Oxnard Public Forum to Detail Justice System

Hoping to educate Ventura County residents about the inner workings of the justice system, judges and attorneys, police and probation officers will come together next week for a public forum in Oxnard.

The event, which will be televised, will be held Thursday evening and is the last in a series of forums aimed at demystifying the court process.

“It is a very good effort to reach people who may not have a lot of contact with the judicial system,” said attorney Carmen Ramirez, president of the Ventura County Bar Assn.

“It is about how disputes in our community can be resolved,” Ramirez said. “A lot of people have little information or misinformation about how things are worked out.”

Similar meetings have been held in Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks and Ventura but with poor attendance. This time, court officials have worked with Oxnard police and community leaders in hopes of attracting a larger crowd.

“Our other forums have been a little different,” said Vince Ordonez Jr., assistant executive officer for the Municipal and Superior courts. “This is going to be strictly questions and answers. We are going to give the public the opportunity to submit written questions that evening.”

Because the forum will be televised on Channel 19 and broadcast live on KOXR AM-910, people watching or listening at home will also have an opportunity to ask questions by calling 981-1733, Ordonez said.

This is the second such event in Oxnard. A forum in March drew about 50 people, but was conducted only in English. This forum will be in English and Spanish with the help of court interpreters.

“Now we are focusing on another segment of the community,” Ordonez said.

To boost attendance, the Oxnard Police Department has distributed fliers in the Colonia neighborhood. An additional 4,000 fliers went home with students before school let out last month.

Also, local businesses and Colonia residents plan to serve free food at 6 p.m., an hour before the forum begins.

Ventura County Supervisor John Flynn, who represents most of Oxnard, will give the opening remarks. Ramirez will moderate the event.

Participating on the community panel will be Justice Paul Coffee of the Court of Appeal; Presiding Judge Charles W. Campbell Jr.; Commissioner Manuel Covarrubias; Deputy Dist. Atty. Tony Aguilar; Deputy Public Defender Ruben DeLaTorre; Oxnard Police Cmdr. Ralph Nieves; Ventura County Sheriff’s Capt. Mike Noguera; Carmen Flores of the county’s probation department; California Highway Patrol Officer George Orozco; attorneys Tina Rasnow and Anna Aparicio, and court interpreter Cecilia Issac.

“It is really our hope that people come because they want to learn something about the justice system,” Ordonez said. “There is information that we are going to convey to people, information on DUIs, domestic violence, small claims. . . . Those are key issues that affect a large number of people.

“We also want to convey to people that neither the justice system nor the courthouse has to be a scary place,” Ordonez said. “We have a lot of services that we provide, and they should feel comfortable in using those.”

FYI

The forum will begin at 7 p.m. Thursday at Robert J. Frank Intermediate School at 701 N. Juanita Ave., Oxnard. Food will be available at 6 p.m.