Pier and Point Newsroom

VPD will deploy extra patrols and drones over the holiday weekend after logging 650 fireworks calls and 13 citations in 2025.

Residents can weigh in on the City's draft Prohousing Designation application through August 8, with a community workshop set for July 8 at Ventura City Hall.

The Board of Supervisors approved a $3.41 billion balanced budget on June 15, maintaining services while investing in housing, behavioral health, and infrastructure.

City staff recommend rejecting Mountain Cascade's challenge and awarding the construction contract for the State Water Interconnection Pipeline.

The city will add $1.5 million in State Coastal Conservancy grant funding to the long-running shoreline restoration project.

The council certified the final EIR and introduced an ordinance for a 240-unit residential and hotel project at the Civic Arts Plaza, clearing construction to start in 2027.

Santa Paula's city manager will serve out his final year under existing contract terms as the council prepares to launch a recruitment process for his replacement.

Voters will decide whether to extend the half-cent sales tax past its March 2029 expiration, preserving $20 million in annual city revenue.

A 70-year-old man lost $84,000 to a caller posing as McAfee Security, and detectives arrested the suspect en route to another victim.

The city began construction on a permanent supportive housing community for residents experiencing homelessness, with completion expected in October 2027.

Ventura property owners with short-term vacation rental permits must renew by August 31 or lose them, while new applications open July 13 under revised rules that include a steep fee increase and new geographic caps.

Council denies appeal of Planning Commission approval for the 75-unit apartment building at 1655 East Thompson Boulevard, clearing the way for the density-bonus project to proceed.

Rather than adopt the ordinance, the council directed staff to hold three public workshops with stakeholders and return with revisions by October 27, 2026.

The city released its application for the state's Prohousing Designation Program, opening a 30-day public comment period from July 8 through August 8, with a community workshop scheduled for July 8.

The board accepted the California Coastal Commission's conditions on June 23, sending the updated Local Coastal Program amendments back for final certification to protect 29 miles of unincorporated coastline.

The Ventura City Council voted 5-2 to approve a four-story, 75-unit apartment complex on East Thompson Boulevard after more than four hours of debate, rejecting a neighborhood appeal that cited procedural errors and concerns about density and parking.

Council held a public hearing on the two-story replacement station, certifying a mitigated negative declaration and moving a zone change, general plan amendment, and lot coverage tweak toward final approval.

The spending plan adds $186 million in total appropriations while keeping staffing flat and preserving the county’s top credit ratings.

The measure would extend the city's existing half-cent sales tax indefinitely, generating roughly $20 million per year for public safety and core services.

A fire in an upstairs unit at 701 Riverside Street displaced eight residents and sent one person to Community Memorial Hospital with minor injuries.

The KPFF, Inc. design contract has a February 28, 2027 completion date; up to $27,934 in additional contingency was also authorized.

Council voted at its March 24 meeting to formally end the temporary relocation and resume regular meetings at 501 Poli Street.

The fourteenth amendment to the city's outside-counsel agreement raises the not-to-exceed cap to $9.38 million as the long-running water-rights litigation continues.

After two hours of public comment, the Ventura City Council voted 5-2 to advance a coastal grant application before the May 11 funding deadline.

Kennedy Jenks Consultants will design a corrective-action plan for the country club's separately operated drinking-water system through August.

FPA Ventura Olivas plans 181 market-rate units, 104 affordable units, 12 live-work units and 15,900 square feet of commercial space on a 13.75-acre parcel.

EVGateway will own, operate, and maintain the new electric vehicle charging stations under a 10-year agreement that may extend to 20 years.

Council approved an Annual Action Plan combining last year's allocation of $704,658 with $248,396 in previously unused CDBG funds for submission to HUD.

The construction contract has an August 31, 2026 completion date and authorizes up to $208,625 in contingency funding on top of the $1,390,830 base.

Council waived the first reading on an ordinance updating Section 16.215.030 and Chapter 16.225 of the municipal code as part of the Downtown Parking Improvements project.

Council closed out additional costs from the temporary relocation, bringing the total Community Access Partners agreement to $3,391,832.

The sixth amendment to Chen Ryan's design contract extends the completion date to November 30, 2026 and brings the cumulative total to $4.6 million.

The first amendment funds permitting and construction monitoring on the Ventura River emergency bank repair through June 2027.

The change orders raise the cumulative emergency-repair spending on the Ventura River bank, with $32,510 added to Peter Lapidus and $197,873 to Tri County Transportation.

The March 24 council meeting raised the cap on environmental-consulting and legal contracts tied to the Sinclair Gas Station Fuel Leak, extending Rincon's work through December 2026.

The first reading passed at the March 10 council meeting, with a second reading and adoption scheduled for a future meeting once notice can be provided.

The retroactive approval covers work already underway to protect a city water well, with up to $40,000 in additional change orders authorized.

The March 24 vote made Chapter 8.60 part of the municipal code two weeks after the ordinance was first introduced.

Council adopted the Fiscal Year 2027 to 2031 Capital Improvement Program on March 24, adding 17 named projects to the city's five-year infrastructure pipeline.

Council received the final vision document, confirmed parklet implementation timing, and authorized $49,730 in additional consultant work from RRM Design Group.

Council deposited a $3.6 million probable-compensation amount with the state and authorized $2.6 million in capital fund appropriations to acquire the parcel.

Council issued a Work Order to CSG Consultants for environmental services on the long-pending parking structure at Santa Clara and Palm, completing in May 2027.

The fourth amendment extends the city's content management contract through May 2027 and lifts maintenance fees on the OnBase system.

The construction contract carries an August 31 completion date and a separate consulting amendment extends Flowers and Associates' work through September.