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Ojai City Council, District 2

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City of Ojai

Ojai City Council, District 2

This person represents one of Ojai's four numbered City Council districts. They vote on city laws, the budget, and land-use decisions. A citywide-elected Mayor also sits on the council. An appointed City Manager runs day-to-day operations. Ojai moved from at-large to district elections in 2018, under Ordinance 889. This followed the California Voting Rights Act. The term is four years.

Incumbent Rachel Lang is seeking a second term in District 2. She faces Larry Steingold, a retired real estate broker. He is vice chair of the city's Public Safety Commission and runs on fiscal discipline.

This person represents District 2 on Ojai's five-member City Council. It is one of four numbered districts. They were created when the city moved from at-large to district-based Council elections in 2018, under Ordinance 889. The term is four years. The Mayor, City Clerk, and City Treasurer remain elected citywide.

With two names on the ballot for one seat, whichever candidate gets more votes wins. There is no ranked-choice voting or runoff.

Why did Lang launch her campaign on a specific full moon?

Lang is a professional electional astrologer of roughly 20 years, including work she says has touched gubernatorial, mayoral, and congressional campaigns, and is the author of a published 2026 timing guide. She launched her re-election campaign July 29 -- a date her own book flags as favorable, tied to a full moon in Aquarius -- and told Ojai Valley News that timing is 'just another tool in the toolbox' alongside fundraising, coalition-building, and message discipline, not a substitute for them.

Rachel Lang

Rachel Lang is the incumbent, on the Council since 2022. Her second term priorities include wildfire risk reduction and resilience, and affordable housing. She also wants to modernize energy infrastructure and cut carbon. She lists better communication and economic strategies not dependent on tourism. Her goal is to pave every Ojai street by 2029.

Larry Steingold

Larry Steingold is a retired commercial real estate broker from Rhode Island. He moved to Ojai roughly nine years ago. He is vice chair of the city's Public Safety Commission. He runs on fiscal discipline and favors competitive bidding. He wants fire hardening spending planned ahead, not done in reaction. He has criticized the city's roughly $2 million, four year commitment to DignityMoves. He also faults its roughly $107,000 annual marketing contract with Tripepi Smith.

Your pick

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

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