Dems open county offices

The Ventura County Democratic Central Committee will host the grand opening of its county headquarters in Camarillo on Sat., July 31.

The 1,800-square-foot storefront on Ventura Boulevard in Old Town Camarillo will give the 44-member committee a place to hold meetings, conduct phone bank operations and host candidates.

“It’s really about positioning ourselves in the county and letting people know that we are here,” said Brian Leshon, the outgoing committee chair. “Just the physical presence has real value. People know you’re on the map.”

The offices are intended to be headquarters for the committee until the Nov. 2 general election. It’s unknown if the committee plans to keep the offices once the November elections are over.

In addition to being more centrally located—the committee had been meeting in Thousand Oaks—the new office space helps bring the county’s various Democratic clubs under one roof.

Leshon, a Ventura resident, said there are about 11 Democratic clubs in the county—most organized for a particular city, others that are countywide.

“During the times that we have active campaigns, it’s very important to have a central location that people can go to,” said Bruce Little, a Camarillo resident and member of the Democratic committee. “Just working with likeminded individuals in a group setting is very important and much more conducive to volunteer work, especially in a campaign season.”

The county headquarters for the Ventura County Republican Party is also in Camarillo, at 80 Wood Road.

The Democratic committee needs donations of furniture and general supplies, said Leshon, adding that monetary donations pay rent and cover the cost of keeping an office.

“We need every dollar we can get,” he said. “It takes a lot of money to keep the office going.”

The committee represents the county’s 168,255 registered Democrats and supports Democratic candidates at the federal, state, county and city levels.

“Since we’re involved at the local level, we’re involved in races every year,” Leshon said. “We needed to have a permanent facility.”

He said the committee’s focus for the upcoming general election will be campaigning for Tim Allison, the Democrat challenging longtime U.S. Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-Thousand Oaks) for the 24th Congressional District seat.

The committee also hopes to register more Democrats.

The number of registered Democrats in the county outpaces registered Republicans by 13,277—or 8.5 percent.

Earlier this week, the committee’s new headquarters hosted the elections for its five-member executive board. The new board members are Chairman Richard Carter, First Vice Chair David Atkins, Second Vice Chair Sandy Emberland, Treasurer Peter Brinkman and Secretary Marie Lakin.

State Controller John Chiang is expected to speak at Saturday’s open house. Chiang, a Democrat, is seeking reelection in November and is again being challenged by state Sen. Tony Strickland (RThousand Oaks) for the seat.

To make a donation to the Ventura County Democratic Party, call (805) 641-2400 or visit www.venturacountydemocrats.com.