At issue in the campaign is the battle over Prop. 172 funds – the half-cent sales tax - between the Board of Supervisors and Ventura County Sheriff Bob Brooks and District Attorney Greg Totten.Brooks and Totten sued the board this year after a majority of supervisors voted in 2001 to adjust the pubic safety funding formula by tying General Fund increases to the consumer price index.In 1995, before Long was elected to the Board of Supervisors, the board adopted Ordinance 4088 after backers gathered more than 57,000 signatures to place on the ballot an initiative that would require the county to spend its share of Prop. 172 funds entirely on the Sheriff’s Department, District Attorney’s Office, Public Defender’s Office and the Probation Agency.With the addition of General Fund for inflationary costs, such as employee raises, county public safety budgets have grown nearly 10 percent a year.The county has counter-sued Brooks and Totten who claim that the 2001 board action was illegal. The county claims that the entire ordinance is unconstitutional and weakens the supervisors’ power to make budget decisions.Long and Morgan are expected to appear at a forum in the Santa Clara River Valley before the March 2 election.If either Long or Morgan fail to garner more than 50 percent of the vote in March they will face each other again in November.
Long, Morgan again face off in Supervisor race
February 04, 2004
Santa Paula News
With the match-up between incumbent Kathy Long and Mike Morgan for the 3rd District Supervisor’s seat it’s the third time that Supervisor Long and Camarillo Councilman Morgan have squared off.
By Peggy KellySanta Paula TimesWith the match-up between incumbent Kathy Long and Mike Morgan for the 3rd District Supervisor’s seat it’s the third time that Supervisor Long and Camarillo Councilman Morgan have squared off.According to the latest financial reports, Long had more than $63,000 remaining in her campaign chest while Morgan had $6,100.Long was elected Supervisor beating Morgan for the seat for the first time in 1996.The 3rd District mainly covers Camarillo and the Santa Clara River Valley communities of Santa Paula, Fillmore and Piru.Contributions received by Long and Morgan between New Year’s Day and January 17th revealed that Long raised $9,900 and Morgan received $8,000.Long has received an array of endorsements including from those who had supported Morgan in the past while Morgan is being backed by the Ventura County Deputy Sheriff’s Association.
