Editing Oxnard, California (section)

==Geography==
Oxnard is located on the Oxnard Plain, an area with fertile soil. With its beaches, dunes, wetlands, creeks, and the [[Santa Clara River (California)|Santa Clara River]], the area contains several critical biological communities. Native plant communities include: [[coastal sage scrub]], California Annual Grassland, and Coastal Dune Scrub species; however, most native plants have been eliminated from within the city limits to make way for agriculture and urban and industrial development. Also native to the region is the endangered [[Ventura Marsh Milkvetch]], and the last self-sustaining population is in Oxnard in the center of an approved housing development.<ref name="Centerforplantconservation.org">{{cite web |url=http://saveplants.org/plant-detail-page/?plant_id=475 |title=''Astragalus pycnostachyus'' var. ''lanosissimus'' |publisher=[[Center for Plant Conservation]] |access-date=June 25, 2017 |archive-date=May 10, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170510172849/http://saveplants.org/plant-detail-page/?plant_id=475 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Rivers===
The [[Santa Clara River (California)|Santa Clara River]] separates Oxnard and Ventura. Tributaries to this river include [[Sespe Creek]], [[Piru Creek]], and [[Castaic Creek]].

===Geology===

Oxnard is on a [[tectonics|tectonically]] active plate since most of [[Coastal California]] is near the boundaries between the [[Pacific Plate|Pacific]] and [[North American Plate|North American]] Plates. The [[San Andreas Fault]], which demarcates this boundary, is about 40 miles away.

One active [[Fault (geology)|fault]] that transverses Oxnard is the [[Oak Ridge Fault]], which straddles the [[Santa Clara River Valley]] westward from the [[Santa Susana Mountains]], crosses the [[Oxnard Plain]] through Oxnard, and extends into the [[Santa Barbara Channel]]. The coastline is subject to inundation by a [[tsunami]] up to 23 feet in height.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Ventura-Oxnard-Tsunami-Risk-Earthquake-Fault-Study-322388791.html|title=Ventura, Oxnard Might Be at Greater Tsunami Risk: Study|agency=Associated Press|last=Lloyd|first=Jonathan|via=NBC Southern California|language=en|date=August 20, 2015|access-date=November 20, 2019}}</ref>

The fault has significantly contributed to [[Seismology|seismic]] activity in the Oxnard region and beyond. The January 17, 1994,  6.7 {{M|w}} [[1994 Northridge earthquake|Northridge earthquake]] is believed to have occurred in the Santa Clarita extension of the Oak Ridge Fault. [[Landslide]]s and ridge-top shattering resulting from the Northridge earthquake were observed above [[Moorpark]], a city {{convert|19.6|mi|abbr=on}}<ref>{{cite web|title=Distance from Oxnard, CA to Moorpark, CA by car, bike, walk|url=http://www.usageo.org/distance/654652-649138|website=www.usageo.org|publisher=USAGeo.org|access-date=May 23, 2016}}</ref> east of Oxnard.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mpacorn.com/News/2004 |title=MPAcorn.com |publisher=MPAcorn.com |access-date=November 13, 2011 }}{{Dead link|date=April 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

===Climate===
Oxnard is the location of the [[National Weather Service]] forecast office that serves the Los Angeles area.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/lox|title=National Weather Service Los Angeles/Oxnard|access-date=May 30, 2016}}</ref> The city is situated in a [[Mediterranean]] (dry [[subtropical]]) climate zone, experiencing mild and relatively wet winters, and warm, dry summers, in a climate called the [[warm-summer Mediterranean climate]]. Onshore breezes keep the communities of Oxnard cooler in summer and warmer in winter than those further inland. The average mean temperature is {{convert|61|°F|°C|abbr=on}}. The average minimum temperature is {{convert|52|°F|°C|abbr=on}} and the average maximum temperature is {{convert|69|°F|°C|abbr=on}}. Generally, the weather is mild and dry, with around 300 days of sunshine annually. The average annual precipitation is {{convert|15.62|in|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://cdo.ncdc.noaa.gov/climatenormals/clim81/CAnorm.txt |title=Oxnard Climate |publisher=NOAA |access-date=August 14, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140715085932/http://cdo.ncdc.noaa.gov/climatenormals/clim81/CAnorm.txt |archive-date=July 15, 2014 |url-status=dead  }}</ref>

{{Weather box
|location = Oxnard, California ([[Oxnard Airport]]), 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1923–present
|single line = Yes

|Jan record high F = 94
|Feb record high F = 91
|Mar record high F = 94
|Apr record high F = 100
|May record high F = 98
|Jun record high F = 102
|Jul record high F = 96
|Aug record high F = 97
|Sep record high F = 105
|Oct record high F = 104
|Nov record high F = 98
|Dec record high F = 96

|Jan avg record high F = 81.7
|Feb avg record high F = 80.8
|Mar avg record high F = 82.7
|Apr avg record high F = 85.3
|May avg record high F = 80.6
|Jun avg record high F = 80.3
|Jul avg record high F = 83.0
|Aug avg record high F = 84.1
|Sep avg record high F = 87.6
|Oct avg record high F = 92.3
|Nov avg record high F = 86.6
|Dec avg record high F = 79.6
|year avg record high F = 94.8

|Jan high F = 65.9
|Feb high F = 65.4
|Mar high F = 65.6
|Apr high F = 66.6
|May high F = 68.0
|Jun high F = 69.5
|Jul high F = 72.9
|Aug high F = 73.5
|Sep high F = 73.5
|Oct high F = 73.5
|Nov high F = 70.0
|Dec high F = 65.9
|year high F =

|Jan mean F = 56.0
|Feb mean F = 56.6
|Mar mean F = 57.4
|Apr mean F = 58.5
|May mean F = 61.2
|Jun mean F = 63.7
|Jul mean F = 66.7
|Aug mean F = 67.1
|Sep mean F = 66.6
|Oct mean F = 64.5
|Nov mean F = 60.1
|Dec mean F = 56.4
|year mean F =

|Jan low F = 46.1
|Feb low F = 47.7
|Mar low F = 49.3
|Apr low F = 50.5
|May low F = 54.3
|Jun low F = 57.9
|Jul low F = 60.6
|Aug low F = 60.6
|Sep low F = 59.7
|Oct low F = 55.4
|Nov low F = 50.1
|Dec low F = 46.9
|year low F =

|Jan avg record low F = 37.8
|Feb avg record low F = 38.4
|Mar avg record low F = 40.4
|Apr avg record low F = 43.1
|May avg record low F = 47.4
|Jun avg record low F = 50.8
|Jul avg record low F = 54.5
|Aug avg record low F = 54.5
|Sep avg record low F = 52.6
|Oct avg record low F = 47.7
|Nov avg record low F = 41.6
|Dec avg record low F = 37.4
|year avg record low F = 35.8

|Jan record low F = 26
|Feb record low F = 28
|Mar record low F = 31
|Apr record low F = 31
|May record low F = 34
|Jun record low F = 37
|Jul record low F = 42
|Aug record low F = 43
|Sep record low F = 40
|Oct record low F = 35
|Nov record low F = 28
|Dec record low F = 28

|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation inch = 2.92
|Feb precipitation inch = 3.26
|Mar precipitation inch = 2.30
|Apr precipitation inch = 0.69
|May precipitation inch = 0.34
|Jun precipitation inch = 0.06
|Jul precipitation inch = 0.02
|Aug precipitation inch = 0.01
|Sep precipitation inch = 0.08
|Oct precipitation inch = 0.46
|Nov precipitation inch = 0.71
|Dec precipitation inch = 2.08
|year precipitation inch =

|unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
|Jan precipitation days = 5.9
|Feb precipitation days = 6.6
|Mar precipitation days = 5.6
|Apr precipitation days = 3.7
|May precipitation days = 2.3
|Jun precipitation days = 1.1
|Jul precipitation days = 0.8
|Aug precipitation days = 0.9
|Sep precipitation days = 2.3
|Oct precipitation days = 4.5
|Nov precipitation days = 4.6
|Dec precipitation days = 5.7
|year precipitation days = 44.0

|Jan snow inch = 
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|unit snow days = 0.1 in
|Jan snow days = 
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|source 1 = NOAA<ref name = NOAA>
{{cite web
|url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&stations=USW00093110&format=pdf&dataTypes=MLY-TMAX-NORMAL,MLY-TMIN-NORMAL,MLY-TAVG-NORMAL,MLY-PRCP-NORMAL,MLY-SNOW-NORMAL
|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
|title = U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access – Station: Oxnard Ventura CO AP, CA
|access-date = May 7, 2023
}}
</ref>
|source 2 = National Weather Service<ref name = NOWData>
{{cite web
|url = https://www.weather.gov/wrh/climate?wfo=lox
|publisher = National Weather Service
|title = NOAA Online Weather Data – NWS Los Angeles
|access-date = May 7, 2023
}}
</ref>
}}

===Wildlife and ecology===
{{see also|California coastal sage and chaparral}}
The area contains several critical biological communities. Native plant communities include [[coastal sage scrub]], California Annual Grassland, and Coastal Dune Scrub species; most native plants have been eliminated from within the city limits to make way for development. Also native to the region is the endangered [[Ventura Marsh Milkvetch]], with the last self-sustaining population in Oxnard being at the center of a housing development.<ref name="Centerforplantconservation.org"/>

The balance of wildlife in Oxnard is similar to most places in southern California, with small mammals being common in urbanized areas, like squirrels, raccoons, and skunks. Coyotes prey on these smaller mammals. Small birds and mammals can be food for stray, feral, and pet dogs and cats.<ref>Wolch, West and Gaines ''Transspecies Urban Theory'' from Satiety and Space 1995. volume 13, pages 735–760</ref>

===Environmental issues===
Oxnard has more coastal [[List of power stations in California|power plants]] than any other city in California, with three [[fossil-fuel power plant]]s providing energy for cities in both Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties.<ref>{{cite news|title=Not One More Power Plant on Oxnard's Coast| url=http://caleja.org/2015/07/not-one-more-power-plant-on-oxnards-coast/|access-date=May 24, 2016|work=caleja.org|publisher=California Environmental Justice Alliance}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Proposed Puente Power Plant in Oxnard|url=http://www.environmentaldefensecenter.org/programs_post_type/climate-energy/proposed-puente-power-plant-in-oxnard/|website=www.environmentaldefensecenter.org|publisher=» Environmental Defense Center|access-date=May 24, 2016}}</ref> The [[California Environmental Protection Agency]] (CalEPA) has identified Oxnard as a city excessively burdened by multiple sources of pollution.<ref name="puente1">{{cite web|title=California Energy Commission Informational Hearing for the proposed "Puente" Energy Facility Application|url=http://docketpublic.energy.ca.gov/PublicDocuments/15-AFC-01/TN205905_20150828T140956_Senator_HannahBeth_Jackson_Comments_on_the_CEC_Informational_He.pdf|website=California Energy Commission|publisher=State of California|access-date=May 24, 2016}}</ref> Two of the power plants use ocean water cooling.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Battery storage project slated near Oxnard will be among the nation's biggest|url=https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/2020/05/15/battery-storage-project-oxnard-ventura-energy-storage-tesla-strata-solar/3110101001/|last=Leung|first=Wendy|website=Ventura County Star|language=en|access-date=May 16, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2019-09-24/california-may-keep-open-gas-plants-that-hurt-marine-life|title=California could face power shortages if these gas plants shut down, officials say|last=Roth|first=Sammy|date=September 24, 2019|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|language=en-US|access-date=October 2, 2019}}</ref> The [[California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment|Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment]] (OEHHA) has categorized much of Oxnard in the top 10 percent of ZIP codes most negatively impacted by pollution in the state.<ref name="puente1" /><ref>{{cite news|last1=Morales|first1=Maricela|title=Not one more power plant in Oxnard|url=https://causenow.org/article/not-one-more-power-plant-oxnard|access-date=May 24, 2016|work=causenow.org|publisher=CAUSE|date=July 12, 2015|archive-date=September 22, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160922181456/https://causenow.org/article/not-one-more-power-plant-oxnard|url-status=dead}}</ref> In May 2015, the Oxnard City Council unanimously voted to extend the city moratorium on power plant construction. This moratorium extension occurred due to NRG/Southern California Edison's proposal, also called the Puente Power Project,<ref name="puente1"/> to construct a new fossil-fuel power plant. The following day, an NRG representative stated their case to replace the old power generation plant at [[Mandalay State Beach|Mandalay Beach]] with a new, hi-tech, much cleaner, and more efficient plant.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Miller|first1=George|title=Oxnard extends power plant moratorium another year; NRG states its case on KADYTV|url=http://citizensjournal.us/oxnard-extends-power-plant-moratorium-another-year-nrg-states-its-case-on-kadytv/|access-date=May 24, 2016|work=Citizens Journal|date=May 22, 2015}}</ref>

[[Pesticides]] are used in the agricultural fields surrounding Oxnard, as the area is one of the nation's leading [[strawberry]] producers, with agriculture being one of the top contributors to Oxnard's economy. Strawberries depend on large applications of fumigants containing pesticides. The Center for Health Journalism reported four ZIP codes with the highest pesticide use in the state clustered around Oxnard.<ref name="center">{{cite news|last1=Gross|first1=Liza|title=How Data Reporting Can Help You Find New Angles On Oft-told Tales |url=http://www.centerforhealthjournalism.org/resources/lessons/how-data-reporting-can-help-you-find-new-angles-oft-told-tales|access-date=May 24, 2016|work=Center for Health Journalism}}</ref>

===Architecture===

The historical architectural styles of Oxnard ranch family homes are Victorian era, Italian style, and [[Carpenter Gothic]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://architecture.about.com/od/restoration/ss/Oxnard.htm |title=How One Town Saved its Crumbling Homes |work=[[About.com]] Home |first=Jackie |last=Craven |access-date=July 4, 2016 |archive-date=May 24, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160524101009/http://architecture.about.com/od/restoration/ss/Oxnard.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> In the [[Henry T. Oxnard Historic District]], there are five [[Prairie School]] and eight [[Tudor Revival architecture|Tudor Revival]] homes.<ref name=nrhpdoc>{{cite web|url={{NRHP url|id=99000109}} |title=National Register of Historic Places Registration: Henry T. Oxnard Historic District |author=Benny M. and Rosanne Moss |date=June 8, 1998 |publisher=National Park Service}} and {{NRHP url|id=99000109|title=accompanying 140 photos|photos=y}}</ref> The district includes [[Mission/Spanish Revival architecture|Mission/Spanish Revival]], [[Bungalow/craftsman architecture|Bungalow/craftsman]], [[Colonial Revival architecture|Colonial Revival]], and other architecture.<ref name="npgallery.nps.gov">{{cite web|title=National Register Information System|url=http://npgallery.nps.gov/nrhp/Download?path=/natreg/docs/All_Data.html|website=National Register of Historic Places}}</ref>

===Cityscape===

Oxnard is a combination of neighborhoods and urban development focused on the downtown, coastline, and harbor areas.<ref>{{cite web|title=Section 1 of the General 2030 Plan for Oxnard|url=http://oxnard.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?view_id=35&clip_id=1740&meta_id=103615|website=Granicus|access-date=July 9, 2016|pages=1|language=en}}</ref> The city's main land uses are industrial, residential, commercial, and open space.<ref>{{cite web|title=Section 3 of Oxnard 2030 General Plan|url=http://oxnard.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?view_id=35&clip_id=1740&meta_id=103615|website=Granicus|access-date=July 9, 2016|pages=3–12 and 3–13|language=en}}</ref> One and two-story buildings characterize the city. The two tallest buildings in the county are in the northern part of the city at Topa Financial Plaza. The fourteen-floor high-rise was built in 1973, and the 21-floor high-rise was built in 1986.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Polakovic |first=Gary |date=February 23, 2007 |title=Sky's the limit as high-rise fever soars in Oxnard |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-feb-23-me-hirise23-story.html |access-date=January 6, 2023 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref> The city is surrounded by agricultural land and the Pacific Ocean, as well as the [[Santa Clara River (California)|Santa Clara River]]. The city's primary development lies along Highway 101 and the other main roads.<ref>{{cite web|title=Section 3 of the General 2030 Plan for Oxnard|url=http://oxnard.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?view_id=35&clip_id=1740&meta_id=103615|website=Granicus|access-date=July 9, 2016|pages=3–1|language=en}}</ref>

The [[Henry T. Oxnard Historic District]] is a {{convert|70|acre|adj=on}} [[historic district (United States)|historic district]] that is listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in Oxnard. Covering F and G Streets between Palm and 5th Sts., in the city, the district includes 142 houses, 139 which are "[[contributing buildings]]" and includes homes built mostly between 1906 and 1925.<ref name="npgallery.nps.gov"/> It contains abundant [[American-Craftsman]] and [[Revival architecture|Revival]] architecture. Eric Andrist, owner of the district's [[Henry Levy House]] since 2021, has created a new website with a database of all of the houses and their basic stats and histories. He found that the original research to create the historic district was full of errors and is setting out to find documentation to correct it all with evidence including old news articles.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://henrylevyhouse.com/historic-district-houses/|title=Database of the Henry T. Oxnard Historic District|access-date=February 18, 2025}}</ref>

Ormond Beach is a beach along the Oxnard coast. The beach, which stretches for two miles,<ref>{{cite web|title=Ormond Restoration Project|url=http://scc.ca.gov/2010/01/07/ormond-beach-wetlands-restoration-project/|website=California Coastal Conservatory|access-date=July 13, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140422180324/http://scc.ca.gov/2010/01/07/ormond-beach-wetlands-restoration-project/|archive-date=April 22, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> adjoins the Ormond Wetlands, some farmland, and power plant remains. It covers the area in between Points [[Point Hueneme|Hueneme]] and [[Point Mugu|Mugu]] and is a well-known birding area. The beach historically contained marshes, salt flats, sloughs, and lagoons, but surrounding agriculture and industry have drained, filled, and degraded the beach and wetlands. A dune-transition zone-marsh system is still along much of the beach.<ref>{{cite web|title=Ormond Beach|url=http://www.californiabeaches.com/beach/ormond-beach/|website=California Beaches|access-date=July 13, 2016}}</ref><ref name=Kelley>Kelley, Daryl (April 29, 2001) [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-apr-29-me-57192-story.html "Illness Forces Environmental Crusader to Sidelines."] ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''</ref>