Kemp Will Hold Rally in Front of Ventura City Hall

Republican vice presidential candidate Jack Kemp and his traveling entourage of Secret Service men, handlers and news reporters will descend on downtown Ventura this Halloween in a last-minute push to woo California voters.

The morning rally in front of Ventura City Hall will require the city to shut down California Street between Main and Poli streets this evening through Thursday afternoon.

Kemp has visited Ventura County twice this year, stopping in Fillmore and at Amgen Inc. in Thousand Oaks, and Dole paid a visit to a Ventura school in August. It’s flattering, but why Ventura County?

“Because people in California are incredibly important to us,” said Debbie Holt, the Dole-Kemp spokeswoman at campaign headquarters in Washington. “We are going up and down the state.”

The Republicans are holding two bus tours in California, and there will also be a fly-around. She said Ventura’s telegenic qualities also played a part.

“We were also looking for a place that has a good television picture,” she said.

Supporters will erect a stage in front of City Hall beneath the towering Junipero Serra statue. Kemp will address crowds from a vantage point overlooking the Pacific. TV cameras will shoot up at City Hall.

Kemp’s impending arrival has sparked a buzz among Democrats and Republicans alike. Ventura City Councilman Steve Bennett seconded the motion Monday night to use City Hall as a campaign backdrop, greeting the proposal with a strong vote of “bipartisanship.”

Councilwoman Rosa Lee Measures is thrilled that Ventura will bask for moment in the nation’s spotlight.

“I think it’s a wonderful opportunity for the city to host the vice presidential candidate,” Measures said. “It’s a chance to showcase our historic city.”

For Fillmore, however, the chance to show off their downtown with Kemp’s visit in September turned ugly when some students heckled the candidate and his wife, Joanne. Some of those involved were later suspended from school, raising concerns about 1st Amendment rights and whether students should have been at a political rally in the first place.

But Measures and many others say they hope that having the national race come local will encourage people to go to the polls.

“There is an excitement throughout the city that hopefully will reignite patriotism and remind people of their responsibility to vote on Nov. 5,” she said.

Kemp is scheduled to speak at about 10 a.m. Thursday.