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Oxnard staff outline expansion of arts, library and youth programs while flagging funding and accessibility gaps
Summary
Cultural & Community Services staff told the City Council their programs have expanded—more murals, a growing Arts Academy, a revived library reinvention and youth workforce pathways—but warned operational funding, facilities and outdated technology risk program continuity beyond FY26.
Cultural and Community Services staff told the Oxnard City Council on Jan. 20 that a recent expansion of arts, library and recreation programs has substantially increased community reach but also stretched the department’s resources.
“Art is for everyone,” Julia Estrada, cultural arts programs manager, said in the presentation, citing the city’s mini murals program and Arts Academy. She said the mini murals program began during the pandemic and has grown to more than 140 murals citywide and two annual events. “We’ve created basically a large coloring book for the community,” she said.
The department’s library manager, Kathleen Nashmore, said the library reinvention project has driven higher usage: the system offered more than 1,000 programs with about 22,000 participants in 2025 and circulated roughly 218,000 items, a 10% year-over-year increase. She described a network infrastructure design now in the final design phase, expected to conclude in May, and said outreach services—like ESL classes and a “library of things” that loans tools and kits—are expanding but constrained by aging equipment and accessibility barriers.
“Technology is severely outdated,” Nashmore said, listing elevator modernization and space redesign among accessibility needs. Staff said the city recently restored several positions, including supervisors and a literacy librarian, to support program growth.
Director Jo Harrison emphasized partnerships as essential to program delivery. He credited groups such as the Friends of the Library and local nonprofits for supporting summer lunch programs, backpack drives and senior legal services, and he highlighted community events that the department helps produce, including the Insect Festival (about 5,000 attendees) and the Tamale Festival (estimated 17,000 attendees).
Recreation manager Jesse Tapia outlined youth pathways and City Corps programs that provide job training and event logistics experience; Tapia said the City Corps assisted recent smoke-detector installations (525 units) and delivered more than 730 sandbags to households during storm response. He also noted the department launched an all-girls flag football division last fall.
Council members pressed staff on funding sources, data clarity and whether attendance figures are duplicated or unduplicated. Councilman Starr asked for a clearer breakdown of year-to-year program counts; Nashmore and Rakestraw said staff can provide more granular attendance and staffing data for major programs.
Staff warned that while many programs can continue, limited operational funding beyond fiscal year 2026 and a lack of dedicated arts facilities will constrain the department’s ability to scale services. They said getting projects to a shovel-ready phase will be essential to compete for state and federal capital grants.
The presentation closed with a call for continued council support and an invitation for council members to participate in events and volunteer programs. The council did not take action on the workshop item but thanked staff for the report and pledged follow-up on requested data and grant strategies.
