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; already cached locally from earlier in this session and re-checked here): confirms Thousand Oaks's three November 2026 city contests -- City Council District 1 (incumbent Mikey Taylor, "Councilmember/Business Owner"; challenger Karen Arreola, "Retired Biotech Executive"; a third filer shown but not qualified), District 2 (Kyle Rohrbach, "Executive Producer"; Gus Gougas, "Businessman/Business Owner"; a third filer shown but not qualified, no incumbent among the two qualified), and District 3 (incumbent David Newman, "City Councilmember"; challenger Victor Hayek, "Deputy Superintendent") -- and no District 4 or District 5 contest
clerkrecorder.venturacounty.gov (opens in a new tab)Ventura County Clerk-Recorder/Registrar of Voters -- Contest/Candidate Proof List, off-ballot companion document (single-filer and Elections Code Section 10229 contests): carries no District 1, 2, or 3 entry for the City of Thousand Oaks -- corroborating by absence that none of the three was cancelled or moved off-ballot; its one Thousand Oaks entry is a non-districted, zero-filer legacy contest code (6491) listing Bob Engler, David Newman, and Mikey Taylor as the city's current incumbents, consistent with the city's own roster but not itself a live 2026 contest
toaks.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Thousand Oaks -- "Elections" page (City Clerk): independently republishes the identical certified roster as the county's own document -- District 1 (One Seat): Karen Arreola, Mikey Taylor; District 2 (One Seat): Kyle Rohrbach, Gus Gougas; District 3 (One Seat): Victor Hayek, David Newman -- in ballot order per the Secretary of State's Aug. 13, 2026 randomized alphabetical drawing; states the nomination period is closed
toaks.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Thousand Oaks -- "City Council" page: the Council is five members elected by district serving 4-year staggered terms; the Council annually selects a Mayor (Mikey Taylor, term expires 12/15/2026) and Mayor Pro Tem (Bob Engler, term expires 12/15/2026) from among its own members; names the full roster including Councilmember, District 4 Al Adam and Councilmember, District 5 Tie Gutierrez (both terms expire 12/12/2028) and Councilmember David Newman (term expires 12/15/2026); gives each member's bio
toaks.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Thousand Oaks -- "District Elections" page: states the City Council adopted Ordinance No. 1715-NS on July 18, 2023, implementing a five-member by-district election system, with Districts 4 and 5 first up in 2024 and Districts 1, 2, and 3 up in 2026 -- confirming this is the city's first-ever district election for Districts 1-3
toaks.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Thousand Oaks -- "City Manager's Office" page: names Andrew Powers as the current City Manager
toacorn.com (opens in a new tab)Thousand Oaks Acorn -- "Council candidate roster set" (Michael Montalvo, Aug. 28, 2026): a full-length, six-candidate profile piece confirming the certified roster and giving each candidate's own biography, career background, and stated top priorities in their own words, including that District 2 (Rancho Conejo, Wildwood Regional Park, Cal Lutheran) is an open seat because Bob Engler -- who lives in the district -- isn't seeking re-election, and that all six candidates support the recently approved Downtown Project
toacorn.com (opens in a new tab)Thousand Oaks Acorn -- "Thousand Oaks City Council races begin as candidate filing opens" (Michael Montalvo, Jul. 17, 2026): reports Bob Engler's own quoted reason for retiring ("it's probably time for me to step aside and let someone younger come in and move the city forward"); names each district's neighborhoods (District 1 Newbury Park, District 2 Rancho Conejo, District 3 central/eastern Thousand Oaks including Oakbrook and Sunset Hills); and names an early District 2 filer, independent contractor Bradley Poteet, who does not appear on the later-certified two-candidate roster
en.wikipedia.org (opens in a new tab)Wikipedia -- "Thousand Oaks, California": used in this shard only for its 2020 Census population figure (126,966)
toacorn.com (opens in a new tab)Thousand Oaks Acorn -- "Engler, Newman, Taylor lead city race" (Victoria Talbot, Nov. 11, 2022): the prior, at-large council election -- Taylor led Rohrbach by just 292 votes for the third of three seats, the two now in different district races this cycle (Taylor District 1, Rohrbach District 2) rather than a rematch

Last updated September 1, 2026.

City of Thousand Oaks

Thousand Oaks City Council, District 2

This person would hold one of five district seats on Thousand Oaks City Council. They vote on city laws, the budget, and land use. Thousand Oaks is a Ventura County city of about 126,966 residents. The Council appoints a City Manager, Andrew Powers, to run day-to-day operations. The term is four years. Thousand Oaks has no directly elected Mayor. Each year, the Council picks one member as a ceremonial presiding officer. Mikey Taylor currently holds that role. Bob Engler serves as Mayor Pro Tem. The city moved from at-large to district elections under Ordinance No. 1715-NS. The city council adopted it on July 18, 2023. Districts 4 and 5 were first elected by district in November 2024. Al Adam holds District 4, and Tie Gutierrez holds District 5. Neither is up again until 2028. Districts 1, 2, and 3 are up this cycle. These are the city's first-ever district elections for those three seats.

This is an open seat. Mayor Pro Tem Bob Engler, first elected in 2018, is retiring. Travel agent and pickleball club director Gus Gougas is running. He faces film and media producer Kyle Rohrbach. Rohrbach narrowly lost the city's last council race to Mikey Taylor by 292 votes.

This person would hold one of five district seats on the Thousand Oaks City Council. They vote on city ordinances, the budget, and land use for this Ventura County city of about 126,966 residents. The Council appoints a City Manager (Andrew Powers) to run day-to-day operations. The term is four years. Thousand Oaks has no separately, directly elected Mayor -- the Council selects one of its own members annually to serve as the largely ceremonial presiding officer; Mikey Taylor (this cycle's District 1 candidate) currently holds it, with Engler as Mayor Pro Tem.

District 2 covers the Rancho Conejo area, neighborhoods around Wildwood Regional Park, and California Lutheran University. This is literally the first time this seat has ever been elected by district: the city adopted by-district elections in 2023 (Ordinance No. 1715-NS), with Districts 4 and 5 first up in 2024 and Districts 1, 2, and 3 -- including this one -- up for the first time this cycle. Engler, who lives in the district, explained his decision not to run again: "it's probably time for me to step aside and let someone younger come in and move the city forward." An earlier filer for this seat, independent contractor Bradley Poteet, does not appear on the certified two-candidate roster.

Gus Gougas

Gus Gougas grew up in San Fernando and has a political science degree. His top priorities are public safety and the city's Downtown Project. He is a travel agent and part owner of the Pickleball Athletic Club.

Kyle Rohrbach

Kyle Rohrbach grew up in Thousand Oaks and earned a film degree from NYU. His campaign focuses on housing affordability, public transportation, and expanding arts and culture. He serves on the boards of TOArts and the Community Funding Review Committee.

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