CITY: School Districts – Ventura USD

Note: this post will be periodically updated! (10/22/2026)

TOP * District 1: Forsythe * District 4: Thompson * Metcalf * Dannenberg * District 5: LaFave * Peterson

VOTER GUIDE – QUICK LINKS:

We will update the site with the video links of debates when they become available.

Trustee Area 1 – Vote for (1) (NOB)

TOP * District 1: Forsythe * District 4: Thompson * Metcalf * Dannenberg * District 5: LaFave * Peterson

ENDORSED James Forsythe (Will be appointed in lieu of election)

Despite not be on the ballot, Mr. Forsythe gets lots of community support…

CADEM
Julia Brownley
JACQUI IRWIN
Cause action fund
Central Coast Labor Council

Trustee Area 4 – Vote for (1))

TOP * District 1: Forsythe * District 4: Thompson * Metcalf * Dannenberg * District 5: LaFave * Peterson

Watch the LWV-VC Candidate Forum for the Ventura Unified School Board Areas 4 & 5 here: https://youtu.be/WDuEHO-y_28

ENDORSED Amber Thompson (D) – Business Owner/Mother

  • Party: Democrat
  • Residence: Ventura
  • Employment & experience:
    • Creator and Executive Producer of The Amber Show (local media/advocacy platform with a large following)
    • Professional background in commercial banking, audit, and financial controls
    • Executive Board Member, Ventura County Democratic Central Committee
    • Named 2025 “Activist of the Year.”
    • California State Delegate for Assembly District 38
  • Priorities:
    • Her campaign is built on three core priorities: putting people first, restoring fiscal stability, and developing creative, forward-thinking solutions that strengthen our schools for the long term. Her approach will be:
    • Student-centered safety and wellbeing – Policies that prioritize student mental health, emotional security, and clear response protocols so families feel confident their children are supported.
    • Strong communication and community partnerships – Open, transparent communication between schools, families, and trusted community partners to address concerns before they become crises.
    • Practical, solutions-focused leadership; fiscal stability – A commitment to thoughtful, actionable policies that keep families informed, engaged, and confident in Ventura Unified schools.
    • Exploring responsible use of district surplus properties
  • Contributions: $7,820 (includes monetary contributions after 9/19/2026)
    • Notable Top Contributors:
      • Megan Jensen $4,500
      • Ventura Unified Education Association Candidates PAC $1,420
      • Personal Loan $650
      • Lisa Chavez $500
  • Links:

Sample of endorsements

Ventura County Young DemocratsGOOD club
equality CA
JACQUI IRWIN
Central Coast Labor Council
COMMUNITY LEADERS sampling
– Richard Barrera – San Diego Unified School District – Board of Education President & CA State Superintendent Candidate
– Rebecca Fassett, VUSD educator
– Aaron Miller, VUSD educator
– Michelle Rosenblum, VUSD parent
– Sabrina Thompson, VUSD parent
– Jim Allison, Executive Director, Oxnard Federation of Teachers & School Employees
– Joseph Summers – Stonewall Democrats of Ventura County President
– Rebecca Fassett – VUSD Educator
– Aaron Miller – VUSD Educator
– Jane Kim – Former San Francisco Supervisor – Candidate for California Insurance Commissioner
– Dr. Kim Marra Stephenson – Retired Educator & Community Advocate
– Marie Lakin – East Ventura Community Activist
– Henry Montalvo – Democratic Central Coast Regional Leader
– Katie Yant – California State Delegate
– Carolina Buhler – California State Gubernatorial Candidate
– Michael McDonald – California State Assembly Candidate
– Robert O’Riley – Ventura County Community Activist
– Michelle Rosenblum – VUSD Parent
– Sabrina Thompson – VUSD Parent

TOP * District 1: Forsythe * District 4: Thompson * Metcalf * Dannenberg * District 5: LaFave * Peterson

Matthew A. Metcalf (D) – Social Worker/Educator

He got a lot of negative comments here…

He posted this on Instagram, where he dissed a competing candidate (not cool!) about a minute in: https://www.instagram.com/reels/DdFEE3WyChx/

  • “You are running against Dannenberg. My advice is to focus on that. Taking shots at the other challenger Amber Thompson was unnecessary. Her comments were on point.“
  • “A powder keg for a strike under Dannanberg’s watch, let us not forget. On pointing out the ridiculous, you met with Dannenberg behind closed doors to discuss budgets — also on the ridiculous, you instead choose attack Amber’s manner of speak and “creating sound bites” over any of the actual policy she has proposed in this race. Crazy how we’re being friendlier to an absent school board member who’s leadership has begun to lead to a strike than to the seasoned community organizer/state delegate who has gotten policy passed on several cities within our county with more drafted policy to come.
    Didn’t you also say that if you couldn’t get the Dem endorsements you’d instead shoot for the Republican ones? That seems pretty ridiculous to me”
  • “Well call me stupid!! Cause I ain’t “MUCH smarter than you thought”…. Cause in my opinion Amber was very well spoken and I love that she is so supportive of our kids and teachers.“
  • “Love how you talked BS about @_the.amber.vote_ but you had nothing of substance to say at any point even in this video. If you are elected you’ll just sit on your ass like the rest of them“

TOP * District 1: Forsythe * District 4: Thompson * Metcalf * Dannenberg * District 5: LaFave * Peterson

Jerry Dannenberg (DTS) – Incumbent

  • Party: declines to state
  • Residence: Ventura
  • Education:
    • BA, MA, Doctorate in Educational Leadership
  • Employment & experience:
    • Member, Ventura Unified School District Board of Trustees
    • Teacher (Escondido SD), Principal (VUSD Juanamaria School), Director (VUSD), Assistant Superintendent (VUSD) and District Superintendent (Hueneme SD).
    • Adjunct Professor of Education at California State University at Channel Islands, California Lutheran University and California State University Northridge
    • PTA Vice-President and Treasurer
  • Priorities:
    • Everyone deserves to be heard on issues and concerns.
    • Students should be our #1 priority.
    • Accountability and integrity are important in the public school system.
    • A common sense of values strengthens communities.
    • Our employees are our greatest asset.
    • A collaborative approach to problem-solving is in the school’s best interest.
    • A conservative approach to tax-payer dollars will benefit our community.
    • Strong fiscal management is imperative.
  • Links:

No campaign website, social media, platform statement, or detailed bio found despite repeated searches

Elected Officials:
– Dr. Joseph Spirito, Retired VUSD Superintendent;
– John B. Walker, School Board President, VUSD;
– Rosa Lee Measures, Former Ventura City Councilwoman;
– Jim Wells, former long-time VUSD School Board Member;
– Cliff Rodriguez, former long-time VUSD School Board Member;
– John Hammer, former long-time VUSD School Board Member;
– Mike Tracy, Ventura Retired Ventura Police Chief, formerly Ventura Mayor, and  current Ventura City Council Member;
– Steven Blum, Retired VUSD Teacher, Former President VUEA, CLU Professor, VC Community College Board Of Trustees;
– Scott Swenson, President of Hueneme Board of Education;
– Dr. Christine Walker, Superintendent Hueneme School district;
– Darlene Bruno, Hueneme Board of Education;
– Vianey Lopez, Hueneme Board of Education;
– Bexy Gomez, Hueneme Board of Education
Educators:
– Sergio and Jennifer Robles, Retired Educators;
– Lee Warner,  Retired VUSD Teacher and Principal;
– Sylvia Mack, Teacher;
– Artie Perez, Teacher;
– Joe Vaughan, Retired Girls Basketball Coach – Buena High School;
– Phil McCune, Retired Head Football Coach – Ventura High School;
– Jean Waterman, Retired Teacher;
– Rebecca Rocha, Director of Pupil Personnel Services – Rio School District;
– Dan Larsen, Boys Basketball Head Coach – Ventura High School;
– Ann Larsen, Girls Basketball Head Coach – Ventura High School;
– Dan Munday, Retired Principal – VUSD;
– Margaret Sofer, Teacher;
– Natalia Torres, Principal;
– Javier Torres, Assistant Principal;
– A. Gregg Hutchison, Teacher, Anacapa Middle School;
– Larry Anter, Teacher, Balboa Middle School;
– Mary Chaney, Retired Buena High School Teacher;
– Mary Bergseid, Retired Citrus Glen Elementary Teacher;
– Tom Stoddart, Retired Educator, VUSD;
– Peter Sarak, Teacher, Juanamaria School;
– Mike Johnson, Retired Buena High School Principal, VUSD;
– Peter Shedlosky, Counselor; Robert Klemann, Teacher, Anacapa Middle School;
– Mickey Perry, Retired Teacher, VUSD;
– Chad Vaglica, Teacher, Anacapa Middle School Teacher;
– Terry Wieser, Adult Education Teacher;
– Mr. Ron Halt, Retired Educator;
– Danni Brook, Assistant Superintendent of Business, Hueneme Elementary School District;
– Joanne Wakelee, Educator;
– Mike Johnson, Retired Buena High School Principal, VUSD;
– Peter Shedlosky, Counselor;
– Robert Klemann, Teacher, Anacapa Middle School;
– Mickey Perry, Retired Teacher, VUSD; Chad Vaglica, Teacher, Anacapa Middle School Teacher;
– Terry Wieser, Adult Education Teacher;
– Mr. Ron Halt, Retired Educator;
– Danni Brook, Assistant Superintendent of Business, Hueneme Elementary School District;
– Joanne Wakelee, Educator; Dan Wakelee, Educator;
– Kathy Lewis, Teacher, Juanamaria School;
– Trisha Butterbaugh, Teacher, Buena High School;
– Jennifer Huizenga, Teacher, Mound School;
– Karl Mahler, Teacher, Cabrillo Middle School;
– Joe Dilbeck, Teacher, Anacapa Middle School;
– Mike Hershey, Teacher, Citrus Glen School;
– Ed Jones, Retired Administrator; Don Austin, Attorney; Jose Montano, Educator;
– Karen Montano, Retired Teacher; Lorraine Brown, Retired Teacher;
– Maria Paramo, Teacher; Roger Henggler, Teacher, Buena High School;
– Carlos Dominguez, Assistant Superintendent, Hueneme Elementary School District;
– Evelyn Jimenez, Assistant Principal;
– Ashley Thompson, TeacherArt Hernandez, Educator, Ventura County Community College Board Member
– Debbie Sherman, Teacher, Citrus Glen Elementary School
Individuals
– Conrad Alvarez, Director of Operation for Tresierras Markets;
– Bert Dannenberg, Student;
– Viridiana Rocha Dannenberg, Student;
– Linda Munday, Retired; Chris Sullivan, Financial Consultant;
– Carol Sacher; Ric Ruffinelli, Businessman;
– Gene Badstubner, Retired Counselor;
– Ellen Carpenter, Former School Administrative Assistant, Citrus Glen School;
– Leslie Hensley, Business owner and Assistant Girls Basketball Coach at VHS;
– Tom Hensley, Business owner;
– Kathy Warnke, Former School Administrative Assistant, Elmhurst School;
– Rhonda Grant, Parent; Brett Grant, Parent;
– Andrew Wakelee; Ember Brown-Waage, School Psychologist;
– Eli Brown, Business Owner;
– Cindy Smith, College Counselor;
– Betty McKinney, Parent;
– Raven Aipa, Administrator;
– Megan Mendez, Parent;
– Francisco Castillo, Counselor, Ventura High School;
– Lisa Chavez, Parent, School Librarian;
– Kathy Walker, Former School Administrative Assistant, Portola School;
– Kim Lockwood, Parent; Julie Ueltschi, Parent; John Ueltschi, Parent

Trustee Area 5- Vote for (1)

TOP * District 1: Forsythe * District 4: Thompson * Metcalf * Dannenberg * District 5: LaFave * Peterson

Watch the LWV-VC Candidate Forum for the Ventura Unified School Board Areas 4 & 5 here: https://youtu.be/WDuEHO-y_28

ENDORSED Andrew LaFave (D) – Education Research Analyst

  • Party: Democrat
  • Residence: Ventura
  • Education:
    • B.A. Music History, Literature, and Theory, St. Olaf College
    • M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction, University of Nevada–Las Vegas
    • Ph.D. in Urban Education Policy, USC 
  • Employment & experience:
    • Acting Director of Institutional Research and Planning, Santa Barbara City College (2026–present).
    • Interim Dean of Institutional Effectiveness, Oxnard College (2024–2025)
    • Research Analyst, Moorpark College (2019–2024)
    • Data + Information Expert for the Social Sciences, Occidental College (2018–2019)
    • Consultant & Researcher, USC Rossier School of Education Center for Educational Governance (2016–2018)
    • Former high school teacher.
    • Skilled in quantitative modeling, qualitative research, and data visualization.
    • Curriculum consulting/development in STEM fields, including international work in Saudi Arabia.
  • Priorities:
    • Prioritizing People: Start by listening to the people who know our schools best: students, families, educators, and classified professionals. VUSD should be a place where talented employees want—and can afford—to build careers, and where students have access to the people and support they need to succeed. When difficult choices have to be made, the effect on the people in our classrooms and schools should always be one of the first things we consider.
    • Asking Questions: Make sure you know who is succeeding, who isn’t, what is getting in the way, and what we can do differently. Good governance requires the same habit of mind. Data can help us understand what is happening, but numbers rarely tell the whole story. We need to listen to students, families, educators, and staff, test our assumptions, and be willing to change course when the evidence tells us something isn’t working.
    • Promoting Transparency. Public schools belong to the public. Our community should be able to understand how and why decisions are made. Transparency means more than making information available. It means communicating clearly, explaining the reasoning behind difficult decisions, and giving the community meaningful opportunities to be heard. School district business can be complicated, but the people VUSD serves shouldn’t need to be experts to understand what their district is doing. When we ask the people  to trust us with its schools and resources, we owe the public openness in return.
  • Links:
Central Coast Labor Council

TOP * District 1: Forsythe * District 4: Thompson * Metcalf * Dannenberg * District 5: LaFave * Peterson

Calvin Peterson (D) – Incumbent

  • Party: Democrat
  • Residence: Ventura
  • Employment & experience:
    • Member, Ventura Unified School District Board of Trustees
    • Retired retail manager
  • History on the School Board:
    • Served as VUSD Board President during 2025, leading the board through budget-cuts in February 2025 amid declining enrollment and the loss of one-time COVID-era funding. The board ultimately restored counseling and teacher-librarian positions but had to find cuts elsewhere.
    • In March 2026, the board (Peterson included) approved laying off 45+ full-time positions for the 2026–27 school year amid a budget shortfall projected to reach roughly $11 million by 2027–28.
    • At the Feb. 24, 2026, board meeting, Peterson told a public commenter to “give us the facts” rather than “spill out emotions,” saying emotional appeals wouldn’t sway his votes – cited by a Change.org petition (“Protect Ventura’s Kids”) critical of the board’s budget and pay priorities as an example of accountability concerns.
  • Links: School District Email: Calvin.Peterson@venturausd.org

At the Feb. 24, 2026 board meeting, Peterson told a public commenter to “give us the facts” rather than “spill out emotions,” saying emotional appeals wouldn’t sway his votes — cited by a Change.org petition (“Protect Ventura’s Kids”) critical of the board’s budget and pay priorities as an example of accountability concerns. No campaign website or social media found.

Liam Andersen O’Neill Hernandez (D), candidate for Camarillo Health Care District

TOP * District 1: Forsythe * District 4: Thompson * Metcalf * Dannenberg * District 5: LaFave * Peterson