Jesus Torres: Candidate for 3rd District
Supervisor meets Santa Paulans
October 14, 2015
By Peggy Kelly
Santa Paula News
A fifth candidate in the race for the seat being vacated by Supervisor Kathy Long for the wide-ranging 3rd District visited Santa Paula’s Rabalais Bistro & Bakery Tuesday to formally launch his campaign.
Jesus Torres, a community relation’s director for Verizon, held campaign launch events in Camarillo — where he lives — as well as Santa Paula.
The 3rd District covers Camarillo as well as Santa Paula, Fillmore, Piru, Port Hueneme and portions of Oxnard and the Lockwood Valley.
Long, a five-term incumbent announced in May that she is retiring after her term ends Jan. 2, 2017; Long took the step ahead of term limits under which she could have served a sixth-term.
For Verizon, Torres manages public policy issues and a budget for philanthropic contributions including the company’s Inspire Her Mind program that focuses on STEM (Science Technology Engineering Math).
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Clara Valley he noted has benefited from such a Verizon grant and he is hoping to bring more resources to the club.
A former aide to Assemblyman Pedro Nava, Torres said he has been thinking about running for Supervisor and looks forward to taking a “leadership role” on issues of particular concern to Ventura County residents, including water, housing, education, economics and open space.
“I’m offering a moderate voice, I’m very supportive of business but also very sensitive to natural resources…one of the things in my campaign is putting families first,” and families, “although very busy still care about issues,” such as the environment.
Torres’ own family includes wife Monica and two children, ages 3 and 1.
There are “a lot of economic issues in Santa Paula…businesses are struggling,” complicated by the lower income households and the high unemployment rate that limits disposable income.
He wants to see an incubator program that provides space at a low cost to emerging businesses where they are encouraged to concentrate on entrepreneurship and innovation, combining hard work with mentoring from professionals.
Torres also is concerned about youth: “A lot are disconnected,” especially those 16 to 24 years old.
“They’re not in school, they don’t have jobs,” they don’t have bright futures or goals that helps keep them on the straight and narrow.
“There’s no job component in the county’s General Plan,” leaving organizations such as the Ventura County Workforce Development Board, of which Torres is a member, to take the lead.
A native of Oxnard, which has seen numerous unwanted projects built or proposed on shore and off in years past, Torres said he is “Very sensitive to cities being used as dumping grounds…”
He said he understands the frustrations of Santa Paulans facing the aftermath of the November 2014 Santa Clara Waste Water – Green Compass explosions and fire as well as the same area being identified as an alternative for a proposed peaker plant being fought by Oxnard.
“I look at this and say, ‘why Santa Paula?’ Ventura County is full of open space…why not use it,” equally for unpopular projects.
The attitude is “It’s on county land and they have a right to be there…I think that is where the skewered vision is,” not the “reality” of working together.
Torres also questions the recent LAFCo hearing on whether or not to shrink Santa Paula’s sphere-of-influence by eliminating Adams and Fagan canyons.
He attended the September hearing, called by LAFCo about two years ahead of their own schedule. The panel split 4-3 to allow the city to retain the canyons in its sphere, albeit with some caveats.
“It bothered me that they brought it back up,” said Torres, who attended the hearing.
“I wondered why…LAFCo has every right to ask for a plan and Santa Paula has every right to take the time they were given.”
Port Hueneme Jim Hensley said he supports Torres, who holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from UC Berkeley and a master’s degree in communications from USC.
“I was a longtime supporter of Pedro Nava,” and became an admirer of Torres. “I’ve known him a long time,” said Hensley, “that’s what friends are for.”
Also dropping into Rabalais was City Councilwoman Jenny Crosswhite.
“I’m here to meet and greet,” she noted, “but at this time I’m not supporting anyone…”
Torres will be running against four other announced candidates: Carla Castilla, an aide to state Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson; Santa Paula City Vice Mayor Martin Hernandez, Long’s chief aide; and Camarillo Councilmen Kevin Kildee and Mike Morgan.
The candidates will run in the June 7 primary. If no one receives a majority of the vote — which Torres believes will be the case — the top two finishers will face off in the General Presidential Election Nov. 8, 2016.
“There’s a lot of good candidates in the race,” said Torres. “Very qualified…”
