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City of Camarillo · Statewide General Election

Camarillo City Council, District 5

Draft candidate list — early preview until the state’s official list publishes on August 27, 2026.

This is one contest. Enter your address to see every race on your November ballot, and keep track of your picks.

On the ballot

This person would hold one of five district seats on Camarillo's City Council: city ordinances, the budget, and land use for this Ventura County city of about 70,000 residents, under a council-manager form of government where an appointed City Manager (Greg Ramirez as of this cycle) runs day-to-day operations. A 4-year term, subject to a voter-approved three-consecutive-term limit (2018's Measure E). Camarillo has no separately, directly elected Mayor -- the Council selects one of its own members to hold the largely ceremonial title on a rotating basis; whoever wins this seat could later be selected Mayor by colleagues, but that is a separate, later decision, not something voters choose directly on this ballot. Camarillo elects its Council by district, not at-large -- a change that took effect in 2019. Districts 1, 2, and 5 are up this cycle; Districts 3 (Kevin Kildee) and 4 (Tony Trembley), both last elected in 2024, are not.

Vice Mayor Martita Martinez-Bravo, a clinical psychologist and nonprofit executive first elected in 2022 by a 21-vote margin, faces David Schlangen, a Pleasant Valley Recreation and Park District director.

This person would hold one of five district seats on Camarillo's City Council: city ordinances, the budget, and land use for this Ventura County city of about 70,000 residents, under a council-manager form of government where an appointed City Manager -- Greg Ramirez as of this cycle -- runs day-to-day operations. A 4-year term, capped at three consecutive terms by 2018's voter-approved Measure E. Camarillo has no separately, directly elected Mayor: the Council selects one of its own members to hold the largely ceremonial title on a rotating basis. Martinez-Bravo currently holds the Vice Mayor title, appointed by her colleagues in December 2025.

District 5 is one of three Camarillo districts up this cycle (with Districts 1 and 2); Districts 3 and 4, last elected in 2024, are not. Martinez-Bravo's 2022 win was Camarillo's closest District 5 result on record in this dataset's sourcing: a 21-vote margin, 30.7% in a multi-candidate field.

Martha "Martita" Martinez-Bravo

The incumbent and current Vice Mayor, Executive Director of Friends of Fieldworkers, a farmworker-advocacy nonprofit. She holds a BA in Psychology & Social Behavior from UC Irvine and a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University, Los Angeles. A first-generation college graduate and mother of three, she first won this seat in 2022 by 21 votes and was appointed Vice Mayor in December 2025. Her honors include the Ronald E. McNair Research Scholar award, an Earth Charter Award, and the LA Rams pLAymaker Award. The Acorn reports her campaign emphasizes labor advocacy and social equity.

Strengths

A doctoral-level clinical background and nonprofit leadership relevant to social-service and equity-focused city policy, recognized social-justice honors, and current Vice Mayor service.

Trade-offs

Her first win was extremely close (21 votes) -- a track record, but a thinner initial mandate than some other incumbents in this dataset.

Keep in mind

Running an advocacy nonprofit while serving on a Council that sets city policy touching housing and labor issues is a disclosed, not hidden, overlap -- no source found this session flagged it as a conflict, but it's worth knowing given her nonprofit's mission.

David P. Schlangen

His ballot designation reads "Director, Pleasant Valley Recreation and Park District." Per the Acorn, he ran citywide for Camarillo City Council in 2006 (before the city's 2019 switch to district elections) and has separately sought a seat on the Pleasant Valley Recreation and Park District board.

Strengths

Two decades of on-and-off engagement with Camarillo-area elected and appointed bodies, plus a currently active local special-district governance role.

Trade-offs

This dataset could not confirm his park-district board service beyond his own filed designation -- the district's own board page listed only one director (its chair) this session.

Keep in mind

His 2006 run predates Camarillo's 2019 shift to district elections, so it was a citywide race rather than a District 5-specific one -- a different electoral context than this campaign, not a direct prior District 5 track record.

Source review: Strong (89/100) · 8 cited sources

Official records anchor this contest, with multiple sources checked.

  • clerkrecorder.venturacounty.gov (opens in a new tab)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")
  • cityofcamarillo.org (opens in a new tab)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
  • cityofcamarillo.org (opens in a new tab)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
  • cms7files.revize.com (opens in a new tab)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
  • thecamarilloacorn.com (opens in a new tab)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)
  • thecamarilloacorn.com (opens in a new tab)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
  • thecamarilloacorn.com (opens in a new tab)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'
  • cityofcamarillo.org (opens in a new tab)City of Camarillo -- Vice Mayor Martita Martinez-Bravo's official bio page: Executive Director of Friends of Fieldworkers, a farmworker-advocacy nonprofit; holds a BA in Psychology & Social Behavior from UC Irvine and a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University, Los Angeles; a first-generation college graduate and mother of three; first elected to Council in 2022 and appointed Vice Mayor in December 2025; recipient of the Ronald E. McNair Research Scholar award, an Earth Charter Award, and the LA Rams pLAymaker Award

Last updated September 1, 2026.