APCD engineer urges anonymous staff survey and warns of Title V permit backlog

Laura Kranzler, a permit engineer with the Ventura County Air Pollution Control District, told the board on April 14 that staff have not been provided "an anonymous mandatory employee satisfaction survey" and said implementing one should be "a top priority" to gather unbiased feedback on workplace conditions.

Kranzler said the engineering division is significantly understaffed, telling the board that there are "more than 10 Title V permits that are between 2 and 5 years overdue for reissuance," and that "at present, there are only 2 full time permit engineers responsible for this workload. Me being 1 of them." She said limited support from a permit processing specialist, a part‑time former manager and occasional supervisory assistance is insufficient to address the backlog.

Kranzler also raised budget priorities, questioning how the district could add "another high level administrative position and earning over 150,000 annually," while retaining the human resources manager, Nancy Mendoza, "at a similar salary with reduced responsibilities," and at the same time be unable to fund a permanent permit engineer or even a fixed‑term hire.

In a separate public comment before the board went into closed session, Kranzler asked whether staff complaints about the Air Pollution Control Officer had been formally reviewed and whether any findings had been considered in the APCO's performance evaluation. She recommended that APCD staff be given "a formal opportunity to provide confidential feedback as part of the evaluation process" and urged greater transparency in that evaluation.

The board did not take immediate public action on Kranzler's requests during the open session; later the board moved into closed session to consider Item 11, with staff announcing there would be no reportable announcement following the closed session.