Candidates File for Mayoral, City Council Races

Election season officially opened Friday, with dozens of candidates filing papers for council and mayoral races throughout Ventura County.

In Thousand Oaks, the candidacy of environmental lawyer Ed Masry, portrayed in the Julia Roberts movie “Erin Brockovich,” will bring a touch of Hollywood to a town known for its divisive politics.

“This is the first time I’ve run for a political election,” Masry said this week. “Believe me, this is the last thing I ever thought would happen when I moved to Thousand Oaks, but I don’t want this to turn into the San Fernando Valley.”

Masry is involved in a $661-million lawsuit against developers of Dos Vientos Ranch, which is building 2,350 homes in Newbury Park. Masry represents a coalition of residents who claim that the developers were dishonest about the safety of an access road when they presented the project to the City Council.

Masry and incumbent Linda Parks, who is seeking a second term, are both slow-growth proponents.

Councilman Mike Markey, a retired Compton Police Department detective elected in 1995, also is seeking a second term.

The other candidates for the two open seats are former city Planning Commissioner Joe Gibson; current Planning Commissioner Jim Bruno; Chris Buckett, who last year was part of a campaign to stop the building of Hill Canyon Golf Course; Mary Harris; systems scientist Richard Messina; Thomas Larson; and security specialist Nigel Geaves.

In Simi Valley, voters will elect two City Council members and a mayor.

Mayor Bill Davis is being challenged by Mike Mikesell, a family therapist.

James Mackelburg, a real estate broker, is running for City Council, along with Jack Greenburg, a retired Simi Valley police officer. The two seats up for grabs are held by Barbara Williamson and Steve Sojka, who are seeking reelection.

Oxnard voters will elect a mayor and two council members.

Mayor Manuel Lopez, an optometrist and two-term incumbent, will be opposed by Anthony de la Cerda.

Two-term Councilmen Bedford Pinkard, a retired recreation director, and John Zaragoza, a businessman, are seeking reelection. Zaragoza is a two-term councilman and mayor pro tem.

Other council candidates are Joe Avelar, Al Velasquez, Alex Escobell, Saul Medina and Martin Jones.

Competing for two City Council seats in Port Hueneme are incumbents Murray Rosenbluth and Toni Young, along with Dooley Pansini and Helen McPherson.

In Ojai, candidates for one open council seat are incumbent Sue Horgan, Rae Hanstad, Leonard Klaif and Bruce Roland.

In Moorpark, Mayor Pat Hunter, a Los Angeles County sheriff’s sergeant, is being challenged by Michael H. Wesner, a Westlake Village attorney and Ventura County planning commissioner.

Eight candidates are vying for two seats on the council there, including incumbents Chris Evans, a religious periodical publisher, and real estate broker Debbie Rodgers.

Other candidates are Jonathan Robert Panossian, Keith F. Millhouse, Roseann Mikos, Edward “Pete” Peters, Gerald Goldstein and Tim Kalemkarian.

In three other cities--Santa Paula, Fillmore and Camarillo--the filing period has been extended until Wednesday, because an incumbent has failed to file.

In Santa Paula, incumbent James Garfield, consultant Alfonso Guilin, Ventura County Firefighter Ray Luna and electrician John Proctor are running for two open council seats. Councilwoman Robin Sullivan will run for state Assembly.

In Fillmore, longtime Councilmen Roger Campbell and Scott Lee are not seeking reelection. Mayor Evaristo Barajas, a local real estate agent, has said he will run for one of three open seats.

Three residents have turned in papers to run against him. They are Arthur Brown, Cecelia Corl Uber and M. Cecilia Cuevas.

Those who have taken out papers but have not yet filed are Barajas, Albert Arroyo, Patti Walker, George Gonzalez Jr. and Ken Smedley.

In Camarillo, those who have turned in paperwork for two open seats include Councilman Kevin Kildee, Planning Commissioner Don Waunch, former Planning Commissioner Les Meredith and James Shinn.

James Jacobs returned paperwork without signatures, and Carlos Cruz has not returned his paperwork. Mayor Bill Liebmann did not file papers.

Retired probation officer and current Councilman Mike Morgan is running for a seat on the County Board of Supervisors. If he wins, he will have to resign from the council.

Ventura has no seats open, because its elections are in odd years. There is a ballot measure on whether the city should build a regional park in the east end.

Times Community News reporters Stacy Brown, Traci Isaacs, Mike McCarthy, Jeff Montez and Maija-Liisa Nagarajan contributed to this report.