Ventura City Council met on Feb. 20 for a special meeting to interview thirteen candidates for the vacant District 4 seat on the council. After nearly five hours of interviews and deliberations, the council voted 4-2 to appoint Jeannette Sánchez-Palacios as the councilmember for District 4.
Voters elected Erik Nasarenko to represent District 4 in the November 2018 election for a term that was not set to expire until 2022. With news of Nasarenko’s recent appointment as Ventura County District Attorney, the seat had been left vacant since his resignation on Jan. 26.
During a meeting on Feb. 1, Ventura City Council decided with a 4-2 vote that they would be holding this special meeting to appoint a councilmember in lieu of a Nov. 2, 2021, special election. According to the City Charter, holding a special election earlier than November is not an option.
Councilmember Doug Halter of District 2 and Councilmember Jim Friedman of District 5 notably voted against the appointment process. Friedman cited his discomfort with the idea of possibly disenfranchising the voters of District 4.
Deputy Mayor Joe Schroeder, who represents District 7, voted for the appointment process asserting, “I think we could disenfranchise the voters if we don’t have a representative from District 4.”
At Saturday’s special meeting, all thirteen candidates were given three minutes for an opening statement, three questions with two minutes to answer each question and two minutes for a closing statement.
Topics that were presented by the candidates included: COVID-19 recovery, affordable housing, economic growth, and water.
Jenny Lagerquist, a candidate who made it to the final two, impressed the council with her background in drinking water systems. Lagerquist also advocated for Ventura to “plan and prepare” for emergencies and challenges that may occur in the future.
Jeannette Sánchez-Palacios, the District Director for District 44 California State Assembly, was ultimately the chosen candidate. In her opening statement, she affirmed that her 20 years of experience in public service have prepared her to tackle the District 4 duties.
Many of the candidates reaffirmed their frustration with the decision to appoint a councilmember as opposed to holding a special election. Some of them pledged that if they were to be appointed that they would not seek election in 2022 due to the incumbency advantage.
John Silva, a candidate for the position and District 4 resident, expressed, “In my view, this shouldn’t even really be happening.” Silva also likened the process to “speed dating.”
Another candidate from District 4, John Lory, stated, “Ideally this should be a selection by the residents of the district, but I recognize the challenge right now with the charter and what it says now and I do think that does need to change because life does happen.”
Councilmember Mike Johnson of District 3 added, “When it comes to who we appoint, the residents will be best served by somebody who intends to run again; somebody who in two years intends to stand in front of District 4 on his or her record and ask to be elected.”
Sánchez-Palacios did not indicate whether she intends to run for the District 4 seat in 2022.
After being sworn in, Sánchez-Palacios shared, “I hear the words that everyone has spoken and will work hard to work with others and make sure that I represent District 4 properly and well.”
