That Voters Know Jones’ Name Could Help--or Hurt

In his bid for a fourth term, Ventura County Supervisor Edwin A. Jones will have little trouble with name recognition--a two-edged sword, depending on what voters remember.

Jones has earned a reputation for returning telephone calls, sending cards for birthdays and anniversaries and making headlines in local newspapers. For years, Jones said, he has spent his Saturdays sitting at a card table in The Oaks mall in Thousand Oaks talking to constituents, listening to their problems and asking their support.

But whether voters return Jones to the Board of Supervisors in the affluent and conservative 2nd District depends largely on whether they recall Jones’ work as a supervisor or his highly publicized arrest on a morals charge at a Studio City motel last year.

More recently, his campaign practices have drawn rebukes from the county grand jury and the state Fair Political Practices Commission.

Opponent Avoids Comment on Arrest

Despite the political ammunition the arrest could have provided his election opponent--Thousand Oaks Councilwoman Madge Schaefer, who finished second to Jones in the June primary--she avoids public comment on it.

Instead, Schaefer says, she is running on issues, such as what she called Jones’ failure to provide effective leadership for the district, which is in the southeastern part of the county and includes most of Thousand Oaks and parts of Newbury Park, south Camarillo and south Oxnard.

“He is unable to lead, for whatever reasons,” said Schaefer. Among the five supervisors, “Jones has the most seniority and the least clout,” she said.

Jones, 56, a Los Angeles Pierce College political science professor and former Thousand Oaks councilman, said voters are generally pleased with his record.

A strong local economy, prudent fiscal management, a low crime rate and growth policies that have balanced new industries and preservation of farmlands have made Ventura the best-run county in the state, Jones said.

“I don’t know of anybody who moved to the Conejo Valley from the San Fernando Valley who moved back again,” Jones said.

Despite the strong demand for development, the 2nd District is not likely to reach the urban densities of the Los Angeles area anytime soon. Thousand Oaks and Camarillo have growth-control laws that limit the amount of construction each year.

But, Schaefer said, the county needs a master plan to attract industry. In Thousand Oaks, she said, industrial growth has created economic benefits while helping to reduce one of the district’s biggest problems, traffic on the Ventura Freeway.

“Eight years ago, 80% of the work force left the city in the day,” Schaefer said. “Now that number is down to about 40%.”

Schaefer, 44, has served on the City Council since 1978.

Began Political Life as City Hall Watchdog

Ironically, she began her political life in Thousand Oaks as a City Hall watchdog who campaigned against construction of The Oaks, now one of the city’s leading revenue sources. Although Schaefer lost that battle, her opposition to the mall helped the city negotiate a better deal with the developer, she said.

Schaefer has charged Jones with failing to see that enough of the county budget is spent in the 2nd District, even though it provides one-third of the county’s property-tax revenue. “We are paying $45 million in property taxes and not getting anything back,” she said.

As an example, Schaefer said, Thousand Oaks waited years for the county to pay for a library before eventually building a $9-million facility with its own money.

Jones said at least 40% of the county’s $460-million budget goes to health and welfare expenses for the poor, most of whom live in other parts of the county. The $29 million the county spent on capital improvements in the 2nd District since he joined the board is second only to the amount spent in the 1st District, which includes Ventura, the county seat, Jones said.

Jones said he helped establish a countywide paramedic service and bus lines to connect Camarillo, Thousand Oaks and Moorpark. One of his projects, he said, is a $1.5-million countywide emergency freeway call-box system, on which construction is scheduled to begin next month.

Arrested on Misdemeanor Charges

But Jones’ record, and the political base he has established during 12 years in office, suffered a severe blow last year when police arrested him on misdemeanor charges of lewd conduct and indecent exposure on June 12.

Jones allegedly exposed himself and made lewd gestures to a woman at a Studio City motel, where, he later admitted, he was having an extramarital affair. He pleaded no contest in October, 1985, to charges of public drunkenness and disturbing the peace after the woman who filed the complaint refused to testify.

Since the incident, Jones said, he has stopped drinking. He said that voters who bring up the subject give him credit because “I faced up to that problem.”

He said, “It has brought me and my family together. I have become a more effective supervisor.”

Jones, who ran unopposed in 1982, nearly exhausted his $78,000 campaign war chest in the June primary, outspending all four of his competitors combined. He finished first with 6,599 votes; Schaefer, who spent about $23,000, garnered 5,409.

After the race, the county grand jury admonished Jones for posing with a uniformed Ventura County sheriff’s deputy in a campaign brochure, thus violating local and state laws that prohibit public employees from campaigning on duty. The Ventura County district attorney’s office later determined that there was not enough evidence to charge Jones with a crime.

Last month, the state Fair Political Practices Commission said Jones had failed to report about $15,000 in contributions to his legal defense fund. Jones called it an oversight that he has since corrected.

Important Endorsement

Jones should get a boost from an endorsement last week by well-known senior citizen activist Tony Lamb, who ran against Jones and Schaefer in the June primary and finished a strong third with 5,000 votes, although he spent only about $500 on his campaign.

“He has a tremendous following,” Jones said. “When people know that he is supporting me, it will have an effect on the race.”

Schaefer said of the endorsement: “Seniors in the community recognize Tony for his contributions, but I believe there are intelligent, active, informed members of the community who will make up their own mind.

“Tony Lamb and I have different standards of conduct for public officials.”