Ventura County recognizes Juneteenth as a paid holiday, offices to close
Cheri Carlson
Ventura County government agencies will recognize Juneteenth – the day that commemorates the end of slavery – as a paid holiday starting this year.
County offices will close and employees will receive the day as a paid holiday, according to a unanimous decision by the Board of Supervisors this week.
In 1865, Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas on June 19 to proclaim the war had ended and enslaved people were freed. That happened 2 ½ years after the Emancipation Proclamation became official.
In 2021, President Biden signed legislation to make Juneteenth a federal holiday.
County offices now will be closed on 11 holidays annually. If a holiday falls on a Saturday, the offices will close the preceding Friday. If it falls on a Sunday, the offices will close on the following Monday.
Juneteenth falls on a Monday this year and will be observed June 19.
Cheri Carlson covers the environment and county government for the Ventura County Star. Reach her at cheri.carlson@vcstar.com or 805-437-0260.