Candidates File Papers for Deadline

Faced with an increasingly crowded ballot, election officials across Ventura County spent Friday organizing the hundreds of options that will confront local voters in the Nov. 5 general election.

Not only will Ventura County voters help choose a president, they also will consider more than a dozen statewide measures, select a county supervisor, install nine city councils, elect 20 special districts and vote for 20 school boards.

Besides the wide variety of candidates, there is a record number of eligible county voters.

“It’s by far the most registered voters we’ve ever had,” said Bruce Bradley, Ventura County’s assistant registrar of voters. “We have 395,000 people. But we’re used to a lot of ballots. The previous record was 359,000 and that was four years ago.”

Bradley said he expects a voter turnout of about 80%, about the same showing in Ventura County for most presidential elections.

Candidates for water districts, school boards, city councils and other offices rolled in and out of city clerks’ offices and the county Elections Department all day Friday.

But Friday was not the last day for all office-seekers to file their candidacy papers. In those races where at least one incumbent has opted not to seek reelection, the filing deadline will be extended to Wednesday at 5 p.m.

When the initial filing deadline expired Friday, one of the most contested municipal races appeared to be in Thousand Oaks, where 12 candidates have lined up to compete for two seats on the City Council.

But candidates still have time to register for the ballot because one of the two council positions is open. The open seat is held by Councilwoman Jaime Zukowski, who is moving to Colorado. Candidates will also be vying against Councilman Mike Markey, who is seeking reelection.

As usual, growth and development will play a key role in the City Council election, with Planning Commissioner Linda Parks attempting to follow in Zukowski’s slow-growth footsteps.

Other crowded city ballots loom in Simi Valley, Oxnard and Camarillo, where two incumbents are forgoing reelection.

So far, 12 people have taken out papers to run for the Camarillo City Council seats vacated by Mayor David M. Smith and Councilman Mike Morgan, who is running against Kathy Long for the 3rd District seat on the county Board of Supervisors.

“Any time you have open seats, there’s just more opportunity and more candidates,” Camarillo City Clerk Marilyn Thiel said.

Kevin Kildee, the stepson of retiring Ventura County Supervisor Maggie Kildee, announced his candidacy early.

He will be joined by, among others, Planning Commissioner William Liebmann, Camarillo Chamber of Commerce board member Sherry Cole and Pleasant Valley School Board member Jan McDonald.

Business development and retention will very likely become a serious campaign issue, along with the continuing threat to farmland, greenbelt preservation and growth around the Camarillo Airport.

In Simi Valley, Mayor Greg Stratton faces no challengers.

But half a dozen candidates will vie for the two council seats now filled by Bill Davis and Barbara Williamson. Challengers include Michael McCaffrey, Dennis Serbick, David Weiner and Glenn Woodbury.

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As in other local campaigns, the Simi council race will probably focus on the city’s business climate.

McCaffrey, who ran for a council seat in 1994, said he wants city hall to be more aggressive in luring companies to town. Woodbury, who owns a weather-stripping business and ran for the Simi Valley Unified School District board in 1994, said the city should create a “one-stop” office where local merchants could take care of all of their city permits.

Several candidates also cited juvenile crime as one of their main concerns. Weiner, a former Simi Valley police officer, said that while gang violence has not been a major problem locally, the city must guard against that threat.

“I don’t want to lose this city,” he said. “I’m not planning on moving, and I don’t want to be living in a San Fernando-type city.”

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In Oxnard, Mayor Manuel M. Lopez will face three challengers.

Meanwhile, incumbent Councilmen Andres Herrera and Bedford Pinkard are being challenged by four others, including John C. Zaragoza, who ran for the council two years ago.

Street gangs and neighborhood crime are sure issues in the Oxnard council campaign, the byproduct of a series of recent shootings and other violence.

Oxnard City Clerk Daniel Martinez said Friday was not as busy as he expected.

“It wasn’t too bad,” said Martinez, who himself has two challengers for his job. “Pretty much all of the people who took out papers have been bringing them in.”

Dozens of posts for Ventura County special districts and school boards also will be determined in the fall. In many of the districts, however, candidates will have until Wednesday to prepare the papers necessary to campaign.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Council and School Board Candidates These are the candidates for Ventura County school boards and city councils as of 5 p.m. Friday. In those races where not all of the incumbents have sought reelection, the deadline for filing nomination papers will be extended to 5 p.m. Wednesday. Candidates who have taken out candidacy papers but have yet to file them are marked with an asterisk.

SCHOOL BOARDS

VENTURA COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION, two seats

Trustee Area No. 3 (closed Friday)

Wendy Larner, incumbent

Janet Lindgren

Trustee Area No. 5

Paul H. Chatman

Ronald H. Matthews

VENTURA COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT, two seats

Trustee Area No. 3

Robert Gonzales *

James E. Niles

T.G. (Tom) Stafford

Lois Harrion *

Trustee Area 4 (closed Friday)

Allan W. Jacobs, incumbent

CONEJO VALLEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT, two seats (closed Friday)

Dolores Didio, incumbent

Dorothy Beaubien, incumbent

Michael A. Dunn *

Paul F. Finman

Gerry Garibaldi *

Debra J. Lorier

Elroi Reimnitz

Charles Rittenburg

FILLMORE UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT, two seats (closed Friday)

Dave Anderson, incumbent

Virginia A. De La Piedra, incumbent

MOORPARK UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT, three seats (closed Friday)

Tom Baldwin, incumbent

Gregory J. Barker, incumbent

Clint Harper, incumbent

Theodore Green Sr.

Robert P. Moran *

Matt Noah

OJAI UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT, two seats (closed Friday)

Tim Peddicord, incumbent

Karen A. McBride, incumbent

John G. Hartnett

SIMI VALLEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT, three seats

Debbie Sandland, incumbent

Diane Collins, incumbent

Doug Crosse

Janice Di Fatta

Caesar O. Julian

Nan Mostacciuolo

Steven L. Steffek

Randall Sundeen

Elizabeth Walbridge

OXNARD UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT, two seats (closed Friday)

Fred Judy, incumbent

Steve W. Stocks, incumbent

Annette Burrows

Art Hernandez

Don Miller

SANTA PAULA UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT, two seats

Robert M. Salas

Eric Barragan

Eugene Marzec

BRIGGS SCHOOL DISTRICT, two seats

Ron Merson, incumbent

Howard R. Geer

HUENEME SCHOOL DISTRICT, two seats (closed Friday)

Marla Petal, incumbent

Ralph Ramos, incumbent

Shala Gudino

MESA UNION SCHOOL DISTRICT, two seats

Julie Sanchez

MUPU SCHOOL DISTRICT, one seat

Lisa Darling-Daniel

OXNARD SCHOOL DISTRICT, two seats

Susan E. Alvarez, incumbent

Everett Batey

Roy Caffrey

Francisco Dominguez

Thomas C. Nelson *

Jerry L. Turner

PLEASANT VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT, two seats (closed Friday)

Robert Rexford, incumbent

Ricardo Amador, incumbent

Virginia Norris

RIO SCHOOL DISTRICT, two seats

Ernest J. Almanza *

Camie Larson

Anthony Ramos

Eleanor Torres

SANTA CLARA SCHOOL DISTRICT, one seat

Susan Marie Wileman

SANTA PAULA SCHOOL DISTRICT, two seats

Benjamin Saiz, incumbent

Steven A. Shuel

SOMIS UNION SCHOOL DISTRICT, two seats (closed Friday)

Robert Fulkerson, incumbent

Andrew Sutherland, incumbent

CITY OFFICES

CAMARILLO COUNCIL, two seats

Alan S. Barber

Sherry Cole

Dennis Fandey

Al E. Fox

Kevin Kildee

William Liebmann

Richard Lundberg

Jan McDonald

Doug Moshy

Robert P. Radnoti

Mona Schidel

Taylor Woods

FILLMORE COUNCIL, three seats

Roger Campbell, incumbent

Scott Lee, incumbent

Evaristo Barajas

Steve McKinnon

George Gonzalez Jr.

MOORPARK MAYOR

Patrick Hunter

Bernardo Perez

Edward Peters

Michael Wesner

MOORPARK COUNCIL, two seats

Eloise Brown, incumbent

Christopher Evans

W.J. La Perch

Debbie Teasley

John Torres

OJAI COUNCIL, two seats

Paul B. Blatz

David Bury

Brandon M. Chase

Suza Francina

Rhonda L. Short-Moore

Bruce Roland

Ellen Hall

OXNARD MAYOR (closed Friday)

Manuel L. Lopez, incumbent

Oscar Karrin

Anthony De La Cerda

Robert E. Taylor

OXNARD COUNCIL, two seats (closed Friday)

Andres Herrera, incumbent

Bedford Pinkard, incumbent

Roy Lockwood

Emmett Whatley

Bill Winter

John C. Zaragoza

OXNARD CITY CLERK (closed Friday)

Daniel Martinez, incumbent

Jackie Rodgers

Angie Varela

PORT HUENEME COUNCIL, two seats

Toni Young, incumbent

Murray Rosenbluth

Mary De Paolo

Allen K. Zeitzmann

Douglas Ernst

SANTA PAULA COUNCIL, two seats (closed Friday)

Al Urias, incumbent

Robin Sullivan, incumbent

James Garfield

Gabriela Reeve

SIMI VALLEY MAYOR (closed Friday)

Greg Stratton, incumbent

SIMI VALLEY CITY COUNCIL, two seats (closed Friday)

Bill Davis, incumbent

Barbara Williamson, incumbent

Michael McCaffrey

Michael Rodriguez

Dennis Serbick

David Weiner

Glenn Woodbury

THOUSAND OAKS COUNCIL, two seats

Mike Markey, incumbent

Lorraine Buckett

Daniel Del Campo

Marshall Dixon

Raul Gutierrez

Norman Jackson

Tom Lee

Linda Parks

Nick Quidwai

Ramaul Rush

David Seagal

Lance Winslow