Conservation Corps to Close Camarillo Office

The California Conservation Corps will close its Camarillo district office this summer due to state budget cuts, forcing about 100 corps members and 20 staff members to transfer to other offices or be laid off by July 31, officials said Saturday.

News of the imminent closure upset the corps members, who have committed at least a year of their lives to live in a dormitory at Camarillo State Hospital as well as follow the paramilitary rules of the corps and work on environmental projects for minimum wage.

“It is quite depressing,” said Steve Hamilton, who has been a corps member for five months. “I learned to get along with people, and I learned a lot of good trade skills. It’s helped straighten me out a lot. I would probably be in jail now if I hadn’t done it.”

Camarillo is one of seven centers in the state that will be closed in July, in addition to the corps training academy, said Terri Kirby, a staff member who coordinates projects for the work crews. The Camarillo district stretches from San Fernando to Gaviota.

“We’re not going to be able to serve the state as we have in the past,” Kirby said of the decision to cut 50% of the corps’ budget. The corps will have 11 remaining centers, scattered across the state.

“The remaining districts will grow larger, but in reality there are areas that just aren’t going to be serviced,” Kirby said. “The nearest centers now will be in Pomona to the south, and Santa Clara to the north. So realistically, I don’t think Ventura County will be seeing any CCC crews.”

All corps members at centers scheduled to be closed will be transferred to another center, Kirby said. Some of the staff members will also be transferred, she said, and others will be let go.

About 100 corps members and 20 staffers received the bad news on Friday morning.

“I’m facing a possible demotion with a transfer, but I feel lucky to have a job, frankly,” said Kirby, who has worked for the corps for 12 years.

Tami Simpson has been employed by the corps for seven years and expects to be laid off in July. “It’s not a matter of finding another job, it’s a way of life,” Simpson said. “We’ve made a difference in this area.”

The corps is designed to give young adults, age 18 to 23, a chance to train in firefighting and environmental work. Its rigorous program has been applauded for giving teen-agers a chance to escape from gang influences and family problems.

“I was doing a lot of stupid things before I came here,” said David Bonde, who has been a corps member for about eight months. “It changed my attitude, taught me discipline. It makes me want to look toward the future.”

Bonde wants to become a firefighter and now works on the corps fire crew, which helps dig trenches during brush fires. The corps also plants trees, clears trails and restores historic buildings. Camarillo district corps members recently helped with the February floods and provided food for the National Guard helping to restore order in Los Angeles.

Corps member Melissa Rodegeb, 19, said she was not sure if she wants to transfer to another center. “I would have to start all over and that would be kind of scary,” said Rodegeb, who has been a corps member for about 18 months. “It’s almost like family sometimes. You get used to these people, and you don’t want to leave all these people.”