Congratulations to VCCDC's 4th Annual Leading People Home Award Recipients!
The Ventura County Community Development Corporation (VCCDC) will be celebrating its 4th Annual Awards Ceremony, “Leading People Home”, on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024 at Spanish Hills Club in Camarillo. VCCDC looks forward to honoring the contributions made by four individuals and one organization who have committed countless hours to improving the lives of families and individuals through investment of time, resources, and advocacy, thereby underscoring important community engagement, visionary leadership, and lifetime of excellence. These awards are named after individuals who are the reason why VCCDC exists and continues to touch the lives of over 2,000 future homeowners and families each year since 2001.
Congratulations to the 2024 VCCDC Leading People Home Awards recipients:
JOHN ZARAGOZA
Lynn L. Jacobs Award for Excellence in Lifetime Achievement
John C. Zaragoza was elected Mayor of the City of Oxnard on November 3, 2020. His extensive public service experience includes serving three terms on the Ventura County Board of Supervisors for the Fifth District from 2008 to 2020 and 12 years on the Oxnard City Council from 1996 to 2008.
Mr. Zaragoza grew up in Oxnard, attending local schools. He received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree from the University of LaVerne. He lives in Oxnard with his wife, Mary Ellen, and they have two children and five grandchildren.
Throughout his decades of service to the Oxnard community, Mr. Zaragoza has been instrumental in forming partnerships and collaborating with other agencies and the private sector to bring projects to fruition. As County Supervisor, he played a key role in establishing the Nyeland Acres Center, which provides after school and family services. His efforts led to the County Board of Supervisors dedicating the John C. Zaragoza Community Park in honor of his advocacy for the Nyeland Acres community. He also raised funds to prevent the closure of McGrath State Beach and was instrumental in establishing a farmworker resource program that helps farmworkers resolve workplace problems.
As the Mayor of Oxnard, Mr. Zaragoza has worked with his colleagues to implement the City Council’s 5-year priorities, resulting in significant investments in infrastructure, including street restorations, and the proper maintenance of parks, sidewalks, and medians.
The Council remains committed to improving Oxnard’s long-term fiscal sustainability and has achieved positive results. Over the past five years, the City has transitioned from facing a $9.2 million structural budget deficit to adopting a balanced budget with a general fund surplus of $35 million.
Thanks to the policy direction of the Council and its implementation by City staff, the Council’s Economic Development priorities have been strengthened through the City’s collaboration with West Ventura County Business Alliance and Oxnard College to develop a pipeline of good, qualified workers to support the great businesses in Oxnard.
MONICA WHITE
Rodney Fernandez Founder's Award for Excellence in Visionary Leadership
Monica White joined Food Share of Ventura County as President and CEO in 2017 after having previously served on the Food Share board. Since taking on the role, Ms. White led Food Share out of a period of financial challenges while responding to some of Ventura County’s most critical hunger relief needs during the Thomas Fire and the COVID-19 pandemic. Entering its 46th year as Ventura County’s food bank, Food Share served over 260,000 individuals last year through a network of 190 community partners. In 2023, Food Share distributed the equivalent of over 16 million meals in Ventura County.
Ms. White joined Food Share Ventura County after working at the Ventura County Star as Director of Consumer Sales and Marketing. Her prior experience includes positions with the Walt Disney Company, ABC Television and Whamo! She has served as the Board Chair of the California Association of Food Banks and is now a member of the Board of Trustees for Community Memorial Healthcare. Ms. White has been named in the Top 50 Women in Business by the Pacific Coast Business Times for the past 4 years.
MIXTECO INDIGENA COMMUNITY ORGANIZING PROJECT (MICOP)
Michael McGuire Award for Excellence in Community Partnership
In 2001, Mixteco Indigena Community Organizing Project (MICOP) was founded by nurse practitioner, Sandra Young, Mixtec leaders, and non-indigenous advocates with the mission to support, organize, and empower the indigenous migrant communities in Ventura County. Today, MICOP has expanded its outreach and is a self-governing indigenous empowerment group that provides invaluable support to Mexican indigenous migrant families in Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo counties. The organization’s 20+ programs provide direct assistance to community members through outreach, education, case management, legal assistance, mental health services, and more. At the same time, MICOP’s Community Organizing and Policy programs cultivate permanent social change by mobilizing community members with the resources and skills to advocate for change through civic action. MICOP’s programs are a means to accomplish its vision: a strong indigenous migrant community actively engaged to achieve just working and living conditions, equality, and full human rights in the broader community.
JOSE VEGA
Ernest Baskette, Jr. Award for Excellence in Community Support
Jose Vega, is one of 12 siblings born in La Piedad, Michoacan, Mexico and raised in Oxnard, CA. He holds a bachelor's degree from California State University, Northridge (CSUN) and a master's in counseling from California Lutheran University. Mr. Vega has served as a full-time tenured counseling faculty member of Oxnard College for over 35 years where he has had the opportunity to guide and mentor countless students throughout their educational journey. He likes to dedicate his free time to spending time with his family and friends, enjoying the outdoors and traveling.
KEVIN STEIN
Carmen Ramirez Award for Excellence in Advocacy and Community Impact
As the Chief of Legal and Strategy at Rise Economy, Kevin Stein leads corporate and policy campaigns, advocates for regulatory and legislative change, works in partnership with local community organizations and conducts action research.
Before joining Rise Economy, formerly California Reinvestment Coalition (CRC), Mr. Stein was the Supervising Attorney at the East Palo Alto Community Law Project and Lecturer in Law at Stanford Law School. Mr. Stein is a graduate of the Georgetown University Law Center, and Stanford University.
Mr. Stein sits on the board of directors of the Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA) and the National Community Reinvestment Coalition.
Mr. Stein has dedicated his career to bringing wealth building opportunities to low and moderate communities of color in California, and to help end predatory financial practices. Some of his accomplishments in this area include:
Negotiating bank commitments to reinvest over $125 billion in California communities over the last five years.
Securing commitments from banks to develop and implement 8 Special Purpose Credit Programs that will target good banking products to BIPOC homebuyers, small businesses owners, and affordable housing developers.
The passing of the California Homeowners Bill of Rights and the Survivors Bill of rights, which became the strongest state foreclosure prevention law in the country, ensuring that all home loan borrowers and successors in interest (widows and widowers not on the loan) have a fair chance to secure loan modifications when they fall behind, and giving them the right to sue if banks and loan servicers deny them these protections.
Urging federal regulators to require specific reporting of race and ethnicity data so that HMDA data would not mask discrimination against subgroups within larger categories like “Asian” and “Hispanic.” This detailed data is now available and helps ensure equal access to mortgages for all.
