ELECTIONS / MUNICIPAL RACES : 9 City Council Contests Officially Open Today

In Thousand Oaks, City Council candidates are clashing over a costly new civic center and allegations that the city is allowing too much development.

In Oxnard, the departure of a longtime mayor has set the stage for a leadership tug-of-war amid charges that local government favors wealthier residents and neglects less affluent urban neighborhoods.

And in Simi Valley, the mayor who sought to protect the city’s image after the Rodney G. King beating trial has been targeted by two challengers who say the city is poorly run and unfriendly to small businesses.

Those are among nine city council races across Ventura County that officially open today when local candidates can begin picking up nomination papers.

Voters will decide these local contests on Nov. 3--a presidential polling day that is expected to draw the largest turnout in Ventura County history.

Bruce Bradley, the county’s assistant registrar of voters, said the Ventura County city elections mark the first time in county history that so many local races will be decided on the same day. He expects the county to have a record 360,000 registered voters in November.

Because of the possible three-candidate presidential contest and the large number of local races, Bradley believes that the Nov. 3 election will have more candidates and more ballots cast than any previously held in Ventura County.

“I’m projecting an 80% turnout,” he said. “I think it will be a very well-attended election.”

Throughout the nation, angry voters have vowed to oust incumbents from the U. S. House of Representatives and other national offices. But Ventura County leaders have mixed views on whether this sentiment will trickle down to local races.

When a candidate is elected to local office, “you see your constituents every day,” said Manuel Lopez, a 14-year Oxnard city councilman who will run for mayor this fall.

“If they have a problem, they can call me. It’s not true for an Assembly person, and it’s definitely not true for a Congress member,” Lopez said. “I think the anti-incumbent feeling is prevalent in the higher-office races.”

Nevertheless, with the imminent departure of longtime Oxnard Mayor Nao Takasugi, who is running for a state Assembly seat, voters may be ready to shake up that city’s leadership, said Andres Herrera, a small business owner who will try to unseat an incumbent council member in November.

“I think it’s an excellent opportunity for people to effect a change in the helmsmanship of the city,” Herrera said.

Previously, some cities held local elections in the spring, when voter turnout is usually low. To save money and to take advantage of the large turnout for presidential and gubernatorial races, many cities and districts have consolidated their balloting with the November general elections.

Most recently, the cities of Ojai and Santa Paula switched to the November vote. Only voters in Ventura will not elect council members this fall.

Some incumbents and challengers do not kick off their campaigns until the filing period opens, but a number of candidates have already announced their plans, particularly in the cities where divisive issues have erupted.

In Thousand Oaks, where a signature drive to recall two city councilmen narrowly failed earlier this year, two seats will be at stake in November. The recall bid was launched by residents who were upset about the cost and potential environmental damage that may result from the construction of a new city hall and cultural arts center at the former Jungleland animal park property.

Councilman Frank Schillo, one of the targets of the recall, is expected to announce today that he will seek reelection. Mayor Bob Lewis, who was not named in the recall, had not announced last week whether he will run again.

Kenneth W. Bauer, who chaired the recall campaign, said he will run for a council seat. Bauer said he hopes to tap into lingering opposition to the Jungleland project and concerns about development in Thousand Oaks.

“Our traffic and congestion levels have greatly increased in the past five years,” he said. “This is an election to determine the future direction of the community. If (residents) want that urban setting, they’re going to vote for the incumbents. If they want to preserve our semirural character, they’ll vote for a change.”

Schillo, the incumbent, said he fears that many false statements will be aired during the campaign.

“There are some people who want seats on the council who will really hurt the city by proposing things that are not true,” he said. “That’s what happened during the recall. But the public saw through it. We have a very well-run city . . . . The people who are running for a seat are going to have to come up with manufactured issues.”

In Simi Valley, two candidates have already launched their campaigns for the two-year mayor’s post.

Attorney Robert L. Plunkett, 40, who formerly led the county’s campaign to put a school voucher initiative on the ballot, has complained that Simi Valley’s bureaucracy hurts the city’s small businesses.

Steve Frank, a 45-year-old public affairs consultant, has called for tighter controls on city spending.

Greg Stratton, who has served on the council since 1979 and as mayor since 1986, has not announced his plans but is expected to run again.

Frank and Plunkett have signed “clean” campaign pledges, but both candidates are likely to hold Stratton responsible for unpopular council decisions and a slowdown in the city’s economic growth.

“I think that long-term incumbents like the mayor are going to have a difficult time getting re-elected,” Frank said. “It’s just a fact that Simi Valley has changed dramatically in 13 years, but Stratton hasn’t.”

The mayor could not be reached for comment. But Councilman Bill Davis, who is seeking reelection to a four-year term, said any attacks on the mayor, who has one vote, will also reflect on the city’s other elected officials.

“When you direct something at the mayor, you’re directing it at the council at the same time,” Davis said. “It takes three votes to do anything.”

Councilman Michael W. Piper, who was appointed to the council late last year, has not announced whether he will run in November.

Tim Hodge, an attorney and homeowner activist, has launched a campaign for a council seat.

In Oxnard, where Takasugi is stepping down as mayor, two councilmen--Lopez and Michael Plisky--are campaigning for that office. Neither is up for reelection to the council this fall, so if either loses the mayoral race, he would remain on the council.

Two other incumbents, Councilwomen Dorothy S. Maron and Geraldine Furr, have said they will seek reelection. Their challengers are expected to include Herrera and Bedford Pinkard, a retired Oxnard recreation supervisor who is stepping down from a school board post.

In Oxnard’s neighboring seaside city, Port Hueneme, two city council seats will be at stake in the fall. Citing ill health, longtime Councilman Dean Green has said he will not run again. Orvene Carpenter, who has served on the council for 24 years, has not announced whether he will run again.

Some Port Hueneme residents who are angry about a beach area property assessment imposed by the City Council and a proposed recreational vehicle resort have vowed to become active in this year’s council race.

Two probable candidates are Toni Young, a real estate agent who opposes taxing only the beach property owners, and Al Ingersoll, executive director of the Port Hueneme Chamber of Commerce, who is more closely aligned with the current council.

In Moorpark, Mayor Paul W. Lawrason Jr. has announced that he will seek another term. Councilmen Scott Montgomery, Bernardo M. Perez and Roy E. Talley Jr. are all expected to seek reelection.

Pete Peters, an outspoken retired rancher, has announced that he will run for the Moorpark mayor’s post. Former Councilwoman Eloise Brown has said she will campaign to return to the council.

In Ojai, the current terms of two incumbent council members, James D. Loebl and Robert McKinney, are expiring. Three seats on the Fillmore City Council, now held by council members Scott Lee, Mike McMahan and Roger Campbell, will be at stake.

Two council seats in Camarillo and two in Santa Paula will be contested. The incumbents in Camarillo are Michael Morgan and David M. Smith. In Santa Paula, they are Les Maland and Alfonso Urias.

Besides a dozen statewide ballot measures that will appear on the November ballot, at least two Ventura County cities are expected to place critical questions before local voters.

The Ventura City Council has agreed to place on the ballot a non-binding measure asking residents whether the city should import state water or build a desalination plant to meet future needs. As a result of a recent signature drive, Santa Paula voters will probably decide whether to enact more stringent mobile home rent control rules.

The county, cities, school districts and other districts have until July 22 to place measures on the November ballot.

In addition to the ballot measures and council races, county voters will choose city clerks, city treasurers, school board members and special district directors who oversee local parks and water supplies.

Beginning today, city office candidates can pick up nomination papers at their local city halls. School and special district candidates may obtain the forms at their district headquarters or at the county’s Elections Division office at 800 S. Victoria Ave. in Ventura.

To run, candidates must collect at least 20 and no more than 40 signatures from registered voters in their city or district. By 5 p.m. Aug. 7, city candidates must return their papers to their city clerk. District candidates must take their forms to the county office in Ventura.

If an incumbent chooses not to run again, the filing period for others in that city or district will be extended until 5 p.m. Aug. 12.

Correspondents Janet Bergamo, Maia Davis, Kay Saillant and Larry Speer contributed to this story.