Oxnard staff recommend five‑year $2.6 million contract with City Guard for downtown security

Oxnard City staff on record recommended that the Community Services, Public Safety, Housing and Development Committee and the City Council authorize a five‑year agreement with City Guard Incorporated to provide uniform security services for the Oxnard Downtown Management District, the downtown parking structure, the Oxnard City Library and the Oxnard Service Center.

Commander Miguel Serrado of the Oxnard Police Department presented the recommendation, saying the contract would begin March 1, 2026, and the total five‑year cost projection is “not to exceed $2,575,000.” The city’s staff packet states the annual estimate is not to exceed $515,000; Serrado told the committee that City Guard Incorporated’s quote of $515,000 annually “was among the lowest in the proposals.”

Why it matters: the service would restore and standardize private security coverage across about a 32‑block downtown management district and three city facilities, with distinct hours and staffing levels intended to deter misconduct, report vandalism and coordinate with law enforcement.

How the vendor was chosen: staff issued a request for proposals on July 1, 2025, received 21 proposals and used a multi‑member rating panel — including a public library manager, a downtown executive director, a department administrative specialist and a public works manager, with police subject‑matter experts — to evaluate cost, vendor qualifications, experience with similar contracts, past performance, organizational practices and the quality of the proposed security plan. Serrado said the panel selected City Guard Incorporated based on those criteria.

Scope and schedules: under the presented plan, downtown patrols would cover the Downtown Management District (described in the presentation as roughly 32 square blocks bounded by Woolly Road, 1st Street, C Street and Mita Street), with officers reporting graffiti, vandalism, lighting outages and other public‑safety issues to responsible agencies and working with local law enforcement. The Oxnard City Library would have a guard for 40 hours per week during open hours; the Oxnard Service Center would receive 95 hours biweekly (the center is closed every other Friday); and the downtown parking structure would be covered 24 hours a day, seven days a week across four levels, including elevator lobbies and stairwells. Guards may also provide on‑demand support for planned and unplanned events across the city.

Reporting and oversight: the contract as described would require City Guard Incorporated to provide supervision of patrol personnel, agree patrol locations and frequencies with city staff, deliver biweekly guard tour logs and daily post logs on demand, develop incident‑handling protocols with the Oxnard Police Department and provide written summaries of incidents involving habitual offenders or situations causing public‑safety concerns.

Cost allocation: the presentation listed the library paying $49,920 annually, the service center $64,896 annually, public works/parking structure $212,832 annually, the Oxnard Police Department $105,128 annually and the Downtown Oxnard Improvement Association $75,000 annually, totaling $507,776; Serrado emphasized the annual estimate would not exceed $515,000.

Next steps: Serrado concluded the presentation and made himself available for questions; the transcript of the session records the recommendation and cost projections but does not record a committee vote or formal council action on the contract.