As the general election season accelerates across Southern California, civic organizations throughout Ventura County have coordinated an extensive series of public candidate forums in preparation for the upcoming Nov. 3 ballot. These gatherings are designed to provide local residents with direct access to the contenders vying for municipal, educational, county, state, and federal offices.
The non-partisan League of Women Voters of Ventura County is spearheading the majority of these informational events, working in close collaboration with regional chambers of commerce, educational advocacy branches, and cultural organizations. Partnering entities include the Greater Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce, the Santa Paula Chamber of Commerce, the Moorpark Chamber of Commerce, the Simi Valley Chamber of Commerce, local branches of the American Association of University Women (AAUW), and the Ventura County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.
Every forum on the countywide schedule is free and open to the general public, reflecting a shared commitment among organizers to foster informed voter participation. To accommodate voters unable to attend in person, hosts are implementing broad digital accessibility options, offering real-time livestreams or publishing video archives shortly after each event concludes. Recordings produced by the League of Women Voters will be uploaded to its website at LwvVenturaCounty.org within a few days of each session.
The regional schedule opens on Wednesday, Sept. 16, in Port Hueneme. Co-hosted by the League of Women Voters and the Ventura County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, the event will spotlight candidates seeking seats on the Port Hueneme City Council. The forum is scheduled from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Port Hueneme City Council Chambers, located at 250 N. Ventura Road.
Civic engagement continues the following evening, Thursday, Sept. 17, in Thousand Oaks under the coordination of the Greater Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce. Taking place from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at California Lutheran University's Lundring Events Center at 60 W. Olsen Road, the forum will feature contenders for the Ventura County Community College District Area 2 seat, alongside candidates running in Thousand Oaks City Council Districts 1, 2, and 3. Voters can watch the proceedings live online via the chamber’s Facebook page.
On Tuesday, Sept. 22, the League of Women Voters and the Santa Paula Chamber of Commerce will co-host an evening of discussions at the Santa Paula Community/Senior Center, situated at 530 W. Main St. The program divides its schedule into two segments: a forum for Santa Paula City Council Districts 2 and 4 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:20 p.m., followed by a session for the Santa Paula Unified School District Area 5 race running from 7:30 p.m. to 8:10 p.m.
Federal representation will take center stage on Friday, Sept. 25, in Moorpark. Co-organized by the local chamber and the League of Women Voters, the gathering will be held at the Moorpark High Street Arts Center at 45 E. High St. The event will begin at 5:30 p.m. with a 45-minute discussion featuring candidates for California’s 26th Congressional District, followed by a forum for Moorpark City Council District 1 at 6:30 p.m. and a concluding session for the Moorpark Unified School District Board Area 1 race at 7:20 p.m.
The series moves to the Ojai Valley on Monday, Sept. 28, where the League of Women Voters will host a municipal forum from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. inside Kent Hall at the Ojai City Council Chambers, located at 111 W. Santa Ana St. The evening will focus entirely on candidates competing for Ojai City Council Districts 1 and 2.
On Wednesday, Sept. 30, voters in Oxnard will have the opportunity to examine municipal policy and local government leadership at the Oxnard City Council Chambers, 305 W. Third St. Starting at 6:00 p.m., the League of Women Voters will present candidates running in Oxnard City Council Districts 1, 2, and 5, followed at 7:30 p.m. by a focused informational debate regarding the proposed local Sales Tax Measure.
Simultaneously on Sept. 30, the Simi Valley Chamber of Commerce will host a major four-hour event at the Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center, 3050 E. Los Angeles Ave. The evening begins at 5:00 p.m. with an informal public candidate meet-and-greet, followed from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. by formal forum segments for the Simi Valley mayoral race, City Council seats, the Simi Valley Unified School District Board, and the Ventura County Board of Education District 4. Residents can view the livestream through the chamber's Facebook or YouTube channels.
As the calendar turns to October, Thousand Oaks will host a second event on Thursday, Oct. 1, presented by the League of Women Voters in partnership with AAUW Thousand Oaks. Located at the Thousand Oaks City Council Chambers at 2100 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., the evening features candidates for California Assembly District 42 from 6:00 p.m. to 6:45 p.m., transitioning immediately into a forum for Thousand Oaks City Council Districts 1, 2, and 3 from 7:00 p.m. to 8:15 p.m.
On Monday, Oct. 5, attention turns to Camarillo, where the League of Women Voters and AAUW Camarillo will assemble candidates at the City of Camarillo Council Chambers, 601 Carmen Drive. The first segment, running from 6:00 p.m. to 6:45 p.m., will examine the race for County Superintendent of Schools, while the second half from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. will showcase candidates running in Camarillo City Council Districts 1, 2, and 5.
Simi Valley voters will see another municipal-focused forum on Tuesday, Oct. 6, organized by the League of Women Voters and the Ventura County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. Set at the Simi Valley Council Chambers at 2929 Tapo Canyon Road, the schedule includes a dedicated mayoral forum from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., followed by a session for Simi Valley City Council Districts 1, 2, and 4 from 7:15 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
The city of Ventura will conclude the regional schedule with a pair of school-hosted forums in October. On Wednesday, Oct. 7, Balboa Middle School at 247 S. Hill Road will host discussions for Ventura City Council Districts 4 and 5 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:15 p.m., as well as the Ventura Unified School Board Areas 4 and 5 from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The final scheduled forum will take place on Thursday, Oct. 15, at Anacapa Middle School, 100 S. Mills Road, running from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. for Ventura City Council Districts 1 and 6.
These numerous events underscore the active civic infrastructure in Ventura County, giving community members multiple avenues to evaluate platforms, assess policy differences, and directly engage contenders before casting their ballots on Nov. 3. Organizers of unlisted upcoming candidate forums are invited to submit their event details to news@vcstar.com with the subject line "Candidate forum."
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