A longtime Ventura elected official will again face a political newcomer to represent western Ventura County in the California Assembly.
The two Democrats are vying to represent the 38th district
, a region that spans Ventura, Oxnard, Santa Paula, Fillmore, part of Camarillo and nearby unincorporated areas. Incumbent Steve Bennett, 75, spent two decades as a county supervisor before he was first elected to the state Assembly in 2020."Moments like this require proven leadership at the state level," said Bennett, seeking a fourth two-year term. "My record shows I've delivered that."
Michael MacDonald, 39, has worked as Ventura’s city clerk since 2022. The first-time candidate and Ventura resident previously worked for three California lawmakers
before moving into city government, he said. He described the Assembly seat as a spot where he could move the needle on key issues.
"I've seen what government can accomplish, but I've also seen how bureaucracy and outdated thinking and a lack of urgency can prevent us from actually making progress," MacDonald said.
The two faced off in the June primary with Bennett, also of Ventura, winning 69% of the votes to MacDonald’s 31%. In California, the top two vote-getters advance to the November election.
Who are the candidates
MacDonald was 6 months old when his family moved to Ventura from upstate New York. He was in fourth grade at Pierpont School when his parents divorced. He and his sister then split their time between their mom in New York and dad in Ventura.
After high school and a brief stint back in Ventura, he worked for more than a decade as a server and bartender in New York where he got an associate's degree. He also met his now husband, who was from Oxnard, while the two lived in New York City. They returned to California, including a stay in the Bay Area – while his husband finished law school and MacDonald worked in government posts – and then returned to Ventura.
MacDonald, who received a bachelor's degree in political science from CSU Channel Islands, described the city clerk position as on the front line of community engagement. Officials have to address what he called "responsible growth" and the affordability crisis.
"We're becoming a place where the people who grew up here can't afford to stay, where working families are struggling to get ahead and where young people increasingly see their futures somewhere else," he said.
Bennett graduated with honors in economics from Brown University, where he was co-captain of the football team, and planned to pursue a graduate degree. He took a year off to teach, however, and loved it.
He was 25 years teaching in Ventura County when he was drawn into city politics by concerns over urban sprawl. He later spent four years on the Ventura City Council and then worked on the countywide Save Open Space & Agricultural Resources, or SOAR, initiative. Voters passed the measure in 1998, which requires voter approval of development of farmland and open space.
In 2000, Bennett was elected to the county Board of Supervisors, remaining in the seat for the next two decades before his election to the Assembly. The governor recently signed three of his bills on wildfire protection, a key issues he focused on, Bennett said.
When asked the difference between the candidates, he responded that it was experience, describing himself as battle-tested.
"It is easy to point out what our problems are," he said. "It is hard to come up with solutions, and I've come up with practical, common-sense solutions over and over again."
What candidates say about the issues
MacDonald said lawmakers must address the affordability crisis and called housing one of the biggest issues.
"We have priced out an entire generation from being able to afford to live in this community," MacDonald said, calling it a policy failure.
He supports responsible growth, saying he would commit to bringing the right folks to the table to solve problems. Much of the conversation in recent years was dominated by zoning reform, while he believes officials need to focus on the cost and time it takes to build in the state.
MacDonald's campaign reported raising around $94,000 and spending close to $92,000 from Jan. 1 through Sept. 19, the latest filing showed. The campaign had roughly $5,000 remaining.
Bennett's campaign raised around $330,000 and spent $169,000 during the same timeframe, with roughly $758,000 remaining.
Bennett listed the affordability crisis – in all of its manifestations, from medical costs to gas and food prices – as one of the biggest challenges. It's one he said he tackles head-on, including as an Assembly's budget subcommittee chair. Among efforts, he helped expand healthcare coverage to record levels before President Trump’s recent cuts, he said.
"I've learned how to balance budgets and make hard decisions on votes," Bennett said. "I also worked hard at learning the skills that are needed to protect this community's values and particularly to protect and understand the most vulnerable people in our community."
Cheri Carlson covers the environment for the Ventura County Star. Reach her at cheri.carlson@vcstar.com.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Two Ventura Democrats face off in Assembly District 38
