by City Council Member Christy Weir
The sudden and fierce Thomas Fire has left a lasting impact on our community. We are proud of our residents and our fire and police departments for facilitating the evacuation of one-fourth of our city within two hectic hours, with no injuries. The fire destroyed over 500 homes in Ventura and we all mourn with the families who lost their possessions and homes. The quick and generous response of our community has been overwhelming, during and after the fire.
Through donations of time, money, household items, food and housing, Venturans have come together to inspire and support one another, moving forward to help those who were impacted. The City has partnered with CalRecycle to quickly clear debris from affected properties, and we are committed to helping each property owner through the permitting and construction process as they rebuild. Three well-loved parks also suffered heavy losses in the fire— Arroyo Verde, Ventura Botanical Gardens and Serra Cross Park. I look forward to collaborating with community volunteers to reconstruct and revitalize these parks as a lasting legacy to the resilience and strength of our beautiful city. We are VenturaStrong!
