Camarillo Airport generated $9.6 million in property tax revenue in 2025 and served as an aerial firefighting hub during the Mountain, Palisades and Eaton fires. The county is marking 50 years since it took ownership of the former Cold War air base.

The Ventura County Department of Airports announced the milestone Monday, Oct. 5, tracing the facility's origins to 1942, when the California State Highway Department built an auxiliary landing field with a 5,000-foot runway on the Oxnard Plain.

The site grew into a full military installation. The Army Corps of Engineers extended the runway to 8,000 feet in 1951 as Cold War tensions escalated. By 1958, the renamed Oxnard Air Force Base had four alert hangars, concrete ramps and a 9,000-foot runway. The base was equipped with Northrop F-89 "Scorpion" aircraft as part of the Los Angeles area Air Defense Command.

In 1960, supersonic F-101B "Voodoo" interceptors armed with tactical nuclear missiles arrived. Air Force personnel defended Southern California from the base for nearly 18 years before the Department of Defense deactivated it in December 1969.

The land sat as surplus property for seven years. Camarillo residents mounted the heaviest opposition to any airport replacing the base, and city representatives strongly objected, according to the county's anniversary account. An agreement ultimately limited the facility to general aviation and a 6,000-foot runway.

In October 1976, the General Services Agency (GSA) approved the county's application for 650 acres of land and some buildings. The county assigned management to its Property Administration Agency. In 1985, the two county-owned airports split off into the standalone Department of Airports.

Tax revenue and economic impact

The airport's financial contribution has grown substantially. In 2025, it generated more than $9.6 million in airplane personal property tax revenue, split roughly equally among the county, the City of Camarillo and Camarillo public schools. Each received over $3.2 million, according to the department.

Keith Freitas, director of the Ventura County Department of Airports, said in a July 21 interview with Ventura County news that a 2019 economic impact study showed the combined Camarillo and Oxnard airports contributed more than $13 million in tax revenues, with nearly $11 million from Camarillo alone. A new study is planned within the next year or two.

Freitas described each airport as playing a vital role in the county's economic landscape, noting direct benefits to the city, community and county through public services including fire, Caltrans and sheriff operations.

Firefighting and public safety

The airport played a key public safety role during the 2024 Mountain Fire. Ventura County Fire Department Division Chief Nick Clearly called the airport a "gamechanger," according to the county's account.

Camarillo Airport hosted nearly three dozen aircraft from local and out-of-state resources during the Mountain Fire, the Palisades Fire and the Eaton Fire. The airport's proximity to the blazes enabled effective aerial attacks, the department said.

The facility also serves as home base for the Ventura County Aviation Unit, which conducts aerial rescues off the coast, along mountain trails and at remote vehicle accident sites across the county.

Community and youth programs

Several youth aviation programs operate from the airport, including Aviation Career Day hosted by the Ventura County Ninety-Nines, an Aviation Explorers Post through the Experimental Aircraft Association for ages 14 to 20, a Civil Air Patrol cadet program and the Young Eagles program for ages 8 to 17.

The Wings Over Camarillo airshow has called the airport home since 1980. The Camarillo Wings Association, a nonprofit formed in 2010 to host the show, has donated nearly $500,000 to nonprofits and youth groups since 2011, according to the organization's website.

Freitas said in the July interview that the airshow "serves as a pathway to learning for Ventura County youth who may not otherwise have access to such a vast selection of aviation-focused opportunities."