Takasugi Announces His Bid for Assembly : Politics: The move sets the stage for an electoral showdown for Oxnard mayor. Councilman Manuel Lopez enters that race.

Oxnard Mayor Nao Takasugi formally announced Wednesday that he is running for the Assembly, prompting City Councilman Manuel Lopez to immediately declare himself a candidate in the now wide-open mayoral race.

Takasugi’s announcement that he will step down as mayor after 10 years set the stage for an electoral showdown involving as many as three current council members--all of whom have challenged Takasugi unsuccessfully in the past.

Two years ago, five challengers tried to unseat Takasugi. Without an incumbent in the race, this year’s mayoral election may attract an even wider field of candidates.

In addition to Lopez, council members Michael Plisky and Dorothy Maron have expressed interest in the mayor’s race. Lopez and Plisky are not up for reelection in November, but Maron would have to forgo reelection as councilwoman to run for mayor.

Mayor Pro Tem Geraldine Furr, the other member of the council, is planning to run for reelection, sources said.

Takasugi will face at least eight declared candidates--all from the east county area--in his bid for a seat in the 37th Assembly District vacated by Assemblyman Tom McClintock (R-Thousand Oaks), who is making a bid for Congress.

Homer Caston, one of the Assembly candidates, said Wednesday that Edwin A. Jones, a former county supervisor, and Norman Lueck have decided to withdraw from the race and support Caston’s candidacy. “We decided that I was going to be the one to run,” Caston said.

Plisky said he is also considering a run for the Assembly seat, which encompasses Thousand Oaks, Moorpark, Camarillo, Oxnard and Port Hueneme. The filing period to take out nomination papers closes next week.

In a statement announcing his candidacy, Takasugi, a Republican, said he will run as an anti-tax, pro-business candidate. He vowed to fight “increased fees and taxes on employers that have chased businesses out of the state.”

He promised to fight regulatory roadblocks that handicap the state’s business environment, including “some of the good-intentioned environmental laws that have become job-killers.”

He also said he would be tough on law enforcement and bring his brand of “quiet leadership” to Sacramento.

Takasugi, 69, a Japanese-American who was interned during World War II, has a master’s degree from the prestigious Wharton School of Business and Finance at the University of Pennsylvania. He ran a family owned market in Oxnard for 35 years before retiring to become a full-time politician.

Long considered a formidable fund-raiser, Takasugi amassed $90,000 in campaign contributions to defeat Maron in 1990 and $160,000 to fend off challenges from Lopez and Plisky in 1988.

For his Assembly campaign, Takasugi said he will need “at least $150,000” to triumph over other candidates, including former county Supervisor Madge Schaefer, whom Takasugi considers his top competitor.

Maron, Takasugi’s longtime rival, said she doubts the mayor can raise that much because 80% to 90% of his contributions come from developers who have long enjoyed Oxnard’s pro-development policies. She said these developers would benefit far less from having Takasugi elected to state office.

The mayor said Oxnard’s reputation as a big spender and its recent financial troubles would not hurt his Assembly campaign at a time when the state faces a financial crisis.

“If the issue comes up, I’ll turn it around and make it an asset,” Takasugi said in an interview. “Last year we faced a $5-million to $6-million deficit, but we bit the bullet and made the tough cuts that were needed. If we pull out of the recession, the city’s future looks very good.”

For his part, Lopez said his election as mayor would bring stability to the Oxnard council.

“It would be a continuance of a lot of the programs, rather than a lot of turmoil,” Lopez said.

He said that while Takasugi is more “property-oriented,” Lopez would be a more “people-oriented” mayor who would invite neighborhood councils to get more involved in city government decisions.

Maron said she remains undecided about the mayoral race. Among other considerations, Maron said she is waiting for Plisky to make up his mind. Plisky is a conservative Republican; Maron and Lopez are Democrats.

“If Michael Plisky comes in, Manny and I would split the Democratic vote, and that would definitely help Michael,” she said.

Plisky said he remains undecided and plans to make a decision by Monday.

But Lopez said he doubts Plisky is serious about running for state office. “He just likes to see his name in the paper, make headlines and drum up publicity” for his mayoral campaign, he said.

Plisky returned the salvo. “Apparently, he’s the one looking for a headline,” Plisky said of his fellow councilman. “Those are nonsensical, inappropriate statements.”

Oxnard citizen activist Roy Lockwood has also announced he plans to run for mayor.

Bedford Pinkard, a retired city parks and recreation official, and Andres Herrera, a former aide to county Supervisor John K. Flynn, have announced their intentions to run for council.

Times staff writer Kenneth R. Weiss contributed to this story.