OXNARD, CALIFORNIA – A local environmental justice advocate is shedding light on the ongoing community effort to shut down and dismantle a decades-old power plant in South Oxnard, sharing how civic engagement at the local and state level has shaped the fight for cleaner air and beach access in the area.
Aurora Rugerio, a Policy Advocate with the Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy, known as CAUSE, works to support South Oxnard residents through organizing and policy advocacy. She said one of the organization’s main priorities is making sure community members feel empowered to advocate for themselves and for their right to clean air, a clean environment, and access to the beach.
Toxic Tours Highlight What Residents Call a “Toxic Soup”
Part of CAUSE’s work includes leading what the organization calls toxic tours, designed to inform residents of all ages about the environmental injustices and industrial pollution concentrated in South Oxnard. Rugerio said many local youth describe the area’s mix of polluting industries as a “toxic soup,” made up of different sources that she said cut residents’ lives short, pollute the air and environment, and block access to Ormond Beach.
She noted that many residents have either never heard of Ormond Beach or have never actually visited it, largely due to the industrial presence surrounding it.
Push to Decommission the Ormond Beach Power Plant
Among the most active campaigns Rugerio described is the push to ensure the Ormond Beach Generating Station is decommissioned on schedule and ultimately deconstructed entirely, restoring beach access for the community.
She said multiple state agencies hold decision-making power over the plant’s future, with recent efforts focused heavily on the California State Land Commission, which had the opportunity to vote on whether to extend the lease for the plant’s ocean water conduits used to cool its operations. Rugerio said youth in the area have advocated strongly against extending that lease.
Rugerio said environmental issues in South Oxnard disproportionately affect immigrants and communities of color, a pattern she said repeats across the country where such communities often end up hosting the bulk of nearby industry and pollution. She argued that residents deserve a clean environment and a healthy future without their health being treated as an acceptable cost of industry profit.
Policy Decisions Shape What Communities Experience Locally
On the role of policy, Rugerio pointed to the age of the Ormond Beach plant, built in the late 1960s, noting that its outdated technology no longer matches current energy demand.
She said much of CAUSE’s policy work focuses on building lasting change that prioritizes people over profit and holds polluters accountable for the full cost of the damage they cause, costs she said have historically been left out of policy decisions.
Civic Engagement Goes Beyond the Ballot Box
Rugerio emphasized that civic engagement extends well beyond voting on Election Day, pointing to CAUSE’s efforts to broaden what civic participation looks like, including attending city council meetings, reviewing agendas, and pushing for community input on local decisions.
She also pointed to accessibility barriers that limit participation among immigrant and marginalized communities, particularly around language access. A recurring challenge in advocacy around the power plant and related state agencies, she said, has been the lack of interpreters at meetings and untranslated materials, including agendas and attachments, which significantly affects how communities are able to show up and voice concerns.
A Broader Network of Community Support
CAUSE’s work connects to a wider network of community organizing efforts, including Swap Meet Justice, an initiative that brings together community groups, local elected officials, and attorneys from fields like immigration, criminal defense, employment, and housing at local swap meets to provide direct legal assistance with the support of youth volunteers.
Rugerio said sustaining this culture of civic engagement depends on experts and service providers working directly within the community, making assistance and opportunities for advancing clean and just environmental conditions concrete and accessible to residents.
Stay updated for the latest community and environmental news as this story develops.
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