Action Item: Respond to Ventura County Board of Supervisors Meeting, October 12, 2021, Comments on Removing Religion from Government Processes.
Agenda Item #22: Recommendation of Supervisor Parks and Supervisor Ramirez to Establish a Subcommittee to Explore Options for an Updated County Seal and Report Back to the Board of Supervisors with New Design Suggestion
Link to view discussion: (scroll down to Agenda #22 and press Play) https://ventura.primegov.com/Portal/Meeting?compiledMeetingDocumentFileId=18187
Start: 1:49:18; End 2:06:48.
At 2:05:35, Supervisor Ramirez states that religious symbols should be removed from any government process.
Overview:
- Supervisor’s Parks and Ramirez offered to lead an effort to redesign the county seal stating the current seal is obsolete and doesn’t reflect Ventura County today. They stated a subcommittee would be established for redesign ideas, as well as graphic artists, and the CEO’s office and that outreach would include the Chumash. Note that the current seal has Junipero Serra and the rocket industry represented.
- Supervisor Long stated the timing wasn’t good, county was just emerging from the pandemic, that the hearing room wasn’t even open to the public yet and felt the subject could become political and divisive given the current state of affairs.
- Parks and Ramirez overrode Long’s concerns and voted to move forward with the redesign, stating this was the right time and they would lead it and create a subcommittee to aid in the project. They insisted the process would be relatively easy and didn’t foresee it as divisive.
- As a comment in support of the seal’s redesign, Supervisor Ramirez stated she doesn’t want religion involved, that the founding documents support separation of church and state and that religion shouldn’t be a factor for considering redesign.
- Ramirez and Parks stated they felt they could manage the conversation and they’d create a subcommittee to help inform them of considerations for redesign and involve the CEO’s office.
Action Steps:
- Email/call each Board Supervisor and share your understanding of religion in governance, speak to the myth about separation of church and state, and assert your Biblical principles.
- Email/call Chair Parks and Sup. Ramirez and ask to be a member of the subcommittee to provide input on the seal redesign.
Board Supervisors:
- Kelly Long–District 3
1203 Flynn Road, Suite 220, Camarillo, CA 93012
Phone: (805) 654-2276 | Fax: (805) 654-2226
Email: [email protected]
- Linda Parks—District 2
625 West Hillcrest Drive Thousand Oaks, CA 91360
Phone: (805) 214-2510 | Fax: (805) 480-0585
Toll Free Number: (800) 660-5474
Email: [email protected])
- Carmen Ramirez—District 5
800 S. Victoria Ave., L#1860, Ventura, CA 93009
Phone: (805) 654-2613
Email: [email protected]
Office Hours: Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
- Matt Lavere—District 1
800 S. Victoria Ave., L#1900, Ventura, CA 93009
Phone: (805) 654-2703 | Fax: (805) 654-2226
Email: [email protected]
- Bob Huber—District 4
980 Enchanted Way #203, Simi Valley, California 93065
Phone: (805) 955-2300 | Fax: (805) 578-1822
Email: [email protected]