Jeff Gorell and Claudia Bill-de la Peña, candidates for Ventura County Supervisor in District 2, faced off in Thousand Oaks on Sept. 26 in a debate that took place at the Scherr Forum Theater at the Bank of America Performing Arts Center. The debate was co-hosted by the League of Women Voters of Ventura County and the Ventura County Star newspaper.
Gorell, a former Ventura County prosecutor and state legislator, cited his stance on public safety and supporting businesses as reasons to vote for him. Bill-de la Peña, a longtime member of the Thousand Oaks City Council, touted her commitment to environmental issues and solutions to homelessness.
Bill-de la Peña led the first opening statement by highlighting her record on environmental advocacy. “I am the only candidate in this race for supervisor who does not take a dime, nothing, from big oil or developers.”
Later in the debate Gorell took issue with that line of attack, but did not deny taking contributions from developers or oil industry executives.
“It’s a political cliche and it’s just silly because, first of all, there’s no oil production in the second district,” Gorell said. “Secondly, no one intends in this campaign to open up open space for oil drilling. It’s absurd. That is not why I’m running for office. And I know that it benefits her to create this us-versus-them mentality and cliche. But it’s toxic and it’s unhelpful to the political process.”
Public safety a concern Gorell’s opening statement focused on public safety and helping businesses succeed. He cited his work as a prosecutor, 23 years serving in the U.S. Naval Reserve and recent role as Los Angeles deputy mayor focused on security issues. He said that when he used to work for the DA’s office, Ventura County boasted some of the safest small cities in America.
“But due to the failure of the board of supervisors and some of our city council members, we have lost that edge. And many people I’ve talked to, they say they just don’t feel safe at home in their living rooms,” Gorell said. “There are brazen break-ins from international gangs that are going in and stealing things which you didn’t have before.”
Bill-de la Peña countered that Thousand Oaks has remained one of the safest cities in California while she’s been on the city council and that many of the South American burglary crews that have been targeting residents in Ventura County came from Los Angeles while Gorell was working on security issues there.
“The fact that there have been burglaries stems from the failure of leadership in the city of Los Angeles, including being in charge of public safety as deputy mayor, because all of those gangs are coming in from L.A. and coming into Ventura County. We don’t want that,” Bill de-La Peña said.
Combatting homelessness Both candidates discussed strategies to combat homelessness. Bill-de la Peña touted recent accomplishments in Thousand Oaks.
“I want to mention that today, for the first time in the city’s history, we broke ground on the first permanent supportive housing facility with wraparound services. Seventy-seven units will be home to many of our unsheltered residents here at the beginning of next year. Now, when I say I want to get something done about homelessness, I am doing it,” she said.
Gorell said he has new strategies to help unhoused people that haven’t been tried by local elected officials.
“It’s really prioritizing that part of this community so we can get back to being safe again. But it’s also pulling down grant money that this county has utterly failed to pull down that can help us with dispatching 911 mental health vans like they have in a number of other cities,” said Gorell. “And that would help the police officers that spend enormous amounts of time in hospitals, dealing with the crises that are existing on our streets right now.”
Both pro-choice,
but disagreement
over county seal
One issue they disagreed on was the recent removal of Saint Junipero Serra from the county seal amid talk of Serra’s legacy on treatment of Native Americans.
Bill-de la Peña supported removing Serra’s image from the seal, saying, “The influence wasn’t all that positive. A big price and a very big sacrifice was made with this influence in our area. And I believe that it was a good thing to remove it.”
Gorell did not believe Serra should have been erased from the seal.
“It’s a piece of California history,” he said. “It’s not the issue that we have made it.”
Both candidates were asked to state their position on abortion and each said they were pro-choice.
Bill-de la Peña said she’s the only candidate in the race with the support of Planned Parenthood and claimed that while Gorell was serving in the state assembly, he had a 90% approval rating from the California Pro-Life Council.
Gorell stated that he does not expect abortion to be an issue county supervisors will need to weigh in on, but did admit to casting votes that pleased pro-life groups. “There are some abortions that are so graphic that they don’t warrant being supported. I perhaps voted with my conscience on a number of bills, but I’m pro-choice and have been my entire life.”
The questioning ended on a somewhat lighter note when the candidates were asked to name something they admire about each other.
Bill-de la Peña noted Gorell’s military service. “I do respect very much your service in the Navy Reserves. That is to be commended. And it shows your dedication to your country.”
Gorell said he’s known his opponent for 20 years and has enjoyed working alongside her. “She was gracious in my successes in the past. You know, posting congratulatory messages for me. And I do think that she’s an affable person and has a good heart. I do appreciate those characteristics about her.”
More information on both candidates can be found at: