VCReporter 2-27-2020

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NEWS VC ELECTION 2020

“He knows where Ventura County is”

Local leaders discuss environmental justice at Tom Steyer’s Climate Town Hall by David Michael Courtland

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reduce California’s greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by this year. “Ventura County has benefited from his leadership,” Pavley said. “His NextGen America foundation funds good projects.” In 2017, Steyer’s green energy advocacy group, NextGen America, released a video opposing plans to replace the Mandalay Generating Station with a gas-fired plant on Oxnard’s coast. “One thing I can say is that, if he becomes president, he knows where Ventura County is,” Pavley said. Irwin also noted Steyer’s grassroots activist efforts in Ventura County, recalling that he made “a big investment” in voter registration when she first ran for California State Assembly. Irwin said she is a big supporter of infrastructure projects like the planned Rice Avenue grade separation, which she said would reduce traffic and thus pollution. Steyer has said that if he is elected president, on his first day in office he will declare that climate change is a national emergency so that he can use special powers to deal with its impact. “Not only its physical impact but its impact on lower income people,” Pavley noted. “He’s been very strong on reducing air and water pol-

Voters say homelessness, affordable housing top concerns Clinicas survey shows voter dissatisfaction by Kimberly Rivers kimberly@vcreporter.com

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ccording to results of a survey conducted in January 2020, white and Latinx voters are aligned in several key areas, including a general dissatisfaction with how local elected officials are serving them. The survey, commissioned by Ventura County-based healthcare provider Clinicas del Camino Real and performed by Strategies 360, contacted 600 registered voters in Ventura County. Interviews were conducted in English and Spanish on landlines, cell phones and online Jan. 10-14. Only 27 percent of survey respondents overall say city and county elected officials are addressing the important issues, and most say their representatives are more influenced by big corporations and special interests than the needs of the community. Democrats are slightly more content, with 34 percent saying the important issues are being addressed, while just 19 percent of Republicans say the right issues are prioritized by local elected officials. When filtered for white and Latinx voters, the satisfaction level is more balanced: 26 percent of white and 31 percent of Latinx respondents report that local officials are working on the most important issues. The survey also found that 50 percent of Ventura County voters strongly disapprove of President Donald Trump; that number jumps to 71 percent with Latinx voters. While nearly half of the surveyed voters (48

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percent) responded that they view the local economy as “excellent” or “good,” just over a third of Latinx voters shared that view. When looking just at responses from Latina women, that number drops to 26 percent. According to the report, that difference could be due to “recent financial experiences”: Just under a quarter (24 percent) of Latinx voters say that “they are living comfortably, compared to 34 percent of white voters.” The financial insecurity expressed by Latinx voters is borne out in the findings that a strong majority (70 percent) of them name housing costs as a major concern. More than six in 10 voters responding in the survey expressed that local elected officials should be doing more to solve homelessness and provide more affordable housing, and placed those two issues well in front of economy, jobs, crime, environmental issues and healthcare. Forty-seven percent of all voters (51 percent of Latinx voters) put more affordable housing as the single top priority that elected officials should be addressing in Ventura County. Improving public education was a second top priority called out in the survey, particularly among Latinx respondents. Commonalities expressed in the survey include low grades for elected officials serving underserved communities, with less than one third (32 percent) of Latinx voters responding that their representatives are doing a good job supporting policy that serves the Latinx community. ♦

lutants regardless of zip code.” Hebrard also noted the economic and health effects of climate change on people, particularly those with few resources. “Most Americans don’t have $500 in their savings account,” Hebrard said. Jacqui Irwin, Fran Pavley, Christen Hebrard and Steyer Campaign Senior “[Steyer] will Climate Advisor Vien Truong. declare a climate leaders to ignore what’s happening,” Ramirez emergency from continued. Day 1. We can actually decarbonize energy and Pavley and Irwin encouraged people to let transportation — that’s going to create jobs.” Ramirez, who said she first met Steyer in their elected officials know the enviornment 2014, continued the environmental justice dis- needs to be made a priority, with emphasis on local investment. cussion. “If we don’t invest in local communities like “Our city is one of the most polluted, particuOxnard, we’re not going to move forward with larly South Oxnard,” where farmworkers suffer our goals,” Irwin said. “The Green New Deal from asthma and pesticide exposure from doing sounds great, but we need to make sure no one work nobody else wants to do, Ramirez said. ♦ “I think it’s very irresponsible for our elected is left behind.” PHOTO BY KYLE KEYSER

upporters of Democratic presidential candidate Tom Steyer talked about his support of their efforts to deal with climate change at the Climate Warriors’ Town Hall held at the community center of the Oxnard Performing Arts Center (formerly the PACC) on Monday, Feb. 17. “It’s not often you know a [presidential] candidate; I’ve shaken hands with two or three of the others,” said former State Senator Fran Pavley, who represented parts of Ventura County for 14 years in the state legislature. “I’ve actually known Tom for 10 years.” Other panelists included 44th District Assemblywoman Jacqui Irwin. Rounding out the panel was Christen Hebrard of the Young Democrats of America. The panel was introduced by Oxnard Mayor Pro Tem Carmen Ramirez. “Climate change has always been one of my top priorities,” Pavley said, “but he’s the only one I know who over the last 10 years has done something about it.” Pavley said Steyer’s voter registration drive in 2010 helped defeat Prop. 23, which was designed to undo her landmark Global Warming Solutions Act, also known as AB32. Signed into law in 2006 by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, AB32 created a cap-and-trade system to

Spotlight on Superior Court

VC Bar Association releases ratings for judicial candidates by Kimberly Rivers kimberly@vcreporter.com

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n Feb. 11, the Ventura County Bar Association (VCBA) released its ratings of the four candidates for the two judicial offices (Office 2 and Office 8) open in Ventura County Superior Court on the March 3 ballot. The VCBA Judicial Evaluations Committee is made up of 11 VCBA members who conduct a review of each candidate that includes confidential questionnaires from attorneys and judges. The candidates are given an overall rating and rated in the categories of professional ability, professional experience, judicial temperament, professional reputation and work ethic/ resource management. Judicial Office No. 2 Martin Zaehringer, overall rating of “Exceptionally Well Qualified,” the highest ranking possible. For each of the categories Zaehringer received the highest rating of “Outstanding.” He is the only candidate for judicial office on the ballot to receive the highest overall rating and the highest rating in all categories. According to the statement released by the VCBA, “A rating of Exceptionally Well Qualified means the candidate’s performance in each rating category is remarkably or extraordinarily superior, so that, without real doubt, the candidate is fit to perform in judicial office with distinction,” Catherine M. Voelker received the overall rating of “Well Qualified,” and received the highest rating of “Outstanding” in the categories of professional ability and work ethic/

resource management. She received the second highest rating of “Very Good” in the categories of professional experience, judicial temperament and professional reputation. The rating of “Well Qualified” from the VCBA “means that the candidate’s performance in each rating category is indicative of superior fitness to perform in the judicial office with a high degree of skill and effectiveness. Judicial Office No. 8 Ventura County Superior Court Commissioner Paul W. Baelly received the second highest overall rating of “Well Qualified,” and received the highest rating of “Outstanding” for the categories of judicial temperament and professional reputation. He received the second highest rating of “Very Good” for professional ability, professional experience and work ethic/resource management. Steve Pell received the lowest overall ranking of “Not Qualified.” He received the rating of “Satisfactory” for professional experience and judicial temperament, and a rating of “Unsatisfactory” in the categories of professional ability, professional reputation and work ethic/ resource management. Pell has been endorsed by the Ventura County Democratic Party and has no record of disciplinary action listed with the California State Bar Association. Receiving “Not Qualified” from the committee means they have determined the candidate lacks “fitness to perform satisfactorily” in one or more of the categories. ♦


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