The Ventura County Department of Airports is excited to debut the first Communications & Engagement Summary highlighting work to bridge the gap between the Airports and the community. The Summary, which can be found by clicking here, is designed to share where the Department of Airports started in 2022 with regard to community engagement, where the Department currently stands, and where the Airports are headed.
Summary Introduction
It was clear in the fall of 2021 that it was time to hit the reset button and begin a new era in community relations. Not just with the pilot community. Not just with neighboring residents. And not just with our community partners. The effort had to be fully inclusive of all stakeholders, with an added goal of trying to bridge the gap between all entities. For the airport to succeed, it could no longer be “us versus them.” Trust had to be built. And then it had (and has) to be maintained.
The road ahead was long. We had work to do, and we were up for the challenge.
Airport administration began its response, and in 2022 hired a Communications & Engagement Manager and introduced a full-time public information element to the team. The task? Establish and nurture community relationships, build and strengthen a noise program, and increase visibility of both Camarillo and Oxnard airports.
There was also unfinished business to address.
For Camarillo Airport it meant pivoting from a master plan process to an updated Airport Layout Plan that was designed for full stakeholder engagement with the underlying focus being on how Camarillo Airport will continue to fulfill its grant assurance obligations and obligations as a former military base turned general aviation/reliever airport as required in the 1977 deed documentation. There would be no changes to how it operates and no amendments to the Joint Powers Agreement with the City of Camarillo.
Simultaneously, the Department of Airports launched two Part 150 Noise Compatibility Studies (one for Camarillo Airport and one for Oxnard Airport) to address noise impacts on neighboring residents who, quite frankly, felt unheard.
All three projects wrapped up in 2025 after more than a dozen total public meetings, not to mention several planning advisory and technical group meetings for each study made up of members representing pilots, community partners, and neighboring community members.
Additionally, the Department of Airports bolstered its noise program, establishing Fly Friendly VC and reworking the way noise comments are addressed and documented through thorough monthly reports and consistent responses (when feasible) to comments.
Enhanced visibility of the airports is an ongoing and developing project that has included the redesign (twice) of the Department’s website to enhance navigation and organization of information, the introduction of airport “swag” for promotional purposes, informational flyers, community communications (e-blasts), participation in a variety of community events, and the development of an Airports Tour Program.
It’s been about being fully invested in listening to our neighbors, to pilots, and to our community partners and about providing a transparent process with a clear and consistent system of communication – one that will never be fully completed but rather an ongoing project designed with the flexibility to meet the changing needs of not the just the airports, but of our stakeholders as well.