3rd District Supervisor Kathy Long to
forego sixth term

May 22, 2015
Santa Paula News

As Supervisor of the 3rd District for almost two decades, Kathy Long has been a strong advocate of the Santa Clara River Valley, long admired for her take no prisoners attitude when it came to reopening Santa Paula Hospital and her personal touch when dealing with constituents.

Now the redheaded Long—whose district represents Santa Paula, Fillmore, Piru, Camarillo, Port Hueneme, Naval Base Ventura County, Lockwood Valley and parts of Oxnard—has decided her fifth term in office will be her last.

Long, who has 18 months left in office, would have been able to run for one more four-year term, a race that most political watchers—and especially her constituents—would bet she’d take hands down even if an opponent tried to take her on.

“It was a very personal decision not to run…it’s time,” Long said Wednesday. “And I plan to work very hard,” until the very end of her term of office. 

She is hoping there will be a wide field of candidates, all “Ready to serve in this nonpartisan district,” one that has different needs and challenges.

Long was honored in March by Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin as the 44th Assembly District Woman of the Year, and lauded for creating alliances for the benefit of the health, welfare and public safety of Ventura County residents, including leading the fight to protect Naval Base Ventura.

Her district is diverse from the upper-income Camarillo with its money generating outlet malls to rural areas such as Santa Paula where agriculture dominates the landscape.

A Camarillo resident, Long said she has been “very fortunate” to represent underserved areas that rely more on county resources.

In the Santa Clara River Valley she has been active in promoting economic development as well as helping to obtain grants to keep programs moving that better the communities and youth.

Said Long, “Whomever steps in behind me has to keep this a healthy community…years ago I aspired never to seek partisan office,” preferring to concentrate on meeting the needs of all constituents. 

“And, I’ve loved serving this nonpartisan district,” equally, including Santa Paula that at times has needed more attention.

“Am I endorsing anyone? No, I don’t even know who might run. We’ll see who steps up…campaigns aren’t easy, you have to garner support,” and raise funds.

That is why Long is announcing now that she is not going to seek a sixth term: to give others time to declare their intentions, pull the required paperwork and gear up for the June 2016 primary. If a candidate garners more than 50 percent of the vote in the primary they are elected.

If not, there will be a runoff in the November 2016 Presidential Election.

And then Long, a Michigan native whose public service career has stretched past three decades will no longer be a Supervisor.

She plans on some travel with her husband Randy, a Realtor that is on the cusp of retirement; the couple has a grown son, Austin, 25. 

Now, “I have about a year and half left to serve and I plan to serve well. I’m not going to project what I’ll do after. We’ll see…I’m not like Maggie,” Kildee, who Long served as chief aide and then followed as Supervisor of the 3rd District.

Once Kildee retired she became a noted sculptor, but Long noted with a laugh, “I don’t have an artistic bone in my body!”





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