VENTURA COUNTY — November 4, 2026. A review of the initial election results across several Ventura County cities reveals three exceptionally close races: a 12-vote margin in Simi Valley District 1, a 32-vote margin in Thousand Oaks District 1, and a 33-vote margin in Camarillo District 5. These contests deserve close attention as additional ballots are processed.

Simi Valley: mayor and council

Mike Judge led the city’s five-candidate mayoral field with 10,970 votes, followed by Kareem Jubran at 8,593 and Dee Cavanaugh at 5,725. In the separate District 1 short-term council election, Jill Abele was ahead of Joseph Ayala by only 12 votes. Other candidates also sought the seat.

Thousand Oaks and Camarillo

Karen Arreola led Mikey Taylor 3,751 to 3,719 in Thousand Oaks District 1. Martita Martinez-Bravo led David Schlangen 1,704 to 1,671 in Camarillo District 5. These margins should never be treated as certified results.

Oxnard and Ojai

In Oxnard District 1, Bert Perello led John Barrick by 116 votes; Gabriel Teran and Gabriela Basua led separate council contests. In Ojai District 1, Jordan Garst led Leslie Rule 184 to 152 in the early results — another 32-vote difference. A city or town’s multiple council elections must be reported separately according to the eligible district electorate.

Further local reporting

California58’s city editions carry the detailed Simi Valley, Camarillo, Thousand Oaks and Oxnard results. This countywide report is a synthesis of those events rather than identical reposts of the four local articles.

What the first returns do and do not show

The results are early returns, not certified winners or final turnout. Ventura County will continue processing valid outstanding mail and other eligible ballots during the official canvass. District candidates represent voters in their own electoral area; their numbers cannot be combined with other districts or the mayoral race. The county’s later report may change margins, so California58 will identify the timestamp of each updated count.

Source: NBC Los Angeles Ventura County November 2026 election results, accessed November 4, 2026. Find the county election authority through the California Secretary of State’s official county elections directory.

INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM ACROSS CALIFORNIA

Support independent journalism for all Californians

Support reporting, public information and community coverage across California’s 58 counties.

Donate once by card ↗
Support independent California journalism Your contribution helps build and sustain independent community reporting across California.
Support California58

Choose how to support California58:

Credit / Debit Card via Stripe

Choose an amount from $1. One-time support through the publisher's LINKERNO Stripe account.

Continue with PayPal Continue with Zelle

Zelle payments go to Vitaly Ataev Troshin. Please verify the recipient in your bank before sending. Availability depends on your bank.

Optional reader support. Contributions are not advertised as tax-deductible. Support does not influence editorial decisions.
Optional support through the publisher. Contributions are not advertised as tax-deductible and never buy editorial influence.

USEFUL SERVICES

Useful services from our ecosystem

AFFILIATED RESOURCE

Travel smarter worldwide

OptionTrip

AI-powered trip planning for journeys in California and around the world.

Explore OptionTrip →

AFFILIATED RESOURCE

Free tax & property tools

TaxesTime

Free preliminary tax and property tools, including the Property Tax Savings Report.

Explore TaxesTime →

AFFILIATED RESOURCE

California document support

LegalDocSVC

Document preparation support for self-represented Californians. Not a law firm and not legal advice.

Explore LegalDocSVC →

WORK WITH CALIFORNIA58

Have a story, project or partnership idea?

California58 welcomes news tips, interviews, video projects, community partnerships, advertising and other California-focused collaborations.

Work with California58 →

COMMUNITY

Comments

Join the California58 conversation. You must be signed in to comment.