Thankfully, I’ve already had the opportunity to speak to my neurologist (hi, Dr. Hammoudi). I have a good understanding of what triggered these seizures (sleep deprivation; dumb ass) and a renewed recognition of my own limits. My brain is unique, and I need to take special care of it.

When I came back into the world post-seizure, I received news that hit me like a truck.

I struggle to type it, honestly.

Brad Halverson graduated from Nordhoff High School in 2004, one year ahead of me. He died suddenly from a heart attack on August 27th. He was preparing to marry his partner, Nicole Jahng, in October.

I didn’t know Brad well; I knew him the way you know someone you grow up with — through mutual friends and smiles around town. I know Brad’s father as a member of Ojai’s School Board. I remember his older sister as a fellow Ojai horse girl.

If you live locally, you’d know Brad by the diverse talents he shared with the community: as a multi-instrumentalist who contributed to Nordhoff High School’s annual musical, or as builder who has erected literal infrastructure across our valley.

Typing Brad’s name in this context feels intolerable and wrong. And of course, given my own medical event, I feel shocked by the knowledge that I regained consciousness, and Brad did not. I cannot make sense of this — there is no sense in this.

The only thing I know for sure is that news of Brad’s tragic passing jolted me out of the self-pity in which I was stewing. Because I’m still here. We are all still here.

When I don’t know what or how to feel, I write. So, knowing that the Ojai Valley News (OVN) would cover Brad’s passing, I reached out to my friends at the paper and asked if I could do it.

I get impulses about stories sometimes — I simply must write the thing. This was one such scenario. I pitched the story to the OVN on Tuesday. Editor Marianne Ratcliff gave Brad’s story an entire page in today’s paper. That’s an extraordinary act of care from our local newspaper. I’m thankful to live in a community where such things are possible.

Many of the individuals I interviewed for Brad’s story are folks I know personally. He and I share a few close friends in common. I was particularly moved by this image of Brad and our mutual friend Rubén Salinas, both of whom became tremendous musicians through the Nordhoff High School music department.

I was prepared for this interview process to devastate me — and it did — but there was laughter and joy, too. This little anecdote from Nordhoff Music Director Bill Wagner delighted me.

“It was Brad’s junior year that he decided instead of playing in the orchestra pit, he wanted to be on stage.” The musical that year was ‘Fiddler on the Roof.’ “He came in at the last minute to take the audition and sang ‘Happy Birthday’ for us,” Wagner recalled with a laugh. “Not prepared at all.” Halverson was cast in the lead role as Tevye. “He had a gift, obviously,” Wagner remarked.

Brad’s passing is undeniably, intolerably tragic. But his story is also inspiring — because so much of it is about service to the community. Take this story from another one of our mutual high school classmates:

Kelly Nimmer, who attended school with Brad, remembers reconnecting with her old classmate on the first night of the Thomas Fire: Dec. 4, 2017. Kelly, who owns Mission Beekeeping with her husband, Steve Nimmer, described being woken up by a phone call around midnight, with the news that her family’s 160 beehives in West Ventura were in the path of the blaze. Kelly pleaded for assistance on Facebook. Brad, then based in Oxnard, answered her call.

“He spent the entire night moving dozens of beehives onto Steve’s trailer until dawn, saving our young business,” Kelly remembered. “The whole time he was relaxed, good-spirited, and steadfast.” Brad was wearing flip-flops throughout the evacuation, Steve added, getting stung repeatedly without complaint.

Brad helped the Nimmers save half their hives that night, Kelly remembered, and stood with the couple in solidarity while the flames engulfed the rest. “We will never forget his spirit of generosity that night. Instead of running away from the fire, he ran toward it, for no reason other than to help.”

Brad shared his gifts with the community. I am inspired to do the same thing, in my way. Perhaps you are too.

And readers, I regret to inform you that I have more sad news to report. The day after Brad passed, another member of our community followed: John Brooks.

John was one of my most enthusiastic readers and supporters. We shared a love for journalism, social justice, and our natural environment. Every time I issued a story, I could bet money on John being the first person to share it. And when I was late issuing a promised story — he’d ask me where the hell it was 😂 .

John is survived by his partner, Fran. There is a lovely tribute to John in today’s Ojai Valley News, written by Marianne Ratcliff.

So, readers, I’m a puddle of feelings. Life is brutal, and it is beautiful.

We’re here. And it will not last.

May we all make the most of the time we have.

With love and care to all of our community members in grief right now,

Andra

Greetings readers! Two quick notes: I’ve been posting reporting updates on Substack notes and on Instagram. Please follow me on those platforms if you’re interested in such things. Also: I’m participating in an Ojai Chautauqua panel discussion on the future of Ojai on July 31st, if you’re interested in that sort of thing. I’ve moderated panels before, but I’ve never actually been part of one.

Onward to today’s story.

George Retes, a 25-year-old Ventura native, drove to work at Glass House Farms' Camarillo location around 2 p.m. on July 10th, like usual.

Retes works at the farm as a security guard. He’s employed by security firm Securitas.

As Retes approached the Laguna Road farm last Thursday, he witnessed a shocking and chaotic scene: military vehicles, masked ICE officials, police, FBI, the national guard, protestors, and community members — all assembled around his workplace. News helicopters and at least one U.S. Customs and Border Patrol helicopter were circling the scene from above.

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Federal agents in military gear were simultaneously raiding Glass House Farms’ Carpinteria location, according to the Santa Barbara Independent. Video from the incident shows another chaotic scene: smoke, a crying child, violence, and expletives. In one witness' words:

“Fuck. What the fuck! He’s got a fucking flash bang! In Carpinteria!”

U.S. Congressman Salud Carbajal — who represents most of the Ojai Valley in the U.S. House of Representatives —said he was denied entry to the Carpinteria farm.1

Ojai resident Fabian Castel was driving to a meeting in Santa Barbara when he was stopped by federal agents blocking traffic to the Carpinteria farm at the intersection of Highways 150 and 192.

“This is such a metaphor for freedom. It's like suddenly, yeah, there is no freedom. No, you are not going to move around the way you want,” Castel, a U.S. citizen who was born in France, reflected.

Let’s get back to Camarillo — where Retes is still trying to get to work. ABC7 helicopter footage shows part of the story: it’s about 2:30 p.m, and Retes, driving a white sedan, slowly approaches a line of officers. He exits his vehicle and addresses the officers as they move in a line toward him.

Helicopter footage shows Retes get back into his car and began reversing. Officers begin deploying smoke bombs and tear gas to disperse the crowd. Readers can watch the scene below. Remember: Retes is in the white car.

“I got caught in the middle between the protest and ICE agents,” Retes explained during a July 16th press conference hosted by the United Farm Workers. “I let the ICE agents know that I'm a US citizen, that I'm American, that I work at the Glass House, and they ignored me. They didn't care what I had to say,” Retes said.

The ICE officers escalated the situation, Retes said. “As you can see in the videos. Some are telling me to reverse, some are trying to rip my door open, some are banging on my windshield.”

Next, Retes said, an ICE officer broke his driver’s door window, sprayed him with pepper spray, and pulled him out of the vehicle. He doesn’t know if he was pulled from his car through the broken window or the car door — just that he was dragged.

While he was on the ground, one ICE officer kneeled on his back. A second officer kneeled on his neck, “all while multiple other ICE agents stood around and just watched 'em do it,” Retes told me during a July 17th interview. “Because of the tear gas, I couldn't catch my breath or anything, and I was pleading with them to get off of me. I couldn't breathe and they didn't care.”

ICE officials then zip tied Retes’ hands behind his back. He sat on the Glass House Farms property, in the dirt, for hours, he said.

Retes told me he was eventually taken to an unmarked SUV, hands still secured behind him with a zip tie. There were no other detainees in the vehicle. “They had two other people, two U.S. citizens arrested, but they put us in different cars,” Retes said.

Retes’ next stop was the Naval Base of Ventura County in Port Hueneme, he said. There, he was fingerprinted, photographed, and the zip tie around his wrists was replaced with metal handcuffs. His legs were cuffed too, he said.

Retes was then returned to the unmarked SUV. He was transported to a federal building in downtown Los Angeles – hands and feet cuffed. “If I’m being honest, I don't even know it was an ICE detention center. It honestly looked like a normal prison to me,” he remarked. Retes isn’t sure which building he was held in — but the Metropolitan Detention Center Los Angeles fits his description.

Once he arrived at the detention center, Retes was given a prison uniform. He still had pepper spray on his body, he said. “They didn't give us a phone call. They didn't let us talk to an attorney. They didn't let us shower. They just threw us in a cell,” he said.

Retes spent the night of July 10th in a cell with one other man — a professor from Cal State Channel Islands and a fellow U.S. citizen, he said. Retes didn’t sleep at all that night — his hands were still burning from the pepper spray. “I let [the guards] know that. They said that it would pass.” It didn’t pass, Retes said.

On July 11th, Retes communicated to guards that he was worried he might harm himself. He was placed on suicide watch and relocated to another cell, alone. Retes’ state of mind, he told me, was a result of his situation, explaining “... just kind of after everything that had happened to me and missing my daughter's birthday and everything and not knowing what was going to happen to me, not knowing if my family knew where I was at or anything. It was just a lot…”

Retes’ daughter turned three years old on Saturday, July 12th, while her dad was held in federal custody. Retes is also the father to an eight-year-old.

During his three-day incarceration, Retes ate “prison food.” One such meal, he said, consisted of a bologna sandwich and a slice of fruit. “I had to fill up my sink with water and drink out of the sink,” he added. The building was warm — there were times he woke up sweating.

Retes remained incarcerated until Sunday, July 13th.

That’s when an officer approached his cell and told him he would be released that day, Retes said. “I waited a few hours and then they finally came [back] and an officer walked me, walked me downstairs and then I signed a paper to get my stuff back and that was it. They let me go,” he recounted. “When I was released they said that they dropped the charges on me.”

Once free, Retes called his wife — he hadn’t been able to communicate to any of his family members since Thursday. Retes still doesn’t know why he was detained.

“That'd be a question for them, not me,” he said. What I do think is that they need more fucking training. They clearly can't handle their own emotion, and that's not right. Especially if you're going to be a law enforcement officer, you should be able to control yourself.”

The Aftermath

Upon his release, Retes learned he was a national news story.

“It's unbelievable,” he told me. “I didn't know what was going on while I was locked up on the inside. I just kind of assumed that I was going to get taken away and no one was ever going to hear from me again.

“So when I did get released and found out my story was everywhere, I just felt so thankful and I just appreciate everyone who's shared my story because it was because of all them and all of you guys sharing my story. It's the reason that I was released. You guys shed light on everything that had happened and you guys are the ones that saved me. And so I'm thankful for all of you guys.”

Retes said that he plans to sue the government for violating his rights. “I do plan on filing a lawsuit,” he told a crowd of reporters via Zoom. “I do hope they learn after. I hope they learn that what they did wasn't right and the only way they will learn is through a lawsuit... I hope this never happens to anyone again.”

The DHS Narrative

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (ICE is part of DHS) issued a dramatic public statement on July 11th, the day after the raids.2 Take a look at the headline:

The DHS release includes an image — a screenshot from the ABC7 news helicopter footage — showing a man who appears to be pointing a gun at federal officers.

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office shared a similar image, alongside helicopter footage of the incident, and a lengthy statement from Ventura County Sheriff Jim Fryhoff. (You may remember Fryhoff as Ojai’s former Chief of Police.) His statement reads, in part:

“Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents notified our agency of this operation, for officer safety purposes, fifteen minutes before the execution of their search warrant. The search warrant stemmed from the business hiring illegal immigrants. The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office was not involved in this operation until the FBI called and requested assistance, advising that agents were being attacked by protestors. The FBI advised us that they had deployed gas and munitions and that they needed help.”

In response to this “dynamic and dangerous situation,” Fryhoff wrote, the Sheriff’s office sent its tactical response team “to keep the peace between protestors and federal agents” and “[get] federal agents and their arrestees out of the area safely.”

Fryhoff then refers to the ABC7 helicopter footage, stating the video “clearly highlights the severity of the violence that can occur during these types of incidents. The video depicts an individual brandishing a handgun, seemingly aiming and firing in the direction of the opposing federal agents. While no form of violence during protests is ever acceptable, this reprehensible and cowardly act is utterly intolerable and must not be condoned by anyone.”

But what about the violence Retes says he experienced at the hand of federal officers? I had the opportunity to ask Fryhoff that question on July 20th.

“My expectation is if a [VCSO] deputy saw anybody, including a federal agent using obviously excessive force, that they would step in and stop it from happening… If I saw a federal officer engaging in gross misconduct, yes, our officers would intervene,” he said.

Let’s get back to DHS’ narrative. The federal agency asserted in its July 11th statement that federal officers arrested approximately “200 illegal aliens” between both sites and “rescued” at least “10 migrant children.” DHS further claimed that “more than 500 rioters attempted to disrupt operations” and “four U.S. citizens are being criminally processed for assaulting or resisting officers.” Given Retes’ experience, this statement begs some skepticism.

By July 13th — DHS revised its numbers. 200 became 361 and 10 turned into 14.

The July 13th news release includes the images of three men and the name of one woman, with various criminal convictions listed alongside. The release also states that “at least 14 migrant children have been rescued from potential exploitation, forced labor, and human trafficking.”

Migrant children are very vulnerable to labor exploitation in the United States. Take a look at this 2023 New York Times investigation.

In fact, in California, children as young as 12 can work in agriculture outside of school hours, with parental permission. However, employees in legal cannabis businesses are required to be 21 or older.

A subsequent July 14th press release from DHS provided an update on those young people, stating “ICE has transferred 10 of the children who are unaccompanied to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).”

They’re referring specifically to the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), an agency within HHS. (Much like ICE is an agency within the Department of Homeland Security.) ORR’s stated mission is “to promote the health, well-being, and stability of refugees, unaccompanied alien children, and other eligible individuals and families.” It’s basically a foster care system for migrant children who are in the United States without a parent or guardian.

During the first Trump Administration, ORR became responsible for migrant children who were separated from their families under the president’s “zero-tolerance” immigration policy — also known as “family separation.” A 2024 Human Rights Watch investigation found that six years later, as many as 1,360 migrant children have yet to be reunited with their parents. A 2023 HHS audit raised its own concerns about migrant kids being exploited for labor by ORR sponsors.

DHS sent out a second press statement on the 14th — this one directly targeting Ojai-area Congressman Salud Carbajal. (Recall that he was unable to enter the Carpenteria farm during the July 10th raid.)

Before we get into the content of this statement, I must share an observation about all of these DHS press statements: there is no press contact. There is no opportunity for a member of the public or press to inquire about or clarify DHS’ account of the raids. I can say from experience: this is very strange.

Anyways — DHS alleges that Congressman Carbajal, while attempting to investigate the ICE raid in his district, showed an ICE public affairs specialist’s business card to “the mob” thereby “making a target out of him.”3

The press release contains an image of an individual’s hand with a small, bloody injury. According DHS, the man had to receive stitches.

“The actions by Representative Carbajal are downright un-American,” DHS’ Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. “He dares to claim that his actions were simply congressional oversight, but doxing ICE personnel and inciting a mob of rioters to attack law enforcement is NOT oversight—it's abominable.”

Here’s my second observation: there’s a simple story across all of these press statements. In DHS’ telling, “brave” ICE agents are heroes and violent “rioters” and “illegals” are the enemies. Anyone who questions the operation, like Rep. Carbajal, is “un-American.” To state the obvious: these documents don’t present a narrative of all facts, but a story to support a political agenda.

I want to close with one final note. Someone did lose his life as a result of the July 10th raids: Jaime Alanis, a Camarillo farmworker, died after falling 30 feet from the roof of a Glass House Farms greenhouse on July 10th.

According to a statement from his family on social media, “His death is not an isolated tragedy. It is the result of a targeted raid at Glass House Farms. Workers were met not with protection, but with chaos and fear. Some were detained. Others were traumatized. Jaime lost his life.”

The Department of Homeland Security, via X, stated, “This man was not in and has not been in CBP or ICE custody. Although he was not being pursued by law enforcement, this individual climbed up to the roof of a green house and fell 30 feet. CBP immediately called a medivac to the scene to get him care as quickly as possible.”

According to ABC7, Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum is considering filing a legal complaint over Alanis’ death.

That’s all for today. As always, thank you for being here. Let’s take care of each other.

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Ojai Valley resident Allison Stillman was walking her dog along Maricopa Highway yesterday morning (Wednesday, July 9th) toward Nordhoff High School. It was approximately 7 a.m. when she saw a familiar middle-aged Latino man carrying a jug of water — they passed each other and shared a greeting.

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Then, she heard two cars pull up behind her. “I turned around and I'd say maybe it was like 45 seconds after we passed each other,” Stillman said.

“By the time I turned around and saw it, [two men] were pushing him into the car, and I ran up to the car to try and intervene.” She didn’t hear any words exchanged.

The masked man in Stillman’s video is wearing an “ICE” badge.

Footage from Stillman’s phone shows the rest of the encounter — she says she didn’t realize she’d been recording. “I was so, so upset that this is happening, this [is] unconstitutional. They obviously did not have time to check his ID,” she said.

Stillman has a point — let’s review the Constitution:

According to the Washington Post, ICE officers have broad powers to make arrests. However, they must have “probable cause” to believe a) that person is in the country illegally, and b) that they are likely to flee. Critically: race and ethnicity cannot be used as probable cause. (That’s racial profiling and it’s illegal.) Take a moment to review your own rights during an encounter with ICE.

Stillman immediately informed 805 Undocufund by texting (805) 870-8855. An alert went out to those signed up for text notifications within ten minutes, she said.

After posting on Facebook about what she witnessed, Stillman was able to connect with the man’s family. They’d been searching for him when he didn’t show up for work that day, Stillman said. “They’re terrified,” she said.

Since yesterday, Stillman has shared the flier below with every Latino community member she meets, and she’s encouraging everyone to save the hotline number (805-870-8855). Stillman believes that ICE officers are racially profiling Latino community members and encourages everyone to get involved with both 805Undocufund and VC Defensa, two local immigrant’s rights organizations.

The evening prior to the July 9th ICE operation in Ojai, the Ojai City Council unanimously approved the Ojai Care Policy, which prohibits local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement activities, in line with a 2017 state law. The City of Ventura recently passed a similar resolution.

Ojai Police Chief Steve Jenkins has not responded to a request for comment. At present, Ojai Police won’t even confirm if ICE was present in the community July 9th.

I want to remind readers that ICE was created as part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in 2003.

As always, thanks for being here. Let’s take care of each other.

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Jonas must have falsified his age to be accepted for enlistment — he was just 15 years old at the time. Nevertheless, on June 17th, 1775 both Belknaps fought in the Battle of Bunker Hill — the first major action of the Revolutionary War. The British troops “won” the battle, but sustained heavy losses. A total of fifteen hundred men died that day. According to family records, Samuel died the next day. Cause of death: heat prostration. He was 44 years old.

Though his father died, teenage Jonas continued serving in the militia. By August, King George III considered the American colonists in “in a state of open and avowed rebellion.”

Then, in January 1776, Thomas Paine published a history-altering 47-page pamphlet called “Common Sense”. Paine, a British journalist, was living in Philadelphia at the time. His work takes the form of a long letter, “addressed to the inhabitants of America.”

Paine’s letter is full of spicy political commentary. Reflecting on the fight at Lexington and Concord less than a year prior, Paine wrote:

“No man was a warmer wisher for a reconciliation [with the British] than myself, before the fatal nineteenth of April, 1775, but the moment the event of that day was made known, I rejected the hardened, sullen-tempered Pharaoh of England for ever; and disdain the wretch, that with the pretended title of FATHER OF HIS PEOPLE can unfeelingly hear of their slaughter, and composedly sleep with their blood upon his soul.”

Damn. Ok.

His commentary is scathing and occasionally amusing. Take his description of William the Conqueror: “a French bastard landing with an armed Banditti and establishing himself king of England” (!)

Paine continued, “… So far as we approve of monarchy… in America the law is king. For as in absolute governments the King is law, so in free countries the law ought to be king; and there ought to be no other. But lest any ill use should afterwards arise, let the Crown at the conclusion of the ceremony be demolished, and scattered among the people whose right it is.”

According to historian Harlow Giles Unger, “Common Sense became the most widely read work in the western world, after only the Bible.”

While Common Sense took the colonies by storm, Jonas Belknap — 16 by then — reenlisted in the Massachusetts Militia.

Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence that summer; it was adopted and printed on July 4th, 1776 — 249 years ago today. (Given the anniversary, I encourage everyone to read the full document.)

Before diving in, let’s take a (quick) moment to appreciate the grammar, capitalization, and punctuation — because it reveals a lot. The first sentence alone:

“The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.”

It’s a hell of a run-on sentence. I am so intrigued by the capitalization choices. Declaration. Course. united States of America. Very interesting.

I could go on forever about specific word choices — but that’s not the point today, nor do I imagine that would be a particularly fun read.

The final clause of this forever sentence reads, “a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.” It’s a setup for what will follow: a list of 27 grievances against George III.

Before the 27 grievances, though, comes the most well-known assertion of this handwritten document, another wildly long sentence full of creative punctuation:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”

It’s pretty radical stuff.

“The Declaration of Independence is a document at odds with itself, projecting two competing visions of America,” observed Seth Cotlar of Willamette University. Indeed — a later statement in the document shows that “Men” isn’t an inclusive term; native people are referred to as “merciless Indian Savages.” It’s quite the paradox.

Let’s get into the colonists’ grievances with King George III — these grievances were used as justification for the revolution.

The Declaration reads, “The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.”

Here are ten grievances against the King I found to be particularly relevant. Again, read the full document here.

• He has refused his Assent [approval] to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

• He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.

• He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

• He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

• He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.

• He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

• For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world: [sic]

• For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent: [sic]

• For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury: [sic]

• For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences: [sic]

By fall of 1776, Jonas made it to New York where he enlisted in George Washington’s Continental Army. He was wounded on May 30, 1778 — he was 19 by then. Jonas managed to fight and survive the decisive 1981 Battle of Yorktown and was honorably discharged from the Continental Army in 1783, nearly ten years after he enlisted with his father, Samuel.

As for my place in this story, I born just over 200 years after Jonas left the Continental Army. He’s my sixth great-grandfather. It’s worth stating: had he not survived his injury in 1778, or the myriad battles he fought, I would never have been born.

That observation brings me to today, July 4th, 2025, the 249th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. We find ourselves in an era in which the President of the United States refers to himself as a “King.” I have to wonder what Samuel and Jonas would think.

I wonder, too, what my fellow modern Americans make of the colonists’ grievances against the King they labelled tyrannical — many of which could serve as grievances against our current president.

I wonder what it means to celebrate the 4th of July, or honor my ancestors, at a time when the president persistently attacks the Constitution, the press, civil society, democracy, elections, basic facts, the rule of law, and basic human rights.

The thing that troubles me most of all — truly, the reason I had the manic energy to review our founding documents — is the hideous legislation passed by the House of Representatives yesterday, and sent to the president’s desk in honor of the Declaration of Independence.

The absurdly titled “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” makes deep cuts to social safety net programs that offer health care and food assistance to poor Americans. Even more grotesque, this “beautiful bill” dumps an unprecedented amount of taxpayer money into U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE): an agency actively terrorizing our community members.

In total, $45 billion in taxpayer dollars will go towards immigration detention centers and another $30 billion will be used to hire more ICE agents.

In the Trump Administration’s telling, these investments in incarceration will protect Americans from an “invasion” of “aliens” who commit “vile and heinous acts against innocent Americans.” Personally — when I read the word “alien” I’m reminded of “merciless Indian savages.” Both terms suggest the individuals described are less than human — therefore undeserving of human rights. This type of language often precedes the darkest episodes in human history. It’s frightening to hear in 2025.

News reports demonstrate that many immigrants incarcerated by the Trump Administration have no criminal record whatsoever. I see this as deeply dangerous racial profiling campaign justified by lies and dehumanization.

Here comes that paradox at the heart of this nation, once again. Exactly which “Men” are created equal? Who, exactly, is entitled to “unalienable Rights.”?

I want to close with two more observations, first from Suffolk University professor Robert Allison.

“The Declaration is a reminder of government’s purpose — to secure rights. That the British government — the world’s freest in 1776 — acted tyrannically, was the Declaration’s most somber warning.”

Indeed.

Finally, I want to highlight the words of Frederick Douglass in 1852. (I encourage reading the full speech)

“What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July? I answer: a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim. To him, your celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty, an unholy license; your national greatness, swelling vanity; your sounds of rejoicing are empty and heartless; your denunciations of tyrants, brass fronted impudence; your shouts of liberty and equality, hollow mockery; your prayers and hymns, your sermons and thanksgivings, with all your religious parade, and solemnity, are, to him, mere bombast, fraud, deception, impiety, and hypocrisy—a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages. There is not a nation on the earth guilty of practices, more shocking and bloody, than are the people of these United States, at this very hour.

“Go where you may, search where you will, roam through all the monarchies and despotisms of the old world, travel through South America, search out every abuse, and when you have found the last, lay your facts by the side of the every day practices of this nation, and you will say with me, that, for revolting barbarity and shameless hypocrisy, America reigns without a rival.”

I must ask: what, to an unlawfully deported and incarcerated immigrant, is our 4th of July?

Thank you, as always, for spending time with me.

I recognize that some readers may not agree with my opinions; that’s ok — I invite you to argue with me in the comments! My patriotism is based on an expansive understanding, “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” I’m serious about that.

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Summers confirmed that his firm, Colutano, Highsmith, Whatley, will not respond to the City latest “request for qualifications” (RFQ) for legal services. Summers began work with the City of Ojai in February 2015 as Interim City Attorney. He was promoted to the position of City Attorney in August 2015, he said.

Readers can find Summers’ letter below. In it, he disclosed that he lost his southern California home in the Eaton Fire, and has since relocated to the Bay Area.

“Going through the fire is definitely something I wouldn’t wish on anyone. Thankfully, my cats and I survived, and that’s the key!” He said via email.

Summers Resignation As Ojai City Attorney(402273

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Summers’ decade in the City Attorney’s Office was marked by increasing legal costs. Take a look:

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Carolyn Nino De Rivera

On the evening of May 31st, Carolyn Nino De Rivera, a 26-year-old mother of two, was found dead in an Upper Ojai home rented by 25-year-old “Matilija Handyman” Christian Hillairet, according to officials from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office (VCSO).

The two were involved in an “on-again, off-again relationship,” VCSO Captain Rob Yoos said. Evidence at the scene indicated that Nino De Rivera was the victim of a homicide. According to VCSO Sergeant Monica Smith, she died in the afternoon hours of May 31st.

Nino De Rivera’s mother called her “Carolyn Kay.” Friends called her Carol.

Nino De Rivera lived at the Ojai Valley Estates mobile home park in Meiners Oaks for most of her life, with mom Kellie MacDonald and her brothers Ian and Aiden — Nino De Rivera was the middle sibling. She attended school in the Ojai Unified School District, including Meiners Oaks Elementary School, Matilija Junior High School, and the Chaparral High School program1.

“Carolyn loved animals,” her stepfather Michael Lopez said during a candlelight vigil in Nino De Rivera’s honor June 11th. “Horses, dogs, cats… she loved raising pigs…Carolyn even raised a hedgehog. She named him Hedgie. He was an albino and slept 24 hours a day.”

Attendees brought sunflowers, Nino De Rivera’s favorite.

Nino de Rivera’s love of animals manifested at the Simoore Grange, which operates out of the Ojai Valley. “She stepped into this role of helping the kids learn to show their animals and how to take care of their animals.” Simoore Grange President Nickie Perez said. The work culminates every year at the Ventura County Fair.

“She just loved to be a mentor. She loved to help others,” Perez reflected, “I can see her in those overalls and her muck boots at the Fair — so pregnant. And I'm like, ‘You have to sit down young lady!’ She just wanted to keep going and helping, even though, I mean, she was ready to pop any minute.”

“Carolyn was loved by a lot of people. I don't think she knew how much she was loved,” Perez added, pausing. “And that’s hard.”

Nino De Rivera is survived by two young children: a son, Jameson, 18 months, and a daughter, Gracie, 6. The trio lived in Meiners Oaks with MacDonald and Lopez. Both children are with their fathers, Lopez said.

The Meiners Oaks house is quiet now, MacDonald observed during a recent interview, her voice just above a whisper. A large photo of 1-year-old Nino De Rivera is displayed in the household’s front room, alongside a toddler-sized dress she’d worn for her birthday.

Nino De Rivera worked at the Deer Lodge as a server beginning in 2023. Previously, she’d worked at local restaurants Ojai Pizza and Hakane Sushi. “She was funny, sassy, and didn’t take shit from anyone,” Sophia Miles, the Deer Lodge owner, reflected. “She hustled, would always carry a totally loaded tray, running around. She was a hard worker.”

“I worked with Carolyn every single day. She was my favorite part of the day,” another Deer Lodge co-worker shared during Nino De Rivera’s vigil.

Miles added, “I did hear that her co-workers/friends were encouraging her to break up with [Christian] for a long time. I believe that she wanted to… but as we know, these messy relationships can be intoxicating and very hard to get out of…2”

Hillairet was charged with Nino De Rivera’s murder in Ventura County Superior Court on June 6th. He has not yet entered a plea.

The Events of Saturday, May 31 — Friday, June 6th

(Trigger warning for readers — this section includes descriptions of violence.)

The first 911 call alerting law enforcement to a potential murder in the 12000 block of Sisar Road came in at 9:08 p.m., VCSO Sgt. Smith said.

One neighbor described how he was watching TV that evening — a Saturday — when he heard a helicopter flying low over his home. When he came outside, he saw the VCSO helicopter’s spotlight above and heard a law enforcement officer shout, “Christian, come out with your hands up!”

Indeed, VCSO quickly identified Hillairet as a person of interest. But he was no longer in Ojai.

By Sunday, June 1st, Hillairet crossed the U.S.-Mexico border through San Diego’s San Ysidro border crossing, VCSO said. On Monday, June 2nd, Hillairet was arrested in Rosarito, a popular tourist location about 20 miles south of the border.3 “My understanding is that they were able to locate him based on something that happened down there,” VCSO Capt. Yoos said, unable to provide further information. On Wednesday, June 4th, Hillairet was transferred to U.S. custody. Sheriff’s office photos of Hillairet’s arrest show he was taken into custody wearing a T-shirt displaying his business name.

On June 6th, Ventura County District Attorney (DA) Erik Nasarenko charged Hillairet with Nino De Rivera’s murder. The DA’s criminal complaint alleges that Hillairet committed the “willful, deliberate, premeditated murder” of Nino De Rivera using a knife. “Multiple sharp force injuries” caused Nino De Rivera’s death, the Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office said.

The criminal complaint against Hillairet also contains a past felony charge: he was convicted of 2019 robbery in Riverside County. That’s far from the most shocking news in the document, though; it’s the second murder charge.

DA Nasareko alleged June 6th that Hillairet is also responsible for the murder of a 44-year-old Ventura man, William “Billy” Thompson. Thompson was “bludgeoned to death” with a crowbar in November 2023, the DA said. A representative from the Ventura Police Department confirmed that Hillairet was arrested on November 11, 2023, but couldn’t say if the arrest was related to Thompson’s murder.

Hillairet Felony Complaint

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And who was Billy Thompson? Thompson was born and raised in the Montalvo neighborhood of Ventura. He was unhoused much of his life — up until his death, a family member told me. Thompson did keep in contact with family, “so we always knew where he was and if he was okay,” they added. “He did not have an easy life, but he was loved and cared for by many.”

“The defendant’s alleged actions reflect a chilling pattern of violence and cruelty,” DA Nasarenko said in a press release. “Our office is committed to securing justice for these victims and prosecuting Hillairet to the fullest extent of the law.”

MacDonald and Lopez were present in Ventura County Superior Court for Hillairet’s June 6th arraignment. Hillairet attended via Zoom. “He kept playing with his beard and pulling it,” MacDonald told me. “He did that here, too,” she said, looking around the home she shared with her daughter, holding Lopez’s hand.

“I cooked for him. I let him spend the night here. I hugged him. We trust[ed] him here. He [was] so polite and respectful… That face, that mugshot. That's not the face I saw in this house,” MacDonald whispered.

Hillairet’s arraignment was continued to July 8th at the request of Public Defender Bailey Fowler, according to Superior Court records. Deputy District Attorney Theresa Pollara will prosecute the case against Hillairet, who is currently being held at the Todd Road Jail facility in Santa Paula.

Sandra Alejo Arcos

Three months prior to Nino De Rivera’s alleged murder, another Ojai mom met the same (alleged) fate. On the final day in February — Friday the 28th — Sandra Alejo Arcos, a 42-year-old mother of three, was found dead in her Meiners Oaks garage. Alejo died in the early evening hours of Tuesday, February 25th, VCSO Sergeant Aaron Grass said. Evidence at the scene indicated she too was the victim of a homicide, according to VCSO.

“She was an amazing mom. She cared so deeply about her kids,” Maritza Ceja said of Alejo. “She loved to dance. She was a great dancer. She had the most amazing smile.”

The two women got to know each other nearly ten years ago, when their daughters became friends as students at San Antonio Elementary School4. The women also connected at fundraising events for the local Latino community.

“When I met Sandra, she was working full-time. She did housekeeping and she did odd jobs,” Ceja recalled. Alejo ended up quitting work for a period when her daughter became seriously ill, Ceja said. Most recently, Alejo worked at Meiners Oaks Mexican restaurant El Jarro.

In the early days of their friendship, Ceja learned that Alejo was trying to flee a violent relationship — something Ceja had experienced herself a few years prior. Ceja connected Alejo with resources, “but because [a former partner] had control of all the finances, it was really difficult for her.” After a stint in Oak View, Alejo found a place to live in Meiners Oaks, Ceja explained. It was the home where she ultimately died.

HELP of Ojai co-Executive Director Jayn Walter got to know Alejo in the aftermath of the 2017 Thomas Fire. “I met her doing disaster relief case management,” Walter explained. “We supported lots of families during that time. And I stayed in touch with her for years after.”

Alejo participated in a range of volunteer opportunities with HELP, Walter remembered, including food distribution, Spanish language COVID outreach, translation services, and even answering the phones.

“She was great. She always wanted to help,” Walter said. “She would show up and just be like, ‘Can I do something?’”

The Events of Friday, February 28th — Saturday, March 1st

(Trigger warning for readers — this section includes descriptions of violence.)

At 4:09 p.m. on Friday February 28th, VCSO received a call stating that an unresponsive woman — Alejo — was found inside her garage. Alejo’s cause of death was ultimately determined to be the same as Nino De Rivera’s, the Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office said: “multiple sharp force injuries.”

VCSO quickly identified Ricardo Yelotzi Ortega, a 29-year-old restaurant worker residing in Oxnard as a suspect, stating publicly that Ortega and Alejo were “known to each other.” I asked Sgt. Grass, a member of VCSO’s Major Crimes Division, if he saw this as a case of intimate partner violence. “I’d prefer not to say, but I think it’d be safe to assume,” he replied.

Ortega was arrested and his vehicle was seized after 11 p.m. on March 1st, according to Superior Court records. On March 4th, the DA’s office issued a criminal complaint in Ortega’s case, accusing him of murdering Alejo with a knife, “willfully, unlawfully, and with malice aforethought.”

Ricardo Ortega Felony Complaint 2025005412

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On April 1st, Ortega entered “not guilty” pleas to all three charges against him: murder, use of a deadly weapon, and crimes committed with great bodily injury.

Ortega, who is represented by a public defender Matthew Benitez and utilizing a Spanish language interpreter, will next appear in Ventura County Superior Court on August 13th, 2025. He is being held in the Ventura County Main Jail (located in the City of Ventura) with no possibility of bail.

Intimate Partner Violence: the Numbers

But first, a note on language. Intimate partner violence is defined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as “abuse or aggression that occurs in a romantic relationship.” The term can apply to both current and former spouses and dating partners.

Domestic violence, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), refers to “a pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship that is used by one partner to gain or maintain power and control over another intimate partner.”

The terms are often used interchangeably.

According to the CDC, about one in five homicide victims is killed by an intimate partner. More than half of female homicide victims are killed by a current or former male intimate partner, CDC says.

In 2021, 34% of female homicides in the United States were committed by an intimate partner. For male homicide victims, that number is 6%, according to a DOJ report.

A recent Public Policy Institute of California study found that the number of domestic violence incidents in California is trending downward, but they are now more likely to involve weapons.

As for Ventura County, a survey of homicide data from the State of California’s Open Justice database5 shows that domestic violence was a “precipitating event” in one 2023 homicide, two 2022 homicides, three such homicides in 2021, and two in 2020. When we look back a little further for additional context, we find one domestic violence-related homicide in 2010 and four in 2009. All of these homicide victims were women.

I also took a look at domestic violence-related calls for assistance in the City of Ojai. (Unfortunately, valley-wide data is not available.) In 2023, law enforcement officers in Ojai (the City) fielded 37 calls for service due to domestic violence. In 2022, that number was 25; in 2021, 53; in 2020, 726. Looking back further into the past, in 2010, there were 75 domestic violence-related calls to law enforcement, and in 2009, 74.

Violence in Ojai: One Woman’s Story

(Trigger warning for readers — this section includes descriptions of violence.)

According to Walter, intimate partner violence is often a factor in local homelessness.

“We have a lot of homeless clients now who are moms… And I'd say many of them are homeless because they don't have a safe relationship with the father of their children or [partner],” she explained. “A lot of women who experience housing insecurity do so because they're in a bad situation at home. And it's not always necessarily a domestic partner or significant other, but there's some sort of power and control with men that they're living with or somehow peripherally related to. I would say that it is incredibly common.”

Intimate partner violence often goes unspoken, Ceja, who works as a case manager at Mesa Farm, said.

“There's such a big stigma of shame and guilt when you're dealing with domestic violence, especially in the Hispanic community,” she said. Because she experienced violence in a past relationship, Ceja is dedicated to speaking openly about it. “During the time I endured abuse, I thought it was normal. I was told that he would grow out of it,” she remembered.

On Christmas Eve 2011, Ceja was six months pregnant and living in Ojai. That evening, her former partner strangled her to the point where she lost consciousness, she said. According to the Family Justice Center, individuals who have been strangled are seven times more likely to be killed by their intimate partner.

Pregnancy, too, is a risk factor for deadly intimate partner violence — homicide is the leading cause of death for pregnant women in the United States, according to a 2022 study.

Ceja says that community is one key to safety from intimate partner violence. “You literally wrap your arms around [that] individual, you build a community, you listen and you don't judge,” Ceja said.

“I literally had my uncles watch me work my shifts,” Ceja recalled. “They would sit in the parking lot to ensure that I wouldn't get murdered. And that's literally what set me apart… I had a community that was willing to stand behind me and actually physically be there with me.”

Today, Ceja is a certified peer support specialist who can identify relationship red flags and support others trying to escape a violent relationship. A red flag that can indicate a potentially abusive or violent relationship, she said, is when an individual pulls away from other meaningful relationships. Isolation can be a risk factor, she explained, as is financial control and substance abuse.

Poverty can also increase an individual’s vulnerability to intimate partner violence, the World Economic Forum says, as low-income individuals have limited options to escape a violent situation.

Ceja disclosed that a friend of hers is currently experiencing intimate partner violence. I asked how she supports her. “She has a spare key to my house, no questions asked. If she wants to talk about it, we can. If she just wants to go over and lie down on my couch, she can.”

Final Thoughts

Well, readers, I’m feeling this story in my body. I imagine you are too.

Over a period of three months, two mothers who lived in Meiners Oaks and worked in the food service industry were allegedly murdered by a man they knew, wielding a knife. I don’t know what to do with that information except repeat it.

I recall both women from their workplaces. I can conjure their faces: one smiling behind a counter, the other carrying an impressively large tray of plates.

Maybe you can, too.

I don’t know what to do with that, either.

As always — thank you for being here.

Written in honor of Carolyn Nino de Rivera, Sandra Alejo Arcos, and William “Billy” Thompson. May they rest in peace.

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The City of Ojai released a statement at approximately 1:15 p.m. May 16th regarding Alameda’s termination, a forthcoming special audit, and their concern over the lack of formal notification regarding Alameda’s arrest and felony charges.

“The City of Ojai is committed to maintaining the highest standards of fiscal responsibility and public trust. To that end, the City announces that the employment of Carl Alameda, Assistant City Manager, has been terminated, effective May 16, 2025.

“In conjunction with this personnel action, the City has initiated a special audit to ensure that all financial transactions have been conducted appropriately and that there has been no misappropriation of funds.

“It is also of concern to the City that no communication or formal notification regarding the investigation or charges brought were p…

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Readers — Ojai’s Assistant City Manager Carl Alameda has been charged by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office (L.A. DA) with stealing approximately $200,000 during his previous position as Assistant City Manager for the City of La Cañada Flintridge. He could face up to 33 years in prison. Alameda pled not guilty on Wednesday, May 14th, according to the L.A. DA.

According to Ojai City Manager Ben Harvey, the City of Ojai was unaware of the case against its Assistant City Manager (and his arrest) until today, Thursday May 15th. Alameda served as Acting Ojai City Manager following the dramatic departure of former Interim City Manager Mark Scott in November 2023. Alameda returned to the Assistant City Manager position upon Harvey’s hiring in late January of 2024.

“Until notified through the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office today, the City was unaware that Alameda had been charged with a crime and had entered a not guilty plea to the charges, or that the matter has been set for a preliminary hearing on July 23,” Harvey said via statement.

Alameda has been placed on paid administrative leave, and the City is conducting an internal financial audit, Harvey said. (The full statement is printed at the end of this story). Remember: Alameda is innocent until proven guilty.

According to the L.A. DA, Alameda allegedly sent demand letters to insurance companies using La Cañada Flintridge letterhead, requesting reimbursements for accidents or property damage caused by insured drivers in La Cañada Flintridge. He’s accused of falsifying invoices and directing a total of $193,086 to his own bank account.

“It is a major disservice and betrayal of trust when public officials place their own selfish interests over the communities they serve,” Los Angeles District Attorney Hochman said. “It undermines faith in our government and sends the wrong message to the public that the people who are supposed to be working for you are corrupt and stealing from you. If you exploit your position for your own greed at the public’s expense, my office will file charges and hold you accountable.”

According to Los Angeles County Superior Court records, the case “The People of the State of California vs. Alameda, Carl F.” was filed April 3rd. An arrest warrant for Alameda was filed the same day, according to court records.

Alameda is charged with 11 felony counts of embezzlement and 23 counts of insurance fraud, according to the L.A. DA. He was arraigned May 14th in Los Angeles Superior Court.

Alameda’s LinkedIn profile has been deleted.

Councilwoman Leslie Rule, responding to a request for comment said:

“This is a complete shock to all of us. Mr Alameda has said nothing to me, and I don't believe to City Staff or Council either. Obviously, a deep review of our finances is in order and will take place as soon as possible. We have a very experienced municipal finance director and am confident our review will be thorough and complete.”

Councilwoman Rachel Lang added, “I was personally shocked and saddened by the news. The good news is that we have new employees in our finance department who can look into these issues objectively and professionally.”

The full City of Ojai statement is below:

On May 15, the City of Ojai was made aware that Carl Alameda, Assistant City Manager, was arrested and charged by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for financial crimes related to his work in his prior role at the City of La Cañada Flintridge. The alleged criminal activity involved insurance fraud and other related acts. Alameda left employment with the City of La Cañada Flintridge in April 2023.

Alameda was hired by the City of Ojai in July of 2023. At the time of his hiring, the City was unaware of any pending investigations or allegations of wrongdoing. The City follows a rigorous hiring process and background check procedure, adhering to all applicable laws, policies and best practices to ensure candidates are qualified and meet the necessary standards at the time of their hiring. Since the investigation was ongoing during the time of his hire, details about the alleged crimes were confidential and not disclosed to the City. Until notified through the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office today, the City was unaware that Alameda had been charged with a crime and had entered a not guilty plea to the charges, or that the matter has been set for a preliminary hearing on July 23.

Mr. Alameda is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The City of Ojai has placed Alameda on immediate paid administrative leave from his employment with the City of Ojai. The City is also conducting its own internal financial audit to ensure there was no financial misconduct through his role as Ojai Assistant City Manager and prior service as Acting City Manager. The City will keep the community updated as the City completes its audit.

The City of Ojai is committed to maintaining public trust and will ensure that all necessary steps are taken to address this matter fully.

This story will be updated. The Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office press release is below.

While we await a proposed development agreement for Ojai’s 30-unit state-funded permanent supportive housing project for homeless community members, let’s zoom out.

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On Wednesday, I took a field trip to Thousand Oaks for the ribbon cutting of the City’s new Encampment Resolution Fund-supported interim housing project.1 The 30-unit “navigation center” will temporarily house individuals from one of three Thousand Oaks encampments. The facility will also provide wrap-around services like meals, laundry, case management, behavioral health referrals, job training and access to treatment programs, said Thousand Oaks Mayor David Newman.

The development, now known as Thrive Grove, was constructed by Dignity Moves, the group behind Ojai’s Cabin Village. Thousand Oaks was awarded $5.8 million in ERF funding in August 2023 (eight months ahead of Ojai). They received the full amount requested.

Thr…

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