It is with heavy hearts that we reflect on the recent passing of Carmen Ramirez, who served as a member of the CPA Board of Directors, Chair of the Ventura County Board of Supervisors, and was a beloved longtime Oxnard community activist.
The sadness and shock of her passing is still with us, but we are comforted by memories of Carmen’s graciousness and love for her community along with her professional accomplishments that were too numerous to count.
With her extensive track record as an environmental justice leader and member of the Oxnard City Council, Carmen spearheaded efforts to halt construction of an Liquified Natural Gas terminal and the proposed Puente Power Plant, shutter the Ormand Beach Power Plant, and clean up a Superfund metal recycling site, all of which are, or were to be, near the La Colonia neighborhood she represented. Later she led the effort to have Oxnard join CPA and be one of the first cities to start CPA service with 100% renewable energy.
Building on all her energy knowledge and passion for fighting climate change, Carmen was the inaugural chair of CPA’s Energy Committee and stayed an engaged member of the committee when she became an alternate board member following her election in November 2020 as the first Latina to serve on the Ventura County Board of Supervisors.
In addition to her work on the Energy Committee, she was always advocated for CPA staff’s well-being, especially in our grueling start-up years, constantly checking in on our team and sending messages of goodwill that were always well received.
We extend our condolences to Carmen’s family and friends as well as the communities she tirelessly served. Her kindness, generosity and leadership will continue to resonate throughout our entire organization.
