State officials make case for parolee fire training camp near Camarillo

State officials proposing a fire training camp for parolees near Camarillo presented their case for the project to concerned citizens and rehabilitation advocates at an informational meeting Tuesday night.

More than 100 people, including residents and civic leaders, filled the City Council chambers to learn about and share their thoughts on the $26.6 million Ventura Training Center.

Proposed in Gov. Jerry Brown's budget, the program would be operated by the state's Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection or Cal Fire.

Cal Fire Chief Ken Pimlott explained the parolees in the program would be hand-picked from among the 3,500 inmates currently placed at the fire agency's 43 conservation camps throughout the state.

"These will be the cream of the crop of the folks that have been campers...and who have displayed exemplary performance," Pimlott said.

Other presenters included California Director of Adult Parole Operations Jerry Powers; Ralph Diaz, the undersecretary of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation; and Amy Cameron, chief deputy director of the California Conservation Corps.

All five members of the Camarillo City Council were also in attendance, along with County Supervisors Kelly Long and John Zaragoza. Representatives for Assemblywoman Jacqui Irwin and Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson and Sen. Henry Stern also attended the meeting.

The $26.6 million budget proposal is centered on transforming the Cal Fire-owned Ventura Conservation Camp, which currently houses 77 incarcerated men who serve as auxiliary firefighters. The camp is located just outside the Camarillo city limits at 2800 Wright Road.

The proposal would renovate the camp into a training center for 80 parolees to enroll in 18 months of fire training that would allow them to complete their Level I firefighter certification and make them eligible to apply for firefighting jobs with Cal Fire and other local agencies.

Once the state officials finished speaking, the meeting opened up for questions and comments. Zaragoza spoke first and noted several problems he had with the project, including the lack of evidence such a program would reduce crime recidivism rates.

"I'm concerned that this program is being rushed into existence without the proper study to determine the true benefit to the parolees," Zaragoza said.

Pimlott later framed the fire training center as a pilot program by the state and that employment would not be guaranteed for those who complete the training.

"At the end of the day, firefighting jobs are very competitive and challenging to get," Pimlott said. "We don't expect every single person going through this program is going to be successful in getting a firefighting job, and that's something that's going to be made very clear from the day they're recruited from our conservation camp program."

Many supporters of the project at the meeting were members of the Anti-Recidivism Coalition, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit that advocates for criminal rehabilitation programs and provides a support network for formerly incarcerated individuals. 

Scott Budnick, the coalition's founder and member of the California Board of State and Community Corrections, was among several speakers from the organization to appeal to the panel.

"I really see this as a program that can really enhance this community, not a program that is actually going to put the community at risk," Budnick said. "If we try to take this somewhere else, we're going to be sitting in another community, doing these types of meetings."

Several Camarillo residents who spoke at the meeting felt differently than Budnick and expressed safety concerns about the proximity of the training camp to a California Conservation Corps site and several high-end Camarillo neighborhoods.

One exception was Camarillo resident Jason Croft, who spoke to the transformational aspect the camp could play in parolees' lives.

"I'm generally hard-nosed on crime. I like our safe little city, but I'm here in support of this camp. I have seen the miracle of rehabilitation. I have seen the difference in people who have gone through programs like this, and it's completely changed their lives," Croft said.

Ventura County Sheriff Geoff Dean, an opponent, was the last speaker of the night. He said he felt like the funding demands of the training center were not justified by the potential benefits of creating it.

"To spend $8 million a year for an ongoing program, when the chance of employment is so low, to me is an abomination," Dean said.