Oxnard Leadership 2025 goes with the flow on Public Services Day

For their penultimate session, Oxnard Leadership Program's 2025 cohort experienced Public Services Day to meet with and learn about the people and systems that keep the city's essential services running: water, trash and recycling, and wastewater. Everyone who lives or works in Oxnard uses these services daily but probably doesn’t think about where drinking water comes from or what happens after you flush the toilet or throw out the trash (spoiler alert: there are a lot of great people involved). 

The cohort spent the day behind-the-scenes with the City of Oxnard’s Public Works team that has a crucial role in maintaining and improving the infrastructure and services of the community. For those curious about road closures, new parks, water quality, or how come there’s so much furniture on the side of the roads, this was the day to get answers.

The day-long session began at the Advanced Water Purification Facility (AWPF) with an update about major projects from Public Works Director Michael Wolfe. They toured the AWPF, which uses one of the world’s most highly developed purification processes to take treated wastewater and produce safe, clean water for parks, crops, athletic fields, etc. They also received eye-opening presentations and tours from the enthusiastic teams at the Wastewater Treatment Plant (recycles water to the AWPF or discharges water to the ocean), Del Norte Regional Recycling and Transfer Station (processes the disposal of trash, food and organic waste, hazardous waste, and recyclable materials), and the Water Campus (purifies water for drinking/tap use). 

A special thank you to session coordinator Marcela S. Ramirez, Administrative Services Coordinator for the city's Public Works Department! The 2025 cohort's final session is Health & Human Services Day on Friday, October 24. The 2025 Oxnard Leadership Program is generously sponsored by the Gene Haas Foundation, along with Pegasus Transit (Education Day), Santa Barbara Airbus (Health & Human Services Day), and lunch sponsors TKC Enterprises, Catalyst Environmental Solutions, Bayer Crop Sciences, and The Port of Hueneme.

​The application window is open for the 2026 Oxnard Leadership Program. The 10-month, 10-session experiential program connects participants with key decision makers and experts on vital issues shaping the city and its surrounding region while enhancing your knowledge of the area and expanding your network. Partial scholarships may be available.