Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling announced the Ventura facility will permanently close on July 10, ending a 114-year run in the city and impacting dozens of workers, according to company filings and published reports.

The closure will affect 85 employees, though the company said most workers are expected to be reassigned to other Southern California locations.

“We regularly assess our locations, products and services to ensure we can continue driving sustainable growth and innovation across our business,” a company spokesperson told SFGATE.

The shutdown marks the end of one of Ventura’s oldest industrial operations.

Coca-Cola first opened a bottling operation in Ventura in 1912, later relocating several times over the decades as the business expanded.

By the 1950s, local newspapers described Ventura’s soda bottling industry as booming, with Coca-Cola and Nehi plants capable of producing thousands of cases of soft drinks each day.

The Ventura closure appears to be part of a broader consolidation effort by Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling, which has shuttered multiple California facilities in recent years.

Operations from the Ventura plant are expected to be transferred to other Southern California distribution centers.

The company filed a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification, or WARN notice, with the state alerting officials to the upcoming closure and layoffs, according to the Los Angeles Times.

While many employees are expected to remain with the company through reassignment opportunities, the shutdown still represents the loss of a longstanding local landmark tied to Ventura’s industrial history.

The facility’s final day of operation is scheduled for July 10.

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Mt. San Jacinto College (MSJC) Political Science major James Crawford has been named a 2020 Coca-Cola Leaders of Promise Scholar and will receive a $1,000 scholarship.

The 18-year-old Hemet resident is one of only 207 Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) members nationwide to earn the honor this year.

“For me, the scholarship is a personal visible validation of the work and community involvement that I have been so proud to be a part of throughout the past couple of years,” said Crawford, who plans to graduate from MSJC in May. “And aside from the obvious financial assistance that the scholarship offers, it also provides further motivation for me to use as I continue throughout my educational and career pathway.”

At MSJC, Crawford is a member of PTK and the Political Science Club, and serves as a mentor for the Honors Enrichment and Supplemental Instruction programs. In the community, he serves on the executive board for the Democrats of Hemet-San Jacinto, where he’s part of the scholarship subcommittee, the voter registration and voter outreach subcommittee, and the youth outreach subcommittee. He has also helped on several political campaigns, including Elizabeth Warren’s presidential campaign.

After MSJC, Crawford plans to transfer to UC Riverside or UC Berkeley to earn his bachelor’s degree in political science, and eventually earn a doctorate in political theory. He said he hopes to become a professor at a community college, and continue actively participating in various political campaigns and organizations.

The Coca-Cola Leaders of Promise Scholarship Program helps new Phi Theta Kappa members defray educational expenses while enrolled in associate degree programs. Scholars are encouraged to assume leadership roles by participating in PTK programs and are selected based on scholastic achievement, community service, and leadership potential. Nearly 700 applications were received.

“The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation has a long history of providing financial assistance to outstanding students at community colleges,” said Jane Hale Hopkins, President of the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation. “We are proud to partner with Phi Theta Kappa to make it possible for more deserving students to achieve their educational goals and support tomorrow’s leaders of the global community.”

The funds provided by the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation not only aid college completion, but also give students the opportunity to engage in PTK programs and develop leadership skills to become future leaders in their communities.

“Research shows that Phi Theta Kappa members are four times more likely to complete a college degree than their peers,” said Dr. Monica Marlowe, Executive Director of the Phi Theta Kappa Foundation. “The Leaders of Promise Scholarships recognize students for what they have achieved already and assure that financial need isn’t an obstacle to achieving their academic goals.”

Phi Theta Kappa is the premier honor society recognizing the academic achievement of students at associate degree-granting colleges and helping them to grow as scholars and leaders. PTK has more than 3.5 million members and nearly 1,300 chapters in 11 nations, with about 240,000 active members in the nation’s colleges. Learn more at www.ptk.org.

Mt. San Jacinto College serves about 27,000 students in a district covering 1,700 square miles from the San Gorgonio Pass to Temecula, with campuses in San Jacinto, Menifee, Banning and Temecula.Fall registration is underway and the semester starts Aug. 17. Transform your life at MSJC.

In May 2020, Mt. San Jacinto College awarded a record-breaking 3,554 degrees and certificates to 1,958 graduates.

-MSJC

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