Oxnard council implements Court of Appeal ruling on treasurer; shifts some collection and payment duties

The Oxnard City Council on Tuesday adopted staff recommendations to implement a recent Court of Appeal ruling and a subsequent writ of mandate that restored some statutory duties to the city treasurer while authorizing the city to reassign specific administrative functions.

The council voted 6–1 to approve staff’s recommended ordinance language and administrative steps to comply with the court’s directive. Under the action, the city will restore certain statutory reporting duties to the elected city treasurer while transferring specified collector and payment‑processing functions as permitted by the court’s decision.

Why it matters: The vote implements a judicial ruling that overturned earlier city ordinances and resolutions that the court found unlawfully removed duties from an elected official. Council members and staff said their action follows the court’s instructions while addressing operational concerns raised by staff and by an earlier internal investigation.

Background and court findings The council’s vote follows a multi‑year dispute that began after city management removed administrative duties from Treasurer Philip Molina following an internal investigation by an outside investigator. The investigator’s report, which the city relied upon, documented allegations about workplace communications and conduct by the treasurer and raised concerns about the…