OXNARD : Mexican Consulate to Get More Space

Mexican consulate officials in Oxnard have stopped their search for a new office after reaching an agreement with the city of Oxnard to rent larger quarters for no extra charge.

With the new three-year lease, the consulate, in the Oxnard Transportation Center, will have 70% more room in which to handle a rising number of requests for visas, passports and other legal services.

“The new office will enable us to give better service,” Consul Luis Humberto Ramirez said Monday.

The consulate serves about 500,000 Mexicans and Mexican-Americans in Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties. Last year, 30,000 people received assistance from the consulate, Ramirez said.

In the interest of retaining the consulate as a tenant at the center, the city agreed last week to enlarge the leased area by about 70%, from 1,250 square feet to 2,108 square feet, without increasing the monthly rent of $1,625, said Rudy Muravez of the city’s finance and management department.

Although the resulting rental rate is below the average in the transportation center, it is competitive with other nearby offices, said Muravez, who added that the new space had been vacant since July.

The city also agreed to spend $5,000 to remodel the offices to suit the needs of the consulate. The remodeling, which will be done after closing hours, will not interfere with consulate business, Ramirez said.

By remaining in the same location, the consulate will stay close to train and bus lines and retain its access to other amenities in the center, he said.

The consulate has begun an advertising campaign to promote its new quarters, Ramirez said.