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Changing faces in Oxnard, Ventura
In Brief WOMEN’S EQUALITY DAY CELEBRATED IN VENTURA
City council candidates confirmed for November’s first-ever district elections by Chris O’Neal chris@vcreporter.com Out with the old, in with the new, say most county voters who will gaze in awe at the sample ballots arriving in their mailboxes ahead of the November elections. The city councils of both Ventura and Oxnard will look very different, as both cities have adopted district-based elections after threat of a lawsuit forced the cities’ transitions. In September of 2017, CAUSE (Central Coast Alliance for a Sustainable Economy) alleged that the city of Ventura’s at-large voting system underrepresented minorities, and in particular the city’s Westside, where no current council members reside. Rather than take the battle to court, the city decided to adopt district-based elections and in November began taking suggested district maps. Oxnard followed suit, the City Council voting in February of this year to transition to the district-based election system, and to add two more seats, bringing the total number of councilmembers up to seven, including the mayor, which will remain an at-large, citywide vote. Both councils have several familiar faces who have decided not to seek re-election, or aren’t able to due to ditching the at-large vote. On Nov. 6, Ventura and Oxnard voters will be able to vote for a candidate who lives within their own district for the first time. Ventura has seven districts, but this year, only districts 1, 4, 5 and 6 will vote; the rest will vote in 2020. Oxnard’s vote will have a more significant effect on the makeup of the council as two more seats will be added, to bring the total number of districts to seven. Districts 1, 2, 5, 6 and the mayor will be up for grabs, the rest in 2020.
CITY OF VENTURA CANDIDATES
Both Mike Tracy and Neal Andrews, who would have been up for re-election this year, will instead lose their seats because they reside in Districts 2 and 3, respectively. Christy Weir in District 2 and Matt LaVere in District 3 are not up for re-election and so will simply retain those seats. Cheryll Heitmann lives in District 7. Councilmember Jim Monahan announced that he would not seek re-election, having served since 1977. Note: a candidate statement costs $775, and thus not all candidates have statements. Candidate occupations were taken from forms submitted to the city clerk. District 1 covers the Ventura Avenue area as well as portions of downtown Ventura on the west side of the city. The challenge for district-based representation made note of this area, as many residents have claimed that the City Council lacks representation of the mostly Latino community. Qualified for the ballot: Irene Henry, business owner; Kevin Clerici, executive director of the downtown business improvement district; Sofia Rubalcava, translator; and Marcos Cuevas, student. To read District 1 candidate statements, visit www. cityofventura.ca.gov/DocumentCenter/View/13444/District-1-Candidate-Statements. District 4 includes the community known as Juanamaria. Qualified for the ballot: Eric Nasarenko, current councilmember and Ventura County District Attorney’s Office senior prosecutor; Spencer Noren, small business owner; Mike Marostica, senior police officer for the city
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of Oxnard; Ed Alamillo, environmental health/vector control; Alec Gasca, student of education; and Wayne Morgan, retired engineer. To read District 4 candidate statements, visit www. cityofventura.ca.gov/DocumentCenter/View/13445/District-4-Candidate-Statements. District 5 includes Saticoy. Qualified for the ballot: Jim Friedman, small business owner/financial planner; Marie Lakin, nonprofit president of ArtsVentura; and Jack Selby, student. To read District 5 candidate statements, visit www. cityofventura.ca.gov/DocumentCenter/View/13446/District-5-Candidate-Statements. District 6 includes the community of Montalvo. Qualified for the ballot: Lorrie Brown, municipal assistant/certified substitute teacher; and Charles E. Kistner Jr., campaign manager. To read District 6 candidate statements, visit www. cityofventura.ca.gov/DocumentCenter/View/13447/District-6-Candidate-Statements. For a complete map of the City of Ventura’s districts, visit map.cityofventura.net/java/ccvd/.
CITY OF OXNARD CANDIDATES
Five seats will be open for the Oxnard City Council race, including the mayor’s seat, which remains a citywide vote. The rest will be up to the residents of each particular district. Districts 3 and 4 will vote in 2020, but residents within these districts will vote for mayor with the rest of the city. Running for mayor are incumbent Mayor Tim Flynn, businessman/accountant Aaron Starr and Mario Quintana. Candidate titles are taken from statements submitted to the city, if available. District 1 encompasses a swath of the city from Victoria Estates to Hollywood by the Sea. Qualified for the ballot: Incumbent Bert Perello; Ambrosio Casanova Jr.; Kenneth Oplinger, regional non-profit executive; and Kari Cryder, Oxnard small-business woman. District 2 includes the Riverpark community, Auto Center area and south toward the Fremont and Carriage Square neighborhoods. Qualified for the ballot: Incumbent Carmen Ramirez; Tai Hartley, businesswoman; and Lance Ralston, teacher/ pastor. District 5 stretches from Lemonwood Eastmont down to the Oxnard Beach commercial area. Qualified for the ballot: Elizabeth White, nonprofit CEO; Larry Stein, insurance premium auditor; and Gabriela Basua, housing manager. District 6 begins in the Cal-Gisler neighborhood and ends at Ormond Beach. Qualified for the ballot: Luis Garcia-Moreira; Francine Castanon, Oxnard commissioner/businesswoman; Carolina Gallardo-Magana, chief management officer; and Vianey Lopez, trustee of the Hueneme Elementary School District. The city of Oxnard does not post candidate statement forms online, but they are available by request. To see the Oxnard district map, visit www.oxnard.org/districts. The 2018 election will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 6.
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On Sunday, Aug. 26, women nationwide will commemorate the anniversary of the 19th Amendment, signed into law in 1920, which gave women the right to vote. In Ventura, Dawn Dyer, president of the Dyer Sheehan Group, will host a celebration dubbed Toast to Tenacity for women (and men) inspired by the movement. It’s no coincidence that the celebration will take place on National Women’s Equality Day, says Dyer. “When the U.S. Constitution was written in 1787, women were not given equal standing with men,” said Dyer. “One of the most fundamental rights in the U.S. was only granted to women in a hardfought campaign that took over 70 years.” Dyer will represent California as one of seven delegates to attend the Vision 2020 National Women’s Equality Initiative in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 2020, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment. At the Toast to Tenacity, Dyer hopes to engage with Ventura County residents not only to shine a light on the centennial, but also to brainstorm ideas to execute in the county ahead of the anniversary. “We can’t have a healthy democratic form of government without an engaged and educated populace,” said Dyer, noting the relatively short period of time that women have been able to vote in the U.S. “It’s so important that we not take these rights for granted, particularly as women.” The Toast to Tenacity will take place on Sunday, Aug. 26, 1-3 p.m. in Ventura. RSVP by contacting Dawn Dyer at dawn@dyersheehan.com.
CSU, CHANNEL ISLANDS, RECEIVES TEACHING TOLERANCE AWARD
California State University, Channel Islands, Education Lecturer Danna Lomax has become one of just five educators nationwide to earn a 2018 Teaching Tolerance Award for Excellence in Teaching. The award, given by the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Teaching Tolerance project, is awarded to educators who weave “peace and social justice issues” into the curriculum, according to a press release. “Teaching Tolerance encourages educators to create a more welcoming school environment and inspire a generation of young people to actively and respectfully participate in our increasingly diverse society,” said Maureen Costello, director of Teaching Tolerance. “The Teaching Tolerance Award for Excellence in Teaching celebrates these five educators for their exemplary practice of this guiding principle.” Lomax teaches English and world geography to students of Anacapa High School, as well as the Bilingual Authorization program at CSUCI’s School of Education. Lomax also acts as Anacapa’s dual language liaison and works with student teachers in her classroom. Lomax says that one of her goals is to graduate “peace literate” students. “We want kids to experience and create peace cultures where kids work together, dance together, play together and laugh together, so they know what peace feels like and want to work to protect it,” said Lomax.
MEXICO-LINKED HEROIN NETWORK BUSTED IN VENTURA COUNTY
The Ventura County Sheriff Department announced on Friday, Aug. 10, that a Mexico-based heroin network has been dismantled in Ventura County, particularly in West County near the city of Ojai. The Ventura County Narcotics Task Force concluded the four-monthlong investigation, which began in May of this year. In May, Ojai patrol officers took note of one Harold Mory allegedly dealing heroin in the city. The Ojai department notified narcotics detectives, who witnessed Mory meet with Eliseo Gonzalez, an alleged dealer in Los Angeles, where he was arrested for purchasing heroin with intent to distribute in Ventura County. Further investigation found that Gonzalez was working with numerous Ventura County-based dealers working out of Santa Paula. Detectives discovered that Gonzalez, along with alleged partner Jose Rodriguez, were allegedly being supplied by members of a family-based organization based part time in Mexico and the United States. On Aug. 10, Jose Gonzalez-Chaidez, allegedly head of the family, was arrested in Los Angeles for heroin sales, and two kilograms of heroin was allegedly found at his residence, as well as suspected money from sales. The Thousand Oaks Police Department Special Enforcement Unit and Directed Enforcement Unit assisted in the operation. — Chris O’Neal