The foundations of the Ventura County Community Council were established during 1954, when the Ventura YWCA determined that in order to have a better youth program in Ventura County, California, it would be necessary to conduct a survey to indicate where needs were met adequately and where unmet needs existed. When the survey was presented to the YWCA Executive Board it was decided that overall planning for youth groups was necessary in order to avoid duplication of efforts and services. The Board also felt that since this would be a county project the YWCA should finance this endeavor. An initial meeting was held with representatives of all private youth groups participating. Then all private and public agencies were invited to attend the planning discussions. In June of 1954, a temporary chairman was elected and committees were appointed. The YWCA supported the entire project until the Ventura County Community Council was formally organized on October 19, 1955. The first President was Frank Colston.

The Council was a non-profit group with a membership of public and private agencies, organizations, and interested lay people active in community health, welfare, and leisure-time activities. The goals of the group included, among others, providing a forum where organization representatives could come together to address policies and procedures in order to better coordinate activites and services; acquaint the general public with the services of the organizations; to improve the quality and scope of health, welfare, and recreational services and programs; to encourage the promotion of needed new services; and to achieve more effective planning for the strengthening of family and community life for the prevention of crime and delinquency.

The Council had three functional divisions: Health; Family and Child Welfare; and Group Work and Leisure Time Activities. Each member agency or organization appointed delegates to each division. The divisions worked primarily through committees appointed by the chairman to meet specific problems, or to do specific jobs, and cleared all projects through the elected officers and Board of Directors. The Health Division had annual displays at the Ventura County Fair; held health education planning workshops for teachers and other interested parties; assisted with state-wide polio vaccination and immunization programs; and started registration for county-wide volunteer services. The Family and Child Welfare Division worked toward establishing a family service agency for Ventura County. The Group Work and Leisure Time Division worked on the wants and needs of senior citizens in Ventura.