3 Candidates File to Run for Camarillo Council Seat

A City Council veteran and a high school senior have officially joined the race to fill an unexpired council seat.

Mike Morgan, who served on the Camarillo council for 16 1/2 years, and Chris Valenzano, an 18-year-old Camarillo High School student, returned their nomination papers Friday. They join Ned Chatfield, a member of the first Camarillo council in 1964, who officially became a candidate Feb. 24.

The three men will compete in the June 3 election for the seat left vacant by Ken Gose, who died Jan. 25 from complications of a brain tumor. The winner will serve the remaining 17 months of Gose’s four-year term.

Chatfield, 78, served as president of the Southern California Assn. of Governments and as a director of the Ventura County Sanitation District during his 10 years on the Camarillo council. Prior to his retirement in 1980, Chatfield had been a Los Angeles city firefighter for 31 years.

Controlled land use, adding commercial flights to the airstrip at the Point Mugu Navy base and deciding who will run the Camarillo Library are issues Chatfield said will be crucial for the council.

“Land use is always a big problem,” he said. “It ties into everything, and if you don’t balance out land use, you’re going to have a problem.”

In the area around Leisure Village, for example, Chatfield said he does not want to see more housing developed than the infrastructure can handle.

Chatfield said he agrees with 3rd District county Supervisor Kathy Long that the Camarillo Library should be run by a joint powers authority. The council recently voiced opposition to the county continuing to operate the library, but the city does not want to take sole responsibility for it.

He also opposes any kind of commercial use of the airstrip at Point Mugu, saying it would be “an absolute disaster.”

Referring to his age, Chatfield said it would be good to add some gray hairs to the City Council.

“I’m more settled and don’t like to jump off and make statements and then have to back them up,” he said. “This is a different era than when I served before, but I feel fully capable and completely confident that I can do the job.”

Valenzano, who graduates in June and plans to attend Moorpark College if elected, said he wants to introduce a young voice to the council. He said he is interested in ensuring the safety of Camarillo residents and would see to it that the police and fire departments have adequate staffing.

Valenzano, who has focused on government and criminal justice studies, supports the development of a four-year university at Camarillo State Hospital and said he would act to preserve the greenbelt around the city through controlled growth and development. He said he is opposed to any commercial expansion of either Point Mugu or Camarillo airports.

“After living here for 18 years, I’ve had a chance to see how the city has grown and how it works,” said Valenzano, who one day wants to run for Congress. “I feel my young age will bring a different perspective on some of the views that are presented to the City Council. I also have experience in government processes through school and statewide conferences.”

Morgan, 49, said Camarillo was rated the safest community per capita when he was mayor in 1994 and that he wants to ensure a continued low crime rate, adding “I defy anyone to match what I’ve done in the community.”

Morgan gave up his seat to make an unsuccessful bid for a county supervisor’s seat in November. While on the council he was instrumental in finalizing the greenbelt agreement, he founded the Camarillo Arts Pavilion and established the Camarillo Youth Advisory Council.

Morgan said he considers enhancing service at the Camarillo Library, preservation of agricultural resources and preventing a regional airport at Point Mugu as key issues in his campaign.

A member of the Camarillo Airport Authority for 10 years, Morgan said he wants to make sure none of the airport’s activities bother area residents. Regarding Point Mugu, Morgan said he supports the council’s decision to not join the Joint Use Airport Authority, because he does not believe in paying an organization for something the community does not support.

“We know what they’re doing, we just don’t want to contribute to it,” Morgan said. “We are supporting the Navy to help save the base and make sure it doesn’t get downsized further.”

Morgan, a federal officer with the U.S. Pretrial Services/Probation Agency, supervises probation systems for District Court judges in Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo.