Female Deputies to Be Honored

Three women who blazed a trail for female and Latino deputies at the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department will be honored Wednesday at a ceremony at Todd Road Jail.

“This kind of recognition is certainly long overdue,” said Eric Nishimoto, a department spokesman. “They were pioneers in our department.”

Dora Ponce Willeford, 78, was the first female deputy and first Latino or Latina on the force. She was hired in 1950 and retired 31 years later. She died in April, but her sister plans to attend the ceremony.

In 1953, two more women were hired, marking the second and third to join the force. Leola Chronister, 72, worked for the Oxnard Police Department before becoming the sheriff’s first female sergeant, and Mary Forgery, 85, joined after working with the Santa Paula Police Department.

Both women retired in the mid-1970s.

Nishimoto said the ceremony will include a luncheon, a speech and presentation by Sheriff Bob Brooks and a display of memorabilia and photographs of the women.

The event is part of the department’s ongoing effort to research and chronicle the agency’s history.

One fact for the books might be that in 2000, there were 87 female deputies on a force of 786 sworn personnel.

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It’s a day before the big election, and local prosecutors have charged an Oxnard woman with 15 felonies for illegally registering her two young daughters, an ex-husband and 13 others to vote.

“Especially at this time of year and in this country, we are exercising our right to vote and it’s a precious right,” Deputy Dist. Atty. Tom Johnson said of the timing of the case. “It’s important that we protect the integrity of our system.”

Bobbi L. James, 39, was working for the campaign of Assemblyman Tony Strickland (R-Thousand Oaks) and earning $8 an hour plus 50 cents for everyone she registered to vote, Johnson said.

When James’ ex-husband went to vote in the March primary, he saw the names of his daughters, then 15 and 10, on the rolls and contacted the county registrar’s office.

Johnson said authorities learned that James allegedly registered people who were ineligible to vote, who did not want to be registered and fictitious people. James reportedly re-registered her ex-husband.

“It appeared like some of the names were out the telephone book and some were real people,” Johnson said. In some cases, authorities found incorrect dates of birth and driver’s license numbers on registration papers and wrong party affiliations.

James pleaded not guilty last week to the charges and will appear in court again Nov. 20. She faces up to three years in prison if convicted.

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Holly J. Wolcott can be reached at 653-7581 or at holly.wolcott@latimes.com.