A longtime agricultural company on the South Coast is closing its doors this summer, costing about 260 jobs. Word of Hiji Brothers Incorporated and its two related businesses closing came in the form of a letter to Ventura County officials, which is legally required for mass layoffs. The letter doesn’t detail the reason for the closure of the Oxnard grower, but says it is permanent. The shutdown affects everyone from administrative staff to truck drivers. The letter says it also means there will no longer be season jobs for 126 people involved in harvesting operations. The company has been in business for more than a half century. The shutdown is expected to take place over the next three months.
Lance Orozco has been News Director of KCLU since 2001, providing award-winning coverage of some of the biggest news events in the region, including the Thomas and Woolsey brush fires, the deadly Montecito debris flow, the Borderline Bar and Grill attack, and Ronald Reagan's funeral.