Times Endorsements

On Nov. 3 voters in seven Ventura County cities will choose the city council members who will lead them into the 21st century.

Here are The Times’ endorsements:

Oxnard

Although the county’s most populous city has more than its share of challenges in this year of save-the-farmland crusades, some old bad habits are changing here. Oxnard has a new city manager, police chief, fire chief and finance director and is turning a more critical eye to plans that would turn fields into neighborhoods. Inappropriate projects are finding it tougher to win council approval, and rightly so.

Other important issues remain, among them resisting further sales-tax feuds with neighboring Ventura, working with the county to reinvigorate Channel Islands Harbor and finding an appropriately gentle use for Ormond Beach.

We do not believe any of the challengers is better qualified or motivated to lead the city for the next four years than the incumbents. While they would offer change, we are not convinced that they would offer improvement.

The Times endorses Manuel Lopez for mayor; Tom Holden and Dean Maulhardt for council.

Simi Valley

The retirement of Greg Stratton after 12 years as mayor means more than usual change. Considering Simi Valley’s enviable record for low crime, balanced budgets and even more water than it knows what to do with, we see little reason to oust the incumbents.

Of the two mayoral candidates, Bill Davis has experience worth retaining, both as a council veteran and on numerous regional boards. Challenger Larry Fick agrees with Davis on most points and is wrong on the one where they differ: the city’s grudging creation of an adult-business zone. Legally, the city had no choice.

On the council, incumbent Paul Miller, a former police chief, personifies this city’s reverence for public safety and fiscal conservatism. Incumbent Sandi Webb is particularly involved with economic development and addressing that high-water problem in some areas.

Among four challengers for the council seat vacated by Davis, we are most impressed by Glen Becerra. A third-generation Simi Valley resident and proud father of generation No. 4, Becerra, 31, argues that the council would benefit from his perspective as a young family man and renter. He shares the conservatism of the board (and the city) but offers some proactive ideas such as creating a “red team” to aggressively recruit businesses.

The Times endorses Bill Davis for mayor; Paul Miller, Sandi Webb and Glen Becerra for council.

Thousand Oaks

As it nears residential build-out and with further expansion sharply limited by its growth-restricting Measure E, Thousand Oaks must shift from building a city to sustaining its economic balance and quality of life.

The Times believes it can best do this by reelecting the strongest member of the existing City Council, Judy Lazar, and her fellow incumbent, Andy Fox--and by electing a new member who shares their record of long service and responsible leadership in the Conejo Valley. In a field of 11 challengers, the outstanding candidate by far is Dennis Gillette.

Nerves are still frayed from last year’s recall of Councilwoman Elois Zeanah. Having survived, Zeanah opted not to seek reelection but instead to endorse a “clean sweep” ticket of three she would like to see replace Lazar and Fox as well as herself. We believe this attempt to pound the wedge of polarization deeper into the heart of Thousand Oaks is exactly what the city does not need. Alone or together, the clean sweep candidates offer much negativity but few fresh ideas or signs of leadership.

In contrast, Judy Lazar has provided the sort of energetic leadership every city needs. We admire her willingness to vote independently, her mastery of complex issues, her long involvement in numerous local causes and her refusal to stoop to the personal sniping engaged in by all of her council colleagues (and nearly all of the challengers).

We endorse Fox with somewhat less enthusiasm. He, too, has been a hard-working council member--fully informed, active in the community and attentive to the many issues that affect the city. Yet he has been less successful at remaining above the gutter politics. In addition, he added to the call for campaign finance reform with his decision to roll leftover funds from his 1994 campaign into an officeholder account, which kept accepting and spending political contributions throughout his term. Still, we believe Fox is an honest and dedicated public servant who deserves another four years.

The superior choice for the vacant seat is Dennis Gillette, administrative vice president of Cal Lutheran University. He has lived in the Conejo Valley for 35 years, was a member of the original Thousand Oaks Police Department when the city first incorporated and rose to assistant sheriff before retiring.

As chair of the Conejo Recreation and Park District, Gillette has been a passionate and effective advocate for open space. His proven leadership ability and broad experience should make him a solid addition to the council.

The Times endorses Judy Lazar, Andy Fox and Dennis Gillette.

Camarillo

As it solidifies its tax base and adjusts to its new status as a university town, Camarillo is the envy of the county in many ways. Its challenge is to take full advantage of its freeway location, its airport and the new Cal State Channel Islands while moving from rapid growth to a sustainable future.

We believe incumbents Charlotte Craven and Michael Morgan have earned another term. To fill the seat vacated by retiring Stan Daily, our choice is longtime civic activist Jan McDonald. With an extensive history of local activism and eight years as president of Pleasant Valley School Board, she has the experience and credentials to do a good job on the City Council.

The Times endorses Charlotte Craven, Michael Morgan and Jan McDonald.

Moorpark

The SOAR campaign has turned Moorpark’s proposed Hidden Creek Ranch development into Exhibit A in the case against urban sprawl. The 3,221-unit project, which would increase the city’s population by one-third, dominates this season’s campaign. But there are other important issues as well, including an $800,000 budget deficit and an increasingly urgent desire to reduce the nearly 4,000 trucks a day that roll through the middle of town on Highway 118.

Mayor Patrick Hunter, the only council member to vote against Hidden Creek, is being challenged by Councilman Bernardo Perez, who actively supports it. Although we believe that some form of the project may figure in Moorpark’s future, we believe Hunter has raised significant concerns about its impacts. In addition, he refused to participate in council foot-dragging that resulted in the local SOAR initiative missing the November ballot deadline and forced a special election. Hunter is consistently well prepared and has lived up to his 1992 pledge to work to restore a sense of resident participation in city government. We believe he has earned another term.

The six candidates for two council seats represent the full spectrum of views on Hidden Creek. Incumbent John Wozniak opposed it but changed his vote after negotiating reductions in grading. His moderate views are a welcome presence on this polarized panel.

To fill the vacancy, we favor physics instructor Clint Harper, a no-nonsense school trustee and former council member and mayor who would help Hunter give Moorpark’s substantial slow-growth contingent a voice--one the City Council has been stubbornly reluctant to hear.

The Times endorses Patrick Hunter for mayor, John Wozniak and Clint Harper for council.

Santa Paula

The big issue here is the City Council’s General Plan revision, which quadruples the city’s area to pursue development in Fagan and Adams canyons. We believe the cost of building infrastructure in these remote areas--and defending whatever is built there against the inevitable fires and floods--will outweigh whatever benefits such development might bring to the city.

We also believe the city’s Main Street redevelopment shows how much the city has to gain by upgrading what it already has rather than stretching its boundaries.

Although Mayor Don Johnson has championed that ambitious expansion, incumbents Laura Flores Espinosa and John Melton have held out for more modest growth within existing city limits. Likewise Al Escoto, who served eight years on the City Council in the ‘80s and has worked in city and county government for 35 years, also believes there is much the city can do before it needs to expand into nearby canyons or farmland.

The Times endorses Laura Flores Espinosa, John Melton and Al Escoto.

Fillmore

After several years of rebuilding from the 1994 Northridge earthquake, Fillmore is settled into its new City Hall, and its steps toward economic stability are beginning to pay off.

Recruiting more employers and retailers, catching up on deferred maintenance work and reinforcing its volunteer fire department with a new station and more manpower are key issues.

So is keeping a wary eye on the Newhall Ranch development just across the county line.

Don Gunderson, currently the mayor, has worked closely with county officials on all these matters. He has argued before the Los Angeles County supervisors to win concessions on Newhall Ranch’s potential impact on Fillmore’s traffic load, water supply and low-income housing demand. He deserves another term to continue that important work.

For the council seat being vacated by retiring Linda Brewster, the strongest choice is Michael McMahan. A former councilman himself, McMahan is concerned about sharply rising city fees and wants to run a tighter ship. He believes the city has enough low-income housing and advocates building some move-up homes for those in higher income brackets.

The Times endorses Don Gunderson and Michael McMahan.