VENTURA, Calif. – The Ventura County Planning Division is researching potential disadvantaged community designations in unincorporated areas, also referred to as Study Areas, near the cities of Ventura, Oxnard, and Santa Paula. Designated disadvantaged communities (DDCs) are low- income communities that are disproportionately burdened by environmental pollution. If the Board of Supervisors elects to identify one or more of these unincorporated communities as DDCs at a future public hearing, these communities would benefit from County policies and programs intended to help address environmental and economic disparities in DDCs.
DDCs are identified based on state income thresholds and state data on environmental pollution burdens compared among all census tracts in California. Based on these factors, the Ventura County Planning Division is exploring options for designating disadvantaged communities in the Study Areas.
Three public meetings will be held to discuss the project and to receive input from community members in these Study Areas. One virtual Zoom meeting will present findings for all three Study Areas and receive public input regarding each area. One in-person meeting will focus on the Ventura Study Area, and a second in-person meeting will focus on the Santa Paula Study Area. The public meetings are open to anyone interested in participating, and Spanish interpretation will be available. The meetings will be held on the following dates, times, and locations:
- Virtual Meeting for all Study Areas:
Wednesday, March 8, 2023, 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., register for the meeting at www.vcrma.org/ddcstudy-zoom - Ventura Study Area Public Meeting:
Friday, March 10, 2023, 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., at Museum of Ventura County, 100 East Main Street, Ventura - Santa Paula Study Area Public Meeting:
Monday, March 13, 2023, 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., at Santa Paula Community Center, 530 West Main Street, Santa Paula
Public input can also be submitted online at www.vcrma.org/ddcstudy-input or mailed to: County of Ventura, Planning Division, Attn: Jessica Nguyen, 800 S. Victoria Avenue #L1740, Ventura, CA 93009. The project and all public input received will be presented to the Planning Commission and then to the Board of Supervisors at public hearings anticipated later this year.
For more information on this project, please visit www.vcrma.org/ddcstudy or contact the Planning Division at DDC@ventura.org or (805) 654-5037.
