Democrats denounce spending by oil company in Ventura County Board of Supervisors races

State Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson on Saturday denounced the infusion of oil money being spent to defeat county supervisor candidates Carmen Ramirez and Kim Marra Stephenson.

She spoke at a news conference and political gathering where she urged the crowd to sink the oil industry’s effort.

“You recognize how important this election is,” Jackson told the fired-up crowd of close to 50 people who turned out for the event at the Greater Oxnard Organization of Democrats (GOOD Club) in downtown Oxnard.

The two candidates for the Ventura County Board of Supervisors are being opposed by an independent spending committee funded with $825,000 from the California Resources Corp., one of the largest oil and gas producers in the state. The committee reported spending about $670,000 in the first six weeks of the year to defeat the two women and support two of their opponents.

More coverage of the election:

• Incumbent Long facing challenge from teacher and oil critic to recapture seat
• 5 hopefuls vie for Oxnard-based seat on the Ventura County Board of Supervisors
• Big disparity in fundraising emerges for supervisors’ races as voting begins
• Why is big oil pumping money into Ventura County Board of Supervisors elections?

Ramirez and Stephenson are running for two seats on the powerful panel of elected officials overseeing the Ventura County government. The election is coming at a time when the board is poised to consider new environmental rules that would affect oil fields in the unincorporated area that the board oversees.

Both women have called for phasing out the oil industry and moving to sustainable forms of energy.

Jackson, D-Santa Barbara, called Ramirez the “mama bear” who had protected the people of the Oxnard community for 40 years, citing as an example the successful effort by Ramirez to block construction of a liquified natural gas terminal on the coast. Now her battle is with the oil company trying to defeat her, Jackson said.

Although Jackson did not directly attack California Resources Corp., she said the oil industry was a major polluter and responsible in great measure for climate changes blamed for serious fires and weather problems.

“They don’t care about the future of Ventura County,” she said. “... What we need to do is send them packing.”

A spokeswoman for California Resources Corp. could not be reached for comment. 

Organizers scheduled the news conference to call attention to the large amount of money the company is investing, Ramirez said.

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The Oxnard City Council member is running for the Oxnard-based 5th District seat on the Board of Supervisors that’s being vacated by John Zaragoza, who has reached his term limit. Stephenson is trying to oust first-term incumbent Kelly Long and capture the 3rd District seat based largely in Camarillo, Port Hueneme and the Santa Paula-Fillmore area.

A group of about 10 counterprotesters lined up across the street from Saturday’s gathering, holding signs that read: “Foreign Oil = Increased Emissions,” and warning of dependence on foreign oil. Officials in the industry say the petroleum they produce must abide by tight regulations, while imported oil does not.

A representative for the campaign of Jeffrey Burum, one of Ramirez’s opponents, handed out a flier at the event that said the focus on CRC was “just a distraction” from the record of Ramirez and Oxnard Mayor Tim Flynn in overseeing the city of Oxnard. Flynn is running for the same seat on the board that Burum and Ramirez are.

The flier claimed that the city has been “financially ruined” under Flynn and Ramirez. Both have said Oxnard’s financial and management problems preceded their elections and they have made progress in correcting them. 

Kathleen Wilson covers the Ventura County government, including the county health system, politics and social services. Reach her at kathleen.wilson@vcstar.com or 805-437-0271.