Ventura Passes Emergency Ordinance After Removal of Monarch Butterflies Habitat Trees

The Ventura County City Council approved an emergency ordinance prohibiting the removal and trimming of trees within identified protected wildlife habitats within the city.

The measure was triggered following a recent incident involving the illegal removal and trimming of trees in an area which is an overwintering habitat for monarch butterflies.

Approved during a meeting on February 10, 2026, the ordinance aims to protect habitats for species listed as endangered or threatened by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, particularly the monarch butterfly.

The ordinance allows trimming or removal via a permit only if a tree is diseased, dead, or poses an imminent danger to people or property. Exemptions include creating a defensible space for fire safety and if an insurance company denies coverage due to a specific tree. 

The ordinance calls for tree replacement as the primary corrective action. Violators must replace the removed tree with another one that has the same diameter at breast height as the original. 

If a single tree of the same diameter is not available, the Parks and Recreation director can mandate the planting of several smaller trees, whose cumulative diameter at breast height is the same as the original tree. 

City officials noted that some other species, including bumblebees, were excluded from the emergency ordinance as their ground-based, non-static habitats were difficult to determine. 

However, the ordinance is only a temporary measure while the city develops a permanent tree protection measure, which is expected to be presented in May 2026. 

Penalties and Fines

A central point of debate during the meeting was the severity of fines. 

While council members initially proposed fines ranging from $500 for trimming to $5,750 for removal, some council members and public speakers said it would be inadequate to discourage “bad actors” or large developers with deep pockets. 

Ultimately, the council voted 6-1 to significantly increase the fines. 

Under the ordinance, a fine of up to $1,000 will be imposed for the first tree trimming, $2,500 for the second, and $5,000 for each additional violation. 

For tree removal, violators will be fined $5,000 for the first violation, $10,000 for the second, and $15,000 for each additional occurrence. 

Failure to perform corrective actions, such as tree replacement, will result in a fine of $1,000 per day. 

Concerns Increasing Fines

Casting the only dissenting vote against increasing the fines, Council Member Bill McReynolds argued that the ordinance would unfairly target individual homeowners instead of the “bad actors.” 

After reviewing the habitat maps, he noted that the identified protected areas consisted mostly of single-family residential properties. He said that the City Council was implementing a policy to penalize homeowners up to $10,000, while the public discussion focused on deterring big developers. 

Questioning the legality and fairness of the ordinance, McReynolds asked whether the city was failing to be “equal under law” by suggesting staff use discretion to fine large businesses rather than homeowners.