OXNARD : Bakery Now Meets State Health Code

After a rare conviction for violating state health laws, the LA Central Bakery in Oxnard was found to be in compliance after an inspection was conducted this week, according to a prosecutor.

Charges were brought against the firm at 600 Meta St. after investigations in August and November by the state Department of Health Services revealed that the bakery was unsanitary, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Jeff Bennett.

The bakery was also selling tortillas and other foods that did not meet legal standards of purity and processing, Bennett said.

The bakery and its chief executive officer, Frank Rodriguez, pleaded no contest to misdemeanor violations and were sentenced last month to three years probation. A summary probation does not require reporting to a probation officer. They were also ordered to pay a fine of $500 each.

Bennett said while he suspected many establishments were in violation of the Health and Safety Code, the conviction was “a little unusual.”

The bakery had been given two warnings before charges were filed, he said.

Photographs taken by health inspectors showed that the ceiling was deteriorating in some places, the kitchen floors were dirty and parts of the refrigerator were rusting, he said.