Former Supervisor Schaefer to Run for Seat in 37th Assembly District

Madge L. Schaefer, who underestimated a neophyte challenger two years ago and lost her seat on the Ventura County Board of Supervisors, announced Monday that she will attempt a political comeback with a run for the state Assembly.

The 49-year-old Republican will seek the 37th District seat being vacated by Tom McClintock (R-Thousand Oaks), who is running for Congress. The Assembly district encompasses Thousand Oaks, Moorpark, Camarillo, Oxnard and Port Hueneme.

Schaefer’s announcement had been expected after McClintock confirmed last week that he would run for the newly redrawn 24th Congressional District, which includes southeastern Ventura County and western Los Angeles County.

After eight years as a Thousand Oaks councilwoman and four years as a supervisor, Schaefer was narrowly defeated in the June, 1990, primary by Maria VanderKolk, a political newcomer. Billed as the biggest political upset in Ventura County since the 1920s, Schaefer’s defeat was attributed to a sharp temper and too-cozy relationships with developers.

Schaefer also refused to campaign seriously against the 26-year-old VanderKolk, a slow-growth advocate; Schaefer lacked a headquarters, campaign phones and volunteers to canvass for her and left town on a business trip the week before the election.

This time, Schaefer said Monday, she will run “a very hard campaign, a grass-roots campaign. I will be in every precinct in this district.”

Talking to reporters at her Thousand Oaks house, Schaefer blasted government for being wasteful and inefficient. “Government is a gigantic, bloated dinosaur that moves very slowly, and we have to change that. . . . We’re looking for government that is common-sense government,” she said.

“A year away from government has given me the ability to look at government as an outsider,” said Schaefer, who left office in January, 1991. “The voters are outsiders.”

Schaefer said she has about $4,000 to begin her Assembly campaign, and funding for the race will come “from all kinds of sources,” she said.

Schaefer is the second Republican to announce plans to run in the district, where 47% of the registered voters are Republicans and 41% are Democrats. Alan Guggenheim, an international finance consultant in Newbury Park, declared his candidacy last week. He could not be reached for comment Monday.

Other Republicans who have said they are considering a race are Oxnard Councilman Mike Plisky, Moorpark Councilman Scott Montgomery and Oxnard Mayor Nao Takasugi. Plisky could not be reached for comment, but Montgomery and Takasugi said Monday they were not ready to announce their plans. The filing deadline is March 6.

Montgomery said he would decide in about a week, and Takasugi said he would make an announcement Wednesday.

“I’ve always been aware of what a strong campaigner Madge is, and if I join the fray, I have no doubt she would be a formidable opponent,” Takasugi said.

On the Democratic side, only Moorpark City Councilman Bernardo Perez has taken out papers for a possible run. Another Democrat, Roz McGrath, a farm manager and schoolteacher in Camarillo, has expressed interest in the race. Neither McGrath nor Perez were available for comment Monday.