Editor’s note – This story is part of a series that covers the June 7th primary. For more coverage, visitvcstar.com/news/elections.
Two Republicans are trying unsuccessfully to sink Linda Parks’ long-standing environmental champion bid to succeed aThousand oaks councilwoman in what is becoming the most important race in Ventura Countysupervisor’s history.
If a conservative majority wins in June or November, the election could result in a reversal of the Board of Supervisors’ 3-2 votes on environmentalissues.
“Voters will decide if the values of this board, which have been held for 40 years, will continue or if they will take a radical departure,” said Steven Auclair (chairman of the Ventura County Democratic Party).
He stated that the board’s proenvironment and public health stance, which began in the 1980s, could be lost in this election.
Auclair stated that oil and developers are expected to try to influence the election to take control of the Board of Supervisors.
More:Ventura County, Ojai groups sue U.S. Forest Service for a plan to remove trees and brush
Jeff Gorell is one of two Republicans running to the Thousand Oaks-based election. District 2seat, has stated that Dr. Robert Levin (the county public health officer who ordered pandemic related closures and masking) should be replaced with other county officials at helm.
“We need to remove our Board of Supervisors, and we need to replace leadership of the Department of Public Health, and all leadership positions at the county and county levels,” he stated at a March candidates forum held in Newbury Park at Godspeak Calvary Church.
The board’s Republican members have supported the county’s healthcare system but voted against policies that would hurt business.
Gorell was seen swinging at the conservative Newbury Park gathering and asking for support to elect a GOP majority on the board and stop “Linda Parks Machine”, a reference to Parks repeated election victories.
The board has been dominated by Democrats and Parks for over two decades. An independent Republican who votes for environmental causes predictably, but it has only a slim majority of three Parks and former supervisors Steve Bennettand John Zaragoza that have passed key land-use proposals in recent years.
The board approved the county’s plan with a vote of 3-2. This was in spite of objections from many business people. They favored new permit requirements for oil drilling and voted to protect wildlife movement, which some conservatives considered a threat to their business.
Parks has endorsed Claudia Bill de-la Pea (55), a long-serving Thousand Oaks Councilwoman who declared her candidacy last year.
Tim McCarthy, 56, is a Republican activist and businessman who opposed mask orders and other pandemic related mandates. He was her only known opponent for months. Gorell, 51-year-old Gorell, was a former state legislator, and deputy to Eric Garcetti of Los Angeles for more sixyears. He announced he would run in February.
Gorell entered the race after the board moved the boundaries to equalize population. InThe new districts create a second majority Latino territory in the county to increase voting rights.
“Claudia definitely has a race on her hands,” stated Herb Gooch (a retired political science professor who is a long-time resident of Thousand Oaks).
Claudia Bill de-la Pea
Bill de-la Pea’s 20-yearsThe City Council has been marked by slow growth, fiscal restraint and a willingness to leave the majority council on key votes.
Bill de-la Pea was raised in Germany and born in Oklahoma. She holds a master’s in public administration degree from California Lutheran University. She then went on to become a television news writer. In 2012, she decided to have twin boys and quit the news business.
Bill de-la Pea traces her public service career back to her involvement in the efforts to penalize a developer for allegedly bulldozing a stream bed and cutting oak trees without permits.
This work caught Ed Masry’s eye, then-Thousand Oaks Mayor. He appointed her as the city’s planning commissioner and then asked her to run to be a city councilor..She was reluctant to run because she had a full time job at a Los Angeles television channel, but she accepted it.
Bill de-la Pea was barely victorious in his first year, but has continued to win every year.
She believes that her 27 years of service to the community gives her a chance at winning the supervisor’s job in the primary.
Related:Ventura County’s election season heats up with crowded races, few incumbents, and redrawn district districts
She said, “I have my finger on what’s happening in the community.” “People know your record and what it means to be a public servant. People know that I am fair to all and that I approach problems with common sense.
Because of the problems plaguing the county, the councilwoman said that she would love to be a supervisor.
She said that “climate change is very urgent” and that she also believes it is important to address homelessness, improve access to mental health treatment, and foster economic growth.
Jeff Gorell
Gorell joined the race late, but he made waves in a matter of weeks.
In theMarch appearance at Godspeak, hecast the election as a “once-in-a-generation chance to flip the Board of Supervisors on its ear” and make it a majority conservative Republican board.
Gorell stated in an interview with The Star that he would like to evaluate the leadership of county governments across the board.
He said that everything should be “on-the table” given the harassment allegations surrounding Mike Powers’ departure as County Executive.
After the board received a report confirming claims that Powers had sexually harassed a female county employee, Powers was forced to retire abruptly in March. Powers denied the allegation.
Gorell reiterated his call Tuesday night for a review top managersonline candidates’ forumSponsored by the League of Women Voters. Bill de-la Pea responded that supervisors don’t have the authority to fire County Health Officer Levin, or any county department heads. He said that it was up to the county executive officer. Levin is subject to a county contract that neither party can terminate.
She said, “The question is whether the candidates believe in science.” “I believe in science. I trust experts to make the decisions.”
Gorell stated that he would fight government overreach, increase public safety, protect quality of life, and reduce homelessness if elected. He claims he is well qualified to do this because of his track record as a problem-solver who has worked at multiple government levels.
Gorell, the son of a navy officer, was raised around world until his father’s last tour. In San Francisco, he attended highschool.
Gorellis currently on leave as director of Homeland Security at the Port of Los Angeles. If elected supervisor, he says he will step down.
He has the endorsement of the county Republican Party, which is better than McCarthy, as well as the support from firefighters and deputy sheriffs unions. He also has agricultural interests.
Gorell has $132 434 in cash donations, which is the highest among the three candidates.Campaign finance statements are available.
Bill-de la Pea reported $57,663and McCarthy $21,136. These figures do not include the loans made by candidates to their campaigns, $50,000 for Bill-de la Pea and McCarthy respectively, and $10,000 for Gorell. All have money remaining.
Bill-de la Pea was supported by the Service Employees International Union affiliate, which represents thousands of county employees. The county’s Democratic Party also endorsed the councilwoman who recently re-registered as Democratic from no preference.
Tim McCarthy
McCarthy does not have any party or union endorsements. He is endorsed by the California Republican Assembly county unit, which supports conservative Republican candidates.
McCarthy, unlike his opponents, has never held office. He argues that this is a benefit to him.
He stated that “a lot of people are tired of career politicians.” “This is a perfect storm, for a candidate as me.”
McCarthy is perhaps best-known for his work with Move the Needle. This group organized demonstrations against various causes, including the legitimacy and validity of the 2020 presidential election. They also tried unsuccessfully recall Parks. He said that he is running for office and has decided to resign from the committee.
Last year, McCarthy urged the board to withdraw a Parks-initiatedresolution condemning the January 2021 attack on the Capitol, claimingthe document was inaccurate. The board corrected some errors to reflect the latest information, but remained firm in condemning the attack.
McCarthy stated that he is running for supervisor to protect the integrity of elections, and to improve the local economy. McCarthy supports voter identification to confirm identities and believes that voters should receive their ballots by mail only on request.
Although Mark Lunn is the elected registrar for voters in the county, the supervisors manage his budget.
McCarthy stated, “I think a lot people, 50% don’t believe the elections process.”
McCarthy stated that McCarthy also wants more police on the streets. He said that a conservative majority would be better placed to prevent the county’s descent into an economic depression. Like his opponents, McCarthy wants to reduce homelessness.
He is a strict constitutionalist and insists that all rights under the Bill of Rights and the document must be protected at any cost.A statement from his campaign website states that “No situation should stop these rights, even viruses, threats or disagreement with the government.”
He doesn’t believe masks work and isn’t vaccinated. Both of his opponents have been vaccinated.
County attorneys argued that Levin was entitled to close down indoor operations at churches, businesses, and churches in order to protect the public during the pandemic. But McCarthy and many of his supporters believe that individual liberty should have prevailed.
McCarthy said, “It isn’t their job to make certain nobody dies.”
McCarthy was raised in New Jersey and Florida. He has been working in the security industry for more than 30 year. He holds a bachelor’s in business and marketing from University of Phoenix.
Political analysts don’t believe McCarthy has a chance of winning, but they do think he could be the one who makes the race to a November runoff if neither Gorell nor Bill-de la Pea get a majority.
McCarthy’s best chance of winning is to highlight the differences between Gorell and McCarthy to win Republican votes, according to Tim Allison, a political scientist who studies local race relations.
Allison sees Gorell winning with Monday’s ballots being sent to the homes of the district that has almost 125,000 voters.
Allison, an adjunct professor from CSU Channel Islands, said that the other two candidates had to catch up.
He said that Bill-de la Pena must win by running hard and showing voters what’s at stake.
He expects that the balance of the board will remain the same if Bill-de la Pea wins the seat.
He stated, “The change would be in the event that either of these two are elected.”
Primary election on June 7
Ventura County will conduct the election under a new arrangement California Voter’s Choice ActModel that allows voters the freedom to choose where, when, and how they vote.
Ballots:All registered voters receive mail-inballots starting May 9.
When and where can you vote?Mail or drop off your ballots by June 7, or vote in person at county voting centers May 28- June 7. The hours are from 10 a.m.-6: p.m. (Except on Election Day), or you can vote in person starting May 9 at the Ventura County Elections Division Office, 800 S. Victoria Ave. Ventura.
Voter registration deadlines:Online until May 23rd and in person until June 7.
To checkregistration status:voterstatus.sos.ca.gov
Learn moreventuravote.org
Latest election news:vcstar.com/news/elections/
Kathleen Wilson covers Ventura County government, including politics and social service. Reach her at [email protected]805-437-2271
