From oil fields to Ormond Beach: Oxnard Leadership Program powers on for Energy & Environment Day

​Turning its attention to energy and the environment for its sixth session, the 2025 Oxnard Leadership Program (OLP) met local leaders to gain a better understanding about key issues impacting residents and businesses throughout the city and region. The day was coordinated by 2018 OLP alumni Justin Campbell, Director of Remediation & Environmental Compliance Services for Catalyst Environmental Solutions, and bookended by two incredibly unique experiences -- visiting one of Ventura’s largest, oldest operating oil fields and an exclusive tour of the power plant at Ormond Beach. 

The morning began at Aera Energy's 100-year-old clubhouse in Ventura and kicked off with session six coordinator Justin Campbell who shared a general overview of current energy operations in the county. Participants then took a deep dive into oil and gas industry, learning from Ben Oakley of Western States Petroleum Association, and California Resource Corporation's (CRC) Manager of Operations​ Erin Larner, before a brief tour of the historic oil field. CRC merged with Aera Energy LLC in 2024. The property covers about 4,300 acres in the hills just north of the City of Ventura along Ventura Avenue. Crude oil has been actively produced in Ventura County since the 1920s.

The afternoon began with a facility tour and lunch-time presentation at Southern California Edison with Natalie Yanez, Government Relations Manager and WVCBA Chair Elect. The tour included SCE's outdoor training area and a peek at one of the newest trucks in their EV fleet.

The cohort's next stop was the National Weather Service’s Oxnard office, which monitors weather conditions in Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo counties, as well as adjacent coastal waters out 60 nautical miles. Meteorologist John Dumas, science and operations officer, shared an overview of the weather events they monitor and gave a brief tour of the facility, including a large outdoor display which shows the different tool and devices used to monitor and measure the weather.  ​

In a first for the program, the day concluded with exclusive access to Ormond Beach Generating Station, the gas-fired power plant at the south-end of Oxnard. It primarily serves as an emergency backup to prevent blackouts and operated approximately five times in 2024. GenOn, the facility operator, hosted the group and gave an overview of its history, current operations, and future plans. They also led a tour of the facility that took the group up several flights of stairs to the operating center and main outdoor platform.