Editor’s note: This story is one in a series on the Nov. 5 general election. For more coverage, visit vcstar.com/news/elections.
Five candidates are vying for Oxnard’s mayoral seat. The incumbent, John Zaragoza, chose not to run again in the Nov. 5 election.
Oxnard’s mayor is elected at-large to a four-year term. Six other City Council members serve geographic districts. The mayor leads council meetings and represents the city at public events and in some communications with other agencies.
The City Council, as a body, makes spending decisions involving taxpayer money and votes on proposed development projects, municipal regulations and other matters.
Oxnard is Ventura County’s largest city with an estimated 197,536 residents as of January, according to state figures, a number that has dipped in recent years from nearly 201,700 tallied in 2020. The city’s total operating budget for the current fiscal year is about $761.7 million.
Candidate Al Velasquez did not return information by press time.
Below are responses to The Star’s questions in the candidates’ own words. They have been edited for clarity and space. City races are nonpartisan, but The Star asked candidates and checked public voter rolls to include party registration information for readers.
Bryan MacDonald
Occupation: Retired police officer
Age: 70
Party registration: Republican
Education: Bachelor of science in criminal justice from CSU Long Beach, master of public administration from CSU Northridge, juris doctor from Ventura College of Law.
Elected office and years in office: Oxnard City Council for 16 years
Campaign website: macdonaldformayor.com
What’s your top priority and how do you plan to accomplish it? Oxnard is in a strong financial position even though other communities are facing deficits. Our parks and community facilities are being improved, our roads and alleys are being repaired and we need to continue this trend. I have been part of the team that got us to this point, and I would like to continue on this team.
Karla Alejandra Zamora
Occupation: Day care worker
Age: 33
Party registration: No party preference
Education: Bachelor of Arts in anthropology from UCLA, associate degrees in sociology and anthropology from Oxnard College
Elected office and years in office: None
Campaign website: karlaformayor.com
What’s your top priority and how do you plan to accomplish it? Oxnard city elected official positions have been filled by people who have forgotten what it feels like to have to choose between paying rent and groceries or paying for a necessary costly medical procedure. Local elected officials rub shoulders with the Who’s Who of Oxnard while ignoring the most marginalized residents and their needs. As someone who is still living well below the poverty line, my goal for Oxnard is to make decisions from the bottom up. That is to say, all decisions made regarding Oxnard will be prefaced by the question “How does this help the most vulnerable residents?” City officials’ salaries will be cut and city budget money will be used only for the absolutely necessary. There is no reason city officials should get $300,000 a year while most of us cannot afford rent. People over profits. We deserve better than they have been giving us.
Rafael Hernandez
Occupation: Retired general manager
Age: 65
Party registration: Democrat
Education: Associate degree in math and history from Instituto Patrulla in Mexico City
Elected office and years in office: None
Campaign website: @rafaelm.hernadez on Instagram
What’s your top priority and how do you plan to accomplish it? My first top priority would be to focus on the homeless population in our city to help enhance their quality of life, improve their living housing conditions and implement programs for rehabilitation to improve their health, so that these individuals can be reintegrated to society. I will also focus on the safety of the residents of the city by including the support of our local community leaders for each of the districts in Oxnard and working with community volunteers to accomplish this goal. Lastly, focus on improving the streets and alleys of the city, to make safer roads for the entire community. As well as working and supporting our local leaders of all sport leagues to maintain recreational activities for the children of our city.
Luis Mc Arthur
Occupation: Oxnard Police commander
Age: 52
Party registration: Democrat
Education: Bachelor of Arts in psychology from CSU Northridge, master’s in public administration from University of Southern California
Elected office and years in office: None
Campaign website: luismcarthurforoxnard.com
What’s your top priority and how do you plan to accomplish it? Economic development is my top priority. I will advocate for initiatives that stimulate economic growth, support local businesses and provide great job opportunities. This includes redeveloping South Oxnard. But it’s challenging to attract businesses, homeowners or investors to neighborhoods perceived as unsafe. I will focus on innovative policing strategies and community partnerships to keep our neighborhoods safe, including supporting a drone program to help first responders and common-sense solutions to the homelessness crisis in Oxnard that continues unabated — fueled partly by a lack of affordable housing. I will call on the state to provide ongoing funding to bolster our city’s efforts to support individuals experiencing or at risk of homelessness. I support addressing the mental health and substance abuse crisis contributing to homelessness, strengthening wraparound services, empowering law enforcement to act in defense of their communities in public spaces and deregulating local housing markets to make housing more affordable.
Gretchen Wenner is the breaking news and city editor at the Star. She can be reached at gretchen.wenner@vcstar.com.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Election 2024: Meet Oxnard’s candidates for mayor
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