The following email was sent to our local leaders. Now we’re asking you to add your voice.
Email them today and urge them to stand up for transgender, immigrant, and reproductive protections in Ventura and Ojai.
To:
- Robert O’Riley – Staffer for Congressman Salud Carbajal
Robert.ORiley@mail.house.gov - Carina Armenta – Chief of Staff for Congresswoman Julia Brownley
Carina.armenta@mail.house.gov - Ryan Valencia – District Director for Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin
Ryan.Valencia@asm.ca.gov - Geordie Scully – District Director for Senator Monique Limón
geordie.scully@sen.ca.gov - Atticus Reyes – Staff for Assemblymember Steve Bennett
Atticus.Reyes@asm.ca.gov - Michelle Sevilla – Staff for Assemblymember Steve Bennett
Michelle.Sevilla@asm.ca.gov - Vianey Lopez – Ventura County Supervisor (District 5)
Vianey.Lopez@ventura.org - Matt LaVere – Ventura County Supervisor (District 1)
Matt.LaVere@ventura.org - Doug Halter – Deputy Mayor, Ventura City Council
dhalter@cityofventura.ca.gov - Rachel Lang – Councilmember, City of Ojai
rachel.lang@ojai.ca.gov - Amber Thompson – California State Delegate & Transgender Advocate
amber@theambershow.com - Michelle Rosenblum – Transgender Advocate, Ventura County Resident
her@michellerosenblum.com
To Those Representing Our Communities,
I am Michelle Rosenblum, a transgender advocate and life-long Ventura County resident. Included in this email are local, county, state, and federal leaders who represent Ventura County and the Central Coast, including staff from the offices of Congressmembers Salud Carbajal and Julia Brownley, State Senator Monique Limón, Assemblymembers Steve Bennett and Jacqui Irwin, County Supervisors Matt LaVere and Vianey Lopez, City Councilmembers Doug Halter and Rachel Lang from Ventura and Ojai, and and California State Delegate Amber Thompson, a transgender advocate who has been championing this effort..
With Congressman Carbajal’s recent support of the Ventura CARE Policy, we stand at a pivotal moment to show cross-jurisdictional solidarity for local protections that matter—now more than ever.
Transgender people in Ventura County are scared. With the MAGA movement and Project 2025 laying the groundwork for federal repression, local policies like CARE are not abstract gestures—they are potential lines of defense.
This is not theoretical. The legal and cultural groundwork is being laid for federal actions that would harm, imprison, or forcibly detransition transgender people. We know how these patterns unfold because we’ve seen them before in our nation’s history. That’s why cities like Ventura and Ojai are taking steps now, through policies like CARE, to prepare.
But they cannot do it alone.
Ventura and Ojai are leading the way. But leaders on the ground are facing political risk and intense pressure. Doug Halter, Ventura’s Deputy Mayor, did not write the CARE Policy and is still weighing his vote. What he—and others in similar positions—need most right now is visible support and reassurance from allies at every level of government. He needs to know that he is not alone—that elected leaders have his back.
Rachel Lang, a Councilmember in Ojai where a similar policy is coming forward in June, has committed to publicly speaking at Ventura City Hall in a show of solidarity. I hope that Ventura leaders will do the same for Ojai.
Doug Halter and Rachel Lang have asked to be included in this email to help open the door for broader coordination and shared messaging. Their efforts—and their courage—can’t exist in a vacuum.
Key Timing:
- The Ventura CARE Policy is returning for a vote on June 11, 12, 18, or 19 (exact date pending).
- Ojai’s version is expected during the second week of June.
- It’s Pride Month—and a coordinated show of leadership could ripple far beyond our region.
You can view Congressman Carbajal’s message of support here:
https://venturatranssanctuary.org/will-ventura-lose-federal-funding-if-we-pass-care/#Carbajal
I also invite you to review a website I created to outline the situation: https://venturatranssanctuary.org/
The site includes sources to my claims above, background on the Ventura policy, and detailed answers to common questions, such as:
- Will Ventura lose federal funding if we pass this?
- Isn’t California already a safe place for transgender people?
- Do cities even have the legal authority to refuse federal cooperation?
- Is the CARE policy purely symbolic or does it have real impact?
- Isn’t “sanctuary” too politically charged?
- Could this divide the community or invite retaliation?
We are not asking you to tell cities what to do. We are asking you to stand with them publicly, as peers and partners, to affirm their right to protect their residents.
Please let me know if your office is open to collaborating on a joint message. Even a few lines of shared support could shift the political will—and inspire others to follow your lead.
Even better, we would be deeply grateful if you or your staff could speak at a City Council meeting, record a short video of support, or attend in person—just as Congressman Carbajal did through Robert’s presence at the last Ventura meeting. These visible gestures of solidarity have an enormous impact on both elected officials and the community.
Thank you for standing with us when it matters most.
With gratitude,
Michelle Rosenblum
Transgender Advocate | Ventura County Resident
https://venturatranssanctuary.org/
her@michellerosenblum.com
Now we’re asking you to add your voice.
Email them today and urge them to stand up for transgender, immigrant, and reproductive protections in Ventura and Ojai.