Incumbent Jacqui Irwin said this week that she will stand for re-election to the state assembly next year, ending speculation that she might seek a seat on the Ventura County board of directors.
The Thousand Oaks Democrat said she would run for election for the newly formed Congregation District 42. The area stretches from the west side of Camarillo in the Ventura borough to much of the Los Angeles borough, according to the maps a redistribution commission approved Monday for parliament and congressional seats in California.
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Political scientist Tim Allison said the new district runs to the edge of Santa Monica and occupies a lot of territory that Irwin has never represented as a MP for District 44. Your current district is anchored in Ventura County and comprises only a small part of the Los Angeles borough.
“She will have to introduce herself to a lot of new people,” he said, adding that he still expects her to win.
Allison, an associate professor in the CSU Channel Islands, said the numbers he saw show registered Democrats outperform Republicans by 8.5 percentage points in the new political territory.
Irwin said she was always keen to stay in the congregation, where she wouldn’t reach the end of her term until 2026, provided she was re-elected.
“There is still a lot to be done,” said Irwin in a text message.
Her current term on the assembly expires at the end of next year, at about the same time that the term of office on the board of directors in Thousand Oaks would begin.
Thousand Oaks Councilor Claudia Bill-de la Pena and businessman Tim McCarthy are both running for chief executive’s seat in the June primary. The March filing deadlines are still months away, but they are the only ones to have submitted campaign documents stating their intentions for publication.
Supervisor Linda Parks has held the post for nearly 20 years, but she is giving up the bipartisan position under a term limit.
As the new maps move Irwin into unknown territory, they will relocate Rep. Steve Bennett to his old home base in Ventura County in lieu of the current Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties separation.
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Bennett, who served on the board of directors for the Ventura-based First District for 20 years, is in the middle of his first tenure as District Representative for the 37th District of the Congregation. If elected to represent the newly formed 38th Congregation District, he will add Oxnard and Port Hueneme to his longstanding political base in Ventura and the Ojai Valley.
Bennett said he would have been happy with both the current and new limits.
“I really enjoyed the Santa Barbara constituency and got to know everyone there,” he said. “There are more similarities than differences between Counties of Ventura and Santa Barbara.”
Kathleen Wilson is responsible for the government of Ventura County, including the county health system, politics, and social services. You can reach her at [email protected] or 805-437-0271.
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