OXNARD : 2 on Harbor Board Eligible for Race

Two harbor commissioners are now able to run for reelection after a Superior Court ruling late last week that voided previous boundary changes in the Oxnard Harbor District.

The district boundaries had been shrunk last month by the cities of Oxnard and Port Hueneme and the county’s Local Agency Formation Commission to contain just the cities of Oxnard and Port Hueneme. Therefore, candidacy for the board was limited to residents of those two cities.

Board President Edward Millan and Vice President Stanley Daily, both of Camarillo, wanted the boundaries restored to include Camarillo and Thousand Oaks so they could run for reelection Nov. 6.

On Aug. 9, one day before the candidates’ filing deadline, Superior Court Judge Edwin M. Osborne voided the boundary changes.

The county’s Local Agency Formation Commission and Oxnard and Port Hueneme have filed appeals to reverse Osborne’s decision, said Don G. Kircher, city attorney for Port Hueneme.

If the shrunken boundaries are reinstated before the election, he said, Millan and Daily would be ineligible for candidacy. If such a decision is reached after the election, Millan and Daily’s fate if they are reelected is unknown.

Anthony Taormina, executive director of the Oxnard Harbor District, said: “It is my understanding that if a candidate is duly elected, even if the district changes its boundaries afterward, they have the ability to serve out their term.”

Oxnard and Port Hueneme officials had supported shrinking the boundaries because it would have given them more control over problems involving the harbor, such as traffic and pollution, which mostly affect local residents. The two cities also provide fire and police protection for the harbor.

Harbor Commissioner Steve Stocks will run for reelection along with Millan and Daily. Stocks is an Oxnard resident, so his candidacy is unaffected by possible boundary changes. The three other candidates, William Bradley, Raymond Fosse and Faith Cosby are Oxnard residents.