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Finance and Governance Committee updates City whistleblower policy; hotline report received

January 28, 2026 | Oxnard City, Ventura County, California


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Finance and Governance Committee updates City whistleblower policy; hotline report received
The Finance and Governance Committee voted unanimously on Jan. 27 to recommend that City Council update the City’s whistleblower policy to reflect current state law and to receive and file the biannual whistleblower hotline report.

Program manager Annie Jensen told the committee the item has two parts: a policy update and a biannual status report of the whistleblower hotline. Jensen said internal auditors Erica Ong and Tomete Santalon of Vasquez & Company were available online to answer technical questions.

Committee members questioned how reports are classified in the portal and whether some complaints are miscategorized (for example, showing as "financial reporting and accounting" when they involve nonfiscal or third-party matters). Jensen and auditors said the portal (managed via Clearview) can be updated to add clearer categories and that auditors may reclassify allegation types after review.

Members also pressed staff on how anonymous reports are handled. Jensen said Clearview scrambles identifying data; if a reporter leaves no contact information staff can only communicate through the portal. Internal staff and auditors said they will add a column to future reports to indicate whether matters are officially closed; the two items discussed at the meeting were described as closed.

A committee member described a resubmitted whistleblower allegation accompanied by time-stamped photographs alleging a city employee regularly took a city vehicle home and spent significant hours at home during work days. The member said the whistleblower offered to provide a sworn declaration and photographic evidence. Auditors and staff said the original submission had been investigated, initially classified as fiscal, and then closed by the City for lack of merit, noting the matter also involved employee conduct. Staff said additional information could prompt further review and offered to summarize nonconfidential findings in the City Manager’s report next week or, if appropriate, pursue the matter in a closed-session personnel forum.

After discussion, a committee member moved to approve the policy update and receive and file the hotline report; the motion was seconded and carried 3-0 (Committee Member Rodriguez: Aye; Committee Member Starr: Yes; Chair McArthur: Yes). The committee adjourned with no further business.

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