Editor's note: This story is one in a series on the Nov. 3 general election. For more coverage, visit vcstar.com/news/elections.
In Camarillo, three of five City Council seats are up for election Nov. 3.
In District 1, incumbent David Tennessen faces Vishnu Patel. In District 2, incumbent Susan Santangelo is running against Sylvia C. Garcia and Dan Gober. In District 5, incumbent Martha “Martita” Martinez-Bravo is being challenged by David P. Schlangen.
The Star asked each candidate in the competitive races to answer a brief questionnaire. Their responses are below, with editing for space and clarity. City council races are nonpartisan, but The Star asked candidates and checked voter rolls to include party registration information for readers.Early
voting begins Oct. 5, the same day election officials plan to start mailing ballots to registered voters. Ventura County's vote center locations will open Oct. 24.
Camarillo District 1
Vishnu Patel
Age: 65
Occupation: Pharmacy manager
Party registration: Independent
Education: Master's degree of pharmacy from Lallubhai Motilal College of Pharmacy, India
Military service: None
Elected office: None
Website: N/A
What’s your top priority and how do you intend to accomplish it?
My top priority will be serving the residents, businesses and visitors of Camarillo with respect, responsiveness and teamwork. I was raised in a large family where my mother taught us the value of unity and teamwork, while my father taught me that there is no substitute for hard work. I have carried those values throughout my career. With these values, I came from a small village in India and built a career, a family and a life here in Camarillo.
For 20 years with Longs Drugs and the past 15 years at Ralphs Pharmacy, I have focused on listening to people, understanding their needs and building strong teams. I will bring that same approach to City Council. I will listen to residents, work collaboratively with city staff and my fellow council members, and make sure concerns receive attention and follow-through. My goal is to help create a city government where residents and businesses feel respected, heard and treated like family.
How do you intend to attract more jobs?
I believe jobs grow when businesses receive excellent customer service and are treated with respect. Throughout my career, I have seen how teamwork, efficiency and listening to customers can improve an organization. At Longs Drugs, I helped establish and organize stores throughout Southern California. At Ralphs Pharmacy, our business has doubled over the past 15 years while maintaining the same number of pharmacists.
I would bring these same principles to Camarillo. As a councilmember, I would work to make the city responsive and welcoming to businesses, entrepreneurs, and employers. I would listen to their concerns, work with city staff to address challenges and encourage an environment where businesses can succeed and expand. When businesses succeed, they can create more opportunities for local residents. My goal is to build strong relationships with the business community and help make Camarillo a place where companies want to invest, grow, and create jobs.
David Tennessen
Age: 69
Occupation: Retired Ventura County Sheriff's deputy; incumbent
Party registration: Republican
Education: Master's degree in public administration, CSU Northridge
Military service: U.S. Marine Corps 1974 to 1978
Elected office: Camarillo City Council District 1, 2022 to present
Website: TennessenforCamarillo.com
What’s your top priority and how do you intend to accomplish it?
My top priority is protecting Camarillo’s quality of life while thoughtfully planning for its future.
Camarillo 2050, our comprehensive General Plan update, provides an important roadmap for the next 25 years. I strongly believe that roadmap must reflect the community’s vision, not simply City Hall’s. That requires extensive outreach —neighborhood meetings, workshops, surveys and opportunities for residents, businesses and community organizations to participate and be heard.
At the same time, we must remain focused on the fundamentals: excellent public safety, fiscal responsibility, addressing homelessness, reliable water supplies, aging water and wastewater infrastructure and responsible economic development.
As a 47-year resident, I care deeply about preserving what makes Camarillo special while preparing responsibly for change. My approach to Camarillo 2050 will be to listen first, plan carefully and make decisions that serve today’s residents and generations to come.
How do you intend to attract more jobs?
Attracting quality employers begins with making Camarillo a place where businesses want to invest and can successfully navigate the development process.
Our economic development manager in the city manager’s office works closely with our new development concierge in Planning and Community Development to help prospective and existing businesses navigate city requirements efficiently. That coordination sends an important message: Camarillo wants good businesses here and will work with them to get to “yes” whenever possible.
We also need to actively market Camarillo. Our participation in the International Council of Shopping Centers or ICSC Western conference gives us opportunities to build relationships with retailers, developers and other businesses considering investment in our region.
Government doesn’t create most jobs; the private sector does. Our responsibility is to create the conditions for success: a safe community, sound infrastructure, fiscal stability, predictable regulations and a City Hall that treats businesses as partners rather than obstacles.
Camarillo District 2
Sylvia C. Garcia
Age: 49
Occupation: Nonprofit director
Party registration: Democrat
Education: Bachelor's degree in English and geography, in progress
Military service: U.S. Army
Elected office: None
Website: sylviacgarcia.com
What's your top priority and how do you intend to accomplish it?
My top priority is transparency and accountability at City Hall. Transparency means bringing information to residents where they are. People should not have to search city webpages or attend meetings just to know what is happening.
I will regularly share upcoming issues and Council decisions with District 2 residents through Facebook and Nextdoor. I will support requiring earlier notice on projects and further review when a resident says a closed concern remains unresolved. I also support quarterly reporting on CamarilloCONNECT requests, including the number and types of requests, cases open over 30 days, and repeated concerns by residents.
Accountability means a healthy city hall. The council should set high standards for the city canager and evaluate them each year. I would ask the city manager to report workplace trends, including promotions, complaints and turnover. Those standards should include a workplace where employees can raise concerns about unfair treatment or discrimination without fear.
How do you intend to attract more jobs?
We should focus on bringing jobs to Camarillo that pay enough for people to live here, not just increasing the number of jobs.
Camarillo already focuses on industries like life sciences and advanced manufacturing. I would support directing our economic development efforts, in partnership with the Economic Development Collaborative, toward finding, tracking and recruiting companies looking to expand or relocate. I would especially target headquarters and major operations offering jobs at different pay levels.
I would support working with California’s economic development agencies to build competitive packages using state programs, city incentives, property-owner participation and permitting assistance. We should ask companies what prevents them from choosing Camarillo and fix what we can control.
I would push the city to track how many companies we contact, how many seriously consider Camarillo and how many ultimately choose to do business here and report those results publicly each year.
Dan Gober
Age: 63
Occupation: Life science executive
Party registration: Republican
Education: Bachelor's degree in economics from CSU Long Beach
Military service: None
Elected office: None
Website: www.goberforcamarillo.com
What's your top priority and how do you intend to accomplish it.
Homelessness and quality of life in Camarillo. Residents should feel safe walking through Old Town, shopping at local businesses, boarding the train, visiting the Camarillo Premium Outlets, our wonderful parks and raising their families here.
The City Council needs to work proactively with law enforcement, county agencies, nonprofits and businesses to address homelessness, airport noise, traffic and other quality-of-life concerns. I currently work directly with neighbors and merchants, partnering with law enforcement to bring us all together on these issues.
Because of this work, and my ability to bring key stakeholders together, I have earned the endorsement of the Ventura County Deputy Sherrif’s Association, and the Ventura County Coastal Association of REALTORS. I promise to be proactive and present, speak up in committees and public forums and represent the needs of our community.
How do you intend to attract more jobs?
Camarillo should not grow simply for the sake of growth. We should focus on economic vitality that is strategic, creating a community where people can live, work, innovate and raise a family while protecting the small-town character, agricultural land and open spaces that make Camarillo special.
I believe one of Camarillo's greatest opportunities is to develop a life-science and innovation economy that attracts good-paying jobs, entrepreneurs and young professionals to our community. I am the right person to make key connections and lead this. My 30 years of experience in the life science industry, along with policy and advocacy work, have shown me that innovation flourishes when you bring together talented people, research, entrepreneurs, investors and the right physical environment.
We can protect what makes Camarillo special while fostering innovation and giving the next generation a reason to be excited about living and working here.
Susan Santangelo
Age: 58
Occupation: Registered nurse, house supervisor; incumbent
Party registration: Democrat
Education: Master's degree in nursing from the University of Phoenix.
Military service: None
Elected office: City Council District 2, 2018 to present
Website: VoteSusanSantangelo.com
What's your top priority and how do you intend to accomplish it.
Every day, residents tell me the same thing: It's getting harder to afford to live in Camarillo. The cost of living keeps going up, and that worries me.
As a renter and mother with aging parents and kids starting out as adults, I understand. I'm doing something about it. I helped bring 100% affordable housing to the Stock Lumber site, with homes for veterans, people with disabilities and first-time buyers. I fought for rent stabilization in our mobile home communities and brought family-supporting jobs with Costco.
I kept our budget balanced and got the council to donate $70,000 to FoodShare for the 12% of our neighbors facing food insecurity. I’m not done. I'll keep bringing in local jobs, protect our small-town feel while adding affordable housing and making sure the city steps up when residents are in crisis. I hear you, and I hope to keep working for you.
How do you intend to attract more jobs?
I will work to create more jobs by recruiting employers who treat workers right, like Costco and the biotech industry, through programs like Choose Camarillo; by Investing in tourism through Visit Camarillo, public art and our new conference center; by making it easier for small businesses to grow with our City Hall Business Concierge, the $1 million small business grant program; and by revitalizing economic corridors like Old Town and Central Camarillo.
Additionally, I support Community Workforce Agreements that prioritize local hiring and fair wages on future projects. I want to attract family-supporting jobs that let people thrive not just get by.
A strong local economy centers on the people who drive it: our community. Local jobs mean less traffic, and addressing affordable housing attracts employers who want to know their workforce can afford to live nearby. When people live, work and play in Camarillo, we all win.
Camarillo District 5
Martha “Martita” Martinez-Bravo
Age: 48
Occupation: Nonprofit executive director for Friends of Fieldworkers; incumbent
Party registration: Democrat
Education: Doctorate in psychology, UC Irvine
Military service: None
Elected office: City Council District 5, 2022 to present
Website: Bravo4Camarillo.com
What's your top priority and how do you intend to accomplish it?
One of Camarillo’s top priorities must be securing reliable, affordable water and wastewater services. Our 69-year-old wastewater treatment plant is nearing the end of its useful life, and modernizing it will be the largest capital improvement project in our city’s history. The plant treats 3.5 million gallons daily and produces recycled water for irrigation.
Since my election in 2022, we have advanced a Wastewater Master Plan, begun evaluating design-build options, and advocated for state and federal funding. We must pursue every funding source and control costs for ratepayers.
We must also protect our desalter and water rights. I have supported litigation to defend Camarillo’s pumping allocation, preserve access to the desalter and prevent ratepayers from becoming dependent on expensive imported water.
Clean water and sanitation are human rights. Every resident must be able to access clean water and flush the toilet safely and affordably for generations to come.
How do you intend to attract more jobs?
During my four years on the Camarillo City Council, I have advanced policies that support a thriving economy. Working with council members, city staff, businesses, nonprofits and partners, we have focused on attracting employers, retaining businesses and creating quality jobs.
Through Choose Camarillo, we are promoting our city to industries, including biotechnology and manufacturing. I have supported electronic permitting, a business concierge service, and the “Get to Yes” program, which helps businesses navigate the approval process efficiently. I am also proud to have supported Costco, which has created good-paying local jobs and will generate significant economic benefits.
My commitment to economic growth has earned the endorsement of the West Ventura County Business Alliance. My roles with the Economic Development Collaborative and CSU Channel Islands Site Authority strengthen my ability to advocate for regional investment. I will continue supporting employers, attracting high-quality jobs and protecting Camarillo’s character and quality of life.
David P. Schlangen
Age: 53
Occupation: Project manager
Party registration: Republican
Education: Bachelor's degree in political science with a minor in history from UC Santa Barbara
Military service: None
Elected office: None
Website: www.davidsforcitycouncil.com
What's your top priority and how do you intend to accomplish it?
Public safety is my top priority, and I believe that keeping our communities safe requires a strong partnership between local and state law enforcement. I stand firm in support for police officers and the work they do.
In addition to increased funding for police departments, it’s essential that law enforcement agencies are properly equipped to handle violent crime, gang activity and public disorder. This means ensuring that officers are given the tools, training and support necessary to be effective at their jobs.
I also believe in fostering stronger family and community structures. In taking proactive measures, we can help prevent crime before it happens. Tackling the root causes of criminal behavior creates environments where families thrive and communities are connected.
Through bold leadership and a commitment to law and order, we will keep our cities safer for everyone.
How do you intend to attract more jobs?
I believe in supporting our already existing local businesses, by providing incentives and resources for them to thrive, which will create more job opportunities.
Eliminating over burdensome regulations, will allow new economic growth and simplifying permits makes starting up a business easier. I would promote Camarillo as having many beautiful, well maintained public parks, Camarillo's perfect weather and the easy access to our road networks to make it suitable for workers that might need to commute.
I would also promote Camarillo's connection to CSU Channel Islands consisting of students with the education that local and new businesses can utilize to fill open positions.
Stacie N. Galang is news director of the Ventura County Star. She can be reached at 805-437-0222 or stacie.galang@vcstar.com.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Meet the Camarillo City Council candidates | election
