County to Help Conservation Corps : Finances: Supervisors hope to assemble benefactors to keep the Camarillo branch operating. But some officials have doubts.

Moving to prevent the California Conservation Corps from shutting down its Ventura County operations, the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday decided to go after public and private funding to keep the youth program alive.

At the urging of Supervisors John K. Flynn and Susan K. Lacey, the board voted 4 to 0 to play a pivotal role in trying to assemble a group of local governments, water districts and private companies that could offer contracts to keep the corps’ program running in the county.

The corps, which provides minimum-wage jobs for young adults, recently announced that the state budget crisis will force the closure of its Camarillo office along with six other branch offices statewide.

“It’s about time local elected people stopped yelling about the state and started doing some of these things for ourselves,” Flynn said. “We need to become a partner with CCC and help make it survive. There is plenty of work out there.”

Lacey added: “We need to give them our good wishes and support.”

Although corps officials had planned to close down the Camarillo office by the end of the week, they said they hope to keep the operation going at least two more weeks. Officials said they were encouraged by the county’s action but were not overly optimistic.

“My only reservation is the cities and the county could suffer from cutbacks,” said Paul Magie, assistant director of the Camarillo office. “Everyone is in a world of hurt. We have reserved optimism right now. We just don’t know who will come forward.”

The Camarillo district employs about 60 corps members, who also help with disaster relief efforts during floods and earthquakes from northern Los Angeles County to southern Santa Barbara County. Its annual budget is about $2 million.

“We teach young people the work ethic,” said Ignacio Pina, Camarillo district director. “It’s very similar to the military.”

The majority of county corps members live in a dormitory at Camarillo State Hospital and contribute a small amount of their monthly wages for room and board. Other corps members work in a separate non-residential program that is run directly with the Oxnard Parks Department.

To keep at least part of the operation running, the corps would have to receive about $600,000 in jobs from governments and businesses in the county, Magie said.

Flynn said he is confident that the community will rally to help the corps, which is trained to clear hiking trails, dig trenches, clear brush, plant trees and perform other environmental chores.

Flynn said he and Lacey will start soliciting support for the corps by the beginning of September. “There are some cities that already have showed an interest,” Flynn said.

Supervisor Maggie Kildee added: “I think if we can get a state-supported agency to find a way to become self-supported, we are way ahead. They do a very good service for at-risk young people who have a real potential of becoming burdens on society.

“I hope we can become a facilitator to bring the right resources together to find funds.”