Introduction

Thank you for visiting the DSA Ventura County voter guide. The 2026 midterms are here, and we hope this guide will prove useful as you fill out your ballot.

While we have made a number of recommendations, the chapter has not officially endorsed any candidate. A candidate endorsement requires a membership vote and allocation of chapter resources to their campaign. A recommendation indicates that we have researched the candidate and come to the conclusion that they will help uplift the working class if elected. We have included CA DSA Endorsements stand, where applicable.

There are several races where we have not made a recommendation. The reality is that there are a lot of races that do not have a candidate who aligns with DSA values, and our chapter does not endorse or recommend such candidates.

In some cases, we have explicitly recommended voting against certain candidates because we view them as being dangerous and very likely to cause immense harm to the working class. To be clear, this does not indicate that their opponents have our chapter’s recommendation. The purpose is to inform you of the dangers that these candidates represent so you can have more clarity when choosing who to vote for.

Solidarity forever!

STATE

Governor

DSA Ventura County is not recommending either gubernatorial candidates. However, we strongly recommend voting against Steve Hilton. Hilton is a former FOX News host and has received Donald Trump’s endorsement for governor. He opposes sanctuary cities, supports ICE, has stated that he “can’t imagine a single person who doesn’t support what’s been done to close our southern border…” and said that he would not obstruct ICE from operating in California. He is a supporter of Israel and has slammed those who have called what’s happening in Gaza a genocide, calling it “preposterous and offensive.” He opposes single-payer healthcare. Hilton blames the affordability crisis on Democrat climate change policies.

Additional Reading:

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd95x25e2nqo

https://www.jns.org/news/u-s-news/dems-running-to-be-next-california-governor-ignoring-jew-hatred-cancer-within-their-party-steve-hilton-tells-jns

California State Assembly

DSA Ventura County is not recommending any Ventura County candidates for House of Representatives. However, we strongly recommend against voting for a Republican. While it is true that the establishment Democrats have failed us, Donald Trump will have a much harder time pushing through his horrible agenda if the Republicans lose control of the House. There are several DSA members across the country who unseated establishment Democrats in the primaries and are poised to join the House. Their ability to influence policies and fight Trump’s agenda will be far easier with a Democratic majority.

COUNTY

City

Ventura City (San Buenaventura) Council, District 1 – Liz Campos

DSA member Liz Campos is running for reelection to the Ventura City Council, District 1. She has been a strong advocate for the homeless and for tenants’ rights, having firsthand experience of being evicted from her home by a landlord who disagreed with her politics and forced into homelessness while in office. This did not stop her from being a strong, stalwart leader in the community. Campos has dedicated herself to fighting ICE and educating people on what they can do to fight ICE. She is also committed to environmental justice and stopping climate change. Campos has been on the front lines of the battle against building data centers in Ventura. In August of this year, the Ventura Fairgrounds was in talks with Global Stack USA, a development company that wanted to use the premises to build a data center. Campos went to the fairgrounds and joined a large group of protestors to oppose the project, and the Ventura Fairgrounds Board of Directors subsequently voted to terminate discussions with Global Stack USA. In addition, Campos is a stalwart advocate for anti-racism. In April of this year, she attended a Rio School District board meeting to protest the lack of action by the board of trustees on behalf of an 8 year-old black student who had allegedly been the victim of racist attacks.

Liz Campos’ opponent is Crawford Coates. He is the Head of Marketing for FirstWatch, a software company that analyzes data for police departments across the US and Canada. FirstWatch collaborates with the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch Data Center. Coates has written several articles for Police1, a newsletter that has given positive and sympathetic coverage to ICE.

DSA Ventura County encourages you to vote for our comrade Liz Campos!

Additional Reading:

• Fairgrounds board rejects parking garage, vertiport proposal
• Oxnard community demands action from Rio schools over racism reports
• How ICE evolved from America’s earliest customs and immigration agencies

Ventura City Council, District 6 – Karba Eckley

Republican Jim Duran is the incumbent for Ventura City Council, District 6. He is not running for reelection, and there are 6 candidates on the ballot vying for the open seat.

DSA Ventura County recommends Karba Eckley (they/them). They work at The Energy Coalition, a nonprofit organization dedicated to funding and implementing clean energy solutions and policies across California. From 2021-2025, Eckley served on the City of Ventura’s General Plan Advisory Committee, where they worked on policies for affordable housing, preparing for climate change, and investing in overlooked neighborhoods.

Karba Eckley has a track record of working hard to improve the lives of working class families. Vote for them this election!

Additional Reading:

• Meet Karba

School

Right now, the Ventura Unified School District is in crisis. Enrollment has been declining, schools are facing closure, and the education support professionals are prepared to go on strike over unfair pay, inadequate benefits, and other grievances.

It is vital that competent officials who will champion the well being, inclusivity, and fiscal responsibility of Ventura’s educational system be elected this November.

Superintendent of Schools – Dr. Karen Sher

The Superintendent of Schools leads the Ventura County Office of Education (VCOE). The office is responsible for teacher training and administrative support services to all of the school districts and charter schools in the county. The VCOE also operates schools for special needs students and at-promise students.

DSA Ventura County is recommending Dr. Karen Sher for Superintendent of Schools. Sher is the Director of Teacher Recruitment for the California Department of Education. She has 30 years of experience in education and has won multiple awards from the California Teachers Association. Sher is an advocate for the LBGTQ+ community and served on a committee that resulted in the passage of Senate Bill 760, requiring all California schools to have gender-neutral facilities. Sher also cares deeply about the affordable housing crisis and is working with the California School Board Association on a plan “to build over two million units of affordable housing for teachers and staff using surplus land that is currently unused or unoccupied by school districts.” In addition, Sher is a union advocate and has received the endorsement of the Central Coast Labor Council.

Karen Sher’s opponent is Maggie Marschner. She is an Educational Advisor who self-identifies as non-partisan. However, she has been endorsed by the Ventura County Republican Central Committee and follows Republican groups on Facebook, including Westlake Village Republican Women and Channel Islands Republican Women. She stated she was “honored” to receive the endorsement of California State Senator Tony Strickland, who was the California chairman of a Trump super-PAC in 2016 and defended Trump’s decision to send the military to Los Angeles during anti-ICE protests in 2025.

Dr. Karen Sher is an experienced educator with a vision that includes affordable housing and ending discrimination against LGBTQ+ students.

Additional Reading:

• School Pride: Educators and officials look to support LGBTQ+ students through campus resources
• Senate Bill No. 760
• Superintendent of Schools Debate: Candidates address enrollment, housing and racism
• Tony Strickland named California chair of new Trump super PAC
• California Republicans hate government ‘overreach.’ Most are quiet on Trump’s military in LA

Ventura Unified School Board Trustee, Trustee Area 4 – Amber Thompson

A School Board Trustee has five responsibilities outlined by the California School Boards Association – setting direction, establishing an effective and efficient structure, providing support, ensuring accountability, and providing community leadership as advocates for children, the school district and public schools.

Amber Thompson is the first transgender woman to appear on a ballot in Ventura County. She has a professional background in commercial banking, audit, and financial controls. Thompson has volunteered her time to involve herself in school-board meetings and help parents with their concerns about their children’s education and the school district as a whole. She has been an LGBTQ+ activist, writing Ventura’s first official flag policy that mandates the Progress Pride Flag be flown over Ventura City Hall each June. Thompson’s dedication to the well-being of Ventura families and her professional background in fiscal responsibility make her a strong candidate for School Board Trustee.

The incumbent is Democrat Jerry Dannenberg and he is running for reelection. Dannenberg has faced scrutiny during his tenure. A petition was created in February to recall him and three other Board members for alleged “fiscal mismanagement and failed oversight.” The petition collected 1,788 verified signatures at time of publication.

The third candidate is Matthew Metcalfe. He previously served in the Army National Guard. One of the priorities on his campaign website at time of publication is preparing students for military service, even as the Trump administration currently engages in illegal warfare.

DSA Ventura County recommends voting for Amber Thompson.

Additional Reading:

• VUSD school closures debate draws hundreds of community members over uncertain futures
• Pride in Place: Local activist helped pave the way for Ventura’s flag policy

Rio School District Trustee Area 1 – Khaled Omar

Felix Eisenhauer is the incumbent for Rio School District school board Trustee in District 1. The entire Rio School District Board of Trustees came under fire in April for failing to address the alleged racist abuse directed at an 8 year-old black student in their district. None of the board members put the matter on their agenda. When a large group of protesters, including DSA member and city councilwoman Liz Campos, attended a school board meeting on April 15 of this year, Eisenhauer finally addressed the matter, making a statement that “the Rio School District does not tolerate discrimination, bullying or hate-motivated behavior of any kind at any time.” However, the VC Star reported that the trustees took no action on it beyond making statements. Eisenhauer’s campaign website emphasizes making schools places where kids are happy, healthy, and learn well. At time of publication, there is only one sentence that explicitly mentions anti-discrimination within his campaign.

Khaled Omar is one of Eisenhauer’s challengers. Omar is a district parent, advocate and coach. He became motivated to run for office while advocating on behalf of a student who was a victim of racism, and a board member responded by telling black and brown parents that the district didn’t have those issues. Omar is the son and grandson of immigrants and is dedicated to fighting against the kidnappings being carried out by the Trump administration. The top issue on his campaign page is “Anti-Racism, Anti-Bullying, Inclusivity, and Mental Health Support.” His endorsements include two teachers unions – the California School Employees Association, which is the largest classified school employee union In the United States, and the Oxford Federation of Teachers and School Employees. In July, Omar wrote a petition and formed a coalition to demand that the Ventura Fairgrounds board of directors reject any proposal to construct a data center on the premises and surrounding areas, and the demand was met.

The third candidate on the ballot is Joe Esquivel. His campaign page is on Facebook and as of time of publication, there have been no new public posts since 2022.

DSA Ventura County recommends voting for Khaled Omar!

PROPS AND MEASURES

🌹= endorsed by CA DSA

Proposition 1: YES

Borrow $11.25 billion for housing

Prop. 1 would allow the state to sell $11.25 billion in bonds to fund various affordable housing programs. Of that total amount, $1.25 billion would go toward veteran housing, while the rest would fund rental homes, homeownership programs, farmworker housing, affordable student housing, tribal housing and more. The bond is expected to help fund up to 40,000 multifamily rental units, while also helping another 40,000 households buy a home.

Proposition 2: YES

Raise limit on rainy day fund deposits

This constitutional amendment would allow the state to deposit up to 20% of its general fund tax revenue in the state’s reserves, up from the current ceiling of 10%. The deposits would not count toward the voter-approved Gann Limit, which caps the amount state lawmakers can spend each year and requires excess funds to be returned to the people. It also authorizes spending some tax revenue to pay down California’s $20 billion federal unemployment insurance debt.

Proposition 3: YES 🌹

Make income taxes on higher earners permanent to fund education and healthcare

The tax, first enacted in 2012, is set to expire in 2031. Under the measure, income taxes for top earners range from 10.3% (for individual income over $360,000) to 12.3% (for individual income over $721,000), with graduated rates in between. Eighty-nine percent of the money goes to K-12 public schools and 11% goes to community colleges, with any excess going to public healthcare. The tax typically raises $5 billion to $15 billion a year.

Proposition 4: YES 🌹

Allow public financing of political campaigns

(From CA DSA) Prop 4 repeals California’s ban on state/local public campaign-finance systems and allows governments to establish programs for qualifying candidates who accept spending limits. It doesn’t itself create a statewide public-financing program.

Electoral politics systematically privileges people who can raise money from wealthy donors, corporations, and professional political networks. In cities and states across the country, public financing of elections has allowed socialists and working people to compete on something at least marginally closer to a level playing field. Many socialist wins across the country, like Zohran Mamdani in New York City, would not have been possible without public financing. This is a clear positive step for working people, and can reduce candidates’ dependence on wealthy private donors and allow working class mass membership organizations like our own to participate in larger and more expensive elections.

Prop 4 isn’t a silver bullet: it’s only enabling legislation, not the final reform. Winning Prop 4 creates space for socialists and reformers to fight locally/statewide over what strong public-finance systems actually look like. Public financing also does not eliminate capitalist political power, independent expenditures, lobbying, or wealthy ownership of media, or even come close to leveling the playing field. It is, however, an important and necessary step forward for working class political power.

Proposition 5: YES

Delay replacing recalled state officials

Under current law, after choosing whether to recall an elected official, voters are asked who should replace them. This constitutional amendment, placed on the ballot by state lawmakers, would delay the election of a successor until a separate election. The recalled officer would be allowed to run in that election. If the governor is recalled, the lieutenant governor would take over their duties until a new governor is elected.

Fiscal Impact: Net fiscal effect unknown. In the event of a recall, savings or costs of millions of dollars to administer the election depending on the office recalled.

Proposition 37: No Recommendation

Create low-cost mortgages for homebuyers

California’s Housing Finance Agency would be able (but not required) to borrow up to $25 billion to help would-be homebuyers purchase newly constructed houses and condos. These loans could provide up to 17% of a home’s purchase price, leaving buyers with a cash down payment of 3% if paired with a typical mortgage — $24,000 for an $800,000 home. Homebuyers would repay the loan in monthly installments to private lenders. Anyone earning up to twice the area’s median income would be eligible. Private lenders, not taxpayers, would be on the hook if homebuyers default.

Proposition 38: NO

Borrow $8.4 billion for immunology research

Proposition 38 would create an $8.4 billion bond largely to fund research into fighting cancer, heart disease and Alzheimer’s, plus other diseases that can be treated through immunotherapies. Half the money would go to a research institute affiliated with the University of California. The other half would be distributed to select public universities and nonprofits. Drugs created through this research would have to be discounted at 20% for Californians and 10% of any revenue from the drugs would go back to the state general fund. Philanthropist and medical inventor Gary Michelson put this measure on the ballot.

Proposition 39: NO 🌹

Require identification for voting

This initiative would require voters to show government-issued identification at the polls and order election officials to verify that all registered voters are U.S. citizens. Voters who cast a mail-in ballot would need to give the last four digits of a government ID, such as a driver’s license number. California currently requires residents to provide an identification card and Social Security number to register to vote, but does not request it at polling places. It was placed on the ballot by conservative groups.

Proposition 40: YES 🌹

Apply one-time tax to billionaires to fund healthcare and education

Proposition 40 would require the estimated 200 Californians whose net worth exceeded $1 billion at the start of this year to pay a one-time 5% tax. Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West, the group that put the measure on the ballot, projects that it would raise roughly $100 billion over five years. That money would be earmarked primarily for healthcare, with some reserved for food assistance and education. If propositions 41 or 42 earn more votes than Proposition 40, this measure would be nullified.

Proposition 41: NO🌹

Require audits of new tax programs

This proposition would make it harder to pass new special taxes by requiring the state auditor to review any special tax proposal before it goes to voters. The auditor would assess whether the program that would receive funding could cut spending by at least 10% annually. Any new special tax approved by voters would count toward California’s spending limit, potentially triggering automatic refunds that reduce funding for other state programs. If this proposition receives more votes than Proposition 40 (a wealth tax on billionaires), Proposition 40 is nullified, even if Proposition 40 also passes. It was placed on the ballot by opponents of the proposed billionaire tax.

Proposition 42: NO 🌹

Ban new taxes on personal property

Proposition 42 would make it much harder to create a wealth tax in California by prohibiting new taxes on the mere ownership of assets such as investment accounts, business interests and personal property — assets that are typically only taxed when they are sold or generate income. Like Proposition 41, which also attempts to block Proposition 40 (a wealth tax on billionaires), Proposition 42 would nullify Proposition 40 if it receives more votes, even if the billionaire tax also passes. It was placed on the ballot by opponents of the proposed billionaire tax.

Proposition 43: NO 🌹

Raise vote threshold for special tax measures

This would make it harder to impose or increase local taxes by raising the threshold for local citizen-driven special tax ballot initiatives to pass from a simple majority to two-thirds. The two-thirds threshold already applies to taxes proposed by local governments but not by individuals. The measure reflects a deal between state lawmakers and the anti-tax Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association to keep a more restrictive tax proposal off the ballot.

Proposition 44: YES

Require more clinic spending on patient care

Proposition 44 would require community clinics that serve low-income patients to spend 90% of their annual revenue on patient care. The measure directs the attorney general to publish guidance on what spending qualifies and allows the state to fine clinics that don’t spend the full 90%. The labor union Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West put it on the ballot after  pushing a similar bill last year that failed. Clinics failed to keep the measure off the ballot with a lawsuit earlier this year.

Proposition 45: NO

Speed up environmental reviews for housing and infrastructure

Proposition 45 would limit reviews under the state’s landmark environmental law, the California Environmental Quality Act. Placed on the ballot by the California Chamber of Commerce, the measure aims to help developers advance projects they designate as “essential” more quickly and easily. It would impose a 365-day limit on environmental reviews for those projects, including infrastructure like roads and bridges, housing, schools, broadband and wildfire mitigation. It would also require courts to rule within 270 days on lawsuits related to the environmental review law.

MEASURE A: NO

Voters of the City of Simi Valley

General City Funding

MEASURE B: YES

Voters in Rio Elementary School District

School Bond

MEASURE C: YES

Voters of the Santa Paula Unified School District

School Bond

MEASURE D: YES

Voters of the United Water Conservation District

Water Supply, conservation, and water quality assessment bond

MEASURE E: YES

Voters of the City of Oxnard

Retargeting existing sales tax priorities

MEASURE H: YES

Voters of the Allan Hancock Joint Community College District

School Bond