Three candidates are running in the June primary to represent District 2 on the Ventura County Board of Supervisors.
Mark Perryman and Ashley Orozco are facing incumbent Jeff Gorell, who was elected to the board in 2022. The county’s 2nd District includes parts of Camarillo and Thousand Oaks, as well as Somis, Santa Rosa Valley and Oak Park areas. A candidate could win the seat outright in June with more than 50% of the votes. If no one earns more than half of the votes, the top two finishers will advance to the general election in November.
Five supervisors sit on the board and set policy for areas of the county of more than 830,000 residents. The board takes action on legislative matters from adopting local ordinances to approving budgets.
The Star asked the candidates to answer a brief questionnaire. Their responses may be edited for length and clarity. County supervisor races are nonpartisan, but we asked candidates and checked public voter rolls to include party registration information.
Candidates are listed in alphabetical order.
Jeff Gorell
Occupation: Chair of the Ventura County Board of Supervisors
Age: 55
City of residence: Thousand Oaks
Party registration: Republican
Education: Juris doctor, University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law; bachelor of arts, University of California at Davis.
Elected office and years in office: Ventura County District 2 supervisor from 2023 to current; California State Assembly member from 2010-14.
Criminal convictions, bankruptcies or pleas: None.
Campaign website: jeffgorell.org
What’s your top priority and how do you plan to accomplish it?
My top priority is to continue driving toward the goals we outlined in the County Strategic Plan – forging a transparent and effective local government that delivers excellence on the basics of public safety, safety-net services for our seniors and vulnerable residents, quality roads and infrastructure and preservation of our environment, open space and agriculture.
Since elected, we have driven down homelessness 28% and reduced crime significantly, while attracting investment by innovative job-creators like bio-tech. These positive changes need to be continued with passion and purpose.
With the cost of living rising, more residents face difficult decisions about how they spend their money. Explain how you would work to address costs for all.
Families are struggling. County government must continue to find ways to hold the line on costs while supporting our vulnerable neighbors. Keeping county taxes down and county fees low is most important.
I acted to defend programs like senior nutritional meals and accessible safety-net healthcare to lighten the economic burden. I will continue to be a champion for Mountain Fire victims, waiving fees and helping them rebuild their homes and lives.
We must all dissuade Sacramento politicians from imposing new taxes and fees like the proposed vehicle mileage tax.
Ashley Orozco
Occupation: Finance and accounting executive
Age: 35
City of residence: Newbury Park
Party registration: Democrat
Education: Bachelor’s degree, California Lutheran University; master’s degree in public administration, San Diego State University.
Elected office and years in office: Conejo Recreation and Park District director, 2024 to present
Criminal convictions, bankruptcies or pleas: None.
Campaign website: voteorozco.com
What’s your top priority and how do you plan to accomplish it?
Ventura County is no longer affordable for working families, and those that grew up here cannot afford to stay. With federal funding continually shrinking, this problem will only get worse if we don’t confront it as a crisis now.
My top priority will be to address affordability by tackling housing, transportation and economic opportunity together, not in silos. I will push for smart housing growth where it makes sense, advocate for transportation investments to reduce congestion and improve daily commutes and build local coalitions to create and keep family-supporting jobs here at home.
Leaders must be responsive, accountable and proactive. I will bring a hands-on, community-first, fiscally responsible approach to addressing concerns and planning for the future. People most affected by board decisions should always have a place at the table. My rule is simple: There should be no policy without people first.
With the cost of living rising, more residents face difficult decisions about how they spend their money. Explain how you would work to address costs for all.
Every household is different. People have many concerns about costs: from fire and flood insurance, rising electric and water bills, healthcare, transportation, childcare, groceries, rent… the list is long.
First, we need a supervisor who sees, acknowledges and prioritizes the urgency of these issues and acts accordingly.
I will take a multi-pronged approach: 1. Address immediate emergency needs, like funding food share programs and housing initiatives to keep people healthy and housed. 2. Evaluate current systems, programs and expenditures to see where savings can be made to reprioritize funds to more directly benefit our constituents. 3. Focus on planning and preparation, to ensure our county can weather foreseeable disasters and upcoming economic downturns, such as robust evacuation plans, contingency plans and utilizing economic forecasts to plan for the future.
Mark Perryman
Occupation: Government management consultant
Age: 40
City of residence: Thousand Oaks
Party registration: Declined to state, and registration not currently available on public voter rolls.
Education: Bachelor’s degree, California State University, Northridge
Elected office and years in office (if applicable): None.
What’s your top priority and how do you plan to accomplish it?
Restoring competent, accountable county government is needed – because right now, failures in leadership are driving rising costs, loss of services and real harm to families.
It’s seen in skyrocketing fire insurance risk, the loss of pediatric inpatient care, threats to senior services and budgets that are rubber-stamped without results.
Voters expect a supervisor focused on them, not outside consulting work. I will implement performance-based budgeting so every dollar delivers measurable outcomes.
Drawing on my experience leading complex initiatives at companies like Amazon and the Walt Disney Company, I’ll modernize county operations, fix broken systems and reduce costs – ensuring effective service delivery. And I’ll enforce real accountability – public dashboards, independent audits and leadership that acts. This is about results – not excuses – and restoring county government that works for the people.
With the cost of living rising, more residents face difficult decisions about how they spend their money. Explain how you would work to address costs for all.
Rising fire insurance costs are increasing the basic cost of owning and maintaining homes, and families across Ventura County are feeling it every month.
As premiums skyrocket or policies are canceled, many residents are being forced into the California FAIR Plan, further straining household budgets. County government cannot control global insurance markets, but it can do far more to reduce local wildfire risk.
I’m the only candidate with a plan focused on the root issue: risk. I will push Ventura County to use satellite mapping, AI-based property assessments, and modern wildfire modeling to identify hazards before fire season.
Each property owner should receive an annual, property-specific report showing the most impactful steps they can take, individually and with neighbors, to reduce risk and improve insurability. That’s how we reduce cost pressure: by helping homeowners lower real risk, strengthening fire prevention and giving insurers a clearer reason to keep writing policies.
Cheri Carlson is a reporter for the Ventura County Star. Reach her at cheri.carlson@vcstar.com.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Meet the candidates for District 2 Ventura County supervisor
Reporting by Cheri Carlson, Ventura County Star / Ventura County Star
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