COUNTY: Ventura County Community College District Trustees (Nonpartisan)

TOP * Trustee Area 1 * Trustee Area 2 * Trustee Area 5 *

VOTER GUIDE – QUICK LINKS:

Ventura County Community College Board

TOP * Trustee Area 2 * Trustee Area 5

Ventura County Community College Board, Trustee Area 2 – Vote for (1)

Area 2 covers Thousand Oaks, Newbury Park, Oak Park, Lake Sherwood, Hidden Valley, Santa Rosa Valley, Westlake Village (Ventura portion), and portions of Camarillo.

Roger Bowerman (D) – Community College Professor

Roger Bowerman (Democrat)

Central Coast Labor Council

Lou A. Lichtl (U) (MAGA) – Governor Board Member, Ventura County Community College District

From Mr. Lichl’s facebook page:

  • Sorry, Mr. Lichtl. We fought hard to PASS Prop. 50 to answer Texas’ unprecedented mid-census gerrymandering. Unfortunately for sore losers here in CA who initiated a lawsuit against the Prop. 50 win, the Supreme Court decided that what’s good for the goose was good for the gander. “Prop. 50 opponents’ odds look slim, especially after the U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative majority recently blessed Texas’s new maps, overturning a lower court’s finding that Republicans there had engaged in unconstitutional racial gerrymandering. “It is indisputable that the impetus for the adoption of the Texas map (like the map subsequently adopted in California) was partisan advantage pure and simple,” wrote conservative Justice Samuel Alito in a concurring opinion supported by Justices Neil Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas.” 
  • Our June primary was the first election will be the first one using new California congressional maps intended to favor Democrats.

From Mr. Lichl’s facebook comments:

  • Just in case his sadness for the sinking candidacy of Sheriff Chad Bianco doesn’t inspire memories of what that man represented, here are some reminders, and a strong clue as to Mr. Lichtl’s MAGA propensities.
    • (enewpapter.latime.com) “Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco was a paying member in 2014 of the Oath Keepers, a far-right, anti-government group whose ranks participated in the Capitol insurrection on Jan. 6, prompting some local leaders to call for his resignation…The Southern Poverty Law Center has designated the Oath Keepers an extremist group grounded in “baseless conspiracy theories about the federal government working to destroy Americans’ liberties.”
      The Washington Post reported last month that about 22 associates of the group were charged in connection with the Jan. 6 breach of the U.S. Capitol, and five have pleaded guilty.”
    • “Last month, Bianco announced he would not enforce a vaccine mandate for the department, invoking the notion of overreach. The sheriff said, “I am certainly not anti-vaccine; I am anti-vaccine for me,” the Desert Sun reported. 
      Bianco was an outspoken critic of coronavirus restrictions, even as cases soared. He vowed not to enforce a state stay-at-home order last winter, calling the rule “flat-out ridiculous.”
    • “Palm Springs Mayor Christy Holstege on Tuesday publicly called for Bianco’s resignation due to his connection with the group, deeming it “offensive to all those who believe in American democracy.” 
      Given the core tenets of the group, Holstege said Wednesday, Bianco was leading based on his own understanding of the Constitution rather than upholding the laws of Riverside County. 
      “His refusal to enforce laws, and to show the public that he can pick and choose which to enforce, is incredibly problematic for our community,” she said.
    • (riversidecountydemocrats) “As Riverside County Sheriff, Chad Bianco has overseen one of the deadliest jail systems in California, fought against oversight, racked up millions in lawsuit settlements, and emboldened a culture of corruption and excessive force. “
    • (calmatters) In 2026, Bianco seized ballots 650,000 ballots from California’s 2025 election amid his own campaign for governor based on claims of fraud by a citizen group of election deniers. “We have not seen sheriffs seizing ballots in this country until 2026 and it is being done in a very casual, procedural manner instead of with the kind of care that I’d expect we would use around something so important. And I think that applies to everybody who was involved here.”

Lou Lichtl (Incumbent)(MAGA Republican fanboy)

TOP * Trustee Area 2 * Trustee Area 5

Ventura County Community College Board, Trustee Area 5 – Vote for (1)

Area 5 covers Port Hueneme, CSU Channel Islands, Colonia, Mandalay Bay, Silver Strand, Hollywood Beach, Hollywood by the Sea, Channel Islands Harbor, parts of the Oxnard Plain, Naval Base Ventura County Port Hueneme, and portions of El Rio. [1, 2]

Gabriela Torres (D) – Ventura County Community College District, Governing Board Member Area 5

  • (Oxnardcollege.edu) VCCCD Board Elects Leadership for New Year: “At its Annual Organizational Meeting on Dec.16, the Ventura County Community College District (VCCCD) Board of Trustees re-elected Gabriela Torres to serve as board chair for a second term. 

    First elected to the board in 2018, Torres has focused on student access, equity, and college-community partnerships during her service. She represents Area 5, which covers CSU Channel Islands, Colonia, Mandalay Bay, Silver Strand, Hollywood Beach and Hollywood by the Sea, Channel Islands Harbor, Port Hueneme, Oxnard Plain, Naval Base V.C. Port Hueneme and portions of El Rio. 

    “I’m honored to continue serving as Board Chair and to uphold our district’s commitment to student equity, inclusion, and access,” said Torres. “Every student deserves to feel a sense of belonging and to have the opportunity to thrive, and I look forward to working alongside my fellow trustees and our community to support that vision. Our strength as a district comes from listening to and learning from the diverse voices we serve.”

    The Board also elected Trustee Joshua Chancer to serve as vice chair in the coming year. 
Central Coast Labor Council

John A. Demers (DTS) – Groundwater Agency Executive

  • Party: declines to state
  • Education:
    • BS in economics from George Mason University
    • Graduate Certificate in advanced program in logistics and technology from the University of North Carolina
    • MSS in strategic studies from the U.S Army War College
  • Employment and Experience:
    • Executive Officer, Fox Canyon Groundwater Management Agency (2025-present)
    • Range Sustainability Lead, Naval Air Systems Command (2020-2025)
    • Deputy Garrison Commander, NTC and Fort Irwin (2018-2020)
    • Executive Officer, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (2017-2018)
    • Planning Commissioner, City of Santa Paula (2013-2016)
    • Chief Operations Officer, Oxnard Harbor District/Port of Hueneme (2013-2016)
    • Various positions in the U.S. Navy (2006-2013)
  • Links:

TOP * Trustee Area 1 * Trustee Area 2 * Trustee Area 5 *