By Mike Harris Tuesday, July 28th, 2026

A former Thousand Oaks building inspector and another man are headed for trial on charges they solicited a bribe from a contractor in return for the issuance of a city building permit for a residential project.

At the conclusion of a preliminary hearing on July 22, a Ventura County Superior Court Judge found there was enough evidence for Ray Allen Villanueva III, 59, of Moorpark, and Jimmy Daniel Coronado, 44, of Oxnard, to stand trial on one felony count of bribery.

Thousand Oaks officials said that Villanueva, who was a building inspector for the city, is no longer employed there.

“As public servants, the trust of our community is one of our most valuable assets and the city has zero tolerance for fraud, waste and abuse,” the city said in a July 28 statement to the Business Times.

The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office said that in 2024, the state-licensed contractor, who is not charged in the case, was retained to complete a residential construction project in Thousand Oaks.

The city issued a building permit to the contractor, who hired Coronado to work on the project, prosecutors said.

After construction commenced, work was halted pending the contractor’s submission of revised building plans to the city for approval, according to prosecutors.

Coronado allegedly approached the contractor and solicited a bribe in return for expediting the approval process.

Coronado allegedly claimed he had a contact in the city who could streamline the approval and permitting process so work could resume on the project. 

Prosecutors said the contractor declined the purported solicitation and reported it to the district attorney’s office, whose public integrity unit launched an investigation.

The probe revealed that between October and December 2024, Coronado and Villanueva allegedly conspired to solicit the bribe.

Villanueva is alleged to have approved a final building inspection in anticipation of receiving the bribe even though the project was unfinished at the time, prosecutors alleged.

He allegedly approved the final inspection within the city’s internal permitting system.

Coronado and Villanueva were arrested Sept. 10, 2025 by district attorney’s investigators. 

They’re scheduled to be arraigned Aug. 13 and remain free from custody on $20,000 bail each.