Jeff Gorell declares victory; Bill-de la Peña says ‘This is not the end’

Jeff Gorell

This story has been updated with new vote totals from Wednesday’s report by Ventura County elections officials and comments from Claudia Bill-de la Peña.

Jeff Gorell maintained a roughly 3-point edge over opponent Claudia Bill-de la Peña in the latest results reported Wednesday for the Thousand Oaks-based seat on the Ventura County Board of Supervisors, a day after he declared victory in the race.

Gorell drew 51.44% to his opponent’s share of 48.56%, an edge of 2.88% and 2,124 votes.

Bill-de la Peña has not conceded in so many words but issued a statement Wednesday indicating she was moving on from the bruising campaign. She thanked her supporters and criticized “depraved” attacks against her that were funded by outside interests who favored Gorell.

“This is not the end,” she said in the statement. “This is the beginning of a genuine movement in the Conejo Valley that will insist everyone has a seat at the table, not just special interests.”

She said the movement will pave the path to a better future of sustainability, decency and inclusion.

“Our community deserves it,” she said.

It is unknown how many ballots remain to be counted from voters in the district, but elections officials estimate they only have 3,111 left to process countywide. That’s down about 1,300 from Tuesday’s update.

Elections chief Mark Lunn said another update would be made Tuesday. Elections staff will decide then if they need to make another update next Thursday as the last one prior to certifying the final results Dec. 7, he said.

Gorell declared victory Tuesday after looking at the vote margin and the number of outstanding ballots. He estimated then that fewer than 900 ballots remained to be counted, less than half his lead in the District 2 race.

“I believe the outcome is clear,” the former Republican legislator said.

Gorell, 52, of Camarillo, is expected to join the board in January when Supervisor Linda Parks of Thousand Oaks steps down after 20 years from the panel that oversees the Ventura County government. Moorpark Mayor Janice Parvin is also due to be installed following what appears to be a decisive victory in the race to represent District 4, which spans Simi Valley and Moorpark.

Story continues

It will mark the first time in decades that a Republican majority sits on the five-member board. Along with Parvin and Gorell, Kelly Long of Camarillo is a member of the Republican Party. There are also two Democrats on the board: Matt LaVere, of Ventura, and Vianey Lopez, of Oxnard.

Gorell said in his statement that he looked forward to working with the other four board members to protect and enhance quality of life, safe communities, the environment and the local economy and job opportunities.

“I will work tirelessly to make a difference and make you proud,” he said. “Now is the time for me and the entire Board of Supervisors to unite behind the common goals of quality of life and prosperity for families upon which we all agree.”

The race for the District 2 seat was heated with each candidate accusing the other of running a “smear campaign.” Gorell said in his statement, though, that the “time for divisiveness is behind us.”

Kathleen Wilson covers the Ventura County government, including the county health system, politics and social services. Reach her at kathleen.wilson@vcstar.com or 805-437-0271.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Jeff Gorell declares victory in supervisor’s District 2 race