A city of Thousand Oaks building inspector and a day laborer he is suspected of colluded with appeared in Ventura County Superior Court on July 22 of allegedly soliciting a bribe from a contractor. The two were arrested last year.
The building inspector, a 59-year-old Moorpark resident, pleaded not guilty last year to felony soliciting a bribe, according to court records. The day laborer, a 44-year-old Oxnard man, pleaded not guilty to the same charge last year as well, records show.
The men were charged in August, but a judge recently found that there was enough evidence in the case for a trial to move forward, according to a Ventura County District Attorney’s Office news release.
The charges stem from allegations that the Oxnard man had solicited
a bribe from a contractor who hired the man to work on a project in Thousand Oaks in 2024, the DA's office said.
Work had stalled on the project while the contractor submitted revised building plans to the city’s building and safety department, DA’s officials said.
The day laborer allegedly approached the contractor and solicited a bribe for expediting the approval process, saying he had a contact in the city who could streamline the permitting, DA’s officials said.
The contractor declined and contacted the DA’s office.
DA’s investigators found that from October to December 2024, the building inspector and day laborer had allegedly conspired to solicit the bribe from the contractor, officials said.
The building inspector had also approved a final building inspection in the city’s internal permitting system, despite the project being unfinished, the DA’s office said.
The two men were arrested on Sept. 10 but were later released on $20,000 bond each, the DA’s office said. They are scheduled to return to court on Aug. 13.
The building inspector has been placed on leave by the city of Thousand Oaks, said Joey Buttitta, a spokesperson for the DA's office.
Ernesto Centeno Araujo covers breaking news for the Ventura County Star. He can be reached at ecentenoaraujo@vcstar.com, 805-437-0224 or @ecentenoaraujo on Instagram and X.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: T.O. inspector, man charged for allegedly soliciting bribe for permit
