OXNARD : Council OKs Funds for Neighborhood

Oxnard leaders Tuesday invested $440,000 in one of the city’s most blighted neighborhoods as part of a long-term campaign to throttle crime, boost home ownership and eliminate graffiti-scarred walls.

The Southwinds neighborhood, which borders Port Hueneme at Oxnard’s southern end, has been targeted for cleanup by the city’s redevelopment agency since the mid-1980s.

The agency has already spent more than $1 million to improve conditions, a figure that some residents say has brought little change.

“I think there’s been improvement over the past year, but I’m disappointed there hasn’t been more,” said Bonnie Trent, president of the Southwinds Neighborhood Council.

The latest expenditure, approved by the City Council in a vote, includes funds for a home buyers’ assistance program, repairs to streets and sidewalks and landscaping in areas frequently targeted by graffiti vandals.

Oxnard officials also want to look at ways the redevelopment money could be used to renovate a rundown commercial strip on Hueneme Road.

Officials also want to erect a fence along Courtland Street to prevent dumping of trash in vacant lots.

“To improve everything in looks will contribute to improving the social atmosphere of Southwinds also,” Trent said.

Oxnard police opened a storefront station in 1993 to boost their presence in the neighborhood.

Still, four people have been killed in the past two years, including a 33-year-old farm worker caught in a cross-fire between rival gangs late last month.