Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Family Justice Center topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Thousand Oaks to commit up to $2 million toward East County Family Justice Center MOU with Ventura County
Summary
City Council authorized a memorandum of understanding with Ventura County to contribute up to $2 million toward purchase of a site for an East County Family Justice Center and approved a budget appropriation; the county will lead site selection and the city will support land-use coordination.
The Thousand Oaks City Council authorized the city manager to enter into a memorandum of understanding with Ventura County to contribute up to $2,000,000 toward the purchase of a site for an East County Family Justice Center and approved a corresponding budget appropriation.
The action formalizes a December 2024 verbal commitment after the Ventura County Board of Supervisors selected Thousand Oaks as the location for the center. Deputy Cultural and Community Services Director Melissa Hurtado told the council the county is currently searching for a property and that city staff will assist by answering land-use and zoning questions and, if necessary, returning with a property-specific funding and use agreement once a site is identified.
City and county officials described the project as a multi-agency effort to co-locate services for survivors of domestic violence, child abuse and other family-related crimes. Chief Deputy District Attorney Mike Jump and Project Manager Christine Mitchell were present for council questions about building use and operations.
Hurtado and Jump said county staff are looking for a freestanding, securable property of roughly 8,000 to 12,000 square feet, with proximity to health care services and some outdoor space to support youth programming. Jump said those criteria, plus the need for full site control, have made the search more time-consuming and that identifying a suitable property could take years.
Mayor Pro Tem Taylor moved the staff recommendation to authorize the MOU and the appropriation; the motion passed 5-0. Council members who questioned staff emphasized collaboration on site identification and thanked county and nonprofit partners for their involvement.
No building was identified at the meeting, and the council did not disburse funds at this time; staff emphasized the city’s $2 million is conditional (payable after a property is identified and purchase steps are completed). The county will lead property acquisition and any required renovations; the city will provide technical land‑use support and funding per the MOU when a purchase is ready.
The council vote authorizes staff to finalize the MOU and to include the $2,000,000 appropriation in the city budget. City staff said they expect the search to be collaborative and iterative and will return with property-specific agreements as needed.
