Thousand Oaks building inspector charged in bribery case
A Thousand Oaks building inspector and another man were arrested Sept. 10 on charges that they solicited a bribe from a contractor in return for the issuance of a city building permit for a residential project.
Thousand Oaks spokesperson Alexandra South said in a statement that the building inspector, Ray Villanueva III, has been placed on administrative leave.
“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,” South said.
The state-licensed contractor, who is not charged in the case, was retained to complete a residential construction project in Thousand Oaks, the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office said in a press release.
The city issued a building permit to the contractor, who hired the second arrestee, Jimmy 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 the release.
Coronado is alleged to have solicited a bribe from the contractor, claiming he had a contact in the city who could streamline the approval process so work could resume.
Prosecutors said the contractor declined the purported solicitation and reported it to the district attorney’s public integrity unit, which 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.
“City employees must serve the public honestly, not try to profit from their position,” Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko said in the release.
“When someone is alleged to have abused their authority, it hurts trust in local government, undermines public safety, and shakes our confidence that the permitting process is fair and impartial,” he said.
South said the city, “unwavering in its commitment to ethical business practices, has fully cooperated with law enforcement and will continue to do so.
“We take this matter very seriously,” she said.
Villanueva, 58, of Moorpark, posted $20,000 bail. His arraignment is set for Sept. 24.
Coronado, 43, of Oxnard, remains in custody in lieu of $20,000 bail with a tentative arraignment date of Sept. 11.
