Candidates File Papers for Deadline
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Faced with an increasingly crowded ballot, election officials across Ventura County spent Friday organizing the hundreds of options that will confront local voters in the Nov. 5 general election.
Not only will Ventura County voters help choose a president, they also will consider more than a dozen statewide measures, select a county supervisor, install nine city councils, elect 20 special districts and vote for 20 school boards.
Besides the wide variety of candidates, there is a record number of eligible county voters.
“It’s by far the most registered voters we’ve ever had,” said Bruce Bradley, Ventura County’s assistant registrar of voters. “We have 395,000 people. But we’re used to a lot of ballots. The previous record was 359,000 and that was four years ago.”
Bradley said he expects a voter turnout of about 80%, about the same showing in Ventura County for most presidential elections.
Candidates for water districts, school boards, city councils and other offices rolled in and out of city clerks’ offices and the county Elections Department all day Friday.
But Friday was not the last day for all office-seekers to file their candidacy papers. In those races where at least one incumbent has opted not to seek reelection, the filing deadline will be extended to Wednesday at 5 p.m.
When the initial filing deadline expired Friday, one of the most contested municipal races appeared to be in Thousand Oaks, where 12 candidates have lined up to compete for two seats on the City Council.
But candidates still have time to register for the ballot because one of the two council positions is open. The open seat is held by Councilwoman Jaime Zukowski, who is moving to Colorado. Candidates will also be vying against Councilman Mike Markey, who is seeking reelection.
As usual, growth and development will play a key role in the City Council election, with Planning Commissioner Linda Parks attempting to follow in Zukowski’s slow-growth footsteps.
Other crowded city ballots loom in Simi Valley, Oxnard and Camarillo, where two incumbents are forgoing reelection.
So far, 12 people have taken out papers to run for the Camarillo City Council seats vacated by Mayor David M. Smith and Councilman Mike Morgan, who is running against Kathy Long for the 3rd District seat on the county Board of Supervisors.
“Any time you have open seats, there’s just more opportunity and more candidates,” Camarillo City Clerk Marilyn Thiel said.
Kevin Kildee, the stepson of retiring Ventura County Supervisor Maggie Kildee, announced his candidacy early.
He will be joined by, among others, Planning Commissioner William Liebmann, Camarillo Chamber of Commerce board member Sherry Cole and Pleasant Valley School Board member Jan McDonald.
Business development and retention will very likely become a serious campaign issue, along with the continuing threat to farmland, greenbelt preservation and growth around the Camarillo Airport.
In Simi Valley, Mayor Greg Stratton faces no challengers.
But half a dozen candidates will vie for the two council seats now filled by Bill Davis and Barbara Williamson. Challengers include Michael McCaffrey, Dennis Serbick, David Weiner and Glenn Woodbury.
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As in other local campaigns, the Simi council race will probably focus on the city’s business climate.
McCaffrey, who ran for a council seat in 1994, said he wants city hall to be more aggressive in luring companies to town. Woodbury, who owns a weather-stripping business and ran for the Simi Valley Unified School District board in 1994, said the city should create a “one-stop” office where local merchants could take care of all of their city permits.
Several candidates also cited juvenile crime as one of their main concerns. Weiner, a former Simi Valley police officer, said that while gang violence has not been a major problem locally, the city must guard against that threat.
“I don’t want to lose this city,” he said. “I’m not planning on moving, and I don’t want to be living in a San Fernando-type city.”
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In Oxnard, Mayor Manuel M. Lopez will face three challengers.
Meanwhile, incumbent Councilmen Andres Herrera and Bedford Pinkard are being challenged by four others, including John C. Zaragoza, who ran for the council two years ago.
Street gangs and neighborhood crime are sure issues in the Oxnard council campaign, the byproduct of a series of recent shootings and other violence.
Oxnard City Clerk Daniel Martinez said Friday was not as busy as he expected.
“It wasn’t too bad,” said Martinez, who himself has two challengers for his job. “Pretty much all of the people who took out papers have been bringing them in.”
Dozens of posts for Ventura County special districts and school boards also will be determined in the fall. In many of the districts, however, candidates will have until Wednesday to prepare the papers necessary to campaign.
(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)
Council and School Board Candidates These are the candidates for Ventura County school boards and city councils as of 5 p.m. Friday. In those races where not all of the incumbents have sought reelection, the deadline for filing nomination papers will be extended to 5 p.m. Wednesday. Candidates who have taken out candidacy papers but have yet to file them are marked with an asterisk.
SCHOOL BOARDS
VENTURA COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION, two seats
Trustee Area No. 3 (closed Friday)
Wendy Larner, incumbent
Janet Lindgren
Trustee Area No. 5
Paul H. Chatman
Ronald H. Matthews
VENTURA COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT, two seats
Trustee Area No. 3
Robert Gonzales *
James E. Niles
T.G. (Tom) Stafford
Lois Harrion *
Trustee Area 4 (closed Friday)
Allan W. Jacobs, incumbent
CONEJO VALLEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT, two seats (closed Friday)
Dolores Didio, incumbent
Dorothy Beaubien, incumbent
Michael A. Dunn *
Paul F. Finman
Gerry Garibaldi *
Debra J. Lorier
Elroi Reimnitz
Charles Rittenburg
FILLMORE UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT, two seats (closed Friday)
Dave Anderson, incumbent
Virginia A. De La Piedra, incumbent
MOORPARK UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT, three seats (closed Friday)
Tom Baldwin, incumbent
Gregory J. Barker, incumbent
Clint Harper, incumbent
Theodore Green Sr.
Robert P. Moran *
Matt Noah
OJAI UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT, two seats (closed Friday)
Tim Peddicord, incumbent
Karen A. McBride, incumbent
John G. Hartnett
SIMI VALLEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT, three seats
Debbie Sandland, incumbent
Diane Collins, incumbent
Doug Crosse
Janice Di Fatta
Caesar O. Julian
Nan Mostacciuolo
Steven L. Steffek
Randall Sundeen
Elizabeth Walbridge
OXNARD UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT, two seats (closed Friday)
Fred Judy, incumbent
Steve W. Stocks, incumbent
Annette Burrows
Art Hernandez
Don Miller
SANTA PAULA UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT, two seats
Robert M. Salas
Eric Barragan
Eugene Marzec
BRIGGS SCHOOL DISTRICT, two seats
Ron Merson, incumbent
Howard R. Geer
HUENEME SCHOOL DISTRICT, two seats (closed Friday)
Marla Petal, incumbent
Ralph Ramos, incumbent
Shala Gudino
MESA UNION SCHOOL DISTRICT, two seats
Julie Sanchez
MUPU SCHOOL DISTRICT, one seat
Lisa Darling-Daniel
OXNARD SCHOOL DISTRICT, two seats
Susan E. Alvarez, incumbent
Everett Batey
Roy Caffrey
Francisco Dominguez
Thomas C. Nelson *
Jerry L. Turner
PLEASANT VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT, two seats (closed Friday)
Robert Rexford, incumbent
Ricardo Amador, incumbent
Virginia Norris
RIO SCHOOL DISTRICT, two seats
Ernest J. Almanza *
Camie Larson
Anthony Ramos
Eleanor Torres
SANTA CLARA SCHOOL DISTRICT, one seat
Susan Marie Wileman
SANTA PAULA SCHOOL DISTRICT, two seats
Benjamin Saiz, incumbent
Steven A. Shuel
SOMIS UNION SCHOOL DISTRICT, two seats (closed Friday)
Robert Fulkerson, incumbent
Andrew Sutherland, incumbent
CITY OFFICES
CAMARILLO COUNCIL, two seats
Alan S. Barber
Sherry Cole
Dennis Fandey
Al E. Fox
Kevin Kildee
William Liebmann
Richard Lundberg
Jan McDonald
Doug Moshy
Robert P. Radnoti
Mona Schidel
Taylor Woods
FILLMORE COUNCIL, three seats
Roger Campbell, incumbent
Scott Lee, incumbent
Evaristo Barajas
Steve McKinnon
George Gonzalez Jr.
MOORPARK MAYOR
Patrick Hunter
Bernardo Perez
Edward Peters
Michael Wesner
MOORPARK COUNCIL, two seats
Eloise Brown, incumbent
Christopher Evans
W.J. La Perch
Debbie Teasley
John Torres
OJAI COUNCIL, two seats
Paul B. Blatz
David Bury
Brandon M. Chase
Suza Francina
Rhonda L. Short-Moore
Bruce Roland
Ellen Hall
OXNARD MAYOR (closed Friday)
Manuel L. Lopez, incumbent
Oscar Karrin
Anthony De La Cerda
Robert E. Taylor
OXNARD COUNCIL, two seats (closed Friday)
Andres Herrera, incumbent
Bedford Pinkard, incumbent
Roy Lockwood
Emmett Whatley
Bill Winter
John C. Zaragoza
OXNARD CITY CLERK (closed Friday)
Daniel Martinez, incumbent
Jackie Rodgers
Angie Varela
PORT HUENEME COUNCIL, two seats
Toni Young, incumbent
Murray Rosenbluth
Mary De Paolo
Allen K. Zeitzmann
Douglas Ernst
SANTA PAULA COUNCIL, two seats (closed Friday)
Al Urias, incumbent
Robin Sullivan, incumbent
James Garfield
Gabriela Reeve
SIMI VALLEY MAYOR (closed Friday)
Greg Stratton, incumbent
SIMI VALLEY CITY COUNCIL, two seats (closed Friday)
Bill Davis, incumbent
Barbara Williamson, incumbent
Michael McCaffrey
Michael Rodriguez
Dennis Serbick
David Weiner
Glenn Woodbury
THOUSAND OAKS COUNCIL, two seats
Mike Markey, incumbent
Lorraine Buckett
Daniel Del Campo
Marshall Dixon
Raul Gutierrez
Norman Jackson
Tom Lee
Linda Parks
Nick Quidwai
Ramaul Rush
David Seagal
Lance Winslow
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