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Public commenters urge scrutiny of drone purchases, highlight kidnapping claims and call for election and offshore drilling vigilance
Summary
During general public comment, residents urged the board to reject a sheriff’s drone acquisition, raised large kidnapping statistics for the Central Coast and Ventura County, called for election‑count reforms, reminded the board to submit a resolution opposing offshore oil leasing, and urged action on disinformation.
The board’s general public‑comment period on Jan. 13 featured four in‑person and remote speakers who raised a range of issues including law‑enforcement equipment, public safety claims, election integrity concerns, offshore oil lease comments and disinformation.
Drone equipment: Danielle Bloom (remote) urged the board not to approve or authorize acquisition of two 'DJI Matris 4 EUAS unmanned aircraft system platforms and batteries' for the Ventura County Sheriff’s Emergency Services, calling them "military grade equipment" inappropriate for local law enforcement and asking the board to refrain from authorizing the purchase.
Public safety claim: A local commenter identified as Blanca cited what she described as a spate of 'kidnappings' across the Central Coast and within Ventura County (she cited several multi‑day counts and a total she said was 751 in the county) and asked what plans the county has to prepare if similar incidents occur locally.
Election integrity: Bruce McVicker urged hand counts at the precinct level and alleged security problems with certain voting systems (naming Smartmatic, Dominion and Liberty Vote) and remote access concerns; his remarks framed a call for the Ventura County Elections Advisory Committee and the Registrar to evaluate alternative counting methods.
Offshore leases and disinformation: Leslie Purcell urged the board to ensure the county’s December resolution opposing federal offshore leasing was submitted to the federal comment process (comments due Jan. 23). Wayne Morgan urged the board to promote media literacy to counter disinformation and recommended verification and fact‑checking resources.
Board note: Clerks and staff explained the public‑comment rules, and supervisors acknowledged the comments. The board did not take immediate action on the specific equipment or election process requests at the meeting; several items raised may be addressed through staff follow‑up or formal agenda items.
