Jeff Pingeli, the city’s community development director, gave an overview of building, planning and code compliance work in Oxnard, saying the department has roughly 70 full‑time employees and three core divisions: building and engineering, planning (current and long‑range), and code compliance. "We are very grateful for that funding and we've applied it, aggressively, increased our staffing," Pingeli said as he described steps taken to shrink a post‑COVID backlog.

Pingeli highlighted major projects and programs: the South Oxnard Connect transit‑oriented plan, the local coastal program and general plan updates, and the Arman Beach restoration and access work. He noted the city recently issued an RFP for an EV‑charging vendor based on a franchise model and reported roughly $5.5 million in cannabis business tax revenue to date.

On housing production, Pingeli said nearly 6,000 units are "on the horizon" with about 1,600 under construction. He outlined the EPL (enterprise permitting and licensing) software implementation intended to allow digital plan review and real‑time inspection data, with a tentative March 27, 2026, go‑live and an expected six‑month adaptation period.

Pingeli and staff also described enforcement against unpermitted food vendors: the city conducted about 50 after‑hours HERO operations in 2025 to remove unsafe vendor setups that posed fire and health risks; he cited state laws (SB 946 and SB 972) that limit local remedies and described coordination with Ventura County Environmental Health.

Council members asked for examples of permit delays and Pingeli explained many delays result from communication gaps among applicants, designers and owners rather than internal processing time. He encouraged applicants and design teams to coordinate with city staff early and said the city would continue recruiting, using consultants and offering the permit fast‑track program for small business and residential plan checks.

Pingeli’s presentation framed the department’s work as a mix of regulatory compliance and customer service, with an emphasis on digital permitting and outreach to reduce friction for residents and businesses.