Countywide : Ombudsman Hired to Help Business

Ventura County officials have hired an ombudsman to ease the way for business owners seeking permits and to help them understand county regulations.

Ruth Schepler, 48, was hired last week for the newly created post that pays $55,000 a year. Schepler, who begins the new job next week, is now a senior analyst in the county’s chief administrative office.

The business ombudsman post is an outgrowth of the Council on Economic Vitality, a group of government and business leader that formed last year to examine why businesses are leaving the county, Schepler said.

“California has a reputation of being anti-business,” she said. “The permit process is costly and time-consuming.” Several counties in the state have hired ombudsmen to make it easier for businesses to stay here, she said.

Supervisors Vicky Howard and Maggie Kildee proposed hiring an ombudsman and the position was authorized last summer.

Schepler said she will help businesses get permits. She will also evaluate the county’s permit process to see if it can be made less complex.

Before she became a senior analyst in 1991, Schepler spent three years as the county’s assistant registrar of voters. She also worked 20 years for American Telephone & Telegraph Co. in management training and customer service.