The Vote That Shapes Your Street
Every four years, this country pays close attention to the race for president. Turnout climbs, yard signs go up, and everyone has an opinion. I wish more of that attention came down to the races that decide what actually happens on your street. I have spent 13 years on the Oxnard City Council, and I can tell you that the decisions made in council chambers touch daily life faster and more directly than almost anything decided in Washington or Sacramento.
The Turnout Nobody Talks About
Local elections are some of the most consequential and least watched contests in the country. Research compiled by the National Civic League found that typically only 15 to 27 percent of eligible voters cast a ballot in a local race, and that voters 65 and older are about seven times more likely to vote in those races than voters 18 to 34. That means the people voting on your streets, your parks and your public safety budget do not always reflect the full range of residents those decisions affect.
Oxnard holds City Council races inside the same November election as the bigger state and county races, instead of a standalone spring election. But strong turnout at the top of the ballot does not always carry all the way down. Every election, some voters fill in the ovals for governor or Congress and stop there, skipping the city council race entirely, even though that race decides who sets the budget for the streets, parks and police services those same voters rely on every day. If you take one thing from this post, let it be this: vote your whole ballot, not just the top line.
The Decisions That Touch Your Day
City government is where policy turns into something you can see and feel. It is the council that decides:
Which streets get repaved, and in what order
How quickly police and fire respond when you call
Whether storm drains are cleared before the next big rain
How the city's budget and reserves are managed, so services do not get cut when times get tough
Nationwide, more than 500,000 local elected officials collectively control over $2 trillion in public spending, and city councils are where most of those decisions actually get made.
Over the past 13 years, I have worked to keep those basics moving forward: helping rebuild the city’s reserves to more than 16 percent, helping earn 11 S&P credit rating upgrades since 2021, and helping bring down homelessness by 15 percent over the past three years. As chair of the Public Works Committee, I have also pushed to launch a five-phase street paving program to get more of those streets fixed. None of that happens unless people pay attention to the races that decide who sits on the council.
You Can Make a Real Difference, Right Here
Here is the good news: because local races often get less attention, every vote in them carries more of the total conversation. A phone call to your council member, a few minutes at a City Council meeting, or simply filling out every race on your ballot, not just the top of the ticket, can change outcomes in ways that national politics rarely allows. Fixing the streets you drive on and keeping the storm drains clear does not start in Washington. It starts here, with neighbors who show up and vote, and with a council member who shows up for them in return. That is the job I have tried to do for District 1 these past 13 years, and it is why I am asking for your vote again this November.
Make Your Voice Heard
Thank you for taking the time to think through your ballot this year. That is exactly the kind of attention local elections need.
— Bert
If you are not registered yet, take care of that first, and if you want to keep the work moving forward in District 1, here is how you can get involved:
