Politics Are a Picnic for County’s Democrats

Democratic candidates and their supporters will gather today in Thousand Oaks for their traditional Labor Day picnic, which marks the start of Ventura County’s political season.

In addition to enjoying live music and eating barbecue chicken and baked beans, the politicos gathered at Conejo Creek Park will plot their campaign strategies and assess their financial needs for the battles that lie ahead.

The party faithful--organized labor representatives, consultants and neighborhood activists--also will be on hand to greet elected officials and to cheer on new office-seekers.

“We charge up,” said Hank Lacayo, chairman of the county’s Democratic Central Committee. “We’re preparing and honing our tools for next year’s political battles.”

County Republicans will do the same Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. at College Park in Oxnard, where they will hold a cookout and make plans. Republican gubernatorial candidate William Simon Jr. is scheduled to attend.

“It’s a good place to come and meet fellow Republicans,” said Jackie Rodgers, chairwoman of the county’s Republican Central Committee. “People are making decisions at this point in time, gearing up and getting the exposure they need to get started.”

In the short term, members of both parties have their eyes on a handful of nonpartisan seats on the Ventura City Council and the Ventura Unified School District--the only races in the county slated for this November. Last month, 10 candidates filed paperwork to challenge four incumbents on the council; one challenger surfaced in the school board race.

Although other elections are still a year away, both parties are already preparing for races on the Board of Supervisors, state Legislature and Congress. Complicating this year’s planning is redistricting, the once-a-decade process of redrawing political boundaries based on census shifts.

The proposed state and federal districts must be approved by the Legislature and Gov. Gray Davis before they become official.

If they take effect as drawn, Assemblywoman Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) will be unable to run for the state Senate as she planned and will instead run for reelection. That could set up a difficult contest for Republican Jeff Gorell, a Ventura County prosecutor who said he would run regardless of Jackson’s plans. It also could dissuade Democratic hopefuls from entering the race.

Meanwhile, the Democrats will face one of their toughest challenges in finding a strong candidate to oppose Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-Simi Valley), whose Republican constituency would be built up in the redistricting plan.

Finding a challenger for Gallegly could be a hot topic at the Democrats’ picnic. “There must be some brave soul out there someplace,” Lacayo quipped.

Finally, both parties will be discussing the Ventura County Board of Supervisors, particularly the Thousand Oaks seat being vacated by Supervisor Frank Schillo. Thousand Oaks Councilwoman Linda Parks, a Democrat-turned-Republican known for her staunch support of growth limits, has announced she will run for the nonpartisan seat.

But many Republicans are hoping the more conservative Assemblyman Tony Strickland (R-Moorpark) will run against Parks. He faces term limits in the Assembly in 2004 and is considering running for the county post. Lacayo said Democrats would like to see one of their own in that race as well.