Candidates File in Ventura County : Fall Election Developing Lively Races

With one incumbent departing each City Council, lively races appeared to be developing in four Ventura County communities as candidates met the final deadline Wednesday for Nov. 4 elections.

Rival sets of growth measures proposed by the city councils and separate slow-growth groups are expected to dominate election politics in Simi Valley and Moorpark.

In Thousand Oaks and Camarillo, there is no similar issue on the ballot, but many candidates filed election papers in each city.

The following is a roundup of council candidates in the four cities.

Simi Valley

Councilman Greg Stratton, a supporter of the council’s growth plan, filed papers for the two-year mayor’s post, which is being vacated by Elton Gallegly. Gallegly, a Republican, is running for the 21st Congressional District seat being vacated by Rep. Bobbi Fiedler (R-Northridge), who made an unsuccessful attempt to win the GOP nomination for U.S. Senate.

Stratton, whose council seat does not come up for election for two years, will not have to give up his post in order to run for mayor.

James T. Ely, president of the board of trustees of the Ventura Community College District, also filed papers for mayor, as did Wilburn Owens, a retired plant operations worker, and Gene Baker, a bakery owner.

Incumbents Ann Rock and Vicky Howard filed for reelection to their four-year council seats Friday.

Their challengers are Michael Stevens, a high school chemistry teacher and slow-growth advocate; Joseph E. Wierzbicki, a welder; William Jones, a salesman for a computer company; William M. White, a supervisor at an electronics firm, and David Penner, a corporate controller and spokesman for a slow-growth residents group, Citizens for Managed Growth and Hillside Protection.

Moorpark

The city is holding a special election to fill the council seat being vacated by Jim Hartley, who was appointed to the council when James D. Weak resigned in June after being diagnosed as having leukemia.

Hartley is not running for the two-year seat, but four other city residents have filed papers. They are James Kennan, a financial consultant and city planning commissioner; Tom Schleve, a businessman and former planning commissioner; William LaPerch, a planning commissioner, and John Galloway, an educator.

Incumbents Albert Prieto and Leta Yancy-Sutton filed for reelection to their four-year seats. They will vie for the two slots against six challengers: Eloise Brown, a writer for the weekly Moorpark Mirror; John P. Lane Jr., a law-enforcement supervisor; John Wozniak, a business administrator; Clint Harper, a physics professor at Moorpark College; Wayne Jones, a businessman, and Michael Thomas, who did not list his occupation.

Wozniak and Harper are members of the Committee for Managed Growth, which led the slow-growth initiative drive.

Thousand Oaks

Twelve residents, including two incumbents, are competing for three spots on the council. Mayor Alex T. Fiore and Councilman Lawrence Horner filed for reelection. A third incumbent, Madge Schaefer, is running for the post of 2nd District Ventura County supervisor against incumbent Edwin A. Jones.

Several prominent community activists have decided to run, promising to make the Thousand Oaks race a toughly fought one.

They are Richard D. Booker, a housing contractor who led opposition to public funding for a performing arts center; Tony Lamb, a senior citizens advocate who placed third in the June primary race for 2nd District supervisor; Joan Gorner, a planning commissioner; Lynn Bickle, a community activist who has fought to block development of the Wildwood Mesa area; Debra C. Cohen, a library employee; H. William Weiss, who did not list his occupation; Alan P. Munson, a human services counselor; Stanley E. Anderson Jr., a patent attorney; Patrick Kellogg, a grocery clerk, and George Vick, a musician and businessman.

Camarillo

Mayor Sandi Bush and Councilman Thomas S. Martin are running for reelection, but Councilman Francis (Tad) Bowen is bowing out of the council.

Besides the incumbents, the candidates for the three spots are Charlotte Craven, a community activist; Myrta Boyle, a city planning commissioner; Christopher Hoops, a minister; Arthur Lay, who did not list his occupation; Stanley Scesney, an engineer; A. Bernie Barnes, a businessman, and Richard Carey, a business administrator.

In Los Angeles County, candidates filed for election to two West County service agencies. According to the Los Angeles County registrar’s office, they are:

Topanga-Las Virgenes Resource Conservation District: Three seats will be filled. Candidates are incumbents Perina Wiley, David N. Gottlieb and Jill LeClear Workman and challenger Jerry R. Douglas.

Las Virgenes Municipal Water District: Directors for three divisions will be elected. Division 2 incumbent Tad T. Mattock is being challenged by Glen Peterson. Division 3 incumbent Harold Helsley is being challenged by Gordon Miner. Division 5 incumbent Ann Dorgelo is being challenged by Kurt Moore.