Subject: Public Comment: D. 1. Public Works Department SUBJECT: Parks, Recreation & Community Services Commission Annual Report
From: Jasmine Duron <
To: [email protected]
Date Sent: Monday, June 30, 2025 9:23:46 PM GMT-07:00
Date Received: Monday, June 30, 2025 9:23:57 PM GMT-07:00 Good evening Oxnard Councilmembers,
My name is Jasmine Duron, and I serve as the Advocacy and Community Impact Coordinator for Autism Society Ventura County (ASVC). Our Advocacy Committee monitors school board, city council, and county agendas throughout Ventura County to ensure that people with disabilities are represented and included in local decision-making. I want to take this opportunity to express our deep appreciation for the City of Oxnard’s Special Populations Program, a shining example of inclusive, community-centered recreation.
This program is more than just activities—it is a lifeline for many individuals with disabilities and their families. From adaptive sports to social events and community outings, Special Populations programming offers connection, belonging, and joy to residents who are too often left out of traditional recreation opportunities. The staff are compassionate, well-trained, and deeply committed to ensuring that everyone has access to enriching, meaningful experiences.
In a time when inclusion is often talked about but not always acted on, Oxnard is leading by example. This program demonstrates what it means to build a city that welcomes and supports all abilities. We especially appreciate the leadership of the Parks and Recreation Department and the Commission in continuing to champion these efforts year after year.
We hope to see continued investment and expansion of this program so that even more residents can benefit. On behalf of our organization and the families we serve, thank you for seeing, supporting, and celebrating the value of every individual in our community. For more information on our Advocacy Committee, please reach out to [email protected].
Thank you.
Warm regards,
Jasmine Duron
Advocacy and Community Impact Coordinator
Autism Society Ventura County
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Subject: Re: Public Comment: D. 1. Public Works Department SUBJECT: Parks, Recreation & Community Services Commission Annual Report
From: "Perello, Bert" <[email protected]>
To: Jasmine Duron < Alexander Nguyen <[email protected]>,Ashley Golden <[email protected]>,Eric Sonstegard <[email protected]>,Katie Casey <[email protected]> Cc: [email protected], Diana Velzy <[email protected]>, OSCAR MADRIGAL <[email protected]>, John Zaragoza <[email protected]>, Bryan MacDonald <[email protected]>, Terrel Harrison <[email protected]>, Renee Rakestraw <[email protected]>, Jessy Tapia <[email protected]> Date Sent: Monday, June 30, 2025 9:37:36 PM GMT-07:00
Date Received: Monday, June 30, 2025 9:37:51 PM GMT-07:00 Ms Jasmine Duron
Thank you for your kind words coming at a time when they are most helpful to our staff and residents as a few but vocal and malignant voices share unfounded claims of negative views of the great staff and service that City of Oxnard Parks and Recreation Department staff provides our residents of which you and those you represent are included. THANK YOU !
Sincerely
Bert E Perello
Oxnard City Council member
District 1
On Mon, Jun 30, 2025 at 9:23 PM Jasmine Duron < wrote:
Good evening Oxnard Councilmembers,
My name is Jasmine Duron, and I serve as the Advocacy and Community Impact Coordinator for Autism Society Ventura County (ASVC). Our Advocacy Committee monitors school board, city council, and county agendas throughout Ventura County to ensure that people with disabilities are represented and included in local decision-making. I want to take this opportunity to express our deep appreciation for the City of Oxnard’s Special Populations Program, a shining example of inclusive, community-centered recreation.
This program is more than just activities—it is a lifeline for many individuals with disabilities and their families. From adaptive sports to social events and community outings, Special Populations programming offers connection, belonging, and joy to residents who are too often left out of traditional recreation opportunities. The staff are compassionate, well-trained, and deeply committed to ensuring that everyone has access to enriching, meaningful experiences.
In a time when inclusion is often talked about but not always acted on, Oxnard is leading by example. This program demonstrates what it means to build a city that welcomes and supports all abilities. We especially appreciate the leadership of the Parks and Recreation Department and the Commission in continuing to champion these efforts year after year. 2 / 13
We hope to see continued investment and expansion of this program so that even more residents can benefit. On behalf of our organization and the families we serve, thank you for seeing, supporting, and celebrating the value of every individual in our community. For more information on our Advocacy Committee, please reach out to [email protected].
Thank you.
Warm regards,
Jasmine Duron
Advocacy and Community Impact Coordinator
Autism Society Ventura County
3 / 13
Subject: Fwd: Agenda on the Investment authority
From: "Molina, Phillip" <[email protected]>
To: Luly Lopez <[email protected]>,Young Lee <[email protected]> Bcc: [email protected]
Date Sent: Tuesday, July 1, 2025 1:00:00 PM GMT-07:00
Date Received: Tuesday, July 1, 2025 1:01:22 PM GMT-07:00 IN ORDER OF IMPORTANCE TO ME: My responses are in blue. #1
The city staff and audit report claims I exceeded the authority by purchasing more than 30% of the portfolio in NCDs and mid term notes that were below investment grade. During the period in question 23-24 and in 22-23 the city attorney limited my access to only City Department funds, which means the Oxnard Housing Authority was not under my purview and only cash held in the Bank of America General and Successor Agency bank accounts was available to me for investing. According to USBank who functioned as our tertiary bank the dollar amount of items I purchased are shown in the data below and show that I never purchased more than 13% in Mid-term and/or NGCDs of the portfolio total I controlled.
FROM USBank reports which I have here for your review.
You must note that the portfolio portion that I controlled never exceeded the 30% limit for investing in midterm and NGCDs.
You will notice that both in 2022-23 and for 2023-24 of the amount of the city's portfolio that I invested no less than 87% was invested with Federal Agency instruments. All the CDs I purchased were fixed term either callable or noncallable and not 'mid term' nor negotiable CDs. I verfied this with the brokers who handled my purchases.
#2
City staff uses State Government Code numbers as reference but do not quote the codes.
Problems with how the city is applying government code when the words contradict what the legislative body is asked to do. In the agenda city staff pointed out certain government codes without providing the actual language of the codes because to do so shows that the actual wording of the codes do not agree with the city's use of those codes. I provide below the codes reference numbers staff used in their agenda and I also I provide the actual language of that code.
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53607.
53060.
37103.
* 53607 Staff claimed this code allows council to delegate investments. But Council can only 'delegate' their authority to the treasurer. They cannot delegate investment authority to any other office, so either the council does the investing or the treasurer does the investing.
The authority of the legislative body to invest or to reinvest funds of a local agency, or to sell or exchange securities so purchased, may be delegated for a one-year period by the legislative body to the treasurer of the local agency, who shall thereafter assume full responsibility for those transactions until the delegation of authority is revoked or expires, and shall make a monthly report of those transactions to the legislative body. Subject to review, the legislative body may renew the delegation of authority pursuant to this section each year. (Amended by Stats. 1996, Ch. 749, Sec. 6. Effective January 1, 1997.) **GC 53060 Staff claims this code allows council to assign and contract with anyone to perform investing .
But the code does not allow the city council to contract or employ any person to perform the investing of city funds only they and the elected treasurer have the voters approval to invest city funds:
The legislative body of any public or municipal corporation or district may contract with and employ any persons for the furnishing to the corporation or district special services and advice in financial, economic, accounting, engineering, legal, or administrative matters if such persons are specially trained and experienced and competent to perform the special services required.
The authority herein given to contract shall include the right of the legislative body of the corporation or district to contract for the issuance and preparation of payroll checks.
The legislative body of the corporation or district may pay from any available funds such compensation to such persons as it deems proper for the services rendered. *** GC 37103 Again staff uses this code reference claiming it allows council to contract for any service.
But the code
is very specific on what types of services the legislative body can contract to be performed. It does not allow the legislative body to contract for performing the "investing or investment" of city funds:
The legislative body may contract with any specially trained and experienced person, firm, or corporation for special services and advice in financial, economic, accounting, engineering, legal, or administrative matters.
It may pay such compensation to these experts as it deems proper. **** In 2023-2024 See response #1 above.
The Policy allows for the investment in medium-term notes issued by corporations organized and
operated within the United States. Securities eligible for investment must be rated in a rating category of
“A” or its equivalent or better by a nationally recognized rating service. a. In 2023-2024, auditors observed that $2.8 million of medium-term notes were rated BBB+, which
does not align with the City’s Investment Policy
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***** CPRA The question was raised about me using my own email to draft questions, obtain draft comments before a final determination was made, which is true. But it claimed that those drafts should be made public and referenced the CPRA. b. Email communications are not available in the event of a public records request...
Drafts of city work in all city departments are excluded from CPRA until the draft is finalized according to GC:7927.500. Except as provided in Sections 7924.510(pollution), 7924.700(bldg code violations), and 7929.610(test questions for an exam), this division does not require disclosure of any preliminary drafts, notes, or interagency or interagency memoranda that are not retained by a public agency in the ordinary course of business, if the public interest in withholding those records clearly outweighs the public interest in disclosure. The city attorney's office has written that emails from official city email accounts are covered by CPRA. If I conduct city business I forward a final copy to my official city email account to provide me confirmation of what was done.
#3.
I am accused of using brokers that were not included in the city's official list of brokers. The list of approved brokers was developed with me and the Oxnard chief purchasing manager, and I always worked with the Oxnard Purchasing Managers, to assure that the brokers I used were on the city's list of approved brokers. I do not vouch for whoever was investing the part of the portfolio that was not under my purview.
Authorized Broker/Dealers & Competitive Bids
1. Auditors determined that the City obtained professional services of brokers/dealers without the oversight
of the purchasing agent and the City’s centralized procurement system. #4.
There is an accusation by staff that due to an issue in investing the city was charged $750. I will not address the issue as it had to do with the execution of a purchase order I made. However, in the years I served as the city's investment officer this is the only amount that was 'charged' for an investment I made.
That report was for the fiscal year 23-24.
To put it into perspective, I checked the USBank report on the 12 month earnings based on the investment I purchased as of July 2024. On page 3 of that report, which I have here for your review the estimated 12 month interest earnings according to USBank is $9,
053,382.65.
So as a percentage of earnings for the twelve month the $750 charge amounts to 0.0082842%.
#5.
The auditor's report for 23-24 shows something the staff may not want you to
know.
9 / 13
The total value of the city's investment portfolio is $616,468,776, and the portion I am responsible to invest from #1 above is $337,377,379 or 54.7%. All of the investments I bought were investment grade, however, I do not vouch for the person resonsible to invest the $279,091,397 portion.
Respectfully,
Phillip Molina, CPA(retired), MBA, Certified Mediator
City of Oxnard Elected City Treasurer
The City may not through legerdemain un-elect the office of city treasurer and defeat the choice of the voters.
10 / 13
Subject: Fwd: Ratings of investment I purchased as of July 2023 that were not Federal Agency paper From: "Molina, Phillip" <[email protected]>
To: Luly Lopez <[email protected]>,Dee Lai <[email protected]> Date Sent: Tuesday, July 1, 2025 1:39:42 PM GMT-07:00
Date Received: Tuesday, July 1, 2025 1:40:19 PM GMT-07:00 Mrs. Luly Lopez, Elected City Clerk
Ms. Dee Lai, Assistant City Clerk
Please include this list with my comments for today's agenda item on investment authority:
All the instruments I purchased for the City of Oxnard's investment portfolio portion that I 'controlled' that were not Federal Paper, which automatically rated AAA were listed as low-risk, high-grade investments by Fitch's ratings:
Respectfully,
Phillip Molina, CPA(retired), MBA, Certified Mediator
City of Oxnard Elected City Treasurer
The City may not through legerdemain un-elect the office of city treasurer and defeat the choice of the voters.
11 / 13