In addition to assisting companies in obtaining low-interest long-term fixed-rate loans offered through the RMDZ program, Ventura County RMDZ staff can assist companies with other loans and grants. Local business assistance organizations, including the Greater Oxnard Economic Development Corporation and the Economic Development Collaborative of Ventura County, also provide a variety of economic assistance and business consulting services.

RMDZ staff can also provide assistance with permits, site selection, and acquisition of materials for manufacturing. Additionally, through Ventura County’s Workforce Development Division, employers can obtain free personnel services including employee recruitment and screening, on-the-job training, and customized training. Up to half the salary of eligible employees can be reimbursed to employers during an agreed-upon training period. There are also sheltered workshops, job coaching programs, and other opportunities for subsidized labor in Ventura County.

Energy-related programs can also meet your company's needs in Ventura County. For example, the California Renewable Energy Loan Guarantee Program guarantees loans made by financial institutions to eligible businesses for the purpose of purchasing renewable energy systems that will reduce usage of the State's electrical grid. Also, discounts averaging 17 percent per year are available for interruptible service, and Southern California Edison’s Economic Development Rates for power in Ventura County's RMDZ averaged 15 percent per year for 5 years.

Recycling-based businesses in the Ventura County RMDZ may also be eligible for a partial exemption from sales taxes on machinery and equipment they purchase. This reduction of the State portion of sales tax (currently over 4 percent) can also reduce the cost of special-purpose buildings used for a manufacturing process.

The Ventura County RMDZ also overlaps the Port Hueneme Foreign-Trade Zone. It is the only deepwater port between San Francisco and Los Angeles and provides duty reductions, deferrals, inversions, and other benefits to importers, exporters, and certain product assemblers. Other sites in Ventura County offer additional benefits. For example, the local Navy base provides Cooperative Research and Development Agreements in association with the U.S. Department of Energy.

In addition to the RMDZ’s need for increased recycling of mixed paper and plastics, special opportunities exist for the recycling of yard debris, tires, agricultural film plastics, and construction and demolition debris.

Transportation

Roadway transportation in the zone includes Highways 101, 23, 26, 33, 34, 126, 150, and 118. Interstate 5 is nearby, and Highway 126 connects easily to California’s Central Valley. The Southern Pacific rail line is a major east/west rail corridor. The Deepwater Port Hueneme can be accessed by road or rail. There are small airports in Camarillo, Oxnard, and Santa Paula. In addition, the Point Mugu Naval Air Station may allow joint commercial use in the future.

Education

Ventura County has several education facilities, including California State University Channel Islands, California Lutheran University, and three community colleges (Oxnard, Ventura, and Moorpark).

Recycling

Ventura RMDZ recycling infrastructure includes two large material recovery facilities and a major outdoor sorting center. Nearly all Ventura County neighborhoods offer three-cart curbside collection. Several sites collect green waste, and programs are in place to collect inert material, tires, manure, plastics, mattresses, fat, oil, grease, meat, and bone.

David Goldstein

800 S Victoria Ave
Ventura, CA 93009-1650
Phone: (805) 658-4312
FAX: (805) 658-4324
Email: david.goldstein@ventura.org
County: Ventura
CalRecycle Contact: Frank Severson