Countywide : O’Connell Declines Call for Debates

State Assemblyman Jack O’Connell (D-Carpinteria) has refused a Republican challenger’s call for a series of one-on-one debates, a campaign spokesman said Friday.

The assemblyman and his opponent, Lanny Ebenstein, are scheduled to speak before the Santa Barbara Chamber of Commerce on Sept. 10 and before the League of Women Voters on Sept. 15, O’Connell’s campaign coordinator John Mann said.

O’Connell “feels there will be more than ample opportunity at these forums to express their opinions” in the race to represent the 35th Assembly District, Mann said. The general election is Nov. 3. Ebenstein said he was disappointed in O’Connell’s response. He had called for seven debates on a series of issues such as the economy, crime, the environment and education.

Ebenstein had requested that at least four debates be held in Santa Barbara County and three in Ventura County. The 35th Assembly District is mostly in Santa Barbara County but also includes Ventura, Santa Paula and the Ojai Valley.

“I think there’s a big difference between attending a forum that a community group is putting on . . . and a debate,” Ebenstein said. “I think it would be a good thing if we did debate one on one.”