Oxnard’s efforts to rebrand itself as an “international city” may suffer as county and federal agents investigate the possible misappropriation of public money and conflicts of interest among city officials.

But the ordeal should be “a footnote in history” by the time serious marketing of the new image begins several years from now, business leaders said in recent interviews with the Business Times.

“This isn’t the first black eye Oxnard has ever gotten,” said Roger Brooks, the “destination branding” consultant hired by the Oxnard Convention and Visitors Bureau to craft a new image for the city. “But it doesn’t detract from our message.”

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