Cabin Village Plans Coalesce
The latest on Ojai's $12.7 M homeless housing project, the folks who hope to make it home, the ongoing political fight and a forthcoming deadline.
Greetings Readers!
My last Encampment Resolution Funding (ERF) update came in late summer 2024, right after the Ojai City Council voted 3-1 in favor of a new location for the City of Ojai’s state-funded permanent supportive housing project for chronically homeless community members: the City’s downtown public works yard.1
A quick note on language: I’ll alternate between referring to the project as a state-funded housing project for the chronically homeless and the “Cabin Village” for clarity. If readers would like to review the history of this project — check out this timeline.
Unsurprisingly, the downtown public works yard remains an unpopular project site amongst a group of nearby neighbors. A similar discourse has accompanied each of the proposed locations: first, the Kent Hall parking lot (the Ojai Tent Town site), then 601 E. Ojai Ave (across the street from Seafresh). Now, the Council will either “ratify the [public works] site or determine if the majority wants to change direction,” during a March 25th City Council meeting, Mayor Andy Gilman said. (That’s a good one to put on your calendar).
And while some are advocating for a new location, plans for the project are coalescing. Remember: the City is required to expend 50% and obligate 100%2 of its $12.7 million in state Encampment Resolution Funding grant by June 30, 2025. The full grant must be expended by June 30, 2027. (Meanwhile, the money is sitting in the bank and the City is set to collect hundreds of thousands of dollars in interest.)
But — before we review the latest politics, planning, and bureaucracy involved in this 30-unit housing project for the chronically homeless, let’s check in on a few individuals who may move in. Each of these folks have lived outside Ojai City Hall for more than a year — through freezing temperatures, extreme heat, wind, rain, and noisy neighbors. We met each of them in my February 2024 story, “Crisis Outside City Hall.”
THE RESIDENTS
Kristen Wingate, 53, has lived in Ojai all her life. In fact, she and Mayor Gilman attended Ojai Unified’s Matilija Junior High and Nordhoff High School together. After going on disability from her job at Meiners Oaks’ Ace Hardware to treat a spinal condition, Wingate’s long-time rental housing was sold. She ran out of disability benefits after one year and became homeless. Wingate has spent the past year applying for Social Security Disability Insurance. She’s been denied twice, she said, and is pursuing an appeal — her next hearing is in May.
For Wingate, 2024 was the worst year of her life. She struggled with chronic pain, a tent infested with rodents, and her belongings — including her mattress — trashed against her will. Wingate still doesn’t have a mattress of her own — just a sofa.
Jamie Nelson, 75, has become one of the public faces of Ojai Tent Town. Like Wingate, we initially met Nelson when she was living on the City Hall grounds — she’s since moved into a City-provided tent in the Kent Hall parking lot.
Nelson lost her long-time housing in the City of Ojai when she became unable to afford the rent. Prior to moving to City Hall, she camped at Lake Casitas. For Nelson, who uses a walker, the experience at Lake Casitas was frightening and uncomfortable — she was sleeping on top of a few sleeping bags.
“I would go to bed as soon as it got dark, and then I couldn't sleep that long… I was praying for it to get light so I could go back out again… I really slept when I got [to City Hall]. I couldn't believe I could actually sleep. That was wonderful.”
Nelson feels her circumstances have improved at Ojai Tent Town; she feels protected and cared for by her fellow residents and the larger community. I asked her about what’s been tough — and she responded with characteristic optimism, “There’s a lot of good times. Sometimes I feel like my heart's going to burst from the goodness.” She acknowledged that the weather conditions have been challenging — like days of rain in 2024 and freezing temperatures in early 2025. “It just goes in my head that this would be so much better in a regular house,” she acknowledged. Speaking of the plans for the Cabin Village, she added, “it will be nice to have a door.” The tent’s zipper gets caught in her hair when she goes in and out, Nelson explained, a small smile on her face.
Danielle Alstot, 38, lives in a tent at Ojai Tent Town with her partner Josh, 34, and their two cats. Alstot grew up in Oak View. She works part-time at the Ojai Valley Athletic Club, as she has for the past two years. Josh, too, has a part-time job in downtown Ojai. “He's now doing well enough that we can at least cover all of our bills,” she said.
For Alstot, it’s been a long year. “I am still very grateful,” she said. “I am trying to be tolerant with all of the chaos that happens because we could always be on land that they could be running us off every three days.”3 Still, she gets frustrated with fellow residents’ conduct and says the City doesn’t effectively enforce the rules. Alstot said her primary challenges at Ojai Tent Town have been, “the noise, the temperature, and I'm sorry, the liberal attitude. Stop trying to keep every troublemaker on this property when the rest of us can't get away from them.”4
A fence was recently added to the perimeter of Ojai Tent Town, and Alstot is thankful for the extra security. “A least once or twice a week, someone’s sneaking in here,” she said. Resident Casey Abbott, too, welcomes the barrier. “We want it,” he said. “We don’t want the kids on the e-bikes ripping through and throwing rocks.”
Wingate, on the other had, says the area now “feels like a concentration camp.” A no visitor policy was instituted at Tent Town in January 2025.
THE OJAI CITY COUNCIL
Now, my friends, let’s dive into the politics. After declaring the public works yard the project site during the summer of 2024, the Cabin Village matter returned to the Ojai City Council on September 10th during a closed session conference with City Attorney Matthew Summers regarding “anticipated litigation” related to the project. Before the Council entered into closed session, however, local attorney Jon Drucker objected — as did Councilwoman Leslie Rule. Folks, this anecdote requires a bit of background.
Brief legal interlude: closed session meetings and attorneys’ fees
Remember: Drucker and Rule remain defendants in a lawsuit brought by seven locals who allege that both Drucker and Rule violated public meetings law, the Brown Act, during a Jan. 2023 City Council meeting (Rule’s third as a member of the body) by disclosing information from a closed session meeting. Ventura County Superior Court Judge Benjamin Coats found in Rule and Drucker’s favor Oct. 3rd, 2023, and dismissed the suit. The seven plaintiffs,5 represented by local attorney Sabrina Venskus6 — a critical character in Rule’s January 2023 disclosures — filed notice on Halloween Day 2023 that her clients intend to appeal. The next status conference hearing in this saga is scheduled for March 11, 2025 — nearly two years after the seven filed their suit. Rule recently told the Ojai Valley News (OVN) that her legal bills now total more than $350,000. The Ojai City Council has thus far refused to indemnify Rule (meaning, cover legal bills for suits related to her role as an elected official). OVN’s Kimberly Rivers reported on Feb. 13th, 2025, that the City offered Rule up to $125,000 to settle the suit. “An unacceptable compromise,” Rule said.
In my view, no one is winning here — except the attorneys.
If you wish to dive into this particular rabbit hole, you can read the original complaint (Byrne et al) and Coats’ October 2023 decision below:
Ok — back to September 2024, with Drucker’s objection to the Council’s closed session regarding anticipated litigation related to the homeless housing project:
“I’m here to prevent us from conducting an illegal closed session in violation of the Brown Act,” Drucker announced. “The City did not identify the plaintiff supposedly threatening the litigation, it did not state the nature of the threat, it did not post it on the website… This after the City committed in writing to the Ventura District Attorney to not engage in any further Brown Act violations. Closed sessions are not an artifice to discuss controversial topics in secret.”
Former Councilwoman Suza Francina requested a response to Drucker’s allegations from City Attorney Matthew Summers.
“Mr. Drucker is incorrect, and I can explain why,” Summers stated. “There is no requirement of the Brown Act to disclose the potential plaintiffs; thus, we have not done so. The potential plaintiffs [are] anyone opposed to the project. We have not included any written threat of litigation because it does not exist and it does not need to exist.’”7
Francina, joined by Rule, voted to allow Drucker to respond to Summers’ argument. Their three colleagues (Lang, Whitman, and former Mayor Stix) did not join them. Drucker did not speak again, but Rule provided a comment of her own:
“You know, I feel like this is incredibly expansive… there is no [specific] party that has threatened litigation, and to say that anyone who is against it could be a potential threat of litigation…” Rule said, addressing Summers. “I do feel like we’re having a closed session every other or every Council meeting. That’s not appropriate.”
Quick interjection: Rule is correct that the Council’s use of closed-session meetings is on the rise. But the trend didn’t begin during her tenure. The Ojai City Council met in closed session 13 times in 2024. In 2019, they met 16 times in closed session. In 2015, that number was 5. The City’s legal expenses, too, are on the rise. (I know I’m going slightly off-topic, please indulge three more revealing numbers.) The City spent $166,620 on City Attorney services during the 17-18 fiscal year and $216,910 during the 18-19 fiscal year. How about the 24-25 budget? Just over $1 million is budgeted for City Attorney services. Keep that in mind as we delve further into this story.
Immediately before the Council moved into closed session Sept. 10th, Summers announced, “No reportable action is expected.” When the Council returned, however, Summers had action to report.
“The Council has directed staff to bring forward a public site vetting process for the Cabin Village project-specific site… which will come to a future Planning Commission meeting.”
I asked Ojai City Manager Ben Harvey for insight into this closed session decision during a Nov. 2024 interview— specifically, if the decision to put the project before the Planning Commission is related to protecting the city from litigation. “I don't think so,” Harvey responded, “I think it's just in the name of trying to allow anyone who feels that they haven't had an opportunity, to participate…”
Summers has a different explanation, “One of the arguments raised in public comments… claims that the process to date was unlawful. The City disagrees with their claims but is moving forward with the public site vetting process, as already underway, to reduce this litigation risk.”
Ok!
When the Council moved back into open session Sept. 10th, the state-funded housing project was on the agenda again — this time in the form of a budget appropriation. According to Assistant City Manager Carl Alameda, the City is in a tremendous financial position, with a general fund budget8 of approximately $16 million and another $16 million in reserve. “What that means,” Alameda said, “is if the City were to take in no money for one fiscal year, we could still operate municipal operations for one full year. So, 100% reserve level, and outside of that, there’s $3.4 million of general fund money that the Council could allocate.”
The Council voted 4-1 Sept. 10th to allocate $384,500 for Ojai Tent Town and the homeless housing project, including funding for Secural Security services and a phase one environmental survey of the public works yard. (We’ll discuss the phase one survey later in this story.)
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