CAMARILLO : No Conflict Found in Dual Candidacies

The Ventura County counsel’s office said it sees little or no conflict of interest for a Port of Hueneme harbor commissioner to run both for reelection and for a seat on the Camarillo City Council.

Even if there was such a conflict, County Counsel James L. McBride said his office would not have the legal authority to get involved in the matter.

McBride was responding to a request by Kevin Staker, a Camarillo tax lawyer and activist, to investigate any possible conflict raised by Port of Hueneme Harbor Commissioner Stanley J. Daily as he seeks reelection while running for City Council in Camarillo.

“I am really troubled that this man is running for two offices in overlapping jurisdictions,” Staker said Monday. “It does not seem to be proper to me.” Staker is not running for office.

He said one conflict could arise if the commissioners were to enter into negotiations with Camarillo in the hypothetical event that trucks from the port damage Pleasant Valley or Las Posas roads.

The Harbor District, which governs the Port of Hueneme, includes the cities of Port Hueneme, Oxnard, Camarillo, part of Thousand Oaks and unincorporated county land. The Harbor District has taxing authority but has never levied taxes, instead relying on fees collected by shippers using the port.

Daily said he sees no conflict of interest. “I’ve been advised by our legal counsel that there is no legal impropriety and no conflict of interest,” he said.

Shannon Trower, an assistant county counsel who handles election matters, said he sees no conflict of interest under California law. If there were a potential conflict, he said, Daily could excuse himself from voting on issues in conflict.

Staker said he is considering filing a lawsuit to block the election. But he said he had no quarrel with Daily. “From what I understand, he is a man of integrity, and he’s a nice fellow.”