Latest count adds 1,533 votes to City Council race, rankings hold
November 14, 2014
By Peggy Kelly
Santa Paula News
The results of more votes counted were released Wednesday but the rankings of those running for a City Council seat remained the same.
The Ventura County Elections Division still has about 15,300 ballots to tabulate to finalize the results of the November 4 General Election.
With the release Wednesday John Procter, Ginger Gherardi and Jenny Crosswhite had an even firmer grip on the City Council, replacing incumbents Ralph Fernandez and Bob Gonzales, who lost their bids for a third-term. John Demers finished sixth in the race for three seats that occurred when Mayor Rick Cook declined to run for another council term.
Procter, who served on the City Council from 2000 to 2008 remains the top vote getter with 2,270 votes, 19.20 percent, a 303 vote increase over the last release.
Gherardi, who retired after 17 years as executive director of the Ventura County Transportation Commission and was a former Simi Valley councilmember and mayor, retained second place, with 2,223 votes, picking up an additional 311 votes.
Newcomer Jenny Crosswhite, a pastor and community activist who also works in marketing and graphic arts design, still ranked third with 2,106 votes, or 17.82 percent, an increase of 306 votes.
Fernandez, an architect and college instructor, had 1,934 votes, 16.36 percent, 250 more votes than the November 7 count.
Gonzales, the city’s former police chief followed with 1,861 votes, 15.74 percent of the vote, adding 198 votes.
Demers, serving his first term on the council appointed Planning Commission, remained sixth in the race with 1,405 votes, 11.89 percent, with 163 additional votes. There were 21 write in votes, 0.18 percent.
In all, 11,820 votes have been tabulated so far in the City Council race.
The November 12 release by the Ventura County Elections Division reflected the addition of 987 local ballots counted in the council race.
Measure F, the 1-percent public safety sales tax garnered a majority of voters but not the 67 percent required for victory, lost a little ground in the latest vote release.
The anticipated $1.6 million annual added tax revenue was to be split 50 percent for police and 25 percent each for fire and road repair.
As of November 12 there were 2,751 yes votes for the measure, 57.78 percent, and 2,027 no vote, 42.42 percent.
The total to date number of votes cast for and against the measure is 4,778, an increase of 620 over the November 7 count.
County election officials will announce the result of votes still being counted - following the election there were about 53,000 total vote-by-mail and provisional ballots, for all of Ventura County, that still had to be processed - on Friday, November 14. There is no estimate on when the remaining ballots will be processed but by law the election must be certified December 2.
The new council members will be sworn into office at the December 1 meeting.
