Three candidates with different backgrounds want to represent Old Town and central Camarillo on the City Council, and ballots are in voters' hands.

Incumbent Susan Santangelo, challenger Dan Gober and challenger Sylvia Garcia are competing for the District 2 seat in a nonpartisan race to be decided Nov. 3. Ballots went out Monday, Oct. 5, and secure drop boxes are open through Election Day, the Camarillo Acorn reported. Voters can also cast ballots in person at any Ventura County vote center.

District 2 covers Old Town, Lakeside Village, Camarillo Mobile Estates and portions of central Camarillo. The winner will serve a four-year term.

Santangelo: infrastructure and long-range planning

Santangelo, a registered nurse first elected in 2018, is seeking what she calls her final term. Her campaign points to balanced budgets, mobile home rent stabilization, opposition to Camarillo Airport expansion, the Old Town Strategic Plan, homelessness programs, the North Pleasant Valley Desalter and the city's Climate Action Plan.

Her 2026 platform emphasizes sustainability, safe neighborhoods and economic vitality. On growth, Santangelo stresses long-range planning and investment in infrastructure while addressing housing needs.

The West Ventura County Business Alliance PAC endorsed Santangelo for the seat, as announced Aug. 31.

Gober: jobs first, infrastructure before building

Gober, a 30-year Ventura County resident, spent 17 years with a major pharmaceutical company, rising into senior leadership and overseeing a West Coast team of roughly 100 people. He chairs the Los Angeles County Life Science Advisory Board.

He wants Camarillo to compete for high-paying jobs in industries like life science while requiring traffic and infrastructure planning before new development breaks ground. His campaign website lists homelessness and safety in Old Town, airport noise, supporting local merchants and attracting new business among his priorities.

"Growth should work for our neighborhoods, not strain them," Gober said in his campaign statement to the Acorn.

Gober has been endorsed by Ventura County Supervisors Jeff Gorell, Kelly Long and Janice Parvin, Camarillo Mayor Emeritus Charlotte Craven, the Ventura County Deputy Sheriffs' Association and the Ventura County Coastal Association of Realtors, according to his campaign website.

Garcia: slow growth, independent voice

Garcia, a third-generation Camarillo resident whose family settled here in the 1950s, spent 10 years in the U.S. Army. She directs a nonprofit called Amazing Grace Connections, which works alongside local sheriff's deputies to build relationships with vulnerable youth, according to her campaign website.

She is campaigning on housing affordability, traffic and greater scrutiny of City Hall decisions. Garcia describes herself as an independent, research-driven candidate who would question proposals rather than follow the council majority.

On her campaign website, Garcia wrote that her goal is not to stop change but to prevent growth that is too fast or too careless from eroding Camarillo's small-town character, as captured by Ballotpedia. She has questioned whether additional auto dealerships are the best use of the city's remaining developable land.

Garcia also ran in the 2022 District 2 race as a college student, finishing with 458 votes, about 12% of the total, according to the Ventura County Star. Santangelo won that four-candidate race with 1,457 votes, about 38%.

Where they diverge

The three candidates split most visibly on growth. Santangelo emphasizes long-range planning and infrastructure investment. Gober calls for traffic and infrastructure studies before projects break ground, citing the Old Town school as an example. Garcia argues development decisions ripple into traffic, public safety and housing costs.

Voters can return ballots by mail, at a drop box or in person at any Ventura County vote center through Nov. 3.