Candidates File for City Councils, School Boards

A handful of last-minute candidates scrambled to file for city and school board races by 5 p.m. Wednesday.

The filing deadline for the November election was Friday. But by law the deadline is extended three days in races in which an incumbent has failed to seek reelection.

Here’s a rundown on the candidates who qualified for the ballot this week. In some races, last-minute filers who had not yet qualified by Wednesday may later join the list of candidates.

Fillmore: Three names familiar to local voters--former council member Michael McMahan and previous candidates Steve McKinnon and George R. Gonzalez Jr.--join Mayor Don Gunderson in running for two open council seats.

Moorpark: Four new challengers joined the race for two open council seats. Ernesto Acosta and Roseann Mikos, along with former council members Clint Harper and Eloise Brown, will face two candidates who filed last week.

Port Hueneme: Councilman Jon Sharkey, 49, filed late Friday afternoon, joining two other incumbents. Because no other challengers filed for the three open council seats, all will be reappointed at Wednesday’s council meeting to new four-year terms. It’s the first time in the city’s 50-year history no election will be held, said City Clerk Karen Jackson.

Santa Paula: Councilwoman Laura Flores Espinosa turned in her candidacy papers late last week. Two other incumbents and five challengers, including Patrick Caraulia and downtown businessman Richard Garcia, also will vie for three available council seats.

Simi Valley: H. Lawrence Fick, 60, a retired engineering company manager, will join three other candidates for the post vacated by Mayor Greg Stratton after 19 years.

Thousand Oaks: On Wednesday, another seven candidates filed papers for the City Council race. If qualified, they will join five other challengers and two incumbents in the competition for three council seats. The new challengers are office equipment sales representative Nick E. Quidwai, citizen activist Chris Buckett, consultant Dan Del Campo, retired aerospace employee Richard Messina, middle school teacher Laura Lee Custodio, paint salesman and Planning Commissioner Dave Anderson and citizen activist Mary Harris.

The following filed election papers this week in school board races:

Conejo Valley Unified: Pat Phelps and firefighter Michael A. Dunn join six other challengers and two incumbents in seeking three open seats.

Mesa Union: Biochemist Timothy Osslund has joined three other challengers and an incumbent in seeking three available board seats.

Oak Park Unified: Business owner Janet Kraus will take on two other challengers and two incumbents in seeking one of three open seats.

Oxnard: Tom Nielsen has joined the contest to fill three open seats along with three other challengers.

Oxnard Union High: Financial planner Jim Manuel, retired journalist Marvin Petal, business owner Robert L. Rexford and businessman Eric Daily will face two other challengers and a pair of incumbents in the race for three open seats.

Pleasant Valley: Accountant Suzanne Kitchens will seek one of three available board seats along with four other challengers and an incumbent.

Times staff writer Kate Folmar and Jennifer Knight, a reporter for Times Community News, contributed to this story.