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After heated public comment, Oxnard council approves added records‑staff FTE; calls for improved transparency and protections for staff
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Summary
Council received a Public Records Act update and approved adding one administrative position to the city‑manager’s office to handle rising CPRA requests. A public speaker asked for an independent audit and sharply criticized records operations; council members debated harassment of staff and First Amendment boundaries before voting 6–0 to add the position.
The Oxnard City Council on Tuesday received an update on California Public Records Act (CPRA) activity and approved an amendment to the city manager’s full‑time equivalent resolution to add one administrative‑services position to handle growing public‑records workload.
Assistant City Manager Eric Sontagard told the council that the city is tracking a steep rise in records requests and that the portal metrics show a growing volume — staff cited a projection toward roughly 1,600 requests in 2026 if current trends continue. Sontagard and other staff argued the increase is driven by more electronic records, repeated follow‑ups on complex requests and sometimes voluminous multi‑bullet requests that expand over multiple rounds of clarification.
A virtual speaker, Eric Andrist, criticized the records office and staff performance, urged the council to send the issue back to committee and called for an independent audit; his remarks included sharp language about staff performance. Council members responded with divided tones: several expressed support for adding resources to meet CPRA obligations, while others condemned abusive and harassing messages directed at staff and emphasized the council’s duties as an employer to protect employees.
Councilwoman Basuah called repeated harassment of staff unacceptable and urged leaders to stand up for employees; other members said they support free speech but also must protect staff from intimidation. Assistant City Manager Sontagard and the city manager said staff will both provide resources to meet legal obligations and pursue protections for frontline employees who receive abusive communications.
The council voted 6–0 to adopt the staff recommendation to receive and file the CPRA activity report and to amend the FTE resolution to add one full‑time administrative position for the city manager’s office. Staff said they will continue to monitor request volumes, improve portal metrics and return with any additional staffing or policy recommendations as needed.
