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San Buenaventura City Council, District 5

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City of Ventura

San Buenaventura City Council, District 5

This person would represent one of Ventura's seven City Council districts. Members vote on city ordinances, the budget, and land use. Terms are four years. Seats are staggered, so three or four come up every two years. Districts 1, 4, 5, and 6 are up this year. Districts 2, 3, and 7 vote again in 2028. Ventura has no directly elected Mayor. The Council instead picks a member each December to preside for two years.

Incumbent Bill McReynolds is a residential builder. McReynolds faces one challenger, Vernon Alstot. Alstot has lived in Ventura 53 years. They are a retired fire battalion chief. They spent 33 years in public safety.

This person would represent one of Ventura's seven City Council districts. They vote on city ordinances, the budget, and land use for this Ventura County city of about 110,763 residents (the county seat). The Council appoints a City Manager -- Bill Ayub, a former Ventura County Sheriff, as of this cycle -- to run day-to-day operations. Terms are four years, staggered so three or four seats are up every two years. Ventura has no separately, directly elected Mayor -- the Council selects one of its own members each December to hold the title for a two-year term and preside over meetings. Dr. Jeannette Sanchez-Palacios (District 4, on this year's ballot for re-election) currently holds it, selected by her colleagues in December 2024, with Doug Halter (District 2) as Deputy Mayor.

District 5 covers East Ventura. It's one of four districts up this cycle, alongside Districts 1, 4, and 6; Districts 2, 3, and 7 aren't up again until 2028. Ventura moved from at-large council elections to seven single-member districts in 2018, after a threatened California Voting Rights Act challenge.

Bill McReynolds

Bill McReynolds is the incumbent. Their ballot title is "Land Acquisition Executive." Their candidate statement lists them as a "Residential Builder." They are raising three sons in Ventura. Their priorities are public safety, street and sidewalk maintenance, clean water, and homelessness. They also want to strengthen the local economy. They would draw on their business background.

Vernon Alstot

Vernon Alstot's ballot title is "Retired Batallion Chief." They have lived in Ventura for 53 years. They spent 33 years in public safety. They were a police officer for six years. They then spent 27 years with the Fire Department. They rose to battalion chief. They helped set up the city's paramedic program. They helped set up its hazardous materials response program. They also helped set up hygiene facilities for unhoused residents. They sit on the executive board of a Santa Paula homeless shelter.

Your pick

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

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