Thousand Oaks donates to immigration relief, Camarillo considers

This article was originally published by the VC Star.

A pair of cities became Ventura County’s first to consider pitching city money into a fund set up to aid families and small businesses hit by the last few months of federal immigration operations.

The Thousand Oaks City Council voted unanimously at its Aug. 26 meeting to donate $100,000 to the Ventura County Neighbors Support Fund.

Camarillo City Council members presented diverging opinions during their own Aug. 27 meeting, but asked city staff to bring a $50,000 fund contribution up for a council vote at a later date.

Organized by the Ventura County Community Foundation, the fund launched in late July to support families and small businesses, focusing on helping with food, shelter and other basic needs. All of the donated funds are expected to go to nonprofit organizations working directly with those affected.

Vanessa Bechtel, the foundation president and CEO, told the Camarillo City Council that recent federal immigration raids have had a community effect similar to disasters like the Mountain Fire, which swept through parts of the city in November 2024.

“We don’t see it. We don’t see the smoke,” Bechtel said. She told the Star in early August that the foundation hopes to recruit all 10 of the county’s cities to the effort.

The fund raised more than $136,000 through Aug. 19, when it announced its first grant awards to the nonprofits Mixteco Indigena Community Organizing Project, Westminster Free Clinic, 805 UndocuFund and Friends of Fieldworkers.

Thousand Oaks Mayor David Newman put the city forward as a potential donor on July 28 as the fund was announced.

The Thousand Oaks Council voted 5-0 to approve its donation and to join the coalition of the fund’s named supporters. The money is expected to come from the city’s general fund, according to a staff report.

During the meeting, a half-dozen people spoke in support of the item, which was included in the consent calendar.

Camarillo’s council meeting was more divided. Councilmember Martita Martinez-Bravo, who had brought a donation discussion to the city agenda, recused herself from the conversation, citing a potential conflict of interest with her role as executive director of Friends of Fieldworkers.

Public comments were varied, with about 20 speakers split on whether the city should throw finances behind the relief effort.

Councilmember Susan Santangelo first asked the council to consider a $75,000 contribution, but faced resistance from Councilmember Tony Trembley and Vice Mayor David Tennessen.

Trembley said he remains undecided, but is concerned that fund would distribute the city’s money outside of the city limits, with little to no chance for city oversight.

Tennessen said he believes a contribution to the fund to be outside of the city’s business, but said people who feel strongly should make personal contributions. Holding up a plastic bank card, he pledged to donate $500 of his own money to the fund the next morning.

Hunting for a middle ground, Mayor Kevin Kildee asked city staff to negotiate an agreement with the community foundation that would include up to a $50,000 city contribution but give Camarillo leaders control over where, when and how the funds are disbursed.

“The city of Camarillo didn’t create this problem. We can’t control this problem, and we can’t cure this problem,” Kildee said. “But we have to deal with it.”

Information on the fund is available at vccf.org/neighbors-support-fund.

The community foundation helps fund a pair of Ventura County Star reporters through its Fund to Support Local Journalism.

Isaiah Murtaugh covers Oxnard, Port Hueneme and Camarillo for the Ventura County Star. Reach him at [email protected] or on Signal at 951-966-0914.

Cheri Carlson covers the environment and county government for the Ventura County Star. Reach her at [email protected] or 805-437-0260.