A Santa Paula Police Chief Advisory Committee that has been in the works since a recent police department audit drew criticism at a City Council meeting on Feb. 4.
“When the same department and same leadership is responsible for both identifying the problems and overseeing the fixes, it risks becoming a process of prioritizing damage control over transparency and accountability,” said Cytlalli Salgado, a resident who works as a Santa Paula organizer with nonprofit Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy, or CAUSE.
Salgado made comments during a discussion about the formation of the committee at the meeting and was the only public speaker.
She said the City Council should take a direct oversight role in monitoring the audit and the committee’s recommendations with public reporting on progress, timelines and outcomes.
The committee, which is a “different concept than an oversight committee,” will not address the audit, said City Manager Dan Singer in response.
Singer said he expects the chief will return to the council after about six months for an update on the audit.
During the meeting, Santa Paula’s Police Chief Don Aguilar said he was open to meeting with Salgado to discuss her comments.
Aguilar said he is “ironing out” the application process for the public committee and expects meetings to start in the second half of 2026.
According to a Feb. 4 staff report, the committee’s formation was initiated after a June 2025 councilmember discussion where they discussed different approaches to create a police chief advisory committee and gave direction for staff members to return with basic framework and guidelines.
The June discussion included talk of a previous advisory committee in Santa Paula that was formed in 2022 with a five-member committee selected by former chief Travis Walker, including a variety of community members. It was suspended with the departure of Walker over misconduct allegations.
In June 2023, according to the report, council members adopted a two-year strategic plan that called for the creation of a police chief’s advisory board for “enhancing community engagement with our police department.”
The committee is proposed to have five members with meetings on the second Tuesday of the month in January, April, July and October, according to the report.
Aguilar said he would likely select the committee members based on their skills and knowledge and how they would represent the community.
He said the committee could focus on current policing efforts, crime trends, community safety concerns, feedback and suggestions.
Wes Woods II covers West County for the Ventura County Star. Reach him at wesley.woodsii@vcstar.com, 805-437-0262 or @JournoWes.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Santa Paula police advisory committee draws criticism, nonprofit questions transparency
Reporting by Wes Woods II, Ventura County Star / Ventura County Star
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