$12M (!!!) in State Funding for Ojai's Unhoused

The grant funding the Ojai City Council nearly didn't seek.

Author’s note: the story and accompanying voiceover were updated at 7 p.m. April 22nd to include additional information about Dignity Moves’ conceptual budget and hotel vouchers in the ERF application budget.

Hey folks. Big news. Huge news.

In a past story — Crisis at City Hall — we learned about Ojai’s $12 million application for state funding to clean up the encampment at Ojai City Hall and add 20 units of permanent supportive housing to the property. The grant application was approved for submission on a 3-2 vote back in January, with Mayor Betsy Stix and Councilman Andy Whitman voting in opposition. Both supported waiting for the next round of funding. I’ll note that the project budget was not complete at the time of the vote.

On Thursday, April 18th, Mayor Stix participated in a Zoom press conference alongside Governor Gavin Newsom and the leaders of 17 other California cities and counties. Newsom announced nearly $200 million in Encampment Resolution Funding (ERF) grants — $12.7 mi…