Republican former fire battalion chief Vernon Alstot won a decisive victory in Ventura’s District 5 City Council race on Nov. 3, earning about 67% of the vote in the officially nonpartisan contest, according to the Ventura County Reporter. Alstot defeated incumbent Bill McReynolds, marking the only Republican win on the Ventura City Council ballot.

Alstot, who served six years with the Ventura Police Department and 27 years with the Ventura Fire Department, said his top priority is reopening portions of Main Street and California Street to automobile traffic. He argued that the current “Main Street Moves” configuration creates dangerous access issues for emergency responders and hinders the ability of downtown businesses to thrive. “We can still close it down for special events, but the closing that was done during special events pre‑COVID did not obstruct the ability for emergency services to get there,” Alstot told the Reporter.

The campaign was backed by a political action committee representing downtown property owners who favor the car‑friendly changes, as well as former councilmember Jim Duran, who attended Alstot’s victory celebration at The River Church. Alstot described the cheering crowd on election night as “humbling,” noting he had never run for office before and expected a much tighter race.

Other Ventura City Council races saw incumbents retain their seats: District 1 councilmember Liz Campos and District 4 councilmember Dr. Jeannette Sánchez‑Palacios were re‑elected, while the open District 6 seat is currently led by Kabra Eckley, who held a roughly 100‑vote lead over Noe Aguilar Vega as of Nov. 9, per the same report.

What’s next: Alstot will be sworn in with the rest of the council at the first regular meeting in early December. He has indicated that a proposal to modify Main Street’s traffic pattern will be placed on the agenda, allowing residents and business owners to weigh in before any changes are enacted.

Sources: vcreporter.com