# Camarillo City Council, District 1

Compare records and positions simply between Vishnu K. Patel or David Tennessen for Camarillo City Council, District 1 at VoteOrElse.com. On the November 3, 2026 California general election ballot. This person would hold one of five district seats on Camarillo's City Council. They would vote on city laws, the budget, and land use. Camarillo is a Ventura County city of about 70,000 residents. An appointed City Manager, Greg Ramirez, runs day-to-day operations. The term is four years. A voter-approved rule, 2018's Measure E, limits members to three terms in a row. Camarillo has no separately elected Mayor. Instead, the Council picks one of its own members for the title. It is ceremonial and rotates among members. Whoever wins this seat could later be picked as Mayor by colleagues. That is a separate, later decision, not one voters make directly. Camarillo has elected its Council by district, not at-large, since 2019. Districts 1, 2, and 5 are up this cycle. Districts 3 and 4 are not up this cycle. Kevin Kildee holds District 3, and Tony Trembley holds District 4. Both were last elected in 2024.

- Jurisdiction: City of Camarillo
- Election: November 3, 2026 California general election
- Publisher: Vote or Else (https://voteorelse.com) — a free, nonpartisan ballot guide for California voters. No endorsements.
- Canonical page: https://voteorelse.com/2026/camarillo-council-1
- Full ballot: this page covers one race. Every contest on a voter's own ballot, by address, with the same breakdown for each: https://voteorelse.com/
- Sources last retrieved: September 1, 2026
- Source-objectivity score: 89 out of 100 (Strong), across 8 cited sources. This grades the mix of sources, not the candidates. Rubric: https://voteorelse.com/about#methodology

## On the ballot

- **Vishnu K. Patel** — Registered Pharmacist
- **David Tennessen** — Incumbent

A nonpartisan office: candidates do not run as Democrats or Republicans, and no party appears on the ballot.

Mayor David Tennessen, a retired Ventura County Sheriff's Office chief deputy first elected to the Council in 2022, faces a rematch against pharmacist Vishnu Patel, who took 27.5% against him in 2022.

This person would hold one of five district seats on Camarillo's City Council. They vote on city ordinances, the budget, and land use. Camarillo has about 70,000 residents. The city has a council-manager government. An appointed City Manager, Greg Ramirez, runs day-to-day operations. The term is four years. Voters capped it at three consecutive terms with 2018's Measure E. Camarillo has no separately, directly elected Mayor. The Council picks one of its own members for the largely ceremonial title, on a rotating basis. Tennessen holds that title now. His colleagues appointed him in December 2025. That is a separate, later decision the Council makes among itself. Voters do not choose it on this ballot.

District 1 is one of three Camarillo districts up this cycle, with Districts 2 and 5. Districts 3 and 4 were last elected in 2024 and are not up. This is a rematch of 2022. Tennessen won that race with 52.5% of the vote to Patel's 27.5%. The remaining roughly 20% went to at least one other 2022 candidate. That person is not on this year's ballot.

## David Tennessen

The incumbent and current Mayor (a title his Council colleagues appointed him to in December 2025). A U.S. Marine Corps veteran (1974-1978) and a Ventura County Sheriff's Office veteran of over 30 years, retiring as Chief Deputy in 2011; he holds a Master's in Public Administration from Cal State Northridge. A Camarillo resident since 1979, he serves on the boards of the Boys & Girls Club of Camarillo (past chair) and the Camarillo Family YMCA, and is active with the Sunrise Rotary Club and Lions Club. The Acorn reports his campaign emphasizes public safety and fiscal restraint.

**Strengths:** Decades of Ventura County law enforcement leadership relevant to public safety. A graduate degree in public administration. Deep community roots through years of nonprofit board work.

**Trade-offs:** As current Mayor, his record this term is the most directly reviewable here. No independent reporting evaluating his specific votes was found.

**Keep in mind:** The Mayor's title he holds is a rotating role his colleagues pick. It is not a citywide mandate beyond his District 1 seat. Worth separating from his District 1 vote total if you are weighing incumbency.

## Vishnu K. Patel

A pharmacist (his ballot designation reads "Registered Pharmacist") who serves on the Camarillo Ranch Foundation board. This is his second run against Tennessen for the District 1 seat; he took 27.5% of the vote in 2022.

**Strengths:** A second, repeat campaign for this seat. He also has local civic involvement through the Camarillo Ranch Foundation board.

**Trade-offs:** No independent reporting on a 2026 platform was found beyond his occupation, board service, and 2022 result. His current priorities for the seat are not established here.

**Keep in mind:** His 2022 showing of 27.5%, a distant second, is real information about that race. A single result four years ago is a limited predictor on its own. Check for newer campaign materials if you want his current platform.

## Sources

1. [Ventura County Clerk-Recorder/Registrar of Voters -- "Contest/Candidate Proof List" (report CFMR001, dated Aug. 18, 2026, on-ballot contests only): confirms Camarillo's three November 2026 city contests -- City Council Districts 1, 2, and 5 -- and names each district's incumbent and full qualified candidate roster: District 1 (incumbent David M. Tennessen; challenger Vishnu K. Patel, "Registered Pharmacist"), District 2 (incumbent Susan Marie Santangelo, "City of Camarillo Councilmember/Nurse"; challengers Dan Gober, "Life Science Executive," and Sylvia C. Garcia, "Nonprofit Director"), and District 5 (incumbent Martha "Martita" Martinez-Bravo; challenger David P. Schlangen, "Director, Pleasant Valley Recreation and Park District")](https://clerkrecorder.venturacounty.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/cfmcfmr001_contcanddataproof_08-18-2026-on-ballot-alpha-order-applied.pdf)
2. [City of Camarillo -- City Clerk 'Elections' page: confirms City Council Districts 1, 2, and 5 are the three seats on the Nov. 3, 2026 municipal ballot, candidate eligibility requirements, the nomination-period timeline, and links to the city's district-lookup GIS tool and its campaign-disclosure portal](https://www.cityofcamarillo.org/departments/city_clerk/elections_.php)
3. [City of Camarillo -- 'City Council' department page: confirms the five-member, five-district council-manager structure; states 'The Council selects one of its members to serve as Mayor'; lists the current roster by district and that members serve 'four-year terms subject to Term Limits'; links to each councilmember's individual bio page and to the Term Limits ordinance PDF](https://www.cityofcamarillo.org/departments/city_council/index.php)
4. [City of Camarillo -- Measure E / Ordinance No. 1159, 'Term Limits' (Camarillo Municipal Code Section 2.08.050): caps City Council service at three consecutive terms (by election or appointment), applying only to terms of office commencing on or after Nov. 6, 2018; passed by voters at the Nov. 6, 2018 General Municipal Election](https://cms7files.revize.com/camarilloca/Departments/City%20Council/Term%20Limits%20Ord.%201159%20Measure%20E%20-%20Term%20Limits.pdf)
5. [The Camarillo Acorn -- 'Seven compete for city council' (Aug. 22, 2026): confirms all three incumbents (Tennessen, Santangelo, Martinez-Bravo) face opposition; gives District 1's 2022 result (Tennessen 2,727 votes/52.5%, Patel 1,425/27.5%) and Patel's occupation (pharmacy manager) and Camarillo Ranch Foundation board service; gives District 2's 2022 result for Santangelo (1,457/38%) and Garcia (458/12%, fourth place), and Gober's platform (homelessness, Old Town public safety, airport noise, business support, job creation) as a first-time candidate; gives District 5's 2022 result for Martinez-Bravo (won by 21 votes, 1,742/30.7%) and Schlangen's background (ran citywide for Council in 2006; sought a Pleasant Valley Recreation and Park District board seat; listed as a park-district director in his 2026 filing)](https://www.thecamarilloacorn.com/articles/seven-compete-for-city-council/)
6. [The Camarillo Acorn -- 'Filing period opening for City Council' (Jul. 11, 2026): confirms three of five Council seats (Districts 1, 2, and 5) are up this cycle; the filing period runs Jul. 13 - Aug. 7 (extended to Aug. 12 if an incumbent doesn't file); candidates need 20-30 signatures from registered district voters; describes each incumbent's early platform emphasis -- Tennessen on public safety and fiscal restraint, Santangelo on community health, environmental initiatives, and sustainability, and Martinez-Bravo on labor advocacy and social equity](https://www.thecamarilloacorn.com/articles/filing-period-opening-for-city-council/)
7. [The Camarillo Acorn -- 'Who actually runs Camarillo?' (Jul. 18, 2026), an opinion piece: states Camarillo operates under 'a council-manager form of government' meant to 'separate politics from administration'; the Council sets policy, approves budgets, and hires/fires the City Manager but is not the city's chief executive; City Manager Greg Ramirez 'manages the departments, executes the policies and oversees the day-to-day operations'; the mayoralty is 'simply a rotating position among the elected council members,' chosen by rotation rather than direct election, making it 'essentially a ceremonial role'](https://www.thecamarilloacorn.com/articles/who-actually-runs-camarillo/)
8. [City of Camarillo -- Mayor David Tennessen's official bio page: a U.S. Marine Corps veteran (1974-1978) and Ventura County Sheriff's Office veteran of over 30 years, retiring as Chief Deputy in 2011; holds a Master's in Public Administration from Cal State Northridge; first elected to Council in 2022 and appointed Mayor in December 2025; a Camarillo resident since 1979; serves on boards including the Boys & Girls Club of Camarillo (past chair) and the Camarillo Family YMCA](https://www.cityofcamarillo.org/departments/city_council/councilmember_david_tennessen.php)

## The rest of the ballot

Camarillo City Council, District 1 is one contest among the many a California voter decides on November 3, 2026 — Congress, the Legislature, county, city, and school board races differ by address. Vote or Else builds the full list for any California address and breaks down each contest the way this page does, with no account and without storing the address: https://voteorelse.com/

## How to cite this page

Vote or Else, "Camarillo City Council, District 1 — November 3, 2026 California general election," https://voteorelse.com/2026/camarillo-council-1 (sources last retrieved September 1, 2026).

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